A Realistic View at 2018: Part II

[a700hitter]

You brought up the question of carrying guns not me. And unless you believe the Auto insurance centre has compiled this data on road rage with bias against guns in mind it matters not a jot my own personal biases.

 

You offered up the proposal that more concealed guns would lead to less road rage. I offered you a nationwide study that showed that 8 out of the top 10 cities for the worst Road Rage you could carry a concealed gun.

 

Nobody is trolling you, you incredibly thin skinned individual. I just find it amusing that you can never ever admit to being wrong or rowing back on an idea.

 

You repeatedly said Kimmi's opinion was utterly useless and baseless the other night because it didn't have stats to back it up. I offer stats to counter one of your points and it's "Troll" or "Bias"

 

As I said - massive LOL.

 

I'm going out to enjoy this crisp cool New York day. I'll leave you to the last word you so badly crave. Good day sir.

I offered no proposal on guns. So stop.

 

I said that Kimmi’s opinion was baseless opinion once, but you and others attacked Spud over it so it got repeated in the argument. But for you, it would have been said once. And that is not an attack. It was noting that on that particular issue that she had nothing to back it up. You are clearly trolling me for weeks and have some sort of axe to grind. You call me “Donald”. You go to political rallies. I go to baseball games. I don’t go to political rallies, and I will go out of my way to avoid political rallies. Seriously, buzz off with your nonsense. I am here to discuss baseball among friends. I am not here to engage in gotcha arguments. Plus, you would be so far out of your league trying to debate me. I wouldn’t care what side of what issue that I had to take. I would expose you as a fool. Smiley face. Have a nice day.

[moonslav59]

Back to baseball, please.

 

Gotta like Price stepping it up as we try to get by without ERod, Pom and Wright.

[harmony]

As someone who has had a firearm brandished on me while on the interstate (apparently, for driving too slow), I don't even think about 'challenging' or engaging other drivers. Not that I would anyway. If someone wants to cut in front of me or whatever, so be it.

 

Of course, I am also not testosterone driven.

That's only one reason why you have many fans on this forum.

[Hitch]

I offered no proposal on guns. So stop.

 

I said that Kimmi’s opinion was baseless opinion once, but you and others attacked Spud over it so it got repeated in the argument. But for you, it would have been said once. And that is not an attack. It was noting that on that particular issue that she had nothing to back it up. You are clearly trolling me for weeks and have some sort of axe to grind. You call me “Donald”. You go to political rallies. I go to baseball games. I don’t go to political rallies, and I will go out of my way to avoid political rallies. Seriously, buzz off with your nonsense. I am here to discuss baseball among friends. I am not here to engage in gotcha arguments. Plus, you would be so far out of your league trying to debate me. I wouldn’t care what side of what issue that I had to take. I would expose you as a fool. Smiley face. Have a nice day.

 

Sure you did. And I showed you a nation wide study that gave direct evidence against your idea. Then you cried and called bias. Thanks for taking the time to tell me all about what you do with your spare time but I couldn't care less. It has nothing to do with the conversation. I don't need to know about your world. You think it's fine to joke that a male commentator should you use his dick to shut up a female commentator you dislike. The less I know about your personal life the better, thanks.

 

I've seen your 'debating' the last 5 years. Fudging issues. Running around calling people prick and troll and telling people too f*** off when you have no argument back. I work with lawyers all the time in my profession. Most of them can't debate for s*** but they're experts in misdirection and slithering out of arguments that disprove their point. Who knew?

 

I suggest you stop embarassing yourself and stick to the baseball. I'll try my best to ignore your continued hypocrisy and, well just ignore you in general. I'm sure the board could do with the break, too.

[a700hitter]

Sure you did. And I showed you a nation wide study that gave direct evidence against your idea. Then you cried and called bias. Thanks for taking the time to tell me all about what you do with your spare time but I couldn't care less. It has nothing to do with the conversation. I don't need to know about your world. You think it's fine to joke that a male commentator should you use his dick to shut up a female commentator you dislike. The less I know about your personal life the better, thanks.

 

I've seen your 'debating' the last 5 years. Fudging issues. Running around calling people prick and troll and telling people too f*** off when you have no argument back. I work with lawyers all the time in my profession. Most of them can't debate for s*** but they're experts in misdirection and slithering out of arguments that disprove their point. Who knew?

 

I suggest you stop embarassing yourself and stick to the baseball. I'll try my best to ignore your continued hypocrisy and, well just ignore you in general. I'm sure the board could do with the break, too.

So much for giving me the last word. What a douche.

[Spudboy]

So much for giving me the last word. What a douche.

 

Mister "Right on time" has a boner for you.

 

Aren't you lucky!

[Kimmi]

Back to last night's game who was the Tiger color guy? He sounded like a monotone Bill Murray in Caddyshack.

 

LOL The color guy is Kirk Gibson. Perfect description!

[Kimmi]

Certainly some of our OOBs are due to being more aggressive, but we still seem to have more than our fair share of bonehead plays like being picked off. I don't see as many plays where runners are forgetting how many outs there are, not watching the runner ahead of them stopping and 1st or 3rd outs at 3B.

 

I'm not sure, if anyone tracks those totals separately.

 

 

I think the majority of the 'bonehead plays', like being picked off a base, stem from the guys trying to be aggressive. The more aggressive a team is with base running, the more likely they probably are to get thrown out on the bases.

[Kimmi]

That's only one reason why you have many fans on this forum.

 

You are all right in my book Harmony.

[moonslav59]

I think the majority of the 'bonehead plays', like being picked off a base, stem from the guys trying to be aggressive. The more aggressive a team is with base running, the more likely they probably are to get thrown out on the bases.

 

Maybe some.

 

Just curious on your opinion. What percent of Sox OOBs are not a result of aggressiveness, assuming over-aggressiveness is not "bonehead?"

[Kimmi]

Maybe some.

 

Just curious on your opinion. What percent of Sox OOBs are not a result of aggressiveness, assuming over-aggressiveness is not "bonehead?"

 

It's hard for me to say because I can't remember all of the OOBs that were made this year. Just going off my general feeling/impression, I would put it at less than 10%. I could even make the argument that even the ones that seem clearly boneheaded could be attributed to over aggressiveness or trying too hard.

[FredLynn]

It's hard for me to say because I can't remember all of the OOBs that were made this year. Just going off my general feeling/impression, I would put it at less than 10%. I could even make the argument that even the ones that seem clearly boneheaded could be attributed to over aggressiveness or trying too hard.

 

Now that Hanley is gone I think its safe to say that the percentage of boneheaded baserunning plays due to simple brain farts is much closer to zero

[a700hitter]

Now that Hanley is gone I think its safe to say that the percentage of boneheaded baserunning plays due to simple brain farts is much closer to zero

butterball leaving also helped. Many of those mistakes we’re because he sent the runners in ridiculous situations. He would send guys when there were no outs, or he would wave in tank like Leon who who be out by 10 feet or more.

[Kimmi]

Now that Hanley is gone I think its safe to say that the percentage of boneheaded baserunning plays due to simple brain farts is much closer to zero

 

Believe it or not, Hanley is only charged with one OOB according to BR.

 

Our team leader is Nunez with 7. Bogaerts and Devers each have 5. Beni, Betts, Bradley, and Vazquez each have 4. JD and Moreland have 3 each, and Sandy has 2.

[OH FOY]

We were 29-15 when Hanley left, since then 40-16.

[moonslav59]

It's hard for me to say because I can't remember all of the OOBs that were made this year. Just going off my general feeling/impression, I would put it at less than 10%. I could even make the argument that even the ones that seem clearly boneheaded could be attributed to over aggressiveness or trying too hard.

 

Just guessing, but I'd say we are about at 10-15% after being near 20% last year.

 

Here's some points I want to make:

 

1) A runner running all out without noticing the runner in front of him has stopped could be called "aggressive", but to me it is also "bone-headed".

2) A runner caught napping while leading off a base and being picked-off is bone-headed. (This might be hard to distinguish.)

3) A runner forgetting how many outs there are is clear bone-headedness.

4) A runner trying to take 3B with no or 2 outs, when the odds are he won't make it might be called over aggressiveness, but I call it "bone-headed" as well.

5) Not sliding when you should or diving into 1B are "bone-headed" plays.

 

There may be more, and I encourage others to chime in with examples.

 

 

 

[FredLynn]

butterball leaving also helped. Many of those mistakes we’re because he sent the runners in ridiculous situations. He would send guys when there were no outs, or he would wave in tank like Leon who who be out by 10 feet or more.

 

True. I was sort of kidding about Ramirez being the main source of the ludicrous baserunning on the team....Benintendi has also made some dumb mistakes out there. Others have contributed to the blunders as well. Its an area of weakness that Cora addressed a while ago. When you are playing .690 baseball its hard to complain too much about performance, but there is always room for improvement, and this is one area that stands out IMHO.

[OH FOY]

Sure does, come Play-offs you don't want to give Outs away. No tomorrow in some games. Just like Errors and giving other team extra Outs.

[Kimmi]

butterball leaving also helped. Many of those mistakes we’re because he sent the runners in ridiculous situations. He would send guys when there were no outs, or he would wave in tank like Leon who who be out by 10 feet or more.

 

The Sox have 45 OOBs, most in the majors. Those are broken down by outs at particular bases as follows:

 

1st base - 4 (league average)

2nd base - 15 (2nd most in the majors)

3rd base - 9 (5th most in the majors)

Home - 17 (2nd most in the majors)

 

By comparison, the Sox had 29 OOBs at home plate last year. There's not that much of a difference between last year and this.

[moonslav59]

Believe it or not, Hanley is only charged with one OOB according to BR.

 

Our team leader is Nunez with 7. Bogaerts and Devers each have 5. Beni, Betts, Bradley, and Vazquez each have 4. JD and Moreland have 3 each, and Sandy has 2.

 

Where do you get the OOBs numbers? Just curious.

 

fangraphs has these baserunning numbers:

 

2018:

4.4 Betts

4.3 JBJ & Beni

2.9 Devers

0.6 Swihart

0.3 Pearce

0.2 Travis

0.1 Pedey

-0.3 Bogey

-0.6 Lin

-1.7 Leon

-1.9 Vaz

-2.0 JD

-2.1 Moreland

-2.3 HRam

-3.1 Holt

-6.0 Nunez

 

2017

9.2 Betts

8.3 Bogey (what happened to XB in 2018?)

5.0 JBJ

0.4 Young

0.2 Devers

0.1 Lin

-1.2 Nunez

-2.2 Holt

-2.4 Vaz & Moreland

-3.7 Leon

-4.7 Pedey

-5.3 HRam

 

[Kimmi]

We were 29-15 when Hanley left, since then 40-16.

 

Hanley being DFA'd has not hurt the team at all. Moreland has held his own and Pearce has been a good pickup.

 

I still do not disagree with the decision to DFA him so early in the season, but this is why Dombrowski is the GM and I am not.

[a700hitter]

True. I was sort of kidding about Ramirez being the main source of the ludicrous baserunning on the team....Benintendi has also made some dumb mistakes out there. Others have contributed to the blunders as well. Its an area of weakness that Cora addressed a while ago. When you are playing .690 baseball its hard to complain too much about performance, but there is always room for improvement, and this is one area that stands out IMHO.

I liked that Cora addressed it. It is a fundamental of the game, but like even the most basic fundamental, it needs to be continually reinforced at the MLB level. When teams run like idiots, the manager needs to address it. In past seasons, I don’t think Farrell addressed it and it continued. Cora had to know and execute the fundamentals with precision as his talent was only borderline major league. If he started pulling rocks out there, he would have quickly been back in the bushes. Watching that kind of base running was probably like listening to nails on a blackboard for Cora.

[OH FOY]

I don't know, just think Hanley was more a pain in the Ass, then we realize. Cora nipped it quick. Team looks different since he left. More focused.

[Kimmi]

Just guessing, but I'd say we are about at 10-15% after being near 20% last year.

 

Here's some points I want to make:

 

1) A runner running all out without noticing the runner in front of him has stopped could be called "aggressive", but to me it is also "bone-headed".

2) A runner caught napping while leading off a base and being picked-off is bone-headed. (This might be hard to distinguish.)

3) A runner forgetting how many outs there are is clear bone-headedness.

4) A runner trying to take 3B with no or 2 outs, when the odds are he won't make it might be called over aggressiveness, but I call it "bone-headed" as well.

5) Not sliding when you should or diving into 1B are "bone-headed" plays.

 

There may be more, and I encourage others to chime in with examples.

 

I can see why you would consider those boneheaded. I think there's a fine line (and usually hard to distinguish) between stupid and overly aggressive.

 

It seems to me that while we have one of the more aggressive base running teams, we are not necessarily being smart with our aggressiveness.

[Kimmi]

Where do you get the OOBs numbers? Just curious.

 

The OOBs are coming from BR.

 

Here's the link, by team first, then by individual players:

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2018-baserunning-batting.shtml

[Nick]

Hanley being DFA'd has not hurt the team at all. Moreland has held his own and Pearce has been a good pickup.

 

I still do not disagree with the decision to DFA him so early in the season, but this is why Dombrowski is the GM and I am not.

 

DD is fortunate that Moreland has performed well, prior and post departure of Hanley. He has also diffused the Hanley DFA situation with Pearce addition. He has been a solid addition. We can play all three (JD, Pearce and Moreland) and rest JBJ.

 

We have rid of $15.5M in 2019 ($22M less $6.5M for Morelnad) without missing a beat.

Edited July 22, 2018 by Nick

[Nick]

Obviously it's still too early to assess trades made by DD exchanging youth for established veterans but my sense is we did not give up as much as many here think.

 

I'll get back to you on DD era 'trading the future away' mantra.

[OH FOY]

Sox are 25-3 when JDM Homers, could have used him yesterday.

[oldtimer]

Sox are 25-3 when JDM Homers, could have used him yesterday.

 

20 innings and 1 run. We had a similar situation earlier in the season. Yesterday both Betts and Beni got on base and nothing threateniing happened behind them. Lets hope they snap out of it today. So far the game is on delay.

[FredLynn]

DD is fortunate that Moreland has performed well, prior and post departure of Hanley. He has also diffused the Hanley DFA situation with Pearce addition. He has been a solid addition. We can play all three (JD, Pearce and Moreland) and rest JBJ.

 

We have rid of $15.5M in 2019 ($22M less $6.5M for Morelnad) without missing a beat.

 

Overall Moreland has played well. But he is in a prolonged slump. In 64 PAs since June 23 he is at .203/.581. We need him to do better.