Red Sox (Suarez) vs Blue Jays (Cease): 4/27/26, 7:07pm

[notin]

9 hours ago, Larry Cook said:

Have you watched duran’s at bats???  Ouch!!! Dude is confused and has no plan when he gets in the batters box! 

Would you feel different if Schneider didnt make that amazing catch?

[notin]

3 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

It doesn't help me because I don't care about stats in April. Elite ballplayers don't suddenly forget how to hit, and most established stars find success from continually adjusting.

Nagging injuries are the only things that slow them down, unless they have failing vision or substance issues (though I may have more of the latter because my vision is still good enough to keep watching the Red Sox).

They do eventually decline.  Bregman already is a far cry from the player he was in 2017-2019.  Hes not going back to being that player…

[mvp 78]

9 hours ago, illinoisredsox said:

Yeah, those 3 105+ mph (unfortunately at'em) balls he hit tonight really looked awful.

He's looked a lot better the past couple days; maybe it's because he can show up in the clubhouse knowing he's going to play and that he's back in a lineup spot he is used to instead of bouncing around in various places including the bench.

The last column is expected batting average on the balls put in play. He was pretty unlucky last night.

 

[moonslav59]

9 minutes ago, notin said:

They do eventually decline.  Bregman already is a far cry from the player he was in 2017-2019.  Hes not going back to being that player…

Exactly. If not for a couple good half seasons after 2019, Bregman would have had horrible numbers, but hey, he's a great clubhouse guy. That's gotta be worth $35M+.

[mvp 78]

16 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

It doesn't help me because I don't care about stats in April. Elite ballplayers don't suddenly forget how to hit, and most established stars find success from continually adjusting.

Nagging injuries are the only things that slow them down, unless they have failing vision or substance issues (though I may have more of the latter because my vision is still good enough to keep watching the Red Sox).

Red Sox should have DFA'd Ortiz when he OPS'd 524 in April 2010. 

[moonslav59]

.574 Bichette

.590 Naylor

.637 Alonso

.663 E Suarez

.692 Bregman

.700 Okamoto

[moonslav59]

4 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Red Sox should have DFA'd Ortiz when he OPS'd 524 in April 2010. 

I remember one poster wanted him demoted.

He hit .943 May 1st>>>

[Old Red]

9 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Red Sox should have DFA'd Ortiz when he OPS'd 524 in April 2010. 

You can poo poo stats in April, but they are played in games that count in the standings just as much as any other time of the year. The final stats may tell a different story, but they all count just as the infamous SSS do. You don’t get games back after they’ve been played.

[mvp 78]

2 minutes ago, Old Red said:

You can poo poo stats in April, but they are played in games that count in the standings just as much as any other time of the year. The final stats may tell a different story, but they all count just as the infamous SSS do. You don’t get games back after they’ve been played.

Luckily for them, the rest of the AL has been playing poorly as well. There are only 5 AL teams above .500.

[notin]

18 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Red Sox should have DFA'd Ortiz when he OPS'd 524 in April 2010. 

I think he means he has faith in establidhed hitters lie Papi eventually coming around, as opposed to unknowns like Mayer.

But with Mayer up to .688, where are all those Luke Keaschall supporters from a couple weeks ago?

[Old Red]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

Luckily for them, the rest of the AL has been playing poorly as well. There are only 5 AL teams above .500.

Talk about a season that is wide open even at this early stage this year looks to be it.

[notin]

2 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Luckily for them, the rest of the AL has been playing poorly as well. There are only 5 AL teams above .500.

Actually 4.  One less than in the NL Central…

[mvp 78]

2 minutes ago, notin said:

I think he means he has faith in establidhed hitters lie Papi eventually coming around, as opposed to unknowns like Mayer.

But with Mayer up to .688, where are all those Luke Keaschall supporters from a couple weeks ago?

Mayer is an unknown, but that's ok. The Sox need to see what's he's got and give him the season with all the ups and downs he'll go through. His defense should keep providing him value and his bat should eventually come around. Not every young player breaks out their first year in the bigs. It's fine. Let him do his thing. 

[mvp 78]

3 minutes ago, notin said:

Actually 4.  One less than in the NL Central…

I was including CLE at .500 as "above .500." That's how pathetic the AL is. 

[notin]

2 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Mayer is an unknown, but that's ok. The Sox need to see what's he's got and give him the season with all the ups and downs he'll go through. His defense should keep providing him value and his bat should eventually come around. Not every young player breaks out their first year in the bigs. It's fine. Let him do his thing. 

His defense would serve better on the other side of the infield…

[notin]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

I was including CLE at .500 as "above .500." That's how pathetic the AL is. 

My grandmother’s bridge club is 2 games under, so they might be the third wild card…

[Old Red]

4 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Mayer is an unknown, but that's ok. The Sox need to see what's he's got and give him the season with all the ups and downs he'll go through. His defense should keep providing him value and his bat should eventually come around. Not every young player breaks out their first year in the bigs. It's fine. Let him do his thing. 

I agree, and it will be interesting to see if Mayer plays next time a LHP is on the mound.

[mvp 78]

4 minutes ago, notin said:

His defense would serve better on the other side of the infield…

Well, yeah...

[Old Red]

Just now, mvp 78 said:

Well, yeah...

As I said earlier the Sea Dogs Manager, who is now the Red Sox 3B coach said he thought Mayer would be a better 3B than SS. Arias could be the key on what happens there.

[mvp 78]

15 minutes ago, Old Red said:

As I said earlier the Sea Dogs Manager, who is now the Red Sox 3B coach said he thought Mayer would be a better 3B than SS. Arias could be the key on what happens there.

Durbin's defense has been pretty good at 3b. I think he keeps that position until the bat loses it for him. 

[Old Red]

5 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Durbin's defense has been pretty good at 3b. I think he keeps that position until the bat loses it for him. 

I wasn’t really talking about now, but long term, and maybe why also why Mayer’s moves to SS now unless Story completely breaks down.

[moonslav59]

37 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I was including CLE at .500 as "above .500." That's how pathetic the AL is. 

It is.

It was also pretty clear in March that no AL team looked really good.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

28 minutes ago, notin said:

I think he means he has faith in establidhed hitters lie Papi eventually coming around, as opposed to unknowns like Mayer.

Thank you. The problem with the '26 Red Sox -- and it's not going to change -- is that Breslow chose not to supply the roster with enough established bats. When you have enough, hot starters carry slow starters until later, when they change places.

There's plenty of evidence in baseball history that ballplayers are in their primes in their 20s and aren't as good in their 30s, but most younger guys have the quick-twitch tools without the veteran experience. That's where Bregman really helped out last year. 

Bregman's not the hitter he once was, but still knows how to slow down the game in key spots. And Boston still has that huge hole in the middle of the batting order. Contreras is a dangerous hitter, but a big hacker. Surrounding him with more deliberate batters that use the whole field would give the offense more balance.

Anthony is in a funk, and a sucker for curveballs in the dirt right now -- and the league knows it. That's why I wanted him batting 5th or lower until he adjusts -- you could see he was on Cease's fastball last night. At least flip him with Abreu, who's been more consistent since the WBC.

[notin]

1 hour ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Thank you. The problem with the '26 Red Sox -- and it's not going to change -- is that Breslow chose not to supply the roster with enough established bats. When you have enough, hot starters carry slow starters until later, when they change places.

There's plenty of evidence in baseball history that ballplayers are in their primes in their 20s and aren't as good in their 30s, but most younger guys have the quick-twitch tools without the veteran experience. That's where Bregman really helped out last year. 

Bregman's not the hitter he once was, but still knows how to slow down the game in key spots. And Boston still has that huge hole in the middle of the batting order. Contreras is a dangerous hitter, but a big hacker. Surrounding him with more deliberate batters that use the whole field would give the offense more balance.

Anthony is in a funk, and a sucker for curveballs in the dirt right now -- and the league knows it. That's why I wanted him batting 5th or lower until he adjusts -- you could see he was on Cease's fastball last night. At least flip him with Abreu, who's been more consistent since the WBC.

I think the stories about Bregman’s impact on Sox hitters is more of a statement about the Sox (now departed) coaching staff than it is about Bregman.  There has been no mention of that side of him on the Cubs, and they are not without young players in their lineup…

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

7 minutes ago, notin said:

I think the stories about Bregman’s impact on Sox hitters is more of a statement about the Sox (now departed) coaching staff than it is about Bregman.  There has been no mention of that side of him on the Cubs, and they are not without young players in their lineup…

Point worth discussing since Cora was his biggest proponent and in three months they let both go. Maybe that's more a statement that Brez and Co. are all in on the Driveline guys -- who they retained and assigned more important titles (at least, to the new Assistant Hitting Coach).

But the young players also gave Bregman credit for helping them last year, and is it only coincidence that nearly all of them started off this season struggling?

[notin]

11 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Point worth discussing since Cora was his biggest proponent and in three months they let both go. Maybe that's more a statement that Brez and Co. are all in on the Driveline guys -- who they retained and assigned more important titles (at least, to the new Assistant Hitting Coach).

But the young players also gave Bregman credit for helping them last year, and is it only coincidence that nearly all of them started off this season struggling?

It could be.  It’s not like the veterans hit the ground running.

Durbin never even met Bregman and he started off (and arguably still is) hitting poorly after a decent season last year…

[mvp 78]

27 minutes ago, notin said:

I think the stories about Bregman’s impact on Sox hitters is more of a statement about the Sox (now departed) coaching staff than it is about Bregman.  There has been no mention of that side of him on the Cubs, and they are not without young players in their lineup…

They REALLY didn't want to work with the young guys.