Sox hitting??

[mvp 78]

Vazquez has been on fire since the start of the Royals series. It's nice to not have automatic outs 7-9.

[Maxbialystock]

How can you look at that and say he's consistent. He with 3 months below .700 and 3 above .900!

 

That's not consistency, that's Mr Toad's Wild Ride....

 

Yes, Bogey IS INJURED. I'm sure if you it suited your argument you would have noted that. Pedroia hit .500 after coming off the DL. OMG!

 

JBJ has high highs and low lows. It's a fact.

 

Actually, those are great stats moonslav has assembled--so wild applause for him.

 

I personally am inclined to think of JBJ as more up and down than consistent. The four year picture is that he was handed the CF job in 2014 and ended up in the minors that season and in 2015 with periodic trips to Boston and which culminated in the August-Sep breakout which ensured he would stick. 2016 was easily his steadiest year--a very good first four months and so-so August and September but overall pretty good.

 

This year, however, those numbers are almost back to 2015. April and July both below .600, and May-June .808 and 1.009. And so far August is looking like July for JBJ. Last night the Sox had 15 hits and scored 12 runs while JBJ was 0 for 4 with 3 of our 7 K's.

 

In his early years Pedroia, especially his rookie year, tended to get off to a slow start, but by and large he has been the soul of consistency on this team. His career OPS is .810 and this year, despite the knee, the spiking, the hard block at 1b, etc, it's at .792. It is criminal to suggest in any way that JBJ is as consistent as Pedroia even though we might agree that his potential might--and I emphasize that word--have a bigger upside.

 

All that said, I would like to add to the discussion by asking a simple question. We all know the hitting is down this year. I have attributed that to the absence of Ortiz. My question is: how much in our collective opinion do we think the weak hitting is the result of injuries, some of which guys are playing (and swinging the bat) with?

 

Before you answer, consider this. In the five games both Nunez and Devers have played in--the last five games in fact--the Sox have scored 36 runs, an average of 7 runs per game. They currently have OPS's (I'm only counting Nunez's five games with the Sox) of 1.400 and 1.200, which are both higher than Ortiz's OPS last year.

 

Maybe just one or two guys can energize a lineup. We all remember the two great 3 run dingers by Moreland and Vazquez last night, but Nunez had the most rbi's with 4.

[a700hitter]

I have said along that one big bat can make a difference. We have added two plus bats but lost one in Pedroia. It has made quite a difference. There is another old saying that "hitting is contagious". This is just another way of saying that hitters can make each other better and that there is a cascading effect. When Pedroia hopefully comes back healthy, the run production should remain improved even if pitchers adjust to Devers and Nunez cools off. If Devers and Nunez remain hot when Pedroia comes back, the run production should really heat up. I think Holt has brought a spark to the lineup the last couple of games. Benintendi has not been the offensive force that I had expected.

[S5Dewey]

I have said along that one big bat can make a difference. We have added two plus bats but lost one in Pedroia. It has made quite a difference. There is another old saying that "hitting is contagious". This is just another way of saying that hitters can make each other better and that there is a cascading effect.

 

In fact, I think Gomes used exactly those word in the game last night. But what's he know anyway? He only played MLB for 13 years.

[a700hitter]

In fact, I think Gomes used exactly those word in the game last night. But what's he know anyway? He only played MLB for 13 years.

Gomes has impressed me as a real student of the game. Maybe that is how he stayed in the league for 13 years with limited talent. He knows all the players I each league and how they are doing and an excellent grasp of the history of the game.

[mvp 78]

Actually, those are great stats moonslav has assembled--so wild applause for him.

 

I personally am inclined to think of JBJ as more up and down than consistent. The four year picture is that he was handed the CF job in 2014 and ended up in the minors that season and in 2015 with periodic trips to Boston and which culminated in the August-Sep breakout which ensured he would stick. 2016 was easily his steadiest year--a very good first four months and so-so August and September but overall pretty good.

 

This year, however, those numbers are almost back to 2015. April and July both below .600, and May-June .808 and 1.009. And so far August is looking like July for JBJ. Last night the Sox had 15 hits and scored 12 runs while JBJ was 0 for 4 with 3 of our 7 K's.

 

Here's what I wrote back in May:

 

JBJ is good for one great month.

 

2015:

5/10 - 8/8 146 BABIP and 426 OPS

8/9 - 9/7 577 BABIP and 1441 OPS

9/8 - 10/4 173 BABIP and 510 OPS

 

2016:

4/5 - 5/4 348 BABIP and 792 OPS

5/5 - 5/30 400 BABIP and 1232 OPS

6/1 - 9/30 289 BABIP and 765 OPS

 

Right now he's hitting like the bad parts of 2015. If he was back to hitting like the cooler months from 2016, we wouldn't be complaining right now.

 

Now:

4/1 - 6/8 245 BABIP and 741 OPS

6/9 - 7/4 429 BABIP and 1032 OPS

7/5 - 8/1 283 BABIP and 520 OPS

 

It looks like he's already had his one great month for the year. If that is a mark of consistency, I don't know what to say. To me, he'll always be a guy that is a very medicore to poor hitter who can get as hot as the sun for a one month stretch. When he's hot, he should be hitting at the top of the lineup. Right now, he should be batting 9th.

[mvp 78]

Gomes has impressed me as a real student of the game. Maybe that is how he stayed in the league for 13 years with limited talent. He knows all the players I each league and how they are doing and an excellent grasp of the history of the game.

 

He'd be good in the studio, but he's dreadful in a two man booth.

[Maxbialystock]

Actually, those are great stats moonslav has assembled--so wild applause for him.

 

I personally am inclined to think of JBJ as more up and down than consistent. The four year picture is that he was handed the CF job in 2014 and ended up in the minors that season and in 2015 with periodic trips to Boston and which culminated in the August-Sep breakout which ensured he would stick. 2016 was easily his steadiest year--a very good first four months and so-so August and September but overall pretty good.

 

This year, however, those numbers are almost back to 2015. April and July both below .600, and May-June .808 and 1.009. And so far August is looking like July for JBJ. Last night the Sox had 15 hits and scored 12 runs while JBJ was 0 for 4 with 3 of our 7 K's.

 

In his early years Pedroia, especially his rookie year, tended to get off to a slow start, but by and large he has been the soul of consistency on this team. His career OPS is .810 and this year, despite the knee, the spiking, the hard block at 1b, etc, it's at .792. It is criminal to suggest in any way that JBJ is as consistent as Pedroia even though we might agree that his potential might--and I emphasize that word--have a bigger upside.

 

All that said, I would like to add to the discussion by asking a simple question. We all know the hitting is down this year. I have attributed that to the absence of Ortiz. My question is: how much in our collective opinion do we think the weak hitting is the result of injuries, some of which guys are playing (and swinging the bat) with?

 

Before you answer, consider this. In the five games both Nunez and Devers have played in--the last five games in fact--the Sox have scored 36 runs, an average of 7 runs per game. They currently have OPS's (I'm only counting Nunez's five games with the Sox) of 1.400 and 1.200, which are both higher than Ortiz's OPS last year.

 

Maybe just one or two guys can energize a lineup. We all remember the two great 3 run dingers by Moreland and Vazquez last night, but Nunez had the most rbi's with 4.

 

I would like to add however that those five games have depended heavily (for hitting anyway) on Nunez, Devers, and (four games only) Vazquez. HanRam, Bogie, Beni, Moreland, and JBJ have done little. Betts has helped some, so has Holt.

 

Of course it's also just a 5 game sample, as moonslav will remind us.

[a700hitter]

He'd be good in the studio, but he's dreadful in a two man booth.

He changed up the tone a bit last night. -- less monotone.

[sk7326]

He changed up the tone a bit last night. -- less monotone.

 

Would have been music to my ears since I had to suffer the Costas-Kaat version of the broadcast

[Kimmi]

Shouldn't he be recovered from the broke toe by now?

 

Good sign in last night's game, not only in his 2 big hits, but the fact that one was to left and the other was to right-center.

[a700hitter]

Would have been music to my ears since I had to suffer the Costas-Kaat version of the broadcast

Gomes has some good insights and a tremendous knowledge of what is going on around both leagues.

[sk7326]

Gomes has some good insights and a tremendous knowledge of what is going on around both leagues.

 

Definitely better than a less witty version of those 2 old guy muppets in the balcony

[Kimmi]

We scored well tonight but Cleveland has a good lineup and got to Sale and then our BP gave up what would have been a nice win. Cracks have begun to show in Kimbrel's invincibility. Notthing to do but to move on.

 

We got good contributions from many in the lineup with Holt looking better than Beni at this juncture. JBJ is sliding back into a slump snf Bogie is showing signs, but is still not fully back.

 

All batters go through slumps. It's to be expected. Usually, when a player or two have slumps, there are other players who are having hot streaks to pick them up. For whatever reason, our players all seemed to slump for most of the month of July.

 

Hopefully, they have turned the corner offensively.

[Kimmi]

It was Nunez's famed line-up protection that ignited Vaz and others.

 

LOL

 

I am glad that someone else is on board with the myth of line up protection.

 

Kimmi and Moon - A Gang of Two

 

Right on!

[a700hitter]

All batters go through slumps. It's to be expected. Usually, when a player or two have slumps, there are other players who are having hot streaks to pick them up. For whatever reason, our players all seemed to slump for most of the month of July.

 

Hopefully, they have turned the corner offensively.

until we added the two bats to the lineup, we didn't have that many good hitters. The bottom of our order has been a black hole. No offense from third base or catcher for most of the year. When you have 2 black holes, you only need 2 or 3 others to slump and run production grinds to a halt.

[Kimmi]

The most surprising thing was that Moreland had the wherewithal to run, after standing there in despair for a second or so. Had the ball rolled only 10 instead of 20 feet away, the image of the game (and the team) we would take away was him standing idly by while the catcher lobbed the ball to first.

 

The epitome of the beautiful randomness of the game of baseball.

[Kimmi]

Would have been music to my ears since I had to suffer the Costas-Kaat version of the broadcast

 

I have had no problems with Gomes in the booth. I like the guy.

 

I have had to listen to so many other teams' annoying announcers that I welcome the NESN broadcast whenever I get it.

[illinoisredsox]

until we added the two bats to the lineup, we didn't have that many good hitters. The bottom of our order has been a black hole. No offense from third base or catcher for most of the year. When you have 2 black holes, you only need 2 or 3 others to slump and run production grinds to a halt.

 

Would you find the following player okay for hitting 8-9 in the lineup?

 

.262/.306/.694, 48 runs, 22 doubles, 2 triples, 8 homers, 50 RBIs

[a700hitter]

Would you find the following player okay for hitting 8-9 in the lineup?

 

.262/.306/.694, 48 runs, 22 doubles, 2 triples, 8 homers, 50 RBIs

That isn't Marrero or Pablo or Rutledge. Are those numbers over a full season? I am guessing that they are Leon's from last year. What is your point?

[moonslav59]

33 runs in the last 5 games.

 

Keep it going!

[illinoisredsox]

That isn't Marrero or Pablo or Rutledge. Are those numbers over a full season? I am guessing that they are Leon's from last year. What is your point?

 

Those are our catchers combined stats this year. Not Johnny Bench or Pudge Fisk, but not quite a black hole in context either. Although to be fair, both guys seem streaky as can be. Feast or famine if you will.

 

Looked up the catchers OPS listings, Vazquez and Leon are 12th and 15th among the 29 AL catchers with more than 100 PAs, so middle of the pack.

 

I was particularly impressed with that RBI stat. They may not hit much, but they seem to hit when there are guys to drive in. That's 10 more RBIs than our DH has and also ahead of Bogie, JBJ and Moreland.

Edited August 2, 2017 by illinoisredsox

[moonslav59]

Here's what I wrote back in May:

 

 

 

Now:

4/1 - 6/8 245 BABIP and 741 OPS

6/9 - 7/4 429 BABIP and 1032 OPS

7/5 - 8/1 283 BABIP and 520 OPS

 

It looks like he's already had his one great month for the year. If that is a mark of consistency, I don't know what to say. To me, he'll always be a guy that is a very medicore to poor hitter who can get as hot as the sun for a one month stretch. When he's hot, he should be hitting at the top of the lineup. Right now, he should be batting 9th.

 

792 and 765 are not bad. It's hard for me to call a guy "streaky" when he still hits well around a hot streak.

[moonslav59]

Would you find the following player okay for hitting 8-9 in the lineup?

 

.262/.306/.694, 48 runs, 22 doubles, 2 triples, 8 homers, 50 RBIs

 

With a staff and defense like ours, I'm fine with those numbers, especially when 1 of the black holes is a plus-plus defender at the catcher position.

[mvp 78]

792 and 765 are not bad. It's hard for me to call a guy "streaky" when he still hits well around a hot streak.

 

Well, he did have a wonderful .505 OPS on May 9th.

[cp176]

Gomes has impressed me as a real student of the game. Maybe that is how he stayed in the league for 13 years with limited talent. He knows all the players I each league and how they are doing and an excellent grasp of the history of the game.

 

Actually, i really like Johnny Gomes and I loved what he brought to our team. He does have some good insights but he made me a little nervous last night when he wasn't sure about the ruling on Jackson's over the fence catch of Ramirez's drive. A little laugh for me on that one. I'm guessing that most of us who have played knew the ruling on that one. I still like him though.

[a700hitter]

Actually, i really like Johnny Gomes and I loved what he brought to our team. He does have some good insights but he made me a little nervous last night when he wasn't sure about the ruling on Jackson's over the fence catch of Ramirez's drive. A little laugh for me on that one. I'm guessing that most of us who have played knew the ruling on that one. I still like him though.

i was fairly certain about the rule on that play until he said that he didn't know the rule, and Farrell challenged the play. When that happened, I started to wonder about the rule.

[mvp 78]

792 and 765 are not bad. It's hard for me to call a guy "streaky" when he still hits well around a hot streak.

 

And now he's the #9 hitter as I suggested earlier.

[Bellhorn04]

Farrell is tweaking the lineup hard these days!

[mvp 78]

Farrell is tweaking the lineup hard these days!

 

Whatever gets it to work again.