Frayed Knot

]What's funny is, Beltran never has exactly been a unifying force among Mets fans, many of whom choose to ignore his numbers the last three years (unrivaled by any everyday player in franchise history) in favor of the memory of the Adam Wainwright curveball he stared at in October 2006. This was the part I found ironic; that certain segments of Met fans spent the last 4 seasons saying essentially the same thing as Phillips. Now, both because Phillips got behind the idea and because Carlos is having a good early season, they suddenly find a reason to rally around Beltran. What's also apparent is the stock Phillips puts in the "chemistry" part of player procurement. He seems convinced that an average player with so-called intangibles can be a better acquisition than the superior one without.

Final answer = 5-5 Not too bad considering the all the travel, the level of competition, plus all the injuries and short-handedness. Not so good considering it all started 3-0

Teixeira today with a broken bat. Not a cracked bat mind you but one that shattered in his hands leaving him only with a small piece of the handle while the barrel and splinters flew all over the infield. The ball went about 7 rows deep into LF.

2 many 2-out hits given up 2 2 many back-up infielders and #2 catchers. The Youkilis HR was just icing on a cake that was already fucked up. I think I'll go take a number 2.

Pelfrey - 4.7 Santos - 2.7 Sheffield - 1.0 Feliciano - 0.6 Putz - 0.6 Martinez - 0.4

Maybe it's time for John Sterling to update his home-run call: It's not high ... It's not far ... But it's gone anyway!!!

Single season record = 303, Coors Field, 1999 And that one was at a mile high, pre-humidor, and in the midst of the steroid era. Current pace at YSIII = 309

="Gwreck"] It was clearly a home run and the video review was perfunctory at best. Jerry was out of the dugout immediately and Joe West just put his hand up right away, clearly indicating that the review would be done. Or at least that they wanted to talk about it first - although I don't quite understand why the long discussion and then the video review. ]Don't know what Francona was complaining about so much after the umps ruled it a homer. Speculation about what Francona was talking about after the decision (especially since the rules say you can't argue about a replay review) was about Shines making contact w/Sheffield as he rounded 3rd. That's not allowed if it's done to help hold up a runner although I'm not sure exactly how the rule reads and this one was more like Sheff running into Shines than it was a coach going over the line to keep his runner n the base. P.S. anyone who hasn't seen the replay of Santos's face as he sprinted down to and around 1st needs to do so ASAP.

Putz = - leadoff walk; - great play at both 3B & 2B to get force; - line out to RF; - great play by Martinez at SS to end game on 6-3 putout Not exactly the kind of stuff from which great saves are made ... but it worked. Now I guess we add Frankie Rod to the list of 'are they available tomorrow?' guys

Yup! I was just about to go looking for this thread. Definitely a top win. IMO, folks should use this thread to nominate any game they think may qualify so by the end of the year it'll be easier to whittle it down to a top 10. Same with the worst losses thread.

YSIII = 82 in 21 games (not counting today's in-progress) 42 for the home team, 40 against In 21 road games they've 'only' hit 27 and given up 22 That home/road difference points much more to the park than does the CF one. Overall the Yanx are tops in the AL at hitting HRs and 2nd from the top at serving them up. And, as I'm typing, John Mayberry Jr. clocks a 3R HR in his ML debut (2nd AB).

="metirish":t8b5dba9]I think in MFY land they hate the thought that they have become a National punch line in regards to their $1.8 Billion stadium.....that's 75 home runs in I think 20 home games...how many have been his at Citi Field?[/quote:t8b5dba9] 31 HRs in 20 games at CF - 14 by the Mets, 17 against Thing is, that's actually a slightly higher clip than have been hit during NYM games on the road: 27 HRs in 21 games - 13 by Mets, 14 off Mets That's why these park factors can't be judged too quickly. Sometimes it's just a matter of the team who plays there. If it's the park then you'd be likely to see both HRs for and HRs against climb while the Mets are on the road. If not then it's probably just the case that the Mets simply don't hit many HRs themselves while also not letting up many. The team is near the league low on both lists. Frayed Knot May 23 2009 03:16 PM YSIII = 82 in 21 games (not counting today's in-progress) 42 for the home team, 40 against In 21 road games they've 'only' hit 27 and given up 22 That home/road difference points much more to the park than does the CF one. Overall the Yanx are tops in the AL at hitting HRs and 2nd from the top at serving them up. And, as I'm typing, John Mayberry Jr. clocks a 3R HR in his ML debut (2nd AB). Swan Swan H May 23 2009 03:35 PM Heeee. After Mayberry hit the homer Fox showed his father, former Yankee and Royals first baseman John Mayberry Sr., cheering in the stands. One problem - it wasn't him. He's not even at the game. Hoo boy. OE: Check that - he really is at the game, just not the guy they were showing. Swan Swan H May 23 2009 04:38 PM 6:37 PM and it's the bottom of the ninth? If it doesn't go to extras this may be the shortest Yankee game since Mel Stottlemyre retired. Swan Swan H May 23 2009 04:41 PM Oops. OlerudOwned May 23 2009 04:46 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on May 23 2009 04:57 PM Swan Swan H May 23 2009 04:57 PM Lidge's suckitude is another reason to not get overly concerned about the Phillies. Kong76 May 23 2009 05:07 PM That was an epic flare off the bat of Rodriguez, he's a true champion. Swan Swan H May 23 2009 05:08 PM Really. That ball is caught 10 feet in front of the wall in any other ballpark in America. Nymr83 May 23 2009 05:11 PM ="Kong76":3282zh40]That was an epic flare off the bat of Rodriguez, he's a true champion.[/quote:3282zh40] it helped the Mets out indirectly, therefore he is not clutch. John Cougar Lunchbucket May 23 2009 05:58 PM Elster, Seawolf and Steve J. Rogers just getting back from the Stadium now, probably. Perhaps they will join us here for the Mets game. metirish May 23 2009 06:04 PM Rogers took them to The Yankee Tavern for a few beers. Triple Dee May 24 2009 03:57 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on May 24 2009 04:13 AM ="Ceetar":3ocnox73]and another. They should think about signing Bonds. I'm sure he can still DH and pop up to RF for 85+ HR.[/quote:3ocnox73] Well, it's good to see the MFY's are considerate enough to cater for their fans who may be feeling nostalgic about their team during the Steriod era. Triple Dee May 24 2009 04:11 AM ="Frayed Knot":f1kidtq8] several problems I think: 1) this stadium is so far out-doing the pre-humidor Coors in it's early days and Coors was unlike anything MLB had seen up to that point. Now it's still just a small sample and I suspect things will calm down at least a bit over time, but the fact that it's so far out of whack is what has tongues wagging [/quote:f1kidtq8] Or Mo's cinnamon-scented farts are blowing the balls out of the park. Frayed Knot May 24 2009 08:07 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on May 24 2009 08:35 AM Single season record = 303, Coors Field, 1999 And that one was at a mile high, pre-humidor, and in the midst of the steroid era. Current pace at YSIII = 309 Edgy DC May 24 2009 08:26 AM And A-Rod is just getting started. MFS62 May 24 2009 08:38 AM ="Frayed Knot":8fjosmmd]Single season record = 303, Coors Field, 1999 And that one was at a mile high, pre-humidor, and in the midst of the steroid era. Current pace at YSIII = 309[/quote:8fjosmmd] If Jeter hits the one that breaks the record, will it be considered a good thing or a bad thing? By us? By MLB? By Jon Sterling? By Yankee fans in general? Later Frayed Knot May 24 2009 11:58 AM Maybe it's time for John Sterling to update his home-run call: It's not high ... It's not far ... But it's gone anyway!!! Frayed Knot May 24 2009 02:49 PM Teixeira today with a broken bat. Not a cracked bat mind you but one that shattered in his hands leaving him only with a small piece of the handle while the barrel and splinters flew all over the infield. The ball went about 7 rows deep into LF. MFS62 May 24 2009 05:20 PM So, what this all boils down to is, Yankee Stadium, the place that Yankee fans consider to be the "temple of baseball" - is now a joke. Just like the names they used to call Shea. And there's no way they can spin it. I'm lovin' every minute of this. Later Willets Point May 24 2009 06:42 PM With all the homeruns flying out of the new ballpark, I suggest that we start calling in Yankee Stadium 3-D! Swan Swan H May 24 2009 07:05 PM Haw! Wouldn't it be fun to see all those empty suits and swinging dicks scattered through millionaires' row wearing 3-D glasses? Fman99 May 24 2009 09:09 PM ="MFS62":3mg1jjda]So, what this all boils down to is, Yankee Stadium, the place that Yankee fans consider to be the "temple of baseball" - is now a joke. Just like the names they used to call Shea. And there's no way they can spin it. I'm lovin' every minute of this. Later[/quote:3mg1jjda] I hadn't thought of it that way but I approve of your logic. Elster88 May 27 2009 05:58 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on May 27 2009 06:19 PM ="Frayed Knot":uay8wvqu]Teixeira today with a broken bat. Not a cracked bat mind you but one that shattered in his hands leaving him only with a small piece of the handle while the barrel and splinters flew all over the infield. The ball went about 7 rows deep into LF.[/quote:uay8wvqu] Listening to sports talk on a random station in DC they played the radio call of this play. The hosts ripped up Sterling both for the cartoonish-style call and for not mentioning that Texeira broke his bat. It seems that they know what an idiot that guy is around the country. Elster88 May 27 2009 05:59 PM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":su3m89ss]Elster, Seawolf and Steve J. Rogers just getting back from the Stadium now, probably. Perhaps they will join us here for the Mets game.[/quote:su3m89ss] Now that's just insulting. Elster88 May 27 2009 06:39 PM ="metirish":37124ase]Rogers took them to The Yankee Tavern for a few beers.[/quote:37124ase] The bartender kept trying to impress me by talking about all these awards his liquor won in the fifties back before they had draft beer. seawolf17 May 27 2009 06:59 PM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":2b607477]Elster, Seawolf and Steve J. Rogers just getting back from the Stadium now, probably. Perhaps they will join us here for the Mets game.[/quote:2b607477] Huh? John Cougar Lunchbucket May 27 2009 07:39 PM ="seawolf17":1hdt22ta]="John Cougar Lunchbucket":1hdt22ta]Elster, Seawolf and Steve J. Rogers just getting back from the Stadium now, probably. Perhaps they will join us here for the Mets game.[/quote:1hdt22ta] Huh?[/quote:1hdt22ta] Just busting yer Yankee-Lovin chops. Say hi to Hank for me. seawolf17 May 27 2009 07:44 PM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":22bx65ep]="seawolf17":22bx65ep]="John Cougar Lunchbucket":22bx65ep]Elster, Seawolf and Steve J. Rogers just getting back from the Stadium now, probably. Perhaps they will join us here for the Mets game.[/quote:22bx65ep] Huh?[/quote:22bx65ep] Just busting yer Yankee-Lovin chops. Say hi to Hank for me.[/quote:22bx65ep] Double huh? duan Jun 08 2009 06:27 AM ="Willets Point":14bhkrrc]With all the homeruns flying out of the new ballpark, I suggest that we start calling in Yankee Stadium 3-D![/quote:14bhkrrc] has this calmed down at all? Frayed Knot Jun 08 2009 06:38 AM Slightly. 100 HRs in 28 games: 53 by Yanx, 47 by opponents. That's still a ton but, at 3.57/game, the pace is down from when it was closer to 4/per. And that's just lower enough to where they're no longer on pace to break the Coors Field 1999 mark. Frayed Knot Jun 08 2009 07:59 PM 5 more HRs tonight 105 in 29 games 3.62/game = 293 for the season Record is 303 in Coors Field 1999 Also, Teixeira, Cano, Damon & Cabrera are on pace for their best HR seasons of their career (by 8, 7, 10 & 9) Jeter & Swisher are on a pace to about equal their bests Leaving the only regulars who aren't on a personal record pace as the 35 y/o Matsui, plus ARod & Posada who both missed about half the season so far. soupcan Jun 09 2009 08:23 AM Makes me curious as to what our homer-weary boys will do this weekend at the band-box in the Bronx. HahnSolo Jun 09 2009 09:10 AM The Damon HR was comical last night. When he hit the ball, he put his head down in disgust that he had popped the ball up. It landed three rows over the wall. Didn't stop Sterling from calling it a "Johnny Rocket" I bet. soupcan Jun 09 2009 09:13 AM IT IS HIGH...up! IT IS...not so...FAR! However, IT....IS....GONE! LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jun 09 2009 09:33 AM ="HahnSolo":1nvohjim]The Damon HR was comical last night. When he hit the ball, he put his head down in disgust that he had popped the ball up. It landed three rows over the wall. Didn't stop Sterling from calling it a "Johnny Rocket" I bet.[/quote:1nvohjim] Was there last night. The Damon one was indeed ridiculous... but the Jeter one (just making the seats) and even the Swisher one (a well-struck but lazy fly that ended up carrying a shit-ton and landing past the first seating area in right-center) weren't far behind. By the third, the fans were standing up for any flyball into the gap. I'm thinking Churchy and Muffy-- hell, Cora, even-- should start aiming at the Subway sign during Phils BP... this weekend could make for some nice number inflation. Frayed Knot Jun 10 2009 06:27 AM Newsday: Fences are shorter http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spstad0611,0,3247160.story excerpts: The barrage of home runs at new Yankee Stadium is being caused by shorter dimensions, not weather, according to AccuWeather.com. The meteorology company said Tuesday that 20 of the 105 home runs hit at the $1.5 billion ballpark would not have gone out of the old Yankee Stadium. "For someone attending a game at the new Yankee Stadium or watching on TV, the size of the playing field appears to be the same," AccuWeather meteorologist Tim Buckley said in a statement Tuesday. {I guess he's got a reason to believe} "The dimensions at select corners of the field are identical -- and the posted numbers on the walls reflect that. However, detailed schematics of the park reveal some nuances that have significant implications." AccuWeather agreed with the conclusions of Greg Rybarczyk of hittrackeronline.com, who said in April that right field in the new ballpark was shorter. The Yankee insist that the dimensions are exactly the same. "The wall structure is slightly different than the old park," AccuWeather said. "The main difference involves curvature. The gentle curve from right field to center field seen in original Yankee Stadium has largely been eliminated at the new stadium ... due in large part to the presence of a manual scoreboard embedded within the wall. Losing this curvature has resulted in a right field that is shorter by four-to-five feet on average, but up to nine feet in spots. "Not only is the famed short porch even shorter in the new stadium, but the walls themselves are not as tall. In the old ballpark, the walls in right field stood at a height of approximately 10 feet. At this height, it was difficult for outfielders to scale the wall and attempt to rob a home run over the fence. Fast forward to 2009, and the outfielders have been scaling the wall without any trouble. The result? The new outfield fences only rise to a height of eight feet, adding to the ease hitting a home run to right." The new Yankee Stadium is on pace for 293 homers, 10 shy of the major league record hit at Denver's Coors Field in 1999 and an 83 percent increase from the 160 hit at original Yankee Stadium, last year. Frayed Knot Jun 18 2009 08:15 PM Today's (night's) 3-0 MFY loss to the Nats was, I believe, the first no-homer game in YSIII this season. seawolf17 Jun 18 2009 08:37 PM The MFYs had a little case of Metsflu tonight, getting shut out by a kid fresh off a high school ballfield somewhere. (A guy against whom, of course, the Mets bucked convention and beat recently.)

="Benjamin Grimm"]Are people seeing the home runs as a problem? (By "people" I mean two categories: idiot Yankee fans and the rest of the baseball world.) ... But I'm not sure that it's universally accepted that too many home runs are a bad thing. Especially not in Yankeeland, where they can pretend that they have nine Babe Ruths. several problems I think: 1) this stadium is so far out-doing the pre-humidor Coors in it's early days and Coors was unlike anything MLB had seen up to that point. Now it's still just a small sample and I suspect things will calm down at least a bit over time, but the fact that it's so far out of whack is what has tongues wagging 2) the Yanx themselves, as well as MFY fans, like to think of their place as challenging for hitters. They were fond of telling 'death valley' stories and many continued to act as if it still existed even years after they shortened the LCF fence three separate times (lopping some 20 yards off total) as if those were just minor cosmetic changes. Announcers liked to claim; "well that would have been a homer in any other park" on shots to LCF and did so about ten times for every one time they'd admit that the dinker to RF would NOT have been a HR in any other park. It's as if admitting that even parts of the park were hitter-friendly would somehow diminish the accomplishments of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio & Mantle. Better to keep the fairy tales alive: 'Mickey hit his HRs in a REAL park and in a REAL era' (ignore that 296 sign on the 3-ft high fence behind the curtain) ... or; 'Joe D. would have hit 600 anywhere else', etc. 3) they didn't plan on this. The distances in the new place are near-exact to YSII and the stadium alignment isn't any different. YSII played pretty much as a neutral park in recent years (although always with a RF/LF imbalance making up that average-ness). If there is a wind problem as some claim to feel (although I wonder how much of that is power of suggestion) it wasn't something they foresaw even though they claim to have considered it. So the fact that HRs are going out at a record pace implies that mistakes were made in the design and the Yanquis don't make mistakes.

Tonight's (Saturday's) 7PM game will be shown on MLBN for those out of towners not otherwise connected to a Met or Red Sox station.

Santana - 5.0 Parnell - 0.5 Rodriguez - 0.5 Beltran - 0.8 Pagan - 0.7 Sheffield - 1.3 Wright - 0.7 Santos - 0.5

We gotta find out what it is about Johan's starts that seemingly puts the 'Let's Play Like Shit!' sign up in the dugout. Santana's gotta be pulling hair hair out.

The Mets fans wish to acknowledge the efforts (or lack thereof) of Julio Lugo because without him, and his wimpy throw to 1st, this multi-run inning would not have been possible. We now return you to your regularly scheduled game, already in progress.

Remember that whatever trade goes down will be only for [u:21jaadak]4 months of Nick Johnson[/u:21jaadak] (and that's only if he stays healthy). We'd have to either extend him or bid on the open market for him after that. Not sure how baseball people would view Parnell or Neise in comparison to Delcarman

Aside from needing a penalty flag for too many Rs on the field, who is this guy? (btw, I'm going with GEN-Ree Meh-HEE-ah until told otherwise) Well, turns out he's a 19 y/o Dominican-born RHP for St. Lucie and is pitching well enough recently to show up as #11 on this week's version of BA's 'Hot List' JENRRY MEJIA Why He's Here: 1-0, 1.82, 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 SO The Scoop: Mejia is about the most unconventional prospect imaginable. He's 6-feet, tops, and weighs in at about 165 pounds. He's very athletic, though, and his action is clean, helping him regularly touch 94-96 mph. One scout this year described his offspeed pitch as a fosh change�others have dubbed it a straight change, a split or a cutter�but whatever hybrid it is, it's an out pitch. The scout also liked Mejia's curveball, though he noted that the righthander lost confidence in it and didn't use it enough. Mejia signed out of the Dominican Republic in April '07 with little fanfare, yet here he is at age 19, one of the FSL's youngest players. And the really scary part is that over his last four starts he's gone 3-0, 0.35, surrendering just three runs (one earned, and with no homers) and 16 hits in 26 innings. He struck out 19 and walked three in that span, completing eight innings of work once and seven another time, to move into second place in the FSL's ERA race at 1.82.

So we start the 13th season of Inter-League play. All together now: YAWN ... But it's here and there's nothing we can do about it. Currently the AL is on a 4-year winning streak, sometimes handling the overall IL series by as much as a 60/40 ratio. Prior to that, the previous 8 seasons were much more balanced with a slight overall edge going to the NLers. Series at NL homes: Nats-v-Orioles: aka the battle of the Beltways, aka the battle of the basement dwellers Indians @ CIncy in the battle for Ohio (as if anyone really wants it?) Rays @ Marlins: let's just hope they don't have to recount the ballots after its done Toronto @ Braves: Hey now there's a traditional matchup! Jays have a good record but have had trouble hanging with the big boys (lost 5 of 6 to MFY & Bos). Halladay starts tonight. Rangers @ Houston: with confused football fans wandering around wondering when kickoff is Royals @ Cards: KC might even have a fighting chance this year although StL will miss Greinke Angels @ Dodgers: the forecast calls for lots of people to be stuck in traffic At AL parks: Phils @ Yanx - rooting for natural disasters and/or swine flu Rockies @ Detroit - another biggie that makes IL play so special Brewers @ Twins - good game, eh? ... You betcha! Pirates @ ChiSox - at least they don't have to face Peavy DBacks @ As - I'm not even sure those cities care Giants @ Seattle - white wine vs coffee and in the lone NL matchup the Cubs are the Chicago team that gets to see Peavy, only from the other side as they travel to SD.

Newsday's Dave Lennon dives into the thought process of Jerry Manual focussing on his attempt to get a read on his players. Last Sunday in San Francisco, Manuel sent up Angel Pagan to pinch hit for Murphy against Giants lefthander Jeremy Affeldt with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning. Pagan, recalled from Triple-A Buffalo last Friday, grounded into a double play that killed the Mets' final rally in a 2-0 loss. "Earlier in the year, when he's swinging well, Murphy hits in that situation, no doubt," Manuel said. "But because I'm with him now, and I can see when he is not himself, it's different. He might even have good numbers against that guy. But at that time, I know that number is going to be at the short end rather than what's normally going to happen because of the fact that he's not right."

Jason Varitek - big gamble for the Sox over the winter cuz he looked D-U-N-N as a hitter last year and isn't the defensive whiz he used to be either. Still got some pop as it turns out. Kevin Youkilis - He's the best player in either league because he's the clutchest. No really, Mike Francesa told me so. Dustin Pedroia - Announcers who don't use some form of the word 'scrappy' at least once per inning around Pedroia are dragged off and beaten between innings. I think it's pat of the standard contract or something. Mike Lowell - Is coming off Delgado-ian hip surgery Julio Lugo - Probably a worse contract than Castillo's. Would already have been benched/cut/traded if not for rookie Jed Lowrie going down w/an injury Jason Bay - at least when the Padres dealt him away it was for the still good version of Brian Giles Jacoby Ellsbury - There was a brief flurry on WFAN last year where callers and some hosts were just salivating over the possibility that the Sox would be dumb enough to give him to us even up for Beltran. My that grass sure is green over there. JD Drew - still hasn't lived up to the contract that makes he the only big-budget FA in the lineup, although at least he's improved to the point where the Boston fans aren't referring to him as 'Nancy' as much these days. David Ortiz - Not nearly as clutch as when he was hitting better. Funny how that works, huh? Tough to figure what Dice-K will be like tonight coming off the injury but normally he's a chore to watch. Takes freakin' forever to throw each pitch and throws a ton of them even on the nights when he's good. Papelbon is another 2-pitch/minute guy. He also celebrates even ordinary saves far too much.

="metirish"]Great read , love the look back at past games. What was Cohen in the hospital again? A patient ... Ba-Dum-CHING!! Thank you, I'll be here all week ]I went to a game at Fenway in 2003 (Mets v. Blue Jays IIRC) Say what now?!?

="smg58"]Johan had a full no-trade clause as well; not sure if we were luckier, or more generous, or simply dealing with a more reasonable player. He was also on the verge of Free-Agency and used his No-Trade Clause to, in effect, negotiate a FA contract a year before he would have otherwise been able to. Smart move as it turned out. If he came out this year he would have had to compete with the likes of Burnett & Sabathia (something he may have foresaw) and in a bad economy (something he probably didn't). Peavy, on the other hand, is already signed through 2012. ]Which brings us to the obvious question: why would any even vaguely competent GM give a no-trade clause to a player who is already under his team's control? If you're that concerned about saving a few dollars in the negotiating process, then it's only a matter of time before the player in question becomes too expensive to keep anyway. I guess if that's the final piece that gets the player to agree to a deal rather than take it on a year-by-year basis then the GM offers it. Santana having that power prior to ever reaching FA-gency was an unusual case.

John Sickels: Mets catching prospect Josh Thole was drafted in the 13th round in 2005, out of high school in Illinois. He hit .300/.382/.427 last year for St. Lucie in the Florida State League; I gave him a Grade C in the 2009 book, noting that I liked his contact hitting ability, low strikeout rate, and decent plate discipline, but was concerned about a relative lack of power, and mixed reports regarding his defense. He's off to a strong start this year for Double-A Binghamton, hitting .344/.415/.467. He has just one homer, but has knocked 12 doubles, and I like his 15/16 BB/K ratio in 122 at-bats. A left-handed hitter, he's hitting .450 in 40 at-bats so far against lefties, so right now at least it doesn't look like he'll have to be platooned. He still needs defensive polish according to the reports I have, and I remain concerned about the relative lack of power, but he's just 22 years old, makes contact, controls the zone, and plays a premium position. He's worth keeping an eye on definitely, and I would raise his grade to at least a C+ now.