A Realistic Look at the 2026 Red Sox: Part I

[RedneckRedSoxFan]

4 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

 

Is a "hitting assistant" the same as the "hitting coach"? Or did they also hire a hitting coach and I missed it?

[moonslav59]

10 minutes ago, RedneckRedSoxFan said:

Is a "hitting assistant" the same as the "hitting coach"? Or did they also hire a hitting coach and I missed it?

If they hired the assistant before the hitting coach, that would be typical Sox logic.

[moonslav59]

We used to speak of the unbalance on the farm with crappy pitching, then it swung to pitching and too few bench pieces on the farm that were ML ready everyday players.

Now, with so many pitchers on the IL, the farm only has 3 pitchers on the 40: 

Bennett was in AA last year

Anderson & Rivera were just added to the 40 a few days ago.

Everyday players: Gasper, Cheng, Campbell, Eaton, Sogard & Seigler.

I gotta think if we add a pitcher to the 40, we may cut one of these everyday players loose. but then again, we could just cut Watson loose.

IL: Gray, Slaten, Crawford & Sandoval (Uberstine) / No everyday players on the IL at BOS or Woo, except Matt Lloyd.

[moonslav59]

Are Contreras and Chapman the only 2 Sox players with WS rings?

[Larry Cook]

On 4/21/2026 at 1:53 PM, JoeBrady said:

1-How did thy drop the ball on not signing him?  You have to put a number on a player and be willing to walk away.

2-And while I did not agree on Bregman, I don't see how making him #1 on their list constitutes a failure.  Someone has to be #1 on your list.

I was perfectly happy to see Bregman leave. 
 

I wish him nothing but success going forward, except when they play us!  

[illinoisredsox]

3 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

Are Contreras and Chapman the only 2 Sox players with WS rings?

I think so; both with the Cubs a decade ago.

Suarez did have a win against the Astros in the 2022 Series but the Phillies didn't win it that year.

[Old Red]

5 GB.  69-64 will get you there.🤔

[moonslav59]

9 hours ago, illinoisredsox said:

I think so; both with the Cubs a decade ago.

Suarez did have a win against the Astros in the 2022 Series but the Phillies didn't win it that year.

Chapman won with the Rangers in 2023, too.

[moonslav59]

9 hours ago, Larry Cook said:

I was perfectly happy to see Bregman leave. 

I wish him nothing but success going forward, except when they play us!  

Even our final offer was too much, so mistakes made or not by our FO, it all worked out for the best on that singular non move, IMO.

The Contreras trade is looking real good, right now, but the season is long.

I just wish we'd have added another big infield bat, or at least bigger than Durbin/IKF.

I thought the pen could be helped by starters who did not make the rotation, but we have already gone through all of them and even had to start Rivera.

[mvp 78]

14 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

If they hired the assistant before the hitting coach, that would be typical Sox logic.

Collin Hetzler is the interim hitting coach (from WOO). The assistant is another position.

[mvp 78]

[moonslav59]

55 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Collin Hetzler is the interim hitting coach (from WOO). The assistant is another position.

Yes. My point was that I thought we hired the assiatnt before the interim hitting coach.

ass backwards.

[mvp 78]

41 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Yes. My point was that I thought we hired the assiatnt before the interim hitting coach.

ass backwards.

It was a dumb point because you were wrong.

[notin]

14 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

Are Contreras and Chapman the only 2 Sox players with WS rings?

Yes.

The only others that even have WS experience are IKF, Suarez, and, if he’s ever added, Tommy Kahnle.

IKF would have a ring if he took a decent lead…

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

13 minutes ago, notin said:

Yes.

The only others that even have WS experience are IKF, Suarez, and, if he’s ever added, Tommy Kahnle.

IKF would have a ring if he took a decent lead…

Didn't you hear Obrien the suck-up announcer say last night it wasn't his fault! It was the Toronto philosophy to take short leads so runners won't get doubled up on all those line drives the Jays rip every game right at infielders. 

So sick of their BS.

[notin]

1 minute ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Didn't you hear Obrien the suck-up announcer say last night it wasn't his fault! It was the Toronto philosophy to take short leads so runners won't get doubled up on all those line drives the Jays rip every game right at infielders. 

So sick of their BS.

For whatever reason, IKF was maybe 2-3 feet off the bag.  At third base, the coach is RIGHT THERE.  If it wasn’t some team philosophy, I’d think the third base coach would be saying “Take more steps!  Take a bigger lead!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD ALMIGHTY GET CLOSER TO HOME PLATE!!” 
 

But it didn’t look like he said anything…

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

1 minute ago, notin said:

For whatever reason, IKF was maybe 2-3 feet off the bag.  At third base, the coach is RIGHT THERE.  If it wasn’t some team philosophy, I’d think the third base coach would be saying “Take more steps!  Take a bigger lead!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD ALMIGHTY GET CLOSER TO HOME PLATE!!” 
 

But it didn’t look like he said anything…

Like: watch out, you might score the run that wins the World Series!

Not: don't keep running with a full count and two outs on Yoshida's grounder up the middle that the second baseman just dove to stop and then bounced a throw past the first baseman, so you can score the go-ahead run and we can eliminate the Yankees at home!

[notin]

4 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Like: watch out, you might score the run that wins the World Series!

Not: don't keep running with a full count and two outs on Yoshida's grounder up the middle that the second baseman just dove to stop and then bounced a throw past the first baseman, so you can score the go-ahead run and we can eliminate the Yankees at home!

You’re never going to give up that it was the right call.  Chisholm had plenty of time to see he had no play at 1b and still had a play at home.

But maybe it’s time to acknowledge at best, that would have only tied the score…

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

25 minutes ago, notin said:

You’re never going to give up that it was the right call.  Chisholm had plenty of time to see he had no play at 1b and still had a play at home.

But maybe it’s time to acknowledge at best, that would have only tied the score…

Game was tied at the time. 

Chisholm rushed a crappy throw to first, which is 90 feet away (give or take a corner of the pizza box) from second, and you think he'd make a better one to home plate, which is 127 feet 3 3/8 inches from the center of the second base bag... and he's Jazz.