![]() ![]() Take right-hander Thaddeus Ward, who went to the Nationals with the first pick in the Rule 5 draft after being left off the 40-man roster. While keeping everyone guaranteed they wouldn't miss on anyone, it also meant they're wouldn't maximize each player's value. With their focus on developing Triple-A pitching depth, the Red Sox held onto virtually every single one of their upper-level starters (an exception: left-hander Jay Groome, who went to the Padres for Eric Hosmer). When he returned from injury, Seabold sat in the 88-92 range, turning almost immediately into Triple-A filler. Almost as quickly as it arrived, however, the velo vanished. Acquired alongside right-hander Nick Pivetta from the Phillies for relievers Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree in 2020, Seabold very briefly looked like the most important player in the deal when his fastball touched 96 mph early in 2021 before an elbow injury shelved him for more than two months.īlessed with command of four pitches, Seabold just needed a usable fastball to round out his repertoire. That doesn't mean he lacked value, though. Seabold represents a slightly different case, since he has never experienced success in the big leagues. Only later did they end up effectively giving him away within the division. The Red Sox ignored the red flags and chose the path of least resistance, keeping the hard-throwing left-hander rather than trading him while he had value. Given his results and his ability to miss bats with a riding fastball, though, a market certainly existed for his services. Even at his best, Hernandez had walked over seven batters per nine innings, a pace that simply wasn't sustainable. As if to prove the point, he posted a 3.17 ERA over the next two years while striking out over 12 per nine innings.īeneath the surface, however, trouble lurked. His upper-90s fastball played in the strike zone, at least when he could find it, and he looked like a legitimate future weapon. In 2019, Hernandez piled up strikeouts like Craig Kimbrel, albeit while walking the ballpark. So good riddance, right? Maybe, except windows existed for each player to fetch more in return, if only the Red Sox had acted. He had no answers for big-league hitters. His stuff was thoroughly mediocre, with a fastball that barely cracked 90 mph and a changeup that opponents pounded at a. Seabold, meanwhile, was pummeled in five fill-in starts, allowing a staggering 35 hits in just 18.1 innings. Feds Order ‘Immediate Action' From MBTA on Worker Safety After Close Calls on Tracks ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |