2015 Red Sox In-Season Thread

[Kimmi]

Theo>Interim GMs>Duquette>Ben

 

Theo got Papi. He gets top vote even though he had lots of help for 04 and 07.

 

Theo>Any Sox GM

[Kimmi]

Doesn't really mean much now, but I wish someone on the team would have blew up. By blow up I don't mean playing good, but either smashing a phone in the dugout like Ortiz or yelling at a player, etc. When you look at this team on paper, you couldn't have projected them to be this bad. I love my Sox and will cheer them until the day I die, but it's just heartbreaking to see them play like this. Thank god I was born in 94' and didn't have to go through the struggle before 2004. I can't imagine how fans felt. The feeling I get right now makes me sick to my stomach.

 

Had someone blown up, I'm sure that player would have gotten all kinds of criticism for not being professional. Exhibit A - The criticism Miley has gotten for "blowing up" at Farrell about being taken out of the game. Personally, I like to see that type of fire and competitiveness in the players. Maybe they don't always react in the most professional manner, but emotions are hard to control. I bet there's not a person on this board who hasn't reacted emotionally to something in the heat of the moment, then later regretted it.

 

That said, I also have no problems with the likes of JD Drew. He took far too much criticism for not showing enough emotion. Players are humans. They all react differently and handle pressure in different ways.

 

As far as this season goes, it is extremely heartbreaking. Watching this team has made me feel like crying almost every night. Good or bad, though, it's my team and I can't stop supporting or defending it.

[Kimmi]

Therein lies the rub for me. Every stathead, every scout, and just about everybody else felt and many probably still do feel that a good team was assembled on paper. I know that it is cliche to say and that the *******s will blast me, but the game is played on the field and not on the paper. They just aren't nearly as good as everybody thinks that they are. I'm more concerned that the farm system has been over rated as well. Take a good look at both Pawtucket and Portland and tell me that what you see there really gets you excited. I say ********. I am a Red Sox fan for life, but what really is the plan? Do you really think that they have one? I don't. I think that they are just as screwed up as the rest of us. I will keep following them in hopes that I see a little light for the future.

 

We all know that what is on paper doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how good a team is on paper, they still have to play the games. I have asked before where the disconnect is between what's on paper and what has happened on the field.

 

I have read that ownership is looking to improve the scouting aspect of their player evaluation, which seems to say that their scouts are missing something. I have also heard comments on this board about this team not having enough heart, or comments about bad clubhouse character, which would also imply something is amiss with the scouting. As I posted earlier, I'm not really buying those reasons, but without going into all the stats again, it really is unexplainable that the team is playing as badly as it is.

[mvp 78]

Theo>Any Sox GM

 

That's not really saying much.

[Kimmi]

Some of us have been saying - since before the season started - that they'll be lucky to finish third in the division. But fanatics on fan forums just don't listen. Even now there are some here who will swear up and down that the Red Sox will finish in first place or a close second.

 

There were several who voiced doubts. Still, I don't think anyone could have foreseen them being this bad. Honestly.

[a700hitter]

Dick O'Connell>Any Sox GM

 

Corrected. No one else comes close.

[a700hitter]

There were several who voiced doubts. Still, I don't think anyone could have foreseen them being this bad. Honestly.

How much better is 4 th place than last place?

[jacksonianmarch]

We also made a sig bet in the predictions thread about the Yankees being a top-10 offense. They're sitting at fourth, but let's wait until the season's over so we can see if both our sigs have to change.

 

I'm aware. I might have your sig for a month!

[jd98]

No one on here said they'd be below .500.

 

I predicted 81-81. Did nobody predict worse than that? Like with the pitching, that was the optimistic end of my projections. No AL team in the last 10 years has finished bottom 3 in ERA and won more than 81 games. Only 2 teams in the last 15 years have, both with 83 wins and 12th in ERA. I thought they would be bottom 3 in ERA, so 81 wins was on the high end for wins. I thought the offense would be good enough to hover around .500, but I guess I was too optimistic there too.

[iortiz]

I predicted 81-81. Did nobody predict worse than that? Like with the pitching, that was the optimistic end of my projections. No AL team in the last 10 years has finished bottom 3 in ERA and won more than 81 games. Only 2 teams in the last 15 years have, both with 83 wins and 12th in ERA. I thought they would be bottom 3 in ERA, so 81 wins was on the high end for wins. I thought the offense would be good enough to hover around .500, but I guess I was too optimistic there too.

 

I said that this could be the worst pitching staff in the last 10 Y, and while I do not recall making a W% projection, it speaks volumes.

[User Name]

I'm aware. I might have your sig for a month!

 

You may, you may not. We shall see.

[Northern Star]

How much better is 4 th place than last place?

 

1 better.

[Northern Star]

Theo>Any Sox GM

 

Theo up against that long and rich lineup of great Sox GMs... Hmmm.

[a700hitter]

I predicted 81-81. Did nobody predict worse than that? Like with the pitching, that was the optimistic end of my projections. No AL team in the last 10 years has finished bottom 3 in ERA and won more than 81 games. Only 2 teams in the last 15 years have, both with 83 wins and 12th in ERA. I thought they would be bottom 3 in ERA, so 81 wins was on the high end for wins. I thought the offense would be good enough to hover around .500, but I guess I was too optimistic there too.

i predicted a 4th place finish, but not a winning percentage. Suffice it to say that I was not thrilled with this rotation, but I tried to be hopeful.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Hard for me to say it's over. I'm always hoping there's a chance and never give up until we are mathmatically eliminated. In a way I hope the Sox would lose the next 10 games to put an exclamation point for a comeback. This might be an overreaction to some on this site, but the 2011 season felt like a death in the family to me. I've never been so upset over sports like that ever. All I really want now is for them to win on August 6th. That will somewhat make this season better for me.

 

Almost there for 10 in a row. Thanks Red Sox!

[Palodios]

I can't believe it, but the Red Sox are already in line for the 4th overall pick in the draft. They're that bad, and the team hasn't even sold off yet.

[jacksonianmarch]

Ben Cherington sounds defeated.

[SoxnCycles]

Ben Cherington sounds defeated.

 

I doubt any fan feels worse about this season than he does.

[a700hitter]

From Lauber's in today's Herald:

 

As it is, the Red Sox general manager met his team here Tuesday having put together the worst roster nearly $200 million of owner John Henry’s fortune could buy. Entering last night, the Sox had the worst record in the American League, 42-52 and fading fast enough that there’s really no reason to make any moves before the trade deadline in eight days that don’t have the long-term interests of the team in mind.

 

Speaking of which, it’s unclear that Cherington knows how to achieve those anymore.

[a700hitter]

Ben Cherington sounds defeated.

 

He is defeated. He is on his way to finishing last 3 out of 4 seasons. No GM has done that since before Yawkey bought the team.

[Elktonnick]

From Lauber's in today's Herald:

 

It seems that Lauber has joined the fire Cherrington chorus.

[Kimmi]

That's not really saying much.

 

Well, I really wanted to say that Theo>ANY GM, but not knowing every GM in the history of baseball, I thought that might be a little presumptuous of me.

 

The Sox should never have gotten rid of him. They have have given Lucchino the boot instead.

[Kimmi]

I predicted 81-81. Did nobody predict worse than that? Like with the pitching, that was the optimistic end of my projections. No AL team in the last 10 years has finished bottom 3 in ERA and won more than 81 games. Only 2 teams in the last 15 years have, both with 83 wins and 12th in ERA. I thought they would be bottom 3 in ERA, so 81 wins was on the high end for wins. I thought the offense would be good enough to hover around .500, but I guess I was too optimistic there too.

 

I predicted 88 wins, I believe, and first place in the division. I thought the pitching would be middle of the pack, the defense would be top 5, and the offense would be top 1 or 2. Obviously, I was very wrong on all counts.

[Kimmi]

I doubt any fan feels worse about this season than he does.

 

He has taken full responsibility for the mess that we call the 2015 Red Sox.

 

That said, there was something in his interview that alluded to the Sox not looking to trade Pablo or Hanley because they are not going into rebuild mode. Cherington feels, and I agree, that those two players will contribute closer to their contract and expectation levels going forward.

[Kimmi]

Cherington also mentioned something about all the transition the players have gone through. Somebody, I can't remember who, brought it up here in one of the threads, and it's a valid point. Some players were transitioning from minors to majors. Some were transitioning to different teams and different leagues. Some were transitioning to different positions. In Castillo's case, he was transitioning to a new country.

 

We can never know how much of an effect that has had on the team's play, or how long it takes all the players to "settle in", but in lieu of being hasty in making a bunch of moves, you have to let those things play out.

[a700hitter]

Cherington also mentioned something about all the transition the players have gone through. Somebody, I can't remember who, brought it up here in one of the threads, and it's a valid point. Some players were transitioning from minors to majors. Some were transitioning to different teams and different leagues. Some were transitioning to different positions. In Castillo's case, he was transitioning to a new country.

 

We can never know how much of an effect that has had on the team's play, or how long it takes all the players to "settle in", but in lieu of being hasty in making a bunch of moves, you have to let those things play out.

but the team is not transitioning out of last place fast enough. Two years in a row and 3 out of the last 4.

[Spudboy]

I guess I'm not comfortable with rationalizing the significant failures of this team.

 

I see no legitimate reason to expect that Fatboy and Hanley will earn their money going forward. Therefore I can see getting rid of them as justified.

 

About this time next year many more people will feel this way.

[SoxnCycles]

He has taken full responsibility for the mess that we call the 2015 Red Sox.

 

That said, there was something in his interview that alluded to the Sox not looking to trade Pablo or Hanley because they are not going into rebuild mode. Cherington feels, and I agree, that those two players will contribute closer to their contract and expectation levels going forward.

 

Even if they were able to trade them, who do you replace them with?

The team needs at least one pitcher and after eating a portion of each of Sandoval's and Hanley's contracts, you'll need to pay for at least one middle of the order bat.

 

That's a tall order for a team with not a lot of room under the luxury tax threshold.

[SoxnCycles]

I guess I'm not comfortable with rationalizing the significant failures of this team.

 

I see no legitimate reason to expect that Fatboy and Hanley will earn their money going forward. Therefore I can see getting rid of them as justified.

 

About this time next year many more people will feel this way.

 

So who bats in the middle of the order next year?

[a700hitter]

I guess I'm not comfortable with rationalizing the significant failures of this team.

 

I see no legitimate reason to expect that Fatboy and Hanley will earn their money going forward. Therefore I can see getting rid of them as justified.

 

About this time next year many more people will feel this way.

You can have guys like Panda and Hanley on a winning team, but when you have a bad team, their nonchalant attitude is the wrong attitiude. Panda is busy tweeting on the toilet during a game, and Hanley, frankly couldn't give off a strong "I don't give a s*** vibe." The other night he went to the ground to catch the third out of the inning and he looked like he was just going to lay there and take a nap.