Farrell

[cp176]

Lol.

 

It's funny when Kimmi trolls.

 

She is starting to chum the waters and is getting a few bites!

[a700hitter]

I will not attack Kimmi's character, but she is trolling.

[notin]

One reason was that he had never played the OF. You might want to be sure that he could handle it before committing $100 million.

 

To be fair, Cherington did hedge his bets by loading up on groundball pitchers...

[Spudboy]

I will not attack Kimmi's character, but she is trolling.

 

I am not attacking her either.

 

I think she is being funny!

[devildavid]

To be fair, Cherington did hedge his bets by loading up on groundball pitchers...

 

My point was that they left Hanley in the outfield even though it was an obvious failure. It took much too long to conclude that playing the outfield was not putting Hanley in the best position to succeed. That is all on management.

[mvp 78]

Lol.

 

It's funny when Kimmi trolls.

 

Trollstice.

[Kimmi]

Lol.

 

It's funny when Kimmi trolls.

 

There was a lot more to my post than just that one line that I marked in bold.

[Spudboy]

There was a lot more to my post than just that one line that I marked in bold.

 

Don't get excited. I just think your post was funny given that you are a Math teacher and a stat person. Those are weak-ass stats so I assumed you were being deliberately humorous.

[Maxbialystock]

There was a lot more to my post than just that one line that I marked in bold.

 

There sure was. Very helpful and surprising.

[Spudboy]

??????

[devildavid]

How much blame should Farrell get for Porcello's performance so far this season?

[Bellhorn04]

How much blame should Farrell get for Porcello's performance so far this season?

 

As much as Girardi should get for Tanaka's (etc.)

[Maxbialystock]

How much blame should Farrell get for Porcello's performance so far this season?

 

Exactly. Baseball is that one sport that depends so heavily on what players, especially hitters and pitchers--and that's just about everybody--do as individuals. Porcello gets the ball at the beginning of the game, and it's almost entirely on him. The defense can help--and did last night. The catcher last night was our best defensive catcher, Leon. The only weapon Farrell had left was the bullpen, but those 6 Astro runs in the first three innings and the paucity of Sox hitting took that weapon away.

 

What I'm reading says that everybody knows what Porcello's problem is. He is keeping every pitch up in the strike zone. The pitching coach is reportedly working with him, but so far to no avail. He still has the same repertoire that worked so well last year, but lacks command, and we have seen enough pitchers like that to know it can be disastrous--see some outings this year by Pomeranz and Price.

 

The manager is equally helpless when a hitter goes into a slump, for which remedies include days off, extra batting practice, more attention from the hitting coach--none of which will work until the hitter somehow finds his swing again. This year see Beni, JBJ,and others, but especially Pablo.

 

The nature of MLB today is such that every single swing by a hitter and pitch by a pitcher is recorded and scrutinized to the nth degree. Hell, espn, fox, and other networks can do some of that analysis themselves--and do, with stop-action video to make the point stronger.

 

To me the manager has one really good weapon at his disposal, his bullpen, and even the bullpen depends heavily on individual performance over which the manager and pitching coach can have only a small effect.

 

He also probably needs to keep his players in the right frame of mind. I'm guessing here, but I think relaxed and very focused on what's happening are about right. I think the Cubs manager probably does that well and this definitely helped last year when they won it all and broke an incredibly long no world series streak. But guess what? This year so far that exact same team has a losing record to date, so what the hell do I know?

Edited June 18, 2017 by Maxbialystock

[Kimmi]

Exactly. Baseball is that one sport that depends so heavily on what players, especially hitters and pitchers--and that's just about everybody--do as individuals. Porcello gets the ball at the beginning of the game, and it's almost entirely on him. The defense can help--and did last night. The catcher last night was our best defensive catcher, Leon. The only weapon Farrell had left was the bullpen, but those 6 Astro runs in the first three innings and the paucity of Sox hitting took that weapon away.

 

What I'm reading says that everybody knows what Porcello's problem is. He is keeping every pitch up in the strike zone. The pitching coach is reportedly working with him, but so far to no avail. He still has the same repertoire that worked so well last year, but lacks command, and we have seen enough pitchers like that to know it can be disastrous--see some outings this year by Pomeranz and Price.

 

The manager is equally helpless when a hitter goes into a slump, for which remedies include days off, extra batting practice, more attention from the hitting coach--none of which will work until the hitter somehow finds his swing again. This year see Beni, JBJ,and others, but especially Pablo.

 

The nature of MLB today is such that every single swing by a hitter and pitch by a pitcher is recorded and scrutinized to the nth degree. Hell, espn, fox, and other networks can do some of that analysis themselves--and do, with stop-action video to make the point stronger.

 

To me the manager has one really good weapon at his disposal, his bullpen, and even the bullpen depends heavily on individual performance over which the manager and pitching coach can have only a small effect.

 

He also probably needs to keep his players in the right frame of mind. I'm guessing here, but I think relaxed and very focused on what's happening are about right. I think the Cubs manager probably does that well and this definitely helped last year when they won it all and broke an incredibly long no world series streak. But guess what? This year so far that exact same team has a losing record to date, so what the hell do I know?

 

That's a point that was made in some of the research that I've read. The 'skills' of a manager are not repeatable.

 

Much had been made in the recent past about how Showalter's teams 'know how to win', and that's why they were pulling off all of those close and extra inning wins. Until the following season when the Os had pretty much the same team but they were no longer pulling off those wins. Did the team suddenly forget how to win? Did Showalter suddenly forget how to get his team to win?

 

Or maybe those things were due more to randomness than any special skill that a manger has?

[Bellhorn04]

That's a point that was made in some of the research that I've read. The 'skills' of a manager are not repeatable.

 

Much had been made in the recent past about how Showalter's teams 'know how to win', and that's why they were pulling off all of those close and extra inning wins. Until the following season when the Os had pretty much the same team but they were no longer pulling off those wins. Did the team suddenly forget how to win? Did Showalter suddenly forget how to get his team to win?

 

Or maybe those things were due more to randomness than any special skill that a manger has?

 

When it comes to in-game decisions, all a manager can do is exercise good judgment on a consistent basis. The rest depends on how well his players are performing. As has been said many times, bullpens especially tend to vary widely in performance from year to year. Showalter and Maddon may be managing just as well this year as in other years.

[notin]

Exactly. Baseball is that one sport that depends so heavily on what players, especially hitters and pitchers--and that's just about everybody--do as individuals. Porcello gets the ball at the beginning of the game, and it's almost entirely on him. The defense can help--and did last night. The catcher last night was our best defensive catcher, Leon. The only weapon Farrell had left was the bullpen, but those 6 Astro runs in the first three innings and the paucity of Sox hitting took that weapon away.

 

What I'm reading says that everybody knows what Porcello's problem is. He is keeping every pitch up in the strike zone. The pitching coach is reportedly working with him, but so far to no avail. He still has the same repertoire that worked so well last year, but lacks command, and we have seen enough pitchers like that to know it can be disastrous--see some outings this year by Pomeranz and Price.

 

The manager is equally helpless when a hitter goes into a slump, for which remedies include days off, extra batting practice, more attention from the hitting coach--none of which will work until the hitter somehow finds his swing again. This year see Beni, JBJ,and others, but especially Pablo.

 

The nature of MLB today is such that every single swing by a hitter and pitch by a pitcher is recorded and scrutinized to the nth degree. Hell, espn, fox, and other networks can do some of that analysis themselves--and do, with stop-action video to make the point stronger.

 

To me the manager has one really good weapon at his disposal, his bullpen, and even the bullpen depends heavily on individual performance over which the manager and pitching coach can have only a small effect.

 

He also probably needs to keep his players in the right frame of mind. I'm guessing here, but I think relaxed and very focused on what's happening are about right. I think the Cubs manager probably does that well and this definitely helped last year when they won it all and broke an incredibly long no world series streak. But guess what? This year so far that exact same team has a losing record to date, so what the hell do I know?

 

Excellent points.

 

 

 

And when you consider the difference between a 3.50ERA and a 4.00ERA over 180IP is 10 earned run, or m.aybe just 2 bad innings, the differences get tougher to differentiate.

 

Porcello is throwing harder this year than last year. That's a good sign. But when your best pitch is a 2 seam fastball, that could be an issue. Throwing the 2 weaker harder means the pitch starts to break late

r and ten simply doesn't break as much, which is a bad thing. Basically, it flattens out and becomes more hittable. This might well be Porcello's primary issue.

 

Throwing a little softer is easier to fix than needing to throw harder...

Edited June 18, 2017 by notin

[Bellhorn04]

Excellent points.

 

 

 

And when you consider the difference between a 3.50ERA and a 4.00ERA over 180IP is 10 earned run, or m.aybe just 2 bad innings, the differences get tougher to differentiate.

 

Porcello is throwing harder this year than last year. That's a good sign. But when your best pitch is a 2 seam fastball, that could be an issue. Throwing the 2 weaker harder means the pitch starts to break late

r and ten simply doesn't break as much, which is a bad thing. Basically, it flattens out and becomes more huggable. This might well be Porcello's primary issue.

 

Throwing a little softer is easier to fix than needing to throw harder...

 

Those pitches have definitely been getting a lot of big hugs.

[a700hitter]

I am not attacking her either.

 

I think she is being funny!

i was just joking.

[a700hitter]

Excellent points.

 

 

 

And when you consider the difference between a 3.50ERA and a 4.00ERA over 180IP is 10 earned run, or m.aybe just 2 bad innings, the differences get tougher to differentiate.

 

Porcello is throwing harder this year than last year. That's a good sign. But when your best pitch is a 2 seam fastball, that could be an issue. Throwing the 2 weaker harder means the pitch starts to break late

r and ten simply doesn't break as much, which is a bad thing. Basically, it flattens out and becomes more huggable. This might well be Porcello's primary issue.

 

Throwing a little softer is easier to fix than needing to throw harder...

He stinks this year. It doesn't matter how hard he is throwing. He is being hit hard and allowing base runners and home runs at an alarming rate. Way Baack Wasdin threw hard too. Porcello is a career 4.25 ERA pitcher over a 9 year career. He is a solid #4 as he takes the ball every turn, but he is not an ace but for a couple of bad outings.

[notin]

He stinks this year. It doesn't matter how hard he is throwing. He is being hit hard and allowing base runners and home runs at an alarming rate. Way Baack Wasdin threw hard too. Porcello is a career 4.25 ERA pitcher over a 9 year career. He is a solid #4 as he takes the ball every turn, but he is not an ace but for a couple of bad outings.

 

Actually how hard he is throwing might be the exact problem, and for the exact reasons I noted.

 

He needs hu s two seamer to break to be effective. It's his best pitch. But right now he is throwing it too hard, meaning it doesn't have to me to break. So it's effectively nothing more than a weak, straight fastball.

 

It's easier to take a couple mph off a fastball than it is to add a couple on, but that doesn't mean it's easy. But Porcello and the Sox staff all know this and should be trying to help him dial it in. I would say it's not necessarily a lost season for Porcello. ..

[a700hitter]

Actually how hard he is throwing might be the exact problem, and for the exact reasons I noted.

 

He needs hu s two seamer to break to be effective. It's his best pitch. But right now he is throwing it too hard, meaning it doesn't have to me to break. So it's effectively nothing more than a weak, straight fastball.

 

It's easier to take a couple mph off a fastball than it is to add a couple on, but that doesn't mean it's easy. But Porcello and the Sox staff all know this and should be trying to help him dial it in. I would say it's not necessarily a lost season for Porcello. ..

I fear that he roblem is in his head at this point like he admits happened in 2015.

[Dojji]

re you really trying to analyze based on results to rebut someone who's analyzing based on approach? "His problem is that he's getting hit" is almost a nonanswer in context and it's all you've come up with in the last few posts.

[Kimmi]

I'm wondering if Farrell is an idiot for allowing Sale to come back out for the 9th inning, and allowing him to give up a lead off walk followed by a home run.

 

Or perhaps it was okay to bring Sale back out for the 9th, but it was idiotic to leave him in the game after giving up the lead off walk? Was Sale clearly gassed?

 

My point is, sometimes the right decision is made even when the results are not so good.

[SoxnCycles]

I'm wondering if Farrell is an idiot for allowing Sale to come back out for the 9th inning, and allowing him to give up a lead off walk followed by a home run.

 

Or perhaps it was okay to bring Sale back out for the 9th, but it was idiotic to leave him in the game after giving up the lead off walk? Was Sale clearly gassed?

 

My point is, sometimes the right decision is made even when the results are not so good.

 

I think any manager would've sent Sale back out there.

I'm surprised he got hit so hard, after breezing through the previous innings.

 

I'm sure Sale would've been pulled after the leadoff walk, if the score had been closer.

 

You take all the fun out of "hindsight". do you know that?

[a700hitter]

I'm wondering if Farrell is an idiot for allowing Sale to come back out for the 9th inning, and allowing him to give up a lead off walk followed by a home run.

 

Or perhaps it was okay to bring Sale back out for the 9th, but it was idiotic to leave him in the game after giving up the lead off walk? Was Sale clearly gassed?

 

My point is, sometimes the right decision is made even when the results are not so good.

Dis anyone criticize the move when it happened? Sale was breezing. His pitch count was reasonable. It was a no-brained. No one criticizes a manager for no-brainer moves that go wrong. You are making a point that no one is arguing.

[Kimmi]

I think any manager would've sent Sale back out there.

I'm surprised he got hit so hard, after breezing through the previous innings.

 

I'm sure Sale would've been pulled after the leadoff walk, if the score had been closer.

 

You take all the fun out of "hindsight". do you know that?

 

LOL We are all so much smarter with the benefit of hindsight.

 

Yes, every manager would have sent Sale back out there because it was the right decision to make, yet the result was not good, which was my point.

[Kimmi]

Dis anyone criticize the move when it happened? Sale was breezing. His pitch count was reasonable. It was a no-brained. No one criticizes a manager for no-brainer moves that go wrong. You are making a point that no one is arguing.

 

I didn't say anyone criticized the move.

 

The point still remains that often times the right move ends in a not so good result.

[a700hitter]

I didn't say anyone criticized the move.

 

The point still remains that often times the right move ends in a not so good result.

You win some and you lose some.

[cp176]

The more Farrell sticks to the "formula" when it comes to using his players, the more it looks to me as though a cardboard cutout of him propped up in the corner would suffice. Stick to the "formula" and you can even save some money for the owners.

[devildavid]

I didn't say anyone criticized the move.

 

The point still remains that often times the right move ends in a not so good result.

 

The real point is that some observers think they can apply a label to moves as "smart" or "stupid" regardless of the outcome of the move. It is illogical.