DBAHO

Backup catcher would be one of the areas I would like to upgrade on at the deadline. I know people have mentioned someone like Henry Blanco as a possibility, even someone like Mike Lieberthal (if the Phillies paid the majority of his salary) as well maybe? In any case, Chris Stewart should be ready to take over next season, but not right at this stage. Promising thing for me in Stewart's case a 23/13 K/BB ratio in 191 AB's.

He's been real good for the past 2 months or so. It may be a long winding road, but the potential is still there for everyone to see with those 4 pitches he can throw.

Jack is now 6-5 with a 3.24 ERA, and a 85/35 K/BB ratio. He's only given up 2HR in 97.1 IP.

Bristol Sox Pos: RF DoB: 01/14/84 Ht: 6'2" Wt: 220 Bats: R Throws: R I got interested in Gartrell because in my daily BA newsletter, he's been mentioned a few times. He was drafted in the 31st round in this year's draft from San Francisco, and Baseball America had this to say about him; I think minorleaguebaseball.com have him mistaken for a Maurice Gartrell (or I don't know if his name is that or Stephen); http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/mil...&pid=501804 Last night he went 2 for 5 with 2 2B's. Currently he has splits of .275/.351/.392. Traded to Atlanta for cash considerations on April 16, 2011.

C'mon Jermaine. Big moment right here.

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Jul 8, 2006 -> 11:01 AM) Hey leave him alone. He's an all star pitcher. Whose recent history clearly shows he goes through periods (e.g a month) where he struggles with his ERA and gets hit hard. Unfortunately this is one of those time right now, and the ASB couldn't be coming up at a better time for him.

QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Jul 8, 2006 -> 12:56 AM) Why do people keep saying that? I don't rememer Jose's ERA being over 5 at any point last year. Not but at this point last year after the Oakland game where he walked about 7 or 8 hitters, people on here were queing up to jump off a bridge to bash the guy, and DEMAND he be traded for A.J Burnett or Jason Schmidt. How things can change.

I saw an amusing e-mail today, that had Kim Jong attached to the front of a rocket on the front cover of The Economist with the heading, "Rocket Man".

QUOTE(RibbieRubarb @ Jul 7, 2006 -> 02:07 AM) Hey Nick Markakis of the Orioles is her friend. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea...iendID=80272168 Miguel Tejada is on Myspace?!? Tejada's MySpace probably has a "I HATE PETER ANGELOS" entry in there somewhere.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 7, 2006 -> 02:20 AM) The sooner the DRays can get rid of Dukes, the better. Yeah he's got the talent to be a superstar, but with his mental makeup, there's no way he'll become that. The D-Rays should attempt the move him when they can get the most for him. Plus they've got the likes of Crawford, Baldelli and Gomes in the OF already, so there's not exactly a spot open for him anytime soon.

Wickman's been rumored to be a guy available as well, with Cabrera in line to take over as the closer if he is dealt. Would have made sense for a team like the Reds before they acquired Eddie Guardado (good move by Krivsky) today.

QUOTE(beautox @ Jul 7, 2006 -> 07:48 PM) Yeah whats the latest with Sierra i remember the sox picking him up, but i haven't heard anything about him as of late. I know hes got ML stuff but just can't consistently throw strikes. Back when I updated my AAP on him (the kiss of death here on Soxtalk), he had just pitched 2.1 IP and struck out about 6 hitters or something like that, and had an ERA of about 5.40. Looking at his numbers now, it hasn't really changed a lot at all, which is disappointing. As you can see with the 21/19 K/BB ratio, his main problem is still obviously with the control aspect of his pitching. But he wasn't going to become an instant success straight away, and he's worth persevering with. Hitters are only hitting .232 off of him, which is not too shabby really.

QUOTE(beautox @ Jul 7, 2006 -> 07:50 PM) lol, dba do you know Wagner personally or seen him? or something of that nature, do you have video on him? seriously. No I just think he's another Thornton in the making, because he has produced in the majors before. As people like qwerty and Rowand would probably tell you, once I like a player e.g Chad Tracy this off-season before we acquired Thome, I like to point it out numerous times via threads. Wagner just needs a change of organization, and for a good pitching coach like Coop to make some adjustments with him.

Personally I just like bringing in Bobby for the 9th, but it HAS to be for the start of the 9th, and not for Ozzie to play his matchups etc. At least now, we've got options like Riske that can take over in that crucial situation in the 8th if a RHH comes up to the plate and you've got a lefty like Thornton or Cotts (who I would still take my chances with) on the mound and Ozzie wanted to make the switch. We should be thankful for what Bobby has done this season after what happened in ST, and with all the questions about whether his arm would hold up etc.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Jul 7, 2006 -> 07:11 AM) Not necessarily. He'll need to change his approach if he ever wants to be dominant again, but saying that he's "screwed" is a bit short-sighted. Freddy wasn't throwing mid-90's fastballs last year and still managed to pitch pretty well. The main thing with Freddy last season, when he came up against high class opposition he raised his level of output and produced. When he came up against the likes of the Royals, for someone whether he took it easy, he got hit hard. This season it's the other way around. Freddy needs to improve that pretty soon if he wants to pitch well in the playoffs for us.

Fantastic effort from every single person on here who voted for A.J. It shows how devoted our fanbase has been to our team and these types of things from Scotty last season to A.J this season.

I don't care who it is so long as they get me Ryan Wagner.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Jul 7, 2006 -> 03:53 PM) And.....Brian is hitting .267 in July. Gotta start somewhere. And yet Dayn Perry's latest power rankings that were posted 2 minutes ago, has him hitting .182 in July and that we need an upgrade. OOPS.

I enjoyed reading that article at work today. Makes me happy that some of these guys at sites like these are taking more notice of us and seeing what we could do in the future. There's no question if things work out right, this team could be a perenial playoff contender for the next decade. But like the article said, and what I've have stressed on numerous occasions before, we need to keep these young players coming through. Having BA and B-Mac on these team offered so much more in terms of payroll flexibility, that it allowed for KW to go after the likes of Thome (which has majorly paid off) and Vazquez (not as much). It's absolutely crucial that within the next 5 seasons, Josh Fields and Ryan Sweeney whether it's at 3B or LF for Fields or anywhere in the OF for Sweeney become part of the core of this ballclub. We don't want to become like the Yankees anytime soon, because we've all seen first-hand what happens with you have to make up the core of your team with high priced FA's and not been able to develop any young players whatsoever. We need the likes of Lumsden to make our rotation in the future, and for us to keep drafting and developing prospects, so that it allows for KW to be able to make these trades which he's become pretty good at over the past couple of seasons.

It makes me sad in a way to see what Cliff has become this season. He was such an important part of our ballclub last season getting through that 7th and 8th innings without too many problems. He's been a good contributor for this team for a couple of seasons and he still remains one of KW's better signings price - wise, throughout his tenure as a General Manager. I'm not going to sit here and take potshots at him for what he's currently become. He's not getting the job done no question. But it shows you how this game can have you up on the top of the world at one moment, and have you right back down the next. Hopefully for Cliff's sake, they figure out what's wrong with him, arm and shoulder wise so he can get healthy again. If he would come back cheaply, the Sox should at least give him a minor league contract at the end of the season, and hope he can re-produce the form he showed last season.

Matt Thornton is a perfect example of how our GM has been willing to make more trades than not to improve this ballclub, and of our pitching coach in Don Cooper who with one main adjustment has helped Thornton to become a potentially damaging set-up man for this ballclub. It also gives me hope that we may still make something out of the likes of Sierra down at B-Ham as well.

People just need to keep the faith, like some of us did with Jon Garland when he was struggling. Tonight was a step forward for Javy although he only threw just over 5 innings. He's shown he can produce at a very high level. He's just got to cut down on the mental mistakes and throw the right pitch at the right time, which is what Coop needs to stress to him.

Looks like Orton got in trouble again;

Well that was the best part of my day.

QUOTE(beck72 @ Jul 6, 2006 -> 11:10 PM) http://www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/torre...george_king.htm My bet is the Indians. Three relievers pitched: Betancourt, Cabrera, and Mota Yeah that would make the most sense, although I couldn't see the Indians dealing with us. Or maybe an outfielder like Jason Michaels.