OFFSEASON NEWS/RUMORS Thread

Lame.....

12:28pm: Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 reports (X link) that the Dodgers will acquire Zyhir Hope and Jackson Ferris in the deal.

 

Jackson Ferris - Seems to be around 10th in prospect rankings.

A tall prep lefty with plenty to dream on, the Cubs nabbed Ferris in the second round, but shelled out top-25 pick money ($3 million) to sign him away from his commitment to Ole Miss. Like so many projectable prep arms, whether he reaches his middle rotation upside will almost entirely be dependent on his command.

Arsenal
A four pitch mix that is dominated by fastball usage, Ferris has the potential for three above average offerings. Leading the way is his above average heater, flashing plus at 93-95 MPH, touching 97 MPH. Farris generates both good carry and extension with his four-seamer, overpowering Low-A hitters despite going to it more than 60% of the time.

The high fastball usage is a confidence thing, not a matter of secondaries lacking. Ferris threw his fastball for a strike 64% of the time compared to a 50% strike rate across all other offerings. Even though his fastball has the makings of a plus pitch, he likely will not be able to get away with such high usage against more challenging competition.

Of his two breaking balls, his sweeping slider stands out as a potential plus pitch. Averaging 17 inches of horizontal break, Ferris can pick up some ugly swings from hitters when he is around the zone, though the massive sweep the pitch features may be part of the reason why he struggles to land it in the zone.

Only five MLB starters (min. 100 pitches) threw a slider with more than 17 inches of horizontal break in 2023; that number jumps to 14 if you expand to relievers. It’s worth wondering if shorter break and a bit more velocity could help Ferris locate the pitch a bit more consistently in addition to picking up more chase.

Because of his 50% strike rate on breaking balls, hitters mostly went into at-bats ready to shut down anything with spin. It’s a bit easier to do so when the slider is at 79-81 MPH and the curveball is in the mid 70s.

Similarly, the curve has good depth and shape, flashing as an above average offering, with those flashes just being too sporadic. Despite strong characteristics, Ferris does not really give the pitch a chance, with far too many non-competitive pitches and hitters prepared to leave spin and just try to catch up to the heater (32% swing rate on breaking balls). If Ferris can even maintain fringy command of the pitch, it can be a strikeout pitch to both lefties and righties with 11-5 break and some late downward bite.

Ferris will mix in a nascent changeup at 86-88 MPH. It’s firm with a large portion not even being competitive location wise. He started to show a tad more feel for it at the end of the season, but still has a long way to go for it to be a consistent option.

Outlook
A project and an exciting one, Ferris showed well overall in his first pro season, validating the general belief that he had first round stuff. The same concerns were validated as well in regards to inconsistencies and struggles to repeat his mechanics.

The challenge for Ferris is that some of the things that make him so difficult to hit (funky delivery, pitch movement etc.) also play into why he walked 14% of batters in 2023. There’s still something to be said for the way that he battled through those command bouts, pitching to a 3.38 ERA while striking out 30% of batters at Low-A as a 19-year-old for the entirety of the season.

More pitchers are showing that if they miss enough bats and induce enough swings, they can get away with below average command. If Ferris can be around the zone with his secondaries enough to entice more chase, he can overcome somewhat elevated walk rates.

That is not even considering that there could be more stuff in the tank for the young lefty. At 6-foot-4 with the potential to add some strength as well as find a mechanical adjustment that could help him find another tick or two on his fastball, he could become a No. 3 starter who racks up strikeouts. That requires a big leap with the command, making a high leverage relief role a possibility too — a role that he could thrive in as a fallback.

 

My assumption is that since Almonte and Busch are vacating 40 man spots that there is another signing or trade coming to fill the second 40 man slot, with Teoscar getting one.

 

Hmmm....about Zyhir

High school statistics are usually a little ridiculous for the top players. This is no different for Hope. This spring he hit .538 with nine home runs and 38 RBIs. He also stole 29 bases. He also had three saves with a 1.25 ERA in 14.1 innings while striking out 23. It is the stuff of video games.

 

I duno, Busch was blocked by Mookie and Lux, and they still got Vargas. Im leanin toward they know something about Busch we dont.

 

well there's the big trade i guess
thought Yency had some big upside and a 26 yr old that rakes
dumped for roster spots ffs

 

Yeah that can happen but the gamble is the return will pan out better. Readin up on Hope, he was said to be one of the fastest in last years draft....might be nice if he pans out, maybe De La Cruz-ish

 

I absolutely agree on the first part. Don't know on the 2nd. Bauer has had multiple accusers. The first one turned out to be a gold digging cunt, then others piled on and came to light after like always. are they the same as the first? I don't know, but he must have been doing something wrong to have 3-4 women accusing him of the same shit. Manfred probably ordered the long ass suspension through the end of his Dodgers contract partly because of past beef with Bauer, but it was obvious he'd at least get it reduced upon appeal. But we don't really know what he did or didn't do in the other cases.

 

He's 26. he's ready for MLB now, Dodgers don't have any at bats for him probably because they don't trust him anywhere defensively. sometimes you gotta make trades like this. He could just be another Willie Calhoun

 

thing is that's not how it worked until recently
since when do accusers equal punishment in a society priding itself on individual rights?
i know, i know but if you or anyone else on this board suddenly became a trillionaire there would be blood in the water
and every chick you ever gave a sideways look would line up for a chance at a paycheck
3-4 accusers for a stud athlete w a big personality sounds light to me