bighurt4life

Im looking at Michael Blanke and Andy Wilkins to have big seasons. I also think that Jose Martinez finally puts together a healthy year. My surprise pick this year is for Jon Gilmore to start growing into his body and hitting with power.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Mar 8, 2011 -> 11:19 AM) Link uggg. I was really looking forward to watching his progression this year, I think he's a big time sleeper prospect.

QUOTE (IChaseBlackWood @ Mar 8, 2011 -> 10:06 AM) LOL so is Justin Beiber Not helping your argument.

QUOTE (IChaseBlackWood @ Mar 7, 2011 -> 12:35 PM) Chase's locker is between Dan Black and Michael Blanke, he really likes Blanke, says he's a pretty cool guy! Also, in the meeting today, it was decided that they are going to take the catching position away from Black and send him back to being just 1B!! I will let you all know the little tid bits as they come to me!! Blanke is a Canadian though.

We're in a much better position than we were just a couple years ago when we had absolutely no depth at the position. If I had to guess, I'd say that we probably end up including Flowers in a trade this season unless he starts tearing the cover off the ball.

QUOTE (LVSoxFan @ Feb 25, 2011 -> 06:52 PM) OK I'm no expert so this is more of a question, but: does now Peavy become more of a "control" pitcher picking his spots (think: Maddox, or Buehrle) instead of trying to blow away batters with heat? I don't see him doing that unless his stuff doesn't come back. If he's never the same and loses several MPH on his FB and his slider flattens out, then sure we might see him change his style, but right now is too soon to think that he will.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Feb 23, 2011 -> 05:43 PM) I like the pic of Kenny doing his best to look relaxed

He's been a great baseball player his entire life, I can understand that it's been tough for him to let go of that part of his life. Especially if he doesn't have something lined up for the next phase of his life.

Watching Dayan last season in his big league stint I was very impressed by his natural talent. He certainly has the ability to put the bat on the ball despite having poor plate discipline, in addition to that, the ball absolutely flies off his bat. He hit some lazers and really knows how to use the whole field, I was more impressed with him having seen him in person than just having read about him.

If you look at Escobar's numbers through his career he is giving us some reason be believe that his hit tool is coming around. Early on a good fastball would knock the bat out of his hands, as he's gotten older his numbers have gotten better and better, and he has started to hit the ball with some authority hitting 6HR last season after having just one his first 3 pro seasons combined. He also just turned 22 so he played half a season at AA at age 21. His bat isn't as bad as some people make it sound.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Dec 22, 2010 -> 01:27 AM) The thing about Montero is that I don't think any deal around Montero could improve the 2011 team. If it was Montero +, then that extra player would be some lower level minors guy I would assume. I'd rather take the lesser of their catching prospects if it meant we were to add to our 2011 club (Joba and Nova). I'm sure that Montero doesn't help us this year but if we trade Danks (and this is all a big hypothetical) then we aren't really trying to win this year anyways right? I've just seen some big trades lately where there were a lot of good prospects changing hands but no real blue-chip talent. The Greinke trade comes to mind immediately because it just happened. Also Cliff Lee to the Mariners the Phils got pretty good return but no star level talent to replace what they gave up and that is my fear if we do trade Danks. He is a star level player and led our team in every meaningful pitching category this last year except for saves. You give up someone like that and you better be getting at least one prospect with all-star potential that he is likely to realize, like Montero. Just my $0.02

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Dec 21, 2010 -> 11:54 PM) I would do that trade in a HEARTBEAT. I won't trade our best SP for any package that doesn't include Montero. In addition to him being our best SP (jury still out on Peavy) he's also a lefty, only 25, has gotten better every year in the majors and has the type of stuff that ages well. By that I mean that he doesn't have some funky pitching motion and he doesn't throw pure power stuff so he has the potential to be successful for the next 10+ years because he mixes pitches well, changes speeds and has that bulldog mentality needed for long term success. Considering all that, I wouldn't give him up without getting a BIG name prospect in return and Montero is that guy if we're talking the yankees.

QUOTE (knightni @ Dec 16, 2010 -> 12:26 AM) Does he have an outside shot at the Big Leagues in '11 as the LOOGy? Doubt it, we've already got two dynamite lefties in Sale and Thornton. My guess is they will give him every chance to be a starter before moving him to the pen.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 09:29 AM) Sale Thornton Santos Pena In house options: Carter, Infante, Dolsi, Cofield, Harrell, Jones (Nathan), Marquez, Nunez. Can any of these guys break the camp with the team? If two of them do, then we are one signing away from a successful offseason. Players mentioned: Byrdak, Accardo. What's your idea for next year's bullpen? Also we have Clevelan Santeliz and Brian Omogrosso. Santeliz has the best shot at making the team along with Infante because they both throw very hard and we all know how kenny likes power relievers.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Dec 9, 2010 -> 07:29 PM) I see what I see, I pass it along. Mollenhauer will also be losing his hair soon. Chris Getz sounds like Barry White. Oneli Perez has 12 fingers. Aaron Poreda was shy. Miguel Negron has naturally orange hair, he's Puerto Rican. Greg Paiml is stupid. Tim Bittner and Cole Armstrong have serious phlegm problems. Tyler Kuhn is actually about 5'7". C.J. Retherford has one leg that is shorter than the other. Gio Gonzalez helped people in the parking lot jump start their car. Cory Aldridge has to have been on steroids. I could go on... Im a bit interested in why you feel Paiml is so intellectually challenged.

Sox passed in AA phase. Pretty boring, we lost 3 guys and brought back none and they're cheap too, only 12,500 for a guy in the minor league phase. Maybe KW was serious when he said the team was tapped out as far as spending on players.

Baltimore selected RHP Jacob Rasner from us, I think he played in Winston Salem.

Mets selected RHP Richard Brooks off the Birmingham roster.

Sox pass in AAA phase

Baltimore took Dale Mollenhauer 2B from our AA team.

Sox pass in the MLB portion. I missed the first few picks so not sure who was taken by other teams. Josh Rodriguez a SS from the Indians AAA team was taken first by the Pirates.

K Law did writeups on the Crawford signing and the Konerko signing. http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog?name=l...&id=5901522 http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog?name=l...&id=5899670 If you don't have insider I'll paraphrase for you. Boston made a great signing (Law gave it an A+) and Crawford will age very well and be worth every penny, Chicago overpaid and Konerko sucks. Boston has Crawford signed though his age 35 season, unless he turns out to have the body of Ricky Henderson he will start slowing down very soon and probably be worth only 15-20 steals the last couple years of his contract, combine that with marginal power for a corner OF and a bad walk rate/OBP and you have a 35yo LF with an OPS around 700-750 getting paid 20 million. I think that they are going to be seriously disappointed in this deal a few years down the road, it won't be as bad as Vernon Wells or Soriano but close.

If we don't re-sign him we are really going to miss his glove at first base, i promise that. However I won't miss him if it takes 3ys and 39mil to bring him back. His numbers will regress to his career averages this next season and he'll be worth about 8-9mil give or take.

QUOTE (IChaseBlackWood @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 05:13 PM) HAHAHAHAHAHA LMFAO!! This cracks me up. Chase is the opposite ..he gets embarrassed if we go anywhere and people know who he is. He really doesn't like to be known for playing baseball && especially dislikes the people who crawl out of the wood works and are like "Oh yeah, Chase Blackwood, I know him ..we're real good friends." when in reality he may have stood next to them in line at a movie one time or something! lol ive been bragging that i know someone from an online forum who knows blackwood

Jenks no but definitely PK, Putz, Jones, hopefully we can work out a 2 year deal with AJ, if not we need to offer him arb b/c we don't have a viable replacement for him yet.