2015 Red Sox In-Season Thread

[SoxHop]

What are their other options? If you don't bring them up and you don't make trades what do you suggest? Status quo?

 

True. I'm not sure exactly. I guess we can look back and say that relying on Victorino and Craig was a bad call. And Castillo getting hurt doesn't help, what are we on our fourth option for an outfielder.

 

I don't have the info to say what we should do. Swihart wasn't supposed to be brought up for a while, I'm not sure what the plan was for JBJ. It's just concerning we are making reactionary moves that could jeopardize the growth of a couple players that have real talent. Who knows though, maybe this the right time.

 

Yea, we are on outfielder number 4 and catcher number 3. At that point on any club the options don't look very good.

[Kimmi]

JBJ might have been hitting AAA pitching, but he needs to get it done in the majors. Fortunately for him, Craig has set the bar very low.

 

If nothing else, maybe having him with the team will infuse some energy into them.

[mvp 78]

I don't see platooning Mookie in Right Field.

 

That idea seems very dumb to me.

 

He need to take his licks now.

 

He'll be okay.

 

I put JBJ in RF and keep Mookie in CF. JBJ has the better arm.

[a700hitter]

Reactionary mode indeed. Its the Sox MO. People'd like to put it on the head of Cherington but in reality its the salivating Red Sox fans and their demanding ways that are the culprit.

 

And that is surely why Pedroia and Ortiz had a players only meeting -- to discuss the "fan problem":rolleyes:

[Kimmi]

Nava is out of options so he can't be hidden in Pawtucket.

 

But, it turn out that Craig has options!!!! I did not know this.

 

Maybe he will be sent to Pawtucket for a while to work on his batting or whatever.

 

Castillo continues to get back into game condition and has been hitting the ball from what I have read.

 

The outfield continues to be a mess.

 

Craig's value is really low right now, so even if the Sox were thinking of trading him, they would not get much in return. Perhaps what Craig needs is to play everyday to get his stroke back to some semblance of what it was a couple of years ago. I think people tend to forget exactly how good he was not too long ago. And he's not so old that we should be expecting an age-related decline, not of this magnitude anyway.

 

The Pawtucket outfield's salary is now close to $100 mil.

[Kimmi]

I read that Ortiz and Pedroia had a players only meeting after yesterday's game. I like it.

 

I like it too. The veterans need to show some leadership. I read something about how some guys were starting to get down on themselves, and Ortiz was all about telling them to keep their heads up. Good move.

[a700hitter]

Craig's value is really low right now, so even if the Sox were thinking of trading him, they would not get much in return. Perhaps what Craig needs is to play everyday to get his stroke back to some semblance of what it was a couple of years ago. I think people tend to forget exactly how good he was not too long ago. And he's not so old that we should be expecting an age-related decline, not of this magnitude anyway.

 

The Pawtucket outfield's salary is now close to $100 mil.

 

It was the only option that the Red Sox had with him. He was not getting on track with the big club. We have to pay him anyway, so let him see if he can figure out things in AAA. He has no trade value other than nominal.

 

The fact that there is $100 million in the AAA outfield while the big club is in last place is bizarre.

[Kimmi]

I have always loved that these 2 guys are so competitive and hate losing and I admire them for caring enough to have this meeting. I don't think this team' s problem is a motivational problem. I think they are giving a full effort. They have some huge talent issues. The players only meeting is a blaring signal that this team is in trouble.

 

I don't think it's a motivational issue either, but when things are going bad, it has to weigh on the players emotionally, physically, and mentally. Sometimes, just having a "pep talk" does wonders.

 

As far as the "huge talent issues", I would have to disagree. Yes, there are some "talent issues" with the rotation. IMO, the problems with the line up are not due to a lack of talent.

[a700hitter]

I don't think it's a motivational issue either, but when things are going bad, it has to weigh on the players emotionally, physically, and mentally. Sometimes, just having a "pep talk" does wonders.

 

As far as the "huge talent issues", I would have to disagree. Yes, there are some "talent issues" with the rotation. IMO, the problems with the line up are not due to a lack of talent.

 

I think the players only meeting was a good idea to keep guys from checking out mentally.

 

I agree that there are no talent problems with the lineup. There are plenty of options with the offense. They just need to find the right combinations and for a few guys to come out of their funk.

 

You lose me on the pitching. There is a huge talent deficit in the rotation IMO. I don't think they are good enough to keep the team competitive even when the offense kicks in. The staff needs changes.

[a700hitter]

Mujics to the A's for a PTBNL and some salary relief.

[Kimmi]

You lose me on the pitching. There is a huge talent deficit in the rotation IMO. I don't think they are good enough to keep the team competitive even when the offense kicks in. The staff needs changes.

 

There needs to be improvement from the rotation from what we've seen. As I've already posted, I think there is reason to expect that improvement. The talent is there for there to be some improvement. Mind you, I'm not talking about improvement to the point of being one of the best rotations in the league, but rather improvement to the point of being middle of the pack. If the rotation can improve to that point, then they will be good enough to keep the team afloat when the offense gets it going. And reinforcements will be coming, either from within or through trade.

 

Even as bad as our rotation has been in some starts, if our offense had come through in even half of the games in which we gave up 4 or fewer runs and lost, things would not look nearly as bad as they do right now.

[User Name]

The talent in the rotation is good enough to compete, but that's because this team was built to mash then reinforce the pitching, not have mediocre pitching and score two runs a game.

[Kimmi]

The talent in the rotation is good enough to compete, but that's because this team was built to mash then reinforce the pitching, not have mediocre pitching and score two runs a game.

 

You said exactly what I was trying to say, only you said it much more concisely.

[sk7326]

The lineup issues have been baffling. But there has also been a lot of bad BABIP luck, Betts and Ortiz in particular.

[reYoukilis]

And that is surely why Pedroia and Ortiz had a players only meeting -- to discuss the "fan problem":rolleyes:

No they had it because theyre trying to turn around the season. I hope it works but what Im talking about is the overreaction to last year. We won a WS with quality pitching, starting and bullpen and D and because of a horrible year, last year we throw everything away. Yes our offense sucked but pitching and D should have still been a priority. They made a mistake with bringing in too many prospects, ok, admit it and learn from it, dont freak out and act like we didnt also win a WS two years ago.

[a700hitter]

No they had it because theyre trying to turn around the season. I hope it works but what Im talking about is the overreaction to last year. We won a WS with quality pitching, starting and bullpen and D and because of a horrible year, last year we throw everything away. Yes our offense sucked but pitching and D should have still been a priority. They made a mistake with bringing in too many prospects, ok, admit it and learn from it, dont freak out and act like we didnt also win a WS two years ago.

 

I was at Fenway for the World Championship.

[Northern Star]

I was at Fenway for the World Championship.

 

Nobody cares.

[Northern Star]

No they had it because theyre trying to turn around the season. I hope it works but what Im talking about is the overreaction to last year. We won a WS with quality pitching, starting and bullpen and D and because of a horrible year, last year we throw everything away. Yes our offense sucked but pitching and D should have still been a priority. They made a mistake with bringing in too many prospects, ok, admit it and learn from it, dont freak out and act like we didnt also win a WS two years ago.

 

A WS sandwiched by two last place finishes. Flukiest title of all time?

[a700hitter]

Nobody cares.

Lol! Calm down. He was reminding me that we won a Championship in 2013. I was reminding me that it would be hard for me to forget.

[Bellhorn04]

A WS sandwiched by two last place finishes. Flukiest title of all time?

 

Weird, but not fluky.

[cp176]

True. I'm not sure exactly. I guess we can look back and say that relying on Victorino and Craig was a bad call. And Castillo getting hurt doesn't help, what are we on our fourth option for an outfielder.

 

I don't have the info to say what we should do. Swihart wasn't supposed to be brought up for a while, I'm not sure what the plan was for JBJ. It's just concerning we are making reactionary moves that could jeopardize the growth of a couple players that have real talent. Who knows though, maybe this the right time.

 

Yea, we are on outfielder number 4 and catcher number 3. At that point on any club the options don't look very good.

 

I guess that I would have to say that bringing JBJ up is a good move if simply to reward someone for a job well done. he deserves another shot at the big time. Not so sure about Swihart. No one really knows how good he will or won't be. Doesn't look like we are talking Fisk here. The logical move but not the only one that could have been made was to bring him up. As far as the pitching staff is concerned, it seems that some here think that they are mediocre. Not by a long shot. Maybe at some point but not now. Wright deserves a chance to start and the next one up would probably be Johnson.

[Northern Star]

I guess that I would have to say that bringing JBJ up is a good move if simply to reward someone for a job well done. he deserves another shot at the big time. Not so sure about Swihart. No one really knows how good he will or won't be. Doesn't look like we are talking Fisk here. The logical move but not the only one that could have been made was to bring him up. As far as the pitching staff is concerned, it seems that some here think that they are mediocre. Not by a long shot. Maybe at some point but not now. Wright deserves a chance to start and the next one up would probably be Johnson.

 

Who else would you bring up to go with Leon? Does Swihart give you more of a chance at the plate than any other catcher in the system? Or do we concede another spot in the lineup (yep, I know that's what's happening right now, he's probably up too soon, but what was the better alternative?)

[cp176]

Who else would you bring up to go with Leon? Does Swihart give you more of a chance at the plate than any other catcher in the system? Or do we concede another spot in the lineup (yep, I know that's what's happening right now, he's probably up too soon, but what was the better alternative?)

 

I have no problem with them bringing him up. I don't think that he is too young. I don't care if people think he lacks experience. They could have brought up Spring I guess. I am actually curious to find out if he is as good as projected or if he will become a footnote like so many before him. This is his time. It is up to him.

[a700hitter]

I have no problem with them bringing him up. I don't think that he is too young. I don't care if people think he lacks experience. They could have brought up Spring I guess. I am actually curious to find out if he is as good as projected or if he will become a footnote like so many before him. This is his time. It is up to him.

I saw Spring hit a bomb or 2 in Fort Myers in March.

[MJantomaso]

I saw Spring hit a bomb or 2 in Fort Myers in March.

 

I've seen JBJ do the same...

[a700hitter]

I've seen JBJ do the same...

Hopefully, Bradley will get a few hits under his belt soon.

[MJantomaso]

Hopefully, Bradley will get a few hits under his belt soon.

 

I hope so. I really do wish for him to have a successful pro career. I think a lot of problems with this team is between the ears

[curiousd]

You mean like Xander "Unclutch" Bogaerts?

 

 

I think Xander will be good, and wish him well, but I want to post the following mind boggling comparative statistics as of mid May, 2015:

 

2015 Xander Bogaertz MLB Career Xander Bogaertz 2015 Jose Iglesias MLB Career Jose Iglesias

 

B.A. : .259 .243 [] B.A. .349 .286

OBP : .316 .302 [] OBP: .404 .338

SLG : .393 .381 [] SLG: .477 .375

OPS : .668 .663 [] OPS: .881 .713

 

 

 

I still think, from watching games when the Red Sox had Iglesias, that I never saw any one at S.S. that could play defense like Jose.....I saw him dive back and to his right to stop a line shot hit into the hole between S.S. and 3b, get up and jump around to face ist base while falling backwards somehow, and throw to first to get the runner out! It was a play that one would think was impossible if you did not see it in real time.

Edited May 13, 2015 by curiousd

[Bellhorn04]

In the last 15 games the Sox have scored 38 runs.

[Station 13]

In the last 15 games the Sox have scored 38 runs.

 

it doesn't appear to change soon. Ortiz and Nap are just iced cold. Panda unable to hit lefties. And weak at RF, C. That's a lot of cold spots.