The Young Guns

[Standing Room]

Michael Young sucks, his bad defense outweighs his average offensive production. I was thinking more like Cody Ransom, Luis Valbuena or Placido Polanco.

[Orange Juiced]

Let's talk about Cecchini for a minute. Look at these numbers the past two seasons in the minors:

 

2012 - .305/.394/.433/.827

2013 - .341/.454/.515/.968

 

Tremendous hitter, terrible fielder for a 3b. Might we have our future 1b or corner OF instead of a 3b? That way Middlebrooks (assuming he gets back on track) ends up as the future 3b, Bogaerts the future SS, and Cecchini and Bradley in the OF?

[dupree]

Yes i agree. Ive seen all these guys play and Middlebrooks is far far better than anyone at 3B. Im not sure why people keep saying that Bogaerts has to move to 3B hes a power SS bat like Tulo so just let the kid play SS.

[sk7326]

Yes i agree. Ive seen all these guys play and Middlebrooks is far far better than anyone at 3B. Im not sure why people keep saying that Bogaerts has to move to 3B hes a power SS bat like Tulo so just let the kid play SS.

 

Indeed - him being a SS vs a 3B is the difference in being a Top 3 prospect or not. That said he might get too big to field the SS position, just physical development. If he can be adequate at SS he could be a SS. I advocate for 3B if they bring him up THIS season - it is where the job opening is. Could easily see Middlebrooks getting squeezed out - the approach is a problem without the absurd contact rates that others of that ilk have.

[jung]

I think scouts have commented that XB already has the frame of a 3rd baseman and just needs to put on the weight to fill out the frame. I think that is why talk of him filling out and moving to 3rd has been around for so long.

 

That could be fine. An infield of XB, Iggy. Pedey and WMB would not be all bad. Of course the Sox have other options for 1st and even for 3rd. Enviable position for the Sox in that regard.

 

Iggy still has work to do as far as his hitting goes. So that is another "remains to be seen".

[SoxFanForsyth]

Now that Iglesias is gone, it's either Bogaerts or Middlebrooks at 3B.

 

It's being reported that the Red Sox are considering Bogaerts, though a call up is not imminent.

 

Current slash lines in AAA:

 

Middlebrooks - .253/.319/.445 (.764 OPS), 8 HR, 30 RBI

 

Bogaerts - .279/.383/.481 (.864 OPS), 8 HR, 24 RBI

 

It should be noted that Bogaerts hit .318 with a .968 OPS in July, and has a .950 OPS against LHP in AAA. Middlebrooks hit .238 with a .682 OPS in July, and has a .864 OPS vs LHP.

 

But - Bogaerts doesn't have a ton of experience at 3B, and he'd be learning a new position along with making adjustments to MLB pitching. Interesting to see how this turns out.

[rjortiz]

I think they give Bogaerts another month in AAA, and then he gets called up in September. This is just speculation, but I bet Young could have been had for next to nothing. I think the Red Sox FO has to be thinking that Bogaerts is the best solution at 3B.

[User Name]

Yeah but Young sucks. They made the correct call not trading for him.

[Station 13]

Bogaerts has to be on the 40 roster prior to Sept if they want him eligible for the playoff roster. I think we'll see him very soon, next 10-15 days.

[rjortiz]

Yeah but Young sucks. They made the correct call not trading for him.

 

I agree. I just hope they don't do something stupid like trade for him in August.

[a700hitter]

Now that Iglesias is gone, it's either Bogaerts or Middlebrooks at 3B.

 

It's being reported that the Red Sox are considering Bogaerts, though a call up is not imminent.

 

Current slash lines in AAA:

 

Middlebrooks - .253/.319/.445 (.764 OPS), 8 HR, 30 RBI

 

Bogaerts - .279/.383/.481 (.864 OPS), 8 HR, 24 RBI

 

It should be noted that Bogaerts hit .318 with a .968 OPS in July, and has a .950 OPS against LHP in AAA. Middlebrooks hit .238 with a .682 OPS in July, and has a .864 OPS vs LHP.

 

But - Bogaerts doesn't have a ton of experience at 3B, and he'd be learning a new position along with making adjustments to MLB pitching. Interesting to see how this turns out.

I'd go with Bogaerts. He is a year older than Machado was when he came up with the O's last season.

[rjortiz]

Bogaerts was 2/4 with a double today. His OPS is up to .864. Middlebrooks was ejected, as his OPS fell to .764.

 

DH Middlebrooks, and start playing Bogaerts full time at 3B.

[SoxSport]

Middlebrooks was up around .280 until he went 1 for 15 when all the trade talk started.

He and Bogie would be an improvement vs LHP.

[MNSoxChief102]

I can't see any reason why the Sox wouldn't call up Bogaerts in the very near future. For f***'s sake they've got two nobodies manning the hot corner right now. How can Bogaerts be any worse? He's our SS of the future for sure, but right now he needs to be here to add his bat into the mix.

[jung]

One advantage to bringing up XB is that he might add back some of the speed that Farrell no longer has without Iggy. Farrell started the season with speed at the top of his lineup, speed at the bottom and speed on the bench. Now he has speed concentrated at the top, never the most efficient way to have speed, none at the bottom and none on the bench. Yet he continues to pursue this "relentless" approach to the running game. Many of his players don't even have average speed and are in fact as slow as molasses with a very limited base running skill set.

[a700hitter]

I can't see any reason why the Sox wouldn't call up Bogaerts in the very near future. For f***'s sake they've got two nobodies manning the hot corner right now. How can Bogaerts be any worse? He's our SS of the future for sure, but right now he needs to be here to add his bat into the mix.

Yep. I see no downside in getting him here.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Does Workman remind anyone else of Papelbon? Not that he'll ever be as good as Pap in a relief role, but Workman absolutely pounds the strike zone, doesn't back down to anyone, and lives away from the middle of the plate.

 

My guess is that, with the recent downturn in Tazawa's stuff, Workman becomes a key 8th inning guy for the Red Sox.

[mvp 78]

Yes, that has been a talking point on a few sports talk shows in these parts.

[jung]

I can't say that I have seen much of Paps since he has been away. However Paps did tend to straight up challenge hitters more than Workman does I think. Workman either works the guy in and away, up or down, then if it is working drops the curve on the guy or more often the change, eventually dusting him off with another FB in a good spot having set him up for it.

 

Paps would move the FB around the plate if anything but when push came to shove, he was more willing to come right after the hitter. If the hitter was a little weak hitting dweeb he was really apt to just go after the guy. In fact it seemed to me that when Paps would struggle it was because he was too many pitches into a stint and would still try to go after hitters when he just did not have enough left in the tank to do it. You could often see ahead of time when things were going to end bloody for Paps.

[a700hitter]

Does Workman remind anyone else of Papelbon? Not that he'll ever be as good as Pap in a relief role, but Workman absolutely pounds the strike zone, doesn't back down to anyone, and lives away from the middle of the plate.

 

My guess is that, with the recent downturn in Tazawa's stuff, Workman becomes a key 8th inning guy for the Red Sox.

I could see that working. No pun intended.

[SoxSport]

They are getting remarkable mileage out of the likes of Holt, Snyder, Gomes and Carp. They have better players in JBJ, Bogaerts and even Middlebrooks waiting in the wings. Gomes is a valuable platoon player, but not really a full time or defensive guy. Carp has been hot, and plays 1B too. Nice pickup. Holt and Snyder give something away on defense. They'll be a much stronger team with Bogie and Middlebrooks in there against LHP (this may well happen soon), and JBJ on the bench. JBJ could have been valuable last night pinch running for Snyder, and the night before for Nava. Speed on the bases is important in close games.

[jacksonianmarch]

SS, Farrell is doing a great job of using his whole bench without overexposing anyone. The job of a manager is to put players into situations where they are most likely to succeed and Farrell has been pretty masterful at that on the offensive end. His pitching decisions, surprisingly, have been where he's slumped at times, but hes pushing all the right buttons offensively

[jung]

I do agree that Workman should see some late innings time as I posted last night. I have heard some talk of Workman in long relief and that just sounds like a lotta' pine time for him to me. I want to see him spell Taz who can probably make it to the end of the year still effective if they don't burn him out completely.

[Behindenemylines]

I do agree that Workman should see some late innings time as I posted last night. I have heard some talk of Workman in long relief and that just sounds like a lotta' pine time for him to me. I want to see him spell Taz who can probably make it to the end of the year still effective if they don't burn him out completely.

 

I think the Sox view Workman the rest of this season as a power righty in the pen that could give you multiply innings and as a safety net for the starting rotation if the injury bug strikes the Sox. Holt was brought up ahead of Middlebrooks because he can play SS. If they would have brought up WMB then they had no back up for Drew.

[sk7326]

Holt was brought up because he can back up SS/2B absolutely. Honestly when they did not promote Middlebrooks immediately - the sign to me is the internal discussion is on Boegarts. They can fake 3B enough for now - but AAA is not a prospect level anymore. It is a big league taxi squad - they would not have promoted Boegarts to this level if there were not serious big league thoughts about him.

[Behindenemylines]

The Sox are not being hurt by the Holt/Snyder platoon right now so there is no rush to bring up Bogaerts. I don't think you will see WMB until September unless Drew gets hurt. The need to have a back up SS will keep him there.

[SoxSport]

The question now is what happens to Dempster. They are not going to pull every game out of their asses like they did last night, and Dempster looks like the weak link. He needs to go to the bullpen, but somehow I don't see that happening with him making $13 million. I would rather see Workman or Wright starting.

 

The other thing is they need some speed off the bench. I read about Chone Figgins. Can he still run? Remember Roberts saved the season in '04 with that steal off the bench. That's where Bradley could help, though he needs to play, too. Maybe against RHP. They got to use their depth to keep the team fresh in Aug and Sept.

[sk7326]

The Sox are not being hurt by the Holt/Snyder platoon right now so there is no rush to bring up Bogaerts. I don't think you will see WMB until September unless Drew gets hurt. The need to have a back up SS will keep him there.

 

I don't think there is a rush either - though he has shown enough to argue that he is their best option. That is the more interesting deal. That said, I would not expect any sort of promotion like that to take place until the Sox are on the road. Also, with Bailey, Hanrahan, Miller, Kalish and Ross all having disabled list stints which will (or might) last the rest of the regular season - that's up to 5 additional playoff eligible positions Sox can sneak a callup onto - so the urgency to promote before September is a lot less.

[User Name]

The Sox are not being hurt by the Holt/Snyder platoon right now so there is no rush to bring up Bogaerts. I don't think you will see WMB until September unless Drew gets hurt. The need to have a back up SS will keep him there.

 

Why would WMB come up if Drew gets hurt? The logical option in that case would be XB, since he's a natural SS.

[SoxFanForsyth]

The Sox are not being hurt by the Holt/Snyder platoon right now so there is no rush to bring up Bogaerts. I don't think you will see WMB until September unless Drew gets hurt. The need to have a back up SS will keep him there.

 

What Snyder and Holt are doing right now is unsustainable. Bogaerts/Middlebrooks are both better options than Snyder, with Holt relegated to the bench as a back up IF.