Following Former Red Sox 2019

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twoBshorty

Has friends with cellos
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Oct 15, 2005
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Hmm, interesting. I like Cherington and I don't know why he'd want to work for a skinflint like Bob Nutting unless he's incredibly desperate for any GM job, but prospects and player development were always his baby (to his eventual detriment), and there won't be any ridiculous Sandoval contracts to give out because Nutting will never pay money like that. So maybe it's a good match.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Dec 16, 2010
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https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/bobby-jenks-baseball-scar-tissue
Then at one point a trainer for the Red Sox walks in. So now I’m not only in a daze, but I’m also really nervous and stressed about the team finding out what happened. The hospital had done a drug screen, but I told the nurses that I would not allow it to be released to the Sox. So even though it was pretty clear to anyone who saw me that morning what had gone on, the team never had specific proof of what I had taken. Or how much.
 

Plympton91

bubble burster
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Oct 19, 2008
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Holy F’ing shit.

A concurrent back surgery, on a major league pitcher under contract for millions of dollars with gold-plated health insurance?How. does. That. Happen? How did the Red Sox allow that to happen?

What an absolute shame. I’ve given that Jenks signing a lot of crap over the years, but holy hell.
 

Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat

has big, douchey shoulders
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"Leaking spinal fluid."

I can't imagine anything more horrifying to hear.
For a little perspective on the horror, when I had back surgery 15 years ago, I had the complication of a spinal fluid leak. They said the leak was about as big as a pinhole. I had headaches so terrible that I literally couldn't keep my head above waist level. It was the worst pain I've ever experienced.
That was pinhole sized.
 

moondog80

heart is two sizes two small
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Sep 20, 2005
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Everyone hits in the PCL, but Swihart hit 189/287/396 with Reno this year in 122 PA, and 136/188/273 in 70 PA with Arizona. I am not of the thought that the Red Sox mishandled him, but clearly *something* happened. He's not the only one (Ryan Lavarnway is a more extreme case), but what is it that makes guys who succeed against minor league pitching when they are 22 regress so much at the same level when they are 27? Injuries? Confidence?
 

edoug

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Everyone hits in the PCL, but Swihart hit 189/287/396 with Reno this year in 122 PA, and 136/188/273 in 70 PA with Arizona. I am not of the thought that the Red Sox mishandled him, but clearly *something* happened. He's not the only one (Ryan Lavarnway is a more extreme case), but what is it that makes guys who succeed against minor league pitching when they are 22 regress so much at the same level when they are 27? Injuries? Confidence?
Hard to say why. You could make a lot of money if you figure it out. About Blake, he looked like he could hit. And in small doses he did. Maybe he can finally put it all together in Texas. I'm rooting for him.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Everyone hits in the PCL, but Swihart hit 189/287/396 with Reno this year in 122 PA, and 136/188/273 in 70 PA with Arizona. I am not of the thought that the Red Sox mishandled him, but clearly *something* happened. He's not the only one (Ryan Lavarnway is a more extreme case), but what is it that makes guys who succeed against minor league pitching when they are 22 regress so much at the same level when they are 27? Injuries? Confidence?
They get exposed and don't adjust.
 

stepson_and_toe

New Member
Aug 11, 2019
386
They get exposed and don't adjust.
Swihart also had three seasons in which he didn't get full-time play (age 23-25). He was a shortstop converted to catcher when he turned pro, then was turned into a utility player (every position but SS and P), plus he had an injury.
2015--84 GP with BOS and 20 in AAA, 2 in AA
2016--19 with BOS and 29 in AAA
2017---6 with BOS and 53 in AAA, 9 in Rookie (9 in Dominican Winter League)

It might be difficult to bounce around levels and positions while trying to establish yourself.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Swihart also had three seasons in which he didn't get full-time play (age 23-25). He was a shortstop converted to catcher when he turned pro, then was turned into a utility player (every position but SS and P), plus he had an injury.
2015--84 GP with BOS and 20 in AAA, 2 in AA
2016--19 with BOS and 29 in AAA
2017---6 with BOS and 53 in AAA, 9 in Rookie (9 in Dominican Winter League)

It might be difficult to bounce around levels and positions while trying to establish yourself.
Like 95% of right handed kids drafted out of HS play SS and are converted to other positions. People just like making 10,000 excuses for Blake Swihart. I don't know why. Most prospects fail. He was also never very good to begin with and was completely overrated. 19 year old HS picks don't end well.
 

stepson_and_toe

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Aug 11, 2019
386
People just like making 10,000 excuses for Blake Swihart. I don't know why. Most prospects fail. He was also never very good to begin with and was completely overrated.
Really?
2013--A+ .298
2014--AA/AAA .293
2015--AA/AAA .321 -- might be a little better than "completely overrated." After the Red Sox brought him up in 2016 he played another position other than catcher in the pros for the first time and between that and his injury playing LF, his career went downhill. A number of different sites had Swihart ranked as Boston's top prospect in 2015, so he apparently had value at one point.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Really?
2013--A+ .298
2014--AA/AAA .293
2015--AA/AAA .321 -- might be a little better than "completely overrated." After the Red Sox brought him up in 2016 he played another position other than catcher in the pros for the first time and between that and his injury playing LF, his career went downhill. A number of different sites had Swihart ranked as Boston's top prospect in 2015, so he apparently had value at one point.
He had tons of value but it doesn't mean he wasn't overrated and in 2015 he had all of 87 PA in the minors. I"m also not sure why you are using batting average to prove your point. Homer Bush hit .320 once and he still sucked.

Even his scouting report didn't read like a top 20 prospect: "Should be an average hitter at the C position while playing passable defense."

He never should have been a top 20 prospect, he's more in line with Will Middlebrooks.
 

stepson_and_toe

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Aug 11, 2019
386
Even his scouting report didn't read like a top 20 prospect: "Should be an average hitter at the C position while playing passable defense."
There are other opinions--
FanGraphs from Oct 14, 2014:

"Swihart’s pop times will get as low at 1.78 in games and play often in the 1.8’s (1.90 is a 60 time assumed with his 60 arm) due to his quick release. His defense is solid-average for most scouts and a few pointed out that he’s closer to Christian Vazquez defensively than people think. Swihart has added 5-7 lbs. of muscle each year since signing and he now projects for 15-20 homers at maturity, with a high average and medium OBP."

"Summation: Swihart takes a little time at each level to adjust, being that he has to maintain a swing from both sides of the plate and continue to refine his catching. The Red Sox expect him to spend most of the year in AAA this year, but labeled him the only untouchable player in the system, so they won’t hesitate to give their catcher-of-the-future a chance if he’s ready."
 

Cesar Crespo

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Dec 22, 2002
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There are other opinions--
FanGraphs from Oct 14, 2014:

"Swihart’s pop times will get as low at 1.78 in games and play often in the 1.8’s (1.90 is a 60 time assumed with his 60 arm) due to his quick release. His defense is solid-average for most scouts and a few pointed out that he’s closer to Christian Vazquez defensively than people think. Swihart has added 5-7 lbs. of muscle each year since signing and he now projects for 15-20 homers at maturity, with a high average and medium OBP."

"Summation: Swihart takes a little time at each level to adjust, being that he has to maintain a swing from both sides of the plate and continue to refine his catching. The Red Sox expect him to spend most of the year in AAA this year, but labeled him the only untouchable player in the system, so they won’t hesitate to give their catcher-of-the-future a chance if he’s ready."
That sounds pretty much like a "league average hitter with passable defense at C."
 

Plympton91

bubble burster
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Oct 19, 2008
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That sounds pretty much like a "league average hitter with passable defense at C."
there’s plenty to argue about The vagaries of the scouting reports. But the fact remains he was a consensus top 20 CATCHING prospect and was routinely named in press reports as a CATCHER who would be a potential centerpiece of a deal for Cole Hamels.

Then John Farrell came back and decided he’d rather have Vazquez catch, and the since- fired prospect-hoarding GM Ben Cherington made Swihart a LF rather than cash in his value as a catcher in a trade.

The point isn’t what Swihart’s career arc might have been; the point is what could Cherington have traded him for once Farrell relegated Swihart to his catching doghouse.
 

nvalvo

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Guys, projecting a guy to be a league average hitter and passable defender at C is saying that he's a back-half top-100 prospect. That's a Wilson Ramos type: i.e.a guy BA ranked between 58-96 when he was a prospect.

Swihart's early prospect linkings were right there, in the 70 range, but then, after his 400 PA of .300/.353/.487 in the Eastern League made him look like he might hit better than that, that's when he shot up to the top-20. In retrospect, we should have dealt him then.
 

stepson_and_toe

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Aug 11, 2019
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that's when he shot up to the top-20. In retrospect, we should have dealt him then.
I was simply responding to Caesar Crespo's statement that "He was also never very good to begin with and was completely overrated." In retrospect, yes, he probably should have been traded but the people running the club at the time didn't think so.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Dec 22, 2002
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I was simply responding to Caesar Crespo's statement that "He was also never very good to begin with and was completely overrated." In retrospect, yes, he probably should have been traded but the people running the club at the time didn't think so.
That was an exaggeration in the other direction. He was a prospect along the lines of WMB, Garin Cecchini, JBJ. Some of them work out, some of them don't. Like nvalvo said, he should have been in the 50-100 area.
 

nvalvo

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I was simply responding to Caesar Crespo's statement that "He was also never very good to begin with and was completely overrated." In retrospect, yes, he probably should have been traded but the people running the club at the time didn't think so.
Oh, I didn't think so at the time either!

I watched a lot of Portland that year, and he looked like the real thing from the stands. It didn't pan out, but I'm rooting for him.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Dec 22, 2002
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Oh, I didn't think so at the time either!

I watched a lot of Portland that year, and he looked like the real thing from the stands. It didn't pan out, but I'm rooting for him.
The only player they traded that made me angry was Anthony Rizzo and even that didn't make me that angry because of Adrian Gonzalez. I'll never understand how Rizzo was so underrated as a prospect in the Sox organization at a time when most of their prospects were quite overrated. He hit 25 HRs in his age 20 season, with 20 of them coming in AA.

Margot stung a little too, a lot less now.
 

Mueller's Twin Grannies

critical thinker
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Dec 19, 2009
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Rich Hill and wife arrested trying to enter Gillette Stadium for the Pats game with a large bag. Caitlin Hill was arrested for trying to enter multiple gates and Rich Hill was arrested trying to prevent the police from arresting her.

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/rich-hill-mlb-free-agent-and-wife-caitlin-arrested-at-gillette-stadium-ahead-of-patriots-bills-game/
Gonna be awkward if the Sox sign him and he has to deal with the arresting officer(s) when they have Fenway detail.
 

mauidano

Mai Tais for everyone!
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Aug 21, 2006
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Awkward moment for the Hill family. Sounds like she had in her mind that she wasn't going to de denied entry utilizing multiple gates until they had enough of her and police got involved. Persistent and they missed a good game.
 

Plympton91

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Oct 19, 2008
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I’m pretty shocked at how many first basemen are off the board with Moreland still out there. I wonder if he’s overplaying his hand and might end up sliding back to the Sox for less when the music stops.
 

Lose Remerswaal

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Gonna be awkward if the Sox sign him and he has to deal with the arresting officer(s) when they have Fenway detail.
Sox use Boston cops, so unlikely to happen

They'll be on the lookout for his moll.
This is a much better answer than mine


Edit: morning news is saying it was a fanny pack. Don't they know fanny packs are IN?? Next they will come for the scrunchies
 
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Al Zarilla

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Dec 8, 2005
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Awkward moment for the Hill family. Sounds like she had in her mind that she wasn't going to de denied entry utilizing multiple gates until they had enough of her and police got involved. Persistent and they missed a good game.
Were they giving away bobbleheads and she was trying to get multiple copies at multiple gates? Sounds like my wife (DON’T TELL HER I SAID THAT).
 

edoug

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Jul 15, 2005
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Sox use Boston cops, so unlikely to happen


This is a much better answer than mine


Edit: morning news is saying it was a fanny pack. Don't they know fanny packs are IN?? Next they will come for the scrunchies
Thanks, blind squirrel finding a nut kind of thing. Women wear fanny packs? How many bobbleheads do they hold?
 

Reverend

for king and country
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Sox use Boston cops, so unlikely to happen
So Boston cops are more likely to make exceptions to the rules put in place for public safety?

Better not let @Myt1 hear you say that—to say nothing of the other law enforcement types, both officer and prosecutor types, who frequent this board. ;)
 

Reverend

for king and country
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What the duck is a “moll” anyway? Is that a typo?
 
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