A Realistic View of 2024: Part II

[jung]

I think this is a fun team to watch no matter where they end up.

 

American League power house's cannot handle the go-go Sox. They just do not know how to play this team.

 

First, allowing Duran to get on base is a big mistake. Pitchers keep throwing knee high pitches to our LH hitters. That is just STUUUUPID. The only low ball you should through a ML LH hitter is a slider from a LH pitcher. Everything else.....the Pitcher is just asking for it down there. Pitchers keep throwing Rafi low balls as well.

 

Duran gets the merry go round going. On the other side of the plate, pitchers keep throwing RH hitter O'Neal pitches right down main st and he keeps crushing them.

 

The one aspect of this club that is reliable is the go-go kids. This edition of the Sox reminds me of AL teams of the past running into a go-go NL team and simply not having an answer. Heck our catcher can run. Teams know how to beat the wall bashing Sox. Is here enough pitching in MLB any longer to beat the Sox the old fashioned way....by keeping the boppers from bopping? Just don't know.

[Hitch]

I'm not sure The Sox get in the play offs but damn is this team fun to watch, and crucially, look like they will be for the foreseeable.

 

I feel dirty, and terrible, and dirty, for suggesting Duran should be traded in the off season.

 

Bad, dirty Hitch.

[sk7326]

I think this is a fun team to watch no matter where they end up.

 

American League power house's cannot handle the go-go Sox. They just do not know how to play this team.

 

First, allowing Duran to get on base is a big mistake. Pitchers keep throwing knee high pitches to our LH hitters. That is just STUUUUPID. The only low ball you should through a ML LH hitter is a slider from a LH pitcher. Everything else.....the Pitcher is just asking for it down there. Pitchers keep throwing Rafi low balls as well.

 

Duran gets the merry go round going. On the other side of the plate, pitchers keep throwing RH hitter O'Neal pitches right down main st and he keeps crushing them.

 

The one aspect of this club that is reliable is the go-go kids. This edition of the Sox reminds me of AL teams of the past running into a go-go NL team and simply not having an answer. Heck our catcher can run. Teams know how to beat the wall bashing Sox. Is here enough pitching in MLB any longer to beat the Sox the old fashioned way....by keeping the boppers from bopping? Just don't know.

 

It has been fun. The overall team approach to pitching has been a season changer of course, where the team has drastically reduced the diet of 4-seam fastballs.

 

The full throttle comment in the offseason was unfortunate - and definitely part of ownership sounding like supervillains unnecessarily. But giving the kids some run has borne fruit and has been fun to watch. Abreu being on a rookie of the year sort of start before his injury is another to be excited about seeing.

[Hugh2]

It shows to me that there is no reason to push him to make BOS this season. Might as well wait for him to be more ready at some point next season.

 

Well let me just clarify that this is under the assumption that the team could consider them ready this year.

[dgalehouse]

The Sox have winning momentum right now. They are playing with a lot of confidence and energy. A combination that is hard to beat.

[Hugh2]

This is the moment during the season where the Red Sox start to lose, if they can stay hot......especially against good teams. That's a statement.

[Maxbialystock]

This is the moment during the season where the Red Sox start to lose, if they can stay hot......especially against good teams. That's a statement.

 

Back in the very long winter of our discontent, it was called the June swoon. But right now the Sox are 10-6 in June and that includes taking 2 of 3 from both the Yankees and Phillies, who have the best W-L records in the American and National Leagues.

 

To me this simple fact exemplifies the complete weirdness/wildness of this season. The Sox freaking gave away Chris Sale to the Braves and are even paying $17M of his salary. He is the Braves ace so far. And the Sox pitching staff, without Sale or Giolito or Whitlock, is the best it's been in years. Their team ERA is lower than the Sox ERA in 2018.

 

Four of the five best lineup WAR's are bargain basement types: Duran, Abreu, Wong, and Rafaela. When you throw in O'Neill with his $6M salary, Casas, and Hamilton, you've got seven for a total salary of $11M. The current rotation of Houck, Crawford, Bello, Criswell, and Pivetta cost $11M in salary, less than the $16M for Jansen.

 

So, yes, these guys could implode. But maybe Jansen phoning Cora to put him in the game is an example of why this Sox team won't fold.

[Nick]

I believe there is still a poster or two critical of Rafaela.

 

Many of suggested to just let him bat 9th and to let him work on his propensity to swing at bad pitches.

 

His defensive prowess and his speed on base path warrant playing time. Especially on a .500 ball club.

Edited June 19, 2024 by Nick

[moonslav59]

I guess the word”fun” is no longer banned.

 

We all know this team will hit some more hard times, again, and the bay-sayers will come out of the word work.

 

To me, there was a lot of fun going on, even when we were losing and playing near .500 ball. Hell, we are still near .500 ball, now.

 

Certainly it’s more fun when we win more than we lose, but even in many of our losses, this team has shown heart and soul and mangy exciting moments.

 

Let’s win one tonight!

[Duran Is The Man]

I guess the word”fun” is no longer banned.

 

We all know this team will hit some more hard times, again, and the bay-sayers will come out of the word work.

 

To me, there was a lot of fun going on, even when we were losing and playing near .500 ball. Hell, we are still near .500 ball, now.

 

Certainly it’s more fun when we win more than we lose, but even in many of our losses, this team has shown heart and soul and mangy exciting moments.

 

Let’s win one tonight!

 

definitely some heart and soul. very much unlike 2014-2015 and a few other years of serious underachievement.

[Bellhorn04]

I believe there is still a poster or two critical of Rafaela.

 

Many of suggested to just let him bat 9th and to let him work on his propensity to swing at bad pitches.

 

His defensive prowess and his speed on base path warrant playing time. Especially on a .500 ball club.

 

I read that the team told Rafaela he should be taking the first pitch more often. Might have been just one little tweak in approach that turned things around for him.

[Bellhorn04]

Certainly it’s more fun when we win more than we lose, but even in many of our losses, this team has shown heart and soul and *mangy* exciting moments.

 

Excellent Freudian slip there LOL

[Bellhorn04]

The roster of the 2024 Red Sox is a product of the combined efforts of Dombrowski, Bloom and Breslow, and even Cherington (Devers), and if you really want to stretch it, Epstein, because of the returns on the Betts trade.

 

Leave it to the Sox to have a team put together by 5 CBO's.

[jung]

This is the moment during the season where the Red Sox start to lose, if they can stay hot......especially against good teams. That's a statement.

ot

 

This is the time of the year or thereabouts when pitchers stop giving the hitters their pitch to hit. Its a little early yet, but not much.

 

Every year is a new year in MLB and there is a tendency to forget past years and chart hitters by their current year performance. Its is about now when the Pitchers say "enough already" and the hitters do not get their pitch as often. I would say that mid-June is a bit early for the pitchers to start getting stingy about throwing a particular hitter his pitch. But IT DOES eventually happen during the year.

 

Watch and see if hitters like Duran and Rafi get fewer low center cut or or low inside pitches to hit. See if O'Neal keeps getting so many center cut pitches right down Main Street.

 

This year, the Sox have some very unSox-like tools to bring to bear when they hit their summer swoon at that plate. Should be interesting to see how it plays out.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

More bad news on the SOX front:

 

Top SOX pitching prospect Luis Perales will undergo TJ surgery. He is on the 40 man roster to protect him from Rule 5.

[moonslav59]

excellent freudian slip there lol

 

lol!

[moonslav59]

The roster of the 2024 Red Sox is a product of the combined efforts of Dombrowski, Bloom and Breslow, and even Cherington (Devers), and if you really want to stretch it, Epstein, because of the returns on the Betts trade.

 

Leave it to the Sox to have a team put together by 5 CBO's.

 

What about Dan D who handed over Nomar to Theo, who traded him for OCab, who netted us the draft pick Jacoby, who netted us the draft pick for Kopech, who was traded for Sale, who later netted us the fearsome Grissom?

[moonslav59]

Is it still too early for some to post the WC Standings?

 

+8.0 BAL

+0.5 MIN

---- KCR

-1.0 BOS

-5.5 TBR & TOR

-6.5 TEX, HOU & DET

 

It's the closest we've been since when? Week 2?

[moonslav59]

I have to admit being surprised we have not lost a series since BAL from May 27 to 29.

 

We are on a current pace of an 86 win team. We have one real tough series before the AS break (NYY 7/5 to 7/7,) but you know how this team is. We can't ease up on anyone.

3 @ CIN

3 v TOR

3 v SDP

3 @ MIA

3 @ NYY

3 v OAK

3 v KCR

 

AS Break. The Royals, Padres and Jays should not be easy, and beyond the Yanks, the others seem beatable.

 

In these 21 games, we should be able to at least maintain the .533 Win %.

[Nick]

Bloom trading away Vaz for Abreu and Valdez may have been his best move.

Throw in the $30M for 3 year contract Vaz received the following year makes me thankful that we went away from him. That also hastened the arrival of C Wong

[notin]

I have to admit being surprised we have not lost a series since BAL from May 27 to 29.

 

We are on a current pace of an 86 win team. We have one real tough series before the AS break (NYY 7/5 to 7/7,) but you know how this team is. We can't ease up on anyone.

3 @ CIN

3 v TOR

3 v SDP

3 @ MIA

3 @ NYY

3 v OAK

3 v KCR

 

AS Break. The Royals, Padres and Jays should not be easy, and beyond the Yanks, the others seem beatable.

 

In these 21 games, we should be able to at least maintain the .533 Win %.

 

This Sox team went 2-2 against the White Sox, whom many have argued might be the worst team in MLB in the past 20 years. Then took 4 of 6 from the two best teams in MLB.

 

I just can’t gage anything from their opponents any more …

[Nick]

This Sox team went 2-2 against the White Sox, whom many have argued might be the worst team in MLB in the past 20 years. Then took 4 of 6 from the two best teams in MLB.

 

I just can’t gage anything from their opponents any more …

 

Baseball is played over 162 game season. There's always going to be a blip, good or bad over a 3 game series

[Nick]

I am happy with this team. It would be nice to add a Tanner Houck clone but where and how are you going to get him?

[Nick]

Do we throw Fitts and see if he sticks on the wall?

[cp176]

I broke my personal boycott and watched them last night. I love the way this team runs the bases. it is an aggressive style of baseball that I grew up playing and loving to watch.

[notin]

Do we throw Fitts and see if he sticks on the wall?

 

No.

[Bellhorn04]

Creating havoc on the bases is great, but first you have to get on the bases, and they have been doing a much better job of that too.

[mvp 78]

Baseball is played over 162 game season. There's always going to be a blip, good or bad over a 3 game series

 

They are on the good blip right now. They'll be back at .500 soon enough.

[mvp 78]

Do we throw Fitts and see if he sticks on the wall?

 

He's really a backend arm. Who is he replacing?

[Bellhorn04]

He's really a backend arm. Who is he replacing?

 

You're right, it's just fun to say we're throwing Fitts.