A Realistic View at 2018: Part II

[dgalehouse]

By the time he is done , Mookie Betts will go down as one of the all time greats. His combination of elite athleticism and elite hand / eye coordination is rare and only found in the very best athletes. Add to that the fact that he has his head on perfectly straight and you have something truly special. The Red Sox need to find a way to keep him.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Because records are meant to be spoken, with their 66th win last night the SOX broke the MLB record for most wins before the ASG.

 

Btw, the old record was held by the '69 Orioles 65-31.

[notin]

Btw, the old record was held by the '69 Orioles 65-31.

 

The most shocking aspect is that on July 12, the Sox have yet to lose 30 games.

 

The last 2 teams won the division, losing their 30th game on June 17th (2017) and June 20th (2016)...

[notin]

Because records are meant to be spoken, with their 66th win last night the SOX broke the MLB record for most wins before the ASG.

 

The Sox would need to go at best 20-47 the rest of the way to achieve MADSTORK's prediction of maxing out at 86 wins....

[kenmeister]

What is the last time the Red Sox had 4 starters with 10+ wins by the All-Star break?

[Yaz Fan Since 67]

By the time he is done , Mookie Betts will go down as one of the all time greats. His combination of elite athleticism and elite hand / eye coordination is rare and only found in the very best athletes. Add to that the fact that he has his head on perfectly straight and you have something truly special. The Red Sox need to find a way to keep him.

 

No doubt he is the one guy they can't let get away. He just is having fun out there and it's fun to see. Of course it's always fun when you are the best player in the game, which he is right now.

[cp176]

No doubt he is the one guy they can't let get away. He just is having fun out there and it's fun to see. Of course it's always fun when you are the best player in the game' date=' which he is right now.[/quote']

 

If there is a face of the franchise , he is it. I think that they will pay him and he will be marketed so that he will make them even more.

[moonslav59]

Mookie Freakin' Betts!

[Yaz Fan Since 67]

So anyway the one hole on this team is a very real hole. The set up men leading to Kimbrell remain giant question marks, frankly they just aren't good enough for a deep October run and I don't see that changing.

[Bellhorn04]

So anyway the one hole on this team is a very real hole. The set up men leading to Kimbrell remain giant question marks' date=' frankly they just aren't good enough for a deep October run and I don't see that changing.[/quote']

 

DD is going to acquire a late inning reliever, that's pretty close to a sure thing.

[oldtimer]

DD is going to acquire a late inning reliever, that's pretty close to a sure thing.

 

Yes. We need a lefty that is reliable. I wouldn't necessarily go for the big name but look for health and reliability over star quality.

[Spudboy]

Of course DD is looking for relievers. Smart management will always look for relievers. And this is an easy road to upgrade as the breed is a dime a dozen.

 

But what you guys want is effectively an 8th inning closer to set up a 9th inning closer. Not just some journeyman schlep.

[jacksonianmarch]

By the time he is done , Mookie Betts will go down as one of the all time greats. His combination of elite athleticism and elite hand / eye coordination is rare and only found in the very best athletes. Add to that the fact that he has his head on perfectly straight and you have something truly special. The Red Sox need to find a way to keep him.

 

I’ve said before and I’ll say it again, he’s the new age Willie Mays. Power, patience, speed, and defense, he has it all. In terms of all time greats, it’ll depend on his longevity. Mays had ridiculous longevity. Will Betts be able to stay healthy in that small frame of his for long enough to be an all time great, or will he go down as a Pedro style HOFer who was insane for a shorter period of time. Mookie clearly has HOF trajectory

[jacksonianmarch]

Of course DD is looking for relievers. Smart management will always look for relievers. And this is an easy road to upgrade as the breed is a dime a dozen.

 

But what you guys want is effectively an 8th inning closer to set up a 9th inning closer. Not just some journeyman schlep.

 

DD is apparently looking for Kimbrel’s replacement, not a rental. That makes me think he’s going after Barraclough in Miami.

[Spudboy]

DD is apparently looking for Kimbrel’s replacement, not a rental. That makes me think he’s going after Barraclough in Miami.

 

I wonder how the 237 cap will effect this process?

[cp176]

Of course DD is looking for relievers. Smart management will always look for relievers. And this is an easy road to upgrade as the breed is a dime a dozen.

 

But what you guys want is effectively an 8th inning closer to set up a 9th inning closer. Not just some journeyman schlep.

 

I think that it is always going to be a crapshoot with relievers unless you are willing to go after the next Kimbrel whoever he might be. it is obvious once again that we have the right guy doing the searching for us. I hope we never sign another journeyman dufous and hope that they can recapture past glory. With that in mind, I think that if we can't get just little excited about what we saw from Thornbug and Brasier last night then there is something wrong. Two power arms coming off serious injuries. if they are for real, we are fine. I also like very much what Valezquez has given us. It would be nice to have a power armed lefty coming out of the pen but until one falls from the sky probably won't happen. Not buying anymore Robbie Scott - sorry. I'm also over pretending that Joe Kelly is the guy you want in any high leverage situation, way to inconsistent for me. Maybe it is his brain and not his arm that troubles me. Still serves a purpose I just don't like him late in games.

[jacksonianmarch]

DD cannot, under any circumstances, enter August with any expectation that Blasier and Thornburg will pitch meaningful innings in big games. If he does, then he’s failed your club. If those two turn out to be really good, then bonus for you. But you can count on them more to go down with injury or ineffectiveness before you can expect them to make big pitches in high leverage games

[cp176]

I’ve said before and I’ll say it again, he’s the new age Willie Mays. Power, patience, speed, and defense, he has it all. In terms of all time greats, it’ll depend on his longevity. Mays had ridiculous longevity. Will Betts be able to stay healthy in that small frame of his for long enough to be an all time great, or will he go down as a Pedro style HOFer who was insane for a shorter period of time. Mookie clearly has HOF trajectory

 

 

Willie Mays continues to lead the way for me. The greatest complete player that I ever saw play the game. All Red Sox fans can just dream that anybody playing for us can get to his level of excellence. i really hope that Mookie is the one, time will tell.

[cp176]

DD cannot, under any circumstances, enter August with any expectation that Blasier and Thornburg will pitch meaningful innings in big games. If he does, then he’s failed your club. If those two turn out to be really good, then bonus for you. But you can count on them more to go down with injury or ineffectiveness before you can expect them to make big pitches in high leverage games

 

 

Pretty sure that DD will do what he feels is right for us. if Brasier and Thornburg continue on this path and he thinks they are the right guys, no one here should question him. he gets it. Once again, unless you acquire a Kimbrel look alike, relievers are just too unpredictable to go to any extremes to acquire. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

[Spudboy]

I never had the privilege to see Mays play in his prime.

 

I saw him at the tail end of his career when he had declined.

 

My Dad said he was incredibly talented.

[cp176]

I never had the privilege to see Mays play in his prime.

 

I saw him at the tail end of his career when he had declined.

 

My Dad said he was incredibly talented.

 

You always got excited by watching Willie play even if you were cheering for the other guys. You just had to admire the talent. It's early but I feel the same way when I watch Mookie.

[Dojji]

Mookie was Theo's last gift to us, drafted in his final year with the team.

[S5Dewey]

DD cannot, under any circumstances, enter August with any expectation that Blasier and Thornburg will pitch meaningful innings in big games. If he does, then he’s failed your club. If those two turn out to be really good, then bonus for you. But you can count on them more to go down with injury or ineffectiveness before you can expect them to make big pitches in high leverage games

 

I hope you and DD are in contact frequently. I'm sure he'd be impressed by your concern and your solutions to the multitude of problems the Sox have.

[a700hitter]

Mookie was Theo's last gift to us, drafted in his final year with the team.

That wasn’t Ben? For the life of me, I don’t understand the Ben love. Of Mookie’s was his guy, that would have been quite the catch.

[notin]

That wasn’t Ben? For the life of me, I don’t understand the Ben love. Of Mookie’s was his guy, that would have been quite the catch.

 

Well, he did give us Benintendi...

[cp176]

That wasn’t Ben? For the life of me, I don’t understand the Ben love. Of Mookie’s was his guy, that would have been quite the catch.

 

I think that it also might be safe to say that when Mookie was drafted (which round was that again?) as a second baseman, no one in their wildest imaginings would have thought he would be doing what he is doing today. Some one got very lucky and so did we.

[a700hitter]

Well, he did give us Benintendi...

And no pitching.

[notin]

And no pitching.

 

Well, one Cy Young winner.

[moonslav59]

DD cannot, under any circumstances, enter August with any expectation that Blasier and Thornburg will pitch meaningful innings in big games. If he does, then he’s failed your club. If those two turn out to be really good, then bonus for you. But you can count on them more to go down with injury or ineffectiveness before you can expect them to make big pitches in high leverage games

 

I'm all for getting another pen arm. We could use a strong number 2. Getting one would turn Kelly, Barnes & Co. into a formidable set-up crew.

 

However, I think we have a pretty good pen right now without counting on Thornburg or Blasier for anything but gravy.

 

Although our pen might not be great after Kimbrel, I think we're pretty deep:

 

Kimbrel

 

Kelly

Barnes

 

Hembree

Workman

(These 5 are basically locks.)

 

3 from Wright, Pom, Johnson or Velazquez

Thornburg

Brasier

Poyner

Walden

Scott

 

These are 8 decent pitchers, of which we have to choose the best 2-3 to fill out the rest of the pen.

 

We don't "need" Thornburg or Brasier for a key role. It would be nice if Thornburg stepped into the 2 slot, but Kelly has done pretty well for 1.5 seasons, now.

[Bellhorn04]

Well, one Cy Young winner.

 

Yes, one rather erratic Cy Young winner.