A Realistic View at 2017 Part III

[Kimmi]

The Yankees have had their share as well. Pineda gone and Tanaka and Sabathia both currently on the DL.

 

Much as I hate to admit it, this is a fair point.

[moonslav59]

Sox fans have no reason to cry about injuries to this point.

 

Agreed, and it's not like Price was lighting up the world before going on the DL.

[Slasher9]

The Yankees have had their share as well. Pineda gone and Tanaka and Sabathia both currently on the DL.

 

Cashman should have planned better. CC is 100 years old and has had knee issues / injury issues the past few seasons. Tanaka was a blinking red light as well as his elbow should have been TJ'd a year ago.

[SoxnCycles]

Agreed, and it's not like Price was lighting up the world before going on the DL.

 

I thought the Sox were screwed without Price.

[S5Dewey]

I thought the Sox were screwed without Price.

 

We would have been if it hadn't been for.... how does Moon put it?... Chris Freakin' Sale!

[moonslav59]

Sale, Pom and a hodge-podge pen that somehow has done a great job.

[moonslav59]

Probably every team could show a similar dispariity, but what are the numbers of these two groups of Sox players?

 

Sale, Pom, Kimbrel & Kelly

vs

The rest

[Kimmi]

Sale, Pom and a hodge-podge pen that somehow has done a great job.

 

Pomeranz has really stepped it up.

 

Credit to Farrell for that argument he got into with Pom in the dugout.

[SoxnCycles]

Pomeranz has really stepped it up.

 

Credit to Farrell for that argument he got into with Pom in the dugout.

 

Ha!

 

Fister has been pretty good the last couple of games too.

[Slasher9]

we have had 2 fantastic turns through the rotation. starters are definitely pitching very well. flowing from the top down. Sale setting the pace and everyone else doing their best to impersonate. i really like our team right now.

[Behindenemylines]

Sox will go as far as their pitching takes them. They are not going to out slug the better teams in the league.

[Kimmi]

Ha!

 

Fister has been pretty good the last couple of games too.

 

Yes, he has been. I'm not sold on him yet, but perhaps whatever mechanical tweak they did really is the difference.

[moonslav59]

Pomeranz has really stepped it up.

 

Credit to Farrell for that argument he got into with Pom in the dugout.

 

You mean he accidentally did something right this year?

[sk7326]

"Defense" in terms of throwing out would be base stealers and blocking balls in the dirt, but I never had much confidence in the other areas not easily measured by stats:

 

Handling a staff

 

Pitch Framing

 

Pitch Calling

 

All stuff that required reps - so it is kind of moot ... Vasquez did not show much ability to handle a staff last year - clearly that got better

[moonslav59]

Updated Sox OPS leaders (PAs noted if under 215)

 

1.054 Nunez (67)

.977 Devers (64)

.806 Beni

.804 Betts

.784 Pedey DL

.775 Travis (50)

.773 HRam

.757 JBJ

.747 Moreland

.744 Young

.739 Lin

.726 Bogey

.700 Vaz

.672 Leon

.629 Hernandez DL (60)

.622 Pablo (108)

.576 Marrero (166)

.558 Rutledge (118)

.537 Holt (83)

[moonslav59]

All stuff that required reps - so it is kind of moot ... Vasquez did not show much ability to handle a staff last year - clearly that got better

 

Swihart did catch a significant amount of time in the Sox system. He caught over 335 games on the farm and got 78 games at the big league level. That's not a whole lot, but I got the feeling Sox brass did not like his progression in these hard-to-measure areas.

[Nick]

Can someone tell John that Brock is batting .200? He takes a third strike down the middle for his third strike out.

 

Does he have a picture of John?

[oldtimer]

Can someone tell John that Brock is batting .200? He takes a third strike down the middle for his third strike out.

 

Does he have a picture of John?

 

I prefer Lin to Holt. John won't go that way perhaps until the sept callup.

[oldtimer]

Updated Sox OPS leaders (PAs noted if under 215)

 

1.054 Nunez (67)

.977 Devers (64)

.806 Beni

.804 Betts

.784 Pedey DL

.775 Travis (50)

.773 HRam

.757 JBJ

.747 Moreland

.744 Young

.739 Lin

.726 Bogey

.700 Vaz

.672 Leon

.629 Hernandez DL (60)

.622 Pablo (108)

.576 Marrero (166)

.558 Rutledge (118)

.537 Holt (83)

 

Replacing Holt with Lin gains 200 points in OPS and you get a very capable fielder as well. Both hit from the left side so that is nothing against Lin. lin is also a possible replacement for Bogey while he rests. The power differential is not noticeable between these two.

[moonslav59]

Replacing Holt with Lin gains 200 points in OPS and you get a very capable fielder as well. Both hit from the left side so that is nothing against Lin. lin is also a possible replacement for Bogey while he rests. The power differential is not noticeable between these two.

 

I doubt Lin continues at .739, but he can't do much worse than .537.

 

Neither should play much anyways.

[Larry Cook]

Is it time for us to move on from holt?

[moonslav59]

Is it time for us to move on from holt?

 

That time was long ago.

[notin]

Is it time for us to move on from holt?

 

He's a utility infielder. How long were people going to be addicted to him and pretend his defensive versatility was such a rare and irreplaceable commodity? If only Randy Kutcher got this kind of love...

[moonslav59]

He's a utility infielder. How long were people going to be addicted to him and pretend his defensive versatility was such a rare and irreplaceable commodity? If only Randy Kutcher got this kind of love...

 

When you have an almost 100% DH in Papi, it did help having extra versatility, but I always thought it was over-rated.

 

He's never been a real plus defender at any position, and defense is usually what you want from your subs. His .700+ OPS might be slightly better than most IF subs, but it was never good enough to make up for the mediocre, at best, defense.

 

[Emp9]

Can't we trade for Brian Dozier (FA 2019) over the winter ( have him and Pedey and XB split time Dh-ing ) and not sign a 1B-man? Have HanRam/Travis for 1B. Lose Moreland and Young and resign Nunez....

 

Oh... Mods should move this post to Realistic Part 4 when it comes out:D thanx

[Bellhorn04]

In previous years Holt delivered good value for the dollar. This year he hasn't.

[Emp9]

That time was long ago.

 

yeah like 2 1/2 years ago. Where you been Larry Cook?

[oldtimer]

To me, it is important to look at the results and to make decisions dispassionately about who plays, where they play and where they bat in the order. If a guy is hitting the ball hard but being unlucky with balls hit in play, you can give him a bye. If a guy is striking out a lot and hitting weak ground balls a lot, then action is needed to find an alternative. Betts is not the hitter he was earlier or last year. He is having a lot of trouble with balls down and away, but there is still a hope for more from him. JBJ does hit quite a few balls hard, but his movement to the 9th hole is a statement in itself. The results for Bogey are worse and making excuses for him because of an earlier injury don't cut it in the long term. He was a good hitter early in the season, but that has almost totally disappeared. If you had a .500 hitter for the first half and a .000 hitter for the second half, would that be a reason to continue to play him in the second half? I hope we can agree that it wouldn't be. Kind of the extreme to make the point on Bogey. Moreland showed signs of coming out of the slump but maybe he is slipping back again. Holt isn't going to help and Young only rarely does.

 

So bye and large we are reliant on Nunez, Devers and Beni to carry the team and they too will have their downs. Beni finally started to pull more balls and his whole value and power improved but the opposition will be looking for any weakness. I hope Pedey gets back to health as he is our one pro who really can help. He has been out since about the time of the Price fiasco and that is too long.

 

This team needs a lot of changes next year, in coaching, and players. Fortunately for us the pitchig has held up.

[Bellhorn04]

This team needs a lot of changes next year, in coaching, and players. Fortunately for us the pitchig has held up.

 

There won't be a lot of changes in players next year. It's not a fantasy league.

[SoxnCycles]

The pitching probably wont hold up in the playoffs, but I don't see the need for blowing up the team.