2016 Starting Rotation

[jacksonianmarch]

He wont be for long. Swihart has to go down until you can deal off Hanigan

[SoxHop]

I'm alright with Swihart going down for as long as it takes to better his receiving skills.

 

I don't think Hannigan is going anywhere for a while, at least not this season.

 

We also don't know if Vasquez can hit.

 

I hope he is healthy, and this isn't kneejerk reaction.

[Station 13]

Vaz stay is going to be short. You don't take out a catcher that hits .280 after 5 games.

[jacksonianmarch]

Station, Swihart's offense is a bonus. He might end up being a very strong offensive catcher. But his receiving has been panned, he was the worst defensive catcher in baseball last yr and there are grumblings of discontent with his framing and calling of pitches. If you had a rotation that could coach him up, you live with it. Your rotation is so suspect that they cannot bring along a young, green catcher.

[Station 13]

He drop a ball with a swirling wind and had a few pass ball catching a knucklerballer, everyones panic. This is the same catcher who hit .300/.350.425 last year from July to the end of the season, and led the staff to a 28-20 under Lovullo. He did it all learning on the fly.

[Station 13]

I'm alright with Swihart going down for as long as it takes to better his receiving skills.

 

I don't think Hannigan is going anywhere for a while, at least not this season.

 

We also don't know if Vasquez can hit.

 

I hope he is healthy, and this isn't kneejerk reaction.

 

Don't they still have Leon? He's a good catcher with no offense, like Hannigan.

[SoxHop]

Don't they still have Leon? He's a good catcher with no offense, like Hannigan.

 

Leon is in Pawtucket last I knew.

 

Maybe they are going to go with Vasquez a few games and see how the pitchers react.

 

I hear ya though, maybe this rotation is just making Blake look bad......

[jacksonianmarch]

He drop a ball with a swirling wind and had a few pass ball catching a knucklerballer, everyones panic. This is the same catcher who hit .300/.350.425 last year from July to the end of the season, and led the staff to a 28-20 under Lovullo. He did it all learning on the fly.

 

He did it all while being an absolute sieve defensively on a team that was going nowhere. He has to help the rotation along and he cannot do it right now.

[Station 13]

He did it all while being an absolute sieve defensively on a team that was going nowhere. He has to help the rotation along and he cannot do it right now.

 

You have a point. But the rotation itself has to help themselves by pitching better.

[jacksonianmarch]

Station, that is asking a lot from a rotation that is basically a who's who of promise without production from 2 through 5. When you are trying to develop your pitching, having a s***** catcher is not good. Like I said before, if you had Lester, Lackey, et al then this kid could be fine. But with an ace and a bunch of s*** afterwards, his errors will be magnified. Buch's goferball is proof of that.

[Kimmi]

Extending Clay was dumb. Maybe they thought it would increase his trade value? Idk. It made no sense to me though.

 

Picking up Clay's option was and remains a no brainer. Seriously, the decisions don't get much easier than that.

[Kimmi]

I'm glad to hear CV will be returning to the club. I've never been a big believer in catchers era- but I hope he helps.

 

The effect that a catcher can have on a pitcher is very real. Believe it.

[Kimmi]

Last year, Hanigan's CERA was 4.56. Swihart's CERA was 4.51. Leon's was 3.50 (fewer appearances than Blake or Ryan).

 

Improper use of CERA.

 

You have to look at CERA pitcher by pitcher which means that you are likely to run into the problem of small sample size.

[Kimmi]

There aren't any. They should have gotten a guy when ERod got hurt.

 

But when Rodriguez got hurt, it was supposed to be a 72 hour injury.

 

It is turning into a 72 day injury.

[jacksonianmarch]

Kimmi, it hit at a bad time. It's not about the recovery now, it's about building up arm strength. Also, I think his injury was more than a patellar subluxation. With how long he was shelved for, I bet he sprained a ligament

[Kimmi]

Christian Vasquez to be called up. Could catch tomorrow for Porcello.

 

Farrell ok with having three catchers on the roster.

 

Do not get me started.....

[Kimmi]

Station, Swihart's offense is a bonus. He might end up being a very strong offensive catcher. But his receiving has been panned, he was the worst defensive catcher in baseball last yr and there are grumblings of discontent with his framing and calling of pitches. If you had a rotation that could coach him up, you live with it. Your rotation is so suspect that they cannot bring along a young, green catcher.

 

Swihart was thrown into a difficult situation last year, and he handled it very admirably. He could benefit from some more time in AAA to develop his defensive skills. It is far too early to close the book on him defensively.

[Dojji]

Swihart is not bad, just green. that said a stint to AAA to work on specifically refining his old-man skills on defense (picking up reps and gaining proficiency at things he already knows how to do) outside of the Boston pressure cooker may go a long way.

[Spudboy]

This is stupid. Swihart is not a big problem. If he were, Hannigan would have been the starter in more games.

 

The Sox are a mediocre team going nowhere. I image that every bump in the road from now until they are eliminated will become yet another reason to bitch and point the finger.

 

The real problem is the s***** starting pitching.

 

By the way, why does it seem that the relievers pitch pretty well with Swihart behind the plate?

 

There must be some obscure stat to debunk what I think my eyes see.

[User Name]

Swihart is not a finished product defensively. No "obscure stat" needed to debunk anything.

[SoxnCycles]

Swihart is not a finished product defensively. No "obscure stat" needed to debunk anything.

 

Yup, if Vazquez is ready, he should be up in Boston. He's a much better catcher.

Swihart should be back in Pawtuckett until there's a trade or injury.

[mvp 78]

Picking up Clay's option was and remains a no brainer.

 

It's true. They clearly didn't use any brains when making that decision.

[mvp 78]

But when Rodriguez got hurt, it was supposed to be a 72 hour injury.

 

It is turning into a 72 day injury.

 

I don't think many people actually thought it was a 72 hour injury. If the trainer thought that, he should be fired.

[mvp 78]

I'm glad that Vazquez is healthy enough to come back. He was definitely missed last year. It'll be interesting to see how the staff reacts to him behind the plate over the long term.

[sk7326]

This is stupid. Swihart is not a big problem. If he were, Hannigan would have been the starter in more games.

 

The Sox are a mediocre team going nowhere. I image that every bump in the road from now until they are eliminated will become yet another reason to bitch and point the finger.

 

The real problem is the s***** starting pitching.

 

By the way, why does it seem that the relievers pitch pretty well with Swihart behind the plate?

 

There must be some obscure stat to debunk what I think my eyes see.

 

It has been 100% starting pitching so far:

 

Offense has been very good

Defense has been good

Bullpen has been good - less good when overextended but that applies to everybody

 

Now the rotation is not THIS bad. They are giving up homeruns at a rate which would obliterate last year's league leader (HR/FB). So that will come down. And at some point Wright will not be the only pitcher who can pitch into the 7th inning. Really that the Red Sox are 4-4 dealing with slo-pitch softball level starting pitching is a good sign.

[Dojji]

I agree, the rotation is a good bet to either stabilize on its own, or be stabilized. The question is can it be stabilized quickly enough to allow the team to compete for the division, or do we lose the season before enough of our starts find their feet to put a good team overall onto the field?

[SoxHop]

Heck, I'd take 6 innings of 4 run ball from these guys and let the offense do its thing. Although we may have just lost Swiharts bat.

 

Have they announced who's catching today?

[Station 13]

Is Vaz here to catch our knuckleballer? I can't imagine letting Swihart do that 3 passed ball act again.

[Dojji]

Vazquez is not Doug Mirabelli. He probably has the best hands of our catchers and I'd expect him to be handling Wright more often than not, but he's here for more than caddying our #5 starter.

[mvp 78]

Vazquez is not Doug Mirabelli. He probably has the best hands of our catchers and I'd expect him to be handling Wright more often than not, but he's here for more than caddying our #5 starter.

 

I've seen it suggested by various writers that Blake will still be the main starter and Vazquez will be the main backup. There is a belief that Hanigan would be traded. If that's the case, why wouldn't they just trade Hanigan and then call up Vazquez?

 

Why have 3 catchers at all? Do they have alternate plans for Swihart?