mvp 78

Yorke has dominated since May 1. Joe Davis doesn't have any carrying tools aside from his bat. He'll have to thread the needle to become a Matt Stairs type.

Nobody knows why he hasn't appeared. There's an off day today. Monday is a big promotion day. Maybe Tuesday he starts?

I'd take Kiké at CF and Arroyo at 2B for our best fielding team.

Travis Shaw will continue to do Travis Shaw things.

Shaw!

Scott Boras is not a vampire set out to destroy baseball. That's Manfred.

Sure.

I think this is reasonable.

Nothing to speak of.

Just posted on Fangraphs: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/slumping-red-sox-get-a-boost-with-the-returns-of-chris-sale-and-kyle-schwarber/ Sale joins a rotation that has been more solid and stable than spectacular. The Red Sox are the only team in the majors with five pitchers who have made at least 20 starts apiece, but both Garrett Richards (5.22 ERA, 5.17 FIP) and Martín Pérez (4.77 ERA, 4.92 FIP) have recently been exiled to the bullpen in favor of rookie Tanner Houck (who has yo-yoed between Triple-A Worcester and Boston but is expected to remain in the majors following Tuesday’s start against the Yankees) and Sale. The unit as a whole ranks a middling eighth in the AL in ERA (4.52) but fourth in FIP (3.92), though in the second half, those numbers have risen to 4.67 and 4.07, respectively. A lack of defensive support — the Sox are dead last in the league in defensive efficiency (.658), 18 points below the 14th-ranked Orioles and 35 points below league average — has contributed to the ERA/FIP gap. Of the five regular starters, only Nick Pivetta has a BABIP below .325, and both Nathan Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez have ERAs more than a run above their FIPs. While the Sox aren’t likely to push either Sale or the 25-year-old Houck too hard, the hope is that they can at least pitch deeper into ballgames than the pair they replaced, who by combining to average less than five innings per turn taxed a bullpen that’s been hit for a 4.93 ERA and 4.14 ERA since the All-Star break.

Honestly, I don't remember how Shaw is in the field. His numbers at 2b are poor though.

You'd move Shaw to 2b late in a game?

I'm more interested in untested guys.

Agreed.

I expect him to repeat 19 or 21 for a few more years.

Why do you expect that to continue? That's not how most MLB careers are. Maybe the outliers are 17 and 18?

I'm not counting the guys who have already been here: Rios/Brice/et al.

Franchy's 484 OPS since coming back isn't working for you?

He's dreadful at the plate. You don't want him starting. It's a lateral move more than anything else.

MLB careers don't typically look like sine waves.

He was pretty good in 15 and 16. I think 17 and 18 were just career years. I don't see him "declining" but just having more typical seasons (which are still pretty good BTW).

I have no idea if he prefers short term money or years. Maybe he gets a 3 year deal instead of a 4 year deal if he stays? IDK. Would would he just retire? I'm confused. I think he'll probably get a QO whenever his contract is done. Maybe he's doing the math to weigh his preference between $19.35 + QO (accept QO in 23) or QO declined + net impact on potential FA $$$.

I don't see it as a decline. I just see 17-18 as a high point. 15, 16, 19, 21 are all within shouting distance of each other.

That's why I've said "maybe" with Ort. I don't think there is a guy in AAA that can come up and help in the near term except for Seabold.

TBD (Houck?) vs Luis Gil This game starts at 1:05.