A Realistic View of 2024: Part II

[moonslav59]

Sox leaders after 7 games played (over 4% of the season:)

 

OBP

.478 O'Neill

.469 Duran

.375 McGuire

.333 Yoshida & Wong

.313 Story

.300 Casas

 

SLG

.667 O'Neill

.435 Devers

.400 McGuire

.393 Duran

.348 Rafaela

.345 Story

.333 Valdez, Wong & Yoshida

 

OPS

1.145 O'Neill

.862 Duran

.775 McGuire

.715 Devers

(Only 4 players are over the team OPS of .667!)

.666 Wong & Yoshida

.658 Story

.579 Rafaela

 

HRs

2 O'Neill

1 Devers & Valdez

 

RBI

4 Story & Valdez

3 Rafaela

 

XBHs

3 Story & Devers

2 Rafaela & O'Neill

 

SB

6 Duran

 

[moonslav59]

11 of our 13 pitchers have an ERA or 3.00 or lower!

10 are at 1.80 or lower

9 are under 0.82

8 have yet to allow an earned run in 32.2 IP!

 

Crawford, Houck, Pivetta and Whitlock have these combined numbers:

28 IP

17 Hits

3 BB

38 Ks

2 ERs (0.64 ERA)

 

All RP'ers not named Joely or Campbell:

20.2 IP

9 Hits (Jansen 0 in 3 IP)

10 BB (Jansen has half)

25 Ks

0 ERs (0.00 ERA)

4 SVs in 4 Sv Opps

 

[Larry Cook]

Absolutely phenomenal performance to date

[mvp 78]

Duran has been fantastic. Rafaela has done Rafaela things in the field. O'Neillll has been great. The Catchers have hit well. The rest of the offense has been slow to get going (Casas, Devers and Story haven't pulled their weight in the middle of the lineup).

 

Bello isn't there yet. I think a lot of people put further projection on him, but I don't think he's going to be a #1. The HR rate should cool down a little though.

 

Jansen is just walking too many people. Joely shouldn't be on the team. The rest of the bullpen receives no complaints from me. Campbell doesn't deserve the one ER (lowest bullpen FIP & xFIP and run was allowed by Joely).

[Bellhorn04]

Good thing we didn't trade Duran!

 

(Is it too early to be buzzarding?)

[mvp 78]

Good thing we didn't trade Duran!

 

(Is it too early to be buzzarding?)

 

You tell me. You're the buzzarding police.

[Bellhorn04]

You tell me. You're the buzzarding police.

 

Excellent, I finally have an official position here.

[mvp 78]

Excellent, I finally have an official position here.

 

And since you are the Buzzarding Police, you will be able to buzzard without restraint AND enforce whatever buzzarding rules you want to against other posters to fit your needs. It's a win/win for you.

[Old Red]

Excellent, I finally have an official position here.

 

🙈🤭🙈.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Lots to praise, not a lot to complain about.

 

Pitching is obviously a lot better than anyone expected -- best staff ERA and FIP in MLB, second in WHIP, most Ks in AL! Rotation may regress vs. better clubs, but Jansen's back may loosen up with warmer weather.

 

Defense is improved, as expected -- maybe as good as it can be: second in AL in Defensive Efficiency.

 

Bats are weak, so far (as a few of us expected): below-average in runs/game and OPS, second in AL in Ks, 4 home runs (one less than Mookie Betts). Some will get hotter, others will cool off. Grissom not here yet...

 

As always, Cora is doing the best with what he has -- but for the first week, anyway, it is working.

[Bellhorn04]

I think offense across baseball might be down a tick this year, just because pitching has become so sophisticated in approach, with the Sox being a primary example (hopefully).

[mvp 78]

Sox are 20th in wRC+.

 

Casas, Rafael, Valdez, Abreu, Dalbec are all under 50 wRC+.

[mvp 78]

Defensively, the Sox are 5th in DRS and 5th in OAA.

[mvp 78]

Story already has 2 DRS at SS. Quite a turnaround from what we saw at SS in '23.

[moonslav59]

Defensively, the Sox are 5th in DRS and 5th in OAA.

 

From 30th, last year.

[Old Red]

From 30th, last year.

 

Let’s give them some more time than 7 games until we start throwing gold gloves their way. They weren’t exactly stellar yesterday.

[mvp 78]

@redsoxstats

The Red Sox and Yankees both have 13 shutdowns from their bullpens, leading baseball. Catastrophic bullpen issues in MIA 10, SDP 9, and HOU 8 leading the way in meltdowns.

[notin]

I think offense across baseball might be down a tick this year, just because pitching has become so sophisticated in approach, with the Sox being a primary example (hopefully).

 

It’s also only been a week. And in some cities (Chicago, for example), the weather has not been conducive to hitting…

[mvp 78]

Let’s give them some more time than 7 games until we start throwing gold gloves their way. They weren’t exactly stellar yesterday.

 

Nobody is.

 

Just stating facts at where they stand right now.

[mvp 78]

It’s also only been a week. And in some cities (Chicago, for example), the weather has not been conducive to hitting…

 

Then maybe Chicago should have had a West Coast Swing instead!

[Old Red]

Nobody is.

 

Just stating facts at where they stand right now.

 

It was a fact that they wasn’t that good yesterday was it not?

[jgar658]

Every time Rafaela prevents a run in the outfield is the same as hitting a homer on offense.

 

Is the improvement in pitching due to a new pitching coach?

[notin]

Every time Rafaela prevents a run in the outfield is the same as hitting a homer on offense.

 

Is the improvement in pitching due to a new pitching coach?

 

Maybe. There were theories that he would lead to some improvements.

 

Also the new attention to defense probably helps…

[notin]

Then maybe Chicago should have had a West Coast Swing instead!

 

Both teams? How many teams can start with a west coast swing? (Actually, 6, not counting the west coast teams.)

 

But it was SNOWING here yesterday. They did get both games in anyway…

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Both teams? How many teams can start with a west coast swing? (Actually, 6, not counting the west coast teams.)

 

But it was SNOWING here yesterday. They did get both games in anyway…

 

Snowing in New England today. But even if not, climate change regularly brings windy, rainy nights in the 40s through most of April now. If MLB is smart, they schedule East Coast teams out West (or in domes) at the start of every season...

 

... speaking-of, yes, it's one trip. But it's evident Boston is improved, if just under the spell of Bailey. I always shook my head in past years when the team sucked and posters insisted "it's still early" in April, May -- "it's only Memorial Day" --, June -- "it's not even officially summer" --, July "it's not even the All-Star Break... wait til the deadline" ... "The season's only half over..."

 

Players and management have to use those stock lines, but fans see the truth. The Red Sox may not be contenders or not even a .500 team this year, but they've been winning now for two months. So here's a serious question for the board: When is it no longer "still early?"

[mvp 78]

Both teams? How many teams can start with a west coast swing? (Actually, 6, not counting the west coast teams.)

 

But it was SNOWING here yesterday. They did get both games in anyway…

Domes or retractable roofs:

Rays

Jays

Rangers

Houston

Milwaukee

Miami

Arizona

 

West Coast Climate:

LA

Anaheim

SD

SF

A's

 

Milder Weather Sites:

ATL

KC

STL

 

That's half the parks right there.

[mvp 78]

Snowing in New England today. But even if not, climate change regularly brings windy, rainy nights in the 40s through most of April now. If MLB is smart, they schedule East Coast teams out West (or in domes) at the start of every season...

 

... speaking-of, yes, it's one trip. But it's evident Boston is improved, if just under the spell of Bailey. I always shook my head in past years when the team sucked and posters insisted "it's still early" in April, May -- "it's only Memorial Day" --, June -- "it's not even officially summer" --, July "it's not even the All-Star Break... wait til the deadline" ... "The season's only half over..."

 

Players and management have to use those stock lines, but fans see the truth. The Red Sox may not be contenders or not even a .500 team this year, but they've been winning now for two months. So here's a serious question for the board: When is it no longer "still early?"

 

To me, Memorial Day has always been a good cutoff to know if your team is good or not. At that point, any GM should know where the gaps are. Anyone waiting until the deadline is foolish.

[notin]

Snowing in New England today. But even if not, climate change regularly brings windy, rainy nights in the 40s through most of April now. If MLB is smart, they schedule East Coast teams out West (or in domes) at the start of every season...

 

... speaking-of, yes, it's one trip. But it's evident Boston is improved, if just under the spell of Bailey. I always shook my head in past years when the team sucked and posters insisted "it's still early" in April, May -- "it's only Memorial Day" --, June -- "it's not even officially summer" --, July "it's not even the All-Star Break... wait til the deadline" ... "The season's only half over..."

 

Players and management have to use those stock lines, but fans see the truth. The Red Sox may not be contenders or not even a .500 team this year, but they've been winning now for two months. So here's a serious question for the board: When is it no longer "still early?"

 

October.

 

If teams like the 2007 Rockies can be 7 games out with 20 games left, miss the division lead by 1 game, make the wild card, and ride that wave all the way to the World Series, is it ever too late before math officially says so?

[Maxbialystock]

Let’s give them some more time than 7 games until we start throwing gold gloves their way. They weren’t exactly stellar yesterday.

 

Gold gloves sometimes go to the undeserving.

 

Me, I'm just happy with the fielding I've seen so far, granted, in just 7 games.

 

I believe moonslav's theory that good defense gives pitchers a psychological boost over and above whatever runs they may prevent--just as bad defense undercuts pitchers' confidence. A possible sign of that psychological boost this season is that the five starters have pitched 38 innings to date while giving up just 3 freaking walks.

[mvp 78]

Gold gloves sometimes go to the undeserving.

 

Me, I'm just happy with the fielding I've seen so far, granted, in just 7 games.

 

I believe moonslav's theory that good defense gives pitchers a psychological boost over and above whatever runs they may prevent--just as bad defense undercuts pitchers' confidence. A possible sign of that psychological boost this season is that the five starters have pitched 38 innings to date while giving up just 3 freaking walks.

 

And there's still room for improvement at 2B when Grissom takes over. Valdez is absolutely brutal over there. If Grissom could be average, it would make a big difference for this ballclub.