The easy answer: both. But if you had to choose ..."read on Bryce Harper and Manny Machado at the athletic on Tuesday http://www.royalsfanproshop.com/authentic-ryan-goins-jersey , and there’s just no way not to give it some love here today. It involves the conundrum facing (theoretically) 30 teams, and possibly coming down to all but two — the Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies — who will have the better career from here, Machado or Harper?Here at SSS, we’ve had the debate in comments, very briefly. I’ve said that Bryce is more the Brooks Boyer choice, as a player with the oversized personality to own the city, while Manny will provide more value and flexibility on the field.Taking almost completely the “aging curve” angle, does Sarris agree that Manny is the better play?Before I crib (hopefully gently) from his piece, let me advise that you should be reading Eno as often as you can, whether or not you share his love for brewhouse esoterica and food plate pics. I’ll try to highlight some of the points of greatest divergence between the two.One element quick to flush careers down the toilet is plate discipline, or as Harris says it, “the ability to make contact on pitches outside the zone ages poorly.” To a somewhat slight extent, Harper stabs less often outside the strike zone and has better plate discipline overall. More significantly, though Machado’s contact is better, it comes more often on pitches outside of the strike zone. And yet, Machado’s has a really nice career strikeout rate (16.4%), better than Harper at 21.1%. Perhaps Harper has sold out more often for power?The word-that-didn’t-exist-two-decades-ago, “athleticism,” is the the next major point, and in this, Harper prevails readily. While it’s great that Machado has greater positional flexibility (and value) Jorge Soler Jersey , he’s, to put it bluntly, slow (per Sarris, the second-slowest shortstop in MLB last year). The metrics point to Harper as, simply, a better athlete, and one who will age better.Sarris notes that generally, the aging curve really picks up on defense at age 33, which might be something to toss out of the mix here because we’re talking about the tail end of a 10-year deal. However, props for Machado for playing shortstop in 2018 (theoretically making him able to man any position on the field, sans pitcher or catcher).Sarris sees both players as ~30 WAR guys to this point, with Harper getting about 10 more offensive wins than Machado (thus Machado sees more of his value balanced between offense and defense). Harper’s next position options are very limited. Left field? First base? A 30-year-old DH? Significant advantage for Machado here.Finally, Sarris lands at “coaching” as a category: Which player has untapped potential that a new staff might unlock? The advantage goes to Machado, as there’s more upside for him with defensive coaching, and a new hitting coach might be able to get him to chase less often out of the zone. Harper, on the other hand, appears to be more of a what-you-see-is-what-you-get player — if not a “finished” player, one with a shorter ceiling from here.I’ll have you click Sarris’ piece to see who he prefers, but the over breakdown is:Advantage, Harper: better plate discipline, better athleteAdvantage http://www.royalsfanproshop.com/authentic-ryan-goins-jersey , Machado: (significantly) better defense, more untapped potentialFor the White Sox, Machado fits more of an organizational need, and offers a more steady baseline of production than Harper. But that may be putting a magnifying glass over immediate team needs, which is a bit silly when addressing a possible 10-year deal. (Sort of like when pundits are pushing the New York Yankees as a “perfect fit” for Machado because he can play shortstop for three months while Didi Gregorius rehabs from TJS.)The lame (though very true) answer is: Either one is fine! Or: Both!So, let’s choose and discuss. Presuming the exact same contract terms, who do you want on the White Sox in 2019 and beyond, eventually going into the Hall of Fame in a White Sox cap? LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — When Michael Fulmer arrived in the major leagues in 2016, his impact was impressive and immediate.Now, the Detroit right-hander will settle for steady progress.Three years after that sparkling debut season, Fulmer is at a bit of a crossroads. He won AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2016 but has struggled to return to that form, especially last year, when he went 3-12 with a 4.69 ERA. His 2018 season ended a bit early because of knee problems, and Fulmer — who turns 26 this month — has been working on some mechanical adjustments in response to his injuries.“I think last year, performance-wise, I wasn’t a hundred percent all the way through the season, and I think it showed,” he said Monday. “This year, we’re trying to kind of redo everything and get to be pain free, which I am. I’m blessed for that Drew Butera Jersey , and I think everything else will kind of build up.”Fulmer pitched three innings in Monday’s 9-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Kolten Wong led off with a home run that carried up to an elevated walkway behind the bullpen in right field. That was the only run off Fulmer.“He felt really good with the ball coming out of his hand,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “The second and third inning, really good. It was coming out nice, his changeup, his breaking ball, so that’s what you’re looking for. Now, whether the velocity gets going with it, who knows?”Fulmer’s velocity has been a big topic. The pitch Wong hit for a home run was just 91 mph, according to the reading at the ballpark. But Fulmer figures he has enough time to build up to higher speeds as the season approaches.“I’m not worried about it,” he said. “If it keeps going up every outing, then we’ll be spot on.”The Tigers acquired Fulmer in 2015 when they traded Yoenis Cespedes to the New York Mets. Shortly after Fulmer arrived in the majors in 2016, he went on a run of nine straight starts allowing no more than one earned run.That peak would have been hard for any pitcher to sustain, but Fulmer finished with an 11-7 record and a 3.06 ERA, beating Gary Sanchez of the Yankees for Rookie of the Year. He was 10-12 with a 3.83 ERA in 2017, earning an All-Star nod, but last season raised questions about both his health and his ability to pitch like an ace over the long term.Right now, Fulmer has a lot to prove. His health seems fine. His fastball is a work in progress. Both will be under scrutiny over the next few weeks.“He’s the only person that knows if he’s going to have a little extra, and we just have to give it time,” Gardenhire said. “This is spring training, so he’s got plenty of time. He’s going to have quite a few more starts.”NOTES: The Tigers have all 40-man roster players under contract for 2019 after announcing deals right-handers Victor Alcantara, Sandy Baez http://www.royalsfanproshop.com/authentic-ryan-goins-jersey , Buck Farmer, Reed Garrett, Eduardo Jimenez, Joe Jimenez, Franklin Perez, Zac Reininger, Spencer Turnbull and Drew VerHagen; left-handers Ryan Carpenter, Jose Fernandez, Matt Hall, Gregory Soto and Daniel Stumpf; catchers Grayson Greiner and John Hicks; infielders Sergio Alcantara, Jeimer Candelario, Willi Castro, Brandon Dixon, Niko Goodrum, Dawel Lugo and Ronny Rodríguez; and outfielders JaCoby Jones, Mikie Mahtook, Dustin Peterson, Victor Reyes and Christin Stewart.