Middlebrooks demoted and more

[Bellhorn04]

And there, in the charred ruins of Talksox I saw some comments start to pop up...and lo and behold, they were caustic and full of sarcasm!

[jung]

We just had a hitter in town that provides an example of what WMB could be. WMB could be Joey Bats with some work. Take the middle-in pitch and the hard hip turn toward LF away from Joey Bats and he is what he was before he started hitting all these HR's....nobody...more or less what WMB is at present. Edited July 2, 2013 by jung

[Behindenemylines]

The Sox don't have a lot of young power in the system so I would be patient with WMB. Don't give up on him so soon. The Sox could find a veteran 3B that is at the end of a contract and let WMB get more AB at AAA this season. I still see him as the Sox 1B or 3B of the next few seasons.

[yeszir]

And there, in the charred ruins of Talksox I saw some comments start to pop up...and lo and behold, they were caustic and full of sarcasm!

 

This cheered me up amid the recent site suckiness

[jung]

I would not want to give up on WMB either. I don't think trying to develop him as a ML version of the hitter he was in the minors will work. It will take too long and is likely futile anyway. Besides he has enough power to make the hip turn he has now work for him as long as he is also as selective as Bats is at the plate. Bats generally only swings at that s*** that WMB can't hit to save his skin unless he has two strikes and has to protect the plate. Even then, Bats really does not change his swing that much, choosing not to mess with a swing that when hot simply does not let mistake pitches go unpunished. How Bats punishes you depends on the kind of mistake the pitcher makes. Pitches up and out over the plate generally become base hits to CF. Pitches inside end up in that parking lot behind the Monster if the Jays are playing in Fenway.

[seabeachfred]

This cheered me up amid the recent site suckiness

 

Not a bad new format yeszir. I did have a moment or two trying to navigate it but I got over my senior moments. As for Middlebrooks, we must not give up on him. Players sometimes recede in their second year when pitchers learn to adjust to them and in Will's case, he was overcoming a serious injury. We do not have a first baseman in our organization worthy of the name and I think it should make the Red Sox think of either moving WMB there or maybe Boegarts, unless Bogey might be put in the outfield where there isn't a lot of power in the minor league horizon either.

[Standing Room]

We just had a hitter in town that provides an example of what WMB could be. WMB could be Joey Bats with some work. Take the middle-in pitch and the hard hip turn toward LF away from Joey Bats and he is what he was before he started hitting all these HR's....nobody...more or less what WMB is at present.

 

So far, you've compared Middlebrooks to Carlton Fisk, James Loney and Joey Votto. Should we compare him to a switchhitting outfielder next?

[jung]

So far, you've compared Middlebrooks to Carlton Fisk, James Loney and Joey Votto. Should we compare him to a switchhitting outfielder next?

What......Loney only in how he has changed his approach at the plate. Loney does not have the potential to hit for power that WMB has. Bats is much closer IMO to what WMB could become. But go ahead though. You have not presented a single piece of actual information through this whole discussion. I would hate to see you break a perfect record now.

[Standing Room]

Middlebrooks drove in eight runs today at Pawtucket. He's now hitting .319/.398/.723 at AAA with 6 HR, 6 BB and 8 SO in 47 AB.

[iortiz]

Time to move him back? Or wait after the allstar...

[Bellhorn04]

Middlebrooks drove in eight runs today at Pawtucket. He's now hitting .319/.398/.723 at AAA with 6 HR, 6 BB and 8 SO in 47 AB.

 

Jesus Christ, Will...cut it out with the Singing Frog routine. (Bugs Bunny cartoon reference)

[jung]

I would move him back after the ASB as long as they are going to let him play.

[seabeachfred]

And please my friends, not any more about trading this guy. Yes, he needs to make adjustments and he's smart enough to do that. When they feel he is ready to come back, then let them call him up and install him at third base and let it go. Of course, some are talking about moving him to first so Bogey can play third. Frankly I don't care about the alignment, I just would like to see both of them in the Red Sox lineup....and for a long time.

 

Say though, that Brandon Snyder hasn't done badly either. Maybe all this guy needed was a chance; something like Mike Carp, another surprise for us. Only this year the surprises seem very pleasant in comparison to the year that will not be mentioned.

[Standing Room]

Jesus Christ, Will...cut it out with the Singing Frog routine. (Bugs Bunny cartoon reference)

 

Obscure joke, but it's still funny.

[SoxSport]

Snyder has had some big hits. Good for him. But I'd rather have Middlebrooks in there--at least the late innings--even though he's hitting about .200. He's better defensively. It isn't all about hitting--as the team is showing. Though they are hitting well, too. 3rd in AL. 5th in pitching in stats out today. They are near the bottom in the AL defensively, 12th out of 14 teams. A sign they don't stress defense enough. Maybe their pitching would be better if they did.

[Behindenemylines]

WMB continues to struggle in AAA. I do not think we will see him back in Boston in 2013. With the potential log jam on the left side of the infield he could become an off season trading chip.

[vjcsmoke]

Heard he can really hammer pitches that are middle-middle.

 

LOL. Heard most major league hitters can punish middle-middle pitches.

 

So is WMB fixed yet? Iglesias is starting to cool off a bit. And we are now past the all-star break.

[SoxSport]

The Garza deal to Texas was announced about an hour after the Andrews report on Buchholz--via the tweets.

Its a good bet the Cubs were waiting on the Red Sox and the status of Buchholz. The Red Sox clearly decided to pass. You figure they might have had first dibs on Garza. I'm also guessing Middlebrooks is the guy who would have gone to the Cubs. He's probably better than Olt, the guy the Cubs got. But the Red Sox are loaded on the left side of the infield, and the Red Sox would have looked stronger down the stretch with Garza.

 

I wonder if they will just settle for another reliever before the deadline. Peavy might well take them over the cap, though I don't know how all those season ending injuries factor in.

[BSN07]

Jesus Christ, Will...cut it out with the Singing Frog routine. (Bugs Bunny cartoon reference)

 

I grew up on Bugs Bunny, this was awesome hahaha

[Spitball]

Jesus Christ, Will...cut it out with the Singing Frog routine. (Bugs Bunny cartoon reference)

 

Hahahaha! Great one, Bell!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49EoV50oba0

[marklmw]

Could not agree with you more. Baseball is like life, opportunities come and go. No guarantees ... If Middlebrooks came in this season and hit 280 with 30 dingers and solid fielding at the corner it would have been worth 2 or maybe 3 wins.

[sk7326]

LOL. Heard most major league hitters can punish middle-middle pitches.

 

So is WMB fixed yet? Iglesias is starting to cool off a bit. And we are now past the all-star break.

 

Middlebrooks is possible. I keep thinking the nuclear option though will be to do what the Orioles did last year ... and bring Boegarts in to play 3B in the stretch run. With his approach and his potential - sure he might not be much better in the short run than the other options, but he can't be much worse and at least far more promise.