OV Daily Facepalm

dailyfacepalm

Weekend spring training recap

Brett Jackson had a big day on Saturday, homering and driving in five runs. He also hit a double off Justin Masterson on Sunday before finishing his day with two more strikeouts.

Travis Wood had a rocky first inning on Sunday, capped off by a 2 RBI double by Jeff Francouer (ugh), but settled down as the game went on, striking out 8 with no walks in his five innings of work and not allowing any more runs.

Mike Olt went 0-8 with 4K on the weekend and has yet to appear at 3B in a game, though it should be coming soon.

Arodys Vizcaino threw an inning with two hits and a walk but no runs. He's still a little wild, but Len and JD said the stadium gun had him hitting 97-98 regularly. 

Dan Vogelbach and Arismendy Alcantara both homered in Vegas on Sunday, and Anthony Rizzo hit two bombs on Saturday. 

Fifth starter competition

There were several strong performances over the weekend by guys competing for the 5th starter spot. 

Carlos Villanueva gave up one run in three innings on Friday, striking out two and walking none. He's had a decent spring but it sounds like the coaching staff wants to keep him in the bullpen.

In that same game, Kyle Hendricks (who has already been optioned to the minors) bounced back from his previous shaky outing with 4 strikeouts, 1 walk, and zero runs in three innings. 

Chris Rusin went four scoreless innings with two strikeouts in Vegas on Sunday, but he still looks like a longshot to make the team.

Tsuyoshi Wada (who I keep reading as Wacha and getting confused) went two innings on Saturday, giving up four runs on five hits and two walks on Sunday, continuing his lousy spring. Muskat however mentions that Wada is still in the mix for a rotation spot, so *shrug*.

Jake Arrieta threw a bullpen session and simulated game on Sunday, and apparently looked pretty good. Unless he suffers a setback, from what I heard from Chris Bosio on Sunday's telecast it looks like the 5th starter competition is just a competition to see who is keeping the seat warm for Arrieta's return anyway.

Starlin Castro update

Castro is still recovering from the hamstring injury he suffered early in spring training, but is expected to be ready by the opener two weeks from today. 

Scouting Jen-Ho Tseng

BP's Mark Anderson checked out a few of the international signings this week. Cubs signee 19 year old Jen-Ho Tseng was throwing in the low 90s with control, hitting 94 at one point, and his changeup looked really good. His curveball was a little sloppy at first but was his best pitch as the outing went on. Anderson thinks that he'll be playing full season ball this year. 

Scouting Javier Baez

BP's Ryan Parker has a piece on Javier Baez's (insert breathless superlatives here) swing. The article takes issue with the usual Gary Sheffield swing comp and compares it to Chris Davis's instead. I got excited when I saw Mike Trout's name in the article, but unfortunately it was being used to highlight a difference between Baez's torso rotation and Trout's, rather than a similarity. Still, there's a lot to be excited about.

Is nothing sacred?

63 thoughts on “OV Daily Facepalm”

  1. Arodys Vizcaino threw an inning with two hits and a walk but no runs. He’s still a little wild, but Len and JD said the stadium gun had him hitting 97-98 regularly.

    Good to hear he’s got his velocity back.

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  3. Tseng threw 89-93 mph, mostly in the higher end of that range for the first two innings. He mixed in an above-average curveball that mostly registered at 75, though he added and subtracted with the pitch. He threw plenty of strikes with his curveball, which had good depth and late, sharp bite.

    Some scouts think Tseng’s best pitch is his changeup, though he didn’t use it much, nor did he appear to throw his slider, which can be an average pitch.

    http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/cubs-diligence-pays-off-on-jen-ho-tseng/

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  7. Ryno, we had our first game on Saturday. We won 33-18. I played 0-tech and got off to slow start but was dominating the C in the second half. Got in on a couple of tackles and crushed the QB on a failed 2-point attempt. I pushed the C right into the backfield and didn’t even notice the QB was trying to run up the middle. He got stopped and tried to bounce it outside but I saw him and completely destroyed him. It was a sloppy game and we got a lot to work on but we got the W.

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  8. @ Mucker:

    That’s awesome. I admit I’m a little jealous.

    How well do you stack and shed? If you can hold your blocker off (lock out your arms) while you push him backward, it should be easier to identify where the play is going.

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  9. @ Like You Care:
    I’m still learning the position but that’s what I try to do. My job on 75% of our coverages is to control the A gaps so I try to lock out and push the C into the QBs lap, diagnose the play while I’m doing that and get off the block and make a play. But that C kind of pancaked me early in the game after I lost my footing and fell down and he stood over top of me glaring at me and I didn’t like that very much. So I wanted to completly dominate him the 2nd half and just tried to bullrush him every play. I could see it in his eyes that he wasn’t ready for it. But I’ll do some club and rips and some swims and use my hands a lot more.

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  11. 30 Rock was one of my favorite shows. I keep looping through the entire series run on Netflix. I don’t know why, but I never get tired of it.

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  13. Mucker wrote:

    I’m still learning the position…

    Is that why you’re over the C? If you can handle that position physically, it’s a pretty good place to work on technique. Other than possibly two gapping (which it sounds like you’re already doing), there’s not much to worry about other than screens and whams.

    I bet if you pick it up quickly, you start to slide outside more.

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  14. So here’s how I’m going to do the mock draft. As I have time, I’m going to make one pick for one team and then announce the next team is on the clock.

    At any point (though preferably before I make the pick), I welcome your feedback about teams choosing certain types of or specific players.

    This will not be a mock of what I think will happen. I’ll pick players based on my rankings that I think fit teams’ value systems and needs. Basically, what I’d do if I were each team. No trades, though.

    Houston is on the clock…

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  15. For me, Houston is down to Clowney v. Bridgewater. Clowney is the BPA here and would make that defensive front crazy. Bridgewater is a Top-5 player for me and HOU needs a QB badly.

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  16. @ Like You Care:
    We run a variation of the 4-6 Bear defense. Our base D has a SLB, two 3-tech DTs, one 0-tech NT, and a DE on the line. The SLB and DE are in a Wide 9 Jet. Our SS plays in the box mostly and will either drop or play man. We do a lot of disguises and we do a lot of stunts. We blitz a lot and there’s plays where I have to actually drop into a zone. Our defense is based on confusing the offensive line and bringing pressure from mulitple angles. But at the NT, I’m a double A player. I have a couple of coverages where I’m strong A but for the majority, it’s both As. Ideally, I’m occupying a double team or disrupting the pocket.

    Yes, physically I can handle the position. I’m pretty strong and can move pretty well. I’ve played the 3-tech as well in scrimmages and I’ve handled myself ok. Ideally, I’d probably rather play the 3-tech but I’ve got the size and strength to handle the NT position.

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  17. If I’m Houston, I look at these QBs and think not a single one of them can ever be as good as Clowney could be. Clowney has the chance to be one of the greats and in that Houston D, will probably make an immediate impact on that team. Clowney has the highest ceiling in this draft and to me, it’s a no brainer. There should be QBs available when they pick in the 2nd and if not, then they can trade back into the late 1st and it shouldn’t cost them very much.

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  21. @ Mucker:

    That sounds fun. What types of offenses do you play against? If I were installing an offense, it would be a read-based spread. It seems like that would be the easiest to implement, but I don’t know how serious your league is.

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  22. @ Mucker:

    That’s the way I’m leaning. I’m also higher on Bridgewater than many, though, so it’s not that big a drop for me. That said…

    1. HOU: Jadeveon Clowney, Edge, S.C. – Most talented edge defender I’ve seen. Perfect for today’s NFL. Adding him gives this defense maybe the most athletic front in the NFL.

    STL is on the clock.

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  24. 2. STL: Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn – Orlando Pace-level upside. Massive OT that moves like a TE, imo. Not much experience pass blocking from Auburn, but best run blocker I’ve seen in a long time.

    This is a slam dunk for me. Easiest pick of the round, probably.

    JAX is up next. I’d go Bridgewater here, but a case can be made for Mack. Anyone else?

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  27. @ Like You Care:
    Well this was my first game that we actually watched tape on them and the team we played did a lot of I-formation and actually had some single wing formations too. They were pretty athletic but weren’t very well prepared. We forced 5 TOs. Most of the teams try to establish a run but they can’t run on us. The most a RB had on us last year was 65 yards. We had a QB rush for over 100 yards but that guy was like Vick. But most teams don’t have very good throwing QBs but they can scramble.

    I agree about Robinson. I think Clowney and Robinson are two best prospects in this draft. I could see the Rams trading out of this pick but if they stay, I think Robinson will be the guy.

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  29. @ Mucker:

    Yes, Robinson is an elite talent and a need for STL. They should try to trade down, but he’s a nice consolation.

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  30. @ Berselius, Cubs #12 prospect:

    Yep. No need to wait on this one.

    3. JAX: Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Lou. – If not for two ELITE prospects, Bridgewater would have been the first overall pick. My favorite comparison I’ve seen for him is Aaron Rodgers (the draft prospect, not currently). Great arm talent, athleticism and pre-snap recogntion. Reads defenses well, moves well enough and has enough arm to make all the throws. Franchise QB, imo.

    First three picks were easy. Here’s where it starts to get tricky… CLE

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  31. For CLE, they need a QB badly. Manziel and Bortles are the best options here. Manziel is so risky, but I think he’s more ready to step in immediately than Bortles. Bortles reminds me a lot of Andrew Luck physically, but he needs some work.

    Mack and Watkins are the BPAs here, imo.

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  36. @ WaLi:

    They’re in a similar boat as HOU, though. Despite their record, that’s a good team and I think they’re ready to compete right now.

    They could draft Watkins here and take a QB later (maybe Carr with their second first rounder) or sign Vick.

    My opinion on Bortles is that he’ll need to fix his mechanical issues before he can jump in and play. He lost velocity on his throws from last year and that can be attributed to his feet. I’m probably wrong, but I think he needs a RS year.

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  37. @ WaLi:
    I could see Manziel being an easier sell to the fans though. However last time they picked an “easy sell” for the fans was Brady Quinn.

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  39. @ Like You Care:
    Jax should take Bridgewater. He’s the most NFL ready QB in this draft. When you pick at 3, you better get somebody that can help your football team for the next decade. There are a few defensive players that I like but I think it’s a little too early for them at 3. It’ll be a QB unless they trade up to take Clowney(which I read a report earlier that suggested Jax is in love with Clowney and want him).

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  40. @ Mucker:
    I could see Clowney being there @ 3… if i squint hard and turn my head to the side – Bridgewater/Bortles for Houston, Robinson for Rams, Clowney for Jags, other QB for Browns. I think the way Ryno has the draft so far is more realistic though.

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  41. @ Mucker:

    I think there will be a few trades at the top. The teams and player values just don’t match for me.

    Whenever I do a mock, Khalil Mack slips to 6 and I just don’t see that.

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  42. CLE is a team that can really compete in that division if they draft wisely. They have a good defense and some skill at the WR position. They have a pretty good offensive line but they won’t win many games with Campbell under C. I think they’ll look to trade down or take Manziel. I would take Watkins though if I were CLE. He has the ability to return kicks too and that’s a huge plus.

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  45. 4. CLE: Johnny Manziel, QB, aggy – This is the toughest pick so far, imo. Khalil Mack and Sammy Watkins are the BPAs here, but they’ve been starving for a QB for a while. Manziel has amazing upside, but a few flaws. I don’t know why, but I think he’s the pick here.

    Next up, OAK. Bortles has the edge over Mack here.

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  47. @ Mucker:

    That’s pretty much where I am too. I think Mack is the BPA in a vacuum, Watkins is probably the wisest choice and Manziel is the biggest need.

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  55. It seems like every year there’s a QB or two that slide in the draft. Geno Smith, Aaron Rodgers and Brady Quinn immediately come to mind. Bortles is definitely overrated at this point, imo, but I think that’s because there was talk of him going first overall to HOU. So…

    5. OAK: Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson – A shorter, healthier Julio Jones. They need a QB, but they pretty much need help everywhere. They wisely go BPA here and look to address the QB spot later.

    ATL is up next, but that’ll be easy.

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  56. 6. ATL: Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo – Reminds me so much of Brian Orakpo…but healthy. ATL needs help on defense and they’re lucky to land a guy that would be the top defensive player available most years.

    TB is up next.

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  57. 7. TB: Jake Matthews, OT, aggy – Athleticism, intelligence, technique and bloodlines to be a franchise LT. Better than Joeckel, imo, and fills a need.

    MIN is up.

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  58. Now I’m hitting my stride and the board value is starting to fit.

    8. MIN: Blake Bortles, QB, UCF – This is slightly higher than I think he should go, but MIN really needs a QB. This might be the best spot for Bortles of all the QB-needy teams. They have a lot of talent around him and a QB that can play until he’s ready.

    BUF is up next. Leaning toward Ebron here, but Lewan and Mike Evans are possibilities too.

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  59. 9. BUF: Taylor Lewan, OT, Mich. – I like Ebron here, but their need at OT makes Lewan slightly more valuable, imo. Needs to work on technique, but is elite physically.

    DET…

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  61. @ wali:

    I think the HOU rumors inflated his value with the talking heads. Just my worthless evaluation, but I think his value is in the middle of the first.

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  62. 10. DET: Darqueze Dennard, CB, MSU – Lock. Down. Doesn’t have Patrick Peterson’s athleticism or Richard Sherman’s size, but the film doesn’t lie. Not always fluid, but his instincts compensate. My favorite CB prospect in years.

    TEN next…

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