If lggy comes out on fire....

[jung]

Iggy absolutely does have to cure himself of swinging at the first thing he sees unless it is a very good pitch to hit. If he can do that, he will be way ahead of the game particularly with regard to OBP. Even if he does not eventually draw a walk he will end up with more counts in his favor. Regardless of how critical Strike 1 is to pitchers, they are not inclined to just groove the thing in an 0-0 count.

[VA Sox Fan]

Kid left bases juiced twice, didn't he?

 

Despite that, liked what I saw.

 

No only once in the 5th. He popped out w/ bases loaded.

 

Otherwise he had a bunt single, 2 infield singles with one RBI.

 

Not too shabby.

 

Edit: They had too many men LOB. A trend from the past few seasons that will hopefully not continue.

[SoxSport]

In the era of pitch counts, it makes sense to take as many pitches as possible to get the starter out of the game as soon as possible. That gets you to the soft underbelly of the staff--the middle relief. A good reason to avoid first pitch swinging. Take a strike. Get ahead on the count. Maximize the pitch count.

[Dojji]

They all have to figure it out at least enough to stay in the majors. Pedey seems to think that Iggy's superior hand eye coordination will result in him being a good ML hitter. That is far from a slam dunk.

 

But far from impossible. A lot of guys with similar skillsets managed to pull it off

 

But it did take years, not months or weeks.

 

If he does figure it out, it's going to take a lot of at bats in all likelihood. Thousands possibly. And that means he's going to have to figure out how to keep a very offensive-minded fanbase off his back long enough to get those at bats. That's a tall trick.

[Dojji]

Edit: They had too many men LOB. A trend from the past few seasons that will hopefully not continue.

 

LOB is something that happens when your team gets on base. I believe we had a very high raw numbers of LOB both 04 and 07. I'm not saying it's nothing to worry about, but it's as much a sign that the players did something right, as it is that they did something wrong. It comes with good and bad points.

 

OBP is about giving yourself lots of chances to score. Not about putting everyone who gets on base across the plate. Since we're down on power compared to the usual, we're going to see some LOBs. It's just the way we're built. The hope is that we give enough chances to ourselves to score, that eventually something comes through by sheer law of probability.

[VA Sox Fan]

LOB is something that happens when your team gets on base. I believe we had a very high raw numbers of LOB both 04 and 07. I'm not saying it's nothing to worry about, but it's as much a sign that the players did something right, as it is that they did something wrong. It comes with good and bad points.

 

OBP is about giving yourself lots of chances to score. Not about putting everyone who gets on base across the plate. Since we're down on power compared to the usual, we're going to see some LOBs. It's just the way we're built. The hope is that we give enough chances to ourselves to score, that eventually something comes through by sheer law of probability.

 

Good points! Just drives me a little nuts in a pet-peevish way.

[Behindenemylines]

as long as Iggy's OBP is relatively respectable for a defensive SS i'll be happy. I could care less about his BA.

 

I agree. Game one he found a way to get on. A high OBP will turn into more runs. You know he will save some runs with his glove. The hope is that what we saw in the opening he can consistantly do.

[rorschach]

How bout little Iggy huh! Bradley not a bad day either!

[The Celtbot]

How bout little Iggy huh! Bradley not a bad day either!

 

Some pretty confident swings yesterday and some hard hit balls. Hope it works out for him, he also looked confident in the field which is what we expected.

[Dojji]

I want to see him slump and then break out of it. That was the mistake we all made with Nava. He looked like the second coming, but once he fell into a slump he couldn't pull himself out.

 

If he can break himself out of slumps and manage to readjust and start collecting hits again, then I'll believe in the new bat of Jose Iglesias.

[SoxSport]

Farrell reiterated today Drew is the starting SS. This means Iggy probably goes down no matter what he does the next few games. No matter this team is now clicking with the added emphasis on speed and defense Bradley and Iggy have brought them.

 

Farrell is probably just carrying out the dictates of the FO here--and their simple-minded policy is play the money. That's the way they have always operated. It kept Kalish in the minors when he was ready, and it may affect their momentum if and when Iggy is sent down. It's doubtful Drew can replace his speed and defense. And I mean offensive speed--on the basepaths.

 

When Ortiz comes back in a few weeks, they'll be in the same predicament about Bradley. Though maybe they'll finesse that by platooning Gomes and Ortiz.

 

They played it safe in the off-season by signing Gomes and Drew. Though nobody saw Bradley coming, and Iggy looked like a sure bet for Pawtucket. But the situation has changed. Will the FO adapt to the change? It's a measure of their competence. Play the best team, guys, not the money.

[Dojji]

It's never all about play the money. That said, they're not going to sink $9M in Drew and not even find out what he is. When he's ready to go I expect him to start, but longer term the job is Iglesias' to earn.

[Big Guy]

LET EM PLAY!!!

[BSN07]

I agree dojji, need to see how he responds to a slump and if he can make the proper adjustments.

 

I'd like to see him stay in there but letting Drew play and build his trade value will help the club too. Drew could be the best SS available later in the season and the Sox could turn him into a good prospect or two.

[Dojji]

Yep. And if Drew produces, there's no reason Iggy can't wait. If we're pushing for the playoffs with Drew doing well at SS, I think hard about extending him too. Our options are wide open right now, and a shortstop of Drew's talent is hard to find. Let's not repeat the mistake we made with Adrian Beltre (even though I was all for it at the time)

 

Still it's real, real nice to see Iggy make the adjustments he needs to make to make it a hard decision. Nice problem to have really. especially because Ciriaco would be a starter at either short or second on a lot of teams right now as well.

[jacksonianmarch]

Yep. And if Drew produces, there's no reason Iggy can't wait.

 

Still it's real, real nice to see Iggy recognize that and make the adjustments he needs to make to make it a hard decision.

 

Iggy can hit 90mph fastballs down the middle. Good for him. I'd take nothing out of the first two games from the Sox perspective. Our pitching was abysmal and the location was absolutely awful

[Dojji]

There's that too. We know Drew can hit big league pitching over a full season, if he can get back to that level of health.

[SoxSport]

Iggy can hit 90mph fastballs down the middle. Good for him. I'd take nothing out of the first two games from the Sox perspective. Our pitching was abysmal and the location was absolutely awful

 

which explains why Middlebrooks went 0 for 8 and Napoli 1 for 9? Give credit where credit is due--even for only 2 games.

[Bellhorn04]

It's pretty hard not to see that Iggy is a much improved hitter.

[Palodios]

Yep. And if Drew produces, there's no reason Iggy can't wait. If we're pushing for the playoffs with Drew doing well at SS, I think hard about extending him too. Our options are wide open right now, and a shortstop of Drew's talent is hard to find. Let's not repeat the mistake we made with Adrian Beltre (even though I was all for it at the time)

.

 

Just to be clear, the picks from Beltre got this team Swihart and Jackie Bradley. If someone gives the Sox a good offer on Drew midseason, I'd definitely say take it.

[SCM33]

It's pretty hard not to see that Iggy is a much improved hitter.

 

Of his 7 hits, 4 or 5 of them are bunt singles. A little early.

 

He has shown that his glove is clearly above major league ready.

[BSN07]

He's playing great D and putting the ball in play at the plate. Pretty much what I was hoping for out of him.

[SoxSport]

Of his 7 hits, 4 or 5 of them are bunt singles. A little early.

 

He has shown that his glove is clearly above major league ready.

 

He's hit the ball better than Napoli--who's a bust so far batting cleanup. The media talk is about Bradley and Iglesias, but the real talk should be about the lack of punch in the middle of the order--so far.

[Dojji]

Just to be clear, the picks from Beltre got this team Swihart and Jackie Bradley. If someone gives the Sox a good offer on Drew midseason, I'd definitely say take it.

 

Swihart and Bradley may wind up outproducing what Beltre would have already given us, but even with Bradley's really first few games that's by no means a given.

 

Throw in the fact that these were playoff seasons where we were frequently hurting at one or another corner infield position due to injury, and the fact that the Gonzalez trade (which trade, in the making, was probably the biggest reason we didn't extend Beltre) turned out horrendously for us in a number of respects, and what you have is, not quite a booby prize, but something I'd describe as a very nice silver lining.

[kapsis21]

He's hit the ball better than Napoli--who's a bust so far batting cleanup. The media talk is about Bradley and Iglesias, but the real talk should be about the lack of punch in the middle of the order--so far.

 

3 games its only been 3 games. papi didnt hit one till may in 2011 under Tito if i remember correctly. wait for a couple of weeks atleast before we start complaining.

[redsoxbeatz]

3 games its only been 3 games. papi didnt hit one till may in 2011 under Tito if i remember correctly. wait for a couple of weeks atleast before we start complaining.

 

Gotta wait till the end of the month at least. It sure is hard to not want to start criticizing right NOW though!!

 

Even in Football you have to wait a few+ weeks before you judge the team and by then the season is already 25% over

[Dojji]

I've always been amused by this kind of rush to judgment.

 

I mean even if you're right, what does it get you? Can you do anything about it?

 

Settle down and enjoy the ride. The regular season matters now in a way it hasn't in awhile, that's no excuse to treat games 1, 2 and 3 of the regular season like they were games 1, 2 and 3 of the ALCS.

[jung]

I really hope Iggy is not boosted from the lineup due to an injury. He deserves a real shot..he does not deserve more than that but he deserves that and the Sox deserve a shot to make a decision on him based on seeing him as complete a ballplayer as he can be. He is an incredible defensive SS and his run prevention capabilities cannot be questioned.

[Dojji]

Great game by Ciriaco.

 

I stand by what I said upthread. Ciriaco is a starting caliber SS if given the chance. Maybe not a superstar, but if you want a guy who pulls his weight, defends very competently, and can make contact, Ciriaco is good for all of those things.

[a700hitter]

It sounds like Drew will be in the starting lineup tomorrow.