Tuesday, June 27, 2006
SUPERMAN RETURNS…
BULL $HIT! DAVID ORTIZ HAS BEEN PLAYING FOR THE SOX SINCE 03!
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BARD HAS HUBIE BROWN UPSIDE
Last night I watched the Red Sox first round draft pick, Daniel Bard, pitch in the Championship Game of the College World Series. Bard’s stat line was impressive going 7 2/3 innings giving up six singles, three runs (one earned, but it was his own two errors), one walk and two strikeouts on around 112 pitches. But this is a good example why scouts are so valuable. Bard had no breaking ball and only dominated in the later innings when he just threw fastballs. No hyperbole here - Bard threw no ball under 90 mph after the fourth.
The first thing one notices when watching Bard is that he lights up the radar gun. He was consistently in the mid to high 90’s all night with a “free and easy” three quarter delivery - maybe a shade lower than Pedro’s arm slot. Bard touched 99 mph a few times during the game and . He showed plus velocity and above average command of his fastball right now. Bard appears to have plus-plus fastball potential.
Bard pitched effectively inside early, and Harold Reynolds mentioned UNC pitchers are taught to do so. He also took something off his fastball, maybe a two seamer, that was in the low 90’s. Bard had good command of the pitch. It was enough to keep hitters off balance last night.
Unfortunately, Bard had no control or feel for his slider. He threw one good one in the third inning and that was it. Bard threw a number of flat sliders and one right over a batter’s head. Beside lack of command, Bard’s slider does not have classic velocity or 7-10mph less than the heater last night. His slider won’t look like a fastball that breaks at the last moment. The slider was around 80-82. He will need to refine his slider or find another off-speed pitch to be a front of the rotation starter. If not, Bard looks a lot like a setup man.
***
MEET THE METS
The Mets are in an interesting situation. They have a group of vets (Pedro, Glavine, Wagner and Delgado) doing their thing mixed with three exceptional young players - David Wright, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran. The timing is perfect for a run to the postseason, as the Mets now have their own cable station like NESN, to earn a better return on their payroll investment - TV revenue is now much more variable. The Mets are also in a good position with the great young trio, and possibily two on the way (Lastings Milledge and Mike Pelfery), to be in the hunt each year in the foreseeable future. With the new added revenue streams (the new ballpark is coming, too), the Mets should have no issues acquiring the missing pieces that their system doesn't produce in the coming years.
BULL $HIT! DAVID ORTIZ HAS BEEN PLAYING FOR THE SOX SINCE 03!
***
BARD HAS HUBIE BROWN UPSIDE
Last night I watched the Red Sox first round draft pick, Daniel Bard, pitch in the Championship Game of the College World Series. Bard’s stat line was impressive going 7 2/3 innings giving up six singles, three runs (one earned, but it was his own two errors), one walk and two strikeouts on around 112 pitches. But this is a good example why scouts are so valuable. Bard had no breaking ball and only dominated in the later innings when he just threw fastballs. No hyperbole here - Bard threw no ball under 90 mph after the fourth.
The first thing one notices when watching Bard is that he lights up the radar gun. He was consistently in the mid to high 90’s all night with a “free and easy” three quarter delivery - maybe a shade lower than Pedro’s arm slot. Bard touched 99 mph a few times during the game and . He showed plus velocity and above average command of his fastball right now. Bard appears to have plus-plus fastball potential.
Bard pitched effectively inside early, and Harold Reynolds mentioned UNC pitchers are taught to do so. He also took something off his fastball, maybe a two seamer, that was in the low 90’s. Bard had good command of the pitch. It was enough to keep hitters off balance last night.
Unfortunately, Bard had no control or feel for his slider. He threw one good one in the third inning and that was it. Bard threw a number of flat sliders and one right over a batter’s head. Beside lack of command, Bard’s slider does not have classic velocity or 7-10mph less than the heater last night. His slider won’t look like a fastball that breaks at the last moment. The slider was around 80-82. He will need to refine his slider or find another off-speed pitch to be a front of the rotation starter. If not, Bard looks a lot like a setup man.
***
MEET THE METS
The Mets are in an interesting situation. They have a group of vets (Pedro, Glavine, Wagner and Delgado) doing their thing mixed with three exceptional young players - David Wright, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran. The timing is perfect for a run to the postseason, as the Mets now have their own cable station like NESN, to earn a better return on their payroll investment - TV revenue is now much more variable. The Mets are also in a good position with the great young trio, and possibily two on the way (Lastings Milledge and Mike Pelfery), to be in the hunt each year in the foreseeable future. With the new added revenue streams (the new ballpark is coming, too), the Mets should have no issues acquiring the missing pieces that their system doesn't produce in the coming years.
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Thank you - Red Sox!
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