A Realistic View at 2021: Part II

[notin]

It's one thing to be 9 games behind the Sox, it's another to have two other teams in between.

 

They have a mountain climb as intra-division games mount.

 

If the situation was reversed, I'd hope we'd sell off every piece of lawn furniture not attached to youth movement....Barnes, Ottavino, Richards, E Rod, etc...

 

GARAGE SALE TODAY ONLY, 4 JERSEY STREET

 

 

No to mention being 5.5 games out of the wild card while trailing 5 teams for two slots.

 

Insurmountable? No, but Yankees haven’t given any hint they’re capable of catching anyone.

 

And how is Aaron Boone still there??

[Nick]

Cordero goes 2-5, his batting average is near .390. I really want to see him again while he's still hot.

 

Add another left handed bat with power....move Kike to 2B with a righthander on the mound.

[oldtimer]

Cordero goes 2-5, his batting average is near .390. I really want to see him again while he's still hot.

 

Add another left handed bat with power....move Kike to 2B with a righthander on the mound.

 

He actually went 2 for 6 with 3 strikeouts over 2 games. I'm not as certain that he has improved that much.

[Bellhorn04]

He actually went 2 for 6 with 3 strikeouts over 2 games. I'm not as certain that he has improved that much.

 

He's hitting 382/469/655 with Worcester. Why would you say that?

[Nick]

Project for Moon because he's the man...

 

Can you list the first 10 out on our 40 man roster at year end based on what you know today? Or the first 5....

 

40 Danny Santana

39

38

37

36

35

34

33

32

31

[harmony]

No to mention being 5.5 games out of the wild card while trailing 5 teams for two slots.

 

Insurmountable? No, but Yankees haven’t given any hint they’re capable of catching anyone.

 

And how is Aaron Boone still there??

Halfway through the season the Seattle Mariners have a better record than the New York Yankees ... playing in a tougher division.

[Nick]

Nathan Eovaldi in two starts with Connor Wong as his catcher: 14.2 IP, 1 ER, 0 BB, 12 K.

 

Let's not start this personal caddy s***...or we'll need 5 catchers..

[moonslav59]

Nathan Eovaldi in two starts with Connor Wong as his catcher: 14.2 IP, 1 ER, 0 BB, 12 K.

 

Let's not start this personal caddy s***...or we'll need 5 catchers..

 

You may be on to something, and everyone knows I have been no fan of Vaz's staff-handling for years, but Nathan has had other good 2 game stretches, this year without Wong:

 

First 2 games

12.1 IP, 2 ER, 4BB, 11 K

 

 

11-12th starts

11.1 IP, 1 ER, 1BB, 14 K

 

Neither are quite as good as these last two starts, but still...

[Nick]

Noah Song .....so, it appears flight school lasts 24 weeks and his start date of 3/17 takes him to about 9/3....

 

Anyone with military background, is this when he applies for deferment?

 

I doubt the Sox drafted him with the thought of him spending 4-6 years in the military.

Edited July 2, 2021 by Nick

[notin]

Nathan Eovaldi in two starts with Connor Wong as his catcher: 14.2 IP, 1 ER, 0 BB, 12 K.

 

Let's not start this personal caddy s***...or we'll need 5 catchers..

 

 

Catchers can’t play 162 games anyway. Most teams just use their backup catcher for one particular starting pitcher because it keeps some consistency and it gives the regular catcher a regularly scheduled day free from squatting for 90 minutes…

[Nick]

Full Report per Fangraph...

 

Davis is arguably the safest prospect in the draft because he plays a premium position, has impact raw power, and has no contact red flags. There are teams that are skeptical of his ability to catch but what it means to be a catcher will likely change by the time Davis reaches the big leagues (because of the looming electronic strike zones, which will make framing irrelevant) and put more emphasis on arm strength, which Davis has a plenty of. He does have defensive issues. Davis' size makes it hard for him to crouch like most catchers. He catches on one knee with the bases empty and fewer than two strikes, but when he's in a traditional crouch, he is so high that you could slide an ottoman right through his legs. He also has issues with lateral mobility, ball-blocking, and throwing accuracy. Those issues need considerable polish, but if they're remedied then we're probably talking about an All-Star, since Davis has rare offensive talent for a backstop. He has titanic, strength-driven power and has hit some epic, arching dingers off of scoreboards, and some lasers that get out on a line. Davis swung and missed just 63 times on film this year, according to Syngery Sports, which is a 7.6% swinging strike rate, comfortably better than the big league average of 11.5%. It feels like there's enough bat here to profile as a 1B/DH even if the catching piece doesn't work out, which is why Davis has a top-of-the-draft blend of ceiling and floor.

I think we should draft a college pitcher......but catching does seem to be a premium position....this guy has offense but not sure about his D.....

[moonslav59]

Noah Song .....so, it appears flight school lasts 24 weeks and his start date of 3/17 takes him to about 9/3....

 

Anyone with military background, is this when he applies for deferment?

 

I doubt the Sox drafted him with the thought of him spending 4-6 years in the military.

 

I wish I knew.

 

I also wonder how much throwing he is doing.

[moonslav59]

Catchers can’t play 162 games anyway. Most teams just use their backup catcher for one particular starting pitcher because it keeps some consistency and it gives the regular catcher a regularly scheduled day free from squatting for 90 minutes…

 

Plawecki caught Eovaldi a lot, before getting hurt.

 

Here is a breakdown of 2021's numbers by catcher. Note: many sample sizes are small, tiny and very unbalanced:

 

OPS against/PAs against

 

Eovaldi

.519/54 Wong

.671/174 Vaz

.718/179 Plawecki

 

Pivetta

.749/298 Vaz

.756/66 Plawecki

 

Perez

.690/276 Vaz

1.129/56 Plawecki

 

Richards

.647/41 Plawecki

.882/334 Vaz

 

ERod

.814/340 Vaz

n/a Plawecki

Edited July 2, 2021 by moonslav59

[Nick]

I wish I knew.

 

I also wonder how much throwing he is doing.

 

I was an army brat.....my step dad was a band director in the army, fat, drunk and happy. He made me play trumpet....I hated it. Luckily my mother divorced him....playing football and being in the marching band was no no in high school. Band director would not allow it....lol.

 

Marching Band people live in another planet.

[notin]

 

DFA Plawecki

 

The slogan on Danny Santana’s new tee shirt…

[moonslav59]

I was an army brat.....my step dad was a band director in the army, fat, drunk and happy. He made me play trumpet....I hated it. Luckily my mother divorced him....playing football and being in the marching band was no no in high school. Band director would not allow it....lol.

 

Marching Band people live in another planet.

 

"in" and not "on" is actually the correct terminology.

 

[Nick]

"in" and not "on" is actually the correct terminology.

 

 

English will always be my second language......apparently.

[moonslav59]

The slogan on Danny Santana’s new tee shirt…

 

Plawecki has a .775 OPS in 159 PAs since joining the Sox, last year.

.704 since 2017 (525 PAs).

 

Vaz

.721 last 2 years combined (454 PAs)

.718 last 5 years (1589 PAs)

Edited July 2, 2021 by moonslav59

[Bellhorn04]

So Shaughnessy had a phone interview with Bloom. To Shaughnessy's credit, before getting into the interview he listed all the stupid things he had said about the 2021 Red Sox and confessed that he didn't know if Bloom would return his call. But Bloom returned it and gave a nice interview, while predictably not saying much. Shaughnessy was trying to get him to gloat a bit about pounding the Yankees and how badly the Yankees were looking, but Bloom wouldn't take the bait, he just laughed and said everybody takes their lumps in this business et cetera.

 

The big takeaway was that Bloom is a cool, smart, nice guy.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Full Report per Fangraph...

 

Davis is arguably the safest prospect in the draft because he plays a premium position, has impact raw power, and has no contact red flags. There are teams that are skeptical of his ability to catch but what it means to be a catcher will likely change by the time Davis reaches the big leagues (because of the looming electronic strike zones, which will make framing irrelevant) and put more emphasis on arm strength, which Davis has a plenty of. He does have defensive issues. Davis' size makes it hard for him to crouch like most catchers. He catches on one knee with the bases empty and fewer than two strikes, but when he's in a traditional crouch, he is so high that you could slide an ottoman right through his legs. He also has issues with lateral mobility, ball-blocking, and throwing accuracy. Those issues need considerable polish, but if they're remedied then we're probably talking about an All-Star, since Davis has rare offensive talent for a backstop. He has titanic, strength-driven power and has hit some epic, arching dingers off of scoreboards, and some lasers that get out on a line. Davis swung and missed just 63 times on film this year, according to Syngery Sports, which is a 7.6% swinging strike rate, comfortably better than the big league average of 11.5%. It feels like there's enough bat here to profile as a 1B/DH even if the catching piece doesn't work out, which is why Davis has a top-of-the-draft blend of ceiling and floor.

I think we should draft a college pitcher......but catching does seem to be a premium position....this guy has offense but not sure about his D.....

 

He could make some All-Star teams as a good hitter who plays catcher -- and not the more vital good catcher who contributes with the bat. The first guy I think of as a comp -- and why I'm down on Davis as a pick -- is the big load behind the dish in the Bronx (where they'll never win rings again until he's replaced).

[Nick]

He could make some All-Star teams as a good hitter who plays catcher -- and not the more vital good catcher who contributes with the bat. The first guy I think of as a comp -- and why I'm down on Davis as a pick -- is the big load behind the dish in the Bronx (where they'll never win rings again until he's replaced).

 

Yep, if he already has trouble 'crouching' what's going to happen in couple of years?

[Nick]

So Shaughnessy had a phone interview with Bloom. To Shaughnessy's credit, before getting into the interview he listed all the stupid things he had said about the 2021 Red Sox and confessed that he didn't know if Bloom would return his call. But Bloom returned it and gave a nice interview, while predictably not saying much. Shaughnessy was trying to get him to gloat a bit about pounding the Yankees and how badly the Yankees were looking, but Bloom wouldn't take the bait, he just laughed and said everybody takes their lumps in this business et cetera.

 

The big takeaway was that Bloom is a cool, smart, nice guy.

 

He may end up being our best acquisition.....

[Bellhorn04]

He may end up being our best acquisition.....

 

I think he already is. And Henry and Werner probably deserve a few kudos for landing him.

[mvp 78]

I think he already is. And Henry and Werner probably deserve a few kudos for landing him.

 

Let's hope they stay out of his way and don't force HanRam and Pablo on him like they did to Ben.

[moonslav59]

Let's hope they stay out of his way and don't force HanRam and Pablo on him like they did to Ben.

 

If you had to name two from next year's FA market, who are the next Pablo-HRams?

 

Our weak positions, as of now seem to be: (Assuming no extension for ERod, Barnes, Ottavino or option for Richards)

 

SP1

RP1

SP5 (Houck/Seabold/???)

RP2

1B (Dalbec/Casas? or Cordero?)

2B (Arroyo/Kike/Downs?)

CF (Kike/Duran or Cordero by shuffle?)

[iortiz]

I think he already is. And Henry and Werner probably deserve a few kudos for landing him.

 

Wasn't Sale a DD's move?

[moonslav59]

Wasn't Sale a DD's move?

 

For landing Bloom.

[iortiz]

For landing Bloom.

 

oh, my bad.

 

Yeah, he is!

[Kimmi]

Having your 1b hit in the 9th hole isn't ideal. 1b is the second highest OPS on average behind DH. It's basically the Sox punting a strong offensive position.

 

Fair point, but there are several other things to consider along with just having your 1B hitting in the #9 hole. One of them is cost control, another is overall team offense. It's not like the offense is a weak spot on the team.

[moonslav59]

Current Sox Players by GM Acquisition

 

Theo (2003-2011)

(Pedey)

Bogaerts

Vazquez

Barnes

 

Ben (2012-2015)

Devers

ERod

DHern

Chavis

Bazardo

 

DD (2015-2019

Sale

JD

Eovaldi

Taylor

Houck

Brasier

Dalbec

Casas, Duran, Jimenez, Bello, Mata, A Ramirez, Song, Bonaci, C Murphy, Lugo, T Ward, Wilson, Groome, Howlett, Decker, Feltman

 

Bloom (2019-present)

Verdugo

Whitlock

Renfroe

Pivetta

Arroyo

Kike Hernandez

Sawamura

Marwin G

Cordero

Andriese

Valdez

Santana

Plawecki

Workman

Rios

Downs, Seabold, Yorke, Wong, Rosario, Jordan, Winckowski, F Valdez, Potts, Arauz, R Hernandez, Drohan, F German, G Gambrell, M Bleis, J Wu-Yellan, T Reed, K Ort

Edited July 2, 2021 by moonslav59