Red Sox 2025 Trade Deadline Thread

[notin]

2 minutes ago, Kimmi said:

I always wonder why the hitters continue to fall for being set up like that.  LOL  I know it's a lot easier said than done, but wouldn't you think that the hitter would be expecting that low and away pitch and lay off of it?  

The 0.2 seconds or so in which a hitter had to decide whether or not to swing might not be as long as you think…

[Kimmi]

5 minutes ago, notin said:

The 0.2 seconds or so in which a hitter had to decide whether or not to swing might not be as long as you think…

LOL   No doubt.

 

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

A pitch a batter sees heading for the strike zone is no longer in the strike zone after the batter's brain has told him to swing..

[drewski6]

On 8/9/2025 at 12:06 PM, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Of course it's not easy. Hitting a pitched baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports.

You made a good point about having less than half a split second to decide whether to swing or not.

It's not like Little Leaguers who are taught to be ready to hit every pitch by thinking, "Yes, yes, yes- no!" MLB batters have the best hand-eye coordination in sports, but modern velo and spin barely let them prepare with, "Ye- na!"

That's why I loathe check-the-check as the worst change in big league baseball in the past 50 years. Batters HAVE to start early if they want a prayer of being on time. Is any human really getting fooled when modern pitchers throw five different pitches in the mid-90s? The one thing I look forward to with the impeding automated strike zone is some kind of computerized ruling on what actually constitutes a legitimate swing.

And finally, there is no such thing as a batter "ambushing" a pitcher. If I step in the box with a bat in my hands, it's my job to use it. There's absolutely nothing sneaky about hitting a first-pitch fastball down the middle -- especially since it just may be the best pitch to barrel in the entire at bat. 

 

Ambush hitting refers to only looking inner or outer half of the place.  Its not considered sneaky or negative , thats just what its called.  Modern hitting coaches preach it.  Its different for jumping on the first thing straight, and taking advantage of a % first pitch fastballs.  Im not sure what people call it, but I sometimes refer to it as blitzing.  Again, its not anything cheap or shady.  Its just new school.  Cuz thats my whole point.  Things change and gotta stay up on it.  

Jumping on first pitch fastballs, "ambush" hitting, so hot right now.  Staying back and trying to just put the ball in play is dated philosophy.  Stay current or get left behind.  New school baby!

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Just now, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

A pitch a batter sees heading for the strike zone is no longer in the strike zone after the batter's brain has told him to swing..

It's difficult to not follow what one's brain tells you.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

3 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

It's difficult to not follow what one's brain tells you.

IMHO, the better hitters are the ones who have a higher percentage of guessing correctly.

[drewski6]

5 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Sweeper is just what they are calling a slower slider TBF if a guy has two velo bands for a slider. 

According to AI, Chapman throws a 105.1 mph curveball! 🤖🔫

I cursory search found a youtube video of Joe Kelly throwing a 90 mph curveball. It's possible. 

You break your wrist with a sweeper, not a slider.  Its not a slider, and its not a slurve either.  It use to be considered a curveball (was referred to as a sweeping curveball).  It differs from a "sharp" curve (aka an uncle charlie aka a hammer curve) due to its slower speed and (as you correctly note) horizontal break. They renamed it (pretty much just changed it from a sweeping curve to a sweeper) because less of a mouthful and its so different from all other curveball varieties

Watching it either as a batter or fan, it looks exactly like you say.  A much slower slider that runs away much more than a slider (assuming pitcher/batter same handedness), but its more similar to a curveball.  You are breaking your wrist and focusing on max spin at the cost of velocity.  Sliders and slurves are thrown hard.  You can throw a front hip slider, wouldnt recommend a front hip sweeper, thats gettin crushed

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

1 minute ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

IMHO, the better hitters are the ones who have a higher percentage of guessing correctly.

Also, the best hitters hit pitchers' mistakes at a much higher rate than average hitters.

[drewski6]

5 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Four-seamer, two-seamer, splitter, cutter, sinker, slider, change-up -- 7 for sure... someone probably has a curve that hits 90, but I'm not going to say "sweeper" which is just a new nickname for any breaking ball that talking heads can't agree is a curve, slider or change. 

 

sweeper would never hit 90.  A hammer curve might, but dont think ive ever seen it.  

[drewski6]

7 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

IMHO, the better hitters are the ones who have a higher percentage of guessing correctly.

Absolutely, its so important right now.  Thats why MLB players are playing baseball video games.  Gotta put in the time to learn pitcher tendencies (as a hitter) or hitter tendencies (as a pitcher) 

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

1 minute ago, drewski6 said:

Absolutely, its so important right now.  Thats why MLB players are playing baseball video games.  Gotta put in the time to learn pitcher tendencies (as a hitter) or hitter tendencies (as a pitcher) 

It's a constant game of cat and mouse and no one will ever hit.400 again.

[Bellhorn04]

Pitchers are winning the battle.  MLB teams are scoring 4.4 runs a game in spite of recent rule changes that should have increased scoring, like eliminating the shift and making the bases bigger.  Plus clamping down on the sticky stuff.  And the new extra inning rule results in more extra inning runs.  Not sure if the baseballs are juiced now or not.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

3 hours ago, Kimmi said:

I always wonder why the hitters continue to fall for being set up like that.  LOL  I know it's a lot easier said than done, but wouldn't you think that the hitter would be expecting that low and away pitch and lay off of it?  

Every Red Sox fan I watched games with in the past decade said the same thing when JD had two strikes. And Jackie. And Trevor. And Ceddanne. I'm sure there are many more we tried to forget, but who resurface when the dream state overlaps the night maritime.

The "you" is anyone who watches TV reruns, already knows what will happen, but leaves them on anyway... not expecting things will change; just getting comfy in familiarity.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

24 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Pitchers are winning the battle.  MLB teams are scoring 4.4 runs a game in spite of recent rule changes that should have increased scoring, like eliminating the shift and making the bases bigger.  Plus clamping down on the sticky stuff.  And the new extra inning rule results in more extra inning runs.  Not sure if the baseballs are juiced now or not.

Time to lower the mound again?

[moonslav59]

11 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Time to lower the mound again?

Maybe by a half inch?

[notin]

12 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Time to lower the mound again?

Put the pitcher in a hole!!

[drewski6]

Any homerun over 440' gets an extra run.

[mvp 78]

15 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

It's a constant game of cat and mouse and no one will ever hit.400 again.

Not if they are only going for launch angle/EV/barrel and making every hitter come out of the same factory. 

[drewski6]

4 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Not if they are only going for launch angle/EV/barrel and making every hitter come out of the same factory. 

If Tony Gwynn had Ichiros speed or even 70% of Ichiros speed , he would have done it in the nineties (at least once). Granted Tony gwynn had like a .395 BA , with only like a .550 slg which is hard to do.  So theres warts in an extreme contact approach.

[drewski6]

I can see it changing again and then again and then again

Right now , the name of the game is hunt. So everyone is trying to punish mistakes.  Everyone is trying to mash (pull). Everyone is swing happy (ofc to different extents). So strikeouts go up. And to an extent you live with it.  But it kinda makes low and away a blue zone.  So if you get something offspeed that breaks away from you, low and away , running away from you, but you are trying to pull and not miss mistakes and it looks like a mistake (until it breaks and runs away) - well thats why you are seeing so many sweepers. They are a great counter for a pull approach.  With 2 strikes you kinda have to try to slap that over the first basemans head (assuming righty/righty, or over the 3b head assuming lefty / lefty) down the line.  

Like splendid said, its kind of a chess match.  

[oldtimer]

18 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

IMHO, the better hitters are the ones who have a higher percentage of guessing correctly.

Good hitters need to remain unpredictable. If a hitter almost always takes the first pitch, guess what the pitcher will throw. Fastball over the plate is a good guess. If a hitter almost always swings at the first pitch on the other hand, he's likely to get a slider or cutter off the plate. In both cases, the hitter winds up in the hole, and his BA falls. Anthony takes most first pitches while Rafaela swings at most. Both have a lot of capability but should consider being less transparent. They are young and are our future so I hope they get good advice.

[notin]

4 hours ago, drewski6 said:

Any homerun over 440' gets an extra run.

Any time the infield fly rule is applicable, the hitter is awarded a ground rule double instead.

Or is that too much?  I’d hate to see MLB get all gimmicky and make some radical change like starting extra innings with a runner already on second base…

[mvp 78]

7 minutes ago, oldtimer said:

Good hitters need to remain unpredictable. If a hitter almost always takes the first pitch, guess what the pitcher will throw. Fastball over the plate is a good guess. If a hitter almost always swings at the first pitch on the other hand, he's likely to get a slider or cutter off the plate. In both cases, the hitter winds up in the hole, and his BA falls. Anthony takes most first pitches while Rafaela swings at most. Both have a lot of capability but should consider being less transparent. They are young and are our future so I hope they get good advice.

Swinging at the 1st pitch:

Roman 15.5%

League Av 33%

Rafaela 50.8%

Roman is extremely patient for good reason (36.9% of pitches swung at, team lowest). He leads the team in 2-0 count % and 3-0 count % (2nd on the team in total 3-0 counts seen). Rafaela has the extreme opposite approach where he's going to always go down swinging (14.9% looking strikes is lowest for the Sox, 60% of pitches swung at). 

[mvp 78]

2 minutes ago, notin said:

Any time the infield fly rule is applicable, the hitter is awarded a ground rule double instead.

Or is that too much?  I’d hate to see MLB get all gimmicky and make some radical change like starting extra innings with a already on secondbdss

There are three Banana Ball rules that could increase scoring:

1. stealing 1st base during and at bat

2. ball 4 sprints

3. golden batter rule (MLB has considered this one) 

[notin]

2 hours ago, drewski6 said:

I can see it changing again and then again and then again

Right now , the name of the game is hunt. So everyone is trying to punish mistakes.  Everyone is trying to mash (pull). Everyone is swing happy (ofc to different extents). So strikeouts go up. And to an extent you live with it.  But it kinda makes low and away a blue zone.  So if you get something offspeed that breaks away from you, low and away , running away from you, but you are trying to pull and not miss mistakes and it looks like a mistake (until it breaks and runs away) - well thats why you are seeing so many sweepers. They are a great counter for a pull approach.  With 2 strikes you kinda have to try to slap that over the first basemans head (assuming righty/righty, or over the 3b head assuming lefty / lefty) down the line.  

Like splendid said, its kind of a chess match.  

That’s why baseball is 90% mental and only 50% physical…

[Bellhorn04]

33 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

There are three Banana Ball rules that could increase scoring:

1. stealing 1st base during and at bat

2. ball 4 sprints

3. golden batter rule (MLB has considered this one) 

Have to get the guy on stilts in there somehow too.

[drewski6]

1 hour ago, oldtimer said:

Good hitters need to remain unpredictable. If a hitter almost always takes the first pitch, guess what the pitcher will throw. Fastball over the plate is a good guess. If a hitter almost always swings at the first pitch on the other hand, he's likely to get a slider or cutter off the plate. In both cases, the hitter winds up in the hole, and his BA falls. Anthony takes most first pitches while Rafaela swings at most. Both have a lot of capability but should consider being less transparent. They are young and are our future so I hope they get good advice.

On an 0-0 count, the advice should be the same.  To keyhole.  Its the execution that is off.  Nobody is being told to take more or swing more.  Or at least they shouldnt be

[notin]

41 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

There are three Banana Ball rules that could increase scoring:

1. stealing 1st base during and at bat

2. ball 4 sprints

3. golden batter rule (MLB has considered this one) 

MLB needs to avoid the Golden Batter Rule at all costs.  It’s proof there is no God…

[notin]

10 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Have to get the guy on stilts in there somehow too.

The big surprise there is the team has pants that fit him.   Just some standard 32” waist 96” in-seam, I guess.
 

And he pitches!  And every hitter facing him doesn’t automatically bunt!!

[mvp 78]

10 minutes ago, notin said:

MLB needs to avoid the Golden Batter Rule at all costs.  It’s proof there is no God…

There are 11 Banana Ball rules and only two that I'd think about: 2 hour time limit/no new inning after 1:50 and batters can't step out of batter's box (auto strike).