Dominikk85

Yeah he can be a bit of a dick (or as fangraphs Paul sporer said a "dildo":)) but I think he brings good energy to the team plus good obp and defense.

Yeah of course you can change the rulebook zone. I think robo ump is the future, manfred wants it and will get it soon

Sox offense really is different this year. Last year it was high K, low bb, high power, this year it is good K to bb and middle of the road power

Illitch really made the rebuild hard for them. He was spending a ton to see one more WS before he dies which is a good thing but this extended the core for too long so they had a lot of untraceable contracts of old guys that they could neither trade for assets nor even dump for nothing. Their young pitching hasn't Done great either so far but I wouldn't write them off either. Still a risky thing to focus the rebuild so much on pitching which is kinda the opposite of the epstein model and can lead to a ton of attrition due to injuries compared to focussing more on hitters. If it does work though it can be great because you safe a ton of money as good SP is so expensive but the risk is big.

Anyone playing fantasy baseball? Which formats are you playing and how are your teams doing?

It is actually not worse than ever, stats show that Umps are getting better since cross checked against pitch fx https://www.google.com/amp/s/ftw.usatoday.com/2016/02/mlb-umpires-improving-instant-replay-strike-zone/amp There are some which are bad but overall Umps have been steadily improving the last 10 years, there is just a human limit to what the eye can do plus nastier moving and faster pitches make it more difficult too. Umpires make plenty mistakes but the feeling that Umps are getting worse is selective perception. If you want perfect strike calling get robo ump (but that will cause some issues that need to be addressed because robo ump allows some pitches to be thrown that just graze the zone and are tough to hit but a regular ump would not call (in short human zone calls zone wider and shorter than rulebook zone which helps hitters because wide pitches are easier to hit than low and high ones)

In two years there will be robo ump anyway. They tested it in Atlantic league last year and this year they do it in low minors. Next year they probably do it in AAA and then 2023 in mlb.

Is there a chance Bachman can start? When I read two 80 grade pitches out of college he must have some serious warts (health, control, lack of any third pitch) to fall to 22. At 22 I don't need guaranteed starter but I don't want a guaranteed reliever in the first round either, I. E I want at least a 30-40% chance he can start (then I can live with a high leverage reliever "floor").

No but they are like the 4th, 5th strongest NL teams while the sox might be the second best team, the NL is just a lot tougher than the AL which doesn't have any real super teams. Not the sox problem though, nobody asks you how you got to the WS if you do plus if they get there their pitching staff might be more fresh than those NL teams which beat up on each other. The dodgers are clearly the best team in baseball but maybe even their pitching can get worn out if they are in a long series. The sox aren't a flawless team but the AL is wide open and the Sox could very well finish with the best record.

Fangraphs considers blocking and throwing too, they just think framing is way more important than that. This year grandals framing is Barely above average so far but I wouldn't read so much into it this short into the season.

Yeah, models are good for college players but for HS and international its value is limited because you don't have enough data against high level competition.

I'm OK with that lineup. Leury and collins have to start at least once a week if you keep them on the roster. I would like to see to get Abreu like one day off per week though as long he is struggling. Abreu never is really good in April and while he should Still play most days I think a day off per week wouldn't be the worst thing at least until he gets it going.

BTW I don't hate the bunt decision there. A sac bunt has a negative run expectancy but it can actually increase the chance of scoring single run which is why you often see it in extra innings, you don't care about the chance to score two or more but only about that one run. Also with yermin and grandal you have a very high chance of a DP. Still probably not the greatest decision but if it was a negative one it probably only was slightly.

The white sox did not have a dazzling start at 11-9 (89 win pace) but still they have one or the most improved outlooks compared to pre season due to the bad starts of the twins and Indians. Preseason playoff odds were 48% with 32% to win division, now they are up to 64% with 52% to win the division. Really in the first 30 games it is not about winning the season but about not losing it, as long you are around or above 500 after 20 games you are usually in decent shape unless you are in a juggernaut division. Overall it worked out pretty well for the Sox despite the wasted games due to bullpen implosions. The twins and Indians however are already in a little hole, nothing that can't be recovered but you have to make up those 3 to 4 games first. I know the Royals are first but not worried at all about them, they are not ready to compete yet. https://www.fangraphs.com/standings/playoff-odds

Also the Dbacks are not going to pay his contract, they don't have an owner who wants to spend

That would be insanely bad Defensively though. Catcher is one of the hardest positions in baseball and nobody in the Industry sees yermin really as a catcher. Vaughn has done a great job in left but really he is objectively too slow, madrigal has struggled and Jose isn't a great defender either. If you add yermin behind the plate to that you are really stretching it Defensively and hurting the pitchers. Not against using yermin as an emergency catcher once a month but really not more.

Yes, if he hits. 400 with some power he probably is the mvp but chances for this are extremely slim, there is a reason nobody has done it for like 80 years or so

I still think cease will have a better career than dunning. Dunning is a better pitcher now but with 90-91 on his fastball his upside is just limited in these days.

Cease stuff does play even without good command but at least he has to throw it somewhat close to the zone

I agree it could make sense. But just for the optics that is something that only teams like the Rays do, traditional franchises, even the more progressive ones Usually don't do that because of optics, especially not a franchise with as strong of an owner influence as the sox have.

I can't see them dealing him when they are in a race for the playoffs and rodon is doing well. Now it might Actually make sense but teams just don't do that. Is he eligible for a comp pick if he leaves?

I think their new front office is definitely better than the old one, they have a pretty good farm system now and cherington build a good farm in Boston too before dombrowski was hired to cash in so he has a History of doing that. Now the pirates owner is still terrible of course.

Regarding extending him I would step on the breaks a little. Just a few months ago he was non tendered and he was hurt for about 2-3 seasons. Now he had 3 very good to good starts but this could still turn quickly, he could get hurt again tomorrow. Now of course this is true for any pitcher which means it is true for no pitcher (I. E you can't really consider it) but rodon's risk is certainly higher than other pitchers. Now if he dominates all season that might be different but I would wait and see a little

If Giolito, Lynn, rodon and keuchel are all doing well (and they make the playoffs obviously which I think they will) this is quite a good playoff rotation, (not dodgers or 2018 astros level but still one of the better ones)

In the regular season number 3 or 4 doesn't really matter, doesn't it? Now in the post season that is a huge question but then again it is some time until then and who knows what will happen until then both with performance and health. Right now I would give rodon the nod but a lot can happen especially since rodon has been hurt a lot. Hope he stays healthy and effective though, I would prefer keuchel who I think isn't as bad as he was this year but obviously not as good as last year (more of a 4.0 Era guy or so I think) to be the number 4 in the post season as that would mean the number 3 is better than that.