Red Sox Offense 2016

[Dojji]

not really. The interesting thing here is that Wright is ranked like a low level ace (24th best pitcher means that he's better than at least a few teams' #1 starter) and Porcello was ranked like a high level #2. That's not a bad combination, if we can keep Price going as the weather heats up.

[harmony]

Must be your Seattle Mariners. They are having a fine season so far. Maybe we'll meet in the ALCS?

I'm likely to make a rare trip to Boston the weekend of October 22-23 and would welcome an ALCS matchup between the Red Sox and my Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park.

[Kimmi]

Some players do sustain higher BABip's over their careers, mainly because they hit more line drives, I think.

 

There was a good point brought up in a couple of articles that I read regarding the team's high BABIP being in part due to the high rate at which our hitters are hitting balls to the opposite field. They are beating the shifts more often, and it just becomes more difficult to defend against.

[Kimmi]

On the topic of BABIP, the Sox team BABIP is currently .347. There have only ever been two teams that have gone an entire season with a BABIP over .330. More recently, the highest team BABIP over a season is .327, IIRC. So yes, the offense is going to regress. However, the regression should not be too significant. In other words, this offense will regress to being merely very good instead of being historically good.

[Kimmi]

Pete Abraham ‏@PeteAbe 20h20 hours ago

Lost in the flurry of runs: #RedSox have a 2.32 ERA in their last 7 games

[a700hitter]

Not lost in the winning streak is the fact that the starting pitching needs reinforcing.

[Station 13]

We're damn lucky Wright has provided a boost to the rotation. Now E-Rod has to take over for Buchholz.

[Youk Of The Nation]

Can someone explain the proliferation of "exit velocity" this season? I had never heard anyone reference this statistic on the air before that I can recall, and I know it has been a part of Statcast on MLB.com for their HR replays, but since Opening Day Castiglione has mentioned it a hundred times on the radio. Every game he mentions how Ortiz is leading the league in exit velocity, he gives us the speed of every HR or hard-hit double/triple, he even mentions the velocity on hard-hit outs. As early as last year, the words "exit velocity" never came out of his mouth, and now it happens a dozen times per game. I've noticed it more on TV replays on MLB.com for other teams as well.

[Bellhorn04]

It's just part of the technobabble of modern sports. In golf now you have 'clubhead speed', 'launch angle', 'spin rate', and 'ball speed'. It's not good enough anymore to just say the guy hits it a f'king mile.

[User Name]

Can someone explain the proliferation of "exit velocity" this season? I had never heard anyone reference this statistic on the air before that I can recall, and I know it has been a part of Statcast on MLB.com for their HR replays, but since Opening Day Castiglione has mentioned it a hundred times on the radio. Every game he mentions how Ortiz is leading the league in exit velocity, he gives us the speed of every HR or hard-hit double/triple, he even mentions the velocity on hard-hit outs. As early as last year, the words "exit velocity" never came out of his mouth, and now it happens a dozen times per game. I've noticed it more on TV replays on MLB.com for other teams as well.

 

Statcast system introduced by MLB this year. It's pretty cool.

[Hugh2]

It's only one start, but if Kelly can pitch like he did last week then with him and Porcello in mid season form with Price picking it up. All of a sudden this rotation looks pretty good if Erod can come back and pitch like a #3.

 

Still, I'd like to see better depth.

[Hugh2]

Exit velocity is the new shiny toy

[Emp9]

Statcast system introduced by MLB this year. It's pretty cool.

 

I think a handful of teams had Statcast last season (4?). I remember hearing launch angle and exit velocity a little bit starting last year. I originally thought Statcast was going to be used to collect more defensive data ... Like good/poor jumps from an Outfielder and amass that data. I gotta admit, launch angle and exit velocity ... pretty sexy terminology.

[User Name]

They do measure route efficiency and throw velocity from OF's.

[mvp 78]

They do measure route efficiency and throw velocity from OF's.

 

I'm into it.

[Emp9]

They do measure route efficiency and throw velocity from OF's.

 

Yep. They just don't sell it as much.

[a700hitter]

Exit velocity is the new shiny toy

That is what it is. It gives broadcasters something to talk about and ooh and ah about it. I am with Jerry Remy on this in that I don't really care about it. It iis a meaningless stat imo.

[Slasher9]

I think a handful of teams had Statcast last season (4?). I remember hearing launch angle and exit velocity a little bit starting last year. I originally thought Statcast was going to be used to collect more defensive data ... Like good/poor jumps from an Outfielder and amass that data. I gotta admit, launch angle and exit velocity ... pretty sexy terminology.

 

yup. MLB network had a handful of statcast games last season. i am hopeful Directv extra innings will add a statcast channel/nightly game.

[Hugh2]

That is what it is. It gives broadcasters something to talk about and ooh and ah about it. I am with Jerry Remy on this in that I don't really care about it. It iis a meaningless stat imo.

 

I don't think it's completely meaningless, it's a stat that tells you something so therefore it can be useful to a degree. That ideal is not analogous with a stat being an appropriate way of measuring a player. Like any stat, it usually is more useful with combination of more stats. I agree that it's not really that important, you can have the ability to hit a HR with more exit velocity than Giancarlo Stanton but if you are averaging .200 and K'ing 35% of the time who cares?

 

I think a more effective use of exit velocity would be to look at a players avg exit velocity on all balls hit in play. We all know a HR is going to be leaving the bat at a higher velocity but if a player is constantly hitting a ball with a harder exit velocity then it's because he is squaring up the ball more than other players. That's what it is telling you, just like HR's tells you how many time a guy hits a ball over a fence and BB% tells you how many times per 100 PA's a guy takes a walk. It's a stat, it tells us something. It might not be as useful as other stats but I don't think it is completely meaningless either.

 

Like I said before, it is "the new shiny toy" people are making it out to be a bigger deal than it is.

[dustcover]

It's a little early to guess which Sox players will hit 20 or more home runs this season, but I find it a tantalizing thought.

 

Imagine my surprise when I learned that five teams have had 7 players on their roster hit 20 homers in the same season.

 

Anyone care to venture a guess as to the five teams?

[Jasonbay44]

Didn't the 03 Sox do it? Or one of those early 2000 Sox teams?

[moonslav59]

We currently have 6 guys on pace for about 20-45 HRs.

 

HanRam's on pace for about 12, but one could imagine him reaching 20.

 

As for teams that had 7?

 

The 2003 Sox had 6 guys over 20 and Bill Mueller had 19.

[illinoisredsox]

I seem to remember one of the relatively recent Yankee teams doing it, maybe 2009 or 2010? I think the Blue Jays did it as well around that same time frame.

 

Don't think the Red Sox have ever done it

[Dojji]

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BOS/2003.shtml

 

*ahem* once upon a time we had one year when Manny, Papi, AND Nomar were in the middle of the order and all producing.

 

Now that said replicating the 2003 offense would make me very very very happy of course

Edited June 1, 2016 by Dojji

[TheBabeStrikesBack]

I seem to remember one of the relatively recent Yankee teams doing it, maybe 2009 or 2010? I think the Blue Jays did it as well around that same time frame.

 

Don't think the Red Sox have ever done it

 

5 teams have had 7.

 

1996 Orioles, 2000 Jays, 2005 Rangers, 2009 Yanks and the 2010 Jays.

[sk7326]

The interesting thing is the shape of the production ... 2003/4 team was so physically strong, and took a ton of pitches. It was like having the greatest beer league softball team of all time.

 

This team is just so athletic - RB/WR types at every position.

 

And the team has gotten (to date), Big Papi's finest season, which is some kind of miracle.

[User Name]

I don't think Ortiz' season is a miracle at all. That dude put in the hours for making his final season the best final season everyone has ever had.

[Slasher9]

5 teams have had 7.

 

1996 Orioles, 2000 Jays, 2005 Rangers, 2009 Yanks and the 2010 Jays.

 

the common thread with those teams is proven Steroids users.

[User Name]

Who were the proven steroid users in the 2010 Jays, though?

[TheBabeStrikesBack]

the common thread with those teams is proven Steroids users.

 

There were plenty of teams with proven steroid users that didn't accomplish it.