Spitball

I have listened to Scully for years, but this is probably my most memorable call. Btw, I have long been a Dennis Eckersley fan, but I really disliked the Tony LaRussa A's and always rooted against them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0smIeeH55HA

Well, then why did you stick your nose into the conversation? You jumped into the discussion I was having with Fred who said Mondesi was a choker. I enjoy discussing baseball with Fred and don't really need childish intervention.

That does not prove a thing. Mondesi was still decent in the clutch. He was not a "real choker". His career OPS with 2 outs and RISP is 36 higher than Dustin Pedroia's. Is Pedroia a "real choker"?

Fred, his career line in late and close games is .270/.328/.462. That is not terrible. That is OPSing nearly .800. In 733 late and close games and 1019 plate appearances, he grounded into a mere 12 double plays. That does not sound "classic" to most unbiased baseball people. Fred, I consider you a friend and an entertaining poster, but you get carried away at times. Statistics are far more reliable than our memories.

65 years? How old are you, Fred? Raul Mondesi actually played in the 1990s and early 2000s. His career slash in late and close games was .270/.328/.462. In tied games, it was .281/.338/.483. Where is the proof he was a choker?

Fred, can you please justify this with some kind of proof, or is this just an opinion?

From MLBTradeRumors.com

He is talking about the free agent market.

I hear you, Spud. I actually find statistical baseball studies interesting, but I understand their limitations.

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/51184/whats-the-future-for-bogaerts-Bradley

Dunn homered in his first at bat tonight in a win for Oakland. His OBP and OPS skills are just what the A's like and what they need. I hope they can sign him for at least one more year

Weeks and DeJesus don't make much sense, but sticking it to the Yankees does. That is probably not what happened today, but Kelly Johnson and Alejandro De Aza from the White Sox seem like very nice additions to help the Orioles avoid a late season collapse.

Dunn can't play defense like Cespedes, but Dunn's .773 OPS is better than Cespedes's .764

Adam Dunn should help that offense. He is criticized for his low batting averages and strikeouts, but the guy has hit for impressive power and has managed to get on base at an impressive rate through his career. He may have something left. I am rooting for the A's or the Royals this year.

Dan Szymborski on ESPN Insider says that the ZiPS projection system translations for Rusney Castillo improves Boston's prospects for the 2015 season considerably. His offense should be good but unspectacular compared to Puig and Abreu. It is his decent offense and center field defense that gives him a WAR projection of 3.0.

I guess I don't see your point. You see a successful method built on paying big dollars for eventual mediocrity? The Yankees may be able to afford this but I don't see it as a wise method for building a winning team. Also, I don't see anyone advocating a strict build from within philosophy. There is a lot to be said for developing and paying young players going forward, but I assume the Sox will still have some large contracts. They just need to balance the team’s payroll. The highest paid players can't be handicapping any other portion of the team's balance. It is wise to develop a strong farm system so the team has affordable options to fill holes when aging players become over priced or are about to become over priced. I am not saying any system always works. Obviously, the red Sox gambled on some young players this season, and it has not worked out. This has just been one incomplete season. I believe the test will take a period of time to measure a systems effectiveness. The As and Rays have managed to compete over several seasons while maintaining low payrolls. The Marlins trail in the Wild Card race by the same margin as the Yankees. I think we will have to watch the Red Sox over a few years to determine how their system will actually be employed and how successful it will be.

It would be nice if the Sox could still fill holes by throwing huge contracts at players to solve positional problems. It worked for years...but I believe the times are changing. The successful teams will recognize the need to change with the times. In years in which the free agency pool is shallow, the 30 something Ellsburys and Choos sign ridiculously large contracts because they are the top of that year's class. How does that affect future signings when younger and better players become available? The years and dollars are becoming dangerously irresponsible for long term success. The successful teams will have to reverse their thinking. Teams will have to trust their farm systems and sign promising younger players for potential forward production rather than 30-something players for past production. This is all I have been saying . It is just my opinion.

You are exactly right. Pedroia is a poster child for sabermetrics. Scouts would say he was too small, was not fast enough, his arm was not strong , and his swing was too big. Why was he drafted by the Red Sox with the 65th pick when so many passed on him? Because in his senior year at a college power house Arizona State, he had a .392/.502/.611 slash line. His obvious physical shortcomings that scouts typically measure belied his true talents that his statistics showed, and Bill James had been hired by the Red Sox the year before. Dustin Pedroia is an example of a sabermetric victory.

This is an interesting video that was posted on MLB.com last week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDyUnNg9qdI

The Sox are reported to be serious contenders for his services.

I agree, also. I think Lester will get offered at least six years by the Yankees, Tigers, or whichever teams lose out on Scherzer. I doubt the Sox go six years. Hamels might make more sense since he is signed for only four more years (with a vesting clause). He would unfortunately cost some prospects, but the Phillie GM, Rueben Amaro, Jr., seems a little dimwitted.

Fred, we know that any opinion on the defense of old time players is merely anectdotal, but I trust Bill James. Here is what he says:

Fred, I find this interesting. How are you supporting this post. I have been following baseball and the Red Sox since the early 1960s. I understand that Mays was terrific defensively, and I have seen the clip of the great catch in deep centerfield at the Polo Grounds. I must say I saw him play one time live and maybe ten times on television because of the era. He was superior as I understand it. I never saw Duke Snyder, but he was not known for his defense. He was a superior offensive player in an eight-team league and in the mix of center fielders in the city of New York, but he was certainly not known for his great defense. On what are you basing your opinion that he was absolutely better than Bradley? Please elaborate. I saw Paul Blair many times, and he was great. I can't say he impressed me significantly more than Bradley. I honestly enjoy your posts, Fred. You are an entertaining and passionate fan. That said, how can we honestly compare Duke Snyder to Jackie Bradley, Jr. defensively?

There are lots of reasons a young player struggles. I mentioned Reggie Smith's, George Scott's, and Rico Petrocelli's early career struggles...and later successes. The same can be said of Dee Gordon, Jose Batista, Alex Gordon, and others. The move to third certainly didn't affect Bogaerts during the World Series. Moving all over the field has not affected Holt. With less than a whole season under their belts, I think it is way too early to declare Bogaerts and Bradley overrated. There is no question it takes more time to evaluate players' abilities.

It is hard for me to understand how some Boston fans can be so negative. The Red Sox are the reigning champions. Cherington pulled off a masterful trade in 2012 when he unloaded the terrible long term contracts of Gonzalez, Crawford, and Beckett. Unlike most salary dumps, he acquired young prospects that hopefully will help head the rotation in the near future. The Sox are suffering through a terrible season, but they are not handicapped with any handicapping long term contracts. They have money to spend...and we can only hope that it is spent intelligently. Teams with money have signed big money contracts for many years to players who will never be the productive players of their past. Pujols, Hamilton, C.J.Wilson, Sabathia, Teixiera, McCann, Fielder, Verlander, Crawford, B.J.Upton, and a few others are examples. I am optimistic about the Red Sox future. They have the mindset to employ Moneyball...and the farm system and money to be successful for many years to come.