SB Nation User Blog: So Cal Bob

The Pirates woes continue

So Cal Bob — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 20:08:36 -0000

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/sns-ap-bbn-pirates-bullington,1,4888065.story?coll=sns-ap-sport s-headlines

Drafting this guy before Upton doesn't look so hot--again. I'm not fond of reading about pitchers with labrum problems. That is certainly no TJ sugery. I will be surprised if he ever makes an impact at the big league level, maybe if at all.

Pinella is gone

So Cal Bob — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 22:49:08 -0000

Great move for Tampa. They need to get a new GM too. Hopefully this is the sign of things to come with regards to ownership stepping up. Sternberg may have more influence than we thought. The sooner the better for Tampa's sake. If you had the GM post, who would you hire as a manager?

I'd love to see Carlos Tosca. He's a great teacher and has the temperment to deal with the younger players.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2168523

David Wright

So Cal Bob — Thu, 11 Aug 2005 18:55:19 -0000

How good is this guy? I'm really amazed at his production. He seems to do it all.

.302/.384/.513 30 2B's 17 HR's and 12 SB's.

WOW! Last year he had a weak BB/K ratio (14/40) and now he's improved that to (50/76).

His D will only improve, but he makes some sick plays already. That Kevin Mitchell-esque play on Tuesday night shows how instinctive and athletic this guy is.

What's the ceiling?

Texas Trio--D-V-D

So Cal Bob — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 21:17:13 -0000

BA's Daily Dish did a feature about the Three Amigos, Texas Trio, or D-V-D--whatever you like. The two scouts weren't very glowing in their praise of these 3. Here it is:

The Rangers can see their future rotation just down the road in suburban Frisco, home of their Double-A affiliate. Righthanders Thomas Diamond and Edison Volquez and lefthander John Danks all started the year in the high Class A California League before making the big jump to Double-A.

With the trade deadline approaching, clubs were sending scouts in to see the Frisco team and assess which of the D-V-D trio. We talked to two, and they couldn't agree on the top player. None of the three is lighting up the Texas League--Danks (2-5, 4.91) and Diamond (1-2, 6.00) just lost their last starts, while Volquez (1-3, 4.06) has been inconsistent. One of the scouts picked Volquez while the other picked Danks, a 2003 first-round pick, ahead of 2004 first-rounder Thomas Diamond. The scout who picked Danks broke down all three.

"There's no question Volquez has the best fastball velocity and the best life on his fastball. I saw him 93-95 mph with movement, and he has a good changeup. Diamond doesn't quite have the deception in his delivery in the start where I saw him. He just wasn't as good as Volquez. He is a young guy who knows how to pitch, though. I could see him as a No. 3 or 4 starter who eats innings, but there's not enough there to say he's a frontline starter. He's got some feel. I had his fastball up to 94 mph, but it was straight. His breaking balls were OK, and with his arm slot, he really should stick with the slider and make the curve his fourth pitch. I saw some sliders at 84-86 mph, it could be pretty good. It should be his pitch of choice.

"The guy I was most intrigued with was Danks. He's drop-and-drive in his delivery right now, so he left his fastball up and wasn't able to pitch downhill. He showed arm strength, he was up to 93 mph, and the most interesting thing was he has a 70 changeup (on the 20-80 scouting scale) right now. He didn't have that pitch in high school as far as I understand, and now it's his best pitch. His curveball was erratic but I saw some that were pretty good. Now you're talking about a lefthander with arm strength, with a plus-plus pitch, a potential plus pitch in his curve and a potential plus fastball. So that's why I'm intrigued."

Thoughts?

A blow to the Mets?

So Cal Bob — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 22:14:52 -0000

Mets GM Omar Minaya said that right-hander Philip Humber, the club's first round selection -- and third overall -- in the 2004 draft, could be headed for a second opinion on his ailing pitching elbow.
Humber, 22, left his first start for Double-A Binghamton after just four innings on Monday, following a promotion from Class A St. Lucie of the Florida State League. Humber was examined by Mets team physicians Wednesday in New York and has been sent to the club's complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

"He has discomfort, and we are getting it checked out," Minaya said.

A published report Saturday said that Tommy John surgery -- which would sideline Humber for at least one year -- was a possibility, with Humber looking to visit either Dr. James Andrews or Dr. Lewis Yocum for opinions.

A-Rod = Dominican?

So Cal Bob — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 18:45:24 -0000

Did anyone see the ESPN report that A-Rod announced he's Dominican and playing for the Dominicans? I don't understand how this can be. Born in NY and raised in Miami except for 4 years (4-8) in the Dominican. What a slap in the face to the people of the U.S. and fans of baseball. I guess all the privledges he was afforded growing up here didn't develop him into the person he is today. What a disgrace.

Eric Patterson

So Cal Bob — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 19:46:41 -0000

I was reading the Daily Dish on BA and couldn't believe what I read. A scout speaking about Eric Patterson said, "He's played three years at a major program, so I'd like to see him face some better pitching, but that's not his fault. I do like his approach. He waits for his pitch, and when he gets it, he goes after it. He can get into a rut where he tries to hit for more power, but when he trusts his hands, he uses all the fields and is much more productive. Defensively, he's good enough but nothing special, and he has above-average speed but is not a burner. So in the end you have a second baseman who can hit for average, but without much power and he plays average defense. That's more of an occasional starter/utility guy for me as opposed to an everyday player for a first-division club."

If that isn't the biggest waste of breath I've read, I don't know what is. How can a guy make this statement after 48 games played (in his 1st pro season) when the production is spectacular? .366/.443/.550 17 SB in 22 attempts 10 2B, 5 3B, and 5 HR's. This is what drives me nuts about scouts.

Anyone else?

Rickie Weeks

So Cal Bob — Mon, 16 May 2005 17:48:35 -0000

My favorite prospect in the entire minors is Weeks. Now that he offically has started hitting like AAA is the AZ Fall League is it time to promote him? How long can Milwaukee go with Junior Spivey hitting .235 with and awful K rate? Weeks is sporting a near-1.100 OPS. I love this guy and want to see him in the big leagues.

help with the term "southpaw"

So Cal Bob — Thu, 28 Apr 2005 23:50:22 -0000

During a spirited discussion at work, the term "southpaw" was used. This led to a debate about the actual term. It went so far as to someone using the lingo from Rocky I. Can anyone tell the story about how lefties were named "southpaws"? I can't find anything on this subject other than a definition which says "left handed pitcher."