Sunday night linkage..
- Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports implores the Nats to get a deal done with Bryce Harper.
- Nats pitcher Stephen Strasburg had some interesting comments to make about the club's negotiations with Harper, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
- Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (in these tweets) says that rival agents think that the Dodgers will offer first-round pick Zach Lee roughly $3MM and at least one of them thinks that will be enough to get a deal done.
- Toronto manager Cito Gaston told David Ely of MLB.com that he didn't think Ricky Romero would feel any pressure after signing a lucrative contract extension. The lefty didn't show any signs of jitters today as he allowed just one run in seven innings against the Angels.
- Boston outfielder Jeremy Hermida is making the most of his time in the minors, writes Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal. Hermida was just thirty days shy of accruing enough major league time to decline a demotion when he was sent down by the Red Sox.
Cito Gaston was right. The one thing I love about Ricky Romero, he looks, acts, and sounds like a class act. I’ve never seen him mouth off to an umpire, I’ve seen him show frustration, but it never translated in to getting in to more trouble on the mound. He really carries himself very well and oh yeah by the way, he’s a great pitcher!
Romeros a tad overated, well whenever he faces the yankees it seems like it
He’s pitched against the Yankees 3 times this season. 2 of those, 8.0+ 2 ER’s.
He also pitched really well in his lone start against the Rays this season.
Oh yeah, and against Texas this season, 16.0 IP 24 K’s and 1 ER.
2 starts against the Red Sox, 8.1 innings pitched 10 earned runs. His second start against the yanks, 2.2 innings pitched 8 earned runs.
I’m not saying he’s overrated but he’s not the guy who’s going to crush the big teams as you seem to be implying.
In the AL East, tons of K’s and pitches in a hitters ballpark (Rogers) and tons of other hitters parks around the AL East.
He’s a pretty darn good pitcher. tremendous arm speed on his change up.
I think he’s good, but I’m still waiting before calling him anything more than that.
Agreed. He just needs to bump up that K rate a bit though. If he can get that 7.7 near 9 K/9 with his GB% it will go a long way. He is good at 7.7 K/9, potentially top lefty at 9.
When he has a good outing, he sometimes strikes out 11 or 12. When he’s having a bad outing, he’ll strike out 3. I agree with you though.
Yes, those two starts mean he is destined to disappoint over the rest of his career. It couldn’t possibly be that you are overreacting to an incredibly small sample size.
My comment was a rebuttal towards the idea of Romero being a great pitcher against top teams. Not a screaming comment that he’s going to crash and burn in his career. Also that’s 3 bad starts versus 5 good starts (which itself is a HUGE sample size by comparison… that’s sarcasm by the way).
So since you seem to be intent on believing I believe certain things let me say this: I think Romero is a good pitcher and yes possibly the Jays version of Lester. But right now let’s try not to anoint him the next big thing until there’s more of a sample.
I’m not anointing him anything, as I don’t watch him enough, and he hasn’t been around long enough anyways. It’s just when you say “but he’s not the guy who’s going to crush the big teams”, it seemed like a pretty solid statement that you think he’s not capable of it. I take it that’s not what you meant to express though.
No, but when you focus on 2 out of 3 starts being good, it matters if that 3rd start was terrible.
Not really. Out of 3 starts, if 2 are great and one if terrible I don’t think you depend on the bad start.
Last year he probably wouldn’t have made the team had it not been for the entire rotation going down. It’s far to premature to declare that he will or wont be the guy whos going to crush big teams.
I’d say at the end of next year we’ll have a pretty good understanding of who ricky is and what he is capable of accomplishing in this division.
hmm. i know this is off topic but either your the same guy as jonathan broxton’s sideburns and or brendan ryan’s mustache or your just not being original with your name.
Lol.. Thx for the shout out!
no problem haha.
what about me!?
In fairness, I think ur sideburns have been around longer than broxtons
oh man, i’m sorry i forgot about you. wont happen again.
Seems like a good kid, struggled a lot in the minors so it seems like he knows the hard work he is going to have to put in to be succesful, he’s talented, but nothings going to come easy….that and the fact that the contract isn’t outrageous by any stretch of the imagination, so he should just keep doing what he’s doing, no need to be a hero just because he’s getting paid more then the rest of the entire rotation combined.. better start paying for some dinners ricky
Also announced today he donated 100,000 to the jays care foundation. Nice touch
Yeah that’s right good call.
Also, this has to mean a lot to Jays fans in Toronto. Really a lot to be excited for if you are a Jays fan!
completely off topic, but i just noticed Brian Bullington just 2 hit the Yankees over 8 IP. and got his first win. Brien Taylor is (and will probably be the only one) the only # 1 overall pick pitcher that hasn’t got a win (or IP for that matter).
Just clarifying, Steve Chillcot wasn’t a Pitcher right? Because I know he was a 1st over pick to never play in a Major League Game.
Also, he has really turned in to a decent pitcher who will probably be a september call up this season, Matt Bush. He’s turned in to a really good pitcher for the Stone Crabs and there is a good chance we will see him in the Rays pen this season. We might see him in another teams rotation in 2011.
Chillcot was a Catcher and played some 1b, acording to B-R. I not being rude in saying this, but I said pitcher, not position player in my post above. :)Maybe i should have said ” in the modern draft” (the one since 1973), to clarify, too.Oh yeah I forgot about Bush turned into a pitcher, thats good for him. hope he makes the majors.I brought it up because I root for a team (Seattle) that has historically, outside of Griffey and A-Rod, done terrible drafting (Jeff Clement over Zimmerman, Braun, etc. in stocked 2005 draft, Brandon Morrow over Lincecum in 2006, etc.) and its good to see guys get there chance in the bigs. Atleast he can say “I have a MLB win”.
I head you man. Be excited for Ackley and Jack Z though.
I was actually just making sure Chilcott wasn’t a pitcher. But I’m a big fan of Matt Bush.
Yeah seeing Ackley makes dealing with winning the last 3 games of the 2008 year that cost us the first pick that ended up being a guy named Stephen Strasburg, herd about this guy? 🙂
I still trust Jack Z like most should. I reason he was praised so fast was that Bavasi (and You Mets fans complain about Minaya, you haven’t seen Bavasi at work) blew every trade he made (gave up Shin Shoo Choo. Asdurbial Carberra, Rafeal Soriano, and hardly got and good people in trades like Ben Brousard, Joe Brochard, etc.), while Jack Z got a win in his first deal (Gutierrez and Vargas for Putz). He’s not the crazy superhero out to save Seattle, but he’s a great GM.
I hear you.
Not to rub it in, but also Matt Thornton was traded.
The thing is, all of those bad draft picks werent Jack Z’s. Jack Z has made a ton of great draft picks during his time as a GM. Seriously, it’s hard to explain, but I trust Jack Z if I was a Mariners fan. Plus, the system is pretty good right now. By 2012, the M’s could be a very good team.
Thanks man, I know things are in a much better state than they where after 2008, expescially on the farm. The really only thing I hold against them is not trying to get a real power person, even if the park is a pitcher’s park, all successful team must have a good power person. The Safe kills rightes but Lefties do pretty well there (That why players Like Branyan work at our park)Oh and I didn’t even mention the win-win trade of Adam Jones and Chris Tillman for Erik Bedard. Man that went good didn’t it 🙂
And don’t mind showing how bad we where then, I just laugh at how Bavasi can even get a job related to managing a baseball roster. (I think he’s the ASSistant GM at Cinncy.)
Yeah you bet. Also remember, last thanksgiving, the M’s only had 3 players who were under contract after 2010…Jack Z did a great job at solidifying the Marineea future.
I suppose Jack Z could try to bring someone like Jayson Werth aboard. That might bring Figgins and Ichiro home.
That would be sick if we could get Werth, cause Philly’s farm out of Brown (who’s already in the bigs) is very thin, and we got some good pitchers and bats in the farm but most of the tradeable ones are AA or lower now outside of the untochables like Pindea, Ackley, Smoak, etc.
and Z did a great draft. Walker is a good HS arm. We got Paxton who was a 1st round sup. pick last year in the 4th round, but he hasn’t signed yet, and Shipers in the 16th just signed and was ranked around round 3-4 but fell cause of the strong College commitment. Things are getting better.
Definitely hope if you are a Mariners fan.
Lincecum was 2006. I only know this because so was Kershaw and there’s a lot of “should we have drafted lincecum?” topics by dodgers fans.
sorry bout that, didn’t really look it up, i just knew it was a little while ago.and alot of the Seattle blogs where Andrew Miller or Brandon Morrow. I remember reading that some people where pissed we didn’t get Miller. Funny how things work out.
I’m a Tigers fan, and glad they didn’t draft Lincecum. They drafted Miller instead, and ended up trading him for Miguel Cabrera, who I would rather have over Lincecum or Miller.
I’ve become more of a Strasburg fan after what he had to say about Harper. It’s obvious that Strassy was far and away more mature than Harper is.
Harper’s 4 years younger than Strasburg.. isn’t the maturity level difference to be expected?
depends on the person. Age doesn’t always dictate their maturity level
Good point.
I guess all we can say is that Strasburg at the time, had higher hopes of being a National than Bryce Harper currently does, or at least thats what we’re led to think by Strasburg’s comments.
I honestly haven’t followed the Harper scenario all that much. I am just basing my opinion on what I read here. Currently, the Nats have a better chance in competing in the next 4 years than some of the other teams who would be in the running to draft him next year outside of the O’s and maybe the M’s if he fell that far. (No disrespect to the other teams fans who are currently in the running for a very high draft pick next year)
Gotcha. Well let’s just be honest, Harper will sign.
agreed. I personally dont see why he wouldn’t. I dont see him raising his stock that much to where it warrants not signing this year.
You bet. And being a 17 year old, why wouldn’t he want to sign for 10-12MM?
Only reason i can think of is being way to greedy lol
yes sir.
agreed. However to determine someone is immature in a league of men at 17 seems a bit unfair. 17-21 a lot of boys turn to men, Strasburg was drafted at 21 so he had a few more years to gain maturity.
A more accurate comparison should be done when Harper is 22. Judging a kids maturity level at 17 just isnt accurate.
I can just see it now with Boras and Harper on one side of a table, Rizzo and Co. on other. BORAS: 100 million dollars or he’s going back to schoolWASHINGTON: he’s just a draft pick that wont be in the majors for a little while.HARPER: (Gets Up, pounds table with Fists) WHAT?!?!?! I’m BRYCE HARRRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRR, super human baseballer that hits 600 ft. home runs and is the best in the world. Im on the Cover of SI. Im the prodegy to baseball. A-rod, Pujols, Caberra, there nothing compaired to me.WASHINGTON: But you’re still 17 and seem to have a attitude prob…HARPER: (cutting off) SILENCE!!!!!!!!!! IM BRYCE HARRRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEERRRRR!!!! The best thing to happen to earth since sliced bread. YOU SHALLNOT DOUBT ME!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! (Grab chair, swings it around and throws it at Rizzo, who ducks)BORAS: You have angered the Harper, now the price is 200 million dollar contract, renaming the team the Washington Bryce Harpers, and the field Bryce Harper Field. WASHINGTON: (SIGH) FINE!!!
Little over the top, but you should understand how Bryce feels about himself.
Hey, we’ll see. I think the kid wants to play baseball ultimately. The facebook stuff, eyeblack, and ejection from the juco World Series reflect poorly on him. But ultimately, I think he’s intelligent to be able to interpret the offers as Boras frames them for him. The Nationals need to offer him a competive offer around 10Mil. He needs to decide whether to take it. What will be interesting will be how much of it is an MLB contract.
If I was in that situation, I’d milk washington’s cash as far as i can because he has the obivious leverage he holds. Strasburg could have gone back, but he obviously shouldn’t and didn’t. Harper could go to a school and enter the draft at his choice. I really think Harper signs and will be more than Stras’s 15.1 mill, maybe like 20ish million range.
Harper dropped out of high school to pursue a career as a professional baseball player…why the **** hasn’t he taken a contract already. It would be every 17 year old boy’s dream to be drafted first overall and make millions. The attitude on this kid.
wow zach lee doesnt wanna be a dodger nd the dodgers shuldnt want him especially if he wants his crazy demands is say offer him 2.5 mil take it or leave it plus if he dusnt sign nxt years draft is loaded with talent a bunch of potential first roundeeres are gna go in the 2nd-4th rounders thats how good its gna bee
They knew the kid wanted 5 million bucks when they drafted him. It’s their fault we aren’t getting a new prospect. They knew the kid was one of the best high school quarterbacks in the country and wanted to go to LSU. It isn’t his fault.
Harold Reynold’s analyzing of Harper’s swing was terrible in that Strasburg link. He pretty showed everything that anyone with eyes can see.
So Strasburg is irritated by young hotshots who get drafted first and then wait until the last minute to sign because their agent, Scott Boras, is bullying for maximum bonus money?
Um…. okay.
I think it was pretty clear in hindsight that Strasburg wanted to sign and that the negotiations were not as stressful as people thought. He seems to be totally about baseball and not into hype to this point. I think what Strasburg’s getting at is that ultimately it’s about whether the Harper wants to play for the Nationals or not. Harper makes the last call, not Boras. Strasburg made the last call to sign. Harper may or not make the last call to sign based on his personal goals, Boras’ handling of the negotiations, and how strong the Nationals’ final offer is.