M's Pass on Sonny Gray
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MILD-DISAPPOINTMENT TIMELINE
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1. SSI Denizens had been advised that Jerry Dipoto bolstered his rotation with Erasmo Ramirez and Marco Gonzalez. We were prepared for nothing on July 31 and we got a big heapin' helpin' of it.
2. We heard that Sonny Gray was traded to the New York Yankees. For Fowler, Kaprielian and Mateo, which are roughly speaking the Yankees' #4, #8 and #12 prospects. Doesn't sound like much, but then again there have been times our #2 prospect has been compared to somebody else's #18 prospect, so whaddoo I know.
2a. Couldn't find much around the 'net that usefully compared Yankee$ prospects to unhyped prospects.
3. Thankfully, one of the 'net's great minors analyst had done exactly that, and on a blog I frequent. Here is Gordon Gross' analysis of the Yankee prospects and exactly how they translate in Mariner-speak.
3a. That would be (1) Tyler O'Neill (or presumably Kyle Lewis), (2) Thyago Veiera (or Moore or Neidert) and (3) Braden Bishop. Allllll Dayyyyyy Lonnggggg.
3b. Gordon is still fuming that we gave up Tank O'Neill so easily, especially in light of the possibility that it handcuffed us in the Gray chase.
3c. Zoom reminds that we're all shooting a little blind as it pertains to Dipoto's phone lines. Hey, Royal Brougham ain't like the White House where you can read the evening phone conversations in the next morning's New York Times. ;- )
4. Dr. D was very pleased to see the Denizens' mood. That being "irate." That the Seattle Mariners never rake in the mound of chips on July 31. Couldn't agree more.
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ALL THAT SAID
I've always been an Erasmo Ramirez fan, especially if he's got 9 hitters behind him and 8 relievers behind THEM. If they let him run as a 4-5 starter, not being too picky about that 6.1 inning theorem they love so dearly, then I'll bet you the M's win more than half his starts. The Rays were 6-2 in Ramirez starts this year:
- TB 8, Det 1 (five and dive as a swing man, but 2 hits, 0:5 CTL)
- TB 5, NYY 4 (5+ innings, 2 runs, 1:5 CTL)
- TB 5, Pesky rodent Angels 2
- TB 10, stRangers 8 (Ramirez got KO'ed after 4 runs in the 3rd but the Rays saved him)
- TB 1, Sea 7 bwahahaha
- TB 6, Oak 5 (Ramirez 5.1 IP, 3 R, 1:6 CTL)
- TB 4, Det 13 (Ramirez shelled)
- TB 8, Cin 3
Lest we forget, Erasmo Ramirez does throw strikes. He's got a 55:16 control ratio this year. Go get them fly balls for 'im, Heredia and Jar-Rod.
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Also I like that Marco Gonzales appears to be ready to go; he's a lefty with a -14 MPH change and playoff-tested poise, so by Mainframe convention HE will be interesting.
If and only if (IFF) the M's #2-5 starters can cobble a 100 ERA between them, the last two months, then this team has the talent to get there. Let's see if that's what they do, a long series of average-solid starts.
Enjoy,
Dr D