Sources say Napoli signs with Sox. - Page 40 - Talksox

a700hitter · 01-08-2013, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BSN07

That is not my assumption. I prefer to wait and see if the life in his FB returned after a winter of training to be a RP. If he's throwing 96+ again I think he will be a solid piece in the BP.

He'll get his chance in Spring Training. HAs he pitched anywhere over the winter? I have not seen any reports on him.

BSN07 · 01-08-2013, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a700hitter

He'll get his chance in Spring Training. HAs he pitched anywhere over the winter? I have not seen any reports on him.

I don't think he's in any winter ball. But a chance to rest and reset over the winter plus some strengthening drills can go along way. I believe his loss of velocity was due to being bounced between RP to SP to RP. Everything just kind of snow balled on him last season and he just couldn't bounce back. I think we see a new fresh Bard that more resembles '11 Bard then '12. But we just have to wait and see what it looks like in March.

jung · 01-08-2013, 07:09 PM

Bard has never had the most repeatable motion in baseball and it has been a nagging problem throughout what he has had for a career to date. His consistency has never been what you would call good IMO. Bard has had periods when he has elevated it to "passable". More often than not he has struggled to even achieve that standard.

Last I saw of what he was doing in the farm system..he was all over the map and had no idea where the ball was going.

He has struggled with this for so long I almost don't wonder if somebody should just try to rebuild a motion for him in an effort to find something repeatable and good at the same time. Off and on they have had him just pitch from the stretch in an effort to find some consistency. At this point he may just have a better shot with a new motion than once again finding his motion and hope not to lose it again twenty or thirty batters later.

In one sense Bard may just be a good way to understand how difficult pitching at the ML level really is as an occupation. You lose it in the middle of a stint...you know you have lost it ..... and....there you are staring down the barrel of the Prince Fielders of the world without any idea where the ball is going. You can't even get out of it...can't even walk away. The surest way to make sure you won't see the mound again anytime soon is to call your pitching coach out to the mound and tell him you have to come out cause you have no idea where the ball is going.

IMO if at this point Bard is once again trying to find it, I would say that he has done that over and over throughout his career to date with little success and my expectations would be very low for him. If somebody has taken the off season with him and is trying to help him rebuild a new motion from scratch as difficult as that sounds I would actually like his chances better if he was doing that.

He probably has to stop thinking about it so much as well. One issue that Bard likely stumbled on as a starter is that thinking and throwing does not appear to be a strong suit for him. He appears to be a thrower and to the extent that he can get through an inning or two that way it is likely his best shot at a return. It appears to me that if he does return, the most we can expect from him is to take the ball, throw it, get it back from the catcher and throw it again. Keep doing that until the Manager decides it give somebody else a turn.

Bellhorn04 · 01-08-2013, 07:09 PM

The loss of velocity was one thing. The frequent inability to get the ball over the plate was another.

SoxSport · 01-08-2013, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bellhorn04

Worth noting: Napoli was on the DL last year from approx mid-Aug to mid-Sept. When he returned, in his last 16 games he hit 7 dingers and had 16 RBI.

A cortisone shot might do that. Might not.

If they sign this guy, and it comes out he has a degenerating condition with his hip, there will be hell to pay with the fans and the media.

The fact they wouldn't give LaRoche 3 years is a sign they are only willing to go 2 years on Napoli now. They weren't going to give LaRoche any more than what they are giving Napoli.
At least that's what it looks like to me.

What they should do now is trade for Morse, who needs a fulltime job. He's a better hitter than LaRoche and can play the OF as well as 1B.

jung · 01-08-2013, 11:31 PM

Well once bone starts wearing on bone it is only a matter of time. The question is when and whether it falls apart all at once (not as likely) or more gradually ( more likely).

I do agree with you. If the Sox knuckle under to Napoli to sign him and then the hip becomes an issue there will very likely be hell to pay. I just don't think the Sox are going to knuckle under. I suspect it will have to be Napoli that gives some.

a700hitter · 01-09-2013, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoxSport

A cortisone shot might do that. Might not.

If they sign this guy, and it comes out he has a degenerating condition with his hip, there will be hell to pay with the fans and the media.

The fact they wouldn't give LaRoche 3 years is a sign they are only willing to go 2 years on Napoli now. They weren't going to give LaRoche any more than what they are giving Napoli.
At least that's what it looks like to me.

What they should do now is trade for Morse, who needs a fulltime job. He's a better hitter than LaRoche and can play the OF as well as 1B.

Nevermind the fans and the media, JH will be mad enough to spit if Cherries throws away between $26-39 million after freeing up All that payroll last August.

BSN07 · 01-09-2013, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bellhorn04

The loss of velocity was one thing. The frequent inability to get the ball over the plate was another.

His inability to consistently throw the ball over the plate has always been there. It's less of a worry though when throwing 97+ MPH as opposed to 92 MPH. The velocity loss is the biggest concern for Bard. If that comes back it will cure a lot of the accuracy issues IMO.

Dojji · 01-09-2013, 10:00 AM

Bard himself blames back issues.

BSN07 · 01-09-2013, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dojji

Bard himself blames back issues.

Really? I didn't know there was any physical issue. A back issue is a reasonable cause for loss of velocity. But as hopeful I am about the velocity turn, I know have to be weary of a lingering back issue. Damn you dojji

Dojji · 01-09-2013, 10:19 AM

"I probably didn't tell a lot of it to the trainers, and probably should have gotten treatment on it pretty regularly, but at the same time I was trying to make the rotation and I didn't want to miss a start, which would have hurt my chances. I just kind of pitched through it. Normally it was fine. I wasn't thinking about it out on the mound, ever. But it was an issue between starts, and once your adrenaline kicked in you might forget about it. But there were probably still some issues there. I've had lower back stiffness throughout my whole career, this was just a little bit more."

http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/ba...ver-ready-offe

a700hitter · 01-09-2013, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dojji

Bard himself blames back issues.

Quote:

Originally Posted by a700hitter

The fact that he didn't regain his velocity after 3 months of pitching in short relief and any semblance of command was lost leads me to think that there is something structurally wrong.

Let's hope that his arm has not been affected by pitching with the bad back.

jung · 01-09-2013, 11:13 AM

Quote:

"I probably didn't tell a lot of it to the trainers, and probably should have gotten treatment on it pretty regularly, but at the same time I was trying to make the rotation and I didn't want to miss a start, which would have hurt my chances. I just kind of pitched through it. Normally it was fine. I wasn't thinking about it out on the mound, ever. But it was an issue between starts, and once your adrenaline kicked in you might forget about it. But there were probably still some issues there. I've had lower back stiffness throughout my whole career, this was just a little bit more."

I have seen posts in these pages referring to Bard as "seemingly a bright kid". Sure he is. Sharp as a tack!

a700hitter · 01-09-2013, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jung

I have seen posts in these pages referring to Bard as "seemingly a bright kid". Sure he is. Sharp as a tack!

He has just enough brains to be a danger to himself.

Dojji · 01-09-2013, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a700hitter

Let's hope that his arm has not been affected by pitching with the bad back.

That is unfortunately a possibility. It's very very likely that that's what happened to Josh Bekett.

If you favor your back, you're trying to get more velocity from your shoulder, and that's how careers end.