mvp 78

@SoxProspects Whitlock returns for the 4th inning after a long wait. Works around a double and strikes out postseason masher Randy Arozarena swinging before getting top MLB prospect Wander Franco to ground out to third. Solid Grapefruit League debut for the tall righty.

@IanCundall Impressive 1-2-3 inning from Red Sox RHP Garrett Whitlock. Has an ideal pitchers frame and gets really good extension to the plate. FB sat 96-97 per @PeteAbe . Snapped off a good breaker and threw some quality strikes. He's one I'm going to be tracking closely this Spring.

Duran bomb: https://twitter.com/redsoxstats/status/1366824928994074624

Also @PeteAbe Six up and six down for Martin Perez (helped by a double play) on 16 pitches. And Yairo Munoz homers to give the Sox a 2-0 lead. Clearly it's all coming together.

@ChrisCotillo If you are someone who thinks these spring training games mean anything, please refer to how Brett Phillips and Randy Arozarena are each wearing an AirPod in the outfield and having a dance-off between pitches.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/finding-a-fit-for-jackie-bradley-jr/ Year Innings DRS UZR OAA 2016 1375.2 14 8.2 9 2017 1204.1 15 3.7 15 2018 1137.1 -1 7.4 9 2019 1247.0 -2 -1.2 6 2020 471.0 5 1.8 7 In our conversation about the projection, Dan Szymborski pointed out that ZiPS holds Bradley in a more favorable light than the other systems housed at FanGraphs when it comes to both OBP and SLG. He added that ZiPS see Bradley’s 2020 BABIP (.343) as about a 30-point overperformance based on his Statcast data; “Thus it views him like a .250/.330/.420 hitter who’s now on the wrong side of 30.” The additional problem for Bradley is that if such a forecast is in the public sphere, it’s quite possible that teams’ internal projections are telling them something similar, making it all the harder for him to land the contract he envisions. Even so, the ZiPS model places a $27 million valuation on the first three years of the above projection. While multiyear contracts among outfielders haven’t been as scarce as those for pitchers this winter, only George Springer, Marcell Ozuna, and Jurickson Profar have landed deals for longer than two years, with five others (Michael Brantley, Brett Gardner, Robbie Grossman, Enrique Hernández and Kevin Pillar) landing two-year deals. Besides Springer, Ozuna, and Brantley, all of the other deals have had an average annual values of $7 million or less. Something along the lines of Profar’s three-year, $21 million deal might have been a realistic target under the circumstances. Potential fits are: Phillies, Cleveland, Giants, Stros, Brew Crew, Sox

He better hope he signs before June 1.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/11/mlb-free-agent-predictions-2021.html Their predictions are kinda all over the place.

My kids wouldn't sleep for months if they watched that.

He was not a shared user like Pumpsie or Fred.

Pumpsie will always be the pillar of salt left behind.

Season 2 and 3 weren't Dom Perignon. Watch 2 episodes a night for 5 nights and you're done.

@byJulianMack Cora says JD Martinez won’t hit second this year. It was something the Red Sox toyed with last year.

I don't have access to the BDC archives.

Binge that one week, back to baseball the next.

Maybe them messing around in ST will make them realize they need a CF and they just get JBJ for like 1/8?

After 9/2011 - 9/2012, how many people thought the 2012-13 offseason mattered? I don't think too many people predicted rings that year (especially at the beginning of April when Papi was out with injury).

It may be more important in pandemic seasons as the only $$$ will be from tv viewers. If the team stinks in August, people will stop watching. If the same happens in a normal season, the tickets are already sold.

They just don't want to go over the cap or be stuck with a pitcher they don't want next season. Maybe they can get some one year deals done? IDK. Maybe they truly believe guys like Seabold and Houck could be successful in this rotation in the 2nd half?

I mean, Odorizzi could be legitimately signed on a below market deal now? Porcello could be cheap and is good insurance against the health risks we currently have.

Especially for teams that could jump to the highest payroll in the league without flinching.

@TBTimes_Rays Teams are required to play 9 innings for national TV games. #Rays Cash said he texted with #RedSox's Cora, and they may have to roll some innings (cut them short), which is allowed if a pitcher throws more than 20, rather than bring in a reliever. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to_xM_HxRJo

4 years from now, Sale will still be under contract. All the other guys could be extended prior to then. Xander should just be a guy that is here for the rest of his career.

If they just signed one extra starting pitcher, things would look much better.

Brian Johnson was solid, but didn't have the upside of any of the pitchers I mentioned. Moncada, Margot and Kopech seem to be legit MLBers. Swihart is a journeyman who was yanked off of C too early. Espinoza got injured. The only guy legitimately overhyped in that squad was Owens. Owens had a monster curve ball, but never figured out how to control it.