Carl Crawford

[iortiz]

And even Lackey's "acceptable 2010 season" was a failure in terms of ROI. 2011? Don't wanna even talk about it.

 

If this is a great execution at FA, call me crazy again.

 

Oh Theo!

[Gringo]

It was a stupid and pointless move by JH. If Crawford was feeling pressure to perform' date=' knowing that the owner thinks he is overpaid isn't going to help him.[/quote']

 

Amazing, isn't it? For a guy who doesn't speak much, when he does, he slams his foot straight into his mouth. Idiotic statement from Henry.

[FredLynn]

Amazing' date=' isn't it? For a guy who doesn't speak much, when he does, he slams his foot straight into his mouth. Idiotic statement from Henry.[/quote']

 

Henry's interview was long. Listened to the whole thing. I think it was maybe 50 minutes long or so all together. When one talks for that long and people are hanging on to every word you say there are bound to be a few that you regret. I am sure he thinks that way about his Crawford comments. He ought to call Crawford and apologize.

[Laser Show]

I think he will have a very strong 2012 and .315 to .320 isn't out of the question. I doubt he'll ever hit more than 20 HR either, but 15-18 would be nice. He really needs to pick up on his 2B, 3B, and SB numbers.

[Cask N Flagon 76]

I think he had just a horrible year especially putting too much pressure on himself. Hey first year in a huge market will do that considering he came from baseball no man's land.

[WhiskeyBreath]

I think he will have a very strong 2012 and .315 to .320 isn't out of the question. I doubt he'll ever hit more than 20 HR either' date=' but 15-18 would be nice. He really needs to pick up on his 2B, 3B, and SB numbers.[/quote']

 

He needs to not play the OF like Wily Mo Pena as well.

[Cask N Flagon 76]

He needs to not play the OF like Wily Mo Pena as well.

 

 

I think we should give CC another year and then we can start making comparisons if

he will be a superstar here or a bust.

[WhiskeyBreath]

I think we should give CC another year and then we can start making comparisons if

he will be a superstar here or a bust.

 

I'm all for giving him a second chance next season. There really isn't an option not to. I was just adding to Laser Show's list of what improvements he wants to see next year. His defense was pathetic, which is surprising because of how great of a defender he was in Tampa.

[SoxSport]

He needs to not play the OF like Wily Mo Pena as well.

 

Pena--another of those Epstein love interests.

 

They needed special insurance just for him to take fly balls in the outfield.

[iortiz]

I definitely have more hopes in Crawford than Lackey, But still my hopes doesn't take away my big disappointment about his 2011 performance.

 

He better put the numbers or his signing could turn out into one of the biggest frustrations in our history since the terms of his contract.

[iortiz]

If he had put his career numbers or something around we would have made the POs.

[Cask N Flagon 76]

I'm all for giving him a second chance next season. There really isn't an option not to. I was just adding to Laser Show's list of what improvements he wants to see next year. His defense was pathetic' date=' which is surprising because of how great of a defender he was in Tampa.[/quote']

 

I agree his defense was appaling in every sense of the word. I think we will see a more

vocal CC and a more focused and determined player for 2012.

[seabeachfred]

That's what was most appalling about Crawford's performance this past season. Not only was his hitting piss poor but he took his hitting problems out to the field with him, and that spells LOSER to me. I know the guy is a hard work and is not a loser but he has a lot to live up to next year and he owes the team, the fans and especially himself a much better performance in 2012. It would be a big boost to the team if he could return to near the form he showed with the Rays in 2010. We are going to need good players and leaders next season to set a positive example to make up for how miserable we looked last month, and a Crawford performing at his best level is one of the way to make that come about.

[FredLynn]

That's what was most appalling about Crawford's performance this past season. Not only was his hitting piss poor but he took his hitting problems out to the field with him' date=' and that spells LOSER to me. I know the guy is a hard work and is not a loser but he has a lot to live up to next year and he owes the team, the fans and especially himself a much better performance in 2012. It would be a big boost to the team if he could return to near the form he showed with the Rays in 2010. We are going to need good players and leaders next season to set a positive example to make up for how miserable we looked last month, and a Crawford performing at his best level is one of the way to make that come about.[/quote']

 

Fred, I think ( I hope) Crawford will have a good comeback season next year. He is a very athletic player and those guys don't just lose it all in a year. My guess is that he was apalled by the lack of professionalism and country club atmosphere in Boston. That time is over. He will thrive under a driven no nonsense manager IMO.

[SoxSport]

The Sox should have made Lackey a preconditon for even allowing the Cubs to talk to Epstein.

 

You want Epstein, you take Lackey. That's called hardball.

[iortiz]

The Sox should have made Lackey a preconditon for even allowing the Cubs to talk to Epstein.

 

You want Epstein, you take Lackey. That's called hardball.

 

You should be my business advisor! :thumbsup:

[ipot]

The Sox should have made Lackey a preconditon for even allowing the Cubs to talk to Epstein.

 

You want Epstein, you take Lackey. That's called hardball.

 

Oh, if it were so, I'd be giddy with joy

 

Cubs won't even give us Garza. BUT, if SD will take Lackey, ship him FedEx.

[SoxSport]

It's not realistic for the Cubs to give up their best player (Castro) or pitcher (Garza).

 

But they should be giving up two of their top 10 prospects.

That's obvious from the Guillen deal.

[SoxSport]

Getting back to Crawford, let's see what Bill James projected for him in 2011 vs what he actually did--and

also what James projected for Kalish--who wound up staying in Pawtucket and getting hurt, mainly because the Sox had two ageing players, Cameron and Drew, taking up space in RF. Tells you a lot about the Sox.

 

HR RBI BA SB OBP OPS

 

Kalish (James) 20 82 .271 43 .340 .791

 

Crawford(James) 14 71 .300 42 .350 .803

 

Crawford(act) 11 56 .255 18 .289 .694

 

 

Not that Bill James is always right, but these stats tell you something about why Epstein

is no longer the GM of the Red Sox. He made some bad decisions here.

[mvp 78]

Kalish isn't a 20/40 guy right now.

[example1]

Getting back to Crawford, let's see what Bill James projected for him in 2011 vs what he actually did--and

also what James projected for Kalish--who wound up staying in Pawtucket and getting hurt, mainly because the Sox had two ageing players, Cameron and Drew, taking up space in RF. Tells you a lot about the Sox.

 

HR RBI BA SB OBP OPS

 

Kalish (James) 20 82 .271 43 .340 .791

 

Crawford(James) 14 71 .300 42 .350 .803

 

Crawford(act) 11 56 .255 18 .289 .694

 

 

Not that Bill James is always right, but these stats tell you something about why Epstein

is no longer the GM of the Red Sox. He made some bad decisions here.

 

 

Can you find me a single projection system (PECOTA, Marcel, James, etc.,) that projected Crawford to have the numbers he had? How about a single person who projected it? It's baseball. Sometimes this s*** just happens.

[jacksonianmarch]

Crawford came into a terrible situation to succeed and just wasnt a fit this yr. He's a hard worker, but he also appeared scared and stubborn, which is an awful combo. Stubborn in that his swing needs retooling. He obviously lost some bat speed from 2010 to 2011, which seems a little early, but certainly possible. Thing is, his stance doesnt allow him to take the quickest path to the ball. Easy fix, close the stance up a little and drop the hands down a little. His bat speed will be back.

 

And scared in that he entered a lockerroom full of high paid "professionals" with the voices of the team already in place. In Tampa, he was the lead man. In Boston, he was just a cog in the machine. It takes some time to become a leader on any team, and he just didnt seem comfortable. That will come in time.

 

The biggest thing I saw out of him was the fear on the bases. Looked like he lost his nerve, something I am unsure he can get back. It seemed to get into his head. Even with his down yr, he should have been over 30 SBs, easy. Instead, he didnt even get 20. Great basestealers have swagger. They get cut down and they cannot wait to go after that next bag. No fear at all. Well, Crawford seemed to lose that.

 

Regardless, I am unsure he will get back to what he was in Tampa, but I bet he can be a lot better than he was last season. I also think that with some adjustments to his swing, he'll show more power as he ages. He might be in the .270 range next yr with 20+ steals and 15+HRs.

[jung]

Regardless, I am unsure he will get back to what he was in Tampa, but I bet he can be a lot better than he was last season. I also think that with some adjustments to his swing, he'll show more power as he ages. He might be in the .270 range next yr with 20+ steals and 15+HRs.

 

Whatda' ya' tryin' ta' do.... make us feel worse than we already feel?

 

He needs to get his ass over .290 next season with double the walks that he got this year in which case he will steal 20 crawling to 2nd base. I could give a damn about 15 home runs if he gets his batting average and walks up where they should be.

[jacksonianmarch]

Once comfortable, I think he gets back into the 40+ walk range. This yr, though, nobody needed to walk him. He was the weak link and everyone went after him

[SoxSport]

I don't think Crawford is a good fit in Boston. He likes to run, and the Red Sox don't run.

At least, they don't use the stolen base as an integral part of the offense. Ellsbury pretty much

stopped stealing bases after 30-35 or so. He's a 30-30 guy, and that's enough for Boras to get him $20 million per season. Ells was maybe stealing for his big contract. Pedey stole 20+ bases--a surprise.

.

But the Sox aren't a speed team. When a guy walks, he doesn't steal to move into scoring position.

That was noticeable down the stretch in TV games. Imagine Crawford sitting on 1B, without trying to steal?

It happened. Basically, they want to prevent that out.

 

Remember Roberts crucial steal against the Yankees in 04? That might not happen today.

 

Today, it's all about 'Out Prevention'.

[User Name]

While i agree with the fact that Crawford was never a fit for other reasons than the ones mentioned above, isn't it possible that they were trying to add speed to an otherwise slow team by bringing him on board?

 

And how does anyone know why Ellsbury stopped running? As far as i'm concerned, he always had the green light.

[SoxSport]

Oh, if it were so, I'd be giddy with joy

 

Cubs won't even give us Garza. BUT, if SD will take Lackey, ship him FedEx.

 

You know, the ball is in Epstein's court right now. He has some control over what the Red Sox compensation will be. He could put Lackey on the table in some way, to make amends and as a parting gift. Maybe that 3-way deal with San Diego. We'll see.

[jacksonianmarch]

make amends? He doesnt need to make amends in Boston. He was the GM for 2 world titles. How spoiled you have become

[VA Sox Fan]

make amends? He doesnt need to make amends in Boston. He was the GM for 2 world titles. How spoiled you have become

 

I shake my head in shame.

 

3 way deal with San Diego? Nope.

 

Cubs prospects are a more realistic scenario.

[User Name]

make amends? He doesnt need to make amends in Boston. He was the GM for 2 world titles. How spoiled you have become

 

Wow. Exactly.

 

I have a theory. The reason why the media drags every player or prominent Red Sox figure through the coals is because most Red Sox fans have become spoiled prima donnas and eat the stories up.

 

Epstein wasn't as good as a lot of people proclaimed him to be, but he was good, and brought two WS titles to Boston, Duquette's players involved or no Duquette's players involved. Sox fans have become just as bad, if not worse, than the Yankee fans they love to criticize and berate.