Wow, Kim is untouchable

[weams]

Still, at least we got that softballer. The NZ market is all Orioles, all the time.

Stay up on thing, don't you. http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=644917#/career/R/hitting/2014/ALL

He was an emormous athletic guy. Not a great baseball player. When Duquette came, he broke up the golfing scout set that had been in Baltimore and went analytics instead.

[weams]

Your going back and fourth with Weems who will tow the Orioles line no matter how silly it is. Scouts say you can't learn to hit 95? Are you serious?

I didn't see a 95 MPH until my junior year playing travel ball. When I first saw it it was absurd I had no chance. A few times I swung when the ball was already to the catcher. More and more practice and seeing more pitchers and by college I could belt a 95 MPH fastball a long way. To say you can't learn is beyond silly.

What Orioles line? PM me if you have issues. I have not spoken to anyone from the Orioles about hitting fastballs as a skill.

[weams]

I'm sure someone will say "Whatever Buck wants."

Whatever Buck wants is fine with me. He knows better than I do.

[weams]

Kang would disagree and the other Korean players aren't having much issue hitting these pitches over here. No one is born with the ability to hit a 95 MPH fastball, you train for it and work at it. You develop your swing and

timing. You make adjustments. I disagree with all those scouts. The proof is in the pudding on this one.

Maybe Kang was one of those guys who was ok with hitting premium velosity all along. THere are plenty of guys that can only hit fastball. And only 700 who can hit major league pitching. In the world.

[LookitsPuck]

Whatever Buck wants is fine with me. He knows better than I do.

I'm sure he knows a lot. But let's not pretend that there are a lot of favourites being played with Buck and that he treated Kim pretty poorly. What, a week before Opening Day he was saying in the media that Kim wouldn't be traveling north with the club. That just screams outright bias. Clearly there's some disconnect between Buck and Dan. We're even seeing it with how Buck speaks in the media even today (and a few days ago) regarding Kim. Now, is it his way of dealing with "newbies" that haven't proven themselves? Possibly. But he's admittedly been very easy on Rickard all the while being very bearish on Kim.

[weams]

Kang would disagree and the other Korean players aren't having much issue hitting these pitches over here. No one is born with the ability to hit a 95 MPH fastball, you train for it and work at it. You develop your swing and

timing. You make adjustments. I disagree with all those scouts. The proof is in the pudding on this one.

I don't disagree with your point that repetition can improve any skill, but in the tiny little pinpoint at the top of the pyramid, guys learn to hit off-speed, not catch up to fastballs.

[LookitsPuck]

Maybe Kang was one of those guys who was ok with hitting premium velosity all along. THere are plenty of guys that can only hit fastball. And only 700 who can hit major league pitching. In the world.

Maybe. But then again why can so many hitters crush guys that are 1 pitch pitchers (see: fastballs)? Deception, location and secondary pitches are really what matters. Kevin Gausman learned that. You can't just throw fastballs 90% of the time.

[weams]

I'm sure he knows a lot. But let's not pretend that there are a lot of favourites being played with Buck and that he treated Kim pretty poorly. What, a week before Opening Day he was saying in the media that Kim wouldn't be traveling north with the club. That just screams outright bias. Clearly there's some disconnect between Buck and Dan. We're even seeing it with how Buck speaks in the media even today (and a few days ago) regarding Kim. Now, is it his way of dealing with "newbies" that haven't proven themselves? Possibly. But he's admittedly been very easy on Rickard all the while being very bearish on Kim.

Yeah. I was really just responding to our buddy Corn.

[Aristotelian]

I'm sure he knows a lot. But let's not pretend that there are a lot of favourites being played with Buck and that he treated Kim pretty poorly. What, a week before Opening Day he was saying in the media that Kim wouldn't be traveling north with the club. That just screams outright bias. Clearly there's some disconnect between Buck and Dan. We're even seeing it with how Buck speaks in the media even today (and a few days ago) regarding Kim. Now, is it his way of dealing with "newbies" that haven't proven themselves? Possibly. But he's admittedly been very easy on Rickard all the while being very bearish on Kim.

Dan undermined himself by signing Pedro Alvarez. If he felt good about Kim he should have stuck to his guns and forced Buck to play him. I think that 0-for-23 and the defensive concerns scared DD as much as Buck.

[Can_of_corn]

Dan undermined himself by signing Pedro Alvarez. If he felt good about Kim he should have stuck to his guns and forced Buck to play him. I think that 0-for-23 and the defensive concerns scared DD as much as Buck.

I thought Pedro was a reaction to Fowler backing out. Dan still had money to burn and what was now a perceived hole in the OF.

[weams]

Maybe. But then again why can so many hitters crush guys that are 1 pitch pitchers (see: fastballs)? Deception, location and secondary pitches are really what matters. Kevin Gausman learned that. You can't just throw fastballs 90% of the time.

Yeah. I don't disagree. Lots of people who are not skilled enough to hit all major league pitching can hit fastballs. Yes. No disagreement at all.

[Il BuonO]

Your going back and fourth with Weems who will tow the Orioles line no matter how silly it is. Scouts say you can't learn to hit 95? Are you serious?

I didn't see a 95 MPH until my junior year playing travel ball. When I first saw it it was absurd I had no chance. A few times I swung when the ball was already to the catcher. More and more practice and seeing more pitchers and by college I could belt a 95 MPH fastball a long way. To say you can't learn is beyond silly.

Not if they don't believe he ever possessed the hit tool in the first place. Jumps in velocity usually go along with the level of play and Kim himself states he didn't regularly see this type of velocity consistently in the KBO. If you possess the skills to begin with then it will be easier to gradually learn to hit better FBs.

I'm not convinced whomever scouted him made the right assessment, but it's still early. Neither am I convinced he's the second coming of the Babe. A career arc approaching Choo would be acceptable and they're not stuck with an albatross of a contract.

[weams]

Maybe. But then again why can so many hitters crush guys that are 1 pitch pitchers (see: fastballs)? Deception, location and secondary pitches are really what matters. Kevin Gausman learned that. You can't just throw fastballs 90% of the time.

I agree with you completely. I said that hitting a 95 mph fastball was not an acquired talent. Thousands or hundreds of thousands or possibly millions of men can hit a 95 mph fastball. Hundreds can hit one as well as an assortment of other pitches.

[weams]

Not if they don't believe he ever possessed the hit tool in the first place. Jumps in velocity usually go along with the level of play and Kim himself states he didn't regularly see this type of velocity consistently in the KBO. If you possess the skills to begin with then it will be easier to gradually learn to hit better FBs.

I'm not convinced whomever scouted him made the right assessment, but it's still early. Neither am I convinced he's the second coming of the Babe. A career arc approaching Choo would be acceptable and they're not stuck with an albatross of a contract.

And you can roid up to catch up. That is proven. Possibly that is what he is referring to.

[weams]

Dan undermined himself by signing Pedro Alvarez. If he felt good about Kim he should have stuck to his guns and forced Buck to play him. I think that 0-for-23 and the defensive concerns scared DD as much as Buck.

Sounds right to me.