http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7346376/albert-pujols-wife-diedre-explains-why-los-angeles-angels-slugger-left-st-louis-cardinals

I clearly know nothing of professional sports, but why not just take the shorter deal if you feel that strongly about staying and re-negotiate for another few years further down the track?

@GopherDay: Cool

http://razzball.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=21861&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

I think the K/9 scores are like big boobs on a chick…Is this some sort of a bust? Yes it’s very impressive…you can’t help but get a little excited when you see that stuff.

I would say a guy with those kind of minor league numbers plus the little taste he gave the Yankees makes him pretty interesting. I think he’ll pitch more than 150 innings. I could see them stretching him to right around 200. Maybe 180.

Grey I think you’re pretty much on point. I’d say his upside is like 80% of Lincecum 2008, which would be 17 wins and 212 Ks and that’s almost exactly CJ Wilson 2010.

But that’s UPSIDE. My main problem with a draft that high is not ceilng. It’s risk. There’s no track record. The guy hasn’t even been on one tour around the league. Guys get a book on him. He tips his breaking ball. He gets shelled one time and he loses his nerve. You can’t be sure what’s going to happen.

Still, in a winner take all league or a superleague format where you need some lottery picks, I’d take a look not too much later than pick 100 depending on how pitching is falling.

FWIW, I agreed with your post when it looked like he might get Desmond Jenningsed, but part of that was that June 1 was the earliest he was likely to get called up, and there was risk it still wouldn’t be for a month or two after that. The extension makes a huge difference. Unless there’s an extenuating circumstance (such as an extenuating elbow ligament, knock on wood), he’ll be in the rotatation to start the year now. Even if that’s only 30-40 more innings, that could be 50 extra Ks, a few extra wins, and quite a bit more weight to those ratios, plus you don’t waste a spot on your roster for a few months hoping for some news on when he’s coming up.

Good point, forgot to include that.

@Grey

Why don’t you think Moore compares to Strasburg? The only difference I can really see (aside from the fact that Strasburg pitched in college instead of the low minors and is right handed) is that Strasburg had dominant command before surgery, but I don’t really see any reason to assume that just because the raw stuff is back that the command is back. Meanwhile, command was a bugaboo for Moore early in his career, but its pretty steadily improved. I wouldn’t expect a sub-2.00 BB/9 or anything, but I would be surprised if it was over 3.50. His other numbers in the minors have been video-game like, up there with the best prospects of our generation. Most guys who put up numbers like that succeed, and many almost immediately. I wouldn’t take a risk on him in a league I thought I could win by playing risk-averse, but that’s not the case in the really tough leagues. He’s someone I’m definitely willing to take a plunge on and invest some serious risk with now that its clear he’ll pitch virtually a full season. Even as a 8th or 9th rounder, yes he’s risky, but he still has pretty massive profit potential. At pick #100, he’d be something like the 25th-30th SP off the board, in the same range as Beckett, Zimmermann, Strasburg, Pineda, Cueto, and C.J. Wilson. IMO he has more upside of anyone in that group aside from Strasburg, and assuming he throws 180+ IP, could well be a Top 20 pitcher.

http://razzball.com/matt-moore-2012-fantasy-outlook/

@Taintmist: Can try a salary cap to stop those type of trades.

@carlos marmLOL: HA!

FWIW, my initial reaction is that I’m going to use Strasburg as a barometer, and might even be willing to take Moore slightly ahead of Stras now. Its close, but the kicker is that Moore threw 165 innings last year between the majors and minors, so while he may have some workload restriction it shouldn’t be nearly as stringent as Strasburg’s, especially if the Rays are in the playoff hunt.

Right now Stras is the 97th player picked at MDC. Am I crazy for thinking about grabbing Moore around the same spot? Moore’s at 214 on MDC, but most of those drafts were done before the extension announcement and I imagine he’ll go way ahead of ADP in my league even after it creeps up.

@centralohguy: Yup… I remember that cause it was big news here in LA.

@royce!: Gonna look at it for tomorrow.

@Frank: That’s the suspension for a stimulant. His testosterone was off the charts, which makes me think a stimulant isn’t even a possibility.

Thanks guys!

@centralohguy: Kemp’s a tough call, but I don’t think it helped his GM said in 2010 he doesn’t play hard or loafs or whatever it was he said.

@Long Bawls: Hehe

Regarding prep for the season, Adam Dunn never used to take swings during the off-season and still hit 40 homers. After last year’s performance though, he now says he will. I don’t think there’s ever a guarantee any player we might consider “a lock” will be ready to go, with or without prep time.