A Realistic View at 2021: Part III

[moonslav59]

And sadly, it didn't pay off in any offense against the Yankees.

 

Despite him getting on base 3 of 6 times.

[Bellhorn04]

Despite him getting on base 3 of 6 times.

 

Yeah, Schwarber has a .500 OBP. But the offense in general was MIA in that Yankee series. It was a very demoralizing display at such a crucial time.

[moonslav59]

Yeah, Schwarber has a .500 OBP. But the offense in general was MIA in that Yankee series. It was a very demoralizing display at such a crucial time.

 

Solo homers.

 

Giving false hopes by loading bases.

 

A total mess!

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Cora's desperation move with Arroyo cost us 5 to 6 weeks of an important player for this team. If he still is willing to tempt fate, it seems to say Schwaber is not really being considered for 1st base as the Sox have discussed. In either case, Casas is probably being considered for call up in mid 2022.

 

Nothing personal, but if Arroyo is playing first base in the minors, it's an organizational move. Cora doesn't manage Wooostah, and he definitely doesn't general manage there, either. He may have a voice, but doubt he has that much influence. The news that Arroyo's there again shows that the desperation comes from an office a little higher than next door to the clubhouse.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

God, remember when we put Adrian Gonzalez in RF?

 

Never liked that guy and he was slower than a snail caught in an oil slick.

[Bellhorn04]

Never liked that guy and he was slower than a snail caught in an oil slick.

 

"Snail in an oil slick". I like it.

[oldtimer]

Despite him getting on base 3 of 6 times.

 

On base 3 for 3 tonight, so far.

[oldtimer]

I'm not doubting what you are saying, but maybe (hopefully) this is just a phase or slump he's going through.

 

Sometimes players get away from what has made them successful, and they figure it out and get back to doing well. I think "sold out" may be harsh, but it could be true, too.

 

I am hoping the coaches share these kind of discussions with the players and help them correct issues when they are headed in the wrong direction. I know they are working with Duran to stop chasing and to put the bat on the ball so he can use his speed as more3e of an asset to the team.

[MADSTORK]

Yes, big league hitters have to guess. I played in college. I played against a ton of guys who got drafted and even against a few future major leaguers. Here’s the deal about speeds. When I played 20 years back, if you threw 90 in HS, you were getting drafted. Hitting a 90mph pitch wasn’t that hard. You had an extra split second to see it, track it, and get your hands to it. 93-95 was an order of magnitude more difficult to hit. It’s only 3-5mph but your eyes see it as 50% faster. It’s strange. Hardest I ever faced was 98. I never saw the ball path. I heard it and I saw glimpses of the pitch as if I was watching the ball come in on an old movie reel. There was release, then halfway then glove. My eyes and brain couldn’t process it until it was in the glove. So you guess, adjust location and go. Made good contact, but if he threw an off speed pitch, I was meat. 95+ was rare 20 years ago. Now 95+ is the expectation. That’s insane

 

Also, while raw strength isn’t sapped into your thirties, quickness is. Bat speed is not about raw strength. It’s about quick hands. That’s why you don’t see a ton of enormously jacked baseball players. They’re typically long, slender and flexible with strong as hell hands.

 

👍..

[moonslav59]

The Rays lost.

Yanks won.

A’s playing SFG late.

[moonslav59]

To all who jumped ship, the gangplank is still here.

[Oscars]

You have got to love Shwarber’s outstanding plate discipline, watch and learn fellow Sox hitters .

I would like to see the Sox keep him past this season.

[jacksonianmarch]

You have got to love Shwarber’s outstanding plate discipline, watch and learn fellow Sox hitters .

I would like to see the Sox keep him past this season.

 

I’ve got a pretty strong feeling that his position will be unoccupied at the end of the season. Schwarber does make sense for the Sox, problem is his utter lack of durability

[notin]

God, remember when we put Adrian Gonzalez in RF?

 

AGon was a pleasant surprise as an outfielder…

[MADSTORK]

Call Groome

[moonslav59]

I’ve got a pretty strong feeling that his position will be unoccupied at the end of the season. Schwarber does make sense for the Sox, problem is his utter lack of durability

 

Dude. He has never lacked durability as a DH. This is the first time he’s played for an AL team.

 

Plus, he’s had 1830 PAs since 2017. One might expect 600, 600, 600 and 250, so he’s about 250 short over 4.4 seasons.

 

Not all that bad.

[moonslav59]

The 2021 Red Sox bandwagon still has a few recently vacated seats available for those who might want to reconsider giving up on this gritty team.

 

Just sayin’.

[moonslav59]

As bad as things have looked for the Sox, we are still just 3 games behind having the second best record in the AL and 5.5 from the best.

 

We are a half game behind Oakland, who has a very mighty schedule remaining.

[moonslav59]

Arroyo is playing in the minors. He played 2B, last night.

[dgalehouse]

People are too funny. The Sox go into the Bronx to play the red hot Yankees , who are playing their best ball of the year. The Sox lose three tough games. A little disappointing , but not too surprising. But fans are plunged into absolute despair. Then home to Fenway to play a team that is tanking the season and total garbage to begin with. We beat up on them , as anyone with even half a brain knew would happen , and the fans are filled with renewed hope and optimism. It really is comical.

[moonslav59]

People are too funny. The Sox go into the Bronx to play the red hot Yankees , who are playing their best ball of the year. The Sox lose three tough games. A little disappointing , but not too surprising. But fans are plunged into absolute despair. Then home to Fenway to play a team that is tanking the season and total garbage to begin with. We beat up on them , as anyone with even half a brain knew would happen , and the fans are filled with renewed hope and optimism. It really is comical.

 

I never lost hope and optimism. Nothing funny about it.

[dgalehouse]

I never lost hope and optimism. Nothing funny about it.

 

I wasn't referring to you. Don't take things so personally . And I do think it is funny.

[moonslav59]

I wasn't referring to you. Don't take things so personally . And I do think it is funny.

 

I’m not the only one that remained optimistic through the implosion period.

 

Many knew the schedule got easier for us and harder for some of our closest competitors.

 

Sure, there are those who are constantly thinking the team is only as good as their last game or two, and I guess that can be viewed as comical or even absurd.

[iortiz]

I never lost hope and optimism. Nothing funny about it.

 

Later in my life I have learned a couple of things. You can live with optimism and positivism or you can live with anxiety and negativism. It’s literally your choice.

 

Regardless your thoughts, things that you can not control will happen regardless you thinking process (and still there’s the law of attraction), but the difference is that anxiety and negativism produce stress and depression. I believe in law of attraction, which helps a lot when you are positive, but that’s another topic.

 

Said that, while I have been positive about the team, there’s objectivism and fairness as well to say that this team can turn around. It’s not like we are the Os and expecting to comeback. We are in the mix for a WC spot and not to far from TB which we will face again and likely with another momentum and with all engines synced and oiled. I still think we will win the division.

 

Let’s f go!

Edited August 21, 2021 by iortiz

[Bellhorn04]

People are too funny. The Sox go into the Bronx to play the red hot Yankees , who are playing their best ball of the year. The Sox lose three tough games. A little disappointing , but not too surprising. But fans are plunged into absolute despair. Then home to Fenway to play a team that is tanking the season and total garbage to begin with. We beat up on them , as anyone with even half a brain knew would happen , and the fans are filled with renewed hope and optimism. It really is comical.

 

We were 8.5 games ahead of the Yankees about 3 weeks ago and now we're 1.5 games behind them. That's a 10 game swing. You can't really blame people for being a little demoralized about that.

[dgalehouse]

We were 8.5 games ahead of the Yankees about 3 weeks ago and now we're 1.5 games behind them. That's a 10 game swing. You can't really blame people for being a little demoralized about that.

 

I don't blame them either. I just get a chuckle out of the overreaction . Unless you have a powerhouse team , many of the ups and downs of a season are schedule related and pretty predictable. And looking at our schedule , I do see the playoffs in clear view. But the next game we lose , you can be sure will reignite the weeping and wailing around these parts.

[moonslav59]

We were 8.5 games ahead of the Yankees about 3 weeks ago and now we're 1.5 games behind them. That's a 10 game swing. You can't really blame people for being a little demoralized about that.

 

Every Sox fan was or still is demoralized by recent events. It’s totally natural.

 

Even the most optimistic and die hard fans had and maybe still have doubts that may include thinking or wondering if our first 90-100 games were just a mirage, a miracle or some cruel joke played on our souls.

 

To me, there is a difference between demoralization and total or near total loss of loyalty to the team, the players, the manager, GM and even the owner.

 

I understand reactionary anger often found on game threads, and how many times overly frustrated people say extreme things they might not even always believe, but even after sleeping on it or by simply remembering all the histories of teams fighting back after long periods of struggling, it seems like despite us being just a half game out of the playoffs, too many Sox fans have totally given up.

 

To me, that is sad.

 

I don’t expect blind loyalty and only happy thoughts, but complete loss of faith to a team that has fought back all year and shown tremendous grit seems extreme.

[moonslav59]

dgalehouse[/b];1416984]I don't blame them either. I just get a chuckle out of the overreaction . Unless you have a powerhouse team , many of the ups and downs of a season are schedule related and pretty predictable. And looking at our schedule , I do see the playoffs in clear view. But the next game we lose , you can be sure will reignite the weeping and wailing around these parts.

No doubt.

 

Too many feel like a team will always continue playing exactly like they did in the last game or two or week or two, despite being proved wrong time after time.

 

I can see how that can be viewed as comical.

[Kimmi]

So a good offseason, or just less underwhelming?

 

I don't need them to "win" the offseason, just to plug in their current holes.

 

They will plug their current holes. Will it be with the big splashy type move that many want? Probably not. On paper, though, next year's team will project to be better than this year's team.

[Fan_since_Boggs]

Schwarber does have a bit of a durability issue which is another reason why I think the Red Sox need to kick JD Martinez's aging butt out of here next year and use Schwarber primarily as a DH. Hopefully, JD will opt out, but if he doesn't the Red Sox will need to trade him. He will still have some value especially if the Red Sox kick in some money for the final year of his contract. If the Red Sox extend JD and let Schwarber leave, they are moving in the wrong direction as an organization and are in a lot of trouble. If they can't figure out that Schwarber profiles as a better hitter than Martinez over the next several seasons then they have major player evaluation problems that will cripple the organization for years to come. But I think the Red Sox traded for Schwarber with the intention of holding on to him as their primary DH.

 

Moving Schwarber to full time DH next year will also benefit the defense--Schwarber will likely suck at 1b. Of course, JD does suck in the OF, which is why it would be better to part ways with him.

Edited August 21, 2021 by Fan_since_Boggs