Buster Olney says scouts are raving about Mike Leake

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Originally Posted by Steve4192

Nonetheless, straight from the draft to the majors is pretty damn historical, even for the most polished prospects. I can only think of a handful of guys who have done it in my lifetime, and I'm an old fart.

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Exactly. Doesn't happen often.

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Originally Posted by dougdirt

That is absolutely stealing. He left the store with items that he was not authorized to leave with.

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:lol: And it starts again.:lol:

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Originally Posted by RANDY IN INDY

:lol: And it starts again.:lol:

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Yes, it starts again that I believe that when you leave a store with merchandise you didn't pay for and weren't authorized to switch out is stealing and when someone says otherwise, I am going to correct them.

But you just keep laughing and mischaracterizing what you want to think I am doing or saying.

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Originally Posted by Steve4192

Nonetheless, straight from the draft to the majors is pretty damn historical, even for the most polished prospects. I can only think of a handful of guys who have done it in my lifetime, and I'm an old fart.

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Since he's been a below starter in the majors and it appears that his proponents think he still has lot to learn, maybe he shouldnt have skipped the minors?

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Originally Posted by dougdirt

Yes, it starts again that I believe that when you leave a store with merchandise you didn't pay for and weren't authorized to switch out is stealing and when someone says otherwise, I am going to correct them.

But you just keep laughing and mischaracterizing what you want to think I am doing or saying.

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But you're over it and never bring it up, right? That's all.

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Originally Posted by RANDY IN INDY

But you're over it and never bring it up, right? That's all.

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You do know there is a difference between me bringing up Mike Leake stealing shirts and telling someone else who brought it up and claims what he did wasn't stealing actually was stealing, right? I guess you don't because this is about the 5th post of me explaining it.

Leake shoplifting recap: Doug thinks walking out of a store with merchandise that one didnt pay for is stealing. Even so Doug has repeatedly said he doesn't consider Leake's indiscretion a big deal in the grande scheme.

In leu of further clogging the thread with puzzling requests for Doug to clarify his straightforward position on this subject, how about this post serve as acknowledgment by all thread participants that Doug thinks walking out of a store with merchandise that wasn't paid for is stealing but he doesn't think Leake's indiscretion is a big deal in the grande scheme?

No one will be raving about the cul de sac this thread got stuck in due to Mike's performance at Macy's that afternoon

This we can probably all agree on

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Originally Posted by dougdirt

So we can never say someone screwed up or hold them accountable? What world do you live in?

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I guess I don't find that story about shoplifting really relevant to what he will do in 2013, what role he should have, his intelligence or his character. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, and assume it was a one time mistake, unless it becomes a pattern of behavior. I did stupider things than Leake did at that age. I'm glad they weren't reported on the internet..
I agree it was a stupid thing for him to do, but are we ever going to move past it? Probably not, unless his K/9IP ratio improves enough to gain favor here.

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Originally Posted by TRF

So, Leake "knows" how to pitch, he just can't execute?

the very definition of damning someone with faint praise. I know what i want to do with my money...i just get distracted at Best Buy. :)

As for people changing their minds... again I point to Price who has yet to weigh in on this decision.

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It means he's not stupid (I'm not accusing any player on the Reds of being stupid).

At the same time, can't we recognize that's it's very difficult to locate pitches exactly where we want it? The guy skipped the minors. He's still young and learning. IMO, there's still some upside in him. He can reduce this HR rate.

Price and the other Reds decision makers probably realize what a circus this decision became in the press. No point in commenting further about it, and risk getting a quote twisted out of context.. What is Price supposed to say now? If he says he agrees with Chapman in the pen, people pull out quotes about how he wants Chapman to be a starter.. Obviously, he can't publicly agree or disagree without stirring up controversy.

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Originally Posted by TRF

Mike Leake = Justin Germano very similar rate stats, similar stuff. The difference is 1 was a first rd. pick.

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Well that, Leake's significantly better performance through age 24 and Leake's superior assortment of pitches.

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Originally Posted by Steve4192

Learning isn't always linear. Some guys get progressively better year after year while some guys muddle along in stops and starts before the light clicks on. Leake may be one of those guys or he may not. But he is at the age and experience level where significant improvement is still a strong possibility.

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I'd say improvement is highly probable. As you noted, he's still learning to pinpoint his movement within the strikezone. IMO, he's going to be kind of evil when that happens.

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Originally Posted by dougdirt

I didn't bring it up to begin with. But I am also not going to make an excuse for stealing something or read someone else doing it and not say something about it.

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It's not technically stealing if you pay for something.

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Originally Posted by Brutus

It's not technically stealing if you pay for something.

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You are correct.

But, that isn't what happened with Mike Leake. He paid for shirts A,B and C at time X. He then came back to the store at time Y and left with shirts R, S and T.

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Originally Posted by dougdirt

You are correct.

But, that isn't what happened with Mike Leake. He paid for shirts A,B and C at time X. He then came back to the store at time Y and left with shirts R, S and T.

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They were the same price. He paid for the shirts and swapped out sizes. I honestly do not consider that stealing. If there was any difference in value, I'd agree. But when you pay $50 for $50 of merchandise and leave with $50 of merchandise, I don't consider that stealing.

Sorry, I just don't see the harm in that. Intellectually. Honestly. Practically. If you pay for a certain value and walk out with a certain value, you've done nothing wrong IMHO. He should have gone through the proper channels, it's the courteous thing to do, but I do not consider him a thief.