"Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something." - Thomas A. Edison
"I have found that people who can successfully resist temptation invariably lead depressingly stunted lives." — C.D. Payne
"So don't weep for me now, my friends, because science insists that I have not died.
Energy just always changes state and I refuse to believe that human consciousness is the sole exception to this universal law."
- Mark Millar
"Do only butterflies die in flames? What about those devoured by the flames within them?" - E.M. Cioran

Monday, November 28, 2011

I Thought So...



Lance Moore doin' the Bernie.  I still cannot believe that this is a real dance.  (Better video as I can find it.)

Tribe Prospect Countdown: #30 LHP Matt Packer

6'0", 200 lbs, 24 in 2012

2011 Stats (AA Akron): 9-12, 4.31, 1.23 WHIP, .269 OBA, 1.8 BB/9, 6.9 K/9

The first left-handed pitcher on our countdown is a starter.  So, how is he this far down the list?  Well, that's mostly because I have already described his two best attributes.  Packer, while athletic, is in no way overpowering.  His fastball runs in the 90-92 range, complimented by a middle of the road slider and a curveball that has not developed quickly enough to enable notable success.  Matt's best metric is his control.  In eating 169.1 innings in 2011, he walked just 33, while fanning 129.  The salient truth is that a lot of balls get put in play against Packer.  He allowed 16 home runs, which is not too bad and the 1.23 is not an issue.  The problem is that Matt is inconsistent.  He had an awful June (0-3, 10.17), but finished strong (6-3, 2.78, .236 OBA after the All-Star Break).  This is likely due to the inability to repeat his delivery that led to a sub-par senior season at UVA.  Packer then dropped to the 32nd round and has bounced between the bullpen and the rotation ever since.  He was projected to earn a promotion to AAA in 2011, but that didn't happen until the post-season and he never made it to the hill.  Given the depth of starting pitching in the organization, Matt will have to earn that call-up, rather than simply being next in line.  He throws the ground balls (1.71 GO/AO) that the Tribe brass likes, drawing comparison to former rotation members Jeremy Sowers and Scott Lewis.  Packer now has to produce.  He needs to show a mastery of AA and move to Columbus quickly or risk getting lost as the next wave of young starters advance toward Major League readiness.

Up Next: C Alex Lavisky

Best Grab Ever?



They call it, simply, "The Catch."

Pretty Girl 11.28.11 - Meredith Monroe

She played a high schooler in her early thirties and a 22 year old model at 37.  Long story short, the chick ages pretty damn well.

Pretty Girl Update! - Scarlett Johansson

Somehow I thought that it would take more to obscure Scarlett's wondrous endowment.