Jbj

[notin]

Eovaldi's issue this year was the same one he had last year when he was, um, with Tampa Bay.

 

Eovaldi was just a bad idea. I as opposed to bringing back Kimbrel, but I would have given in to Kimbrel's 6 year $100mill demands before sigining Eovaldi to that deal. I see the appeal of Eovaldi, but the downside was just waaaaaaay too obvious. And it took almost no time to manifest itself, either...

[notin]

And what about E-Rod. How can he be possibly pitching so well after all that babying? Hard to figure...

 

It did happen.

 

But, like anything else, it works for some and not for others. It's not like there is one surefire preparation method that works for every player...

[notin]

lackadaisical approach to the season = lackadaisical season

mental approach in many things is important. in baseball its everything.

 

Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical. - Yogi Berra

[Bellhorn04]

lackadaisical approach to the season = lackadaisical season

mental approach in many things is important. in baseball its everything.

 

So what about E-Rod and Bogaerts and Devers and a few others? You're saying they magically rose above it all somehow?

[Slasher9]

So what about E-Rod and Bogaerts and Devers and a few others? You're saying they magically rose above it all somehow?

 

they would have been even better....

[dgalehouse]

I blame Harold and Ferdy , the Nerdwell brothers . They need to go . Get back to good , old fashioned hardball .

[notin]

I blame Harold and Ferdy , the Nerdwell brothers . They need to go . Get back to good , old fashioned hardball .

 

You blame everything on new metrics and statisticians. Except success...

[Bellhorn04]

The important thing is that everyone has someone or something to blame.

 

My main source of blame for this year is that miserable prick Mr. Shithappens. Hate that guy.

[Kimmi]

i will let Kimmi answer this one.

 

I would not have bunted in that situation.

[Kimmi]

my man Mathematics says you are spot on.

never.

give.

up.

 

+100

[Kimmi]

So you really think a veteran pitcher like Rick Porcello in his contract year is posting a 6 ERA because Cora babied him in ST?

 

I think you have to be kidding.

 

And Sale wasn't fully healthy at the end of last year to begin with.

 

The 'babying' in ST almost definitely affected the way the starters performed in April.

 

From then on, it's on the pitchers themselves.

[Kimmi]

Eovaldi was just a bad idea. I as opposed to bringing back Kimbrel, but I would have given in to Kimbrel's 6 year $100mill demands before sigining Eovaldi to that deal. I see the appeal of Eovaldi, but the downside was just waaaaaaay too obvious. And it took almost no time to manifest itself, either...

 

Yikes!

 

That's crazy talk Notin.

[moonslav59]

The 'babying' in ST almost definitely affected the way the starters performed in April.

 

From then on, it's on the pitchers themselves.

 

In theory, the extra rest should have made them better after April.

[Bellhorn04]

In theory, the extra rest should have made them better after April.

 

I think it's all way overplayed.

 

No one's going to convince me that Sale, Price & Porcello would have had fine seasons if they didn't get babied early.

 

It's just a convenient explanation.

[moonslav59]

I think it's all way overplayed.

 

No one's going to convince me that Sale, Price & Porcello would have had fine seasons if they didn't get babied early.

 

It's just a convenient explanation.

 

I totally agree, but I did hope that after so many October IP'd, the extra rest might help them be fresher for the end of this season. Oh, well. They can get plenty of rest, now!

[Kimmi]

In theory, the extra rest should have made them better after April.

 

I think that was what the FO and coaching staff had in mind.

[Bellhorn04]

I think that was what the FO and coaching staff had in mind.

 

I read some of the actual quotes from LeVangie, who apparently was the driving force behind it.

 

My impression was that they were genuinely concerned about the effects of the postseason run and the extra innings pitched in relief etc.

 

LeVangie called it 'cautionary'. I don't think it was some grand scheme to have them stronger later in the season.

[Kimmi]

I read some of the actual quotes from LeVangie, who apparently was the driving force behind it.

 

My impression was that they were genuinely concerned about the effects of the postseason run and the extra innings pitched in relief etc.

 

LeVangie called it 'cautionary'. I don't think it was some grand scheme to have them stronger later in the season.

 

I don't disagree with what you're saying, that the caution used during ST was because of the postseason run. What I'm saying is that the effect of taking it easy during ST and early in the season, regardless of the reason behind it, should be that the pitchers would be stronger and healthier later in the season than they would have been otherwise.

[FredLynn]

I read some of the actual quotes from LeVangie, who apparently was the driving force behind it.

 

My impression was that they were genuinely concerned about the effects of the postseason run and the extra innings pitched in relief etc.

 

LeVangie called it 'cautionary'. I don't think it was some grand scheme to have them stronger later in the season.

 

LeVangie should be fired if he was the one responsible for this bankrupt scatterbrained strategy.

[Bellhorn04]

LeVangie should be fired if he was the one responsible for this bankrupt scatterbrained strategy.

 

Firing's too good. I suggest stoning him to death at Fanueil Hall. They can sell tickets and make a bit of extra revenue off it.

[notin]

Firing's too good. I suggest stoning him to death at Fanueil Hall. They can sell tickets and make a bit of extra revenue off it.

 

No trial?

[Bellhorn04]

No trial?

 

Sure, as long as it's quick and the fix is in.

[notin]

Sure, as long as it's quick and the fix is in.

 

But at least it gives the team a chance to make some extra cash by selling "Guilty" and "Not Guilty" pennants to wave during the proceedings...

[Bellhorn04]

But at least it gives the team a chance to make some extra cash by selling "Guilty" and "Not Guilty" pennants to wave during the proceedings...

 

Exactly. Squeeze every last nickel out of it.

 

As a goodwill gesture to season ticket holders, their names will be entered in a drawing to determine who actually throws the stones. There may be a small processing fee.

[dgalehouse]

Somebody has to take the hit . LeVangie seems like a pretty convenient fall guy . I would wonder if he did a good job with guys like E-Rod , Workman and , to a lesser extent , Hernandez and Tayor ? The biggest problems seemed to be the vets like Sale , Price , Porcello and Eovaldi. Guys you wouldn't think would need much coaching . And probably are so used to doing things their way , that they wouldn't pay much heed to anything Dana said anyway .

[Bellhorn04]

Somebody has to take the hit . LeVangie seems like a pretty convenient fall guy . I would wonder if he did a good job with guys like E-Rod , Workman and , to a lesser extent , Hernandez and Tayor ? The biggest problems seemed to be the vets like Sale , Price , Porcello and Eovaldi. Guys you wouldn't think would need much coaching . And probably are so used to doing things their way , that they wouldn't pay much heed to anything Dana said anyway .

 

I agree with you.

 

To me the idea that a guy like Rick Porcello, a seasoned veteran, and in the always-crucial walk year, would do a lackadaisical job preparing himself for the season is just dumb.

[Maxbialystock]

LeVangie is the first non-pitcher pitching coach for the Sox since 1994 and the personal choice of Alex Cora.

 

I would defend the truncated ST this year were it not for the additional problem of the new "seamless" baseball, which clearly has taken some getting used to and has led to a resurgence of the offense throughout MLB.

 

Earlier this season I tried to argue that ST made no difference, but here in September it is clear that ERod, the one guy who had a "full" 15 innings in ST this year (and had none last year when he was on the IL), is having by far the best season.

 

The one tiny caveat to dumping on LeVangie is that Porcello pitched 12 innings in ST vs. his usual 16, but is in fact having the worst season of his career with his contract up for a renewal. I just find it hard to believe that 4 more innings in ST would have made that much of a difference. In fact, his April ERA was a decent 4.76, and his May ERA was an excellent (for him) 3.34. Then came the bad months of June 6.46 and July 7.94, followed by a decent August 4.00.

 

Eovaldi was on the IL for ST, so that leaves us with exhibits 1 and 2 for the prosecution--Sale and Price. I honestly think those two would be least affected by the "seamless" baseball because neither throws a curve and both rely on fastballs, sliders, and changeups, which this year seem to me to be about the same as in prior years.

 

However, both Sale and Price have had elbow/arm issues this year, which begs the question: is that because of too little ST to prepare for the season or because those issues were inevitable for both of them? In fact, Sale has tailed off badly the past two seasons after having great April/May/Junes. Price is 34 and has thrown 2029 innings.

[Bellhorn04]

LeVangie is the first non-pitcher pitching coach for the Sox since 1994 and the personal choice of Alex Cora.

 

I would defend the truncated ST this year were it not for the additional problem of the new "seamless" baseball, which clearly has taken some getting used to and has led to a resurgence of the offense throughout MLB.

 

Earlier this season I tried to argue that ST made no difference, but here in September it is clear that ERod, the one guy who had a "full" 15 innings in ST this year (and had none last year when he was on the IL), is having by far the best season.

 

The one tiny caveat to dumping on LeVangie is that Porcello pitched 12 innings in ST vs. his usual 16, but is in fact having the worst season of his career with his contract up for a renewal. I just find it hard to believe that 4 more innings in ST would have made that much of a difference. In fact, his April ERA was a decent 4.76, and his May ERA was an excellent (for him) 3.34. Then came the bad months of June 6.46 and July 7.94, followed by a decent August 4.00.

 

Eovaldi was on the IL for ST, so that leaves us with exhibits 1 and 2 for the prosecution--Sale and Price. I honestly think those two would be least affected by the "seamless" baseball because neither throws a curve and both rely on fastballs, sliders, and changeups, which this year seem to me to be about the same as in prior years.

 

However, both Sale and Price have had elbow/arm issues this year, which begs the question: is that because of too little ST to prepare for the season or because those issues were inevitable for both of them? In fact, Sale has tailed off badly the past two seasons after having great April/May/Junes. Price is 34 and has thrown 2029 innings.

 

There are a lot of questions that are just impossible to answer.

 

We don't know how the extra postseason workload affected their arms either.

 

You can look at the case of Keith Foulke, who was a very durable arm up until Tito worked him like the proverbial rented mule in the 2004 postseason.

 

Foulke's arm was never the same after that.

[moonslav59]

There are a lot of questions that are just impossible to answer.

 

We don't know how the extra postseason workload affected their arms either.

 

You can look at the case of Keith Foulke, who was a very durable arm up until Tito worked him like the proverbial rented mule in the 2004 postseason.

 

Foulke's arm was never the same after that.

 

...and ERod did not pitch "extra innings" in the 2018 post season, so he didn't need any ST'ing rest.

[S5Dewey]

Exactly. Squeeze every last nickel out of it.

 

As a goodwill gesture to season ticket holders, their names will be entered in a drawing to determine who actually throws the stones. There may be a small processing fee.

Hahahahahahahahaha

 

From the BOSTON RED SOX???? NEVER!!