filthyfrog

While forfeiting that portion of your bonus pool when a player doesn't sign might seem unfair at first glance, it prevents the scenario of a team picking someone with no intention of signing him, which would be downright unethical.

I agree with umphrey. I would say Magnifico has plus plus velocity, but if he can't command the pitch and/or it's very hittable, then I wouldn't say he has a plus plus fastball. But I'm no scout, so it doesn't really matter what I'd say.

Wow, those compensation picks look good now. Imagine if D'vo Jr. was our second pick. Doesn't look quite so bad when you've already taken some potential impact bats and have enough wiggle room to take a chance on an athlete who doesn't appear to be a very good baseball player.

To all the people saying MLB won't announce anything if the suspension is overturned, we don't know that. At this point, with the public nature of the case, that policy is probably out the window. If I were the MLB, I'd want to spin this in my favor no matter what the ruling. If Braun is suspended, they get to claim that they don't play favorites and the program is working. If Braun is exonerated, they get to say the appeals process works. Saying nothing at all doesn't help them.

Arcia was 16 last year. I think there's a nearly zero chance that he plays in Wisconsin as a 17 year-old. I wouldn't be surprised if they have him repeat in the Dominican rather than even bring him to the States this year. A lot of that depends on how mature a youngster is and if they feel he can make the cultural transition, rather than how well he plays. Most of us have little idea about that stuff. So I'd say just playing in Arizona with a chance at a promotion to Helena would count as an aggressive promotion.

I don't believe it's only $8M. That's even lower than the lowest predictions, so why would KRod settle for that without a fight? I bet there are some significant and reachable incentives.

The thing about Scooter is that he appears to be a one-tool player. Yes, the hit tool is the most important one, but he appears to be below average in every other phase of the game. And it's not like his hit tool is dominant. He's managed to hit in the low .300s, but it's not like he's hitting .350 (outside the small sample in the hitter's paradise of the AFL). Honestly, I don't get all the love. I like Scooter, but I need to see some improvements before I'm convinced he can ever be an every day Major League player, much less an impact player.

Mass Haas, you provided a unique service that many of us instantly knew we couldn't do without. Remembering life before link reports is like remembering life before cell phones. How did we even make it through the day? Many thanks for your tireless work. It was a truly impressive run.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was his hypercritical comments about Gamel and Gindl. I thought it was awfully unprofessional to criticize his players' characters in the media the way he did.

Doesn't Saito have a clause in his contract saying he can't be offered arbitration? He had it in Atlanta and I thought I remembered hearing about it when he signed with Milwaukee, although I don't feel like actually researching it. I'll be very surprised if we don't offer arbitration to Rodriguez. He's made it clear he wants to be a closer, so the chances of him accepting are pretty low and, as mentioned, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if he did accept. So yeah, depending on where Fielder and K-Rod sign, we could have six picks by the middle of the second round.

I also vote for Fiers. Peralta is the better prospect, but Fiers had better production at both levels. Either would be a deserving pick, though, so I wouldn't be shocked if the organization goes with the old Co-Pitcher of the Year award.

I also don't like the short stride, which makes it look like his delivery is all arm. But there is some merit to the delivery. The longer your stride, the lower your release point. The lower your release point, the less downward movement you have. There are pitchers out there who stride short, stay tall, and let the ball sink as it gets to the plate. Kameron Loe and Shaun Marcum are obvious examples. When you're 6' 6" like Jungmann, being tall and staying tall isn't necessarily a bad thing. The delivery concerns are valid, but after the Mark Rogers disaster, I kind of think we should let Taylor be Taylor and hope that what's made him so successful up to this point continues to work.

I also don't like the short stride, which makes it look like his delivery is all arm. But there is some merit to the delivery. The longer your stride, the lower your release point. The lower your release point, the less downward movement you have. There are pitchers out there who stride short, stay tall, and let the ball sink as it gets to the plate. Kameron Loe and Shaun Marcum are obvious examples. When you're 6' 6" like Jungmann, being tall and staying tall isn't necessarily a bad thing. The delivery concerns are valid, but after the Mark Rogers disaster, I kind of think we should let Taylor be Taylor and hope that what's made him so successful up to this point continues to work.

Is it just a coincidence that when I read "BP" in regard to Arnett, I first thought of batting practice? Sad to say that might be his most useful role.

Breaking him in as a long reliever would not count as pinning our hopes on him, but handing him a rotation spot without (in my opinion) him really earning it would be. I'm not saying it would make or break the season, but each of your five starters plays a vital role over the course of the season. I don't think Peralta's done enough yet to justify that role. Yes, scouts like him and I do too. But the fact remains that he has never been a dominant pitcher for an extended period of time. DHonks said it best when he said he's been living on potential. He has lots of it and has really shown it over his last six or eight starts (I can't find a game log for his AA stats). But it's too early to tell if that's a hot streak or a true improvement. I'm not saying he would be an utter failure if we handed him a rotation spot next Spring. I am saying that there's no need to rush him since we have a quality rotation under contract, it would do him good to continue to refine his pitches before hitting the big time, and it would do the team good to make sure he really is ready, to have him as insurance for injuries, and to delay his arbitration clock.