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You know what we need, is --- > those Green Highlight fields that allow us all to "rec" a great shout. It'll add that much more to the best chat room in baseball, putting extra wind into the sails of great 'puts and stirring competition for ever- and ever-increasingly brilliant shouts that spiral off into their own universe...
Alternatively, it will add some green to the area.
Already we have an Editor's Choice feature, but all it does is checkmark a shout. In the meantime, Dr. D loves the idea of singling out the juiciest tidbits, so what would you think of posts that grab a few shouts for the marquee?
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Nominee 1
rick82: Root Sports currently replaying Paxton's starts. Right now he's mowing down the Cards.
CRUNCH: I saw this shout 21 hours too late.
On Zduriencik's Dec. 21 radio show, he was like "Paxton had some control issues in AAA, but wow, once he got up here he was a real TREAT to WATCH!" I don't know the last time that:
Do you?
Dr. D keeps waiting for Cameron to do one of his Fan-graphy player searches where he builds us a table of LHP's with 7+ strikeouts and 55% grounder rates. It probably consists of K-Pax and Lefty Grove.
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Nominee 2
Bat571: Bedard provides a LOOGY or a guy that could spot start; you just need to keep it
CRUNCH: Me too...
Erik Bedard is no longer the same pitcher, though. His fastball is way down, his epic curve ball is now merely excellent, and his arm is on threads, hence the 4-5 BB rate. He is a true 3-pitch guy, throwing his changeup (ugh) as much as he does his hook. Gone is the regal, upright delivery, gone is the arrogance, gone is everything ...
... well, everything except 8+ K a game, apparently.
Could the M's get him back (closer, at least) to where he was? Throwing 60 IP per year, could he hit 91 MPH and snap a curve ball? They love to try. That kind of thing, that is.
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Nominee 3
mojician:
Since the Mariners aren't doing anything, it is safe to assume that they are making a full court press on Tanaka. Would also love for Jack to shore up the bullpen a little bit while we are waiting around for something to happen.
Objection sustained, counselor ... Dr. D follows on by noting that BASEBALL isn't doing anything. :: cue ominous Jaws music ::
We hear that Tanaka "wants" $17M. :: laughs :: Yu Darvish's on-field performance was worth $22 and $25M the last two seasons, and that was in pre-ROOT dollars. It's great for robo-sabes to hoot about not overpaying Tanaka; that way when he is less than Maddux-ian they can sit back and look like a tree fulla owls, as Slim would say.
But the ocean is retreating in such a manner as to send the animals scurrying for high ground. The robo-sabes are not going to see their fiscal-responsibility demands met on this one.
Felix, Iwakuma, Tanaka, Taijuan, K-Pax. Baseball is one of the few sports that allows spinal transplants.
BABVA,
Dr D
Kemp would mean losing someone in trade. Both come with big risks.
I prefer the M's throw their cookies to hitting stars like Kemp.
Perhaps Z can let Ned C know that, if for some reason the Dodgers need a little salary relief (Kershaw, Tanaka) they could accommodate with a Kemp swap.
Keep Tanaka out of the AL (West) and acquire another hitting star in Kemp to put behind Cano.
Here is MLB's ranking of its top ten minor league pitching prospects.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/prospects/watch/y2014/#list=lhp
James Paxton is not on the list. No one above AA is on the list. It seems that MLB esteems pitchers who mow down AA prospects more than pitchers who mow down the Cards and the Tigers. Whatever floats your boat.
Brooks Baseball's player info for Bedard seems to show that he regained some of his velocity last year - sitting *just* below 90.00 for much of the year. (e.g., September = 89.89). Based on their info and how he pitched against the Ms last year, I think he's worth a shot. Same with Aardsma - his velocity hadn't fully come back last year, but it typically does in the 2nd year after TJ. He'd be worth an incentive-laden contract, too, especially as a guy Farquhar can bounce ideas off of on how to close guys (and teams and games) out. Put those two experienced guys, maybe Perez as well (and maybe Hanrahan, too, even if he starts the year on the DL) with Wilhelmsen, Farquhar, Pryor, Medina .... could be pretty good balance of youth and guile.
... am finding it easier and easier to visualize a sharp Bedard out of the bullpen.
Wonder if Zduriencik has any interest? Or is he that Bavasi-averse? He cleaned house pretty quick when he got here.