=== Case In Point Dept. ===

... Thus (since HQ offers us 'net rats a data-rich scouting environment) we find that class-A farmhand Erasmo Ramirez sits 86-92 with his fastball, 84 mph with the slider, and 77 mph with his curveball.

We find that Ramirez has "an extremely deceptive delivery."  I'd really like to know whether, on a Clinton pitcher, these two guys saw him pitch when he visited a minor-league team near them, or whether they found 'net vid somewhere, or what...

We find that Ramirez spots the ball to all quadrants of the zone, "is smart enough to waste pitches" and that his "velocity isn't great, but he has a nice arsenal."   With 7.0 DOM in the low minors, 1.3 BB, and his shortness of stature, we're looking at a Scott Bankhead wannabe.  

That's quite a colorful picture to paint, of a low-minors arm, considering that Gordon and Deloney are doing this not for one team but for 30.

...............

HQ gives Ramirez a 7B rating, meaning "70% chance of being a mediocre regular in the majors, assuming he doesn't get hurt."  That's real high for somebody nowhere near their org top 15. 

Ramirez is an Billy Beane-type pitcher:  a man longer on results than on potential.  That's a sabermetric pitcher for you, a guy who has performed, as opposed to a guy who has tantalized the scouts with glimpses of impact.

If this video be of Ramirez, it confirms HQ's template ... you can already see the young Ramirez's interest in precision rather than power, in serenity rather than in showing off.

.

=== Tolja They Were Brainy ===

Dr. D was also bemused to see the Analyst littered with SSI opinions.  :- )  Which would make sense -- if they're scouring every possible source, you'd think they'd be aware of what the locals are saying.  And of course SSI backlinks to HQ.com each time we reference them, so it would be hard for them not to have found us.

When Daniel Cortes first appeared on TV in the bigs, Dr. D had a coronary event over the jerkiness and randomness of Cortes' mechanics.  HQ's minor league analyst's remark on Cortes?  He doesn't repeat his delivery well...

At SSI we demonstrated that Nick Franklin has a Griffeyesque swing from the left side and a static, lifeless offering from the right side.  We spent approximately nine posts trying to convince the M's to let him go all Jim Edmonds on baseball from his real hitting side.  MLBA's remark?  Might want to give up switch-hitting and just go from the left side, there, Nick ...

Naturally, could just be a case of great minds thinking (exactly) alike.  Or, could be that HQ knows everything -- everything written anywhere in cyberspace, that is.

.