What about Rizzo?

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (jdb) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:40:57 PST

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/27990/mlb-insider-keith-law

Brian (NYC)

Keith, is Casey Kelly the Red Sox #1 Prospect now? Also, will Jonathan Strange be #1 in the next Klaw100?

Keith Law

(5:39 PM)

Has to be, right? I think the way people are hurting themselves to jump off the Lars bandwagon is comical, but if you offered me one or the other now I'd take Kelly. JS will be in the top 20-25, but not #1.

I dont think we should count Lars out. I love Rizzo but still think Lars can turn it around and be in line for a call up next Sept and possible 1b or DH job in 2011. I do think its very possible...

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (amfox1) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:41:56 PST

Updated projection to add age and height/weight and to add Weeden as a possible backup in Salem.

First Basemen in the system (2010, age as of 3/31/10)

AAA - Bates (26.0, 6'4" 225lb) (backup: Natale (27.7, 5'10" 190lb)/MLFA)

AA - Anderson (22.6, 6'4" 210lb) (backup: Jones (24.9, 6'3" 220lb))

A+ - Rizzo (20.8, 6'3" 220lb) (backup: Keowen (23.11, 6'5" 215lb) or Weeden (22.6, 6'2" 225lb))

A - McGuiness (21.11, 6'1" 190lb) (backup: Hedman (23.8, 6'1" 200lb))

R/A - B.Monoroa (18.9, 6'1" 195lb) (backup: Lora (21.0, 6'2" 230lb))

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (ddawgs28) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:14:13 PST

tdrowe wrote:
Let's hope Lars does enough to merit promotion early next year. I'm still among those that think the injury really bogged him down this year, and that he will be back on track if he can shake the nagginess of the injury. If Lars doesn't dominate to start the year, there will be major cause for concern.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Lars had a back injury this year. This can be an impossible injury to play with. I know that a lot of the times fans can't understand when a player can't play through an injury or why two or three months after an injury he might still be struggling. With this type of injury, you basically can't bend over, and pivoting and opening your hips up in your swing is extremely painful. I believe that someone posted in the Sea Dogs thread that they thought he looked passive at the plate (which I would second from seeing him in early August)....

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (amfox1) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:32:55 PST

Arquimedez Bozo wrote:
Are you projecting Weeden to be cut?

My current projection has Weeden as a bubble/XST player. I have Keowen in front of him, but likely they are playing for one active spot, absent injury.

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (tdrowe) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:28:08 PST

Let's hope Lars does enough to merit promotion early next year. I'm still among those that think the injury really bogged him down this year, and that he will be back on track if he can shake the nagginess of the injury. If Lars doesn't dominate to start the year, there will be major cause for concern.

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (Arquimedez Bozo) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:41:38 PST

buffs44444 wrote:
Off topic on Lars, but he really need to get the F out of Portland. Bates is a nice player, but he's not the type of player who should be blocking Lars from getting a change of scenery.....and Lars really needs that change of scenery.

On topic....fantastic news on Rizzo. He was my darkhorse coming into the year, and I'm hopeful for continued improvement given the recovery stories shared by ASF and ghost. Keep going kid, you've got an ever expanding group of fans cheering you on.

buffs, I'm sure that NOBODY here thinks bates is blocking Lars at all. However, the fact is that Lars has been pretty much unable to sustain any success this year, and has not proven he's ready for Pawtucket. Maybe he shows otherwise in ST, but I'm with Amfox, Lars and Rizzo start in Portland and Salem, respectively, and get the bump to Pawtucket/Portland around...

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (Steve of Charlotte) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:51:55 PST

Seen them both several times. As much as I like Lars.....I love Rizzo! This kid will hit 30+ one season (or more) in the bigs. If he wasn't healthy this year, watch out world.

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (buffs44444) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:51:21 PST

Off topic on Lars, but he really need to get the F out of Portland. Bates is a nice player, but he's not the type of player who should be blocking Lars from getting a change of scenery.....and Lars really needs that change of scenery.

On topic....fantastic news on Rizzo. He was my darkhorse coming into the year, and I'm hopeful for continued improvement given the recovery stories shared by ASF and ghost. Keep going kid, you've got an ever expanding group of fans cheering you on.

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (Arquimedez Bozo) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:42:35 PST

Amfox, you've got Lars' seasons a year behind. He's 21 this year, was 20 last year, etc.

Are you projecting Weeden to be cut?

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (amfox1) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:54:09 PST

Rizzo vs. Lars

Age 18
Rizzo (A) 83AB, .373/.402/.446/.848, 15/3 K/BB

Age 19
Rizzo (A/A+) 424AB, .297/.369/.453/.822, 95/48 K/BB (through 9/2)
Lars (A) 458AB, .288/.385/.443/.828, 112/71 K/BB (did not count A+)

Age 20
Lars (A+/AA) 439AB, .317/.417/.517/.934, 107/75 K/BB

Age 21
Lars (AA) 428AB, .241/.331/.357/.688, 108/57 K/BB (through 9/2)

What seems most likely is for Rizzo to start in Salem and Lars in Portland, with both getting promotions around Memorial Day.

First Basemen in the system (2010)

AAA - Bates (Natale/MLFA)
AA - Anderson (Jones)
A+ - Rizzo (Keowen)
A - McGuiness (Hedman)
R/A - B.Monoroa (Lora)

Pretty strong list.

EDIT: Fixed Lars years per AB's post.

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (cwaaa) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:02:33 PST

Arquimedez Bozo wrote:
Ben Badler with a nice little piece on Rizzo's fielding on the BA Prospect blog: link

"He's the best I've seen," Epperson said. "By far the best I've ever seen. He has a tremendous feel not only for the glove but the footwork and being in spots-it's off the charts. He's going to be a future gold glover for many years. He puts just as much work into his glove as he does with the bat. He just makes everything look easy. A tick above-average play is a routine play for him."

Wow. Great news. Considering his age, Rizzo's floor has gotta be Casey Kotchman right now, but I think he could be pretty special. It was less than a year ago that this kid was getting poison...

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (Arquimedez Bozo) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:25:28 PST

Ben Badler with a nice little piece on Rizzo's fielding on the BA Prospect blog: link

"He's the best I've seen," Epperson said. "By far the best I've ever seen. He has a tremendous feel not only for the glove but the footwork and being in spots-it's off the charts. He's going to be a future gold glover for many years. He puts just as much work into his glove as he does with the bat. He just makes everything look easy. A tick above-average play is a routine play for him."

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (ghostfacesoxfan) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:08:35 PST

Bump.

Rizzo is 2/5, K tonight (9/2), raising his AVG to .296, and his OBP to ~.375 in just over 200 PA's in High-A.

SLG is down from Low A, especially since he came back from whatever minor injury he had (He slugged under .350 in August). BB/AB and BB/K are better than in Low A, and he seems to be well offensively equipped for the league; if he qualified, his AVG would be tied for the league lead, his OBP would be around 6th, and his ~.770 OPS would put his just outside the league top 10.

Keeping in mind that he's about 2 1/2 years below mean age for High A, per the age advancement chart, that it's 200 PA's and he'd likely be splitting time at 1b and DH with Lars, I don't think I'm going to start stumping for Rizzo to jump to AA at the beginning of next year, but with any decent start to '10, he'd have to be in line for promotion within the 2 months to half-season, or is something like the relative lack of power...

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (ancientsoxfogey) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:37:16 PST

That's all right Ghost, I was going from my [admittedly faulty at times] recollection, and if you have the facts, report them.

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (ghostfacesoxfan) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:41:47 PST

Well that's a positive mindset . . . . I guess . . .

Not to disagree again, but Lester had a type of B-Cell Lymphoma, which is not in the Hodgkin's class. The "Cure" rate for limited stage Hodgkin's, like Rizzo likely had, can be as high as 85-90% depending on risk factors, which revolve around a bunch or arbitrary side-symptoms we may never know about (location of tumors, night sweats or rapid weight loss prior to diagnosis, etc.). That would mean that this thing can be beaten into remission an is highly unlikely to ever come back. Pretty cool.

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (ancientsoxfogey) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:16:11 PST

Thanks for the info, GFSF. The difference between Rizzo/Lester and my son, of course, is that they were late teens/early 20's when diagnosed, where my son was coming up on 36 - a much rarer time to get the disease. Lester's lymphoma was Hodgkins as well, I believe. My son is doing well, continues cancer-free and back to normal activity. All indications are that his cancer was caught early as well. Really, in a certain sense I'm sitting around waiting for cancer to strike me. My parents both died of it, my mother-in-law has had it, 3 of my father's siblings and 3 of my mother's siblings had it, my wife just had carcinoma removed, my son's just had a bout -- it's a puzzle to me why I HAVEN'T been afflicted. Of course, something could be brewing for all I know and I'm just not aware of it yet.

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (ghostfacesoxfan) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:20:04 PST

I had written a sizable response to ASF, based on a discussion I had of the very determinations he was using, with an oncologist at the hospital, and likely on the team, that treated Rizzo. That post, however, went into the great internet beyond when it was decided I was not logged in.

Suffice it to say, if, as it is believed, that Rizzo had limited-stage Hodgkins (caught early, not a lot of tumors/masses), then he would have had 4 months of relatively-light chemotherapy, that young, fit people often tolerate well, and then either 2 months of directed radiation, or two more months of chemo. There is no follow-up drug, or treatment with Hodgkins. The doctor also said, that as with all chemotherapy, it can be 6 months to a year until you regain energy and stamina that you had previously.

We should also remember that like Lester before him, Rizzo is still young enough to be gaining strength through natural growth, and that process can be delayed while the body...

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (LondonSox) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:06:12 PST

All the best for your son ASF, but I think this is a very good post. Rizzo is doing pretty well / solid for ANYONE. LEt alone someone who has been through what he has in the last year.
Next year is the year he should be starting to get back to 100%, and if this is 75/80% then that is exciting indeed.

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (ancientsoxfogey) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:49:48 PST

Just one note about Rizzo and his cancer situation, which I learned from having my son go through it: This site mentions that Rizzo was declared cancer-free last November, and I can tell you that that term is the correct one to describe Rizzo's health status 6 months after diagnosis. It sounds very positive, but the term "cancer-free" is actually a less definitive statement about state of health than "in remission." I couldn't believe that when I first heard it. "Cancer-free" sounds better, to be sure. It sounds like "there's no cancer", while "in remission" sounds like "the cancer's been beaten down, but may still be lurking and can return someday".

But the explanation I got is that "cancer-free" is a determination that no cancer is detected at a particular point in time, "in remission" is one's status if no evidence of cancer reappears in repeated tests over a period of...

Re: What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (jr russo) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:06:19 PST

I just bought the new issue of Baseball Amercia and they have a nice article about the kid. Its the section that they talk about AAA, then AA,then A ball. They break down the standings and always talk about something that's going on. I thought everyone would appreciate it. I always buy the magazine to check out Boston stuff.

What about Rizzo?

feeds@kickapps.com (voiceofreason) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 07:15:47 PST

I like what I read about this kid and he has put up some nice numbers when healthy. Tough as nails and a good teammate, has the size for his age and has already dealt with some adversity. Bat is showing some nice pop this year which is pretty quick based on his age once again.
Anyone out there see him play much?