Article: Grading The 2025 Boston Red Sox: Infielders

[Old Red]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

He shouldn't have traded Devers when he knew he didn't have a 1B then. 🫠

He needed to act like a man and work things out. 

Agree 100%. Especially to if Bregman is in Boston for only 1 year.

[Old Red]

1 hour ago, notin said:

Again that takes both parties to agree.  Devers was very vocal about not wanting to move to 1b, assuming his interpreter was accurate and not contracted from the same place Nelson Mandela got his interpreter.

Devers moving to first wasn’t a new idea.  Bloom suggested it during his contract talks when he based his first offer near what Matt Olson had just signed for.  The fallout there was Bloom’s next offer coming amidst a discussion where Devers would remain at third base.

I don’t think moving Devers to first was going to be so easy to convince merely by “manning up.”  Devers was adamant about playing third for a few years by that time.  And if he wasn’t going to move to help cover for an injured teammate, what was going to motivate him?

The Dever’s situation has been gone over, and over, and over. Yes Devers was vocal about not wanting to move to 1B though reporters, and Brez, but what no one knows is what conversation Devers had with Cora if any. Cora said he hadn’t talked to Raffy about playing 1B, and said he wasn’t going to, and that to me was the key to the way I’ve looked at this whole situation.

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

Had he gotten Lowe earlier and then traded for a real bat at the deadline, mayb e we go farther, but with the Anthony injury coming afterwards, I doubt we reach the promise land even if we added Suarez, Naylor of whoever on O. We also needed a SP'ers, so I don't throw much blame at Brez for not going overly nutty after the Devers trade.

I do think he needs to be bold, this winter, or I will be throwing blame at him and or JH.

It worked out in the end, but he stumbled his way into it. 

[Old Red]

3 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

It worked out in the end, but he stumbled his way into it. 

Or Lowe stumbled into him.

[moonslav59]

8 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

It worked out in the end, but he stumbled his way into it. 

We got lucky Nate had a bit of an uptick.

[notin]

50 minutes ago, Old Red said:

The Dever’s situation has been gone over, and over, and over. Yes Devers was vocal about not wanting to move to 1B though reporters, and Brez, but what no one knows is what conversation Devers had with Cora if any. Cora said he hadn’t talked to Raffy about playing 1B, and said he wasn’t going to, and that to me was the key to the way I’ve looked at this whole situation.

And yet you still commented on it one post earlier…

[notin]

1 hour ago, drewski6 said:

Bregman was signed to play 2b and didnt get moved to third base until it was apparent that Devers shoulder wasnt healthy enough to start the season at 3b.  Had Devers been healthy and you move him to 1b, you are playing the same dangerous game.

Your best hitter is a stubborn blockhead, and you risk pissing him off.  And now we have 0 hitters in the top....what?.....50?
 

Breslow wanted Cora for 3b; Cora wanted him for 2b.

 

But then Cora didnt sign Breslow…

[TedYazPapiMookie]

8 hours ago, Nick John said:

Defensive value also plays a role in their grades and Campbell was statistically the worst defensive second baseman in baseball during his time in the majors. Mayer was viewed as a good to even great defender.

Also, Campbell’s struggles went on for a longer span than his hot streak to open the season. Mayer filled his role better than Campbell since one was expected to be a starter from day 1 while the other was brought up due to an injury and was needed to play at least league average defense at a seemingly new position for him. Anything they got offensively from Mayer was a bonus. 

Sorry but that's an illogical argument.  The contribution is cumulative for the year not during the time period they played.  Campbell contributed far more to the winning in Boston in 2025 than Mayer and Mayer received preferential treatment from Cora, but it didn't matter because once again for what appears to be the 5th time in 5 years Mayer spent a long period on the IL?  You've rationalized the ascension of this privileged player past the clearly superior numbers of the unfavored player who was never supposed to be the star of the future and only got an initial start because he came out of nowhere to set the minor leagues on fire in 2024.  But Cora made sure he put him in his place and reemphasized the prejudiced prospect rankings being pushed in the media.

Campbell is a SS playing 2B and two outfield positions, Mayer was a SS playing 3B and 2B.  That argument about Mayers defensive success using the extremely small sample doesn't hold water.  

Reread what you wrote.  That is the definition of a rationalization on your part.  Contributions for a season are always cumulative, and the cumulative numbers make this a no brainer to the objective viewer.  More offensive stats across the board and the misrepresentation of his defense is a travesty on your part.  Campbell had 7 errors in 235 chances.  Those are FACTS.  That is a fielding percentage of .970 so he was successful 97 percent of the time on defense.  I don't believe that number represents the lowest fielding percentage in baseball at any position.  Fake facts from fake sources.  They don't represent the truth.  You must be yet another leftist who makes things up by subscribing to the fake facts distributed by metric companies who have falsely invaded the statistical side of baseball.

FYI Mayer made 2 errors in 99 chances for a fielding percentage of .980 or 1% higher.  That difference doesn't suggest an offset so great that Campbell's huge advantage on offense would be surpassed by his slightly lower fielding percentage.  Again, rationalization is the only word that fits your conclusions.

Campbell remains the superior prospect fighting to overcome the prejudice of the front office, manager and uninformed fans.

 

[moonslav59]

The absurdity is overwhelming.

[notin]

25 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

The absurdity is overwhelming.

I thought at first it was just whelming, but I think you’re right…

[moonslav59]

9 minutes ago, notin said:

I thought at first it was just whelming, but I think you’re right…

It's multi-leveled.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I keep scrolling with my rightist hand, but my typing is done by my ambidexterist fingers. 

Except on April 15th, when I file and then pay my taxidermist. Having good skin is worth the fee.

[illinoisredsox]

1 hour ago, TedYazPapiMookie said:

Sorry but that's an illogical argument.  The contribution is cumulative for the year not during the time period they played.  Campbell contributed far more to the winning in Boston in 2025 than Mayer and Mayer received preferential treatment from Cora, but it didn't matter because once again for what appears to be the 5th time in 5 years Mayer spent a long period on the IL?  You've rationalized the ascension of this privileged player past the clearly superior numbers of the unfavored player who was never supposed to be the star of the future and only got an initial start because he came out of nowhere to set the minor leagues on fire in 2024.  But Cora made sure he put him in his place and reemphasized the prejudiced prospect rankings being pushed in the media.

Campbell is a SS playing 2B and two outfield positions, Mayer was a SS playing 3B and 2B.  That argument about Mayers defensive success using the extremely small sample doesn't hold water.  

Reread what you wrote.  That is the definition of a rationalization on your part.  Contributions for a season are always cumulative, and the cumulative numbers make this a no brainer to the objective viewer.  More offensive stats across the board and the misrepresentation of his defense is a travesty on your part.  Campbell had 7 errors in 235 chances.  Those are FACTS.  That is a fielding percentage of .970 so he was successful 97 percent of the time on defense.  I don't believe that number represents the lowest fielding percentage in baseball at any position.  Fake facts from fake sources.  They don't represent the truth.  You must be yet another leftist who makes things up by subscribing to the fake facts distributed by metric companies who have falsely invaded the statistical side of baseball.

FYI Mayer made 2 errors in 99 chances for a fielding percentage of .980 or 1% higher.  That difference doesn't suggest an offset so great that Campbell's huge advantage on offense would be surpassed by his slightly lower fielding percentage.  Again, rationalization is the only word that fits your conclusions.

Campbell remains the superior prospect fighting to overcome the prejudice of the front office, manager and uninformed fans.

 

So to sum up:

Cora sucks (ongoing since TYPM started posting)

Abreu sucks (ongoing since TYPM started posting)

Narvaez sucks (from the catcher grade thread)

Mayer sucks (ongoing since TYPM started posting)

Anyone sensing a pattern here?