I'm watching the Knicks but Fitts is good. Weissert has crazy stuff if he can throw strikes and the other kid is young and I don't know him really.Paging @jon abbey for some insight on these prospects.
I'm watching the Knicks but Fitts is good. Weissert has crazy stuff if he can throw strikes and the other kid is young and I don't know him really.Paging @jon abbey for some insight on these prospects.
Fitts I believe won the best SP in the Eastern League this year, he was supposed to be a first round pick his draft year until a non-arm injury messed him up a little. He is good, he could be a SP option for BOS this year IMO.
Somewhere in-between lies the truthFitts is an OK AA SP prospect
I think JA overrates their pitching prospects in the non Thorpe & Hampton division lol.Somewhere in-between lies the truth
Or I pay more attention to them than you do, shockingly. Here is something I posted about Fitts at the end of August:I think JA overrates their pitching prospects in the non Thorpe & Hampton division lol.
Richard Fitts has been by far the best SP in the league since mid-May (he hit 97 on his 101st pitch last night), all three in the top 10 in all of minor league baseball in Ks this season (Thorpe is 1st). Fitts at least highly deserves promotion (the other two just got there) but they are probably all running into innings limits also.
https://www.milb.com/player/richard-fitts-690916
Damn, Fitts has allowed just 23 total ERs in his last 16 starts.
https://www.mlb.com/prospects/yankees/richard-fitts-690916Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 50
After serving as a reliever in his first two years at Auburn, Fitts starred in fall practice as a junior and thrust himself into consideration for the first round of the 2021 Draft. But he injured his foot that March and barely pitched afterwards, so New York was able to grab him with a sixth-round pick and a slightly over-slot $346,800 bonus. He made his pro debut last year and got knocked around in Single-A before recording a 0.55 ERA and 38/3 K/BB ratio in 33 innings over five High-A starts.
Fitts shows the potential for two plus pitches that have intriguing metrics. His 91-97 mph four-seam fastball features natural cutting and riding action, as well as quality induced vertical break that gives it tremendous carry up in the zone, while his 83-86 slider features the big sweep that the Yankees covet. He also can turn his slider into a harder cutter and occasionally will use an upper-80s two-seamer to give hitters a different look.
Fitts doesn't completely trust his fading mid-80s changeup, which shows promise but also needs more work. He has a sound arm action and a delivery that he repeats well, allowing him to pound the strike zone and rank sixth in the Minors last year in walk rate (1.6 per nine innings). The next step toward becoming a possible mid-rotation starter will be refining his command because he's hittable when he doesn't locate his pitches well.
This is what I was saying before, that profile is from before the entire 2023 season. Something clicked in mid-May and he was unhittable for months. He was the AA League Pitcher of the Year and is still 23 and up over 150 innings already, be fucking happy.
Paying more attention to people doesn't stop one from overrating them. I fight against that instinct every day lolOr I pay more attention to them than you do, shockingly. Here is something I posted about Fitts at the end of August:
The more I read about him, the happier I am becoming. He had the best control in all of AA, as well.This is what I was saying before, that profile is from before last season. Something clicked in mid-May and he was unhittable for months. He was the AA League Pitcher of the Year and is still 23 and up over 150 innings already, be fucking happy.
Do the Red Sox have even one up and down starter prospect in AAA this upcoming season? They desperately need high minor starting arms.Paying more attention to people doesn't stop one from overrating them. I fight against that instinct every day lol
I hope you're right, though. & I don't hate the concept of the trade even if you're not.
Yeah, I'm not saying he is Spencer Strider II but he is legit exciting and seemed to really click last May. Enjoy.The more I read about him, the happier I am becoming. He had the best control in all of AA, as well.
I was citing that more to say what kind of pitcher he is. I think he's still an inconsistent pitcher (for example he had a 5.40 ERA in his last 4 starts) & I think there are reasons the Yankees didn't promote him to AAA.This is what I was saying before, that profile is from before the entire 2023 season. Something clicked in mid-May and he was unhittable for months. He was the AA League Pitcher of the Year and is still 23 and up over 150 innings already, be fucking happy.
If he makes the majors, we’ll probably get enough mileage out of the dick jokes to call it a wash at the very least.Not going to lie. I love the guts Breslow is showing. Makes a significant trade with the Yankees as his first major move. Hopefully the evaluation of Fitts, who feels like the prize here, is correct.
Seems right, yup. He'll be at least 3rd most places.I bet @JM3 will have more, but I’d assume Fitts becomes the Sox (at worst), 4th best but most advanced SP prospect
I think it’s a good deal for one year of Verdugo.
Can we trade them to the Patriots?Most importantly, we now have 3 6'8 RHP rookies from the 2023 draft.
I, for one, am happy . Thanks for details on Ricky FittsThis is what I was saying before, that profile is from before the entire 2023 season. Something clicked in mid-May and he was unhittable for months. He was the AA League Pitcher of the Year and is still 23 and up over 150 innings already, be fucking happy.
https://www.mlb.com/news/yankees-2023-draft-signings-tracker#8 (252): Nicholas Judice, RHP, University of Louisiana (Monroe)
Pick value: $188,000
Signing bonus: $185,500
Scouts envision Judice as potentially being fast-tracked as a two-pitch (fastball, slider) reliever who offers a combination of stuff and deception. He’s got size on his side, clocking in at 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds. In 53 innings as a senior, Judice posted a 3.74 ERA with 66 strikeouts against just 11 walks.
It sounds like after last year Richard Fitts isn't far off from top-100 statusI do not believe Verdugo really has a lot of trade value - which fits with both this return (for one so so, well outside top 100 prospect and some flyer prospects) and does not fit with him mattering in a Soto trade. Anything is possible and Padres are in ownership transition, but it would be surprising if he mattered to a bigger trade.
I only meant that it gives up 2-3 wins next year for longer term assets. Makes a craptastic defense worse in the short term. Hopefully, just a first step.Eh. It's actually the sort of trade Bloom got bashed for not making. Fitts is a far better pitching prospect than any that Bloom traded for in his tenure.
Really? He is a 23 year old in AA who put up a 9.6 k/9 and a 3.55 ERA and similar component stats. Scouting wise he was between 12-19 pre-season, meaning his stuff and projection has not really impressed anyone. What am I missing? The scouts and stats line up as he's an ok guy to get, but not a big asset...and neither is Verdugo. Seems to me like a salary dump, which is all about what you do with the money and bulding up assets, even small ones. Makes sense in both directions, but not seeing a ton of value for either in this one....It sounds like after last year Richard Fitts isn't far off from top-100 status
Also, the Red Sox literally do not have an up and down starting pitching prospect for 2024. People who think this has no impact on the 24 team have no clue how thin the high minor pitching is. They needed and still need more people in that role.Bloom kind of forgot to drop more shoes. Fitts is also a better prospect than Binelas or Hamilton & Weissert is a better MLB player than '22 JBJ. Not meant as a Weissert compliment.
I have a feeling we're going to start trading bullpen arms soon. Whether that's like Schreiber or like Pivetta or like Jansen, only time will tell.
Fitts clearly seems to be the key guy, but maybe Breslow sees Weissert as a guy he can improve in his pitching lab.I'm watching the Knicks but Fitts is good. Weissert has crazy stuff if he can throw strikes and the other kid is young and I don't know him really.
As @jon abbey made clear everyone keeps quoting preseason rankings before he dropped 152 innings with 3.55 xFIP and that 9.6 K came with 2.5 BB (second best ratio in Eastern League). And he's not particularly old for that level at 23. Also apparently was touching 97 late into ballgames.Really? He is a 23 year old in AA who put up a 9.6 k/9 and a 3.55 ERA and similar component stats. Scouting wise he was between 12-19 pre-season, meaning his stuff and projection has not really impressed anyone. What am I missing? The scouts and stats line up as he's an ok guy to get, but not a big asset...and neither is Verdugo. Seems to me like a salary dump, which is all about what you do with the money and bulding up assets, even small ones. Makes sense in both directions, but not seeing a ton of value for either in this one....
I would think a first-round pedigree preseason buzz guy that put up a great year gets him sniffing top-100.Richard Fitts, RHP, Yankees: In the early stages of the 2021 draft cycle Fitts was viewed as a mid-to-late-first round talent. Fitts dealt with injuries during his draft year and tumbled down boards, allowing the Yankees to land him in the sixth round. Fitts made an alteration to his delivery halfway through the 2022 season and the results began to improve. Fitts uses three pitches in a four-seam fastball with ride and cut in the low-to-mid 90s, a breaking ball that looks like a cutter-slider hybrid in the low-to-mid 80s and an upper-80s changeup. Following the changes Fitts made over the 2022 season, he’s poised for a real breakout in 2023.
JA is more passionate about this than I am, but Fitts got off to a really slow start:Really? He is a 23 year old in AA who put up a 9.6 k/9 and a 3.55 ERA and similar component stats. Scouting wise he was between 12-19 pre-season, meaning his stuff and projection has not really impressed anyone. What am I missing? The scouts and stats line up as he's an ok guy to get, but not a big asset...and neither is Verdugo. Seems to me like a salary dump, which is all about what you do with the money and bulding up assets, even small ones. Makes sense in both directions, but not seeing a ton of value for either in this one....
In the hypothetical offseason plan I posted in another thread, I began by dealing Verdugo to the Astros for prospects, and then flipping those prospects plus Nick Pivetta to the Rays for the remaining (expensive) year of Tyler Glasnow's extension. Not because anyone cares about that, but I did get the *trading Verdugo* and the *trading with a division rival* parts right LOL.I only meant that it gives up 2-3 wins next year for longer term assets. Makes a craptastic defense worse in the short term. Hopefully, just a first step.
I dunno, man. I agree Fitts is not a top-100 guy, but he's not wildly different from some of the guys who have been back-half top-100 guys recently, say Emerson Hancock: Fitts has a very similar profile to Hancock a year ago, when he was in the 80s of a couple lists: SEC background (Arkansas instead of Auburn), he had just thrown ~100 IP in AA the Mariners' system (to Fitts' 150 IP), and with a touch more velocity and a touch less command; Hancock went in the first round, while Fitts was seen as a first round talent but dropped due to an injury — but with an over-slot bonus. Hancock got into three games for the Mariners in August.Really? He is a 23 year old in AA who put up a 9.6 k/9 and a 3.55 ERA and similar component stats. Scouting wise he was between 12-19 pre-season, meaning his stuff and projection has not really impressed anyone. What am I missing? The scouts and stats line up as he's an ok guy to get, but not a big asset...and neither is Verdugo. Seems to me like a salary dump, which is all about what you do with the money and bulding up assets, even small ones. Makes sense in both directions, but not seeing a ton of value for either in this one....
6 months of youth doesn't make up for worse stats across the board. I think the 155 innings is meaningful too in this day and age.Buuuut, just for fun, one of these players is Fitts & one most people probably know nothing about. These are their AA stats this year.
Pitcher A - 6 months older, 3.48 ERA, 3.55 xFIP, 25.9% k, 6.8% bb
Pitcher B - 6 months younger, 3.92 ERA, 4.15 xFIP, 28.7% k, 9.2% bb
Eh, it's not really a fair comparison because the 6 months younger player was drafted a year later so this was his 1st year of MiLB, and he pitched 5.2 innings more than Fitts did last year, & Fitts was being bad in A-Ball while this guy was being excellent in A+ during their 1st halves of their 1st years.6 months of youth doesn't make up for worse stats across the board. I think the 155 innings is meaningful too in this day and age.
The next closest in the system would have been 26 yo Brian Van Belle at 141. Everyone else threw at least 30 fewer innings.6 months of youth doesn't make up for worse stats across the board. I think the 155 innings is meaningful too in this day and age.
View: https://twitter.com/IanCundall/status/1732233356497080545New Red Sox RHP Richard Fitts this year (AA): 152.2 IP, 3.48 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 163 K:43 BB. Strong command/control profile. North/south arsenal w/intriguing metrics. Potential backend SP. FB 91-94 has carry, shows bat massing ability up. SL 81-85 best secondary. CH 85-88 lacks feel
View: https://twitter.com/IanCundall/status/1732238720336634094RHP Greg Weissert is a potential middle reliever who is very tough on RHH, due to his low arm slot & crossfire delivery. Relies primarily on his sinker & 4-seam 92-96 & sweeper 79-82. Will also mix in CH & CT. 2 options remaining. 2023 (AAA/MLB): 60.1 IP, 3.28 ERA, 80 K:28 BB.
View: https://twitter.com/RotoClegg/status/1732228496443715845Nicholas Judice is a fairly interesting arm in the the Verdugo trade.
6’8” RHP
FB averaged 92.5 at ULM with 15 in of IVB and 15 in of hMov
SL sat 85-86 with nice depth and 8+ inches of sweep consistently.
CB and CH graded well but we’re not thrown often. CH avg 18 in of fade
View: https://twitter.com/IanCundall/status/1732259979711717416Initial feedback from scouts on the Verdugo deal is the Red Sox got back solid depth, but lower ceiling arms. Fitts throws a lot of strikes, but scouts aren’t convinced he’s a SP longterm. Weissert is a depth RP type. Judice is a wildcard as a 6-8 RHP w/a mid-90s FB who’s YTD.
On Tuesday night, the New York Yankees acquired outfielder Alex Verdugo in a trade with the Boston Red Sox for right-handed pitchers Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice. While the Yankees are receiving a steady force in the field, it’s Boston who will reap the benefits of this deal in the end.
https://futurestarsseries.com/yankees-red-sox-verdugo-trade-fittsBoston’s Haul
The Red Sox acquired three quite good arms in this deal with the Yankees.
New York paid a particularly heavy price for a player with one year of control. Especially for a player who has yet to post anything close to an impactful season. Verdugo is a solid player, make no mistake about it. But he doesn’t move the needle in an impactful way.
Fitts is a sturdy, bulldog framed hurler with obvious starter traits. He’s seen marked improvement every year going back to his draft year in 2021. Once labeled a future first round pick, Fitts fell to the sixth round that year after he was hit around a good bit at Auburn.
Fitts changed his delivery in the winter of 2022 and has thrown more strikes because of it. His 2.8 BB/9 is down to 2.4 BB/9 at the pro level. Fitts will creep into the mid-90s with a fastball that routinely lives in the 92-94 mph bucket. It’s a high-spin offering that doesn’t possess electric shape, but he does pound the zone with it. His out pitch is a mid-80s slider that he commands quite well to the glove-side. It’s a potential plus pitch. There’s also a much fringier changeup here.
Fitts profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starter with No. 3 upside if he can extract a bit more value out of the fastball going forward. He’s in line to see Triple-A in 2024 and could debut with the Red Sox this summer.
From this chair, Judice is the second-best arm going to Boston. We had Judice ranked a 5th round talent in the 2023 MLB Draft, though he slipped to the 8th round due to his considerable relief risk. Judice saw his stuff really pop in 2023 after lowering his arm slot during the fall of 2022.
The fastball will touch 97, but it’s his mid-to-upper 80s slider that grabbed headlines for scouts. Judice already presents a difficult angle for hitters with his wide release, so when you tack on more than a foot of sweep with significant velocity, it’s a pretty imposing offering. The slider might end up plus, and he’ll have to use it early and often at the pro level. The fastball quality can vary from appearance to appearance, mostly sitting in the average category. He’ll mix in a changeup too, and while the peripherals are interesting, his feel for consistently executing the pitch has a ways to go.
At 6-foot-8, Judice is a fairly intimidating presence on the mound, and many think there’s more in the tank on the way. He did not pitch this year after being drafted.
Weissert should slot immediately into the Red Sox bullpen, though he could go back to Triple-A for further seasoning if Boston sees so fit. In 20 big league innings in 2023, he struck out 22 hitters while posting a 1.450 WHIP. He’s a mid-leverage type of guy who will mix it up on the bump. Primarily a sinker, slider, four-seam guy, Weissert has been up to 96 and will live 93-95. His four-seamer was particularly effective this past season and it could eventually end up his go-to weapon as he works away from being primarily a sinker guy.
From this chair, the Red Sox landed a two intriguing arms in Fitts and Weissert who could see Fenway Park this summer. Judice is a ways away, and is more of a lottery ticket, but the instrinsic traits surrounding his profile can be pretty tough to come by in Major League Baseball. He’s fun.
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1633547494327042050There is some swerve to Weissert's slider...
View: https://twitter.com/tylermilliken_/status/1732226657631560089