TheHurl

plot twist

time to change the sig

With two 2 win players from the previous year on the bench. That's a conservatively projected .251/.320/.420 starting 8 with Coghlin instead of Bryant in LF.

missed this earlier...Justin Jackson signed with the Braves

Could be the equivalent to a cash deal though. They go over their spending but the penalty is lower. La Stella is a back up with options for the Cubs. Not really a need but certainly doesn't hurt them either.

isn't that exactly what Josh Collmenter is? He put up a 2.63 ERA (3.82 FIP, 3.95 xFIP) at home last year. Guaranteed the D-Backs will slowly get Hellickson away from throwing his 2 seam fastball at all and he'll be throwing a cutter. Sadly he probably is a number 2 for that team.

In!

I make sure I never cross paths with my http://kevinhurley.com/ site and my baseball blogging. Could hurt my career

I wanted a top flight pitcher and was leaving for Vegas. I'm not a big believer in Puig long term and didn't have the time to haggle...if I did I would have fought to keep Winker out of the deal though. I still have him in my two cash leagues though.

Trust your source more than Wilner

the Sixers are amazing...

Listing 2B prospects is like listing the hottest fat chicks though. They just get bumped by real hot chicks that put on a few pounds. In the case of 2B's they get bumped by SS's that can't stick

And Ray Ferraro with the best take on the trade so far.

god no...Travis was a Seminole (both in the ACC though)

was the hitting coach in Cincy from 2007 to 2012, where they were pretty much exactly league average in runs scored. They tried to fire him several times but Dusty Baker refused to do it.

Even signing Melky or an everyday starter their OF depth takes a hit with Pompey in the majors. This is a continued AA M.O.

Rack of lamb

He also just had knee surgery and won't pick up a bat until mid-December. I'd like to point out that I like the trade from the Jays perspective...I just don't think Travis is the answer. It does in my mind mean that the Jays have their OF situation figured out.

He just made a trade for a guy who's upside is league average 2B. I know we love shiny and new but lets not get out of hand here. He traded a guy who was out of options for a 2B who might make the team out of training camp.

no he can't. He was playing outfield because of the presence of Kinsler.

SCOUTING GRADES Batting: 60. Power: 45. Speed: 50. Defense: 50. Arm: 50. Based on 20-80 scouting scale—where 50 represents major league average—and future projection rather than present tools. Born: Feb. 21, 1991. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 5-9. Wt.: 195. Drafted: Florida State, 2012 (13th round). Signed by: Jim Rough. Background: Travis has spent most of his baseball life being overlooked. Undrafted out of high school, he went to Florida State, where he posted big numbers as a three-year starter. Still, teams were wary of Travis’ 5-foot-9 size, so he lasted until the 13th round in the 2012 draft, then signed for $200,000. That quickly looked like a bargain when he hit a combined .351/.418/.518 through two levels of Class A ball in his first full season in 2013. A week into the 2014 season, Travis suffered an oblique injury that kept him on the disabled list for six weeks and lingered into May. After shaking off the rust, from June 1 onward he batted .312/.379/.481. With Ian Kinsler blocking Travis at second base in Detroit, the Tigers moved the prospect from second base to center field for the final three games of the season and planned to play him there in the Arizona Fall League until Travis was sidelined following core muscle surgery in September. Scouting Report: While there’s nothing flashy about Travis, and he still has his detractors in the scouting community, he has excellent bat-to-ball skills and an extensive track record for hitting everywhere he goes. He has superb hand-eye coordination, good balance at the plate and strong bat control, which allows him to make consistent contact and use the whole field. He’s a smart player who’s been able to make adjustments as he’s moved up the ladder. His stance was more spread out in college, but in 2013 he adopted a more upright approach, dropped his hands and used a shorter, simpler load to be quicker to the ball and improve his plate coverage on the inner third. He stays within the strike zone and squares up both fastballs and offspeed pitches. Travis has the strength for 10-15 homers per year. He is an average runner who’s sometimes slower going from home to first base, but he’s a better runner underway and moves well going first to third. He’s an instinctive player and an efficient basestealer. At second base, Travis is steady, making the routine play and turning double plays well with an average arm. The Future: With Kinsler signed through 2017, with a club option for 2018, Travis doesn’t have a clear path to Detroit. His pure speed isn’t ideal for center field and he has minimal experience there, though his bat could be ready at some point in 2015. While Travis fits the grinder mold that gets thrown on a lot of short players, he’s more than just a scrappy reserve because of his bat potential. If everything clicks, Travis could be the Tigers’ version of the Pirates’ Josh Harrison, another diminutive righthanded batter who hit at every minor league level but never had many believers among scouts until his breakout 2014 season. Even if Travis doesn’t hit that upside, he has a chance to turn into a steady, average everyday player. 2014 Club (Class) AVG OBP SLG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB Erie (AA) .298 .358 .460 396 68 118 20 7 10 52 37 60 16

Kind of ironic considering how many wanted Gose to become Devon

Were on to the wake now that we heard the cause of death. Anyone remember the days when we thought NJH was a ... http://cdn.okcimg.com/php/load_okc_image.php/images/0x0/0x0/0/16164864367061766318.jpeg___1_500_1_500_cb94de6a_.png

Wonder which one Boxy would be??? http://trashwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/James-Marsden-as-Jack-Lime-in-Anchorman-2-600x397.png