A Realistic View at 2021: Part II

[moonslav59]

And that Mookie guy? But yes, I admit, as a RS fan, I'd rather watch Beni and JBJ struggle than watch players I've never heard of outhit them by 30 points or so.

 

...and not only lose more, now, but also doom the future to futility?

[jad]

...and not only lose more, now, but also doom the future to futility?

 

Well, that's speculative, since we have no idea what the future will hold (unlike the 0-3 start this year, or the dismal record last year, which are facts). But sure: I followed the RS through the 50s and later without losing enthusiasm, despite some horrendous years. I kept following them because I was familiar with the players (and I'm not arguing here for the old authoritarian system; even following free-agency, there was always continuity from year to year). I would feel the same way if I were told, say, by my boss that they have fired a number of co-workers because they can get the same work done cheaper by out-sourcing it.

[moonslav59]

Well, that's speculative, since we have no idea what the future will hold (unlike the 0-3 start this year, or the dismal record last year, which are facts). But sure: I followed the RS through the 50s and later without losing enthusiasm, despite some horrendous years. I kept following them because I was familiar with the players (and I'm not arguing here for the old authoritarian system; even following free-agency, there was always continuity from year to year). I would feel the same way if I were told, say, by my boss that they have fired a number of co-workers because they can get the same work done cheaper by out-sourcing it.

 

Okay, it's just my opinion we'd suck had we kept and paid anyone and everyone we shed but Betts.

 

There was a time people complained we let Pedro go. We let Damon go. We let Ellsbury go. We won rings shortly afterwards, and we will again after this purge. (Yes, another opinion.)

 

Look, JBJ was my favorite player for many years. It was time to move on from him and everyone else we let go, save Mookie. (opinion)

[notin]

Well, that's speculative, since we have no idea what the future will hold (unlike the 0-3 start this year, or the dismal record last year, which are facts). But sure: I followed the RS through the 50s and later without losing enthusiasm, despite some horrendous years. I kept following them because I was familiar with the players (and I'm not arguing here for the old authoritarian system; even following free-agency, there was always continuity from year to year). I would feel the same way if I were told, say, by my boss that they have fired a number of co-workers because they can get the same work done cheaper by out-sourcing it.

 

I am not buying into a comparison between free agency and outsourcing...

[moonslav59]

We shoulda held onto the 2013 team until now.

[mvp 78]

We shoulda held onto the 2013 team until now.

 

No, Mookie wasn't on that team.

 

I'm glad we still have Xander though.

[moonslav59]

No, Mookie wasn't on that team.

 

I'm glad we still have Xander though.

 

Did I really need to put a sarcasm alert on this one, or are you being sarcastic?

[mvp 78]

Did I really need to put a sarcasm alert on this one, or are you being sarcastic?

 

Oh, you don't think I have a working sarcasm detector now?

[jad]

I am not buying into a comparison between free agency and outsourcing...

 

I must not have been clear. I specifically noted (or tried to!) that I was not arguing against free agency. The 'out-sourcing' comparison I meant was to the modern trading away or failing to retain veteran players because one could get the same or similar production more cheaply.

[kenmeister]

Okay, it's just my opinion we'd suck had we kept and paid anyone and everyone we shed but Betts.

 

There was a time people complained we let Pedro go. We let Damon go. We let Ellsbury go. We won rings shortly afterwards, and we will again after this purge. (Yes, another opinion.)

 

Look, JBJ was my favorite player for many years. It was time to move on from him and everyone else we let go, save Mookie. (opinion)

 

I think the Sox have been pretty good at knowing when to let people go. There's only a few that come to mind that had a lot of good years left: Beltre (though that's over 10 years ago at this point), Lester, Miller.

[moonslav59]

I think the Sox have been pretty good at knowing when to let people go. There's only a few that come to mind that had a lot of good years left: Beltre (though that's over 10 years ago at this point), Lester, Miller.

 

We did get ERod for Miller and could have re-signed him.

 

Yes, we've been very good about knowing when is when.

[oldtimer]

We will spend very big again. I say "very" big, because we are already spending big.

 

The time to spend is when you think you might be 2-3 big players away from a good chance at winning it all.

 

It is obvious, we are not there yet, but maybe by this upcoming winter or the following one, we could be.

 

Time will tell if we made the right moves by taking fill-in players this year instead of promoting up and coming talent at low cost and let them gain crucial experience. Of course we can still do that during the year if the team as currently formulated shows itself to be uncompetitive over the longer haul. Most of us anticipated 2021 to be a transition year but were hoping to see significant improvement. So far it is not encouraging but it is only 3 games.

[moonslav59]

Time will tell if we made the right moves by taking fill-in players this year instead of promoting up and coming talent at low cost and let them gain crucial experience. Of course we can still do that during the year if the team as currently formulated shows itself to be uncompetitive over the longer haul. Most of us anticipated 2021 to be a transition year but were hoping to see significant improvement. So far it is not encouraging but it is only 3 games.

 

We intentionally left 2B and CF enough room to give Downs/Chavis/Arauz a shot to win the 2B job and Duran a shot to win the CF job by year's end.

 

We also are going with Dalbec FT right out of the gate.

 

Houck will get all the innings he needs to show what he can do.

 

It wasn't an either- or. We signed players with flexibility to 1 and 2 year deals for a reason.

[dgalehouse]

It's not just about letting players go. That happens. Turnover happens. It's more about replacing them with players that are not as good and not as much fun to watch. And when that happens, don't be surprised when the team is not as good and struggles to compete. And don't be surprised when many fans are not too happy.

[notin]

I must not have been clear. I specifically noted (or tried to!) that I was not arguing against free agency. The 'out-sourcing' comparison I meant was to the modern trading away or failing to retain veteran players because one could get the same or similar production more cheaply.

 

A superficial comp at best, especially since one is the byproduct of being fought for while the other is frequently fought against...

[notin]

It's not just about letting players go. That happens. Turnover happens. It's more about replacing them with players that are not as good and not as much fun to watch. And when that happens, don't be surprised when the team is not as good and struggles to compete. And don't be surprised when many fans are not too happy.

 

This is true. But when a team is already near it's budget and has no farm system producing those quality players, where are they supposed to come from? I know spending is a key to success, but at some point, the spending limit has been reached. Even after 2 years of putting next to nothing into free agency, the Sox still have the 7th highest payroll in the league (per sportrac) at $175 million. Last year's abysmal team had the 4th highest payroll in the league.

 

After 2018, there was a piper to be paid...

[moonslav59]

It's not just about letting players go. That happens. Turnover happens. It's more about replacing them with players that are not as good and not as much fun to watch. And when that happens, don't be surprised when the team is not as good and struggles to compete. And don't be surprised when many fans are not too happy.

 

This is a valid point.

 

I do think Dalbec, Kike, Houck and maybe even Cordero will be fun to watch, and I will say, watching Beni, last year was painful.

 

I also read post after post about JBJ being a black hole for long stretches. I'm more excited about watching Verdugo, Cordero & Renfroe than I would be watching Beni & Bradley.

 

Watching this IF is and will be agonizing.

 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

This is a valid point.

 

I do think Dalbec, Kike, Houck and maybe even Cordero will be fun to watch, and I will say, watching Beni, last year was painful.

 

I also read post after post about JBJ being a black hole for long stretches. I'm more excited about watching Verdugo, Cordero & Renfroe than I would be watching Beni & Bradley.

 

Watching this IF is and will be agonizing.

 

 

I didn't have any fun watching change-ups befuddle our new batters all weekend... while the O's young hitters often went with the pitch and beat the shift. That's the approach that always made better hitters out of JBJ and Beni, and at least what we think Verdugo can become.

 

But Cordero and Renfroe have never been good at the MLB level, not with 35% and 28% K-rates; anyone who makes the majors better be able to hit a fastball down the middle, but there's no reason yet for any pitchers to throw those again at the Sox.

 

Hopefully, the Boston coaching staff will have a new Fenway focus, because the home record the past three years shows that trying to launch over the Monster clearly isn't working.

[harmony]

NBC Sports columnist John Tomase offers his annoying take:

 

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/red-sox/sneaky-good-sneaky-gross-red-sox-season-already-disaster?fbclid=IwAR1-Cop5eCZzHKLrHli8BNzkiD7-Lylk0P0NLLNtkrOzjiVU1i6cynQO4P8

[a700hitter]

NBC Sports columnist John Tomase offers his annoying take:

 

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/red-sox/sneaky-good-sneaky-gross-red-sox-season-already-disaster?fbclid=IwAR1-Cop5eCZzHKLrHli8BNzkiD7-Lylk0P0NLLNtkrOzjiVU1i6cynQO4P8

“Three games into the season, it is time to reassess. The Red Sox aren't sneaky anything. They are plainly, straightforwardly, forthrightly horrible.”

 

”Stinky gross”

[kenmeister]

This is a valid point.

 

I do think Dalbec, Kike, Houck and maybe even Cordero will be fun to watch, and I will say, watching Beni, last year was painful.

 

I also read post after post about JBJ being a black hole for long stretches. I'm more excited about watching Verdugo, Cordero & Renfroe than I would be watching Beni & Bradley.

 

Watching this IF is and will be agonizing.

 

 

It seems that Devers has taken JBJ's mantle of black hole starts, and in the field as well.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Sox fans shouldn't just be happy with 11 runs, but how they did it: going with the pitch, opposite field damage, not trying to pull everything over the fence -- Bogie, JD, Renfroe, Vaz going to right; Cordero and Verdugo going to left.

 

This is how we instruct young batters in Little League, where the ultimate goal is always a line drive over the second baseman (for right-handed hitters). It sounds basic because it is -- deliberately trying to go oppo keeps the head down and eyes on the ball. Most Little Leaguers who try to pull, end up pulling their heads and wind up staring into the third-base dugout... after striking out (because you can't hit what you can't see).

[moonslav59]

Sox fans shouldn't just be happy with 11 runs, but how they did it: going with the pitch, opposite field damage, not trying to pull everything over the fence -- Bogie, JD, Renfroe, Vaz going to right; Cordero and Verdugo going to left.

 

This is how we instruct young batters in Little League, where the ultimate goal is always a line drive over the second baseman (for right-handed hitters). It sounds basic because it is -- deliberately trying to go oppo keeps the head down and eyes on the ball. Most Little Leaguers who try to pull, end up pulling their heads and wind up staring into the third-base dugout... after striking out (because you can't hit what you can't see).

 

Yes, and we choulda/shoulda scored more runs.

 

I hope the bats stay hot.

[oldtimer]

Sox fans shouldn't just be happy with 11 runs, but how they did it: going with the pitch, opposite field damage, not trying to pull everything over the fence -- Bogie, JD, Renfroe, Vaz going to right; Cordero and Verdugo going to left.

 

This is how we instruct young batters in Little League, where the ultimate goal is always a line drive over the second baseman (for right-handed hitters). It sounds basic because it is -- deliberately trying to go oppo keeps the head down and eyes on the ball. Most Little Leaguers who try to pull, end up pulling their heads and wind up staring into the third-base dugout... after striking out (because you can't hit what you can't see).

 

Why did it take the manager advising the guys to do that instead of being an approach up front?

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Why did it take the manager advising the guys to do that instead of being an approach up front?

 

Who knows: opening weekend, first time in front of home fans, first time on a new team in actual games that count -- all factors that can make batters overanxious.

 

The coaching staff tries to help each individual use strengths and improve weaknesses, but game plans by foes may be more general -- for example, "when these guys get behind in the count, climb the ladder and throw soft stuff off the corner."

 

Btw: when Devers finally breaks out of his early batting funk, you can bet it will include taking a few pitches to left. We've seen it before; we also know he's a slow starter, with a career-low OPS in March/April compared to any other month.

[Bellhorn04]

It's that cat and mouse game between pitchers and hitters that keeps baseball always interesting to watch.

[moonslav59]

I'm sure management stressed the need to go opposite field when called for.

 

Players are human, and they were probably jacked up day one, then pushing too hard game 2 & 3.

[mvp 78]

Btw: when Devers finally breaks out of his early batting funk, you can bet it will include taking a few pitches to left. We've seen it before; we also know he's a slow starter, with a career-low OPS in March/April compared to any other month.

 

Devers' career OPS of .715 in April. Woof. He'll definitely get going though.

 

I feel like his defense also starts off on the wrong foot as well. Need to change up his offseason habits?

[notin]

I'm sure management stressed the need to go opposite field when called for.

 

Players are human, and they were probably jacked up day one, then pushing too hard game 2 & 3.

 

The Sox are sixth in MLB in hitting the ball to the opposite field with 35%. They're also 21st in striking out (ranked from worst to best). The issue so far is hard contact, where the Sox are also 21st in MLB. Routine grounders to 2B just are not going to cut it most times...

[notin]

Devers' career OPS of .715 in April. Woof. He'll definitely get going though.

 

I feel like his defense also starts off on the wrong foot as well. Need to change up his offseason habits?

 

We've also seen bullpens start slowly. Remember when they blew that 10 run lead to the Yankees a few years back? But then after that game magically transformed into an actual shutdown bullpen?