4/17 Angels @ SOX 11:10AM ET

[vegasbob]

I think the Sox will try to "normalize" Bello by running him out to the mound for at least 2 more starts on regular rotation schedule , getting him on a routine.

 

Picture Cora and Bush sitting him down for a talk and saying, " Listen , Brayan, you are our guy, a Red Sox Way home grown talent and we will keep you up here, at least until Chaim trades you for a couple prospects."

[moonslav59]

True, but it was a risky signing for a team on a tight budget.

 

Any signing at more than $10M and 2 years is "risky" for us.

 

Apparently, the scouts have wanted this guy for a long time. Only time will tell.

 

I'm not concerned over any player's 2 week sample size, and more so with a guy adjusting to a whole new culture.

[moonslav59]

I think the Sox will try to "normalize" Bello by running him out to the mound for at least 2 more starts on regular rotation schedule , getting him on a routine.

 

Picture Cora and Bush sitting him down for a talk and saying, " Listen , Brayan, you are our guy, a Red Sox Way home grown talent and we will keep you up here, at least until Chaim trades you for a couple prospects."

 

The Whitlock first start had people talking, too.

 

We need to give the kid some slack.

 

[Bellhorn04]

Any signing at more than $10M and 2 years is "risky" for us.

 

Apparently, the scouts have wanted this guy for a long time. Only time will tell.

 

I'm not concerned over any player's 2 week sample size, and more so with a guy adjusting to a whole new culture.

 

Sorry man, I'm just glum about this team. We needed to have a big offseason. We needed to have a good start against weaker opposition. Neither one happened. The team has shown some good fight in coming back from deficits, but the problem is there are too many deficits.

 

B-R estimates our chances of making the playoffs at about 1 in 40. That's pretty brutal at this stage of the season.

[moonslav59]

Sorry man, I'm just glum about this team. We needed to have a big offseason. We needed to have a good start against weaker opposition. Neither one happened. The team has shown some good fight in coming back from deficits, but the problem is there are too many deficits.

 

B-R estimates our chances of making the playoffs at about 1 in 40. That's pretty brutal at this stage of the season.

 

I'm disappointed by the offseason, too. I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses for Bloom or Henry, but it kind of irks me that the one winter we decide to spend big, the prices for the best FAs went through the roof. I'm not sure we'd have signed Rodon, Bogey, Judge or any other real big name FA, anyway, but still...

 

I am not letting Bloom & Co. off the hook, this season. I'm just not letting the first 17 games cause me to jump the gun on final judgments.

 

Sure, I'd like to have seen better results, out of the gate, but it's way too early. It looks like Bloom did fine with the Duvall signing, except to know he'd get hurt. (I know- I know, the guy was injury prone, so he should have expected it.) Turner and Kluber have yet to light the world of fire, and maybe they never will. Jansen has started out well. Martin is now on the IL, along with Joely, Mondesi, Mills & Story- all recent Bloom signees.

 

I can see why people are down on the team, and even if everyone was healthy, we'd still have some questions to be answered. I know I'm in the minority, but I think our rotation will end up being fine, and maybe even more than fine. We may be fine, even without Sale being a force. As i've said before, I like the fact that we have 6 SP'ers to choose from, and I'm counting Houck for the pen. I think Mata or Walter may be helpful, later on, and guys like Houck, Wink and Crawford are solid long men who can spot start, from time to time.

 

We need to avoid major injuries, beyond what we've already had, especially all at once, like what happened, last summer.

 

Having so many question marks is usually viewed as a bad thing, but it also means we have so many options among players with promise that we don't need them all to do great or even all that well. We just need enough to do well.

 

I'm staying optimistic, for now.

 

[moonslav59]

 

B-R estimates our chances of making the playoffs at about 1 in 40. That's pretty brutal at this stage of the season.

 

I'm not excited about the fangraphs numbers, but they have us at a 19.7% chance at making the playoffs. (1 out 5.)

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Having so many question marks is usually viewed as a bad thing, but it also means we have so many options among players with promise that we don't need them all to do great or even all that well. We just need enough to do well.

 

 

 

This is your best line of the week. My main ish with this glass-half-full is that defense is the least of baseball tools affected by slumps -- speed and arm strength are tools that can't be taught; that's why they're the first things scouts look at.

 

With this currently average to below-average D, the Red Sox pitching will have to be lights out or at least induce weak contact for this club to do anything...

[mvp 78]

This is your best line of the week. My main ish with this glass-half-full is that defense is the least of baseball tools affected by slumps -- speed and arm strength are tools that can't be taught; that's why they're the first things scouts look at.

 

With this currently average to below-average D, the Red Sox pitching will have to be lights out or at least induce weak contact for this club to do anything...

 

That's why the Rays are always a solid team. They just play good baseball day in and day out.

 

Why Bloom has built this team in this manner? I have no clue. We've all talked about the concerns defensively and the low ceiling the rotation could have. This is Bloom's mess to figure out.

[Bellhorn04]

That's why the Rays are always a solid team. They just play good baseball day in and day out.

 

Why Bloom has built this team in this manner? I have no clue. We've all talked about the concerns defensively and the low ceiling the rotation could have. This is Bloom's mess to figure out.

 

Or not.

[mvp 78]

I think the Sox will try to "normalize" Bello by running him out to the mound for at least 2 more starts on regular rotation schedule , getting him on a routine.

 

Picture Cora and Bush sitting him down for a talk and saying, " Listen , Brayan, you are our guy, a Red Sox Way home grown talent and we will keep you up here, at least until Chaim trades you for a couple prospects."

 

It was his first start of the year with bad weather and he had no Spring Training because he was shut down due to an arm issue. If there's any time to give him a pass it'd be this game. Sheesh.

[mvp 78]

Or not.

 

It's not Bloom's mess?

[Bellhorn04]

It's not Bloom's mess?

 

No, I'm just expressing doubt that he'll figure it out.

[mvp 78]

No, I'm just expressing doubt that he'll figure it out.

 

I've seen little indication that his creativeness can work in our favor either.

 

I think his plan is simply:

 

1. sign veterans to short contracts to fill whatever holes are in the lineup while staying under the CBT

2. wait for the prospects to get to BOS

 

The problem with the first part is that the short contract guys typically are the lesser FA's and are older and more likely to break down or perform poorly. The problem with the second part is that prospects get injured, don't develop or take too long to develop. And it doesn't seem like the Sox have some scouting or development advantage over other organizations.

[Hugh2]

I've seen little indication that his creativeness can work in our favor either.

 

I think his plan is simply:

 

1. sign veterans to short contracts to fill whatever holes are in the lineup while staying under the CBT

2. wait for the prospects to get to BOS

 

The problem with the first part is that the short contract guys typically are the lesser FA's and are older and more likely to break down or perform poorly. The problem with the second part is that prospects get injured, don't develop or take too long to develop. And it doesn't seem like the Sox have some scouting or development advantage over other organizations.

 

I don't think there's a problem with #1 I think if you have a problem with number 1 you need to start questioning your internal evaluation process and scouting department. Because what else is there after 1 and 2? sign 40 million a year superstars? Those guys break down too and often end up being horrible contracts. So, big or small, it all comes down to how well you hit. Bloom just hasn't hit on some important pieces, Story, Kike, Kluber, and Yoshida have not done much of anything so far this year.

 

We've seen #2 work, and we've seen it fail miserably. Sometimes you have to question wheter the strategy is s***, or if the people trying to execute it just suck at their jobs. I'm inclined to believe the later right now.

[moonslav59]

This is your best line of the week. My main ish with this glass-half-full is that defense is the least of baseball tools affected by slumps -- speed and arm strength are tools that can't be taught; that's why they're the first things scouts look at.

 

With this currently average to below-average D, the Red Sox pitching will have to be lights out or at least induce weak contact for this club to do anything...

 

I'm not trying to sound like I prefer having a pool of promising players to fill several slots over having a solid rock at each position, but I think the promise many of our players have is higher than many feel it is.

Edited April 18, 2023 by moonslav59

[Bellhorn04]

I don't think there's a problem with #1 I think if you have a problem with number 1 you need to start questioning your internal evaluation process and scouting department. Because what else is there after 1 and 2? sign 40 million a year superstars? Those guys break down too and often end up being horrible contracts. So, big or small, it all comes down to how well you hit. Bloom just hasn't hit on some important pieces, Story, Kike, Kluber, and Yoshida have not done much of anything so far this year.

 

We've seen #2 work, and we've seen it fail miserably. Sometimes you have to question wheter the strategy is s***, or if the people trying to execute it just suck at their jobs. I'm inclined to believe the later right now.

 

I agree, the strategy makes sense, but execution is the issue.

[Hugh2]

I agree, the strategy makes sense, but execution is the issue.

 

Which makes me think the issue runs deeper than just Bloom. It's easy to have a guy to blame, but I'm interested in fixing actual problems.

 

For example.

 

Lets say Yoshida is a complete bust. That's on Bloom, and that's fine, I love "the buck stops here" mentality. But true accountability recognizes that Bloom isn't a scout. The Sox have a scouting department that is going to Bloom and telling him we think this player is going to be this. Bloom is only as good as the information he's getting fed. If that personal sucks within your organization then it doesn't matter who your G.M. or director of baseball operations are. Much like a team isn't defined by one player, neither is the organization.

 

If this team misses the playoffs this year, they need to take a good long hard look at their internal processes. If it's the end of Bloom so be it, but they can't just bring in a new guy who brings in a guy or two and expect that to fix everything. Henry has a lot of work to do.

[a700hitter]

Which makes me think the issue runs deeper than just Bloom. It's easy to have a guy to blame, but I'm interested in fixing actual problems.

 

For example.

 

Lets say Yoshida is a complete bust. That's on Bloom, and that's fine, I love "the buck stops here" mentality. But true accountability recognizes that Bloom isn't a scout. The Sox have a scouting department that is going to Bloom and telling him we think this player is going to be this. Bloom is only as good as the information he's getting fed. If that personal sucks within your organization then it doesn't matter who your G.M. or director of baseball operations are. Much like a team isn't defined by one player, neither is the organization.

 

If this team misses the playoffs this year, they need to take a good long hard look at their internal processes. If it's the end of Bloom so be it, but they can't just bring in a new guy who brings in a guy or two and expect that to fix everything. Henry has a lot of work to do.

Usually, the GM brings in the scouts he wants, so that is on him too. After Bloom gets fired, the next GM will clean house in the scouting department.

[a700hitter]

Bloom paid Yoshida much more than he was projected to get. It looks like the projections were right.

[mvp 78]

Usually, the GM brings in the scouts he wants, so that is on him too. After Bloom gets fired, the next GM will clean house in the scouting department.

 

He hasn't brought any new scouts in. There have been no organizational changes under Bloom.

[mvp 78]

I agree, the strategy makes sense, but execution is the issue.

 

That's why the last sentence of my post stated:

 

And it doesn't seem like the Sox have some scouting or development advantage over other organizations.

 

The strategy doesn't make sense if their scouting or development isn't functioning properly.

[a700hitter]

He hasn't brought any new scouts in. There have been no organizational changes under Bloom.

That’s on him too.

[mvp 78]

That’s on him too.

 

Why isn't development now just 50% overpaid Tampa guys? It makes no sense to me.

[Hugh2]

Usually, the GM brings in the scouts he wants, so that is on him too. After Bloom gets fired, the next GM will clean house in the scouting department.

 

Supposedly Bloom wasn't able to bring a lot of the guys with him. Sometimes you can't, but you're right, it's on him to bring in people.....like he doesn't have contacts in any other organization?

 

Also, if you're expecting a guy to come in and bring all the other guys from another organization (like they're just going to let that happen) then your organization is in big trouble. There's value in continuity. There should be competent people in this organzation no matter who the director of operations is. You replace a director and guy here and there, the guy funneling information collected, no G.M. (btw Bloom is not a G.M.) is still making decisions based on the guts of the orgnaizaiton. Bloom didn't change that.

 

You think you get elected President of the united states and replace millions of jobs? no, you elect the people at the top. The people who keep things running or actually have any clue what is happening are there before and after. When an organization LOSSES that type of competent continuity they are in BIG trouble and no G.M. is going to turn that around. It's going to take a long time.

 

So whoever replaces Bloom and decides to clean house, isn't going to be able to be fully evaluated at his job until a point of time in the future in which he's probably already been fired. Because that's what the Sox do now, at some point people are going to not want to come here if they're just goint to be rotated out and blamed for everything.

[a700hitter]

Supposedly Bloom wasn't able to bring a lot of the guys with him. Sometimes you can't, but you're right, it's on him to bring in people.....like he doesn't have contacts in any other organization?

 

Also, if you're expecting a guy to come in and bring all the other guys from another organization (like they're just going to let that happen) then your organization is in big trouble. There's value in continuity. There should be competent people in this organzation no matter who the director of operations is. You replace a director and guy here and there, the guy funneling information collected, no G.M. (btw Bloom is not a G.M.) is still making decisions based on the guts of the orgnaizaiton. Bloom didn't change that.

 

You think you get elected President of the united states and replace millions of jobs? no, you elect the people at the top. The people who keep things running or actually have any clue what is happening are there before and after. When an organization LOSSES that type of competent continuity they are in BIG trouble and no G.M. is going to turn that around. It's going to take a long time.

 

So whoever replaces Bloom and decides to clean house, isn't going to be able to be fully evaluated at his job until a point of time in the future in which he's probably already been fired. Because that's what the Sox do now, at some point people are going to not want to come here if they're just goint to be rotated out and blamed for everything.

So, should they keep Bloom because improving is hopeless due to permanent bureaucracy inertia? Is that what you are saying? It seems like a very long-winded attempt to absolve Bloom of some blame. No one gives him full blame, but he is the leader, so blame comes with the territory.

[Bellhorn04]

That's why the last sentence of my post stated:

 

And it doesn't seem like the Sox have some scouting or development advantage over other organizations.

 

The strategy doesn't make sense if their scouting or development isn't functioning properly.

 

So I agree with both of you.

[Hugh2]

So, should they keep Bloom because improving is hopeless due to permanent bureaucracy inertia? Is that what you are saying? It seems like a very long-winded attempt to absolve Bloom of some blame. No one gives him full blame, but he is the leader, so blame comes with the territory.

 

I thought it was pretty obvious. It extends beyond just getting rid of Bloom. They need to take a top-down to the bottom and back-up to-the-top approach at evaluating this organization. There's something fundamentally wrong with the concept of not developing a TOTRS in almost TWO decades. That's not a few executives at the top, that's scouts, managers from A ball up, coaches (pitching coaches to strength and conditioning) to all player developmental personnel. I'm not saying they're all inept and unable to do their jobs but it's blatantly obvious the organization as a whole is doing a s*** job.

 

I'm just acknowledging that it goes much deeper and is a more complex problem than just blaming the guy at the top. Bloom very well may be s*** at his job, but he's not all that is wrong with this organization, far from it.

[moonslav59]

Which makes me think the issue runs deeper than just Bloom. It's easy to have a guy to blame, but I'm interested in fixing actual problems.

 

For example.

 

Lets say Yoshida is a complete bust. That's on Bloom, and that's fine, I love "the buck stops here" mentality. But true accountability recognizes that Bloom isn't a scout. The Sox have a scouting department that is going to Bloom and telling him we think this player is going to be this. Bloom is only as good as the information he's getting fed. If that personal sucks within your organization then it doesn't matter who your G.M. or director of baseball operations are. Much like a team isn't defined by one player, neither is the organization.

 

If this team misses the playoffs this year, they need to take a good long hard look at their internal processes. If it's the end of Bloom so be it, but they can't just bring in a new guy who brings in a guy or two and expect that to fix everything. Henry has a lot of work to do.

 

Well said.

 

I think the Sox scouts were in love with Yoshida before Bloom ever got here.

[moonslav59]

I thought it was pretty obvious. It extends beyond just getting rid of Bloom. They need to take a top-down to the bottom and back-up to-the-top approach at evaluating this organization. There's something fundamentally wrong with the concept of not developing a TOTRS in almost TWO decades. That's not a few executives at the top, that's scouts, managers from A ball up, coaches (pitching coaches to strength and conditioning) to all player developmental personnel. I'm not saying they're all inept and unable to do their jobs but it's blatantly obvious the organization as a whole is doing a s*** job.

 

I'm just acknowledging that it goes much deeper and is a more complex problem than just blaming the guy at the top. Bloom very well may be s*** at his job, but he's not all that is wrong with this organization, far from it.

 

You are on a roll. Don't stop, now.

[vegasbob]

I thought it was pretty obvious. It extends beyond just getting rid of Bloom. They need to take a top-down to the bottom and back-up to-the-top approach at evaluating this organization. There's something fundamentally wrong with the concept of not developing a TOTRS in almost TWO decades. That's not a few executives at the top, that's scouts, managers from A ball up, coaches (pitching coaches to strength and conditioning) to all player developmental personnel. I'm not saying they're all inept and unable to do their jobs but it's blatantly obvious the organization as a whole is doing a s*** job.

 

I'm just acknowledging that it goes much deeper and is a more complex problem than just blaming the guy at the top. Bloom very well may be s*** at his job, but he's not all that is wrong with this organization, far from it.

 

Very much accurate about an organization that going back to the early 2000's has had a number of touted prospects few ( maybe 5-6) of whom succeeded at the MLB level . The training and development staff, including MiLB coaching has generally not done well. The current number of prospects is the best in many years , so let's see if the people under Bloom in the organization can help make MLB players out of them. On the other hand Bloom's FA forays are questionable, unless he is being severely constrict3ed by ownership, which my well be true.