Jim'sKid26

Awesome idea @Sports Guy For those of you who don't know this guy, here's his scouting report from 2020 when he was the WS #3 prospect: Scouting grades: Fastball: 80 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 65 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 60 The 33rd overall pick in the 2014 Draft, Kopech signed with the Red Sox for $1.5 million and began blossoming into one of the game's best pitching prospects before Boston made him and Yoan Moncada the centerpieces of a four-prospect trade that landed Chris Sale at the 2016 Winter Meetings. He finished among the Minor League strikeout leaders in each of the next two seasons before joining the White Sox in August 2018, but blew out his elbow in his fourth big league start and had Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2019. He informed the White Sox he would not participate in the 2020 season, so he'll return to the mound next year. Before his elbow reconstruction, Kopech earned comparisons to Noah Syndergaard because of his electric stuff. He worked at 95-99 mph with late run on his fastball, regularly pushed his heater into triple digits and legendarily hit 105 mph during a 2016 start. He also blew hitters away with an 85-89 mph slider with two-plane break. This guy has an electric FB. If he can get things sorted out mechanically, he's an elite power arm out of the back end of the BP.

SSS makes we hesitate to agree with you, @Frobby. But the thread idea is thought provoking as most of yours are. Thanks for that! I will say I feel like the depth of the organization is better than last year. With both Means and Bradish looking all healed up, even the SP depth looks rather good. Case in point is the total absence of an OH melt down when Grayson went on the IL. I think the only aspect of this team that looks like it needs to be fortified at the trade deadline, ( at least as it currently stands on this Cinco de Mayo) is the bullpen. And if Wells and Irwin find themselves there by then, maybe not even there. Mike Elias has the bullets in his gun to make a deadline trade if he needs to. But he might not need to. That's a really powerful place to be!

They are all young as well: Greene is 24 Abbott is 24 Lodolo is 26 And they have Rhett Lowder on the way.

@Moose Milligan, to the best of your ability would you define a "dildo post?" It helps we follow the thread better instead of letting my mind wander to places where my browser history might embarrass me.

The kid looks like a younger version of Jac Caglianone. Most mocks have him as a two-way player. He has the athleticism to pull it off. My son is headed down to Bradenton in August to start a post grad year. The folks at IMG think Franco will honor his college commitment but the 22nd spot bonus might change his mind. Would the O's be willing to develop a two-way player? Might have to completely re-program the Sigbot...

Six of the top 10 HS prospects on Perfect Game's list are OF. The most interesting kid on the list is Noah Franco from IMG Academy. Two way guy, re-classed to 2024 from 2025. Seems like a guy how will have enough ?s to fall to 32. It depends on whether scouts see him as a hitter or a pitcher or if he wants to do a full Shohei. "Noah Franco is a 2024 OF/LHP, 1B with a 6-3 192 lb. frame from Bradenton, FL who attends IMG Academy. Taller and high waisted frame with extra long limbs for the height. Ran a 6.52 in the sixty yard dash. A primary outfielder with really good instincts. Long strides and good routes, working through the ball with a fluid and clean funnel to release. Big arm strength at 96 mph. Lots of feel. Also has good ability at first base and the arm also plays extremely well there. A left-handed swing, the wrists are elite allowing him to flick the barrel with authority late in the process. All fields approach and lift and carry to the process. Hammered balls in game. A left-handed pitcher, loose arm action with big upside and the ball comes out clean and down hill. Ride to the heater when down. Lands the curveball and change up and sequences his three pitch mix well. Excellent athlete and the highest level 2-way potential at the next level. Excellent student. Named to the PG All-American Classic." https://www.perfectgame.org/rankings/Players/NationalRankings.aspx?gyear=2024

I'm hoping for no post game pain and the ability to get back on the mound in 5 days. Health.

Congrats Nick. Well deserved.

I like Bryce Cunningham out of Vanderbilt. 3 pitches with a 4SFB up to 97. Big, strong RHP who projects as a #2 or #3 if the breaking ball develops. Floor is a backend of the BP. Take him at #22 as an underslot. Then draft a HS guy who falls to 32 due to bonus demands.

The Reds have come a long way from the Marge Schott days. I miss colorful owners.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marge_Schott

My thoughts: Judge looks like he's not aging well. He just looks un-athletic. I anticipate regression with him becoming a one-dimensional player soon. Soto is a good hitter. I'm not sure why anyone would pitch to him. He's the one guy in the lineup you don't let beat you. Stanton is now what Judge looks like he will become. He's a shadow of his former self. Their closer is very good. Rodon looks like his best days are behind him. Completely hittable. To use an old Chick Hearn phrase, "the mustard has come off the hotdog," with regard to Cortez. He's not fooling guys anymore. The franchise in general is very un-Yankeelike. They used to be the organization that was light-years ahead of everyone else. Not anymore. They just don't play fundementally sound baseball anymore. Their defense was exposed in the series. Their situational hitting was poor. Boone seems a bit lost at times. They just don't look like the Yankees.

I sense a disturbance in the baseball history Force..... @DrungoHazewood is that you ?

I respectfully have to disagree. I have no idea what your talents are, however I am quite certain that if I ever face MLB batters I'm gonna get shelled. These are the best of the best. Is it possible you might be underestimating things just a bit?

Bullpen has looked really good in this series. Big Mike turning the corner and becoming more consistent would be huge for this team.

Has the time come to stop the starter experiment? I think he's a reliever and he's probably best at less than 75 IP per year. Maybe less.

But what's his xwOBACON? Seems extra crispy to me....

Perhaps you could use your imagination and come up with someone? https://www.masnsports.com/blog/kyle-bradish-set-to-join-orioles-rotation

Agree that his recovery will be important. Apparently he was not " sitting mid 90s," according to @Frobby. "He topped out there. Average a little lower. " Bradish was effective last year because he was able to locate his FB and use his breaking ball effectively. To me, FB velocity is important to his ability to get MLB hitter out and is an encouraging sign for his arm health, but likely tells only a part of the story of whether he will be as effective at the MLB level as he was last year. If someone saw the outing and can confirm that he was throwing all of his pitches effectively and that his pitch shapes were where he and Chris Holt want them to be then I would be very encouraged by that stat line. It's a rehab start at AAA. Fingers crossed.

I'm not certain you can tell from a stat line. Did anyone see him pitch?

https://www.ncaa.com/video/baseball/2022-06-10/dii-baseball-2022-day-seven-recap It was fun to watch them in 2022. Very good DII program.

I feel like the reliever risk is high with this player. While he throws 4 pitches, it sounds like (from @Tony-OH's scouting) that he really pitches off a FB/SL combination. Command/Control is not great but the FB gets swings/misses. That's a profile for a reliever. What am I missing?

What's the data say? It seems like we have data for almost everything in baseball these days. If the question is as stated, "what analytics driven organization will be the first to ban head first slides for all of their players(?)" then the data should be analyzed to determine if the risk of injury is worth the benefit of sliding head-first. I've never seen any data that supports one sliding technique over another.

I thought JP would be more interested in some Cakes!

I guess my point is that the difference between 91 and 93 at the MLB level is probably negligible. I would put significant emphasis on pitch sequencing, command and control, and the ability to land his secondary pitches. If I am recalling his repertoire correctly his most important pitch is his change up. And it was his ability to effectively throw a breaking pitch, I think it was a Slider, that really ushered in his pre-injury success. Now you can make the case that 2 miles per hours of fastball velocity may make the change up an even more effective pitch. I would not argue with you about that aspect, however I am not certain it explains much about his previous success.

Is it possible you are ascribing too much significance to his FB velocity? I suspect there were many things about the way Means pitching immediately prior to his injury that led to his success. His FB velocity likely contributed but was unlikely the dominant factor.