6/16 vs Oakland

[Maxbialystock]

I liked the Cardinals when I was younger and baseball wasn't filled with stupid interleague play.

 

Ozzie Smith

Willie McGee

Terry Pendleton

Vince Coleman

 

Now that's baseball...

 

The Cardinals are one of the truly great franchises in MLB who still draw big crowds despite being in a smallish city (301K). Right now their average home crowd of 38,577 is the second best in MLB after the Dodgers and ahead of the Braves, Yankees, Padres, Angels, Astros, and Cubs--all embedded in much bigger cities/fanbases.

 

I think Branch Rickey made them great by being the first GM to develop a farm system, but he left there 80 freaking years ago, so they have had plenty of excellent GM's and managers since then. They are one of the oldest MLB franchises and have won 11 World Series.

 

And what I remember best is that almost any time I drove through the central time zone I could pick up a Cardinals game if they were playing. Worth remembering too is that when the Sox broke the 86 year curse, they did it by sweeping the Cardinals. Thereafter, I had to tread carefully whenever I ran into a diehard Cardinals fan.

[Maxbialystock]

I think Max was being facetious. I think, like any other issue, what being a good fan looks like varies wildly from person to person.

 

There is no right or wrong, but when you got guys like Swihart who has advocated trading, DFA'ing or worse virtually every Sox player, coach and manager, one might wonder who he is actually cheering for- the logo?

 

Agree fans approach things differently--vive la difference. However, I was not being facetious about Old Red, so I admit I must have been wrong.

[Old Red]

The only NL team I had to grow up to hate was the Mets. As an adult, I can appreciate how cool Doc and Darrel were, but the rest of the Mets can go blow.

 

Unfortunately, the only MiLB team near me are the Mets, so I'm cursed to have little Mets ice cream helmets in my kids rooms for some reason.

 

The Mets were owned by Joan Payson until the early 70’s who lived in Maine at times, so that created some interest here, and even had Willie Mays brought back to NY at the end of his career.

[Maxbialystock]

Since we are still on a game thread, dare I say that the Cardinals are in Boston for three and are going with three good pitchers--Wainwright, Hudson, and Pallante--who will definitely challenge our Sox hitters. Eovaldi and Whitlock will both miss this series, but the Sox can still send out Pivetta tonight, then Crawford, who shut down the Mariners (5 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 4 BB's, 7 K's) five days ago, and then Wacha.

 

Overall, the Cardinals have the better record (37-28 vs. 34-30), but they are better at home than on the road. Unfortunately, the Sox have been better on the road than at Fenway. Also overall, the Cardinals have better hitting and the Sox better pitching. Their team run differentials are +53 (Sox) and +55 (Cardinals).

 

All three Cardinal starters are righties, so Cora might again go heavy with the lefty bats (Devers, Verdugo, Cordero, JBJ, and Duran). I read that righty bat Refsnyder is day to day and think that, if he is OK tonight, he could easily replace JBJ or Duran.

Edited June 17, 2022 by Maxbialystock

[dgalehouse]

My feeling is that Duran should play every day. Give him every opportunity to show what he can do.

[Maxbialystock]

My feeling is that Duran should play every day. Give him every opportunity to show what he can do.

 

Interesting. I am not impressed with Duran's defense or hitting, but, frankly, I don't know enough to disagree with you. Lots of people have said that this year especially Bloom and Cora need to see what players not named Devers, Bogaerts, and JDM can do.

[dgalehouse]

Max , I think that you are not easily impressed. He has yet to make an error , but I'm guessing that you are taking a clue from a couple of other posters regarding his defensive shortcomings. Hitting wise , he is batting .300 so far in his brief stint . He hit .305 with a 910 OPS at Worcester. I admit that I don't know what his fWAR or his xbebop+ is at this point . I do think he should get a long look though.

[moonslav59]

Max , I think that you are not easily impressed. He has yet to make an error , but I'm guessing that you are taking a clue from a couple of other posters regarding his defensive shortcomings. Hitting wise , he is batting .300 so far in his brief stint . He hit .305 with a 910 OPS at Worcester. I admit that I don't know what his fWAR or his xbebop+ is at this point . I do think he should get a long look though.

 

Are you saying or thinking Duran is an average defender in the OF?

 

What about CF?

 

What about RF?

 

What about CF or RF in Fenway?

 

I trust Bloom and Cora have not been "impressed" with his defense, or he'd have been playing more often. It's not just Max and a "couple posters."

[Maxbialystock]

Max , I think that you are not easily impressed. He has yet to make an error , but I'm guessing that you are taking a clue from a couple of other posters regarding his defensive shortcomings. Hitting wise , he is batting .300 so far in his brief stint . He hit .305 with a 910 OPS at Worcester. I admit that I don't know what his fWAR or his xbebop+ is at this point . I do think he should get a long look though.

 

Guilty as charged, and I couldn't be happier that you might be right. My source on Duran was SoxProspects.

[moonslav59]

Guilty as charged, and I couldn't be happier that you might be right. My source on Duran was SoxProspects.

 

Which says this...

 

Field: Potential fringe-average defender. Has the speed and athleticism teams covet for center field, but is still raw and needs to continue developing in the outfield after moving from second base during his pro debut. Not clear that he will stick in center field, and may be a better fit in left given arm and uniquely spacious right field at Fenway Park. Has improved what was initially a slow first step in the outfield, struggling with initial reads, but still is not a natural outfielder. Often able to make up for slow reads and inefficient routes with his speed. First moved to right field, where the line to the plate was similar to that at second base, before converting full-time in 2019 to center field, with the hope his speed could allow him to develop tremendous range. At second base, showed soft hands and fluid actions, though athleticism was somewhat wasted. At this point, a return to the infield would be very difficult given how long it has been since he worked out at the position.

 

Arm: Below-average arm strength. Passable in the outfield, but throws lack carry.

 

Summation: Potential fourth outfielder. Ceiling of an everyday center fielder. Ability to reach ceiling is dependent on keeping the swing-and-miss in his game manageable and continuing to improve defensively. Swing changes that allowed him to tap into his raw power have changed his outlook, but now needs to adjust again to be able to handle major league pitching. Now looks like a potential average offensive player with plus-plus speed who is passable in the outfield and able to get by because of his speed and athleticism while he continues to refine his reads and routes. With his speed, has the potential to put a lot of pressure on the defense and inflate his average with infield singles and slugging by taking extra bases. Could also steal 25-plus bases if he improves his baserunning instincts.

[Maxbialystock]

Which says this...

 

Field: Potential fringe-average defender. Has the speed and athleticism teams covet for center field, but is still raw and needs to continue developing in the outfield after moving from second base during his pro debut. Not clear that he will stick in center field, and may be a better fit in left given arm and uniquely spacious right field at Fenway Park. Has improved what was initially a slow first step in the outfield, struggling with initial reads, but still is not a natural outfielder. Often able to make up for slow reads and inefficient routes with his speed. First moved to right field, where the line to the plate was similar to that at second base, before converting full-time in 2019 to center field, with the hope his speed could allow him to develop tremendous range. At second base, showed soft hands and fluid actions, though athleticism was somewhat wasted. At this point, a return to the infield would be very difficult given how long it has been since he worked out at the position.

 

Arm: Below-average arm strength. Passable in the outfield, but throws lack carry.

 

Summation: Potential fourth outfielder. Ceiling of an everyday center fielder. Ability to reach ceiling is dependent on keeping the swing-and-miss in his game manageable and continuing to improve defensively. Swing changes that allowed him to tap into his raw power have changed his outlook, but now needs to adjust again to be able to handle major league pitching. Now looks like a potential average offensive player with plus-plus speed who is passable in the outfield and able to get by because of his speed and athleticism while he continues to refine his reads and routes. With his speed, has the potential to put a lot of pressure on the defense and inflate his average with infield singles and slugging by taking extra bases. Could also steal 25-plus bases if he improves his baserunning instincts.

 

On a team currently filled with hitless wonders in the outfield, Duran's .814 OPS looks pretty tempting. Plus, personally, if I were Bloom, I would give any Sox player a $1000 bonus for every bunt single.