A Realistic View at 2024: Part I

[Nick]

Garrett is a proven SP'er of #2 quality and upside #1 abilities.

 

This is not even close.

 

Crawford has proven nothing as a SP. In fact, he's "proven" he's much better as a RP'er.

 

I would not mind Crawford as our #5, but to me, Pivetta has proven he is better suited at the #5 than Crawford.

 

SP1: addition

SP2: addition

SP3: Bello

SP4: Sale (too undependable for my liking at #4)

SP5: Pivetta

SP6: Crawford (better in long relief)

 

If you guys want us to get a solid SP, but don't think Garrett qualifies, then be prepared to spend a ton getting someone better, either in money or traded prospects.

 

Garrett is a top 25 to 55 SP'er in every meaningful stat or metric I can find.

 

To think Crawford has proven he is near that is wishful thinking.

 

I never made a comparison between Crawford to Garrett.

 

I just think it's premature to move Crawford to the pen.

 

 

1 Bello

2 Sale, healthy, obviously a big question mark

3 Pivetta, assuming he does not regress as he did I believe in 2022, hot May/June, followed by bad starts? I'm guessing Bellhorn. I didn't bother to look it up.

4 Crawford

5 Houck

 

Let's start playing the musical chair. I'd like to see 3 eliminated.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

 

If you guys want us to get a solid SP, but don't think Garrett qualifies, then be prepared to spend a ton getting someone better, either in money or traded prospects.

 

Garrett is a top 25 to 55 SP'er in every meaningful stat or metric I can find.

 

To think Crawford has proven he is near that is wishful thinking.

 

2023 WHIP: Crawford 1.106, Garrett 1.146

 

2023 K/9IP: Crawford 9.4, Garrett 8.8

 

Btw: I am absolutely "prepared to spend a ton getting someone better, either in money or traded prospects."...

 

... and so will be the new Winter Guy, who'll be hired as the new Fall Guy -- that is, if Henry lets him spend a ton (but with all the old boys and girls still in house, that's 50-50, at best).

[moonslav59]

I never made a comparison between Crawford to Garrett.

 

I just think it's premature to move Crawford to the pen.

 

 

1 Bello

2 Sale, healthy, obviously a big question mark

3 Pivetta, assuming he does not regress as he did I believe in 2022, hot May/June, followed by bad starts? I'm guessing Bellhorn. I didn't bother to look it up.

4 Crawford

5 Houck

 

Let's start playing the musical chair. I'd like to see 3 eliminated.

 

His 4.75 ERA over the last 10 starts screams at letting him start in the pen and maybe spot start or become the 5th SP, if someone gets hurt. I don't think he's ready to be pencilled infor 27 GS and 175+ IP.

 

Like I said, I'd be okay with him as our #5, if we add two top quality SP'er. If you look at my breakdown, I don't count on Sale for anything, so with Crawford as my #6, it is likely he'd be the #5.

[moonslav59]

2023 WHIP: Crawford 1.106, Garrett 1.146

 

2023 K/9IP: Crawford 9.4, Garrett 8.8

 

Btw: I am absolutely "prepared to spend a ton getting someone better, either in money or traded prospects."...

 

... and so will be the new Winter Guy, who'll be hired as the new Fall Guy -- that is, if Henry lets him spend a ton (but with all the old boys and girls still in house, that's 50-50, at best).

 

I'm not counting Crawford's RP numbers.

 

2023

23 GS

4.51 ERA

1.189 WHIP

3.66 K/BB

 

Garrett

30 GS

3.62 ERA

1.130 WHIP

5.34 K/BB

 

Strength to go 30 starts?

Last 10 GS or 2023

2.85 Garrett (after already starting 20)

4.75 Crawford

 

Last 11

2.56 Garrett

4.30 Crawford

 

 

[Randy Red Sox]

why are we wasting time on Crawford? He is at best SP DEPTH only. Possibly can have a BP spot. It is only his funky delivery that helps him and as a result he is better suited for a BP role.

[moonslav59]

why are we wasting time on Crawford? He is at best SP DEPTH only. Possibly can have a BP spot. It is only his funky delivery that helps him and as a result he is better suited for a BP role.

 

I like Crawford, a lot. He looks to be very nice rotation depth and could possibly be a great long relief guy.

 

I'm just extremely reluctant to count on anyone, other than Bello, as a reliable SP'er who can go 25+ GS and 175+ IP. Pivetta is reliable in this one sense, but we can't count on better than 4.50 from him. He'd be fine as the number 5, as long as our top 4 are solid.

 

It is my preference to add 3 SP'ers and have Sale/Pivetta as the #5/#6.

 

If Sale is healthy, we'd have a near revolutionary group of upside long men in the pen:

Houck

Crawford

Whitlock

Pivetta

(In no particular order.)

 

It would make yanking SP'ers early much easier, perhaps keeping them fresher for the late season and playoffs.

 

Yes, PLAYOFFS!

 

I know even 2 solid pitchers added might be just wishful thinking, but we should have the resources to add 3, if we trade for one.

[dgalehouse]

I would not trade Duran. I see him leading off and being a catalyst to the offense. And I don't think the return for him would be sufficient. It is almost in the no brainer category that better pitching is what is paramount . Spend the money.

[notin]

I would not trade Duran. I see him leading off and being a catalyst to the offense. And I don't think the return for him would be sufficient. It is almost in the no brainer category that better pitching is what is paramount . Spend the money.

 

 

To me it depends on what gets offered for Duran. But I do think he has lots of offensive potential and is best left out of CF.

 

I imagine Verdugo is a more likely trade bait. But he isn’t going to be with as much in a deal.

 

Of course, standing on pitching is easier said than done. Especially if the new guy has no budget to work with…

[dgalehouse]

Some folks want to have it both ways. They talk about how you can build a winner with a low payroll and cite a couple of examples as proof. Then they turn around and complain how tough it is to win without spending big. I have been consistent in thinking that MLB is big business. And the best players cost more and for longer term. Sometimes you will get burned. But you have to be willing to spend. And the owners do have the money. And the Red Sox most definitely should have spent on Mookie Betts. Now, they need to spend on pitching.

[Bellhorn04]

Some folks want to have it both ways. They talk about how you can build a winner with a low payroll and cite a couple of examples as proof. Then they turn around and complain how tough it is to win without spending big. I have been consistent in thinking that MLB is big business. And the best players cost more and for longer term. Sometimes you will get burned. But you have to be willing to spend. And the owners do have the money. And the Red Sox most definitely should have spent on Mookie Betts. Now, they need to spend on pitching.

 

If ever there was an offseason that Henry and Co. need to put their money where their mouth is, this is it.

[jacksonianmarch]

Responses to Jacko...

 

C- Wong- can't hit, not a good catcher

Wong dropped off at the end and is still young enough to improve greatly. The catching position is not known for hitting, and our team C OPS ranked 19th. Wong does control the run game, very well, but they say his jumpiness hurts his framing and blocking skills. How he gets the most out of his staff is what I want to see improve mostly. I like our tandem, although they both finished near 30th out of the top 60 catchers in MLB in OPS. (Wong is like 20th out of the top 30 in PAs. That's not horrible for a first full season.)

 

1B- Casas- kid can hit, he is an awful 1b

1B defense is not a major thing, but he did suck on D. His approach at the plate is awesome. He can and should get even better at hitting.

 

2B- open

Urias is only 26. He battled injuries, this year, but was solid from 2021-2022, you know, "way back then." The position is not "open," any more than the Yankee 2B position is open. 2021-2022: 111 OPS+ w 39 HRs in 1042 PAs.

Torres- same period: 103 OPS+ with 33 HRs in 1088 PAs (109 OPS+ '21-'23)

 

SS- Story- lost half season, sucked on return. Should be healthy going into ST, but he is never healthy it seems

He may be our make or break player of 2024. It's hard to know what to expect, except great D, if healthy.

 

3B- Devers- ended up with a solid, albeit unspectacular season for him. Middle of the order bat no question

Devers forevers is a reality.

 

LF- Yoshida- guy can make contact, not much power and absolutely abysmal defense. Better served at DH

He should DH 140 games and play LF 10-15 games. The added rest might help his bat more. The cultural adjustment may help, too.

 

CF- Duran- had a good year. Unsustainable start, big valley, good recovery then hurt. If he can stay on the field, he could provide good value

Moving Yoshi to DH and Duran to LF, FT, should help both be better players. Having Rey as a platoon-mate, if needed, makes the LF position very promising on offense.

Handing CF to Rafaela and Abreu looks scary, but if we re-sign Duvall, we should have it covered better than 2023.

 

RF- Verdugo- 2.0WAR RF. Not great, not terrible, just meh

If he's not traded, he's a slight plus in RF. If we go with Duvall/Abreu in RF, it's harder to project, but still very promising.

 

DH- Turner- 38 yrs old in 24. Probably going to see a downturn at some point. Yoshida's ultimate destination

JT will be gone. Book it. I think Yoshi will improve on 2023, significantly.

 

SP1- Bello- kid was solid. Started striking out batters by year's end. Electric stuff

It's interesting how you paint the end of his season and high K rate as the promising aspect. The K rate barely changed. (36K in last 44IP)

First 14 GS: 3.04 ERA/3.74 FIP (70K in 80 IP)

Last 14 GS: 5.49 ERA/5.36 FIP (62K in 77IP)

He did have a nice long 20 game stretch after his first 2 starts:

3.18 ERA/4.16 FIP (96K in 119). He had a super 12 GS stretch from April 29-July 5: 2.35 ERA/ 3.49 FIP.

 

SP2- Sale- middling season. Quietly made 20 starts and is perpetually hurt

Sale had a very nice stretch of GS'd after his first 3 rusty starts: 3.38/3.31 (106K in 91 IP over 17 GS.) That's still not vintage Sale, but it was a good enough sign to have hope he can be very effective again. It's the health, again, that is such a major concern, I don't think we should count on any starts from him, and make it work, if he can start 20+ in 2024.

 

SP3- Crawford- quietly had a good year. Learned how to keep the ball in the yard. Best served as the #5

Crawford did break our in '23, but I like Pivetta as our #5 and Crawford in the pen with Houck and Whitlock. That would make a fearsome 3 long relief group.

1.66 ERA and .471 OPSA as RP

4.51 ERA and .706 OPSA as SP in '23 (4.75 ERA in last 10 GS and 47 IP as SP)

SP4- open

We need to add a serious innings eater who is ace-like.

 

SP5- open

We need to add another serious innings eater who is a top #3 type pitcher, or a top #2 type, if we add a #2 and not an ace with the other SP'er addition: (A #1 and solid #3 or two solid #2's is the minimum needed.)

 

Anyone who thinks Houck and Whitlock should be in the rotation are out of their f***ing minds. Both of those guys had 5+ ERAs and dealt with injury after getting the Joba Chamberlain treatment. They're nails in the pen. Leave em there and stop messing with them.

 

You barely mention our pen, which should be our biggest strength, especially with Houck and Whitlock in it- Crawford or Pivetta, too.

Jansen

Martin

Winckowski

Schreiber

Bernardino

Houck

Whitlock

Crawford

Pivetta

Even you have to admit, that looks pretty damn good.

 

Sox farm isn't as "now ready" as it should be for a team that finished last 3 of the last 4 years. Mayer took a step back. Raffaele is MLB ready, but they'll likely groom him a little more.

We drafted mostly HS players with the early picks, and 2020's draft and lost minor league season makes it more like 3 years not 4. We just graduated Casas, Bello, Crawford, Wink, Duran, Wong and Murphy, so it's understandable, the ML ready class might be low for a spell. You forgot Abreu, who many see as a better shot that Rafaela.

BTW, these are the prospects soxprospects.com has at the MLB level by 2025:

1. Mayer '25

2. Anthony late '25

4. Rafaela '24/MLB '23

5. Teel early '25

6. Yorke '24

8. Wikelman '25 (perhaps in the pen)

11. Bonaci late '25 (may not see MLB)

12. Abreu early '24/MLB in '23 (could be a real sleeper)

13. Drohan '24 (took a big step back in AA)

15. Walter '24/MLB in '23 (40 man roster bubble player)

19. Hickey '25 (probably not as a catcher)

21. EValdez '24/MLB in '23 (showed promise with the bat)

22. Jordan '25

23. DHam '24/played some in '23

27. Mata '24 (health issues)

28. Dobbins '25

29. Guerrero '24 (could surprise from pen)

30. Bastardo '25

Others: Gambrell '24, I Coffey '24, Scott '24, Hagenman '24, Robertson '24, Meidroth '24, Rosier '24, RFern '24

 

Sox pen should be deep if they stop f***ing around with Whitlock and Houck. They have money to burn and need to burn it in the rotation. Sox are hard to gauge here. I don't think their upside is as high as the Yanks right now because their issues were less injury and more poor roster construction (lots of DH's) or poor operational decisions (two lights out relievers being tried as starters).

You have 2 studs, as you claim on the other thread. How do your other 24 slots compare to ours for 2024? How about the other 38 roster slots?

Our overall foundation is better. I like our farm better, too.

 

But because their only real long term "albatross" contract is for their star 3b who is producing at a high level, they can afford to inject massive quantities of cash into their issues and with Bloom fired, it is what they will likely do. The sox might be the most intriguing team to follow through the hot stove.

 

The Yanks might be second. They need to fill a lot of holes to get back near the top. We have fewer holes but the 2-4 we have are gaping holes. I'd rather have our problems than yours, especially the "albatross contracts."

 

Here is why I think the Yanks have the better foundation "right now". They have the best hitter and pitcher of the two teams. Judge is better than anything the sox have. Cole is better than anything the sox have. Yanks also have the better pen. Looking at the rotation, Rodon and Cortes have a far bigger upside than any pitcher on the sox not named Bello. We also have proven big league starting depth in German and Schmidt. The question is, will anyone stay healthy? Yanks get a big edge on the mound.

 

On the offense, sox have the deeper team and I give the offensive edge to them. If Dominguez was healthy and knowing Volpe was going into year 2 plus Torres breaking out and Judge healthy, I would say it was close. But with Dominguez down for most of next year, there is no major upside beyond Volpe to think of beyond a last gasp return to prominence for a dying veteran.

 

In terms of the farm, you have top 100 prospects Wells, Pereira, Peraza, and Dominguez all MLB ready and having made their debuts. This injection of youth OR trade chips should help make this team more watchable. That being said, the difference isn't enormous. The sox have the more glaring issue. They've got a rotation that is shallow and talentless. If the sox add a few top level arms, they will surpass the Yanks

[Larry Cook]

To me it depends on what gets offered for Duran. But I do think he has lots of offensive potential and is best left out of CF.

 

I imagine Verdugo is a more likely trade bait. But he isn’t going to be with as much in a deal.

 

Of course, standing on pitching is easier said than done. Especially if the new guy has no budget to work with…

 

Free agency is the best route available to us for starting pitcher. We have to be prepared to overspend for snell.

 

There are two starting pitchers from Japan being posted. Yamamoto will get a ton of attention. But Inomega will be a better starter than anything we currently have and cheaper.

[notin]

Here is why I think the Yanks have the better foundation "right now". They have the best hitter and pitcher of the two teams. Judge is better than anything the sox have. Cole is better than anything the sox have. Yanks also have the better pen. Looking at the rotation, Rodon and Cortes have a far bigger upside than any pitcher on the sox not named Bello. We also have proven big league starting depth in German and Schmidt. The question is, will anyone stay healthy? Yanks get a big edge on the mound.

 

On the offense, sox have the deeper team and I give the offensive edge to them. If Dominguez was healthy and knowing Volpe was going into year 2 plus Torres breaking out and Judge healthy, I would say it was close. But with Dominguez down for most of next year, there is no major upside beyond Volpe to think of beyond a last gasp return to prominence for a dying veteran.

 

In terms of the farm, you have top 100 prospects Wells, Pereira, Peraza, and Dominguez all MLB ready and having made their debuts. This injection of youth OR trade chips should help make this team more watchable. That being said, the difference isn't enormous. The sox have the more glaring issue. They've got a rotation that is shallow and talentless. If the sox add a few top level arms, they will surpass the Yanks

 

 

The Yankee bullpen is better?

 

Red Sox bullpen - 4.7 fWAR

 

Yankee bullpen 4.2 fWAR.

 

And that’s without Houck and Whitlock getting the full time reliever tiles they both deserve…

[jacksonianmarch]

Which do you go by, the WAR or the FIP,xFIP? Yanks were 8th in baseball with a 3.93FIP and 9th in xFIP with a 4.11. Sox were 0.28 and 0.29 off the pace respectively sitting 19th and 21st. Yanks had the better K rate, a worse walk rate, the second best HR rate in all of baseball, and the best GB rate in all of baseball. How the WAR is higher makes almost no sense to me

[oldtimer]

Some folks want to have it both ways. They talk about how you can build a winner with a low payroll and cite a couple of examples as proof. Then they turn around and complain how tough it is to win without spending big. I have been consistent in thinking that MLB is big business. And the best players cost more and for longer term. Sometimes you will get burned. But you have to be willing to spend. And the owners do have the money. And the Red Sox most definitely should have spent on Mookie Betts. Now, they need to spend on pitching.

It's not just spending more money, although the Sox certainly should spend at least to the limit if they want to be competitive. It's also about spending money wisely and that means avoiding wasting as much as we have in the past. Spending money wisely requires having a solid front office and it is why we need to get a GM who can and will upgrade the Sox roster in a disciplined manner. We we at or below average in most field and pitching positions this year and we need to be at or above average in most or all field and pitching positions to guarantee competitiveness.

 

I tend to agree with you that Duran should remain on the roster. If I was to get rid of a left handed outfielder, it would be Yoshida first. While he can hit, he is slow and a far below average defensive outfielder. Just getting out from under his contract would give us resources to find another preferably right handed hitting and solid defensive outfielder. We shall see what our front office brain trust will do.

[oldtimer]

I was watching the Rangers vs Orioles game today. In general, they both play good defense although not perfect. I was surprised at the Orioles pitchers, most of whom were so reluctant to throw strikes they kept getting into deep trouble. I also noticed some of their young hitters were swinging for the fences, even when they had a base runner in scoring position and were in a full count situations. Looks to me like they are not being coached to win in the playoffs. Maybe it can be chocked up to youth and nervousness, but their best hitter was a young rookie batting ninth in the order, so it is not totally inexperience that is causing the Orioles problems.

[moonslav59]

Here is why I think the Yanks have the better foundation "right now". They have the best hitter and pitcher of the two teams. Judge is better than anything the sox have. Cole is better than anything the sox have. Yanks also have the better pen. Looking at the rotation, Rodon and Cortes have a far bigger upside than any pitcher on the sox not named Bello. We also have proven big league starting depth in German and Schmidt. The question is, will anyone stay healthy? Yanks get a big edge on the mound.

 

On the offense, sox have the deeper team and I give the offensive edge to them. If Dominguez was healthy and knowing Volpe was going into year 2 plus Torres breaking out and Judge healthy, I would say it was close. But with Dominguez down for most of next year, there is no major upside beyond Volpe to think of beyond a last gasp return to prominence for a dying veteran.

 

In terms of the farm, you have top 100 prospects Wells, Pereira, Peraza, and Dominguez all MLB ready and having made their debuts. This injection of youth OR trade chips should help make this team more watchable. That being said, the difference isn't enormous. The sox have the more glaring issue. They've got a rotation that is shallow and talentless. If the sox add a few top level arms, they will surpass the Yanks

 

You certainly have a better rotation foundation.

 

I'm not so sure your pen is better. Our 2023 pen had a better fWAR, and we had to use some of our best pen arms in the rotation. If Houck, Whitlock and one of Crawford or Pivetta stay in the pen, I like our better- for sure.

Jansen, Martin, Wink, Schreiber, Houck, Whitlock, Crawford, Bernardino

 

You mention the offense as being better and deeper, but that's not one position. It's not.

 

You do have some promising ML ready prospects, but "promise" seems to look better to you, when they wear pinstripes.

 

Casas, Duran, Rafaela, Abreu, EValdez, Wong and others have shown some skills at the ML level, too, as have pitchers Whitlock, Houck, Crawford, Winckowski and others.

 

Promise is promise, but the starters we have, right now are mostly enter or in peak prime. Many of yours are past prime.

 

Our oldest everyday returning player is 30 (Story)!!! You can talk about prospects, and they may turn out great. Ours have proven they can play or at least have shown some promise in small sample sizes in the bigs.

26 Devers

23 Casas

27 Dugo

26 Duran

22 Rafaela & 24 Abreu

27 Wong & 28 McGuire

26 Urias & 29 Reyes (24 EValdez)

29 Yoshida

30 Story

 

NYY

31 Judge

34 LeMahieu

33 Rizzo

33 Stanton

26 Torres

33 Higgy & 30 Trevino (23 Wells 75 PAs))

22 Volpe (.666 OPS)

27 Bauers (.693 in 272 PAs)

24 OCabrera (.574)

23 OPereza (.539 in 191 PAs) & 28 I K-F (.646)

20 Dominguez (33 PAs)

22 Peralta (.427 in 103 PAs)

 

Ages of your returning pitchers in order of most IP (looks a lot better)

32 Cole

27 Schmidt

30 German

28 King

25 Brito

30 Rodon (should be #2 in IP, if healthy)

28 Cortes

30 Holmes

27 Abreu

28 Hamilton

31 Peralta

27 Marinaccio

33 N Ramirez

33 Kahnle

 

The Sox

24 Bello

30 Pivetta

27 Crawford

27 Houck

34 Sale

25 Wink

27 Whitlock

37 Martin

31 Bernardino

25 Murphy

29 Scheiber

35 Jansen

22 Robertson

 

The Sox 1-2 RP'ers are very old, but they may have a slight edge in age, elsewhere. Your pitching foundation is better. No argument, here.

 

 

[moonslav59]

Which do you go by, the WAR or the FIP,xFIP? Yanks were 8th in baseball with a 3.93FIP and 9th in xFIP with a 4.11. Sox were 0.28 and 0.29 off the pace respectively sitting 19th and 21st. Yanks had the better K rate, a worse walk rate, the second best HR rate in all of baseball, and the best GB rate in all of baseball. How the WAR is higher makes almost no sense to me

 

The Sox pen pitched 36 more innings, but that's not the only reason we had a better fWAR.

 

You cite FIP, the K rate, BB rate and HR rate, which is basically what FIP is.

 

The Sox did have a better Save % (73% to 70%) and IR Scored% (31% to 36%)

 

If you factor in the crappy D behind Sox pitchers, maybe we'd be leading the Yanks in several categories, not K and HR/9, obviously.

Edited October 9, 2023 by moonslav59

[jacksonianmarch]

The Sox pen pitched 36 more innings, but that's not the only reason we had a better fWAR.

 

You cite FIP, the K rate, BB rate and HR rate, which is basically what FIP is.

 

The Sox did have a better Save % (73% to 70%) and IR Scored% (31% to 36%)

 

If you factor in the crappy D behind Sox pitchers, maybe we'd be leading the Yanks in several categories, not K and HR/9, obviously.

 

Right, but the fielding independent factor should negate the defensive contributions, or lack thereof, correct?

[moonslav59]

Right, but the fielding independent factor should negate the defensive contributions, or lack thereof, correct?

 

I'm not a big fan of FIP, and never have been. It is useful, but not as useful as OPS Against, ERA-, WHIP and K/BB factors.

 

I'm fine with calling our pens even, but I still think ours would be better, if Houck, Whitlock and Crawford were in the pen FT. We can't project that for 2024, but we can't project bounce backs from Yankee players, either.

 

[jacksonianmarch]

I'm not a big fan of FIP, and never have been. It is useful, but not as useful as OPS Against, ERA-, WHIP and K/BB factors.

 

I'm fine with calling our pens even, but I still think ours would be better, if Houck, Whitlock and Crawford were in the pen FT. We can't project that for 2024, but we can't project bounce backs from Yankee players, either.

 

 

It is less a bounceback and more a "if healthy" situation.

 

For the Yanks, they didn't have Kahnle for half the year and Effross for the entire year, so we can play that game too

[moonslav59]

It is less a bounceback and more a "if healthy" situation.

 

For the Yanks, they didn't have Kahnle for half the year and Effross for the entire year, so we can play that game too

 

Some is about health, for sure, but what else is new for the Yanks. You guys hoard injury-prone players like nobody else.

 

Some are not about "health."

Pen

2022>2023 fWAR

1.7>0.9 M King (more IP in '23)

1.5>1.1 Holmes (same IP)

Kahnle pitched more IP in '23 than '22 and '21 combined (make that '18 + '20 + '21 +'22 combined) I'm supposed to cry over his loss?

SP

Cole, German and Schmidt pitched more IP in '23.

We tried to convince you Rodon was injury-prone, last winter, but you would have no part of it. You were all over Paxton.

 

I hope you won't expect sympathy for Severino's health, just like I won't for Sale.

[notin]

I was watching the Rangers vs Orioles game today. In general, they both play good defense although not perfect. I was surprised at the Orioles pitchers, most of whom were so reluctant to throw strikes they kept getting into deep trouble. I also noticed some of their young hitters were swinging for the fences, even when they had a base runner in scoring position and were in a full count situations. Looks to me like they are not being coached to win in the playoffs. Maybe it can be chocked up to youth and nervousness, but their best hitter was a young rookie batting ninth in the order, so it is not totally inexperience that is causing the Orioles problems.

 

As bad as the Sox and Bloom were at the deadline, Baltimore was the runner-up. When you have the consensus best farm system in MLB and only leave the deadline with two months of Jack Flaherty Still on the Way Down, you done made up…

[moonslav59]

As bad as the Sox and Bloom were at the deadline, Baltimore was the runner-up. When you have the consensus best farm system in MLB and only leave the deadline with two months of Jack Flaherty Still on the Way Down, you done made up…

 

Last deadline was even worse.

[moonslav59]

Top WAR players on the Yanks from 2022-2023 and their ages:

(Only returning players with 1.0+ fWAR listed)

 

Red= 30+

 

16.9 Judge 31

8.5 Cole 32

6.1 Torres 26

4.6 Trevino 30

4.4 Cortes 28

4.1 LeMahieu 34

3.9 King 28

3.4 Rizzo 33

3.4 Higgy 33

2.6 Holmes 30

2.3 Schmidt 27

1.9 Volpe 22

1.6 I K-F 28

1.5 German 30

1.1 Hamilton 28

 

Sox

7.9 Devers 26

3.4 Pivetta 30

3.2 Dugo 27

3.0 Crawford 27

2.9 Bello 24

2.6 Story 30

2.3 Sale 34

2.2 Whitlock 27

2.1 Casas 23

1.9 Houck 27

1.9 Schreiber 29

1.7 McGuire 28

1.5 Refsnyder 32

1.5 Martin 37

1.1 Jansen 35

 

 

 

[oldtimer]

Don't know where to put this but as the blather during the Rangers v Orioles game the pundits were discussing with the current technology, the coaches can identify release point spin rate and velocity of all the pitches that the opponent staff will throw at them during the game.. Furthermore, the pitching machines are so good now that they can exactly duplicate those so the hitters can practice against that pitching even at the park. That seems to be an advantage to the team who has a coaching staff energetic enough to provide that facility. I don't know if those points are true, but at times it looks like the Rangers hitters were was as a group, better able to handle at bats

[Larry Cook]

Time to bring back Carl Willis as our pitching coach????

[moonslav59]

Time to bring back Carl Willis as our pitching coach????

 

If we don't beef up the rotation, it won't matter who our pitching coach is.

 

[notin]

If we don't beef up the rotation, it won't matter who our pitching coach is.

 

 

Unless the new pitching coach is Trevor Bauer…

[moonslav59]

Unless the new pitching coach is Trevor Bauer…

 

Player-coach?