https://fivethirtyeight.com/features...t-are-juicing/
Balls are juiced and Sox still can't hit HR's.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features...t-are-juicing/
Balls are juiced and Sox still can't hit HR's.
Originally Posted by Old Red
They switch balls when we are up to bat as retribution for Tom Brady.https://fivethirtyeight.com/features...t-are-juicing/
Balls are juiced and Sox still can't hit HR's.
Very good.
I could be wrong, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
I have not said that he has shown anything that warrants him being our starting 3B, just that he should be given a fair look. That means regular playing time for a few weeks, not the sporadic playing time that Farrell has been giving him.
LOL
Here is what Farrell is dealing with several times a game, every game:
To get a sense of all that goes into the decision, here's a taste of the factors adding branches to a manager's decision tree:
What is the situation? (score, inning, game importance, etc.)
Who is due up for the opponent?
Are there likely to be higher- or lower-leverage situations after this one?
Should I bring in a left-handed or right-handed pitcher?
When might a LOOGY be best deployed?
How many left-handed and right-handed pitchers do I have?
Is the opposing team a good low-ball or high-ball hitting team?
When was the last time each of my relievers threw?
How many days in a row have they thrown?
How many pitches did they throw over their most recent outings?
How do my relievers feel?
Did anyone have difficulty getting loose recently?
Is anyone coming off an injury?
Does any typically take longer to warm up?
Did anyone have poor command while throwing in the bullpen?
What's coming up on the schedule that I should be aware of?
How have my relievers been performing?
Am I going to need multiple relievers this inning?
Does this situation align with someone's role (e.g. setup man, closer)?
If so, will making an exception have motivational or psychological fallout?
That's a lot of things to consider. By no means is it a complete list, but simply a place to start when trying to think like an MLB manager. Keep in mind that not only does the manager need to go through all of those factors and pick the "right" guy, he needs to figure all of those things out far enough in advance for his relievers to properly warm up, far enough in advance, in fact, that he hasn't already blown his desired reliever in a less optimal setting earlier in the game, or even earlier in a series.
From Baseball Prospectus http://www.baseballprospectus.com/ar...rticleid=27403
It is amazing how many senile old drunks have been able to be successful with all that to consider.
The King of TalkSox has Spoken.
I have read constantly on here about how these guys are under achieving and should be hitting better. For the most part I just don't see it. Betts yes - based on what he has done, I think it makes sense that we expect more from him going forward. Ramirez - I'm not buying that one. His career has been somewhat up and down. He certainly can hit and might but it would not be all that unusual if this is who he is for this season. Often injured and limited play. As for the rest, it is who and what they are in my opinion. If the pitching holds up, they will compete to the end but I don't expect the bats to suddenly morph into something other than what they are and for the most part have always been. Unless they bring in a hitter, this is the team that we have been dealt. It is possible I suppose that some on here are still expecting Sandoval of a few years ago to suddenly show up as well. I don't but like the rest of you, I will continue to hope for the best.
Speaking of hitting, I absolutely hate it when one of ours gets up with men on base and takes 3 call strikes, never taking the bat from his shouldefr. Where is the aggression? Where is the idea of plate protection? I watched Travis do that last night. Leon did that a lot toward the end of last year. I'd rather have a guy swing the bat and miss than keep the bat on his shoulder and go down looking.
I understand looking for a particular pitch in a particular spot on the first strike. No sense going after a pitch perfectly placed down and way on the outside corner. I might even buy it on the second strike.
But protecting the plate is a lost art. Very few seem to do it anymore. I remember reading that the old Oriole first baseman Eddie Murray would spend a couple of rounds of batting practice practicing his emergency swings; the type you use when you have 2 strikes and you are fooled on a pitch. It didn't always work for him in a game, sometimes the pitcher gets you. But he was at least thinking about protecting the plate and worked at it. Closer to home, Fisk's homer in Game 6 never takes place if Carbo doesn't hit his in the 8th, and Carbo never hits his if he doesn't foul off a nasty 2 strike pitch with, as Sports Illustrated said. "all the grace of a suburbanite raking leaves". It was a horrible swing, but it led to 2 moments for the ages.
The Yankees could go 0-162 and it wouldn't be enough
I have a sense that my take on Sox hitting must be very close to Rick Porcello's. He must contrast last year's lineup with this one. I mean the guy's 4-10 and if this were a typical Sox team, he would me closer to 9-5.
I can recall Sox teams that had a team batting average of close to .300 after 75 games. Hitting has always been our trademark. We're always right near the top in all offensive categories except maybe home runs. So, I find this whole season, from start till now, to be disappointing and frustrating.
To me, this began with our 3b and lb bloated salary signings a couple years ago. I was very opposed to both, esp. given the size of the contracts. Neither would hit for that money. It seemed a quick, thoughtless move to make headlines.
This year Rick Porcello has surrendered at least four runs in 10 of his 17 starts (at least four earned runs in nine of those starts). Last year Porcello surrendered at least four runs in only eight of 33 starts (at least four earned runs in only six of those 33 starts).
The results were ERAs of 3.15 in 2016 and 5.06 so far this year while his per-game run support has fallen from 6.83 in 2016 to 4.06 so far this year.
He is stinking. He won the Cy Young award last year and he is pitching to a 5 ERA and 1.50 WHIP up .5 from last year. He needs to pitch like a top of the rotation pitcher with a weakened offense. He gets paid $21 million a year. He needs to earn it.
The King of TalkSox has Spoken.
The team will bring in a hitter, I have no doubt. Who that is and how much of a power bat he will be, I have no idea. However, I still think that the 'fix' for our offense starts with the guys we have. Even if a bat is added, if some of our other guys don't improve, then one bat is not going to make much of a difference.
It's funny that you mention that because I was thinking the same thing a couple of days ago. It seems like our guys look at strike 3 far too often. Maybe the pitch was a little off the plate, but if it's that close, you have to protect the plate.
Porcello has not pitched that great, but honestly, I don't think his pitching has been that big of a problem.
The frustratingly inconsistent offense needs to fix itself.
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