Outshined_One

I have a feeling that guy is going to rocket to the top of my horsefeathers list within the next two years.

Shaw's the ultimate insurance plan as things currently stand, and I don't see the Cubs trading him unless it's for a big name piece. I get that he's a bench guy and I'm still ticked off at him for ditching the team in the middle of a playoff race last year, but considering this team's injury luck and the fact that everyone seemingly ran out of gas in the playoffs last season, having a guy like him available to spell everyone else, allow for more flexibility with defensive subs and pinch hitting, and fill in if anyone goes on the IL is extremely valuable at the moment. It also helps that he provides value both in the field and at the plate. If you were valuing players in a potential trade, you'd be crazy not to value Shaw over Mo or anyone on the Cubs' farm.

@Brock Beauchamp Please add: Ariel Armas Eli Jerzembeck BJ Murray Riley Martin Brody McCullough JP Wheat Brett Bateman Pierce Coppola

It was time to lock the other thread, because the White Sox have gone from historically and hilariously inept to just kind of middling. Except, they're now kinda enjoyable? Munetaka Murakami is the most fun power hitter to come on the scene since Kyle Schwarber banished the Cardinals to the phantom zone in Game 4 of the 2015 NLDS. Noah Schultz looks like the results of botched experiment at the Fermilab that somehow learned how to pitch in Oswego. Colson Montgomery is a Dude. I'm admittedly jealous of the pitching depth on their farm. On top of everything else, they don't have anyone on the team I actively want to strangle at any given point in time. No AJ Pierzynski. No Ozzie. No Lance Lynn. The only thing really holding them back is Jerry, and even then, the only way he'd screw everything up is by not spending any money on the team, but by the time this group starts to hit free agency, he likely won't be the owner. I guess this is my way of saying I'm actually rooting for them for once in my life? Weird feeling.

The K rate. Addressing craig's point, I'm less concerned about Hartshorn because he's a few years younger than Mathis and sports a much lower strikeout rate, which tells me he's selective, but has excellent pitch recognition skills. Mathis has a great swinging strike rate, so it's not like he's hacking away at bad pitches, which is why I said I'm in wait and see mode with him. However, if he's consistently letting hittable pitches go, particularly for called strike 3, it makes me think there might (*might*) be some gaps in his game that could be exposed at higher levels.

I know The Regression Monster is going to hit at some point, but man, it's huge to see them building up this cushion despite the pitching staff's woes.

Well now, that was momentarily stupid. Good job getting out of it, Sho.

I really don't want to give the broadcast an excuse to pull up a statistic like, "Record for teams who are up 8-0 in the 6th inning."

Blow it open, Pete.

It's been discussed elsewhere, but Mathis works a ton of deep counts. Some prognosticators see it as a good sign, because Mathis has exhibited really good judgment and selectivity (as referenced in the Xeet), but others have dinged him for it because he's been too passive and not swinging at hitters' pitches earlier in the count, which might be to blame for his high K rate. I'm in wait-and-see mode with it. I think he's entitled to a mulligan for last season since he was coming off of major surgery, and he's currently at a level where he's not seeing many competitive pitches on a regular basis. We'll get a better handle on this as he advances through the minors. The bigger issue I have is his future position, because I haven't seen any glowing comments about his defense at 3B and his ceiling plummets if he's going to end up as a 1B/DH.

Michael Conforto, ladies and gentlemen.

It's also worth pointing out that a college power pitching prospect with no history of arm/shoulder issues is basically a unicorn in the current era.

Given that it's happening in Arizona and with the way the season is going, I fully expect him to be out for the season following a chupacabra attack during that session.