A Realistic View at 2017 Part II

[mvp 78]

His fielding has been a concern for a couple years, it's probably not going to improve.

 

His health is better. He's playing far better than he has since joining the Sox.

[Nick]

Benintendi sat out Saturday's 4-2 loss. Baltimore clearly wishes he'd be given another day off.

"After a day off, he looked refreshed and bounced back with a positive day," Farrell noted.

The Red Sox finished with 14 hits, including three home runs after totaling only eight longballs in their first 18 games. They were the only Major League team yet to crack double digits on the season.

"Everybody talks about how we haven't hit home runs," Benintendi said. "I don't see what the problem is. We're getting on base and scoring runs."

 

 

Chris Sale disagrees with you Beni.

[Nick]

Moon, where in the hell is Rutledge? Isn't he back from his rehab?

 

I also agree with you having Beni leading off. I rather have Xander batting 2nd with his attacking the right side approach.

 

We can run more with Xander hitting behind him.

Edited April 24, 2017 by Nick

[Fisk]

His health is better. He's playing far better than he has since joining the Sox.

 

We must be watching different games.

[moonslav59]

Moon, where in the hell is Rutledge? Isn't he back from his rehab?

 

I also agree with you having Beni leading off. I rather have Xander batting 2nd with his attacking the right side approach.

 

We can run more with Xander hitting behind him.

 

Someday Bogey's power will improve to the point where he can hit 3rd or 4th, but for the last 2 years, I've thought he was best suited for the 2 slot.

 

Beni may have to improve on his instincts, but with his speed and ability to get on base, he should lead off. I get the concern about putting pressure on a rookie, but they're already batting him way up in the order anyways, so I don't see much difference in pressure at the 1st slot.

 

I'm not sure there's any rush to get Rutledge back with Marco looking okay.

 

It looks like Holt's role has diminished, as I predicted (and suggested). I wonder what his trade stock is now.

 

I do think Rutledge is probably a better platoon with Pablo at 3B. He's likely a better fielder at 3B than Marco and Pablo, and should hit lefties better than Marco, but I'd have no issue with giving Marco the platoon, even though it's not his best split.

 

[moonslav59]

We must be watching different games.

 

It couldn't get much worse than 2015 Pablo. That was the worst defensive 3B I have ever seen,

[Fisk]

You need another righty off the bench, especially with Selsky hardly being used.

[Nick]

Pedroia said he hadn't spoken to Barnes about the pitch.

 

"He's not trying to hit Manny in the head," Pedroia said. "It's just a bad situation, man. That's it. That's not baseball. That's it."

 

Barnes tried to explain his side of the play.

 

"People are going to think what they want," Barnes said. "All I know was I was trying to go up and in, trying to get some weak contact with (Adam) Jones on first. Unfortunately one got away from me, and like I said I would never intentionally throw at somebody's head. That's potentially life-changing and that's unacceptable."

 

Manager John Farrell reiterated Barnes' sentiment.

 

Dustin should have talked to Barnes first before throwing him under the bus.Of course Pedy didn't have anything to do with it. No one thinks that. If I'm Barnes, I tell Pedy to go f*ck off. Thanks for backing up your teammate. Yeah, go kiss Machado's ass. You can kiss it while you're out of line up for weeks.

Edited April 24, 2017 by Nick

[Fisk]

It couldn't get much worse than 2015 Pablo. That was the worst defensive 3B I have ever seen,

 

I cringe every time the balls hit to him.

[mvp 78]

We must be watching different games.

 

Bias impacts everything we see.

[Fisk]

Bias impacts everything we see.

 

You must be pretty biased or your actually blind.

[Fisk]

Bias impacts everything we see.

 

If you look at what I wrote over the winter and spring I was probably one of the more positive posters about him, after watching him can't say that anymore.

[moonslav59]

I cringe every time the balls hit to him.

 

Me too.

 

That's one reason I was puzzled we went after a 1Bman (Moreland) this past winter, instead of a 3Bman.

 

I thought we'd be better off with Pablo at 1B or DH starting this year- not next.

[Bellhorn04]

Someday Bogey's power will improve to the point where he can hit 3rd or 4th, but for the last 2 years, I've thought he was best suited for the 2 slot.

 

Beni may have to improve on his instincts, but with his speed and ability to get on base, he should lead off. I get the concern about putting pressure on a rookie, but they're already batting him way up in the order anyways, so I don't see much difference in pressure at the 1st slot.

 

I'm not sure there's any rush to get Rutledge back with Marco looking okay.

 

It looks like Holt's role has diminished, as I predicted (and suggested). I wonder what his trade stock is now.

 

I do think Rutledge is probably a better platoon with Pablo at 3B. He's likely a better fielder at 3B than Marco and Pablo, and should hit lefties better than Marco, but I'd have no issue with giving Marco the platoon, even though it's not his best split.

 

 

Holt was diagnosed with vertigo and placed on the DL.

[oldtimer]

Me too.

 

That's one reason I was puzzled we went after a 1Bman (Moreland) this past winter, instead of a 3Bman.

 

I thought we'd be better off with Pablo at 1B or DH starting this year- not next.

 

And yet Mooreland is doing a fine job at 1st, so the pickup was a good one and needed. Playing Pablo at first would be an experiment and he still woulld need to be platooned leaving us needing to fill 1st base. Hanley doesn't really want to move away from DH so he would have been a reluctant platoon candidate.

[oldtimer]

Holt was diagnosed with vertigo and placed on the DL.

 

Too bad we didn't trade him when his value was higher.

[Dojji]

Holt had that concussion last year. If he's still having post concussion symptoms like vertigo, I'm getting worried about him.

[notin]

Too bad we didn't trade him when his value was higher.

 

Always thought Holt should have been dealt after he made the All Star team. When your utility infielder becomes an All Star, it's time to move him, because clearly you have much, much bigger needs all over the place on the roster...

[S5Dewey]

Always thought Holt should have been dealt after he made the All Star team. When your utility infielder becomes an All Star, it's time to move him, because clearly you have much, much bigger needs all over the place on the roster...

 

I wanted to think that was the time to trade him and also wanted to believe that he had a high trade value but deep down inside I knew what every GM knows - That the reason he made the AS Team is because the Sox had to send someone and they had nobody else remotely appropriate to send.

 

Sad, but true.

[mvp 78]

You must be pretty biased or your actually blind.

 

A personal attack and a misspelling. What a surprise.

[moonslav59]

And yet Mooreland is doing a fine job at 1st, so the pickup was a good one and needed. Playing Pablo at first would be an experiment and he still woulld need to be platooned leaving us needing to fill 1st base. Hanley doesn't really want to move away from DH so he would have been a reluctant platoon candidate.

 

Yes, getting Moreland has worked like a charm, so far, especially with HRam's injury forcing him to DH only.

 

However, 3B is still our biggest question mark in the field and line-up combined.

[moonslav59]

Always thought Holt should have been dealt after he made the All Star team. When your utility infielder becomes an All Star, it's time to move him, because clearly you have much, much bigger needs all over the place on the roster...

 

Plus, his value as a starter to another team was much higher than his value here as a sub. With Marco, Travis, Rutledge and Young in the fold, there was no compelling reason to keep him.

[moonslav59]

I wanted to think that was the time to trade him and also wanted to believe that he had a high trade value but deep down inside I knew what every GM knows - That the reason he made the AS Team is because the Sox had to send someone and they had nobody else remotely appropriate to send.

 

Sad, but true.

 

True, but the fact is his stock was as high as ever.

[Bellhorn04]

Every GM would love to be able to trade guys at exactly the right time. It doesn't usually work out that way. It's like trying to time the stock market.

[Emp9]

Every GM would love to be able to trade guys at exactly the right time. It doesn't usually work out that way. It's like trying to time the stock market.

 

Eh, I don't know man. Seemed pretty obvious to me at the time. In fact, I wouldn't have been surprised if he was traded DURING that All Star game. The 7th inning stretch would've worked.

[notin]

I wanted to think that was the time to trade him and also wanted to believe that he had a high trade value but deep down inside I knew what every GM knows - That the reason he made the AS Team is because the Sox had to send someone and they had nobody else remotely appropriate to send.

 

Sad, but true.

 

I think the AL Manager also may have selected him due to his versatility. You know, since that game matters for some awful reason.

 

Really Holt was having a good season and a lot of teams - notably an injury-stricken Washington team - could have used him. They wouldn't have dealt an elite prospect for him, but it wouldn't have been a straight dump deal like the Buchholz trade either...

[notin]

Eh, I don't know man. Seemed pretty obvious to me at the time. In fact, I wouldn't have been surprised if he was traded DURING that All Star game. The 7th inning stretch would've worked.

 

I do think it was that obvious of a situation...

[notin]

Every GM would love to be able to trade guys at exactly the right time. It doesn't usually work out that way. It's like trying to time the stock market.

 

I actually think trading guys at the right time is usually very obvious. I think it's more a matter of having the guts to trade a player whose actually performing...

[Fisk]

A personal attack and a misspelling. What a surprise.

 

Telling the truth if you don't think his fielding is a giant issue you are blind or don't watch the games.

[notin]

Telling the truth if you don't think his fielding is a giant issue you are blind or don't watch the games.

 

If mvp's point was that Sandoval is playing better than he had with the Sox previously, he's probably right. "Better" doesn't mean "good" if the previous bar was pretty low...