Should Jackie Bradley Jr be traded?

[cp176]

I do not disagree with you on the idea of trying to bunt for a hit every now and then. Also, about going to the opposite field now and then. That said, Jackie's first at bat last night was a pretty well hit ball to LF that was caught for Gardner.

 

My point is that he is not getting outs by way of weak ground balls or pop ups. He is making solid contact and getting unlucky. The latter bodes much better for Jackie than the former. Good things are coming for Jackie.

 

I'm perfectly fine with the way you are looking at this. If you think that his hard contact makes his future look bright, of course I am with you. The fact remains that all of those hard hit balls that are hit directly at someone amount to just as much as a weak flyball in the infield. A choked up punch hit to the opposite field with 2 strikes I think is still something worth considering even today. JBJ is not Dave Kingman. I agree with you in principle though as someone who really wants him to succeed. I just feel better seeing him make any kind of contact as opposed to striking out repeatedly. Lately there seems to reason to hope!

[moonslav59]

We all hope JBJ could do some things differently. K less. Go the other way more. Choke up at times. Make more adjustments. Watch some film. Be more consistent.

 

Sometimes I think it seems much easier to say than to do, and asking a player to try an make a major adjustment to his mechanics or approach is a risky thing to do. If a guy is doing so poorly, you think what harm can it do, that's one thing, and JBj has certainly had long enough stretches of deep struggles.

 

I guess what I'm saying is that maybe he is what he is and trying to mess with him could unravel the good in his offense. (Maybe not as well.)

 

Here's a look at JBJs OPS and K rate by month since August 2015:

 

1.163 26%

.739 27%

.807 24%

1.175 13%

.805 11%

.839 18%

.651 33%

.731 23%

.596 25%

.808 19%

1.009 18%

.596 28%

.770 27%

.517 23%

.600 19%

.599 36%

.653 23%

 

There is certainly a relationship between his K% and OPS, but there are lots of head-scratching flip-flops.

 

[Bellhorn04]

We all hope JBJ could do some things differently. K less. Go the other way more. Choke up at times. Make more adjustments. Watch some film. Be more consistent.

 

Sometimes I think it seems much easier to say than to do, and asking a player to try an make a major adjustment to his mechanics or approach is a risky thing to do. If a guy is doing so poorly, you think what harm can it do, that's one thing, and JBj has certainly had long enough stretches of deep struggles.

 

I guess what I'm saying is that maybe he is what he is and trying to mess with him could unravel the good in his offense. (Maybe not as well.)

 

Here's a look at JBJs OPS and K rate by month since August 2015:

 

1.163 26%

.739 27%

.807 24%

1.175 13%

.805 11%

.839 18%

.651 33%

.731 23%

.596 25%

.808 19%

1.009 18%

.596 28%

.770 27%

.517 23%

.600 19%

.599 36%

.653 23%

 

There is certainly a relationship between his K% and OPS, but there are lots of head-scratching flip-flops.

 

 

It's a million times easier from the armchair.

[cp176]

We all hope JBJ could do some things differently. K less. Go the other way more. Choke up at times. Make more adjustments. Watch some film. Be more consistent.

 

Sometimes I think it seems much easier to say than to do, and asking a player to try an make a major adjustment to his mechanics or approach is a risky thing to do. If a guy is doing so poorly, you think what harm can it do, that's one thing, and JBj has certainly had long enough stretches of deep struggles.

 

I guess what I'm saying is that maybe he is what he is and trying to mess with him could unravel the good in his offense. (Maybe not as well.)

 

Here's a look at JBJs OPS and K rate by month since August 2015:

 

1.163 26%

.739 27%

.807 24%

1.175 13%

.805 11%

.839 18%

.651 33%

.731 23%

.596 25%

.808 19%

1.009 18%

.596 28%

.770 27%

.517 23%

.600 19%

.599 36%

.653 23%

 

There is certainly a relationship between his K% and OPS, but there are lots of head-scratching flip-flops.

 

 

No one is disagreeing with you about the complexity of the game. It still simply amazes me that he could be in the eyes of some as being unwilling to try something different. The best always have. I will be very sad to see it happen but if he doesn't pick up the pace to at least get somewhere near where has been, I'm thinking that he will be gone if someone wants him.He is a great center fielder - i get that. Hope he ihits.

[moonslav59]

No one is disagreeing with you about the complexity of the game. It still simply amazes me that he could be in the eyes of some as being unwilling to try something different. The best always have. I will be very sad to see it happen but if he doesn't pick up the pace to at least get somewhere near where has been, I'm thinking that he will be gone if someone wants him.He is a great center fielder - i get that. Hope he ihits.

 

It is frustrating as hell, even to those who really like JBJ.

 

The long slumps hurt him and the team. While his defense keeps him in the line-up, I agree, he may be dealt if his struggles continue this year.

 

The shift really kills him, and that's part of the reason he can hit the ball so hard and still make more outs than it appears he should be making. Not learning to go the other way or to bunt down the 3rd base line is hard to understand, but maybe JBJ is just too rigid to change.

 

I'd love to see him stay in a Sox uniform, even if he stays around .700 every year, but I'm not sure DD sees it that way.

 

The problem is, who knows if he can give us even .700 every year.

 

[moonslav59]

It's a million times easier from the armchair.

 

That's for sure.

 

Hitting was always my downfall in baseball.

[devildavid]

It is frustrating as hell, even to those who really like JBJ.

 

The long slumps hurt him and the team. While his defense keeps him in the line-up, I agree, he may be dealt if his struggles continue this year.

 

The shift really kills him, and that's part of the reason he can hit the ball so hard and still make more outs than it appears he should be making. Not learning to go the other way or to bunt down the 3rd base line is hard to understand, but maybe JBJ is just too rigid to change.

 

I'd love to see him stay in a Sox uniform, even if he stays around .700 every year, but I'm not sure DD sees it that way.

 

The problem is, who knows if he can give us even .700 every year.

 

 

I think his defense is so great that it more than makes up for his offensive deficiencies.

[Natick to NC]

The reason we keep coming back here is not JBJ it's the David Prices and the Drew Pomeranze that make other facets look that much more glaring ...Hell no we shouldn't cut off our nose because of the zit on it but we think about it lol

[dgalehouse]

It is not too often that you enter July and have an every day player still below the Mendoza line. We can cite BABIP , bad luck and defensive shifts until the cows come home. You still have a very unproductive bat in the lineup. If you think his defense is worth the lack of offense , okay. I guess it is all a matter of opinion. It is time to put this debate to bed. The team is doing very well. Maybe we should leave well enough alone.

[moonslav59]

It is not too often that you enter July and have an every day player still below the Mendoza line. We can cite BABIP , bad luck and defensive shifts until the cows come home. You still have a very unproductive bat in the lineup. If you think his defense is worth the lack of offense , okay. I guess it is all a matter of opinion. It is time to put this debate to bed. The team is doing very well. Maybe we should leave well enough alone.

 

He has been unproductive through the halfway point of the season. It's a big concern.

 

I fully expect he won't end up below or even near .200, but at this point, who knows.

 

I'm still glad he's our FT CF'er, but I know he may not be there until his contract expires.

[oldtimer]

He has been unproductive through the halfway point of the season. It's a big concern.

 

I fully expect he won't end up below or even near .200, but at this point, who knows.

 

I'm still glad he's our FT CF'er, but I know he may not be there until his contract expires.

 

I doubt if we do anything with JBJ this year but leave the decision until the 2019 season.

[Bellhorn04]

It is not too often that you enter July and have an every day player still below the Mendoza line. We can cite BABIP , bad luck and defensive shifts until the cows come home. You still have a very unproductive bat in the lineup. If you think his defense is worth the lack of offense , okay. I guess it is all a matter of opinion. It is time to put this debate to bed. The team is doing very well. Maybe we should leave well enough alone.

 

The Yankees' Sanchez was also under the Mendoza line before his injury.

 

It's probably a little more common than you realize.

[OH FOY]

Usually for Catchers this is true.

[Bellhorn04]

Usually for Catchers this is true.

 

Except Sanchez is an offense-first catcher.

[OH FOY]

Yankees are doing pretty good in the Pitching Dept. Both in Starters and BP. Maybe he changed his focus to try to become a more complete Catcher. His Offense has suffered, because of this. Still is hitting for Power.

[Bellhorn04]

Yankees are doing pretty good in the Pitching Dept. Both in Starters and BP. Maybe he changed his focus to try to become a more complete Catcher. His Offense has suffered, because of this. Still is hitting for Power.

 

Oh sure. I was just responding to the statement that it's rare to have an everyday player under .200 at this point.

 

MLB batting averages are down in general. The average average this year is .246.

[cp176]

Oh sure. I was just responding to the statement that it's rare to have an everyday player under .200 at this point.

 

MLB batting averages are down in general. The average average this year is .246.

 

I really like JBJ but trying to sell me on the fact that because of his outstanding defense that his failings at the plate don't seem to matter would be akin to me telling folks here that Martinez really isn't as bad a fielder as metric lovers say that he is. Or maybe even that because one of the best pitchers in the game should not be your first option come playoff time because of past failings is the way to go. I'm sorry but if JBJ can't hit .200, he has to be replaceable. Heres hoping he continues to hit the ball hard but I guess just gets lucky and hits it somewhere other than where the opponents are standing.

[moonslav59]

Chris Davis qualifies and is hitting .155.

 

7 players have a worse BA than JBJ, plus we all know OBP is more important than BA. JBJ ranks 144th at .290 and has 19 players below him, including Nunez, Longoria, Seager, Pujols, Moncada & Pillar.

 

JBJ's OPS ranks 155 out of 163 at .616.

[moonslav59]

I really like JBJ but trying to sell me on the fact that because of his outstanding defense that his failings at the plate don't seem to matter would be akin to me telling folks here that Martinez really isn't as bad a fielder as metric lovers say that he is. Or maybe even that because one of the best pitchers in the game should not be your first option come playoff time because of past failings is the way to go. I'm sorry but if JBJ can't hit .200, he has to be replaceable. Heres hoping he continues to hit the ball hard but I guess just gets lucky and hits it somewhere other than where the opponents are standing.

 

I've been one of JBJ's biggest supporters, and of course, hitting just .200 matters. It matters a lot.

 

Hitting is a big part of a player's value, but it is not everything. Defense and base running add or subtract value. I guess the debate is how much and is it enough to keep JBJ as an overall plus or not.

 

My position on JBJ has been that I think he's still a plus at .200 (.600+ OPS), but he will likely not end up at .200/.600, if past history has anything to do with future outcomes.

 

If he ends up at .200/.600 by season's end, I would not be upset, if we traded him and found a less expensive great defensive CF'er with more offensive upside.

[Sox75]

I agree ...... BUT still Moon, it begs the question, WHAT ON EARTH causes JBJ to get SO LOCKED IN for these 30 day runs where he hits well over .300, with killer power #'s, HR's, rbi's, ops well over 1.00, and conversely, WHAT ON EARTH causes him to absolutely lose focus?

 

There is something profound there, and for the life of me, I simply can't figure it out.

 

I've detailed his poor plate discipline when things are going badly. For me, that's crystal clear. Not keeping his head down all the way through the strike zone, it flies right, & so goes his shoulders. Got that. Definitive.

 

So perhaps the question is, WHAT ON EARTH causes him to get LOCKED in about this time every year, & why can't he maintain it? I truly think he has the eye, strength, & swing to be an above average hitter, but never with this HOT & COOOOOOOOLD history. He feeds off of tired pitchers right around this time of the year, but then always reverts back to swinging from his arss, head & shoulders flying, LOTS & LOTS of swings & misses.

 

??? I'm genuinely perplexed! The bad luck narrative is nonsense though.

[moonslav59]

I agree ...... BUT still Moon, it begs the question, WHAT ON EARTH causes JBJ to get SO LOCKED IN for these 30 day runs where he hits well over .300, with killer power #'s, HR's, rbi's, ops well over 1.00, and conversely, WHAT ON EARTH causes him to absolutely lose focus?

 

There is something profound there, and for the life of me, I simply can't figure it out.

 

I've detailed his poor plate discipline when things are going badly. For me, that's crystal clear. Not keeping his head down all the way through the strike zone, it flies right, & so goes his shoulders. Got that. Definitive.

 

So perhaps the question is, WHAT ON EARTH causes him to get LOCKED in about this time every year, & why can't he maintain it? I truly think he has the eye, strength, & swing to be an above average hitter, but never with this HOT & COOOOOOOOLD history. He feeds off of tired pitchers right around this time of the year, but then always reverts back to swinging from his arss, head & shoulders flying, LOTS & LOTS of swings & misses.

 

??? I'm genuinely perplexed! The bad luck narrative is nonsense though.

 

While every player has "bad luck" stretches, you are right, it is not an excuse. The fact that JBJ's bad luck stretch fell during a stretch of severe struggles at the plate just made it worse. Even, if he had some better luck, he'd still be at about .220/.650.

 

Who knows why this pattern seems to repeat itself every year. If it was easy to answer, maybe it could be solved.

 

I also feel like his hot and cold streak have been somewhat exaggerated. Iknow some of his hot streaks were straddling 2 months, making both months look normal, but these numbers do not lie:

 

Months that JBJ's monthly OPS since Aug 2015 was...

 

3- 1.000+

0- .840 to .999

5- .770 to .839

3- .677 to .736

5- .596 to .651

1-- at .517

 

8 months over .770

3 months .675 to .770

6 below .651

 

11 out of 17 months, he's been over .677. It seems like he's had more bad months than this.

 

He actually has had more decent, good and great months than bad ones at almost a 2 to 1 ratio. I believe, this year has seen his longest bad streak since pre-2015.

 

 

[OH FOY]

Last 365 days JBJ has .203 BA, .284 OBP, and a .608 OPS. 492 At bats with 100 hits.

Last half of last year, first half of this year.

[moonslav59]

Last 365 days JBJ has .203 BA, .284 OBP, and a .608 OPS. 492 At bats with 100 hits.

Last half of last year, first half of this year.

 

That's almost as bad as his first 530 PAs in MLB 92013-2014)

 

.196 (.268/.280/.548)

 

4 HRs

 

40 RBI

[moonslav59]

Last 365 days JBJ has .203 BA, .284 OBP, and a .608 OPS. 492 At bats with 100 hits.

Last half of last year, first half of this year.

 

Last 1.5 seasons (817 PAs):

 

.229 23 86

 

.312/.377/.689

[OH FOY]

So tells you he's been slumping for awhile. Started out decent, then hasn't really improved, or just a Month thing.

[notin]

So tells you he's been slumping for awhile.

 

And getting killed by the shift?

[OH FOY]

See I like JBJ, and hope he improves.

The real question is..does he save enough runs throughout the season, to Offset his Offensive deficiencies?

You had Damon, and Ellsbury who by no means were a JBJ Defensively, but their Offense Offset that.

Maybe I don't know.

Edited July 2, 2018 by OH FOY!

[OH FOY]

Yeah shift hurts, many.

[dgalehouse]

I think the bottom line with JBJ is , take the bad with the good , hope the bad gets better and stay the course. Another reason not to trade him is team chemistry in a pennant race. A lot of these guys came up through the system together. They seem like a pretty tight group. Why disturb that now ? So , should JBJ be traded ? The answer is no , except in the unlikely event that it produces a significant upgrade. Stay the course.

[Slasher9]

See I like JBJ, and hope he improves.

The real question is..does he save enough runs throughout the season, to Offset his Offensive deficiencies?

You had Damon, and Ellsbury who by no means were a JBJ Defensively, but their Offense Offset that.

Maybe I don't know.

His WAR is 0.6. Not fabulous at all but still a plus with his very below average offense....