How does Kevan Smith hit so well in AAA and look like he's swinging a lead bat in MLB?

 

Also, somebody needs to intervene with Hawkins. Something is wrong and somebody needs to make it stop one way or another. Bounce him over to extended spring, get him talking to somebody, understand what's going on in his head, and don't put him back in AA or A+ or anywhere else until you find a level of pitching he doesn't flounder against. He's playing way below his true talent (even if his true talent is below-average AA player) and there's no way he's in anything resembling a good place mentally.

 

He's probably just come to the hard conclusion he's not a MLB player and has already burned through the 1.5 million or so he cleared after taxes and agent fees on his signing bonus. Hopefully he bought some land or something and not just cars and rings.

 

Best thing he could probably do is pull a Delmonico and ask for his release. He needs a change of scenery. There's roughly only a 10% chance he ever gets a MLB AB, but that chance is about zero percent as a Sox.

Either that or try becoming a pitcher.

If Adams could maintain these K% and BB% numbers in upper levels he'd actually be making himself into a decent prospect again. But that's a big if. I wonder if anything has changed with him mechanics or stuff wise.

He's only 21. Still very young. I think people are a bit too down on him. He's facing some tough competition and holding his own.

Adolfo has, thus far, reduced his K-rate very substantially. It's still high and will have to drop at least a bit more, but to my mind it is perhaps the hardest thing to ask a player to do—move up in level and reduce your K%. It shows his development and some fortitude that he's been able to do it. See Courtney Hawkins for an example of someone who may have been ruined by an early experience of being overmatched.

Adolfo has, thus far, reduced his K-rate very substantially. It's still high and will have to drop at least a bit more, but to my mind it is perhaps the hardest thing to ask a player to do—move up in level and reduce your K%. It shows his development and some fortitude that he's been able to do it. See Courtney Hawkins for an example of someone who may have been ruined by an early experience of being overmatched.

 

He has reduced his K-rate from 33.2% to around 26%, but his walk rate has also been cut in half as well.

43-73 for Hawkins striking out. That's insane

 

They need to cut bait here so badly.

collins still on base nearly 40% of the time (.393). The bigger mystery to me is where is the power

Adolfo has, thus far, reduced his K-rate very substantially. It's still high and will have to drop at least a bit more, but to my mind it is perhaps the hardest thing to ask a player to do—move up in level and reduce your K%. It shows his development and some fortitude that he's been able to do it. See Courtney Hawkins for an example of someone who may have been ruined by an early experience of being overmatched.

C'mon, man!

I'm all about converting Hawkins to pitching, ala Louie Lechich. At this point, that is probably the only way they could possibly get anything out of him.

Adolfo has, thus far, reduced his K-rate very substantially. It's still high and will have to drop at least a bit more, but to my mind it is perhaps the hardest thing to ask a player to do—move up in level and reduce your K%. It shows his development and some fortitude that he's been able to do it. See Courtney Hawkins for an example of someone who may have been ruined by an early experience of being overmatched.

 

I don't see any progress there, really. Walking and striking out less, but buoyed by a ~.400 BABIP, and with few XBH. ~50% ground balls and very few LD (14%). Skeptical for now.

My observation about Adolfo is that he had a 43% K rate his first full pro season, followed by a 33% K rate upon promotion last year, and now at 25% but with a little production. I'd like to see him take more walks, but for a low-walk player like him the walks are such rare events that he's just a 2-BB game away from being right at his normal walk rate. He's of course a very bad K game away from being closer to that 33% number, but he's already accomplished getting out of the doldrums of 40+%, which was an important step.

Courtney Hawkins 18 Ks in his last 20 at bats and 20 in his last 24.

 

How is that possible?

Courtney Hawkins 18 Ks in his last 20 at bats and 20 in his last 24.

 

How is that possible?

 

At this point step one is to sit the kid for an extended period and try to clear his mind.