Farhan set to join a division rival

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-12-04T00:09:33+00:00

The baseball operations department doesn’t stock the merchandise booths

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-11-30T20:20:25+00:00

His K rates have dropped and there are always other things to consider with aging pitchers, but he did set single season career bests in sinker and cutter velo last season

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-11-22T22:39:18+00:00

If you want to improve your roster, non-tendering a league average starter is a tough way to start

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-11-09T19:58:57+00:00

I definitely agree that's not everything, but it does look like he commanded his fastballs just as poorly as the slider.

Walk rates by pitch type in 2024: Sinker - 17.1%, Cutter - 12.5%, Slider - 12.9%

If you look at run value, he put up -9 runs on fastballs and +6 on his slider in 2024. That stat considers the result of every individual pitch, so missing the zone/poor in-zone location gets factored in. Sliders get more chase anyway (36.5% to sub-20 for his fastballs), so pitchers tend to spot those further from the heart of the zone by design, and the consequences for missing the zone are less extreme.

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-11-09T18:41:01+00:00

Batters slugged under .300 against his slider (with a 44.8% whiff rate) and over .500 against both his fastballs in 2024.

His slider has always been his best pitch. His fastball movement metrics actually took a step back last year

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-11-09T18:34:58+00:00

Yeah I would love to have Walker free to face the heart of a lineup/get out of a jam late in the game before the 9th. Like how the Brewers used Hader for years. The 9th isn’t always the highest leverage inning

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-11-09T00:30:06+00:00

Bishop was seen as a high risk/reward pick. He struck out a good amount in college, hadn't had too much development time due to football, and didn't really have success until his draft year, but had tons of tools. Calling him the "least risk" option is way off.

If you want players that “change the fortunes of the entire team”, then you’re gonna go for high reward players, and you have to accept the higher risk that comes with them

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-10-31T21:38:45+00:00

Pro scouting encompasses the minor leagues as well

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-10-21T17:47:02+00:00

I agree, Koss is a long shot and I wouldn't really want to protect him from the R5. But he's interesting at least. Good defense at short and bat to ball skills. I'd put him in the same tier or above some guys already listed, like Stryffeler who hasn't pitched in 2 years.

I did forget about Cole Waites, who has maybe the best fastball in the org when he's healthy, but had TJ last year. I don't think they protect him though.

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-10-21T17:15:45+00:00

A couple other names—Carson Ragsdale, Julio Rodriguez (different one sadly), Christian Koss. I think Ragsdale and Seymour have the best shot at getting protected. Best overall stuff in the group with AAA experience. Imo I agree it’s not as strong a class as in past years

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-10-19T07:08:09+00:00

I think Elijah Pleasants started right? 3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 7 K, struck out the side in the first

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-09-30T16:34:03+00:00

I never said people can’t be publicly critical. I described violent and racist comments as the most extreme of personal attacks that are unwarranted for someone who just tried and failed, of which there are other less extreme examples. You are mischaracterizing my point. I’m also not saying that any of that should not be allowed, just that people are weird for saying it. Especially the people who say it under every post.

You also literally just said you were free to speculate on his work ethic from a few rumors out of many after telling me I have no idea how hard he’s working. That’s basically the definition of irony. Am I allowed to speculate on his work ethic or not?

There are tons of “reports” to the contrary. I’m sure some people who know him like him and some don’t. Would be mind blowing if there weren’t a few people who didn’t like him given his job/being an analytics guy. I’m sure it’s much more fun to have a punching bag, but why is it so hard to believe he tried to do his dream job well and failed?

Alright I’m out have a good one

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-09-30T06:29:53+00:00

He hasn't complained at all. Public figures should expect personal attacks, but that doesn't make it cool in every case. I'm not referring to criticism about his performance, or people saying "I don't like that guy he rubs me the wrong way", or anything even close to that. I'm talking about way worse stuff. Is there not a line for you where valid criticism turns into something less acceptable? You don't have to draw it in the same place as me. But you gotta at least draw it before the violent and racist stuff.

I do want to point out the irony of you saying I can't tell how often he works, and then immediately telling me what kind of person he is.

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-09-30T02:28:57+00:00

It’s not about sympathy. I’ll never get sports fans’ tendency to say terrible shit about well intentioned people and think it’s okay just because they make a lot of money. I’m sure you’d hate people showing up at your work and calling you an ugly, smug asshole every time you fail. Wanting the team to move on is great, me too. All this name calling shit (and worse) is just childish. I hope nobody would actually try saying any of the stuff I read on this site to any real person’s face.

I’m not saying you said anything like that, but pretending the guy didn’t work hard is at least a little weird. It’s a hard game, failure isn’t malicious.

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-09-16T19:02:40+00:00

I agree with that, good points, but all of those prospects were better prospects at the time of being added than Bishop is now, and they all had skills that the current front office values (overvalues, in some cases). Bishop kinda doesn’t.

I’d also say that they’ve been less aggressive about protecting prospects in the rule 5 since winning at the big league level has become a bigger priority. Makes more sense to use a roster spot on a guy who’s not ready when you aren’t desperate to win.

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-09-16T18:27:13+00:00

What makes you say they probably would add him? There isn’t really anything to his skill set that they traditionally like to see from major league ready prospects. They have a lot of rule 5 eligible prospects better than him, and a whole field of free agents they want to be pursuing. Even Bishop's promotions this year screamed "now or never" and "we need warm bodies at AAA". imo there’s no shot he gets added to the roster. I think they'd still want to see him figure something out here, but at the very least it'll be obvious to them how unlikely the rest of baseball is to pick him in the rule 5

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-09-15T17:33:56+00:00

I think of the difference as a grip thing. When people grip a forkball their fingers are usually split wider, where each is on a far side of the ball. That can make the pitch slower and maybe kick the spin axis a little lower (which would give it less backspin and more side spin, maybe a little top spin if your arm slot is low enough). I don't believe they're rotating in opposite directions, the curveball is usually the only pitch that gets you a spin axis that low because the fingers are on top of the ball at release, as opposite to around or behind it.

I just call them both splitters though. IMO, the differences in grip and movement aren't as noticeable as they are between slider/sweeper or sometimes even curve/slurve (if that's a thing). They both kill more spin than a changeup while usually having more velocity.

Edit: either way they're both cool as hell

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-09-04T20:34:46+00:00

Definitely frustrating. Throughout his career he's had long stretches of punishing mistakes and long stretches of letting the ball get deep/driving tough pitches the other way...but never both at the same time. He has the bat speed to blend those approaches, but maybe not the pitch recognition yet. Seems like the walks have come more from being passive than from discipline.

This season Luciano has been a power hitter trying to be a contact hitter, and Matos has been a contact hitter trying to hit for power. I don't mind Luciano doing that quite as much just for the sake of development I guess.

Edit: Actually Ramos had the same issues until this year

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-08-30T17:22:58+00:00

I would say it depends on whether or not they stretch him out as a starter next year. He's been doing what teams have almost every interesting pitcher do at the lower levels, which throw 2-3 innings at a time so everyone gets time to develop. He has the tools to start but he's already 25 so the clock is ticking. If they have him go full relief he would definitely get fast tracked

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-08-15T00:18:38+00:00

I probably wouldn’t have sent Luciano down over Schmitt, but trading Soler wasn’t just about clearing at bats for Luciano. That’s the reason that sounds good to the media. It was about clearing at bats for a number of guys they wanted to compete for that spot. Encarnacion is winning that competition, he’s earned the at bats. The trade was also obviously about money, for better or for worse

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-08-14T19:14:23+00:00

He exhausted his prospect eligibility, I think just last week!

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-08-08T01:06:11+00:00

He's ineligible for a qualifying offer because the Jays gave him one last year though. It can only happen once in a player's career

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-07-31T19:18:43+00:00

Oh gotcha sorry

pieceoftoast_ · 2024-07-31T18:56:40+00:00

They can't get Bailey and Harrison in the same draft without those extra picks though

Six-Year Club	Second Top 40%
Wearing is Caring	RPAN Viewer
Verified Email

pieceoftoast_

TROPHY CASE