Rafael Devers

[Fan_since_Boggs]

Small sample size but Devers has looked good in comparison to Moncada, who is hitting .105 and striking out too much. Moreover, Devers is 1 or 2 years younger than Moncada.

 

I remember news came out (Gammons, I think) when Moncada was still in the Red Sox system that some people within the Red Sox organization believed Devers was the better prospect.

[a700hitter]

Yes.

 

And to add to what you have said there is absolutely no reason why you should have to tolerate last place finishes at all ( except in the most extreme of circumstances ) with the money in this organization. This team should be at the very least competitive most if not every year.

 

I doubt very much if the Sox finish first, proceed through the post season and then lose in game 7 or the series to a great team in a close game that you will be pissed Or even if the Sox play well all season but just fall short in a tight race. You will be disappointed for sure. But you won't be doing much complaining.

People without our long tenure rooting for the Red Sox don't understand that prior to 2004 we were not suffering through decades of futility. Most seasons the Red Sox were competitive and exciting. It was disappointing when the season ended, but there was plenty of enjoyment during the season. Finishing in last place is just a daily torture with almost no excitement or enjoyment.

[moonslav59]

Devers looks like a natural at the plate.

 

It's hard to imagine he was hitting just .779 in over 540 PAs at A+ ball last summer and .773 the year before at single A Greenville.

 

That's over 1050 PAs from 2015-2016 with an OPS no higher than .780!

 

Gotta love this kid! He's taken off like a rocket!

[moonslav59]

People without our long tenure rooting for the Red Sox don't understand that prior to 2004 we were not suffering through decades of futility. Most seasons the Red Sox were competitive and exciting. It was disappointing when the season ended, but there was plenty of enjoyment during the season. Finishing in last place is just a daily torture with almost no excitement or enjoyment.

 

Last place does suck, especially when we were expected to compete those seasons.

 

However, going 30+ years with no rings sucked more. I remember saying I'd take 10 last place finishes for just one ring. After the first one, I didn't feel that way anymore.

 

Yeah, the seasons were exciting coming so close year after year, but those winters were long and painful listening to yankee fans saying "Ring scoreboard chump!"

 

There was also one pretty bad stretch back when the division was 7 teams. We finished 5th, 5th, 3rd, 6th, 4th and 5th in a 5 year stretch from 1980 to 1985. We followed that last 5th place season with a 7th game loss to the Mets in '86. To me, that loss hurt more than the previous 5 years of futility.

 

Funny, we went 78-84 in 1987 then won the division again in 1988.

 

Later, we finished 7th out of 7, then 5th and 4th from '92-'94 and again followed that with a 1st place finish.

 

The 8 straight second place finishes from '98 to '05 were exciting, but that ring in '04 was so incredible, it washed away years and years of pain and frustration.

 

I'm not sure I'd call 2006, 2010 and 2011 all that exciting, but they surely were more fun than finishing in last place. Finishing 5th out 5 in 3 of 4 years stung badly, but that 2013 win after what happened in Boston that year really did wash away all the 3 years of pain for me. That was special.

 

[a700hitter]

Last place does suck, especially when we were expected to compete those seasons.

 

However, going 30+ years with no rings sucked more. I remember saying I'd take 10 last place finishes for just one ring. After the first one, I didn't feel that way anymore.

 

Yeah, the seasons were exciting coming so close year after year, but those winters were long and painful listening to yankee fans saying "Ring scoreboard chump!"

 

There was also one pretty bad stretch back when the division was 7 teams. We finished 5th, 5th, 3rd, 6th, 4th and 5th in a 5 year stretch from 1980 to 1985. We followed that last 5th place season with a 7th game loss to the Mets in '86. To me, that loss hurt more than the previous 5 years of futility.

 

Funny, we went 78-84 in 1987 then won the division again in 1988.

 

Later, we finished 7th out of 7, then 5th and 4th from '92-'94 and again followed that with a 1st place finish.

 

The 8 straight second place finishes from '98 to '05 were exciting, but that ring in '04 was so incredible, it washed away years and years of pain and frustration.

 

I'm not sure I'd call 2006, 2010 and 2011 all that exciting, but they surely were more fun than finishing in last place. Finishing 5th out 5 in 3 of 4 years stung badly, but that 2013 win after what happened in Boston that year really did wash away all the 3 years of pain for me. That was special.

 

From 1980 -1985, there was only one sub .500 season, and there was quite a bit of excitement and competitiveness in some of those seasons so I would not term that period as futility. That is a misrepresentation by you. The years of Crackhead Hobson 92-94 were pretty bad, and I was happy that the '94 season got canceled.

 

Where were you living that you had to tolerate Yankee fans? I was living in Brooklyn, NY until 1989 and then Long Island, NY so I am familiar with living with Yankee fans. Finishing last with no hope by the All Star break is the worst for me. I can understand 2013 washing away 2012, but how does it wash away 2014 and 2015? I don't get that. Maybe you give them one year of grace after winning a championship, but 2 years of last place. I am sorry, but last place was starting to feel like a permanent dwelling place. It was awful.

Edited August 1, 2017 by a700hitter

[Spudboy]

People without our long tenure rooting for the Red Sox don't understand that prior to 2004 we were not suffering through decades of futility. Most seasons the Red Sox were competitive and exciting. It was disappointing when the season ended, but there was plenty of enjoyment during the season. Finishing in last place is just a daily torture with almost no excitement or enjoyment.

 

I wonder how the fine fans of the Giants are feeling this season?

[Beaneater]

Oh by the way, devers had 4 hits tonight! Hello, this is what we should be talking about.

 

I think the kid just might stick.

[cp176]

I wonder how the fine fans of the Giants are feeling this season?

 

This Giant's fan is feeling great about the upcoming season and its' possibilities.

[cp176]

People without our long tenure rooting for the Red Sox don't understand that prior to 2004 we were not suffering through decades of futility. Most seasons the Red Sox were competitive and exciting. It was disappointing when the season ended, but there was plenty of enjoyment during the season. Finishing in last place is just a daily torture with almost no excitement or enjoyment.

 

The era of the new fan is upon us. Nothing is acceptable unless a championship is won. It was never like that for me. For many many years I had the feeling that we were going to compete. it takes so much more than just stockpiled talent to win a World Series. Of course I always that it was a lot tougher before the current expansion to the playoff contenders. This represents a dummying down of the significance of the regular season for me. It is all about the $ today as well as the instant gratification. I like the whole concept of fielding a team that can be competitive year in and year out. i hate the concept of watching 2.3, or whatever horrible seasons followed by a World Series win every now and then. If this were the way it was, I'm afraid that I would stop watching them. It is all about the hunt for me. A summer's worth of entertainment.

[mvp 78]

Small sample size but Devers has looked good in comparison to Moncada, who is hitting .105 and striking out too much. Moreover, Devers is 1 or 2 years younger than Moncada.

 

I remember news came out (Gammons, I think) when Moncada was still in the Red Sox system that some people within the Red Sox organization believed Devers was the better prospect.

Devers has hit well everywhere he's been. Moncada has had a high k rate everywhere he's been.

[mvp 78]

Panic on the streets of Boston

[jad]

The era of the new fan is upon us. Nothing is acceptable unless a championship is won. It was never like that for me. For many many years I had the feeling that we were going to compete. it takes so much more than just stockpiled talent to win a World Series. Of course I always that it was a lot tougher before the current expansion to the playoff contenders. This represents a dummying down of the significance of the regular season for me. It is all about the $ today as well as the instant gratification. I like the whole concept of fielding a team that can be competitive year in and year out. i hate the concept of watching 2.3, or whatever horrible seasons followed by a World Series win every now and then. If this were the way it was, I'm afraid that I would stop watching them. It is all about the hunt for me. A summer's worth of entertainment.

 

I agree entirely. It's even worse in basketball, where the 'blow it up' chants start the instant fans believe they 'can't beat [the Warriors]', (that is to say, months and sometimes years before the season even starts). Or in NCAA football, where the goal of many teams seems to be to put together the least challenging schedule in order to have a shot at whatever the playoff scenario is that year. It's as if fans are more interested in the 'fantasy sports' aspect (competitive GM-ing), than in competitive sports itself (physical competition on the field).

[Bellhorn04]

We should still be paying him on Commission less charge backs for Pablo, Rusney and Craig.

 

Henry forgave those charge backs as thanks for the wonderful variety of specialty coffees Ben introduced to the Sox brass.

 

(A joke strictly for you.)

[bosoxmal]

Small sample size but Devers has looked good in comparison to Moncada, who is hitting .105 and striking out too much. Moreover, Devers is 1 or 2 years younger than Moncada.

 

I remember news came out (Gammons, I think) when Moncada was still in the Red Sox system that some people within the Red Sox organization believed Devers was the better prospect.

 

If they didn't recognize the difference between night and day, I wonder if they are still working for the Sox. If you can't spot that sort of difference in 4 minutes you should find another job.

[mvp 78]

If they didn't recognize the difference between night and day, I wonder if they are still working for the Sox. If you can't spot that sort of difference in 4 minutes you should find another job.

 

A lot of scouts still fall in love with an athletic build. I just want a guy that can hit.

[Slasher9]

Panic on the streets of Boston

 

hang the dj!

[bosoxmal]

I think the kid just might stick.

 

I've loved his swing and approach from his first AB, Hands steady until the ball is well on its way. Head as steady as any pro golfer you'll see.

Wait, wait wait-quick, quick, quick.

His approach is natural because under neath the 20 year old shyness, he KNOWS HE CAN HIT! Only TW had that kind of confidence that early. (I wondr why?)

[Nick]

A lot of scouts still fall in love with an athletic build. I just want a guy that can hit.

 

This....... I remember Michael Jordan.

[mvp 78]

This....... I remember Michael Jordan.

 

"He looks so good in that uniform!" - Way too many scouts these days

[sk7326]

Devers looks like a natural at the plate.

 

It's hard to imagine he was hitting just .779 in over 540 PAs at A+ ball last summer and .773 the year before at single A Greenville.

 

That's over 1050 PAs from 2015-2016 with an OPS no higher than .780!

 

Gotta love this kid! He's taken off like a rocket!

 

It's what you get when you are an 18 year old in a full season league - scouts always noted the swing was there. Funny what happens as you grow into your body.

 

Almost all of these plate appearances have involved him being the youngest kid in the entire league.

[mvp 78]

Devers is OPSing 1.231 with the big club.

 

His soft contact % is only 10.5.

 

He's been worth $4.7M in his first 6 games.

 

If we still had the old site, there'd be a Devers emoticon by now.

[Kimmi]

All I see is a panic move. He should still be getting reps in AAA if mgmt thinks he's not ready.

 

Having a move work out does not mean that it was not a panic move.

 

You take a chance and hope that it works out. If it does, you look like a genius. If it doesn't, then not so much.

 

Dombrowski himself said that he would prefer Devers had more time in AAA but called him up anyway. That is certainly not a move that was made according to plan.

[Bellhorn04]

There's a difference between panic move and necessary move. A lot of crap happens that forces moves that weren't in the original plan. IMHO.

[mvp 78]

There's a difference between panic move and necessary move. A lot of crap happens that forces moves that weren't in the original plan. IMHO.

 

Well, the original plan should always be "if a guy is mashing in MiLB" bring him up.

[a700hitter]

The only thing that was a panic move about bringing up Devers is that it is a panic for the fans to see a kid hit like this.

 

Seriously, I think that the only part of his game that they were concerned about was his defense. He was clearly ready with his bat. And it really wasn't a panic move to bring him up with his defensive questions, because we were rolling out one guy after another who blamed ground balls like they were hand grenades-- with the exception of Marrero who couldn't hit.

[cp176]

Moving Devers up was the logical move. When any move is made, people get to think whatever they want about the need for or the reason for it. i guess if it works out, you get to call it a good move and if it doesn't, you get to call it whatever you like. it was the right move that showed some common sense in this case. if anything, it also tells me that we might have some others in our system that may be just as valuable to us as we move forward. i am not sold on the idea that any of our current position players are that much better than some of our guys still beating it around in the minors.

[mvp 78]

As always, a "panic move" is any move that a poster doesn't agree with.

 

I don't think the Sox have made any panic moves this year. The last potential panic move was the deal for Pomeranz, but that was a move strictly to get Ortiz one last playoff run. Too bad he didn't pitch last year the way he is doing now.

[cp176]

As always, a "panic move" is any move that a poster doesn't agree with.

 

I don't think the Sox have made any panic moves this year. The last potential panic move was the deal for Pomeranz, but that was a move strictly to get Ortiz one last playoff run. Too bad he didn't pitch last year the way he is doing now.

 

He did when i saw him against Detroit. Seeing him throw like he did that night, you really could see the potential that he had. Good to see him realizing it.

[Hitch]

I had already been to 2 parades, but never saw last place 3 times in 4 years, especially with a $200 million payroll. I am thankful for the championship. I was at game 6 -- the biggest in person sports thrill of my life. But taken as whole, Ben is awful and that is why he is now a coffee boy.

 

Absolute nonsense. He won us a championship with brilliant signings. He left one of the best farms in baseball. Did he make some awful decisions? Sure. Did he have flaws? Absolutely. But to look back on what he did for our farm and the championship and call him awful smacks of a man utterly desperate to attack Ben for whatever reason, whenever possible. Having been a reader of this board for several years you seem to have a weird need to to say how terrible he was at every opportunity. When I first started reading the board there were personal arguments to wade through day in day out around the time of Fred. I sometimes wonder if there's hangover to that in people's need to constantly state a hyperbolic opinion on a matter.

 

We have won 3 Championships in 10 years, but I am not sure I would want to take 3 last place finishes for each Championship from this point on. Those last place finishes age you in dog years. They are excruciating for someone like me that watches every game. Three lost springs and summers for an hour of Champagne?.

 

And as if to prove the point...

 

Sure, nobody would want 5 championships every 10 years. Drivel.

[mvp 78]

Absolute nonsense. He won us a championship with brilliant signings. He left one of the best farms in baseball. Did he make some awful decisions? Sure. Did he have flaws? Absolutely. But to look back on what he did for our farm and the championship and call him awful smacks of a man utterly desperate to attack Ben for whatever reason, whenever possible. Having been a reader of this board for several years you seem to have a weird need to to say how terrible he was at every opportunity. When I first started reading the board there were personal arguments to wade through day in day out around the time of Fred. I sometimes wonder if there's hangover to that in people's need to constantly state a hyperbolic opinion on a matter.

 

Yup, Ben was a boob who should not be given any credit for the 2012 CC/Beckett/Agon dump as that was a "John Henry" move.

 

Ahh, the good ol' days. There hasn't been an entertaining fight on here in a long time.

 

Although, it's nice to not have to constantly read nonsense about guys like Carlos "Hi Ho" Silva. When you are complaining about guys that won't even make an opening day roster, you should probably just log off.