A Realistic View of the 2025 Red Sox: Part II

[Nick]

New BA Top 100 Out (subscription required)

1 Roman Anthony

3 Kristian Campbell

I can only see top 5, but supposedly we have 2 pitchers ranked in the 90's.

[Nick]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzDYgRc6eic

Yes, Devers can play 1B, it's not that hard.

[moonslav59]

1B is easier than 3B.

[Kimmi]

7 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

I often think I get a good feel for the team by May, although surprises have often occurred, later in the seasons. I can't really get a reading on this club. I wonder if it's because I just don't want to let go of my preseason optimism or I've been more distracted this past few months, than ever before.

I don't want to bring anyone down or unleash anyone's need to express sympathy to me, but I lost both my parents in the last 6 months. I'm in Maine, now, for my 97 year old father's funeral and memorial service. When people say, you never know what it's like until it happens to you, they were right. Nobody does or can prepare you for this.

Sorry to hear Moon.  Wishing you warm thoughts.  

[Kimmi]

6 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

We are about 3 games short of the quarter mark of the season. Being under .500 is a big bummer, especially when you consider we have yet to play the 3 best AL teams by record: NYY, DET & SEA.

There is still a lot of time left, but we can't afford to keep falling backwards.

Fangraphs has us ranked...

9th in Pitching (6th RP while 18th in relief IP/16th SP)

9th in Offense

4th in Defense, although 16th and 15th in DRS & OAA

3rd in baserunning (3rd in SB with less CS than #1 and #2)

With numbers like these, we should be at least 20-17.

When I look at this team, player by player, I can't believe our record is as bad as it is.  Yes, we have some holes, but as you said, we should be at least 20-17.  Pythagoras agrees.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

52 minutes ago, Kimmi said:

Sorry to hear Moon.  Wishing you warm thoughts.  

I echo Kimmi's words.

[moonslav59]

Thanks for the condolences.

I just guessed on the 20-17 thingy.

This should fuel the anti-Cora crowd.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

19 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Thanks for the condolences.

I just guessed on the 20-17 thingy.

This should fuel the anti-Cora crowd.

The anti-Cora crowd. Hey, I resemble that statement.

[moonslav59]

3 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

The anti-Cora crowd. Hey, I resemble that statement.

U are not alone- just far from me.

[Larry Cook]

A .500 team for 200 games!!!! Consistent Cora 

[Nick]

AL Top 20 OPS Leaders

# 2 1.013   Bregman

# 3 0.980 Abreu

#18 0.846 Campbell

#20 0.800 Devers

We have 4 in top 20, Yankees next with 3

So glad that we signed Bregman, did not trade Abreu and decided to start Campbell despite his mediocre spring training offense.

Trevor Story is not a good hitter. 

[Larry Cook]

1 minute ago, Nick said:

AL Top 20 OPS Leaders

# 2 1.013   Bregman

# 3 0.980 Abreu

#18 0.846 Campbell

#20 0.800 Devers

We have 4 in top 20, Yankees next with 3

So glad that we signed Bregman, did not trade Abreu and decided to start Campbell despite his mediocre spring training offense.

Trevor Story is not a good hitter. 

Mayer went 2 for 5 today with a triple and an rbi! 
 

[Bellhorn04]

On 5/7/2025 at 9:32 AM, moonslav59 said:

I often think I get a good feel for the team by May, although surprises have often occurred, later in the seasons. I can't really get a reading on this club. I wonder if it's because I just don't want to let go of my preseason optimism or I've been more distracted this past few months, than ever before.

I don't want to bring anyone down or unleash anyone's need to express sympathy to me, but I lost both my parents in the last 6 months. I'm in Maine, now, for my 97 year old father's funeral and memorial service. When people say, you never know what it's like until it happens to you, they were right. Nobody does or can prepare you for this.

Sorry to hear this, moon.  I lost my mother in 1995 and my dad in 2006.  

[Bellhorn04]

16 hours ago, Kimmi said:

When I look at this team, player by player, I can't believe our record is as bad as it is.  Yes, we have some holes, but as you said, we should be at least 20-17.  Pythagoras agrees.

The last few years the Red Sox seem to have been paying too much attention to another of the Greek philosophers, one of the lesser-known ones: Mediocrates. 😉 

[mvp 78]

22 hours ago, Nick said:

New BA Top 100 Out (subscription required)

1 Roman Anthony

3 Kristian Campbell

I can only see top 5, but supposedly we have 2 pitchers ranked in the 90's.

Tolle 94 

Clarke 96

[mvp 78]

Mayer 9

Arias 68

[Nick]

My Team with What we have and shedding payroll burden, Story and Yoshida

1B Devers

2B Rafaela

SS Mayer

3B Bregman

LF Anthony

CF Duran

RF Abreu

D Refsnyder

C Narvaez

[Nick]

3 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Tolle 94 

Clarke 96

Wow, thanks.

Tolle is #13 for Red Sox, Clarke is #19. They have both been featured somewhere recently, Tolle multiple times.

Tolle has enormous wingspan, "elite extension of 7'4" or more". Clarke touches 100 and has developed 6 pitches.

4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16 and 19 in Sox Prospect List are all pitchers.

[Nick]

Interesting that Bregman was quoted as saying he wants to play 10 more years.

[TheSplinteredSplendor]

19 hours ago, Kimmi said:

 Pythagoras agrees.

That and $5 will get you a Mega Millions ticket.

[moonslav59]

26 minutes ago, Nick said:

4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16 and 19 in Sox Prospect List are all pitchers.

These guys need to show something at the big level, but this is highly encouraging. 

The change is young and new pitching evaluation, acquisition and development seemed to moving at a snails pace for more than a decade, but I will add this: we've heard talk about how we haven't seen great homegrown pitching (especially starter) since the Lester-Buchholz days, and that is very true, but we have been seeing some recent improvements at the ML level over the last 5-6 years. Still, nothing like Lester, but a clear and measurable improvement in quality and quantity of pitchers helping the big club. Several were acquired by trade, Rule 5, waivers and other non draft and IFA signings. Some were not developed only within the Sox system, but the list of pitchers has been an improvement. (I'm not talking about the Crochets and Klubers- I'm talking about prospects or very young pitchers with no or very little ML experience when we acquired them.) Add these guys to the growing list of drafted and IFA additions, where we have been drafting more pitching and spending more IFA bonus money on pitching than before, and the trend is clearly in the right direction.

Established homegrown pitchers:  Houck, Crawford, Bello

Semi-homegrown: Whitlock, Slaten, Fitts, Winckowski, Kelly, I Campbell

Acquired: Criswell (37 IP w 2 teams) Weisser (30 IP w NYY)

Prospects w ML experience: Dobbins, Guerrero, Penrod, Murphy

Prospects w/o ML experience: 4 Perales, 13 Tolle, 19 Clarke,  Valera, 10 Early, 8 Sandlin, 16 Paez,  22 Reyes, 23 Cason, 29 Mullins, 30 Delzine, 25 Wehunt, 28 Monegro, 32 Tygart, 36 Ingrassia, 40 Aita,  plus Fajardo, Drohan, Mata, Carlson, Rivera, Sena, Neely, Dean, Rogers and others

Pretty impressive, despite not seeing the next Lester, as of now.

[mvp 78]

Isaiah Campbell is not semi homegrown.

[TheSplinteredSplendor]

2 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Isaiah Campbell is not semi homegrown.

Exactly my thoughts

[notin]

1 hour ago, Nick said:

My Team with What we have and shedding payroll burden, Story and Yoshida

1B Devers

2B Rafaela

SS Mayer

3B Bregman

LF Anthony

CF Duran

RF Abreu

D Refsnyder

C Narvaez

Refsnyder at full time DH?  No Campbell?

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

3 hours ago, Bellhorn04 said:

The last few years the Red Sox seem to have been paying too much attention to another of the Greek philosophers, one of the lesser-known ones: Mediocrates. 😉 

I think, therefore I drink.

[moonslav59]

4 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Isaiah Campbell is not semi homegrown.

True. He should have been in the "acquired" category. He has spent a lot of time on our farm, but that doesn't make him semi homegrown.

[vjcsmoke]

We signed Rizzo to play 1st base. Not even joking.

He's 35 years old and his OPS trend has gone down each year: .817 -> .706 -> .637.

I mean he used to be good a few years ago. Maybe he'll have a minor bounce back year and hit a useful .750ish?

Anyone hyped about this pickup? I find it hard to get enthused.

I guess the only bonus is if he goes off against his former team when we face them head to head.

Article source: Red Sox Sign Former Yankees All-Star First Baseman Slugger

[Hitch]

Devers comments today on playing 3rd...

 

“I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there,” Devers said through team translator Daveson Perez after a 5-0 win over the Rangers. “In spring training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove, that I wasn’t going to play any other position but DH, so right now, I just feel like it’s not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position.”

The 28-year-old said chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spoke with him following Casas’ injury and asked him to consider a move to first.

“I’m not certain what he has with me,” Devers said of Breslow. “He played ball (Breslow pitched in the majors for 12 seasons), and I would like to think that he knows that changing positions like that isn’t easy.

“They put me in this situation, and they told me that they didn’t want to allow me to play any other position,” Devers said. “Now, I think they should do their jobs, essentially, and hit the market and look for another player. I’m not sure why they want me to be in-between the way they have been.”

Asked if he was upset about the inquiry into change positions, Devers didn’t hold back.

“Yes, of course,” he said. “I don’t feel that they stayed true to their word. They told me that I was going to be playing this position, DH, and now they’re going back on that. So I just don’t think they stayed true to their word.”

Though Devers eventually changed his mind about being the DH, he doesn’t think he’ll have a similar change of heart about first base.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “They’ve told me I’m a little hard-headed. And they already asked me to change once, and this time, I don’t think I can be as flexible.”

While Devers’ refusal to play first may seem like he’s putting himself above the team and potentially threatening the team culture, he thinks, at least, he is on good terms with his teammates.

“Here in the clubhouse, thankfully, the relationship that I have with my teammates is great,” Devers said. “I don’t understand some of the decisions that the GM makes. Next thing you know someone in the outfield gets hurt and they want me to play in the outfield. I think I know the kind of player that I am, and that’s just where I stand.”

[Maxbialystock]

1 hour ago, Hitch said:

Devers comments today on playing 3rd...

 

“I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there,” Devers said through team translator Daveson Perez after a 5-0 win over the Rangers. “In spring training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove, that I wasn’t going to play any other position but DH, so right now, I just feel like it’s not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position.”

The 28-year-old said chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spoke with him following Casas’ injury and asked him to consider a move to first.

“I’m not certain what he has with me,” Devers said of Breslow. “He played ball (Breslow pitched in the majors for 12 seasons), and I would like to think that he knows that changing positions like that isn’t easy.

“They put me in this situation, and they told me that they didn’t want to allow me to play any other position,” Devers said. “Now, I think they should do their jobs, essentially, and hit the market and look for another player. I’m not sure why they want me to be in-between the way they have been.”

Asked if he was upset about the inquiry into change positions, Devers didn’t hold back.

“Yes, of course,” he said. “I don’t feel that they stayed true to their word. They told me that I was going to be playing this position, DH, and now they’re going back on that. So I just don’t think they stayed true to their word.”

Though Devers eventually changed his mind about being the DH, he doesn’t think he’ll have a similar change of heart about first base.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “They’ve told me I’m a little hard-headed. And they already asked me to change once, and this time, I don’t think I can be as flexible.”

While Devers’ refusal to play first may seem like he’s putting himself above the team and potentially threatening the team culture, he thinks, at least, he is on good terms with his teammates.

“Here in the clubhouse, thankfully, the relationship that I have with my teammates is great,” Devers said. “I don’t understand some of the decisions that the GM makes. Next thing you know someone in the outfield gets hurt and they want me to play in the outfield. I think I know the kind of player that I am, and that’s just where I stand.”

I'm completely with Devers on this.  He's going to be one of those great DH's--like Ortiz and JDM--who were key to winning four WS after the 86 year drought.  Devers is more likely to play in lots of games as a DH than as 1B or 3B.  And being asked to give up 3b, then DH in the space of 2 months is insulting for a player of his stature.  

Moreover, Breslow is acting as though replacing Casas--he of the -0.8 WAR--is some big emergency when in fact it's the easiest thing in the world.  Gonzalez's WAR is +0.4 and his OPS is 200 points higher than Casas'. 

 

[moonslav59]

Anthony Rizzo?

LMAO.