Brye

Ordering tickets for either Sox/D-Backs in August or Sox/Rockies in June, Sox/Angels in June or Sox/Jays in June. Possibly a combination. Also trying to get to at least 1 Mets game and best case scenario ASG/HR Derby. Might even try hitting a Nats game some weekend too.

Honestly going to the derby in '02 was the best baseball experience I've ever had.

CANT WAIT FOR BASEBALL

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The CrucifiXioN

I'm still pissed the D-backs traded Justin Upton to the Braves, but I'm genuinely curious in finding out how they do this season.

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MrMister

DesoRow, I like your assessment of Bauer. He's puts WAY too much effort into his pitching. I'm not saying hard work is bad, I'm saying his pre-game warmup is insane and his wind up is ridiculous. To me, a pitcher needs to be as efficient as possible. His stuff was all over the place when I saw him pitch, and he got hammered quite a few times; I have to wonder is he gassed before he even throws his first pitch of the game as well. It was a disaster. I was surprised at his lack of velocity too. If he's a soft tossing control guy then lolol he has a ton of work to do. Fortunately, he's really young and it looks like he'd have some killer off speed stuff once he reigns it in.

Perfect Poster

His fastball velocity (in only 16 MLB innings) was 92.2. That was near King Felix, Sabathia, Shields, and Greinke territory. That isn't bad. His FB usage was 52.3%, near Hellickson, Lincecum, and Greinke. Good/great K pitchers such as Darvish, Cain, Volquez, and Hamels used their fastball less. Bauer is known to have a great repitoire of pitches. Basing most of your judgment off of 16 innings would be falling victim to small sample size. Verlander looked pedestrian at best in his almost 12 innings during his cup of coffee in 05 and went on to be ROY the next season. Lincecum has had great success with his windup and was mainly cursed by an astonishing increase in HR rate (which I would attest to as being a statistical oddity). Bauer doesn't need to blow you by with a 98 mph fastball when he's got a wide variety of pitches he can use to get you out. I'll wait more than 16 innings before I cast my judgment on him.

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DesolationRow

Oh, I wouldn't use the sixteen innings in MLB against him, either. It would be wrong to do that. And I'm also sure that part of the reason his velocity sometimes appears underwhelming is because he's employing a very-decent two-seamer fastball rather than the four-seamer, which he seems to have a bit less control over. And it's almost certain he'll be a perfectly all right No. 3 pitcher in MLB when it's all said and done; he definitely has a high floor.

The key problem for him in my view is that while his fastballs do feature late movement, they're nothing most Major League hitters aren't accustomed to. He'll probably end up looking splendid over the course of his first trip or two around the League once he comes back up in Cleveland, but experienced hitters will begin to sit on the two-seamer and ignore just about everything else if he doesn't vary it up more.

Again, he has a very high floor, but I don't believe in the ceiling proposed by many. Moreover, Bauer's college pitching was so lauded at UCLA by his coaches, he was allowed to throw more than 125 pitches ten times by the time he turned 20. (Lincecum threw just about as many innings as Bauer did five years earlier, but his pitch count within games was monitored closely.) It's obvious that he's strong and his unorthodox workout routine, pre-game rituals and windup all work for him now, but I personally wouldn't want him to be a centerpiece of my struggling team's future considering his smallish frame of 6'1" and 180-185 lbs. coupled to all of the aforementioned matters.

But, it's always possible he'll become a new Lincecum or Verlander; I just don't think so, but again projecting prospects is generally an inexact science.

Changing the subject a bit, it looks like King Felix's contract isn't going through because of some elbow trouble the Mariners have discovered... Sad to hear about this.

Ruh-roh:

Hardball Talk ‏@HardballTalk
Elbow issue could derail that Felix Hernandez extension http://dlvr.it/2wnBGn #mlb #hbt

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MrMister

Well you can clearly see that he can make the ball move a lot, he just can't miss bats right now when he does get it in the zone. Pretty sure his failures were mostly due to walks. Walking the bases loaded or any other jam due to walks obviously is bad. I did say he's really young, so he's not a lost cause by any stretch.

DesolationRow

From Buster Olney:

As the Seattle Mariners have been in discussions with Felix Hernandez about a record-setting extension, concern has developed over the condition of his pitching elbow, a source says.

The elbow issue is perceived by at least one of the parties in the deal as being a possible impediment to the completion of the new contract.

"It's an issue," said one source.

Bob Nightengale:

Felix Hernandez knows elbow became "issue'' after his physical, but both sides say still hoping to complete $175 million deal #mariners

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DesolationRow

Greg Johns‏@GregJohnsMLB

Zduriencik says Felix Hernandez has been throwing on schedule and will have new physical with #Mariners tomorrow. http://gregjohns.mlblogs.com

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JM

Please no.

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#Realtalk

Maple Leafs - Raptors - Steelers - Blue Jays

DubC

PITCHERS AND CATCHERS REPORT TO TRAINING CAMPS TODAY #gloriousbaseballisback

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