The Official 2014 AL East Thread

He's just a really good hitter who's actually gotten better due to him cutting down on his strike outs thus putting more balls into play and using the whole field now instead of trying to always pull everything. He's also gotten better at hitting LHPers too.

 

Right that is my point. How do you get better at his age?

 

Maybe he's changed his swing to get quicker to the baseball? He did lose a lot of weight, perhaps that helped him.

He's always been a very good hitter though it's not like this came out of nowhere ala Jose Bautista for example. I think people keep thinking back to his 2009 season when he was bad and think "oh he's done" instead of looking at that season as an outlier and think "it was just a bad season".

 

Interest article on the Sox/Lester contract talks:

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/...ing-up-new-deal-between-red-sox-lester-032514

Most interesting was according to Rosenthal, since 2004 the Sox have had 89 free agents and only resigned 6 of them.

 

No one throws at anyone anymore but you're right I feel like because Ortiz is so well liked around the league no one really challenges him inside. Even when CC Sabathia threw at Ortiz a few years ago it was in the butt and they both gave each other looks like "yeah I knew it was coming but we're still cool with each other".

 

Extending your arms when hitting a baseball is a huge misconception. Extension doesn't happen until well after contact. I agree with everything else though. He crowds the plate and takes away the outside part. And pitchers don't throw in on. There's just not much room for error in there. It was the same issue with bonds. You could paint a strike inside on both those guys and still hit them.

 

I was just saying. I can't even count the number of times you hear during a broadcast "he's not letting them get extended" or "he threw over the middle of the plate where he was able to get his arms extended".

 

As does everyone Yank. Staying connected means more power. Not extension.

 

I'll message you my paypal account.

 

Ignore the O's that's fine

 

Some Oriole news Alfredo Aceves was released.

 

Still in shock that the Yankees haven't signed anyone as Teixeira insurance, especially based off of these latest quotes from him:

“I’m not trusting that the wrist is healthy,’’ Teixeira told The Post Thursday at Steinbrenner Field.

“I’m just trying to protect it,’’ he said. “Taking your ‘A’ swing, taking that swing that is 100 percent and I need to trust that I can do that and not feel pain. I need to finish my swing instead of protecting my wrist. Last year, to protect my wrist, I didn’t finish my swing.’’

Although he does state that the wrist feels good and is getting stronger just kind of weird.

Here's the full article: http://nypost.com/2014/03/27/teixeira-lack-of-trust-in-wrist-still-hampering-swing/

 

Grady Sizemore makes the Red Sox as the starting CFer and JBJ will start the year in Triple A.

You know what? Screw it, I'm all in on Grady Sizemore because why the heck not? Just hope they wrap him in bubble wrap before and after the games.

 

Grady Sizemore huh. wow....


If he can recreate even his 2009 season, it would be a steal for the Red Sox.

In other news, Jackie Bradley.....what a fall from grace. He looked dreadful this spring.

 

I wouldn't say it was a fall from grace, it was obvious he was promoted too soon last year and expectations for him have been high since and perhaps a bit unrealistic too. Yes he's had a bad spring training but it is after all just spring training, on the flip side last season he batted like .500 in the spring and then hit poorly during the regular season in the majors. I just think he has things he needs to continue to work on in terms of hitting and he obviously needs to play everyday to get at bats and the minors was the best option for him and the team.

I think the main reason JBJ is being sent is because he's the only OFer with minor league options available and he needs to play everyday. I wouldn't be surprised if JBJ ends up playing more games this year than Sizemore, who I don't think will hold up but I'm rooting like hell for him to.

 

Just seems like Red Sox put all their eggs on JBJ for this season, and he didn't deliver. Not good. May have lucked out with Sizemore though.

 

If that was the case they wouldn't have signed Sizemore to a major league deal in the first place. The Sox probably had every intention of starting the year with JBJ as the starting CFer but I think the health and play of Sizemore really shocked them. Really it comes down to sending JBJ back to the minors to have him play everyday or trading/releasing Mike Carp.

I think too much is being looked into JBJ being sent down as him failing or the Sox being down on him. The Sox love having depth at every position. If they kept JBJ it would have meant losing their back up 1B/COFer and productive bat off the bench in Carp. Again we're talking about ST stats here. Yeah JBJ didn't perform well but I doubt that was the deciding factor in this. It's more to do with Sizemore's health and roster flexibility.

I think the putting all their eggs is fitting with Bogaerts/Middlebrooks because they didn't resign Drew or have a real back up plan in case one or both underperforms and their back up infielders are nothing more than that.

 

I'm so tired of that cold pressed juice wimp. He's washed up, and injuries are now his excuses. It bothers me that the infield is so weak, but great pitching should keep the Yankees in it. And yes I said "great", because in order to make the playoffs the pitchers need to be damn near perfect.

 

And I like the teammate support....Jonny Gomes quoted as saying that Grady is just as good as Els. Just as good as what, should be the question...being on the disabled list!?!?! Lol

 

So you're saying JBJ is a essentially a bust based on 107 plate appearances in the MLB last year and 61 plate appearances in Spring Training? Its basically a month's worth of at bats.

Not saying the guy will or won't be a good MLB player but can we actually let him play more than 56 games, almost half of which don't even matter or count, before we label him a 4A player?

 

I don't think any unbiased realistic projection ever had JBJ as a can't miss prospect, that term gets thrown out there way too often much like "5 tool player" for example. Xander Bogaerts is definitely a can't miss prospect, so were Strasburg and Harper but JBJ was never viewed in that light. But I agree that when it comes to prospects for the most part you have to take a wait and see approach to them.

Either way still way too early to write him off. Mike Trout batted .220/.281/.390/.672 in his first 40 MLB games and he turned out ok. Obviously not comparing JBJ to Trout but even the best players in the world have slumps or a bad game/week/month/year.

I do find it funny that last ST when JBJ batted what .500 or so people loved him and when he struggled in the MLB said "oh see ST stats just don't matter" and then he has a bad ST stat wise the next year and people are quick to write him off. Again this has much more to do with Sizemore proving he's healthy, JBJ having minor league options, JBJ needing to play everyday and roster depth/flexibility than it does with JBJ hitting poorly in 19 ST games.

 

Yankees signed Aceves to a minor league deal with a 7/1 opt out. Glorious!

 

Bentances and nuno make the final two bullpen spots. I love Dellin. I hope he's here to stay. Nuno is nice and may end up replacing Thornton. Now on to the final to roster spots. Hoping for Solarte, but since he's not on the 40 man, it probably won't happen.

 

Yep Jeter and Pedroia struggled at first as well. Not comparing JBJ to either but it shows small sample sizes are meaningless.

Sizemore was up there with Granderson and Kemp as best CF in MLB at one point i dont blame the Red Sox for seeing what he can do when finally healthy.

 

And he probably still will be. Again the guy hasn't even played a full MLB season yet, he's only had barely over 100 MLB plate appearances.

Sizemore, when he was healthy back in 2005 to 2009ish was probably the best CFer in baseball during that time. I think people forget just how good he was before he got hurt.

 

W

No question, sizemore was fantastic. And for the sake of a guy trying to get back to his craft, i want him to succeed, I just don't see him being the same guy.

 

Agreed completely 2009 was a long time ago.

 

Yankees complete the roster by sending Eduardo Nunez to triple A and keeping Solarte. Color me impressed with the Yankees finally sending Nunez and his terrible defense back down, hopefully for good.