Sunday night links and scheduling

The next two days are going to be insanely busy and I’ve been writing pretty much non-stop this afternoon and will continue doing so tonight in order for things to be properly ready for the draft and Stras-a-palooza on Tuesday night. Basically, gamethreads and recaps will occur as usual, with one more post about Machado and Taillon coming after tomorrow’s game but before the draft, a post about Brad Lincoln and his role (or lack thereof) in the Strasburg circus Tuesday morning, and draft coverage as appropriate (likely a post with the first round pick on Monday night, plus an open-thread/semi liveblog on Tuesday for Rounds 2-30).

I do have a few other things to share. First off, make sure you check out Charlie’s post about talent evaluation. This particular passage is dead on:

My point here is that if we look at a sample size of hundreds, or thousands, of major leaguers, their careers will be broadly predictable (quick improvement throughout early twenties, peak in mid- to late twenties, and then a slow decline), but individuals buck the trend in ways that aren’t that predictable at all.

Dead on. Read all of it.

Second, radio man extraordinaire Rocco DeMaro is now blogging at WPGB’s webpage, so make sure you check that out as well.

Finally, I’ve got some pics from last night’s Bradenton/Viera game courtesy reader Andy Coulter. Here’s Bradenton’s lineup last night:

Now, match the numbers to the players. And notice how freaking huge Calvin Anderson is. And how short Brock Holt and his .351 average are. Holt left last night’s game after colliding with second baseman Adenson Chourio and didn’t play today. There’s no word on how serious the injury is.

Pitcher Hunter Strickland after serving up a homer and a look at Viera’s field.

And finally, a nice surreal shot of the Marauders handshake line after closing out the 4-3 win. Manager PJ Forbes (#7) is the axis on which the world rotates!

Thanks for the pics, Andy! Everyone else, buckle up because it’s gonna be a wild couple days.