Red Sox have fired GM Dave Dombrowski

[notin]

same boat as everyone else? ummm...no, no it doesnt.

calling ALL the shots.

driven by stats is one thing. all the shots is entirely different.

 

What percentage do you think are driven by stats now?

[Bellhorn04]

What percentage do you think are driven by stats now?

 

There can be a pretty big gulf between old school stats and the newest analytics.

[Slasher9]

What percentage do you think are driven by stats now?

 

[cp176]

 

I was wondering how you were going to answer the unanswerable question. I like that answer. Can I use it from time to time?

[notin]

There can be a pretty big gulf between old school stats and the newest analytics.

 

But at one point, many of the old school stats were new analytics.

 

No one was keeping track of ERA in the 1890'. Pitchers were just evaluated by W-L. But then that changed with this weird new stat that involved 2 decimal places and required math. Think that was just embraced right away?

 

And slugging percentage took over 40 years to be recognized as an official stat. My baseball cards growing up didn't have it on there...

[notin]

 

While probably true, it's probably closer to 100 than we realize.

[Kimmi]

oh boy:

 

we also are being told that ownership would like to be more involved in baseball ops, and that the analytics department will be calling all the shots. From this point forward, the Sox’ strategy will be all about precise spin rates, swing paths, and velocities supplied by Statcast. Game-planning will be directed by the analytics department

 

where in the world is DGale???

 

Go analytics!

[Kimmi]

same boat as everyone else? ummm...no, no it doesnt.

calling ALL the shots.

driven by stats is one thing. all the shots is entirely different.

 

Let's keep in mind those are Shaughnessy's words, not an actual quote from the team.

 

Yeah, I'm thinking Shaughnessy is using a bit of hyperbole here.

[a700hitter]

oh boy:

 

we also are being told that ownership would like to be more involved in baseball ops, and that the analytics department will be calling all the shots. From this point forward, the Sox’ strategy will be all about precise spin rates, swing paths, and velocities supplied by Statcast. Game-planning will be directed by the analytics department

 

where in the world is DGale???

This would be as kooky a plan as freezing Ted Williams' head.

[oldtimer]

Go analytics!

 

Instead of manager of the year, the new award will be given to analytics department of the year. It will be presented by the robotic umpires.

[Slasher9]

Instead of manager of the year, the new award will be given to analytics department of the year. It will be presented by the robotic umpires.

 

lol. well played.

[Bellhorn04]

Instead of manager of the year, the new award will be given to analytics department of the year. It will be presented by the robotic umpires.

 

Excellent, oldtimer.

[SoxnCycles]

Yeah, I'm thinking Shaughnessy is using a bit of hyperbole here.

 

Shaughnessy is hyperbole on two legs.

[notin]

Shaughnessy is hyperbole on two legs.

 

Shaughnessy i certainly closer to being an insider than I am, but that doesn't make him one. I doubt the Sox themselves know how all their future decisions will be made until they actually hire/promote a GM...

[moonslav59]

Shaughnessy is hyperbole on two legs.

 

Yes, but I want to point out that being wrong is not hyperbole, and he's wrong a lot.

[Kimmi]

Instead of manager of the year, the new award will be given to analytics department of the year. It will be presented by the robotic umpires.

 

LOL

 

FTR, I am 100% opposed to robot umps.

[Kimmi]

Shaughnessy is hyperbole on two legs.

 

I usually don't waste my time reading him.

[oldtimer]

More decisions being made before we get a new GM. Coaches, Wright, GHernandez and Smith. I would think it would become unattractive for a new GM to come into a situation where many of the team shaping decisions are taken out of his or her hands.

[moonslav59]

Maybe the choice is already made: GM by committee.

 

[cp176]

Maybe the choice is already made: GM by committee.

 

 

I'm guessing that the decision has already been made within. I don't think that it will be by committee but you never know. Looks to me like it is coming from inside.

[Behindenemylines]

I'm guessing that the decision has already been made within. I don't think that it will be by committee but you never know. Looks to me like it is coming from inside.

 

I agree. It is beginning to sound like it will be an internal hire. Now we know DD was not on board with the whole get the payroll below $208m and that is why he was gone so quickly. Any internal hire already knows what the mandate is when they take the job.

[oldtimer]

I agree. It is beginning to sound like it will be an internal hire. Now we know DD was not on board with the whole get the payroll below $208m and that is why he was gone so quickly. Any internal hire already knows what the mandate is when they take the job.

 

The problem with an internal hire is that four people have or think they have equal sway in the decision making process. That sounds like a comittee to me, and committees decision making is often the butt of jokes. Whoever gets the inside job would have the other three used to having equal sway and possibly delay or turn the choice to the least objectionable to the committee. An outsider would have the clear choice in decision making.

 

While the Sox could keep their offense and be competitive in run scoring and probably defense, the cost would push us to or over the second tier off the competitive balance tax. Maybe by keeping Moreland and Holt and choosing from Hernandez, Chavis, Dalbec and Chatham from the farm and we would have no additional needs. I assume Leon would stay under that scenario.

 

On the other hand, the Red Sox Pitching is probably not competitive in 2020, even if Porcello were to be replaced with another FA starter and we try to bring up either Mata, Houck and or Johnson. Too much unknown there to risk having to go over the second competitive balance tax. JH already has reacted to that saying he wants the reset. Clearly our relief pitching would also need some refreshment as well.

 

Generally, we talked about the need for maintaining a strong farm team to allow 3 or 4 players to move up each year to be supplemented with FA's and through trades. Having a very low ranked farm puts us in a weak position going forward. Just one more reason to reset now.

 

Moon has said it as have others. Get a GM who buys into the vision of improving the team by trading away assets that can't help us in 2021 and later. A positive spin on that would be to keep players who can help us. Play out long term contracts that were perhaps foolishly made and bolster the farm. These are not the most popular things to do as they require the Sox to be somewhat less competitive in the short run. Part of the process includes bring ing up some of the most ML ready farm players. Just because we have a weak farm doesn't mean all of the players are weak. We should have done more of that this year but I suppose the FO didn't want to burn arb years or the like.

 

So..

 

1. Hire and top notch GM from outside but one that buys into a rebuilding process.

2. Trade away assets that won't be there to help us in 2021 and beyond.

3. Rebuild the farm

4. Avoid long term and expensive contracts except for very special cases. (Especially true for pitchers who have the wear of many seasons on their arms)

[notin]

I agree. It is beginning to sound like it will be an internal hire. Now we know DD was not on board with the whole get the payroll below $208m and that is why he was gone so quickly. Any internal hire already knows what the mandate is when they take the job.

 

He was not on board with it because he is so unfamiliar with the concept....

[Elktonnick]

I'm guessing that the decision has already been made within. I don't think that it will be by committee but you never know. Looks to me like it is coming from inside.

 

I agree. The reporting I've seen seems to suggest that it will be an internal promotion.

[jacksonianmarch]

LOL

 

FTR, I am 100% opposed to robot umps.

 

I am not, or at least not some sort of technological advance. Maybe the catcher gets 4 challenges per game and the offensive of each team get 4 challenges per game. AA has shown its immediate in terms of return. Pitcher challenges, umpire gives the call. 3 seconds to challenge the pitch

[Kimmi]

I am not, or at least not some sort of technological advance. Maybe the catcher gets 4 challenges per game and the offensive of each team get 4 challenges per game. AA has shown its immediate in terms of return. Pitcher challenges, umpire gives the call. 3 seconds to challenge the pitch

 

I would prefer challenges to robot umps, but I'd just as soon not even go there. I'm also not a fan of instant replay.

 

One of the things that bugs me is why some plays are reviewable and others are not. There was a missed catcher's interference a couple of games ago, but not reviewable. Is that play any less significant than any other play?

[Donnie Sadler was short]

Good question. I have no idea what his role was before.

 

Obviously he was in charge of the bad haircut dept. Personally I think they should replace him with Mark Davis.

[sk7326]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/27923015/rays-chaim-bloom-favorite-become-red-sox-general-manager

 

A really interesting idea, if true. Bloom has a good name around baseball circles and clearly has a lot of experience at this point in front offices.

 

The Rays are the same sort of progressive front office the Sox had been in the middle of the decade - so going this direction makes sense. Also obviously Tampa has had to make numerous difficult calls in budget crunches, so that makes sense too.

 

What could be a real sea change is the view of pitching. Epstein and Cherington were very suspicious of the risk level associated with amateur pitchers, and strongly favored the easier predictability associated with position players - and used other means to add pitching to the org. Tampa of course has been one of the real bright lights in the league at drafting and developing pitching and have not shied away from the risk. Neither approach is wrong - and both fit their environments and ballparks, but it could be a real shift. Certainly the Red Sox need more pitching in any case.

[Slasher9]

I would prefer challenges to robot umps, but I'd just as soon not even go there. I'm also not a fan of instant replay.

 

One of the things that bugs me is why some plays are reviewable and others are not. There was a missed catcher's interference a couple of games ago, but not reviewable. Is that play any less significant than any other play?

 

nope. which is why all plays should be reviewable.

robot umps would lower game times to under 2:30.

[moonslav59]

nope. which is why all plays should be reviewable.

robot umps would lower game times to under 2:30.

 

I'm 100% in on Robo umps.

 

Pitchers will learn what a strike & ball is. batters will learn, too.

 

No arguments.

 

Get the game over with!