A Realistic View at 2021: Part II

[notin]

Tim "Rock" Raines was cool as hell.

 

Also only the second player in MLB history to be teammates with his own son...

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Ah yes, forerunner to baseballs' drug policy that had nothing to do with steroids. Who will ever forget the Pittsburgh Drug Trials and their highlights, such as Tim Raines' confession to sliding into bases head first because he had vials of cocaine in his back pocket, or members of the Pirates' bullpen, primarily the late Rod Scurry, testifying to meeting dealers during games, not to mention the man who should have the entire scandal named after him, Steve Howe, whose career included 1 Rookie of the Year Award and seven lifetime bans for drug violations.

 

Oh, and 4 members of the KC Royals (Willie Wilson, Willie Aikens, Vida Blue and Jerry Martin) once spending the off-season in prison for possession of cocaine.

 

The Good Old Days...

 

The PDD Era (Performance Detracting Drugs).

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Well, they could just replace the Power Rankings with the Actual Current Standings. But that would be a tad redundant.

 

It just seems like someone can do better in the Statcast Fangraphs BBRef era... maybe incorporate some formula like other sports that includes strength of competition, run differential, etc. to actually justify rankings. I dunno, do any of the sites that do preseason predictions based on stats do in-season ratings -- like with "pythagorean" type stuff?

[Bellhorn04]

It just seems like someone can do better in the Statcast Fangraphs BBRef era... maybe incorporate some formula like other sports that includes strength of competition, run differential, etc. to actually justify rankings. I dunno, do any of the sites that do preseason predictions based on stats do in-season ratings -- like with "pythagorean" type stuff?

 

I have a simple approach - I ignore all of it.

[notin]

It just seems like someone can do better in the Statcast Fangraphs BBRef era... maybe incorporate some formula like other sports that includes strength of competition, run differential, etc. to actually justify rankings. I dunno, do any of the sites that do preseason predictions based on stats do in-season ratings -- like with "pythagorean" type stuff?

 

Maybe they did that for the power rankings. And the Sox are penalized for playing almost half their games against the Orioles?

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Maybe they did that for the power rankings. And the Sox are penalized for playing almost half their games against the Orioles?

 

This just in:

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/red-sox/mlb-power-rankings-red-sox-rise-after-surprisingly-strong-start

[notin]

I have a simple approach - I ignore all of it.

 

Standings are all that matters, as you said. "Power Rankings" are just something sports journalists do to help justify their existence with their publisher. "Hey I need you to fill this page with content we can also put on the website. Make it at least 800 words long." And the author can invoke the same inexact science and mystic arts that are overused and widely accepted when ranking college football teams. But at the end of the day, they are just some guy's opinion...

Edited April 16, 2021 by notin

[mvp 78]

How is that possible? Cubs are documented losers, which means their fans are idiots.

 

I will also ban any live performance of Take Me Out to the Ballgame.

 

The song Centerfield is currently on probation.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I will also ban any live performance of Take Me Out to the Ballgame.

 

The song Centerfield is currently on probation.

 

And please, anything by Neil Diamond. But not everything by Neil Young.

[mvp 78]

And please, anything by Neil Diamond. But not everything by Neil Young.

 

Also, no more 7th inning stretch God Bless America.

[harmony]

I have rooted for the Royals when I lived in Kansas, the Phillies when living in Pennsylvania (especially 1980 when they won the WS with Pete Rose), and the Astros (early days when Joe Morgan played for them) when living in Oklahoma. I've watched games in ballparks in KC, Philly, Baltimore, Washington (the Senators old park and the Nationals new one), Atlanta, and of course Boston (a special trip). When I lived and worked in Saudi Arabia, I imagined getting an RV and driving to games in every MLB ballpark, but of course didn't do so. My route would be: Atlanta, Miami, Tampa, Houston, Arlington TX, Phoenix, San Diego, LA x 2, San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, Denver, KC, St Louis, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago x 2, Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Boston, NYC x 2, Philly, Baltimore, and DC.

Growing up in southeast Iowa I was a rare Minnesota Twins fan starting in 1964. My switch to the Kansas Royals began in 1980 when the Royals advanced to the World Series as I started law school 200 miles from Kansas City. World Series titles landed in Minnesota and Kansas City in the 1980s.

 

After spending much of my early adulthood in the Rocky Mountain region I became a Colorado Rockies fan upon their inception in 1993 even though by then I had moved to Los Angeles. I went to many Dodgers games during my six years in Los Angeles but could never embrace the Dodgers because of their seven-game World Series win over my Minnesota Twins in 1965. I moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1994 and got caught up in the 1995 remarkable run to the American League Championship Series by the long-doormat Seattle Mariners (where my allegiances remain today).

 

My closest baseball friend completed his tour of home games for all 30 MLB teams in 2013 when I accompanied him to Toronto. My friend has now visited the newest stadium of each team except Texas. I've been to home games of 23 teams: White Sox (2 stadiums), Twins (2 stadiums but not the current), Mets (2), Royals, Rangers (2 stadiums ago), Cardinals (1 stadium ago), Angels, Dodgers, Padres (2), Giants (2), Athletics, Mariners (2), Diamondbacks, Rockies (2), Cubs, Cleveland, Red Sox, Yankees, Phillies, Orioles, Nationals, Blue Jays and Brewers.

[mvp 78]

@AlexFast8

Six SPs are yet to give up a barrel:

 

Brandon Woodruff

Sandy Alcantara

Dustin May

Trevor Williams

Martín Perez

Nathan Eovaldi

[notin]

And please, anything by Neil Diamond. But not everything by Neil Young.

 

How about “Brown-Eyed Handsome Man” by Chuck Berry?

[notin]

And please, anything by Neil Diamond. But not everything by Neil Young.

 

BuT I should add, if you are going to use a Neil young song, I strongly recommend this one, because, of his entire catalog, it's the one where he most sounds like a singing version of Mr. Hanky...

 

[moonslav59]

BuT I should add, if you are going to use a Neil young song, I strongly recommend this one, because, of his entire catalog, it's the one where he most sounds like a singing version of Mr. Hanky...

 

 

No, it is clearly this one...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv9ZGP1_JUo

[notin]

No, it is clearly this one...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv9ZGP1_JUo

 

I was also thinking this one:

 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I was also thinking this one:

 

 

I always wanted this played at Fenway during the visitors' pitching change, after a wild reliever forced in a Red Sox run with a freebie:

 

[notin]

I always wanted this played at Fenway during the visitors' pitching change, after a wild reliever forced in a Red Sox run with a freebie:

 

 

And hey, in the 1990's, maybe this could have been Roger's walk-on song...

 

[Fan_since_Boggs]

Is it possible that Downs and Duran are full time starters (second base and CF) beginning sometime in August?

 

In the offseason, Bloom didn't go out of his way to address the long term needs at 2b and CF -- but why not? He must believe he has the talent within the organization to fill these positions, i.e., Downs and Duran.

Edited April 17, 2021 by Fan_since_Boggs

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

And hey, in the 1990's, maybe this could have been Roger's walk-on song...

 

 

It also would have been appropo for Youkilis.

[moonslav59]

Some interesting Sox tidbits of data...

 

1. Don't look now, but Devers is catching up to JD's RBI lead:

16 JD

13 Devers

13 Vaz (5), Franchy (4) and Kike (4) combined!

 

2. JD at 1.307 in OPS! Wow!

.935 Devers (after a slow start!)

.888 Bogey (Mr. Consistency)

.840 Vaz (time to talk extension, here?)

.833 Arroyo (winning a slot)

.833 Verdugo (2nd in PAs but the not a PA leader at any 1 position)

(Nobody else is above Franchy's .667.)

 

3. Some worrisom OBPs:

.243 Dalbec

.250 Renfroe

.255 Kike

 

4. JD and Devers have 10 of the Sox 16 HRs.

 

5. Marwin & Vaz lead the team in SBs with two.

 

6. Four of our five SP'ers have an ERA at 4.50 of lower (3 under 3.27).

2.08 Eovaldi

3.27 Pivetta

3.60 ERod

4.50 Perez

6.00 Richards (looked good in his last start)

(Houck is at 3.00 as a SP/RP)

 

7. Our K/BB leaders

12.0 ERod

10.0 Houck

7.00 Barnes

3.50 Eovaldi

2.33 Andriese

 

8.OPS Against

.087 Barnes (Let THAT sink in!)

.273 Whitlock (Steal of the winter?)

.387 Vadez (Demotion?)

.503 Eovaldi

.580 Sawamura

.651 Perez

.671 ERod

.679 DHern (damn those 6 BBs in 28 PAs against!)

.695 Houck

.737 Andriese

.777 Pivetta

.798 Richards (looks better than the 6.00 ERA)

.857 Brice (Why is he still around?)

.952 Ottavino (Yime to turn it around.)

1.102 Taylor (May not see him again.)

 

9.Back to hitting:

Splits vs RHP

1.576 JD

.926 Verdugo

.918 Devers

.898 Vaz

.855 Bogey

.797 Marwin

 

vs LHPs:

1.000 Franchy (2 PAs)

.950 Devers

.944 Bogey

.923 Arroyo

.900 Plawecki

.795 Renfroe

.748 Vaz

.733 JD

.774 Arroyo

 

10. Some more splits (team):

.873 Away

.698 Home

 

.973 swinging at first pitch

 

.792 team OPS overall and .789 Late & Close

 

.615 1st time vs SP

.760 2nd time

.912 3rd time

 

.872 vs RP 1st time

1.110 vs RP 2nd time

 

 

 

[Nick]

Some interesting Sox tidbits of data...

 

3. Some worrisom OBPs:

.243 Dalbec

.250 Renfroe

.255 Kike

 

[/]QUOTE

 

I'm more concerned about .255 for Kike. At some point Cora needs make decision based on facts and not his emotions.

 

Out of 100 plate appearances, Kike our leadoff batter gets on base ONE more time than our ninth hitter Dalbec.

 

Oh and by the way, they hit back to back.

 

Soooo, he goes 4-5, BA up to .268.

 

Never mind....what the hell do I know.

Edited April 17, 2021 by Nick

[moonslav59]

Some interesting Sox tidbits of data...

 

3. Some worrisom OBPs:

.243 Dalbec

.250 Renfroe

.255 Kike

 

[/]QUOTE

 

I'm more concerned about .255 for Kike. At some point Cora needs make decision based on facts and not his emotions.

 

Out of 100 plate appearances, Kike our leadoff batter gets on base ONE more time than our ninth hitter Dalbec.

 

Oh and by the way, they hit back to back.

 

Soooo, he goes 4-5, BA up to .268.

 

Never mind....what the hell do I know.

 

Most managers don't make major line-up changes after 13 game sample sizes. If they did, they might not be around for long.

 

That being said, leading Kike off, to begin with, was rather questionable, so the 13 game sample size seems to reaffirm the position that it was a mistake from the start.

 

The one argument I will give in his favor is that we really don't have a clear choice lead off hitter on our team, and if we moved Verdugo or Bogey to the omne slot, we'd be opening a huge hole at a slot that might be even more important than lead off.

 

Let's say we go like this:

 

1. Verdugo

2. Bogey

3. JD

4. Devers

 

Now, we lost our great #5 hitter (Devers).

 

Yes, Vaz looks like he's doing well enough to hit b#5, but I'm not sure I want him there, all year.

 

What could we try, now?

 

Arroyo #1? We'd have been laughed off the face of the earth, if we just suggested that before opening day.

[moonslav59]

Upside down in the AL

 

10-4 Bos

8-5 KC

8-5 LAA

9-6 Sea

8-7 Oak

7-7 Cle

7-7 Hou

7-8 Bal

7-8 TB

7-8 Tor

6-8 CWS

6-8 MN

6-9 Det

6-9 Tex

5-9 NYY

[moonslav59]

Almost a 1/12th of the season over.

 

Doesn't seem like that much, does it?

[notin]

 

Most managers don't make major line-up changes after 13 game sample sizes. If they did, they might not be around for long.

 

 

 

Especially not when the team is 10-4...

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Especially not when the team is 10-4...

 

Now the Sox play the Sox three games within 24 hours. Pale is hoping for a split series -- not so easy on the road -- with Crimson starting "a righty Chris Sale" (according to Jim Palmer).

[mvp 78]

Upside down in the AL

 

10-4 Bos

8-5 KC

8-5 LAA

9-6 Sea

8-7 Oak

7-7 Cle

7-7 Hou

7-8 Bal

7-8 TB

7-8 Tor

6-8 CWS

6-8 MN

6-9 Det

6-9 Tex

5-9 NYY

 

You think Det is a top 3 team?

[notin]

You think Det is a top 3 team?

 

Good point. They should be better than Texas...

[Bellhorn04]

You think Det is a top 3 team?

 

Well, it's not PERFECTLY upside down, but still...