Brownie19

The age of Kim was a huge 'plus' in my mind as his prime aligned with our young core. That said, it appears his upside may be somewhat limited. With the likes of Didi, Semien and Simmons out there - I think there's a strong possibility that all 3 out perform Kim over the next 2-3 years.

That would be a pretty solid return for the Cubs.

What are you talking about? The reports are that the Jays are interested in Kim. Apparently they offered him a 5 year deal and Kim chose to sign in SD. How is anything reported misleading or a sign that the BJ rumors are BS?

I agree.

Rolen's the 5th best defensive 3rd basemen in the history of baseball, so I think that's a safe statement.

Interesting discussion on kids in sports. Lots of good points both ways. I'm a parent of 3 boys between age 5 and 10 and I help coach multiple teams in both hockey and baseball. I LOVE coaching kids (not just my kids). It's a passion for me and I clearly do get a lot out of youth sports myself. That said, I don't think there's a right answer as each situation is different. I have a couple of points to add: 1. I think sports provides a great opportunity for kids to learn about dedication, team work, responsibility, hard work, resiliency, etc. Unfortunately, in my experience, kids who play at the local league level rarely gain these through sport. There are little to no expectations or dedication. Lots of kids who don't really want to be there and even fewer who want to work hard. It never really feels like you're on a 'team'. If your kids like a sport and you can give then opportunities to improve and give them a better chance of making a rep/travel teams - I think it's worthwhile. 2. I think there are times when a little parent push is beneficial. I have 2 boys who love hockey and would hit the ice multiple times a day if they could. My 3rd often gives us a hard time about going to practices (especially during COVID as he misses games). If truly given the choice, he'd probably just sit on the couch and do nothing. But, when he puts up a fuss, we do have to push back a bit. Nearly 99% of the time, as soon as he gets out there, he's smiling and having a great time and leaves the arena happy. To be honest, I was a goalie as a kid and I hated practice and often gave my parents a hard time. They never let me quit and while I don't really like hockey, I have great memories of it, made life long friends and learned a lot of lessons that transcend the sport. Obviously there are plenty of occasions when parents unnecessarily/negatively push their kids into sports, but IMO, it's not always wrong. I also agree with lots of the other good points made. The money angle and accessibility is a challenging, but real issue. Push too much or too early and you risk them losing the passion/interesting (push the right amount and they might develop great habits that are utilized throughout their youth). Have a kid who clearly loves it a young age, encourage them. There is no one answer fits all response to this discussion.

I think that's a big part of it. I have 3 boys and my youngest (who turns 5 in a few days) absolutely LOVES baseball - primarily from watching me and my older boys play. I work with him in our basement (net with either a tee or soft toss) 2-3 times a week because he wants to. If you're pushing your 5 year old to attend a camp like that because you want them to get better at baseball (and not because they love it and want to go), then that's probably an issue.

Agreed. U8-U9 pitching machine baseball at select or rep is really awesome when you get a group of kids who love the game and want to learn. U10 is a difficult age when they move to live pitching, but it's better by U11 (as long as you're not at the local league level - which generally always sucks).

I mean first and foremost, the objective of the camp has to be for the kids to have fun, enjoy baseball and make some friends. That said, baseball is a difficult sport for kids and learning the fundamentals (in a fun way) for younger kids (5 through 7) isn't insane. I've been coaching kids from about age 4 to age 10 now over the past 5 years and it's alarming how quickly they develop bad fundamentals and mechanics that become very difficult to correct. When coaching 8 and 9 year old kids, you spend most of practice trying to correct bad habits they developed when they were 5 through 7. And guess what - kids with bad fundamentals typically don't have success, which leads to less enjoyment and them ultimately quitting. Do you need ex. professionals to do this? Obviously not, but I think that just adds to the fun part for kids. It can be special to know you're at a camp with guys who played or coached at the MLB level. If you want to argue it's nuts to spend that much on your 5 year old - be my guest, but if you have the extra cash and think your kid will have fun, I won't judge.

I know it was a SSS, but his BB% and K% improved significantly last year (much closer to his minor league numbers when he had a lot of success).

I'm confused - you disagree with this demonstration?

My bad - I mean he's not wrong that Shun got his ass handed to him last year and that his stuff sucks. Nothing more. I agree it's a bad comparison to Sugano.

I mean sure, but he isn't wrong. Shun was horrendous last year.

Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports that the White Sox are expected to sign Cuban outfielder Yoelqui Céspedes. The deal is expected to be around $2 million and will likely be finalized on January 15, 2021, which is the first day of the international signing period. Céspedes, 23, is the younger half-brother of Yoenis Céspedes and has been considered the No. 1 international prospect due to his five-tool ability. He defected from the Cuban National Team in June of 2019 before establishing residency in the Bahamas. It's tough to compare the 5-foot-9 Céspedes to his brother, but he's reportedly packed on more muscle since defecting. The White Sox have a long history with Cuban players, so it's no surprise to see him end up here.

You're going to need to be a little more risk adverse man.

Career 82 wRC+ hitter, 30.9 WAR. I don't care how good he was defensively. Imagine being Bobby Grich. 129 wRC+ hitter, 69.2 WAR and excellent defensively. What a crock of s***.

I was just looking at some HOF stuff and stumbled across a s***** article on 25 people who shouldn't be in the HOF. 2 things: 1. I never knew they used to host 2 All Star games back in the 50's and 60's, so when you look at the # of all star games someone played in, they might be getting credit for playing twice in one year. 2. Bill Mazeroski was f***ing terrible. WTF is wrong with the 2001 veteran's committee?

MLB has a marketing arm?

There can be a difference between agreeing that beating your wife is a serious character flaw - and thinking that character shouldn't play a major role in HOF voting.

I agree, but I also don't think Vizquel is a HOF player. Vizquel's been trending towards being elected at some point, so it will be interesting to see what this does to his support.

Will this impact HOF voting this year?

I'm not sure Cole comes off as the best teammate. He's always been a 'me first' guy