A Realistic View at 2022: Part III

[moonslav59]

Converting Sale to a reliever would only be a last-ditch option if he couldn't perform as a starter any more.

 

That's the plan, but one he gets hurt, Plan B is never available.

 

Then, he gets better, and we say the same thing.

 

Rinse and repeat.

[Bellhorn04]

It was the Year of the Pig for our pitching staff.

 

"Piggybacking" sounds like a cool idea at first, but was quickly demonstrated to be a useless idea.

 

And the bullpen was a pigpen too much of the time.

[notin]

Converting Sale to a reliever would only be a last-ditch option if he couldn't perform as a starter any more.

 

In fact, why does it need to be a last ditch option?

 

He could close games in 2023 and return to starting in 2024. There is no point of no return…

[Bellhorn04]

That's the plan, but one he gets hurt, Plan B is never available.

 

Then, he gets better, and we say the same thing.

 

Rinse and repeat.

 

I'll stick with optimism, because it feels better and it doesn't matter what we think anyway.

[Bellhorn04]

In fact, why does it need to be a last ditch option?

 

He could close games in 2023 and return to starting in 2024. There is no point of no return…

 

He could do all kinds of things, but isn't the best case scenario being an effective starter, maybe 90% of his old self?

[notin]

It was the Year of the Pig for our pitching staff.

 

"Piggybacking" sounds like a cool idea at first, but was quickly demonstrated to be a useless idea.

 

And the bullpen was a pigpen too much of the time.

 

 

Cora’s piggybacking was ill-conceived, poorly done and backwards

 

What if Sale came in and through 2 IP twice a week as an opener, and then, say, Crawford and Winckowski took over one game each as if starting? Get 5 or 6 IP from each and it’s the 8th inning, baby!! Whitlock and Houck Time…

[moonslav59]

Cora’s piggybacking was ill-conceived, poorly done and backwards

 

What if Sale came in and through 2 IP twice a week, and then, say, Crawford and Winckowski took over one game each as if starting? Get 5 or 6 IP from each and it’s the 8th inning, baby!! Whitlock and Houck Time…

 

If Sale knows he's only going 2 IP, might he not try to throw harder?

 

I guess it's next to impossible to increase his injury chances, so I guess that doesn't matter.

[notin]

If Sale knows he's only going 2 IP, might he not try to throw harder?

 

I guess it's next to impossible to increase his injury chances, so I guess that doesn't matter.

 

Won’t he do that as a closer as well?

 

The differences are:

 

1) you never know when you’ll need a closer whereas openers can be scheduled, and

 

2) you don’t know what hitters a closer will face when the game starts and therefore you can waste your best reliever by using him against the worst hitters. You always know who an opener will face..

[Elktonnick]

As 6 year old Notin used ask his mom every 15 minutes on a drive from Worcester to Albany to see grandma - “Are we there yet?”

Are from Worcester? I now live in Delaware and in our 35 member Rotary club. There are three from Worcester. Small world.

[notin]

He could do all kinds of things, but isn't the best case scenario being an effective starter, maybe 90% of his old self?

 

Best case? Absolutely?

 

Most likely case? I’m not on board with that anymore…

[notin]

Are from Worcester? I now live in Delaware and in our 35 member Rotary club. There are three from Worcester. Small world.

 

I live in Illinois and am therefore the only citizen in the entire state capable of pronouncing “Worcester”.

 

Except of course for illinoisoxfan. But he feels my pain…

[Elktonnick]

I live in Illinois and am therefore the only citizen in the entire state capable of pronouncing “Worcester”.

 

Except of course for illinoisoxfan. But he feels my pain…

 

Once they can pronounce it, try Leicester on them. That will surely drive them crazy.

[Old Red]

It was the Year of the Pig for our pitching staff.

 

"Piggybacking" sounds like a cool idea at first, but was quickly demonstrated to be a useless idea.

 

And the bullpen was a pigpen too much of the time.

 

Best description I’ve heard.

[Bellhorn04]

Best case? Absolutely?

 

Most likely case? I’m not on board with that anymore…

 

Why, because of the latest injuries?

[notin]

Why, because of the latest injuries?

 

Yes, the entirety of the last 3 years.

 

The plus side is none of his recent injuries have been to the important pitching joints. The downside is, he still got 3 years older in that time frame…

[notin]

Once they can pronounce it, try Leicester on them. That will surely drive them crazy.

 

I usually start them out slowly, with “Woburn” and “Billerica”.

 

The thing is, they should be able to handle Leicester, as there was a pitcher named Jon Leicester that pitched for the Cubs back in 2004-2005. Of course, another similarly named replacement came long a few years later and got more famous…

[Donnie Sadler was short]

Maybe the extra "rest" to his shoulder and arm will extend his career or make him stronger for the remining years of team control.

 

I feel an extension is in order!

[Maxbialystock]

The is no doubt the players poor play from Bogey, JD, and the past month of Devers too have contributed to this s*** show, and don’t leave out Kike either who sucked in the leadoff spot from day 1. However there was a cloud over the team, before the season even started with Blooms less than genius contract offers to Bogey, and Raffy. No plan by Bloom, and Cora for the backend of the BP to start the season, and then the Clown show at 1B with Franchy, and RF experience of Arroyo that took two months to long to fix, so yes Cora, and Bloom get a big share of the blame too. As for the one calling fans shallow, crybabies, or whiners probably are looking in the mirror.

 

Let's review your specific points on why Bloom and Cora are imbeciles who have ruined this season by doing the following--

 

Letting Kike lead off from day one. That's exactly what he did last year with a freaking WAR of 4.9, and OBP of .337 and an OPS of .786. So of course the smart move by Cora would have been to bat him 9th or bench him.

 

Bloom's "less than genius" offers to Raffy and Bogey in the offseason. It doesn't take a genius to offer them whatever they asked for. Anyone can do that. Unfortunately, what they wanted was clearly more than John Henry was willing to pay, and John Henry probably dictated what they should be offered. The same thing happened with Mookie--and I have previously shown that Mookie's cumulative WAR and average WAR per year was way, way better for the Sox than for the Dodgers, who are paying him 5 times as much per season.

 

No plan for the bullpen, specifically the closer. The plan was to give Robles and Barnes, both experienced closers, a shot. At the same time, Whitlock and Houck, neither of whom closed last year and both of whom pitched multiple innings as relievers (plus Houck as a starter), were slotted to do pretty much what they did last year very successfully. Whitlock's 2021 WAR as a non-closer was 2.9, 2d highest on the team, in 2021, and Houck's WAR as a non-closer and starter was 1.6, 5th highest on the team. Both started and were semi-long relievers this year, and Whitlock's WAR is 1.8, 3d best on the team, and Houck's is 1.6, 5th best. Eventually, Houck took over as closer, and is now on the IL with a bad back/disc issue, so maybe closing did that. As I've already said, the Sox, who are 2 games below .500 overall, are 18-11 in games in which Houck has pitched in any capacity, and the Sox are 15-9 in games in which Whitlock has pitched. So to me it's impossible to claim they have been misused by Cora.

 

Cordero wasn't the plan for 1b, lefty bat Shaw and righty bat Dalbec were. Last year Shaw's OPS was .863 and Dalbec's was .792. So to me that was a good plan which didn't work because Shaw and Dalbec both stunk this year, and you of course are blaming Cora for that--also Bloom.

 

Agree Arroyo was bad fit in RF, but most infielders don't have a problem going to the outfield. Mookie Betts was a 2d baseman right before they quickly moved him to the outfield because he was hitting and Pedey owned 2b. Kike goes back and forth between SS/2B and CF with ease. When Story arrived, there was no room for Arroyo at 3b (Devers), SS (Bogey), or 2b (Story). But now he is flourishing at 2b.

 

You have also once again ignored last year because it turned out pretty well which kind of doesn't fit your thesis that Cora and Bloom are clueless. They beat the Yankees in the wild car, the 100 win Rays in the ALDS, 3 games to 1, and lost to the Astros 4 games to 2 in the ALCS. Also, I have to repeat my favorite point about the Sox's great postseason success in 2021: they had no freaking closer and never got a save and their only blown save was by Houck in the 6th inning of game 1 of the ALCS when Sale started and only lasted 2.2 innings. My point remains: both Bloom and Cora did a pretty good job last year, but this year they have suddenly become incompetent.

 

I'm disappointed this year too, but at least I recognize that the pitching staff was hit hard by injuries--Sale, Eovaldi, Whitlock, Houck, Wacha, Hill, Barnes, Paxton, Bello, Danish, and a couple of others I can't remember. Thus is the team ERA 14th of 15 teams in the American League, a fact which you studiously ignore.

 

I would be dishonest if I didn't admit I too am unhappy with the baserunning and fielding (especially the outfield and 1b) this year. As for the hitting, it comes and goes. But guess what? This year the Sox are 5th in the AL in runs scored and 5th in team OPS. Last year they were 4th in runs scored and 3d in team OPS. So, despite the slumps by Devers, Bogey, and JDM, not a big difference.

[notin]

Let's review your specific points on why Bloom and Cora are imbeciles who have ruined this season by doing the following--

 

Letting Kike lead off from day one. That's exactly what he did last year with a freaking WAR of 4.9, and OBP of .337 and an OPS of .786. So of course the smart move by Cora would have been to bat him 9th or bench him.

 

Bloom's "less than genius" offers to Raffy and Bogey in the offseason. It doesn't take a genius to offer them whatever they asked for. Anyone can do that. Unfortunately, what they wanted was clearly more than John Henry was willing to pay, and John Henry probably dictated what they should be offered. The same thing happened with Mookie--and I have previously shown that Mookie's cumulative WAR and average WAR per year was way, way better for the Sox than for the Dodgers, who are paying him 5 times as much per season.

 

No plan for the bullpen, specifically the closer. The plan was to give Robles and Barnes, both experienced closers, a shot. At the same time, Whitlock and Houck, neither of whom closed last year and both of whom pitched multiple innings as relievers (plus Houck as a starter), were slotted to do pretty much what they did last year very successfully. Whitlock's 2021 WAR as a non-closer was 2.9, 2d highest on the team, in 2021, and Houck's WAR as a non-closer and starter was 1.6, 5th highest on the team. Both started and were semi-long relievers this year, and Whitlock's WAR is 1.8, 3d best on the team, and Houck's is 1.6, 5th best. Eventually, Houck took over as closer, and is now on the IL with a bad back/disc issue, so maybe closing did that. As I've already said, the Sox, who are 2 games below .500 overall, are 18-11 in games in which Houck has pitched in any capacity, and the Sox are 15-9 in games in which Whitlock has pitched. So to me it's impossible to claim they have been misused by Cora.

 

Cordero wasn't the plan for 1b, lefty bat Shaw and righty bat Dalbec were. Last year Shaw's OPS was .863 and Dalbec's was .792. So to me that was a good plan which didn't work because Shaw and Dalbec both stunk this year, and you of course are blaming Cora for that--also Bloom.

 

Agree Arroyo was bad fit in RF, but most infielders don't have a problem going to the outfield. Mookie Betts was a 2d baseman right before they quickly moved him to the outfield because he was hitting and Pedey owned 2b. Kike goes back and forth between SS/2B and CF with ease. When Story arrived, there was no room for Arroyo at 3b (Devers), SS (Bogey), or 2b (Story). But now he is flourishing at 2b.

 

You have also once again ignored last year because it turned out pretty well which kind of doesn't fit your thesis that Cora and Bloom are clueless. They beat the Yankees in the wild car, the 100 win Rays in the ALDS, 3 games to 1, and lost to the Astros 4 games to 2 in the ALCS. Also, I have to repeat my favorite point about the Sox's great postseason success in 2021: they had no freaking closer and never got a save and their only blown save was by Houck in the 6th inning of game 1 of the ALCS when Sale started and only lasted 2.2 innings. My point remains: both Bloom and Cora did a pretty good job last year, but this year they have suddenly become incompetent.

 

I'm disappointed this year too, but at least I recognize that the pitching staff was hit hard by injuries--Sale, Eovaldi, Whitlock, Houck, Wacha, Hill, Barnes, Paxton, Bello, Danish, and a couple of others I can't remember. Thus is the team ERA 14th of 15 teams in the American League, a fact which you studiously ignore.

 

I would be dishonest if I didn't admit I too am unhappy with the baserunning and fielding (especially the outfield and 1b) this year. As for the hitting, it comes and goes. But guess what? This year the Sox are 5th in the AL in runs scored and 5th in team OPS. Last year they were 4th in runs scored and 3d in team OPS. So, despite the slumps by Devers, Bogey, and JDM, not a big difference.

 

 

On Arroyo to RF, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if that was Cora’s plan all along. As in:

 

Bloom: Do you want a right-handed hitting outfielder to platoon with Bradley?

Cora: No. I want to find ways to get Christian more involved.

 

Boom. That was the whole discussion. Not sure why some people think Bloom 1) announced in the press he needed to acquire a right -handed bat to platoon with Bradley and then 2) didn’t acquire one, and instead forced Cora to play Arroyo. But the latter is the plan I see people think happened.

 

But if it actually did go down that way, I don’t fault Cora at all. Arroyo is a good player the team has always needed him to be more involved, and if not for his questionable durability, Arroyo is easily a starter full time. Not sure why people think this one is such a big deal…

[Hugh2]

Let's review your specific points on why Bloom and Cora are imbeciles who have ruined this season by doing the following--

 

Letting Kike lead off from day one. That's exactly what he did last year with a freaking WAR of 4.9, and OBP of .337 and an OPS of .786. So of course the smart move by Cora would have been to bat him 9th or bench him.

 

Bloom's "less than genius" offers to Raffy and Bogey in the offseason. It doesn't take a genius to offer them whatever they asked for. Anyone can do that. Unfortunately, what they wanted was clearly more than John Henry was willing to pay, and John Henry probably dictated what they should be offered. The same thing happened with Mookie--and I have previously shown that Mookie's cumulative WAR and average WAR per year was way, way better for the Sox than for the Dodgers, who are paying him 5 times as much per season.

 

No plan for the bullpen, specifically the closer. The plan was to give Robles and Barnes, both experienced closers, a shot. At the same time, Whitlock and Houck, neither of whom closed last year and both of whom pitched multiple innings as relievers (plus Houck as a starter), were slotted to do pretty much what they did last year very successfully. Whitlock's 2021 WAR as a non-closer was 2.9, 2d highest on the team, in 2021, and Houck's WAR as a non-closer and starter was 1.6, 5th highest on the team. Both started and were semi-long relievers this year, and Whitlock's WAR is 1.8, 3d best on the team, and Houck's is 1.6, 5th best. Eventually, Houck took over as closer, and is now on the IL with a bad back/disc issue, so maybe closing did that. As I've already said, the Sox, who are 2 games below .500 overall, are 18-11 in games in which Houck has pitched in any capacity, and the Sox are 15-9 in games in which Whitlock has pitched. So to me it's impossible to claim they have been misused by Cora.

 

Cordero wasn't the plan for 1b, lefty bat Shaw and righty bat Dalbec were. Last year Shaw's OPS was .863 and Dalbec's was .792. So to me that was a good plan which didn't work because Shaw and Dalbec both stunk this year, and you of course are blaming Cora for that--also Bloom.

 

Agree Arroyo was bad fit in RF, but most infielders don't have a problem going to the outfield. Mookie Betts was a 2d baseman right before they quickly moved him to the outfield because he was hitting and Pedey owned 2b. Kike goes back and forth between SS/2B and CF with ease. When Story arrived, there was no room for Arroyo at 3b (Devers), SS (Bogey), or 2b (Story). But now he is flourishing at 2b.

 

You have also once again ignored last year because it turned out pretty well which kind of doesn't fit your thesis that Cora and Bloom are clueless. They beat the Yankees in the wild car, the 100 win Rays in the ALDS, 3 games to 1, and lost to the Astros 4 games to 2 in the ALCS. Also, I have to repeat my favorite point about the Sox's great postseason success in 2021: they had no freaking closer and never got a save and their only blown save was by Houck in the 6th inning of game 1 of the ALCS when Sale started and only lasted 2.2 innings. My point remains: both Bloom and Cora did a pretty good job last year, but this year they have suddenly become incompetent.

 

I'm disappointed this year too, but at least I recognize that the pitching staff was hit hard by injuries--Sale, Eovaldi, Whitlock, Houck, Wacha, Hill, Barnes, Paxton, Bello, Danish, and a couple of others I can't remember. Thus is the team ERA 14th of 15 teams in the American League, a fact which you studiously ignore.

 

I would be dishonest if I didn't admit I too am unhappy with the baserunning and fielding (especially the outfield and 1b) this year. As for the hitting, it comes and goes. But guess what? This year the Sox are 5th in the AL in runs scored and 5th in team OPS. Last year they were 4th in runs scored and 3d in team OPS. So, despite the slumps by Devers, Bogey, and JDM, not a big difference.

 

Stop being so rational, logical and insightful.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

On Arroyo to RF, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if that was Cora’s plan all along. As in:

 

Bloom: Do you want a right-handed hitting outfielder to platoon with Bradley?

Cora: No. I want to find ways to get Christian more involved.

 

Boom. That was the whole discussion. Not sure why some people think Bloom 1) announced in the press he needed to acquire a right -handed bat to platoon with Bradley and then 2) didn’t acquire one, and instead forced Cora to play Arroyo. But the latter is the plan I see people think happened.

 

But if it actually did go down that way, I don’t fault Cora at all. Arroyo is a good player the team has always needed him to be more involved, and if not for his questionable durability, Arroyo is easily a starter full time. Not sure why people think this one is such a big deal…

 

Your conjecture is plausible, but to many fans the Arroyo failure in RF was just another loose brick in the crumbling wall. Miked up on ESPN the other night, he even said trying to learn how to play right field in big league games was harder than he thought.

 

Gone are the days when most ballplayers reach the Show only after mastering certain skills at a top level. When Fred Lynn won AL MVP as the Rookie of the Year in 1975, he credited his fundamentals to USC, where he virtually majored in professional baseball under legendary Coach Rod Dedeaux.

[moonslav59]

Maybe the "less than genius" offer to Bogey was very close to accurate.

 

Only time will tell.

[moonslav59]

Your conjecture is plausible, but to many fans the Arroyo failure in RF was just another loose brick in the crumbling wall. Miked up on ESPN the other night, he even said trying to learn how to play right field in big league games was harder than he thought.

 

Gone are the days when most ballplayers reach the Show only after mastering certain skills at a top level. When Fred Lynn won AL MVP as the Rookie of the Year in 1975, he credited his fundamentals to USC, where he virtually majored in professional baseball under legendary Coach Rod Dedeaux.

 

I think the addition of Story in late March had a huge affect on the whole RH'd bat in the OF issue.

 

1. Story was supposed to be a big RH'd bat added to a line-up that did not appear to be overly left-handed, to begin with.

2. The fact that Arroyo was likely to get most of the PAs at 2B, before Story was signed, likely was a big part of the push to find him PAs in the OF.

3. The missing RH'd OF bat only became so relevant after Kike got hurt.

4. We had a RH'd OF bat in the system, in Refsnyder, but just didn't realize it, until too late.

 

This whole issue boils down to turning the JBJ trade from one mistake into two, so it adds to the argument that Bloom is not a worthy GM.

 

If Kike doesn't get hurt or JBJ hits .650, there would be no debate. (And, yes, JD's aunt has balls.)

[notin]

Your conjecture is plausible, but to many fans the Arroyo failure in RF was just another loose brick in the crumbling wall. Miked up on ESPN the other night, he even said trying to learn how to play right field in big league games was harder than he thought.

 

Gone are the days when most ballplayers reach the Show only after mastering certain skills at a top level. When Fred Lynn won AL MVP as the Rookie of the Year in 1975, he credited his fundamentals to USC, where he virtually majored in professional baseball under legendary Coach Rod Dedeaux.

 

 

Arroyo in RF wasn’t nearly the disaster that Duran in CF was. I get why Duran isn’t vaxxed; he’d just misplay the virus and watch it get behind him.

 

Now I get it’s more complicated and intricate in MLB, but I have had to coach girls softball and keep it simple. The simplest way to describe the job of an outfielder is - keep one runner from advancing one base. (Granted at the ages I was coaching, you assume any and all flyballs will not be caught.). I told them I don’t care which runner - but stop one of them.

 

Not the best metric but using it, I’ve seen good outfielders actually fail. You know the type, strong throwing arms and well aware so they try to dupe runners into taking another base. (No, Brad Hawpe. Not you. Really.)

 

I don’t think that experiment was so horrible given that Arroyo is talented and the weak side of the platoon. But I would have been fine with JBJ everyday batting ninth and making outs on both sides of the ball…

Edited August 23, 2022 by notin

[Elktonnick]

I usually start them out slowly, with “Woburn” and “Billerica”.

 

The thing is, they should be able to handle Leicester, as there was a pitcher named Jon Leicester that pitched for the Cubs back in 2004-2005. Of course, another similarly named replacement came long a few years later and got more famous…

Barre gets them here as does Leominister which they pronounce Leo Minister.

[moonslav59]

Arroyo in RF wasn’t nearly the disaster that Duran in CF was. I get why Duran isn’t vaxxed; he’d just misplay the virus and watch it get behind him.

 

Now I get it’s more complicated and intricate in MLB, but I have had to coach girls softball and keep it simple. The simplest way to describe the job of an outfielder is - keep one runner from advancing one base. (Granted at the ages I was coaching, you assume any and all flyballs will not be caught.). I told them I don’t care which runner - but stop one of them.

 

Not the best metric but using it, I’ve seen good outfielders actually fail. You know the type, strong throwing arms and well aware so they try to dupe runners into taking another base. (No, Brad Hawpe. Not you. Really.)

 

I don’t think that experiment was so horrible given that Arroyo is talented and the weak side of the platoon. But I would have been fine with JBJ everyday batting ninth and making outs on both sides of the ball…

 

At least Arroyo can hit.

 

I think the totality of the defensive skill sets of Duran in the OF, Cordero at 1B and Arroyo in RF was just too much for any Sox fan to stomach.

 

Of course, winning helped us fans get over Dalbec, Renfroe, Schwarber's defensive bumblings, last year.

[Old Red]

Let's review your specific points on why Bloom and Cora are imbeciles who have ruined this season by doing the following--

 

Letting Kike lead off from day one. That's exactly what he did last year with a freaking WAR of 4.9, and OBP of .337 and an OPS of .786. So of course the smart move by Cora would have been to bat him 9th or bench him.

 

Bloom's "less than genius" offers to Raffy and Bogey in the offseason. It doesn't take a genius to offer them whatever they asked for. Anyone can do that. Unfortunately, what they wanted was clearly more than John Henry was willing to pay, and John Henry probably dictated what they should be offered. The same thing happened with Mookie--and I have previously shown that Mookie's cumulative WAR and average WAR per year was way, way better for the Sox than for the Dodgers, who are paying him 5 times as much per season.

 

No plan for the bullpen, specifically the closer. The plan was to give Robles and Barnes, both experienced closers, a shot. At the same time, Whitlock and Houck, neither of whom closed last year and both of whom pitched multiple innings as relievers (plus Houck as a starter), were slotted to do pretty much what they did last year very successfully. Whitlock's 2021 WAR as a non-closer was 2.9, 2d highest on the team, in 2021, and Houck's WAR as a non-closer and starter was 1.6, 5th highest on the team. Both started and were semi-long relievers this year, and Whitlock's WAR is 1.8, 3d best on the team, and Houck's is 1.6, 5th best. Eventually, Houck took over as closer, and is now on the IL with a bad back/disc issue, so maybe closing did that. As I've already said, the Sox, who are 2 games below .500 overall, are 18-11 in games in which Houck has pitched in any capacity, and the Sox are 15-9 in games in which Whitlock has pitched. So to me it's impossible to claim they have been misused by Cora.

 

Cordero wasn't the plan for 1b, lefty bat Shaw and righty bat Dalbec were. Last year Shaw's OPS was .863 and Dalbec's was .792. So to me that was a good plan which didn't work because Shaw and Dalbec both stunk this year, and you of course are blaming Cora for that--also Bloom.

 

Agree Arroyo was bad fit in RF, but most infielders don't have a problem going to the outfield. Mookie Betts was a 2d baseman right before they quickly moved him to the outfield because he was hitting and Pedey owned 2b. Kike goes back and forth between SS/2B and CF with ease. When Story arrived, there was no room for Arroyo at 3b (Devers), SS (Bogey), or 2b (Story). But now he is flourishing at 2b.

 

You have also once again ignored last year because it turned out pretty well which kind of doesn't fit your thesis that Cora and Bloom are clueless. They beat the Yankees in the wild car, the 100 win Rays in the ALDS, 3 games to 1, and lost to the Astros 4 games to 2 in the ALCS. Also, I have to repeat my favorite point about the Sox's great postseason success in 2021: they had no freaking closer and never got a save and their only blown save was by Houck in the 6th inning of game 1 of the ALCS when Sale started and only lasted 2.2 innings. My point remains: both Bloom and Cora did a pretty good job last year, but this year they have suddenly become incompetent.

 

I'm disappointed this year too, but at least I recognize that the pitching staff was hit hard by injuries--Sale, Eovaldi, Whitlock, Houck, Wacha, Hill, Barnes, Paxton, Bello, Danish, and a couple of others I can't remember. Thus is the team ERA 14th of 15 teams in the American League, a fact which you studiously ignore.

 

I would be dishonest if I didn't admit I too am unhappy with the baserunning and fielding (especially the outfield and 1b) this year. As for the hitting, it comes and goes. But guess what? This year the Sox are 5th in the AL in runs scored and 5th in team OPS. Last year they were 4th in runs scored and 3d in team OPS. So, despite the slumps by Devers, Bogey, and JDM, not a big difference.

 

After all this word salad guess what? The Sox are in last place, and Bloom doesn’t have a clue how to fix it.

[dgalehouse]

Let's review your specific points on why Bloom and Cora are imbeciles who have ruined this season by doing the following--

 

Letting Kike lead off from day one. That's exactly what he did last year with a freaking WAR of 4.9, and OBP of .337 and an OPS of .786. So of course the smart move by Cora would have been to bat him 9th or bench him.

 

Bloom's "less than genius" offers to Raffy and Bogey in the offseason. It doesn't take a genius to offer them whatever they asked for. Anyone can do that. Unfortunately, what they wanted was clearly more than John Henry was willing to pay, and John Henry probably dictated what they should be offered. The same thing happened with Mookie--and I have previously shown that Mookie's cumulative WAR and average WAR per year was way, way better for the Sox than for the Dodgers, who are paying him 5 times as much per season.

 

No plan for the bullpen, specifically the closer. The plan was to give Robles and Barnes, both experienced closers, a shot. At the same time, Whitlock and Houck, neither of whom closed last year and both of whom pitched multiple innings as relievers (plus Houck as a starter), were slotted to do pretty much what they did last year very successfully. Whitlock's 2021 WAR as a non-closer was 2.9, 2d highest on the team, in 2021, and Houck's WAR as a non-closer and starter was 1.6, 5th highest on the team. Both started and were semi-long relievers this year, and Whitlock's WAR is 1.8, 3d best on the team, and Houck's is 1.6, 5th best. Eventually, Houck took over as closer, and is now on the IL with a bad back/disc issue, so maybe closing did that. As I've already said, the Sox, who are 2 games below .500 overall, are 18-11 in games in which Houck has pitched in any capacity, and the Sox are 15-9 in games in which Whitlock has pitched. So to me it's impossible to claim they have been misused by Cora.

 

Cordero wasn't the plan for 1b, lefty bat Shaw and righty bat Dalbec were. Last year Shaw's OPS was .863 and Dalbec's was .792. So to me that was a good plan which didn't work because Shaw and Dalbec both stunk this year, and you of course are blaming Cora for that--also Bloom.

 

Agree Arroyo was bad fit in RF, but most infielders don't have a problem going to the outfield. Mookie Betts was a 2d baseman right before they quickly moved him to the outfield because he was hitting and Pedey owned 2b. Kike goes back and forth between SS/2B and CF with ease. When Story arrived, there was no room for Arroyo at 3b (Devers), SS (Bogey), or 2b (Story). But now he is flourishing at 2b.

 

You have also once again ignored last year because it turned out pretty well which kind of doesn't fit your thesis that Cora and Bloom are clueless. They beat the Yankees in the wild car, the 100 win Rays in the ALDS, 3 games to 1, and lost to the Astros 4 games to 2 in the ALCS. Also, I have to repeat my favorite point about the Sox's great postseason success in 2021: they had no freaking closer and never got a save and their only blown save was by Houck in the 6th inning of game 1 of the ALCS when Sale started and only lasted 2.2 innings. My point remains: both Bloom and Cora did a pretty good job last year, but this year they have suddenly become incompetent.

 

I'm disappointed this year too, but at least I recognize that the pitching staff was hit hard by injuries--Sale, Eovaldi, Whitlock, Houck, Wacha, Hill, Barnes, Paxton, Bello, Danish, and a couple of others I can't remember. Thus is the team ERA 14th of 15 teams in the American League, a fact which you studiously ignore.

 

I would be dishonest if I didn't admit I too am unhappy with the baserunning and fielding (especially the outfield and 1b) this year. As for the hitting, it comes and goes. But guess what? This year the Sox are 5th in the AL in runs scored and 5th in team OPS. Last year they were 4th in runs scored and 3d in team OPS. So, despite the slumps by Devers, Bogey, and JDM, not a big difference.

 

Scoreboard.

[moonslav59]

2022:

Winckowski

Seabold

Bello

Downs

Ort

 

2021:

Crawford

Duran

Wong

 

2020:

Houck

Dalbec

 

2019:

PValdez

DHern

 

Somehow, this is Bloom's fault.

 

One can see why rebuilding the farm became a top priority for the Sox GM that replaced DD.

 

Since 2011, the only meaningful MLB contributors from the Sox farm system can be counted on one hand, and even some of these have just done well for 1-2 years:

 

Devers

Beni

Montas

Kopech

Margot/Moncada

 

Do some really believe a weak farm had nothing to do with the state of our current roster?

 

Baffling!

 

[mvp 78]

On Arroyo to RF, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if that was Cora’s plan all along. As in:

 

Bloom: Do you want a right-handed hitting outfielder to platoon with Bradley?

Cora: No. I want to find ways to get Christian more involved.

 

Boom. That was the whole discussion. Not sure why some people think Bloom 1) announced in the press he needed to acquire a right -handed bat to platoon with Bradley and then 2) didn’t acquire one, and instead forced Cora to play Arroyo. But the latter is the plan I see people think happened.

 

But if it actually did go down that way, I don’t fault Cora at all. Arroyo is a good player the team has always needed him to be more involved, and if not for his questionable durability, Arroyo is easily a starter full time. Not sure why people think this one is such a big deal…

 

“If not for his durability…” will be written on his gravestone.