RandyMarsh

Nets traded Sekou and a 2nd to the Rockets who then promptly waived him. I guess that says all you need to know about him when the teams that picked 1 and 2 in the draft both didn't think he was worth a roster spot. Speaking of the draft, Cunningham is out of tomorrow with a sprained ankle. James Edwards says that from his understanding its nothing serious just the team being extra cautious. If it were a real game he'd have been in there.

Yeah our pick up games of 3 on 3 used to consist of a SS, outfielder(generally between left and center) and pitcher. Anything hit to right side was out if a fielder touched the pitchers mound with possession of the ball before the batter got to first that was out too. For instance if you hit a ball to the infielder since there was nobody covering 1st base all they had to do was throw it to the pitcher on the mound. Not sure if that was a universal thing everywhere, I think it was atleast in my era cause I moved a couple times as a kid and everywhere I played was like that.

Other than to take a shot at Michigan what was the point of making the post to begin with if you concede that none of the players were seen as high as Hutchinson?

I think its smart to tell fans to temper FA expectations, particularly when teams like the Yankees and Dodgers are rumored to be in on the same guys you may be. I mean if you say that you're going to do whatever it takes to get one of the top guys and it turns out say the Yankees make some ridiculous offer that is 100 million more than you were expecting it to cost you now painted yourself into a corner. Do you reneg on your promise and alienate your fanbase or do you bite the bullet and outbid that even though it makes no sense financially?

I don't plan on watching the whole conference, what did he say in that regard?

Also if you're Seager would you rather be "the man" here and know you will be the starting SS everyday or just be another guy in LA that gets bounced all over the diamond and bench so they can play all their embarrassment of riches? That's not a rhetorical question cause depending on the type of player you would prefer either scenario but if he does have that alpha mentality he may prefer to play here even if the team isnt going to be a World Series favorite every year and Detroit isnt nearly of desirable location as LA.

Plus LA has Taylor and I imagine atleast one or two highly rated middle infielders on the farm. That's just speculation on my part but it seems like they always do so I don't think I'm going out on a limb there. That's why I think they may be willing to let Seager walk. I know they have unlimited resources but you have to figure they can't keep everybody. Guys like Buehler and Urias are going to be getting expensive real soon, Will Smith will be getting a 10-15millon dollar raise next offseason, Turner is a FA next year and they apparently are willing to basically write Max a blank check. All this and that doesnt even factor in Cody Bellinger. Two years ago he looked like a top 3 player in baseball but now is garbage but if he does return to form hes going to be real expensive as well.

I think Charlotte should be considered. I know one of the White Sox affiliates play in a beautiful park there and my understanding is it routinely is one of the most attended parks in the minors so I think an MLB team could draw well there.

Trey Flowers is the cautionary tale of going by PFF grades instead of actual production. IIRC he was one of if not the highest fa rated pass rushers according to PFF despite his standard numbers looking subpar, their high grade carried over to his first year with us and despite him looking disappointing to the naked eye they still had him rated elite. You can have all the pass rush win rates in the world that they put so much stock in but it doesnt mean a damn thing if you or in turn a teammate don't actually finish the play, particularly in this day and age where so many qbs work just as well if not better when they are flushed out of the pocket.

It was only the preseason but Kwity Paye was PFFs highest rated rookie for all of it, looking at the stat sheets it doesn't seem to have translated to the regular season yet but who knows maybe he is getting pressures and disruptions that aren't showing up in the standard stats.

How many Michigan guys have really been picked in the top half of the first or were rated as highly as Hutchinson is projected to be? Brandon Graham was I believe 10th overall and he's had a solid career. Devin Bush was off to a great start being on the All Rookie Team before tearing his ACL. Jabrill Peppers hasn't been great but he's been much better since going to the Giants and is still starting and contributing 5 years after being drafted. Perhaps a little disappointing but for a late 1st not the end of the world. Rashan Gary is the lone early pick disappointment that comes to mind and quite frankly he's been a disappointment since he got out of High School so perhaps the finger should be pointed to him. Am I missing anybody cause I'm just going off the top of my head, if not I think there have been too few of elite picks that busted to put anything into it.

Not sure if it was mentioned or not but Romeo Okwara has been ruled out for the season with a torn achilles and Frank Ragnow is "going to be out for awhile"(Campbell quote) after suffering some sorta foot/toe injury. Now I'm just hoping they don't become the first team to finish 0-17.

I saw that Joe West is retiring after this year, I wonder if this means that we may be getting robo umps sooner rather than later and that's why he is leaving? I know he's getting up in age so it's perfectly reasonable for him to want to leave regardless but he strikes me as one of those umps that would hate to not be in total control and have to be at the command of an electronic device so it has be wondering.

I believe Kiper has him 4th overall behind Thibedeux, Stingley Jr. and Neal respectively. I know Michigan hasn't really played any good offenses but to my untrained eye he just pops off the screen, like every play it seems like he either is the one making the play or the one that caused the disruption that lead to the other guy making the play. Only watched highlights of Thibedeaux but the experts are comparing him to a Myles Garrett or Chase Young when they were in school. Could be back to back years we take an Oregon player with our first pick.

I could never be completely Lions free like some people claim to be, I will always root and pull for them but I can atleast say ever since the Dallas playoff game in 2014 I have given up completely investing in them. The loss to GB to lose the division followed by that loss was like my come to Jesus moment with them where I just accepted that they aren't worth getting worked up over. Before I would plan my Sunday around watching the Lions and would be in a pissed off mood the rest of the day when they inevitability lost in heartbreaking fashion. Now I don't do any of that.

I always hated the dropping 8 strategy. To me that means you're basically playing 11 on 8 Cause your 3 lineman are essentially useless cause you know they're not gonna get any pressure. It makes no sense to me.

This past draft some of the perceived top 5 or top 10 picks slid to about where we are drafting. Guys like Rocker, House, Mclain and Watson, hopefully it plays out similar this year and we can snag a top 5ish talent with our first pick.

My only reason for being hesitant to root for the Rays is as a long suffering Detroit sports fan I get jealous and envious when one city gets a bunch of success and currently Tampa is that city. They've won the last 2 Stanley Cups, the Bucs are defending Super Bowl Champs and the Rays defending AL champs. But aside from the Brewers who ironically play in the same city as the NBA champs I don't even remotely like any of the teams so they get chosen by default.

The Brewers, A'(this was the late 80s Bash Brothers teams so it was a good time to "play for them", I remember being upset when they got swept by the Reds) and Royals were my little league teams. I seem to remember the Dodgers at one point too but the Brewers and As were the only time I actually rooted for the respective big league team.

Looking at the FA starting pitchers there aren't a whole lot of guys out there that would be realistic, atleast in terms of potential aces. There's Scherzer, Ray and Gausman and that's about it. A name I like and who I think could be a potential sleeper is Jon Gray from the Rockies. Looking at his splits he actually pitches better at home than on the road so I cant blame Coors Field on his pedestrian numbers but I just think his stuff is good enough that he is capable of being a number 2 or really good 3 with the right coaching. The hope would be that Hinch and Fetter can work their magic and unlock his true potential. Of course he's not perfect by any means and he could end up being a bust but if we go the FA route and don't pony up for a Scherzer he could be our best chance of getting a really good pitcher.

I want that pass rusher from Oregon or perhaps even Hutchinson. I think both are gonna be studs. I agree with Bombers about going WR with the Rams pick, that's where Id go. Unless things drastically change and one of the QBs really breaks out from the pack Id steer clear of drafting one. I think we have way too many holes to risk whiffing on a 1st round QB. He has to be as sure of thing as you can get if you're gonna take one.

Even though he hasn't pitched a pro inning I think a sleeper pick to be in the rotation some time next year is Ty Madden. He of course won't make it out of Spring Training but I could see a scenario where he works his way through the minors quickly and ends up here by the All Star break if he is needed.

I have absolutely zero expectations for Hasse going forward, he was a great 2 month story where he regularly destroy mistake pitches but once he started getting fewer and fewer of those abs his HR/fb ratio started to normalize his true colors came out and they arent good. That's one of the reasons that Im pining for another power bat cause I know his 20 some HRs he hit this year is likely not going to repeat itself so we're gonna have to find a way to make up for that loss of production next season.

If they decide to go the 2020 route and top 2 teams in each division get in then the playoffs should definitely be obtainable next year especially if they do make a splash in FA.