bollostar

I don't get why Joe's putting Moehler as the #3 starter and Vargas as #4.

agreed with that....I spoke with Terry Ryan GM of the Twins and he told me what we all know...he needs a "spin" to go along with his fastball..he'll be ready mid season believe me...might take the place of one of the veterans mid season...time to start weeding out the veterans and bringing in the 2008 World Series team..... ... :plain Just who, exactly, are you pretending to be? For your information I don't pretend to be anybody...I have facts that some of you don't have....if you don't like my posts don't read them..... Sorry I was dubius. It's just not very often that one hears somebody talking like that. But I've read some of your other posts and now I understand where you're coming from. Peace?

Josh didn't like the other guy's attitude and told him straight. Anybody can snap at the media and fans (Burnett), but it takes some cojones to take on a big mofo like Howard. My opinion of Beckett is not diminshed in any way by this story.

This guy can throw 4 pitches. I'd like a guy like that to be a starter... Then again, there is no more room for starters in the whole organization.

I love Lenny but he is finished, he is not what we need right now, we could easily hand those at bats to a young kid who can develope into one of our future pieces. We know he hit well, but we need to rebuild, that spot needs to be reserved for a young guy that will be with us in the future. You'd make a great GM, putting promising young players in position to get 70 ABs per year.

Any player that treats fans like you do deserves the best of luck. And like some have already said, maybe this was for the best. I'll put my hopes in that and wish you a very long career.

I think slightly the same F4L, but make sure Nolasco is ready to replace Mitre as well. How exactly does one go about making sure Nolasco is ready?

CL Borowski SU Herges SU Lightenberg MR Resop MR Messenger MR Johnson MR Nolasco So you'd rather have Mitre start than Johnson...

I'm not sure. He was pretty old for being in single A, and his numbers weren't exactly mind blowing. His spring performance has all the makings of a mirage. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Has Joe said anything yet that we haven't loved? Unbelievable. I'm gladder and gladder every day that we have him on board.

Mark Grace was a first baseman. Let's just say you don't need top of the line lungs to play there. Olsen is a starting pitcher. There is a big difference there.

sorry to hear that jorg.. but at least now you get more ABs True. I'd rather have you starting in AAA now and make it next year as the #2 catcher on the big club than make it as a #3 this year and not get much playing time.

Sorry to hear that. Are you now out of options? Or can they send you down next year as well?

agreed with that....I spoke with Terry Ryan GM of the Twins and he told me what we all know...he needs a "spin" to go along with his fastball..he'll be ready mid season believe me...might take the place of one of the veterans mid season...time to start weeding out the veterans and bringing in the 2008 World Series team..... ... :plain Just who, exactly, are you pretending to be?

Is there a website I can use to track down contracts? I want to know stuff like how many years remain in D-Train's contract, when is he due for a big raise... things like that. Where can I go?

We'll see. If Jacobs flops, our choices are very limited for finding someone to protect Miggy. In fact, we don't have anybody else whom you'd call a "prototypical" cleanup hitter.

I'll be monitoring his career as if he were still a Marlin. I mean, hell, we drafted him, had him in our minors, saw him make the big club and beat the Yankees twice in the Series for us. Once*. Penny beat them twice. My bad. And I miss Penny too...

It's ideal to alternate righties and lefties so a team doesn't throw out the same lineup day after day and let the hitters get into a groove. I disagree that one of Vargas/Willis/Olsen would be gone...since DW is the ace it would make the rotation L-R-L-R-L...same as R-L-R-L-R. It makes sense, but I was wondering if there was actual statistical evidence to support it. Oh, btw: L-R-L-R-L would still have consecutive lefties (Fifth starter and the ace).

I miss the cocky s.o.b. He was (is) awesome. If he can get over the blister thing, he'll be winning 20 regularly with Boston's run support. I'll be monitoring his career as if he were still a Marlin. I mean, hell, we drafted him, had him in our minors, saw him make the big club and beat the Yankees twice in the Series for us. AJ can go to hell, though.

Is there an actual stat that proves that left handed pitchers perform worse than their career averages on games when the opposing team faced another left hander the previous day? And how significant is the difference? I always hear managers saying they want to space out their lefties, but I've never seen any evidence to support the case. I'm very intrigued by this because, if the difference is significant, then one of Vargas, Willis, or Olsen will not be part of the team's future.

Beckett and Burnett: Still linked By Stan McNeal - SportingNews In the five years they were Marlins teammates, Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett were considered Nos. 1A and 1B in the pecking order. But Beckett was the higher draft pick. Beckett got the opening day starts. And Beckett gained a reputation as a big-game pitcher. Then Burnett went free agent and posted these eye-catching numbers: 5 and 55, as in five years and $55 million, courtesy of the Blue Jays. Considering that price, it's reasonable to wonder whether Burnett should be considered better than Beckett. The career numbers for the two powerful righthanders favor Beckett, but not by much. His winning percentage is .547 (41-34 record) compared with Burnett's .495 (49-50). Beckett also holds a slight edge in strikeouts per nine innings and in WHIP, but Burnett has limited opponents to a slightly lower batting average. Because stats don't tell the whole story, we took our query to those in the know. The answer could prove telling in the AL East race because Beckett, who isn't eligible to become a free agent for two more seasons, was traded to the Red Sox in the Marlins' latest salary dump, So, which guy would you rather have? Hall of Famer and Braves broadcaster Don Sutton: "(Padres righthander) Jake Peavy. He's a more accomplished pitcher. I like those guys a lot, too. Burnett should be at a point where he's figured things out. He could be spectacular." A National League scout: "Both have great stuff but have been injury-prone and immature and have to be considered underachievers to this point. I'd take Beckett because he's more a complete package." Braves second baseman Marcus Giles: "Both have tremendous 12-to-6 curveballs and throw a couple of hundred miles per hour. Only difference is Beckett's been mixing in a changeup. Let's just say I won't miss facing either one." Giles has a point: He's 5-for-25 with six strikeouts lifetime against Beckett, 1-for-11 with five K's against Burnett. Cardinals reliever Braden Looper, who was their teammate for three years on the Marlins: "I've never seen anyone with stuff as electric as A.J.'s. His ball has so much movement. In '02, before his (elbow) surgery, he would throw 96 to 99 for an entire game." Burnett, by the way, says he was back to doing that in 2005. But besides Burnett's elbow -- which already has led to an MRI this spring -- here's a big reason to pick Beckett. At 25, he's four years younger, but Burnett can act more like a child. Example: After Burnett finished a four-inning spring training start last week, during which he continued to modify his windup, he snapped at a group of reporters when one asked -- politely -- whether he was ready to talk. "I just finished my running . . . . show some f-- respect," Burnett growled before disappearing. Fifteen minutes later, he emerged from behind closed doors and apologized. Such an episode makes one wonder how Burnett will deal with pitching in Fenway Park -- and Yankee Stadium. We soon will find out. The way the schedule shapes up, Burnett is in line to make his second start at Fenway. Pitching for the Red Sox: Beckett. "Should be fun," Burnett says. And perhaps provide a glimpse into who really should be No. 1.

I say in 2 or 3 years we are back to the top in the NL. EAST I wasn't aware we'd won an NL East title. Thanks for the heads up. they might be hungry and talented but just remember that there will be PLENTY of rookie mistakes out there ... lots of singles that turn into doubles or triples Dude. These guys have been playing baseball since they were 4. They might make a mistake here and there due to over-eagerness, but you'll be surprised to see those won't be as PLENTIFUL as you think. Like somebody else pointed out, most prospects are "major league ready" from a defensive standpoint well before they even hit AAA.

Ouch on Willy... I hope the author made that up. Or if the scout is real, I hope he's full of it.

I say stick him in AAA and basically FORCE him to learn how to play LF. We can then call him up and... let's just say our lineup would look REAL talented.