Red Sox 2024 Spring Training

[moonslav59]

The main argument would be that Rafaela didn't earn his starting role with his offense anyway. But i agree the extra year of control is huge.

 

If Rafaela starts in Worcester, does that clear a path for Abreu to start in Boston?

 

I’d say yes- in RF. O’Neill in LF and sadly Duran in CF.

[moonslav59]

Yes, but they also haven't given up on putting Masa in LF too.

 

We still have Ref vs LHd pitchers, Rafaela in May and Anthony casting a big shadow over somebody’s job in ‘25.

 

I’m not worried about our OF, except on D when Duran is in CF.

 

It’s not great, but it has serious upside.

 

I’m not sure any amount of time inAAA is going to get Rafaela to change his free swinging ways. They had all last year and before to do it, and it didn’t change a thing. Some free swingers succeed without much adjustment, but it’s a fine line to walk. I think he makes contact enough to not be a negative on O. It might take time to get to plus, but I like his chances. His D is off the charts in CF, so he may stick around, even if his O is slightly negative, every year.

[mvp 78]

I’d say yes- in RF. O’Neill in LF and sadly Duran in CF.

 

Abreu is very athletic and has a really good arm. I'm not sure where to put Duran since runners tag up from 2B on him when he catches fly balls in LF.

[mvp 78]

We still have Ref vs LHd pitchers, Rafaela in May and Anthony casting a big shadow over somebody’s job in ‘25.

 

I’m not worried about our OF, except on D when Duran is in CF.

 

It’s not great, but it has serious upside.

 

I’m not sure any amount of time inAAA is going to get Rafaela to change his free swinging ways. They had all last year and before to do it, and it didn’t change a thing. Some free swingers succeed without much adjustment, but it’s a fine line to walk. I think he makes contact enough to not be a negative on O. It might take time to get to plus, but I like his chances. His D is off the charts in CF, so he may stick around, even if his O is slightly negative, every year.

 

I think Anthony will still progress as a CFer for now. It should get him ready to play RF in Fenway someday or take over for Rafaela if Rafaela's bat doesn't develop at all.

 

Has Dalbec only played 1B this spring?

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Casas had 359 AAA PA's before appearing in BOS. Rafaela is well behind that at the moment and is a much less advanced hitter.

 

He swings at everything, but it has worked out the past two seasons:

 

'22 high A -- .330, 30 XBH in 45 games; AA -- 33 XBH in 71 games;

'23 AA -- .294, 24 XBH in 60 games; AAA '23 -- .312, 30 XBH in 48 games.

 

Duran and Abreu also had good pop in the minors, but not quite like Ceddanne.

 

They all have something positive to offer on offense, but Rafaela is a better player than either in the one area guaranteed to help the Red Sox improve this year: DEFENSE.

[jad]

Is that Youk during the broadcast? Hasn't he run out of the number of words each human is allotted in life?

[Dipre]

He swings at everything, but it has worked out the past two seasons:

 

'22 high A -- .330, 30 XBH in 45 games; AA -- 33 XBH in 71 games;

'23 AA -- .294, 24 XBH in 60 games; AAA '23 -- .312, 30 XBH in 48 games.

 

Duran and Abreu also had good pop in the minors, but not quite like Ceddanne.

 

They all have something positive to offer on offense, but Rafaela is a better player than either in the one area guaranteed to help the Red Sox improve this year: DEFENSE.

 

Can't hit junk pitches out of the zone hard consistently. Works in MiLB, but not in the Majors. That's the issue.

[mvp 78]

MLB '23: 241 AVG, 281 OBP, 667 OPS, 8 XBH in 28 G. Is there an XBH/G stat I should be following? If he can't get that OBP above 300 at the MLB level, it's not great.

[mvp 78]

Can't hit junk pitches out of the zone hard consistently. Works in MiLB, but not in the Majors. That's the issue.

 

The book will go around and pitchers will just not give him much to hit or put it where he can't get any power behind it when it gets in play.

[Nick]

I always thought Abreu was a lock. Good bat to ball skills, unlike Story, doesn't chase every pitch especially the ones out of strike zone and has strong arm supposedly.

 

That's was a good trade with Houston. 3 months of Vaz for two major leaguers.

[mvp 78]

Is that Youk during the broadcast? Hasn't he run out of the number of words each human is allotted in life?

 

He was good as a fill in, but for 162 it's rooooooooooooooough... Him and OB are not a good combo at all.

[mvp 78]

I always thought Abreu was a lock. Good bat to ball skills, unlike Story, doesn't chase every pitch especially the ones out of strike zone and has strong arm supposedly.

 

That's was a good trade with Houston. 3 months of Vaz for two major leaguers.

 

Yup, Bloom should have done more trades like that at the '22 and '23 deadlines.

[jad]

He was good as a fill in, but for 162 it's rooooooooooooooough... Him and OB are not a good combo at all.

 

He cannot keep his mouth shut while his weak-ass brain is trying to form something intelligible to say. He parodies himself.

[mvp 78]

@BOSSportsGordo

Very nice outing today from Cooper Criswell:

 

3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 4 Ks

 

Continues to make a case for a rotation spot.

[mvp 78]

He cannot keep his mouth shut while his weak-ass brain is trying to form something intelligible to say. He parodies himself.

 

His brain is constricted from the dumb newsboy hat he wears.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I always thought Abreu was a lock. Good bat to ball skills, unlike Story, doesn't chase every pitch especially the ones out of strike zone and has strong arm supposedly.

 

That's was a good trade with Houston. 3 months of Vaz for two major leaguers.

 

Struck out in half his ST at bats so far, but everyone says it doesn't matter... though I'm not sure how a guy can win a starting job or make a roster by performing poorly (hustling like Heineman to make Dalbec's granny possible can help).

 

I liked Abreu more before Tom Werner the TV expert praised him. It was like me thinking other actors on the original 22-Jump Street were going to be stars.

[Dipre]

His brain is constricted from the dumb newsboy hat he wears.

 

What'd you expect with that giant-ass head? Have to hide it under something.

[mvp 78]

Struck out in half his ST at bats so far, but everyone says it doesn't matter... though I'm not sure how a guy can win a starting job or make a roster by performing poorly (hustling like Heineman to make Dalbec's granny possible can help).

 

I liked Abreu more before Tom Werner the TV expert praised him. It was like me thinking other actors on the original 22-Jump Street were going to be stars.

 

He makes great plays in the OF and has had actual success at the MLB level previously. ST results are somewhat important, but the coaches see a lot more behind than scenes and not just what is happening in the games.

[mvp 78]

What'd you expect with that giant-ass head? Have to hide it under something.

 

1. Hide it under a bushel? No!

 

2. I watched Moneyball again last night and it's so funny that dingdong is the only non-A's player mentioned in the movie.

[jad]

And when did the go-to sports-interview question become "What does it mean to you that [insert any banality about the team]?"

[jad]

See the ball hit the ball but a lot of the times you overthink like is it goig to be a fast ball or down in the zone like you don't expect your bench players to hit .300 you just want them to fill a role but last night Bobby got that slider right in the zone and that's what you want and he got all of that and that's what he can do but sometimes he strikes out but that's the deal with all hitters gotta do the best you can it's hard the thing with breaking balls is that he see them but what you want is ... [REPEAT]

[mvp 78]

@tylermilliken_

Tanner Houck so far this spring:

 

8 IP, 4 Hits, 1 ER/R, 9 K, 2 BB

 

Alex Cora noted his velocity jump early in camp. Has topped out at 97 in games.

 

Between him, Whitlock, and Winckowski, he’s been the standout.

 

If Houck can get his k/9 back up to where it was a few years ago, this rotation will be better off.

[moonslav59]

Can't hit junk pitches out of the zone hard consistently. Works in MiLB, but not in the Majors. That's the issue.

 

Very few batters master hitting enough bad pitches for hits, but it does happen every now and then.

 

Who knows if Rafaela can do it, but I doubt he changes his free swinging approach.

[mvp 78]

@ChrisHenrique

San Francisco Giants are releasing JD Davis, per @susanslusser

 

Would be a better option than Cron or Dalbec IMO.

[mvp 78]

Very few batters master hitting enough bad pitches for hits, but it does happen every now and then.

 

Who knows if Rafaela can do it, but I doubt he changes his free swinging approach.

He just has to adjust his approach enough to keep pitchers honest.

[notin]

@ChrisHenrique

San Francisco Giants are releasing JD Davis, per @susanslusser

 

Would be a better option than Cron or Dalbec IMO.

 

Depends on what you want him for.

 

As a starter, yes.

 

As a RHH bench bat to face LHP, probably not. Davis has been almost perfectly equal vs LHP as he is vs RHP. Dalbec at least excels vs LHP.

 

If you need defense, ok Davis is probably the best defensive player of these three, especially if you need 3b and corner OF along with 1b. But that doesn’t mean he’s good defensively, just better than two klutz’s…

[Randy Red Sox]

no need to fret about anything. The Sox are doing well in the ST games. Surely that will carry over to the regular season.

[Bellhorn04]

no need to fret about anything. The Sox are doing well in the ST games. Surely that will carry over to the regular season.

 

If the run prevention keeps up in the ST games it'll be a positive sign.

 

Last year the team started off well in ST games and then started giving up runs at a ridiculous rate.

 

Just tryin' to find something to be hopeful about, Randy.

[moonslav59]

If the run prevention keeps up in the ST games it'll be a positive sign.

 

Last year the team started off well in ST games and then started giving up runs at a ridiculous rate.

 

Just tryin' to find something to be hopeful about, Randy.

 

I’d rather see us playing well than poorly.

[mvp 78]

Spring Training wins and losses are whatever. It's nice to see Tanner Houck have a good Spring Training and pitch well. The bullpen arms seem to be look strong again even with the absence of Martin.