A Realistic View at 2021: Part II

[moonslav59]

Sox OPS in the last 10 days:

 

1.258 Dalbec- Mr. Comeback

1.112 Bogey- Mr. Consistency

.977 Devers- Mr. Fun

.916 Arroyo- Mr. Full Time Second Baseman

.820 Vaz- Mr. Over-worked

.796 JD- Mr. Coming back to life

.775 Renfroe- Mr. Steady since April

.769 Verdugo- Mr. Clutch

.587 Kike- Mr. Need you to do something

.513 Marwin- Mr. Do-it-all but hit

.400 Plawecki- Mr. back-up

.368 Santana- Mr. DFA

[moonslav59]

Oh yeah, he's doing a terrible job, what with us being in first place, after some had us losing 90 games.

 

Believe it or not, that's him admitting he was wrong.

[notin]

If you put Verdugo at leadoff, who hits second? The only way you can do it is move them all up a spot.

 

The 4 of them are all having career years or close to it. Maybe Cora doesn't want to f*** with that.

 

He's the manager and he has more at stake in this than any of us do.

 

I like the idea of Verdugo at leadoff, but if he prefers batting second and getting a better look at the pitcher, why not leave him there?

[Fan_since_Boggs]

I think the bottom 4 should be:

 

Arroyo

Dalbec

Hernandez

Vazquez

 

Modern analytics, in what is undoubtedly a conspiracy, ignore the obvious benefits of Alphabetical Order…

 

LOL. There is not substitute for Alphabetical Order.

 

As far as leadoff goes, I'm thinking J.Duran will soon occupy that spot in the order, but that would also put two lefties at the top of the lineup--Duran and Verdugo. Moreoever, expecting a rookie to adjust to the major leagues while batting leadoff is probably a bad idea.

 

Maybe you don't promote Duran at all and trade for S.Marte:

 

Verdugo--leadoff

Martinez

Devers

Bogaerts

Marte

Renfroe

 

You could also do this:

Verdugo--leadoff

Martinez

Bogaerts

Devers

Renfroe

Marte

 

I would expect the Yankees to be in on Marte, since they are stuck with a washed up CF in B.Gardner.

Edited June 20, 2021 by Fan_since_Boggs

[notin]

LOL. There is not substitute for Alphabetical Order.

 

As far as leadoff goes, I'm thinking J.Duran will soon occupy that spot in the order, but that would also put two lefties at the top of the lineup--Duran and Verdugo. Moreoever, expecting a rookie to adjust to the major leagues while batting leadoff is probably a bad idea.

 

.

 

Oh young Padawan, you let the ways of the ancients deceive you.

 

See, the trick here is to put the two lefties atop the lineup so as to encourage the opposing team to bring in their LHRP.

 

But the new rule says the pitcher must face three hitters, not two. And Duran plus Verdugo is only two.

 

So you put Renfroe and his LHRP-crushing abilities behind Duran and Verdugo in the third spot so as to discourage this behavior from opposing managers or to pay for it if they so choose...

[Larry Cook]

Sox OPS in the last 10 days:

 

1.258 Dalbec- Mr. Comeback

1.112 Bogey- Mr. Consistency

.977 Devers- Mr. Fun

.916 Arroyo- Mr. Full Time Second Baseman

.820 Vaz- Mr. Over-worked

.796 JD- Mr. Coming back to life

.775 Renfroe- Mr. Steady since April

.769 Verdugo- Mr. Clutch

.587 Kike- Mr. Need you to do something

.513 Marwin- Mr. Do-it-all but hit

.400 Plawecki- Mr. back-up

.368 Santana- Mr. DFA

 

This is so accurate. I would take the top 8 and number 11 on this list on my team any day.

 

The magic happens if hang’em Chaim can get us a stud for the 9th spot!

[Nick]

Per MassLive

 

Whitlock has begun to use his slider more recently. He throws a plus-changeup and his sinker has averaged 95.5 mph while his four-seam fastball 95.9 mph, per Baseball Savant.

 

The Red Sox view the Rule 5 Draft pick as a starting pitcher longterm.

“From day one in spring training, this young man has done nothing but impress,” Varitek said Sunday. “Keeps getting better. Keeps getting smarter. His game experiences are going to keep going up and that’s going to continue to match his stuff. He’s been able to make on-field adjustments with his breaking ball. He’s just been impressive. He steps up in there, no sweat. ‘Oh, I have to hit? OK. I’ll hit.’ And then the next time he hits, he gets a hit.”

 

Whitlock recorded a single in Boston’s win over the Braves in Atlanta on Tuesday.

 

“It’s just been impressive,” Varitek said. “He does a good job in all aspects; our pace, our tempo, which we’ve pushed since early in spring training. You watch him, that’s first and foremost what he’s doing. And he’s attacking. He’s using all his pitches and he’s continuing to grow. He’s just been extremely impressive and he’s going to keep growing.”

Edited June 20, 2021 by Nick

[moonslav59]

Per MassLive

 

Whitlock has begun to use his slider more recently. He throws a plus-changeup and his sinker has averaged 95.5 mph while his four-seam fastball 95.9 mph, per Baseball Savant.

 

The Red Sox view the Rule 5 Draft pick as a starting pitcher longterm.

“From day one in spring training, this young man has done nothing but impress,” Varitek said Sunday. “Keeps getting better. Keeps getting smarter. His game experiences are going to keep going up and that’s going to continue to match his stuff. He’s been able to make on-field adjustments with his breaking ball. He’s just been impressive. He steps up in there, no sweat. ‘Oh, I have to hit? OK. I’ll hit.’ And then the next time he hits, he gets a hit.”

 

Whitlock recorded a single in Boston’s win over the Braves in Atlanta on Tuesday.

 

“It’s just been impressive,” Varitek said. “He does a good job in all aspects; our pace, our tempo, which we’ve pushed since early in spring training. You watch him, that’s first and foremost what he’s doing. And he’s attacking. He’s using all his pitches and he’s continuing to grow. He’s just been extremely impressive and he’s going to keep growing.”

 

I wouldn't expect VTek to say anything bad about any of our young starters, but the accolades are so detailed, you have to believe he means all of this.

 

If we can get Sale back to near normal by 2022, and Whitlock is all he promises to be, maybe we don't need to spend large and long on a top starter, this winter. (It still might be a good idea.)

 

Funny how Whiltock just jumped right over Houck, Seabold, Ward, Groome and others, including and eventually a vet or two.

[Nick]

I wouldn't expect VTek to say anything bad about any of our young starters, but the accolades are so detailed, you have to believe he means all of this.

 

If we can get Sale back to near normal by 2022, and Whitlock is all he promises to be, maybe we don't need to spend large and long on a top starter, this winter. (It still might be a good idea.)

 

Funny how Whiltock just jumped right over Houck, Seabold, Ward, Groome and others, including and eventually a vet or two.

 

Well, we've seen how Whitlock plays at the major league level. His stuff is there. He added slider this year. We have veterans that can't improve. Whitlock is special and I'm driving his bandwagon. Many have the stuff but no command. Some have good command but not enough stuff. Whitlock has both.

 

If Houck, Seabold, Ward and Groome are better than Whitlock, then we got something.

Edited June 20, 2021 by Nick

[moonslav59]

Well, we've seen how Whitlock plays at the major league level. His stuff is there. He added slider this year. We have veterans that can't improve. Whitlock is special and I'm driving his bandwagon. Many have the stuff but no command. Some have good command but not enough stuff. Whitlock has both.

 

He seems to have the smarts and grit, too.

[a700hitter]

Oh yeah, he's doing a terrible job, what with us being in first place, after some had us losing 90 games.

90 plus. I had attributed the success to Varitek’s meticulous game prep, but a good portion might have been substance enhanced spin rate, and Cora is a convicted cheater.

[Nick]

Seattle does it again.

 

Bottom tenth, two outs bases loaded, grand slam. Mariners win it 6-2. Good job Seattle.

[moonslav59]

New best team in the AL. It's changing daily.

 

43-28 HOU (.606)

44-29 OAK (.603)

43-29 BOS

43-29 CWS

43-30 TBR

(All 5 teams within a game of each other!)

 

39-30 CLE

38-33 NYY

38-36 SEA

 

36-35 LAA

35-35 TOR

 

[Larry Cook]

If we promote espinal and ort, that would give us 4 former Yankees in the bullpen!

 

So long to rios and andreise!

[moonslav59]

If we promote espinal and ort, that would give us 4 former Yankees in the bullpen!

 

So long to rios and andreise!

 

Don't forget Tyreque Reed.

[moonslav59]

Bobby Dee is up to .705, now- just 40 points below Renfroe.

 

Kike climbed to .691 after a good game, today.

 

June OPS

.912Bogey

.854 Dalbec

.842 Arroyo

.827 Devers

.791 Verdugo

.724 JD

.714 Renfroe

.688 Kike

.673 Vaz

.577 Marwin

.564 Plawecki

.291 Santana (4 for freakin' 36!)

 

June ERA/WHIP

0.00 Taylor 0.67

0.00 Brennan 1.67

0.90 Whitlock 1.60

 

2.35 Workman 1.57

2.70 Ottavino 1.05

2.84 D Hern 1.26

3.12 Sawamura 1.15

3.63 Eovaldi 1.52

 

4.50 Valdez 2.50

 

4.91 Andriese 1.50

5.06 Barnes 1.31

5.66 Pivetta 1.55

5.75 Richards 1.92

6.75 Perez 1.75

8.36 ERod 1.57

9.00 Rios 3.50

17.47 Weber 2.65

 

Edited June 21, 2021 by moonslav59

[moonslav59]

Up coming schedule

 

@TBR 3

NYY 3

KCR 4

@OAK 3

@LAA 3

off

PHI 3

***3days off***

...18 games in a row of make or break games....

@NYY 4

@TOR 3

NYY 4

TOR 4

@TBR 3 (during trade deadline)

 

Then, the schedule gets a bit easier.

 

 

Edited June 21, 2021 by moonslav59

[Nick]

0.90 Whitlock 1.60

[Nick]

No. 1 prospect Wander getting called up

 

ST. PETERSBURG -- Baseball’s best prospect is about to be a big leaguer.

 

Infielder Wander Franco, the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball the past two years, is expected to be called up on Tuesday, the club announced Sunday night.

 

The switch-hitting standout will join the Rays on Tuesday for their series opener against the Red Sox at Tropicana Field. Having lost six in a row as well as ace Tyler Glasnow over this past week, Tampa Bay is in need of a spark. Now, the defending American League champions, with a wealth of young talent atop baseball’s No. 1 farm system, are ready to unleash the game’s next young star upon the Majors.

 

https://www.mlb.com/news/wander-franco-rays-callup

 

Good thing he doesn't play for the Sox. He'd be stuck in minors for couple of more years. "He's not ready. Not enough at bats at AAA, forget that he went from A+ to AAA, skipping AA."

Edited June 21, 2021 by Nick

[Bellhorn04]

No. 1 prospect Wander getting called up

 

ST. PETERSBURG -- Baseball’s best prospect is about to be a big leaguer.

 

Infielder Wander Franco, the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball the past two years, is expected to be called up on Tuesday, the club announced Sunday night.

 

The switch-hitting standout will join the Rays on Tuesday for their series opener against the Red Sox at Tropicana Field. Having lost six in a row as well as ace Tyler Glasnow over this past week, Tampa Bay is in need of a spark. Now, the defending American League champions, with a wealth of young talent atop baseball’s No. 1 farm system, are ready to unleash the game’s next young star upon the Majors.

 

https://www.mlb.com/news/wander-franco-rays-callup

 

Good thing he doesn't play for the Sox. He'd be stuck in minors for couple of more years. "He's not ready. Not enough at bats at AAA, forget that he went from A+ to AAA, skipping AA."

 

Betts

Bogaerts

Devers

Benintendi

JBJ

 

Which of those guys were 'stuck in minors' before being called up?

[mvp 78]

Betts

Bogaerts

Devers

Benintendi

JBJ

 

Which of those guys were 'stuck in minors' before being called up?

 

When was the last time a guy was "stuck" in AAA for the Sox? Mo Vaughn?

[Nick]

Betts

Bogaerts

Devers

Benintendi

JBJ

 

Which of those guys were 'stuck in minors' before being called up?

 

All of you took my bait.

 

My point is there's not a 'book' that you go by. Each player is different. Sometimes situation dictates the move. Has Glasnow been healthy and Rays were in first place by comfortable margin, Rays may not needed to call up their #1 prospect.

 

I've been on this board long time and there's always that group that wants 100% assurance that a minor leaguer is "ready" to move up. I'm not pointing out to any specific player.

 

Tanner Houck really doesn't have much of major league experience but I'm glad Sox gave him a 'look' last year. Despite his inexperience everyone seem to agree we could use his arm in the rotation. Funny that. Sometimes you just take a leap of faith.

 

Moncada certainly was a hot topic before being called up. Just look it up.

Edited June 21, 2021 by Nick

[Bellhorn04]

All of you took my bait.

 

My point is there's not a 'book' that you go by. Each player is different. Sometimes situation dictates the move. Has Glasnow been healthy and Rays were in first place by comfortable margin, Rays may not needed to call up their #1 prospect.

 

I've been on this board long time and there's always that group that wants 100% assurance that a minor leaguer is "ready" to move up. I'm not pointing out to any specific player.

 

Tanner Houck really doesn't have much of major league experience but I'm glad Sox gave him a 'look' last year. Despite his inexperience everyone seem to agree we could use his arm in the rotation. Funny that. Sometimes you just take a leap of faith.

 

My position is that I trust the guys who run the team and not the fans. For the guys who run the team it's their everyday job to figure this stuff out. And overall I think they do a good job.

 

That's not a knock on your opinion or anyone else's. I don't think I know any more or less than anyone else here. We're all just fans who know how to read Baseball-Reference.

[mvp 78]

I've been on this board long time and there's always that group that wants 100% assurance that a minor leaguer is "ready" to move up. I'm not pointing out to any specific player.

 

I'm always pro-rushing players that look ready to contribute (see: Devers). I don't buy into the theory that the Sox "ruined the career of Cla Meredith" or whatever.

[notin]

I'm always pro-rushing players that look ready to contribute (see: Devers). I don't buy into the theory that the Sox "ruined the career of Cla Meredith" or whatever.

 

Me neither.

 

If players cannot handle better competition, then MLB was never a big part of their future...

[Nick]

I doubt Bloom will make a 'big splash' at trade deadline.

 

This team is going to rely much more on players that are developed within the system.

 

We survived the Cordero experiment. We're still in 1st place. (he seems to have bounced back, did not go in the deep end)

 

We're surviving with Dalbec at 1B despite the fact that we're one of the worst when it comes to production out of 1B. Being very patient may payoff here.

 

We should be open to all and any possibilities to improve.

 

I trust that Bloom will do great. This here is a fan forum. It'd be no fun if we all agreed on everything.

Edited June 21, 2021 by Nick

[notin]

All of you took my bait.

 

My point is there's not a 'book' that you go by. Each player is different. Sometimes situation dictates the move. Has Glasnow been healthy and Rays were in first place by comfortable margin, Rays may not needed to call up their #1 prospect.

 

I've been on this board long time and there's always that group that wants 100% assurance that a minor leaguer is "ready" to move up. I'm not pointing out to any specific player.

 

Tanner Houck really doesn't have much of major league experience but I'm glad Sox gave him a 'look' last year. Despite his inexperience everyone seem to agree we could use his arm in the rotation. Funny that. Sometimes you just take a leap of faith.

 

Moncada certainly was a hot topic before being called up. Just look it up.

 

Houck was also helped by the fact that the team was going nowhere when they called him up. What was the worst that could happen? We sink further into last place?

[mvp 78]

I doubt Bloom will make a 'big splash' at trade deadline.

 

This team is going to rely much more on players that are developed within the system.

 

We survived the Cordero experiment. We're still in 1st place. (he seems to have bounced back, did not go in the deep end)

 

We're surviving with Dalbec at 1B despite the fact that we're one of the worst when it comes to production out of 1B. Being very patient may payoff here.

 

We should be open to all and any possibilities to improve.

 

I trust that Bloom will do great. This here is a fan forum. It'd be no fun if we all agreed on everything.

 

The problem is that their need right now is starting pitching. Will Houck (pitched ok on Thurs) or Seabold (returning from IL and throwing bullpens) be ready to contribute this year? There was hope that Mata could provide innings, but that won't be the case.

[mvp 78]

Houck was also helped by the fact that the team was going nowhere when they called him up. What was the worst that could happen? We sink further into last place?

 

The worst would be if he's trying to overthrow to match better competition and then gets a long term injury on a meaningless game.

 

However, I don't think there were many people clamoring for him to start games when 2020 started. He's been seen as a reliever for the past few seasons (and may well be one anyway).

[notin]

The worst would be if he's trying to overthrow to match better competition and then gets a long term injury on a meaningless game.

 

However, I don't think there were many people clamoring for him to start games when 2020 started. He's been seen as a reliever for the past few seasons (and may well be one anyway).

 

Yes, an injury was the worst, although that becomes independent of how the team is doing and will always be a risk. The bottom line is, if he flopped, there was no real pressure.

 

Unless you like the argument that he did ruin their 2021 draft by winning 3 games and therefore giving the Sox a better record than both the Tigers and Rangers