A Realistic View of 2024: Part II

[moonslav59]

As bad as our middle infield has been, this year, we seem to have finally hit on some combos that have been doing okay, of late.

We cycled through ...
.617 Story (season-ending injury)
.452 Valdez I (demoted May 2nd)
.451 Reyes (DFA'd)
.000 Short (traded back)

Romy Gonzalez (.651) and playing Rafaela (.634) at SS started the improvement, but these two guys have really stepped it up a hefty notch:
.775 DHam (.898 since May 17th- a pretty significant sample size of 91 PAs)
1.251 EValdez II (June numbers)

A word to those who think DHam is a fluke and Grissom a bust.

DHam's sample size of .898 in his last 91 PAs is larger than Grissom's SSS. His 135 PA sample size for 2024 (at .775) is about twice the size of Grissom's.

I hope we can keep this up. We will need good play from our middle IF to have any chance at making the playoffs.

[moonslav59]

I also like the "future signings" of Hendriks and Fulmer.

And his dumpster dive signings of Booser, who has been pretty damn good, and Anderson and Keller, who have been adequate innings chewers.

And with no Breslow we might have no Bailey.

I'm not down on Breslow at all, and as I much as I go on about the Sale trade, I suspect that had a lot to do with making everything fit into the tight budget he was so rudely given.

Brez certainly deserves more time to get a feel for his total body of work. I have a good gut feeling, out of the gate, based on what he has done, so far.

While his most noteworthy deal has looked awful, I do think it made sense, at the time, and if Grissom ends up winning the second base job, it may end up being an okay or even good trade for us.

Yes, I did not mention the Hendriks and Fulmer deals, which could end up being very helpful. The Booser deal was minor, but has worked out okay. Chase Anderson has not been all that awful.

A lot of his final grade might end up on Fitts, Grissom I Campbell and Weissert's next few years.

[Bellhorn04]

The Booser deal was minor, but has worked out okay.

Booser has actually been outstanding. 2.84 FIP, 1.12 WHIP, 6.2 K/BB. For a guy no one had ever heard of. Major props for this one.

[Old Red]

Brez certainly deserves more time to get a feel for his total body of work. I have a good gut feeling, out of the gate, based on what he has done, so far.

While his most noteworthy deal has looked awful, I do think it made sense, at the time, and if Grissom ends up winning the second base job, it may end up being an okay or even good trade for us.

Yes, I did not mention the Hendriks and Fulmer deals, which could end up being very helpful. The Booser deal was minor, but has worked out okay. Chase Anderson has not been all that awful.

A lot of his final grade might end up on Fitts, Grissom I Campbell and Weissert's next few years.

Yes, and you had the same good feeling for Bloom.🙈🤭🤮

[5GoldGloves:OF,75]

I also think Mr. Alex Cora is doing a sensational job this year. It would be a feel-good story if they announced an extension for him.

It gives me agita when I hear national media speculating that AC will get the next Craig Counsell contract...

... not just because I think Cora is the second-best Red Sox manager in my lifetime, but because we all know Boston ownership can afford to keep him -- and we suspect John Henry would prefer instead someone at entry-level salary to man an under-manned roster.

We fans and our high suspectations...

[Bellhorn04]

It gives me agita when I hear national media speculating that AC will get the next Craig Counsell contract...

... not just because I think Cora is the second-best Red Sox manager in my lifetime, but because we all know Boston ownership can afford to keep him -- and we suspect John Henry would prefer instead someone at entry-level salary to man an under-manned roster.

We fans and our high suspectations...

I do think Henry must respect Cora as a manager, to bring him back after a (well-deserved) suspension.

[notin]

I do think Henry must respect Cora as a manager, to bring him back after a (well-deserved) suspension.

… not to mention offer him other positions within the organization…

[Old Red]

I do think Henry must respect Cora as a manager, to bring him back after a (well-deserved) suspension.

On 1 hand They told Cora he was safe when Bloom got fired, but on the other hand he doesn’t have a new contract. Maybe he wants to take some managing time off for some family time.

[5GoldGloves:OF,75]

I do think Henry must respect Cora as a manager, to bring him back after a (well-deserved) suspension.

Who's a better company man than a new hire who implements a scheme devised by the analytics department exploiting the cutting edge fringes of an industry, and then takes the fall as a scapegoat for the entire organization?

What big business owner wouldn't want to employ a stand-up guy who served his time and kept his mouth shut.

[moonslav59]

I’m

Booser has actually been outstanding. 2.84 FIP, 1.12 WHIP, 6.2 K/BB. For a guy no one had ever heard of. Major props for this one.

Yes, better than okay.

[moonslav59]

Who's a better company man than a new hire who implements a scheme devised by the analytics department exploiting the cutting edge fringes of an industry, and then takes the fall as a scapegoat for the entire organization?

What big business owner wouldn't want to employ a stand-up guy who served his time and kept his mouth shut.

Post of the week.

[notin]

OK, they all pitched well. That would be 3+ WAR for 150 innings, 3.5+ for 175 innings.

What else is there to say about it?

First of all, just extrapolating out the innings (which means ignoring Sale’s most obvious weakness) does ignore that that doesn’t always work so well. Fatigue, etc.

Second, have you seen how Matz is doing?

Third, Kluber was better and actually durable the year before the Sox acquired him. But, as happens with every pitcher, he got old and did so fast. Just because Sale hasn’t didn’t mean it wasn’t a concern…

[notin]

Who's a better company man than a new hire who implements a scheme devised by the analytics department exploiting the cutting edge fringes of an industry, and then takes the fall as a scapegoat for the entire organization?

What big business owner wouldn't want to employ a stand-up guy who served his time and kept his mouth shut.

To me, Henry doesn’t want to just be cheap; he wants to be cheap and win. In order to accomplish that, he will need an organization that runs on the cutting edge of analytics. The best guy for just such a team is Alex Cora, who is one of the largest devotees of analytics in all of MLB.

So Cora is an investment for Henry that shields him from paying the outrageous MLB prices he so wants to avoid…

[Bellhorn04]

First of all, just extrapolating out the innings (which means ignoring Sale’s most obvious weakness) does ignore that that doesn’t always work so well. Fatigue, etc.

Second, have you seen how Matz is doing?

Third, Kluber was better and actually durable the year before the Sox acquired him. But, as happens with every pitcher, he got old and did so fast. Just because Sale hasn’t didn’t mean it wasn’t a concern…

To me the bottom line is that Sale's fWAR per inning has remained good through those injury-ravaged and abbreviated seasons with us.

The hilarious one is 2022, when he registered a 0.2 fWAR in 5.2 IP. Even that extrapolates well.

[notin]

To me the bottom line is that Sale's fWAR per inning has remained good through those injury-ravaged and abbreviated seasons with us.

The hilarious one is 2022, when he registered a 0.2 fWAR in 5.2 IP. Even that extrapolates well.

As I have said about Sale (and a few others, notably Eovaldi), the issue isn’t talent.

But that 2022 looks odd, especially when considering that 5.2 IP covers two starts. Also odd with his career lowest K/9 (which means nothing over 5 IP, but is a factor in FIP, which is in turn a factor in fWAR)…