A Realistic View at 2021: Part III

[dgalehouse]

Charley Blum used car shopping : " I'm looking for a nice car that will get me where I'm going , but I don't want to spend too much ." Used car salesman: " I've got just the car for you . New paint job , pretty good tires , A.C. works . It should get you where you are going. As long as you aren't going too far." Blum : " I'll take it." Salesman. " Sold."

[User Name]

Blame seems to be a big American virtue or something.

 

I can see blaming Henry, but I never will. 4 rings makes him a God in my book.

 

Bellhorn is a peaceful Canadian.

[Fan_since_Boggs]

At the end of the day you are judged by your record, your wins and losses. The Red Sox collapsed and so the organization will be judged and evaluated accordingly.

 

Why shouldn't people do that, though? If you have a team that plays .300 baseball for ten years straight under one general manager, why shouldn't we draw the conclusion that that general manager sucks at his job?

 

What is interesting is that some people identified the Red Sox as trade deadline losers before the collapse actually happened. That is to say, some commentators identified the Red Sox as trade deadline losers right after the deadline passed. That was somewhat prescient, no?

Edited August 19, 2021 by Fan_since_Boggs

[Bellhorn04]

At the end of the day you are judged by your record, your wins and losses. The Red Sox collapsed and so the organization will be judged and evaluated accordingly.

 

Why shouldn't people do that, though? If you have a team that plays .300 baseball for ten years straight under one general manager, why shouldn't we draw the conclusion that that general manager sucks at his job?

 

What is interesting is that some people identified the Red Sox as trade deadline losers before the collapse happened. That is, they identified the Red Sox as trade deadline losers within 24 hours or so of the deadline's passing. That was somewhat prescient, no?

 

It was pretty easy to identify that we didn't do much and other teams did.

 

I don't think anyone expected this much of a collapse, this fast.

[moonslav59]

At the end of the day you are judged by your record, your wins and losses. The Red Sox collapsed and so the organization will be judged and evaluated accordingly.

 

Why shouldn't people do that, though? If you have a team that plays .300 baseball for ten years straight under one general manager, why shouldn't we draw the conclusion that that general manager sucks at his job?

 

What is interesting is that some people identified the Red Sox as trade deadline losers before the collapse actually happened. That is to say, some commentators identified the Red Sox as trade deadline losers right after the deadline passed. That was somewhat prescient, no?

 

It just means they couldn’t care a rats ass about the future.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I'm not much on the blame game, but aren't all the posts about Bloom's fiscal handcuffs total conjecture? All we know for sure are what he refers to as his own imposed fiscal restraint, with an aim at sustaining the future. People can debate whether Merloni is a bitter ex-jock or a rational ex-jock, but is it so hard to believe him when he says Sox players on the current roster could care even less about future Boston teams than old fans who aren't so sure they'll still be around to cheer or jeer?

[oldtimer]

I'm not much on the blame game, but aren't all the posts about Bloom's fiscal handcuffs total conjecture? All we know for sure are what he refers to as his own imposed fiscal restraint, with an aim at sustaining the future. People can debate whether Merloni is a bitter ex-jock or a rational ex-jock, but is it so hard to believe him when he says Sox players on the current roster could care even less about future Boston teams than old fans who aren't so sure they'll still be around to cheer or jeer?

 

It's not about blame. It's just giving credit to those who did or did not take any action.

[Bellhorn04]

I'm not much on the blame game, but aren't all the posts about Bloom's fiscal handcuffs total conjecture? All we know for sure are what he refers to as his own imposed fiscal restraint, with an aim at sustaining the future. People can debate whether Merloni is a bitter ex-jock or a rational ex-jock, but is it so hard to believe him when he says Sox players on the current roster could care even less about future Boston teams than old fans who aren't so sure they'll still be around to cheer or jeer?

 

No, it's not hard to believe. It seems like a good observation, that the players don't care as much about the long term as team management and the more patient fans do. Maybe the players can't help looking at what happened and thinking that they aren't really a good enough team to contend for a title.

 

I'm a believer in intangible stuff having an impact.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

It's not about blame. It's just giving credit to those who did or did not take any action.

 

Good point. But Merloni blames Bloom directly for not supporting this team. Maybe that's a tangible concept, but the face-plant is still on the current players.

 

It's certainly not because of Alex Cora, who many in the industry were awarding AL Manager of the Year after the first half. Cora didn't suddenly change his personality or skipper strategies the past month; he's doing the best with what the front office gave him.

[oldtimer]

Red Sox hitting seems to disappear at time. Stat heads tell us what happened but not why it happened.

 

Hitting ML pitching is a tough thing to do with the best getting on one in three times. No wonder in that is average velocities are up, starters seldom go a full 3 times through the order and a bevy of RP's follow. In addition, all clubs collect reams of data on hitter's weaknesses. It behooves our hitters not to help the opposing pitches by chasing pitches outside the zone. It is particularly bad when chasing on a 3 and 2 count. We keep losing base runners due to guys who chase for both strikeouts and weak contacts. Cora mentions it often but some guys can't help themselves. I am not talking about debatable strike calls but balls inches high or wide or even in the dirt. I am guessing we would gain several base runners a game with just better plate discipline.

[moonslav59]

There was a time, not that long ago, where the Sox were a cutting edge team trying to acquire players that got on base and drove up opposing starter’s pitch counts.

 

Now, we seem to be the opposite of those teams.

[moonslav59]

It's not about blame. It's just giving credit to those who did or did not take any action.

 

It’s about blame for Merloni and a bunch of fans and media.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Charley Blum used car shopping : " I'm looking for a nice car that will get me where I'm going , but I don't want to spend too much ." Used car salesman: " I've got just the car for you . New paint job , pretty good tires , A.C. works . It should get you where you are going. As long as you aren't going too far." Blum : " I'll take it." Salesman. " Sold."

 

"As is."

[moonslav59]

No, it's not hard to believe. It seems like a good observation, that the players don't care as much about the long term as team management and the more patient fans do. Maybe the players can't help looking at what happened and thinking that they aren't really a good enough team to contend for a title.

 

I'm a believer in intangible stuff having an impact.

 

Dalbec might have been thrilled to hear we traded Casas, his possible replacement in a year or two, for a pitcher.

[jad]

Why, if J.H. were planning on resetting, then going over the cap next season, would he have hired a G.M. whose special skill is producing competitive teams at minimal cost? I'm not saying he did or didn't plan that. It just seems that if that was the plan, Bloom would not have been the first pick.

[User Name]

Why, if J.H. were planning on resetting, then going over the cap next season, would he have hired a G.M. whose special skill is producing competitive teams at minimal cost? I'm not saying he did or didn't plan that. It just seems that if that was the plan, Bloom would not have been the first pick.

 

Ownership decides on large expenses either way. Bloom was hired because they want to avoid the "competitive 2 years, suck for 3" shitshow, by building a sustainable contender.

[dgalehouse]

A baseball season is a long time. Another year of our lives. When a team has a legitimate shot at the brass ring , they should go the extra mile to try and make it happen. Not doing so because of the tax or planning for the future is a major turnoff to many of the players , as well as many of the paying fans.

[Bellhorn04]

Why, if J.H. were planning on resetting, then going over the cap next season, would he have hired a G.M. whose special skill is producing competitive teams at minimal cost? I'm not saying he did or didn't plan that. It just seems that if that was the plan, Bloom would not have been the first pick.

 

I think it's a misconception, because if you want to look at profiles, Bloom is a protégé of Friedman, and Friedman is the guy who has been spending by far the most of everyone since last season, after some years of relative restraint.

[User Name]

A baseball season is a long time. Another year of our lives. When a team has a legitimate shot at the brass ring , they should go the extra mile to try and make it happen. Not doing so because of the tax or planning for the future is a major turnoff to many of the players , as well as many of the paying fans.

 

Or maybe they just overvalued the quality of the team, expecting Rodríguez to bounce back and Sale to come in. The one consistent thing about this team was the offense and look. Baseball is weird.

[Fan_since_Boggs]

A baseball season is a long time. Another year of our lives. When a team has a legitimate shot at the brass ring , they should go the extra mile to try and make it happen. Not doing so because of the tax or planning for the future is a major turnoff to many of the players , as well as many of the paying fans.

 

I agree with this. I'm not saying the Red Sox should have acquired Max Scherzer, they clearly didn't have the pieces for that. But the failure to upgrade the 1b position with a player better than Dalbec/Cordero (and now Dalbec/Shaw) and the pitching staff was inexcusable.

 

Brian O'Halloran is taking some of the responsibility, which is good to hear.

 

But Red Sox general manager Brian O’Halloran said his team’s recent collapse begins at the top.

 

“First of all, hope that doesn’t happen. But in the end, it’s on us,” O’Halloran told The Greg Hill Show on WEEI. “It’s on the front office. It’s on the baseball operations. Whatever happens on the field, the results, good or bad — we’ve been given the opportunity to do this job and gotten nothing but support from ownership. We have no excuses.”

 

The front office has especially come under fire for its lack of action at the trade deadline. The team did add slugger Kyle Schwarber and middle relievers Hansel Robles and Austin Davis but did not land experienced first base help, such as Schwarber’s former Cubs teammate and former Red Sox prospect Anthony Rizzo.

 

“So that’s on the baseball operations leadership, myself included. That goes for both the short-term and the long-term. Again, it’s a balance, but if we don’t make the playoffs, we’ll be very disappointed. We think we have a good team. We put ourselves in a position where we have a chance to make the postseason, and that’s true right now. We were in a better spot at the deadline, but we still have a chance to do this and our expectations are that we’ll battle down the stretch and hopefully get there. But in the end, yeah, all the results are on us, on the baseball operations leadership.”

https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-red-sox/2021/08/19/gm-brian-ohalloran-red-sox-miss-playoffs/

 

The good news: the mistakes the front office made at the trade deadline can perhaps lead to some kind of internal organizational critique and improvements for the future.

[moonslav59]

I agree with this. I'm not saying the Red Sox should have acquired Max Scherzer, they clearly didn't have the pieces for that. But the failure to upgrade the 1b position with a player better than Dalbec/Cordero (and now Dalbec/Shaw) and the pitching staff was inexcusable.

 

Brian O'Halloran is taking some of the responsibility, which is good to hear.

 

 

 

The good news: the mistakes the front office made at the trade deadline can perhaps lead to some kind of internal organizational critique and improvements for the future.

 

How can you be so certain Bloom made mistakes, when none of us know what GMs asked for?

 

Look, I’m not saying I’m happy the way things turned out, and it seems like decent 1Bmen are a dime a dozen, but I think Bloom really thought Schwarber could play 1B vs RHPs. The unforeseen groin injury put an end to that idea, and there is no longer waiver deals allowed.

 

I can see thinking that was a “mistake,” but I don’t think hoping a bat like Schwarber’s could outweigh the slight drop off our 1B defense would suffer over Dalbec’s less than even average defense, is worthy of continued Bloom-bashing and insisting it was a clear mistake. Because Lou Merloni and most fans and media agree, it has to be true.

 

Sure, I look back and wish he’d have added a 1Bman, too, but only because the groin injury set back the original plans, IMO.

 

It’s okay to believe it was a mistake not knowing he’d pull a groin, but many teams have suffered from an injury. We all knew this team was skating on thin ice and had some pretty good luck avoiding major injuries all year, but I for one, think Bloom did very well by not giving more than the Yankees gave for Rizzo and what other teams gave up for players that would have made a serious difference.

 

Without knowing the names of the players we’d have had to give up, we’ll never be able to judge the nondeals.

 

Maybe Brian and others can later take some responsibility for the ring we win in 2022 or 2023.

[moonslav59]

Another bad day for the Sox chances. NYY, OAK and TBR all won and gained a half game on us.

 

It’s nearing severe crunch time.

 

We need to grow a new pair.

[Oscars]

With the starting pitching recently turning the corner, we now need the chase prone hitters to play with the next man up approach, and hope that back end of the bullpen can return to form.

[moonslav59]

With the starting pitching recently turning the corner, we now need the chase prone hitters to play with the next man up approach, and hope that back end of the bullpen can return to form.

 

Timely hitting.

 

Maybe just one big comeback win can set us back in track.

[notin]

Schoop was signed to an extension.

 

As far as blame goes, if Bloom was given a strict mandate not to exceed the tax threshold, then you can't really blame him. But in that case maybe you can blame ownership.

 

Schoop’s extension was reported on August 7, after the deadline.

 

Now it’s pretty likely negotiations started prior to the deadline, but so far it’s not definitive…

[harmony]

Another bad day for the Sox chances. NYY, OAK and TBR all won and gained a half game on us.

 

It’s nearing severe crunch time.

 

We need to grow a new pair.

And SEA crept to within 2.5 games of the Red Sox (although the Mariners probably aren't a threat to any team).

 

At least not this year.

 

Nevertheless, the September three-game series in Seattle could be meaningful.

[Oscars]

The Red Sox have the highest chase rate in MLB at 31%, so there is a big issue of trying to do too much, instead of just keeping the line moving.

[cp176]

Personally for me the good news is that the front office is willing to accept the blame if that word really works here for the Red Sox season. it is not something that we see often these days. No excuses - a clear message to the fans that they should have done a better job.

[cp176]

A baseball season is a long time. Another year of our lives. When a team has a legitimate shot at the brass ring , they should go the extra mile to try and make it happen. Not doing so because of the tax or planning for the future is a major turnoff to many of the players , as well as many of the paying fans.

 

I absolutely agree. The season may be a long time but the number of seasons that I have left certainly isn't getting longer.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

The Red Sox have the highest chase rate in MLB at 31%, so there is a big issue of trying to do too much, instead of just keeping the line moving.

 

MLB hitters have some of the best hand-eye coordination in existence, but at what point does 100+ mph pitch velocity force human beings to just guess? How else to explain All-Stars like JD constantly whiffing at dirtballs and missing by feet, not inches? Maybe chase rates are more a product of that, than in past decades with more contact. Nowadays, it is a skill not to swing (but a major bore with constant appeals for umps to check the "check").

 

A decade ago, 95 mph was fast; 30 years ago anything over 90 was heat, and when Williams and DiMaggio played, they didn't have to face fresh arms coming out of the bullpen... or Negro Leagues.

 

Age is certainly a factor, as well. When a batter in his 30s is said to be losing bat speed, it's probably less because of waning strength, and more due to vision issues -- like mere mortals who need reading glasses. In his mid-30s, Jim Rice couldn't turn on fastballs like he did in his 20s, but could still drive a golf ball over 300 yards (shhh... he's about to tee off... and the ball's not moving).

 

Schwarber at 29 may just have better eyesight than Martinez at 34, and thus be a better investment for the Red Sox rebuilders.