Overall good read but I have a hard time with someone assigning a ceiling of #2 starter to a 17yo kid in his second year of pro ball.
You don't. And applying "# starter" to a prospect, and really any player, is just so lazy.Overall good read but I have a hard time with someone assigning a ceiling of #2 starter to a 17yo kid in his second year of pro ball.
I'm sure we are all too bullish on him around here but how do you deem someone at best a #2 starter after 50+ professional innings?
This isn't damning with faint praise, and is really rather common when you hear analysts talk about prospects. Extremely few pitching prospects get the #1 starter label because it's nuts to assign that level of performance to any pitcher who hasn't done it at the major league level. Ceiling isn't absolute ceiling, it's more like a 75-85th percentile outcome--a reasonable ceiling. Players will top it occasionally, and rarely still do so by a significant margin, but it's not really worthwhile to talk about shoot-for-the-moon level of projection, because it's so infrequent.Overall good read but I have a hard time with someone assigning a ceiling of #2 starter to a 17yo kid in his second year of pro ball.
I'm sure we are all too bullish on him around here but how do you deem someone at best a #2 starter after 50+ professional innings?
He couldn't throw a strikeAny idea why we has pulled so early yesterday?
Sounds like so many other Sox pitching prospects; he'll fit right in.He couldn't throw a strike
And he struck out 11 in the game prior to that.Sounds like so many other Sox pitching prospects; he'll fit right in.
I mean, not just struck out 11 guys -- struck out 11 guys in five innings.And he struck out 11 in the game prior to that.
He's 18. He had a bad game. It happens.
Hold on just a minute. You're telling me a 18 year old in A-ball is far away from the majors?! Well, shucks. Color me shocked, surprised, and mortified at the uselessness of Espinoza.So I watched Espinoza's start the other day on milb and man, he seems far pretty far away. I haven't watched a lot of lower minors pitching lately so take it for what it's worth, but he was not hitting his targets at all. His line looked fine - 5 IP/0 runs/1 H/4 BB/4 K - but a more disciplined team would have eaten him alive.
His delivery looks super low effort, and he's got an amazing fastball, but I'm not sure he knows what to do with it yet. Command is hard. Exciting talent, though.
I mean, he's just reporting what he saw. I welcome first hand accounts. He needs to work on his command within the strike zone, that's all he's saying.Hold on just a minute. You're telling me a 18 year old in A-ball is far away from the majors?! Well, shucks. Color me shocked, surprised, and mortified at the uselessness of Espinoza.
Trade him for CC Sabathia ASAP.