Bogaerts and Bradley By Joseph Werner from ESPN

[jacksonianmarch]

Curious, Bradley isn't fast enough to be a punch and judy infield singles hitter. He needs to hit line drives and hard ground balls, not slaps around the park

[a700hitter]

THe Red Sox would be doing Bradley a favor if they trained him for another career.

[Elktonnick]

That is the first time I've heard anyone say that Bradley wasn't fast enough, I'd bet he is as fast as Aoki.

[a700hitter]

That is the first time I've heard anyone say that Bradley wasn't fast enough, I'd bet he is as fast as Aoki.

I don't know about his speed compared to Aoki, but he definitely doesn't have Ellsbury speed, and the Sox never converted him into a slap hitter, so I don't see slap hitting in Bradley's future.

[Elktonnick]

Bradley has deceptive speed but he can close quickly on a ball. Bradley thinks he is Willie Mays and a power hitter. He doesn't have quick wrists like Betts and his ridiculous leg kick or toe tap has him always off balance especially with his long upper cut swing. He should consider shortening his swing and keeping his hands inside the ball, taking what is offered and going the other way. What is particularly upsetting is that he doesn't change his approach with two strikes. So he strikes out..... a lot!

[a700hitter]

Bradley has deceptive speed but he can close quickly on a ball. Bradley thinks he is Willie Mays and a power hitter. He doesn't have quick wrists like Betts and his ridiculous leg kick or toe tap has him always off balance especially with his long upper cut swing. He should consider shortening his swing and keeping his hands inside the ball, taking what is offered and going the other way. What is particularly upsetting is that he doesn't change his approach with two strikes. So he strikes out..... a lot!

I can't understand why that double toe tap has not been coached out of his swing. It is so obviously an impediment to him getting to the fastball.

[Spudboy]

I can't understand why that double toe tap has not been coached out of his swing. It is so obviously an impediment to him getting to the fastball.

 

I can't understand why anything at all has not been coached out of or into Bradlee at the plate. I seriously doubt that he is lacking in the physical tools to be able to hit in the majors. The whole thing is inexplicable to me. I see this as an organizational failure. What do coaches do? Bradlee does not seem to be dumb. Is he though? How the hell did he gets so far up the ladder and not be able to hit????

[Bellhorn04]

I can't understand why anything at all has not been coached out of or into Bradlee at the plate. I seriously doubt that he is lacking in the physical tools to be able to hit in the majors. The whole thing is inexplicable to me. I see this as an organizational failure. What do coaches do? Bradlee does not seem to be dumb. Is he though? How the hell did he gets so far up the ladder and not be able to hit????

 

Bradley had very good numbers at all levels in the minors. He seemed to be progressing beautifully. Last year he hit 275/374/469 at Pawtucket.

 

From what I've been reading, Bradley did make a couple of adjustments in his stance this year at the urging of the coaching staff. But Bradley didn't see much improvement and felt he should go back to what he knew best. When he was sent back down recently, there were some rumors that the Red Sox weren't pleased with his coachability. Bradley even sent out a tweet objecting to the rumors about his attitude etc.

 

I think the bottom line is, some guys can fly through the minors and then just hit a brick wall in the majors. As we know, major league pitchers will find out your weaknesses and exploit them mercilessly. Bradley might just be overmatched, and all the great coaching in the world can't fix that.

[Elktonnick]

Bellhorn, I think you are on track re Bradley. First of all he didn't get enough ABs in the minors. Second ML pitching adjusted to him andhe was either unwilling or unable to adjust to them. Finally I think Bradley believes he can hit for power and as a result refuses to adjust his swing to inside out the ball and take what is given. He is not a power hitter. But he can and could hit for more power from time to time if and when he learns to use the whole field instead of trying to pull the ball virtually every time at bat. That's the paradox of this game.

[Spitball]

Ted, thanks for the backup. I like Spitball and have had some nice exchanges with him but he appears to be one of those stat guys that have taken over baseball in recent years.

 

Fred, like you, I have been involved with baseball all my life. I am 61 years-old and have played, coached, and witnessed probably thousands of games. I have been a Red Sox fan since the early 1960s when we could only root for the Sox to stay out of last place. I understand how to witness and evaluate elements of the game. I also feel fortunate to have accepted many of the statistical measures that verify or correct what my eyes tell me.

 

We all form opinions about baseball. Opinions are judgments formed about something and are not necessarily based on fact nor reality. A fact is a truth that can be verified by the existence of proof such as a statistic. A reasoned judgment is basically an opinion based on facts or evidence that can be proven beyond any doubt.

 

For many years, I have formed numerous opinions about baseball. A statistical verification helps me make reasoned judgments rather than simply form opinions. I still form opinions but I can't argue with facts.

 

I am not a fan of all sabermetrics. I don't care for WAR and a few other aspects, but statistics give me an additional dimension to my years of baseball experience. Like the Vin Scully quote, I use statistics to "support" my opinions.

 

Incidentally, the Scully quote is about twenty years old. Just last year he was quoted by Murray Chass as saying about sabermetrics, “It’s beyond me. I try to be as old-fashioned as possible – batting average, home runs, runs batted in, stolen bases. I don’t disapprove of those who use them, but it’s beyond me. It’s too much for me.”

 

I enjoy our discussions but don't want to be improperly labeled. I am old-school but accept the undeniable evidence provided by statistics.

[a700hitter]

Fred, like you, I have been involved with baseball all my life. I am 61 years-old and have played, coached, and witnessed probably thousands of games. I have been a Red Sox fan since the early 1960s when we could only root for the Sox to stay out of last place. I understand how to witness and evaluate elements of the game. I also feel fortunate to have accepted many of the statistical measures that verify or correct what my eyes tell me.

 

We all form opinions about baseball. Opinions are judgments formed about something and are not necessarily based on fact nor reality. A fact is a truth that can be verified by the existence of proof such as a statistic. A reasoned judgment is basically an opinion based on facts or evidence that can be proven beyond any doubt.

 

For many years, I have formed numerous opinions about baseball. A statistical verification helps me make reasoned judgments rather than simply form opinions. I still form opinions but I can't argue with facts.

 

I am not a fan of all sabermetrics. I don't care for WAR and a few other aspects, but statistics give me an additional dimension to my years of baseball experience. Like the Vin Scully quote, I use statistics to "support" my opinions.

 

Incidentally, the Scully quote is about twenty years old. Just last year he was quoted by Murray Chass as saying about sabermetrics, “It’s beyond me. I try to be as old-fashioned as possible – batting average, home runs, runs batted in, stolen bases. I don’t disapprove of those who use them, but it’s beyond me. It’s too much for me.”

 

I enjoy our discussions but don't want to be improperly labeled. I am old-school but accept the undeniable evidence provided by statistics.

if I wanted to know about a player, I would find Vin Scilly to be a better source of information than any stats.

[seabeachfred]

Fred, like you, I have been involved with baseball all my life. I am 61 years-old and have played, coached, and witnessed probably thousands of games. I have been a Red Sox fan since the early 1960s when we could only root for the Sox to stay out of last place. I understand how to witness and evaluate elements of the game. I also feel fortunate to have accepted many of the statistical measures that verify or correct what my eyes tell me.

 

We all form opinions about baseball. Opinions are judgments formed about something and are not necessarily based on fact nor reality. A fact is a truth that can be verified by the existence of proof such as a statistic. A reasoned judgment is basically an opinion based on facts or evidence that can be proven beyond any doubt.

 

For many years, I have formed numerous opinions about baseball. A statistical verification helps me make reasoned judgments rather than simply form opinions. I still form opinions but I can't argue with facts.

 

I am not a fan of all sabermetrics. I don't care for WAR and a few other aspects, but statistics give me an additional dimension to my years of baseball experience. Like the Vin Scully quote, I use statistics to "support" my opinions.

 

Incidentally, the Scully quote is about twenty years old. Just last year he was quoted by Murray Chass as saying about sabermetrics, “It’s beyond me. I try to be as old-fashioned as possible – batting average, home runs, runs batted in, stolen bases. I don’t disapprove of those who use them, but it’s beyond me. It’s too much for me.”

 

I enjoy our discussions but don't want to be improperly labeled. I am old-school but accept the undeniable evidence provided by statistics.

 

Well said and taken into full account Spitball. I enjoy our exchanges and hope we can keep this up. Good to have you on this board. And please accept my condolences for your suffering all those years. I honestly feel for you, Ted, irotiz and the rest of the crew here who go way back in their fandom to a time when the Red Sox were a frustrating team to root for. I got lucky when I came on board in 2000 though two of the last three years don't see so lucky after all. You're A_OK in my book.

[Spitball]

You're A_OK in my book.

 

You are also A-OK in my book, Fred. There is nothing wrong with disagreeing as long as we do it with respect for each other.

[seabeachfred]

You are also A-OK in my book, Fred. There is nothing wrong with disagreeing as long as we do it with respect for each other.

 

I don't know if you know this or not but it was my pal Ted (700 Hitter) who suggested that I could be hard hitting on this board so long as I respected opinions of others unless they got insulting and nasty. You don't fit those last two peccadilloes so there is no reason for us to ever be nothing but helpful to each other. Palodios used to get a little chapped at my bluster but he's convinced that I'm just a little off center and gives me wide leverage to rant since I show him a great deal of respect as well. Truth be told, the antagonists that used to push my buttons have disappeared from the board, whether it is temporary or permanently. This and Bosox Board are my two Red Sox forums and they help brighten my day. I only wish I could have the same for our team.

[Spitball]

I don't know if you know this or not but it was my pal Ted (700 Hitter) who suggested that I could be hard hitting on this board so long as I respected opinions of others unless they got insulting and nasty. You don't fit those last two peccadilloes so there is no reason for us to ever be nothing but helpful to each other. Palodios used to get a little chapped at my bluster but he's convinced that I'm just a little off center and gives me wide leverage to rant since I show him a great deal of respect as well. Truth be told, the antagonists that used to push my buttons have disappeared from the board, whether it is temporary or permanently. This and Bosox Board are my two Red Sox forums and they help brighten my day. I only wish I could have the same for our team.

 

I am glad you found your way over here, Fred. I don't always agree with your rants, but I always enjoy them.