Spitball

I will miss Fred's rants. I hardly ever agree with him, but I like him. He reminds me of the passionate fans I would witness in the early mornings at Joe's Smoke Shop on Congress Street in Portland, Maine, in the late 1970s. I would stop in there on the way to work for a Table Talk pie and a styrofoam cup of coffee. Sometimes I'd have to wait in line for 15-minutes while Joe would go off on a rant to a customer about an issue involving the Red Sox. He had a great Italian/Maine accent. My roommate, who also worked at the same publishing company, would say we had to leave. I would tell her to go on so I could listen to the conversation/rant. It was always total bull but very passionate and entertaining. I was usually late for work a couple of times a week, but it was always worth it. They will always be part of my Red Sox history. I know Fred doesn't have the same accent, but I hear Joe in his rants. I rarely agreed with Joe but always respected his passion. We are all expressing our opinions here. Some of us back our opinions with statistical verification while some expect others to respect our knowledge of the game. It is what a baseball discussion board is about. We need to remember to respect each other's opinions in a civil manor. We are not accomplishing anything here other than expressing our Red Sox passion. Right?

Yes.

Plus, his OBP was .354 which is just about his career mark. His OPS was climbing.

Bellhorn, Kimmi, User Name, and others have given you excellent answers. Porcello's FIP for the last four years has been 3.79 which is in line with Lester's, yet Porcello will be in his 20s for the duration of his relatively short contract while Lester will be 31 to 36 (possibly 37) with his contract.

With what we have seen with recent contracts for pitchers, Porcello would have received a similar amount of total money for more years. The Red Sox gambled to give him the money on a shorter term contract. He had a 2.7 WAR last year, and they are assuming he will improve with a team with better defense. We are talking about forward thinking here. I like it.

It is not paying for a track record as much as paying (gambling) for future performance. Why pay for past performance? Pitchers are a risky investment, and teams have paid many millions for years of past performance. Sabathia is not earning his current millions. Cliff Lea isn't either. There are far too many injured others in the same over-paid category. Pitchers are a gamble, and Cherington is steering clear of long term for past performances. Time will tell if he is correct....and the jury is still out on Pocello future worth.

Ha! I see that now. I don't remember Fred's recollections, but stolen bases should be an absolute situational strategy with a high percentage of success and not a necessary act. I believe Francona understood this.

I believe the Red Sox were third in the AL in 2008 with 130 steals.

Don Zimmer? RIP.

Thank you, User Name. I feel the same about you and your posts.

It is moving in that direction. http://regressing.deadspin.com/mlb-announces-revolutionary-new-fielding-tracking-syste-1534200504

I agree, and I personally love the fact baseball has become more than a spectator sport. It has become an intellectual study.

Sabermetrics do not say everything in the game is necessarily predictable. It is an objective look at what the facts tell us as opposed to what various opinions tell us.

I think statistics just add to my love and understanding of baseball. I have been a baseball fan, player, and coach. Each level added to my enjoyment and understanding. A statistical analysis a is fascinating way to add to my baseball experience. I can form an opinion and look up the numbers to support that opinion. Before, I simply had opinions.

Right! I believe they would rather overpay for four years than sign him for six years. Time will tell, but it seems like a smart move to me. I might be singing a different tune in the future, but I believe it makes sense right now.

I wish we had a like button. Nice post, Kimmi.

One more point about Hanigan, and I will drop it. He may be past his most productive years, and I will admit that. However, in his prime, Ryan Hanigan's on-base ability was greatly under appreciated by the strange mind of Dusty Baker (see Bill James and Rob Neyer). "I think walks are overrated unless you can run... If you get a walk and put the pitcher in a stretch, that helps. But the guy who walks and can't run, most of the time they're clogging up the bases for somebody who can run." --Dusty Baker "Who's been the champions the last seven, eight years? ...Have you ever heard the Yankees talk about on-base percentage and walks? Walks help. But you ain't going to walk across the plate. You're going to hit across the plate. That's the school I come from." --Baker "It's called hitting, and it ain't called walking. Do you ever see the top 10 walking? You see top 10 batting average. A lot of those top 10 do walk. But the name of the game is to hit." --Baker Baker always batted Hanigan in the eighth hole despite his ability to get on base at a high rate. He also batted low to sub-.300 on-base centerfielders like Willy Taveras and Drew Stubbs in the leadoff spot and on-base challenged middle infielders like Zack Cozart and Paul Janish in the second spot. Dusty Baker accepted throwing skills but did not understand framing skills. Ryan Hanigan played his prime years under the wrong manager.

Where did you say 2 seasons? You said, "...the fact that Hanigan always has been and always will be a backup catcher." Hanigan has always been a co-starter rather than a backup with the possible exception of 2013 when former first round pick and 2014 all-star Devin Mesoraco was the starter.

Them's really are not the actual facts. In 2009 Hanigan was basically the starting catcher in Cincinnati. He only started 72 games, but that was more than Ramon Hernandez's 53 starts. In 2010 Hernandez started 85 and Hanigan 58. Hanigan may have been the backup, but he broke his thumb and was on the disabled list for an extended period. In 2011, Hanigan and Hernandez shared the starting role with 73 and 76 starts. In 2012, Hanigan started 98 games and Mesoraco started 48. In 2013, Mesoraco started 84 games and Hanigan 66. In 2014, Hanigan (66 starts) and Molina (70 starts) shared the catching position as co-starters.

700, an anecdotal story about Johnny Blanchard in no way proves anything about Ryan Hanigan. Especially, an anecdotal story that probably isn't totally being remembered correctly. Blanchard wasn't acquired by the A's to be a starter. He started only 28 games for them that season. In Ball Four, Jim Bouton described Blanchard "as one of the guys." He was a drinking partner of Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, and Clete Boyer. Surely he cried because he was leaving his pals with the Yankees and going to Charley Finley's A's, one of the worst organizations in baseball. I can't give Dusty Baker any credit. I liked the man, but he had some strange ideas like leading off with his centerfielder, batting a middle infielder second, and the catcher eighth. He also didn't appreciate players like Hanigan who could draw a walk. He claimed they just clogged up the bases.

That was Dusty Baker's fault. He put up excellent numbers when he played.

But justify your statement that "he was never that good." Posts should be justified with facts and not unsubstantiated opinions.

Whoa! I am just now seeing this...not true. Hanigan was good in his prime, very good. Bill James and Rob Neyer both rated him one of the most underrated players just a couple of seasons ago. Unfortunately, he played for Dusty Baker who was stuck in another century, and though successful, didn't grasp modern concepts. Hanigan was not only an exceptional pitch framer, but he was also a stolen base thwarter (lead the league twice and 10% over league average through his career). Offensively, he has had OBP of .364, .367, .361, .405, .356, and .365. In 2011, he OPSed .834. He was a pretty good for his position in his prime.

Actually, Smith was traded for Wise and Bernie Carbo. I believe Cleveland came in a trade for pitchers John Curtis and Lynn McGlothlin. Reggie Smith was traded from the Cardinals to the Dodgers for catching prospect Joe Ferguson. I suspect Smith may have been traded from the Sox for his outspoken criticism of the citizens for the reactions of some to the bussing issue which came about in the early 1970s. It was ridiculously ugly, and he became emotionally involved.

At this point, I am grateful for the acquisition of Hanigan. He might not be the same player he was a couple of years ago, but in seven years with Cincinnati, he offensively slashed .262/.359/.343. He was also probably the best defensive catcher in the National League. The Sox have a decent replacement, and the world will not crumble...until he proves he can't handle the job.