A Realistic View at 2018: Part I

[mvp 78]

Vasquez is the superior defender. He showed solid offensive performance and yes more years. Miami is in a full rebuild mode. More controllable years is a good thing. Plus, Reamilto wants out. Maybe sweeten the pot with an A ball prospect.

 

Barely.

 

Realmuto - 12.5 dWAR (.0887 per game)

Vazquez - 9.4 dWAR (.0949 per game) would be 13.4 dWAR at Realmuto's playing time (which could actually drop off since Vaz is more rested and could be worse if playing 141 games).

[mvp 78]

MLBTR reports....

 

Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the Sox “are not looking to move” Blake Swihart, despite trade interest from other teams. The last two seasons were essentially a writeoff for Swihart, due to defensive issues behind the plate and ankle injuries that limited him to just 91 minor league games and 25 MLB games in 2016-17. Still, the Sox haven’t given up on the former top prospect, with Dombrowski noting that Swihart’s positional versatility has helped add to his value for the team. While Dombrowski noted that “you could never say you would not move him or anyone else,” Swihart is “still part of our plans….Sometimes you get stuck with players who are out of options. In this case, because of his flexibility, I think we’ve got a little better chance of getting through it.”

 

Dombrowski not acting very desperate by believing in Swihart rather than trading him!

[mvp 78]

No, but it does go to show that some GMs, not just ours, do still think he has a high ceiling possibility.

 

People know he had a down season due to injury. Once he was rested, he started playing great in fall ball. He deserves another chance.

[Kimmi]

Dombrowski not acting very desperate by believing in Swihart rather than trading him!

 

No, but it was his desperation that caused Swihart to lose valuable development time.

[mvp 78]

No, but it was his desperation that caused Swihart to lose valuable development time.

 

I can't agree to this. I think DD and Farrell both saw upside in grooming Swihart's bat to fit other positions. He would have gained a ton of value if he could have played C for 60 games and LF for 80 games. Accidents happen. It's not DD's fault that Swihart broke himself.

 

Kimmi, you are making the same argument that SBF made in regards to my boy Ryan Kalish. He stated that "well if Kalish wasn't playing in PAW, he wouldn't have gotten hurt." Kalish was just as likely to get hurt playing OF at Fenway. As such, Swihart was just as likely to be injured playing C for BOS as he was for playing LF. s*** happens.

[Kimmi]

I can't agree to this. I think DD and Farrell both saw upside in grooming Swihart's bat to fit other positions. He would have gained a ton of value if he could have played C for 60 games and LF for 80 games. Accidents happen. It's not DD's fault that Swihart broke himself.

 

Kimmi, you are making the same argument that SBF made in regards to my boy Ryan Kalish. He stated that "well if Kalish wasn't playing in PAW, he wouldn't have gotten hurt." Kalish was just as likely to get hurt playing OF at Fenway. As such, Swihart was just as likely to be injured playing C for BOS as he was for playing LF. s*** happens.

 

It's not the injury, per se. It's the rash decision to move Swihart off of catcher. He should not have been replaced by Vaz after only 8 games, but since he was, he should have focused on playing catcher.

 

I don't blame the injury on Dombrowski, just the poor decision making which hampered Swihart's progress.

 

That being said, blaming the injury on Dombrowski is no different than you blaming Wright's injury on Farrell.

[a700hitter]

Barely.

 

Realmuto - 12.5 dWAR (.0887 per game)

Vazquez - 9.4 dWAR (.0949 per game) would be 13.4 dWAR at Realmuto's playing time (which could actually drop off since Vaz is more rested and could be worse if playing 141 games).

Add a prospect -- maybe Groome or something less.

[a700hitter]

No, but it was his desperation that caused Swihart to lose valuable development time.

This is nonsense.

[mvp 78]

It's not the injury, per se. It's the rash decision to move Swihart off of catcher. He should not have been replaced by Vaz after only 8 games, but since he was, he should have focused on playing catcher.

 

I don't blame the injury on Dombrowski, just the poor decision making which hampered Swihart's progress.

 

That being said, blaming the injury on Dombrowski is no different than you blaming Wright's injury on Farrell.

 

I don't believe he was "moved off of catcher" per se. I think they wanted to see what value he had.

 

Wright is a pitcher who doesn't practice running the bases and shouldn't be expected to be able to do so adequately. Him being used as a pinch runner is not similar to having Swihart play LF at all.

[mvp 78]

Add a prospect -- maybe Groome or something less.

 

Sure.

[moonslav59]

It's not the injury, per se. It's the rash decision to move Swihart off of catcher. He should not have been replaced by Vaz after only 8 games, but since he was, he should have focused on playing catcher.

 

I'm not sure I'd call it "rash." I think the idea all along was to bring Vaz up as soon as he was ready. I believe they've always viewed Vaz as the Sox catcher of the future. Since Swihart's bat had an upside potential of being good enough to play at other positions, Sox management naturally decided, probably even before the demotion, that they would try him out at another position of to during the year. It makes total sense, to me. Even now, his best chance at making our 25 man roster, as he is out of options,

is based on his ability to be a utility-type player and 2nd/3rd catcher.

 

It was the right choice that had an unfortunate consequence when he ran into the wall.

[mvp 78]

I'm not sure I'd call it "rash." I think the idea all along was to bring Vaz up as soon as he was ready. I believe they've always viewed Vaz as the Sox catcher of the future. Since Swihart's bat had an upside potential of being good enough to play at other positions, Sox management naturally decided, probably even before the demotion, that they would try him out at another position of to during the year. It makes total sense, to me. Even now, his best chance at making our 25 man roster, as he is out of options,

is based on his ability to be a utility-type player and 2nd/3rd catcher.

 

It was the right choice that had an unfortunate consequence when he ran into the wall.

 

The reasonable expectation was "Swihart was good enough to almost be Team USA's starting SS (thanks Lindor), so he should be fine in LF."

[mvp 78]

It wasn't like when they put a slow lumbering Youkilis in the OF just for shits and giggles. With Swihart, there was an expectation that it would work.

[moonslav59]

How about AGon in RF?

[a700hitter]

How about AGon in RF?

Advanced defensive metrics had AGon as a better fielder than Dewey Evans. LOL!!

[Bellhorn04]

How about AGon in RF?

 

Now that was desperation.

[moonslav59]

Wright signs for $1.1M to avoid arb.

 

Looks like he might be part of the team this year.

[Spudboy]

Wright signs for $1.1M to avoid arb.

 

Looks like he might be part of the team this year.

 

Carson Smith signed for $850,000.

[mvp 78]

Advanced defensive metrics had AGon as a better fielder than Dewey Evans. LOL!!

 

-75 UZR in RF. That's some dumb ******** right there. I'm glad I blocked it out of my memory.

 

I do remember Youk and Mientkeiwicz at 2b tho.

[mvp 78]

Now that was desperation.

 

That was BV trying to get at AGon for being a squeaky wheel.

[a700hitter]

-75 UZR in RF. That's some dumb ******** right there. I'm glad I blocked it out of my memory.

 

I do remember Youk and Mientkeiwicz at 2b tho.

I remember Minky making a double play in his first inning of a double header when he started at 2B.

[mvp 78]

I remember Minky making a double play in his first inning of a double header when he started at 2B.

 

Not on Youtube.

[Kimmi]

I don't believe he was "moved off of catcher" per se. I think they wanted to see what value he had.

 

Wright is a pitcher who doesn't practice running the bases and shouldn't be expected to be able to do so adequately. Him being used as a pinch runner is not similar to having Swihart play LF at all.

 

Honestly, I don't see any difference between blaming Swihart's injury on Dombrowski and blaming Wright's injury on Farrell. Neither one of those injuries can be blamed on the respective GM or manager. As you said, injuries happen.

 

We'll just have to disagree about the decision to move Swihart to left field. IMO, it was a rash and panicky move, based on a couple of poor games by Swihart behind the plate.

[Kimmi]

I'm not sure I'd call it "rash." I think the idea all along was to bring Vaz up as soon as he was ready. I believe they've always viewed Vaz as the Sox catcher of the future. Since Swihart's bat had an upside potential of being good enough to play at other positions, Sox management naturally decided, probably even before the demotion, that they would try him out at another position of to during the year. It makes total sense, to me. Even now, his best chance at making our 25 man roster, as he is out of options,

is based on his ability to be a utility-type player and 2nd/3rd catcher.

 

It was the right choice that had an unfortunate consequence when he ran into the wall.

 

I disagree. IMO, it's very similar to decision to call Devers up to the bigs after Dombrowski said he would not be rushed up. It was a panic move. The difference is that Devers worked out, Swihart didn't.

 

I agree that Vazquez was considered to be the catcher of the future, but he was not completely ready to return yet. I believe it was a move based off of an extremely, extremely small sample of games.

[Kimmi]

The reasonable expectation was "Swihart was good enough to almost be Team USA's starting SS (thanks Lindor), so he should be fine in LF."

 

And yet, that expectation was not reasonable with Hanley. Go figure.

[Kimmi]

It wasn't like when they put a slow lumbering Youkilis in the OF just for shits and giggles. With Swihart, there was an expectation that it would work.

 

IIRC, Youk was put in the OF because of somebody getting injured and there were no other bench players?

[Kimmi]

Now that was desperation.

 

And IIRC, AGon was put in RF to be able to keep him all the bats in the lineup during interleague play?

 

Not the wisest move though, I agree.

[Bellhorn04]

I disagree. IMO, it's very similar to decision to call Devers up to the bigs after Dombrowski said he would not be rushed up. It was a panic move. The difference is that Devers worked out, Swihart didn't.

 

Swihart was doing OK until he got hurt though.

[harmony]

Carson Smith signed for $850,000.

The Red Sox get three more years of Carson Smith, who has posted 0.3 bWAR in 11 appearances with the Red Sox since the trade. The Sox also have four years of Roenis Elias, who has posted a negative 0.4 bWAR in four appearances, including one start.

 

Wade Miley posted 0.5 bWAR in 19 starts for the Mariners before being traded for Ariel Miranda, who remains under team control for five seasons after posting 1.9 bWAR in 42 appearances, including 39 starts, since his trade. Seattle also has six years of Jonathan Aro, who posted 0.1 bWAR in a single appearance with the Mariners.

 

Carson Smith may help the Red Sox play catch-up in that trade of Miley and Aro for Smith and Elias.

[mvp 78]

And IIRC, AGon was put in RF to be able to keep him all the bats in the lineup during interleague play?

 

Not the wisest move though, I agree.

 

AGon played OF against the AL too.