Elktonnick

Of course it is up to the individual but it is also a managerial function. The problem it isn't just one or two players who are in a funk but the entire ball club. When a player like Brock Holt makes two distracted plays in two consecutive games then I think it is an organizational issue which requires some kind of organizational response.

I think that Boston will probably make the playoffs. What to me is more worrisome than individual player slumps is the overall sloppiness, distracted play and mental errors. I still think that all goes back to their poor spring training. The team has been in a general funk since before opening day. I don't management ( I include Dombrowski) has developed an effective strategy yet to get this team back on track mentally. For me the series against the lowly Orioles will be an interesting opportunity to get everyone refocused mentally.

Curveball isn't he best pitch if he can't throw it for a strike or if uses it so often that four of the six batters he faces get on.

If it were, it didn't work obviously. I think it isn't generally considered a sound or a smart move for a pitcher to rely so much on a pitch that isn't his best pitch.

I haven't heard any explanation as to why 13 of Barnes's 17 pitches were curve balls. He has a 98 mph fast ball. Steve Lyons and Manny Delcarmen were both scratching their heads. Even Remy made a comment along similar lines.

I totally agree. As I've said before it is all about the LUX Tax and "keeping your powder dry" to keep the ability to resign the core players such as Mookie Betts. I believe they believe they have an excellent chance to win a wild card spot and are prepared to take their chances going that route. We fans may blather but they have their strategy which is long term and they are going to stick to it.

I thought DD hire Brian Bannister was going to make a major readjustment and retinking of the way Red Sox develop pitching in the minor leagues. I haven't heard or read anything about what Bannister is doing along these lines. I'd appreciate any info from anyone who has.

I know this isn't the game thread but apropos of our discussion Bradley just hit a double to left to clear the bases and OB and Remy pointed out that JBJ was going to left in batting practice. Id' like to see him continue to do that.

He has done well because he has been going to left field. JBJ's problem is that he actually believes he can be a pull hitter. He has success going left, gets a bit over confident, tries pulling the ball and the cycle begins all over again. Quite frankly if it weren't for his glove most other clubs would have given up on him already.

For what its worth IMO JBJ's problems have been two fold, when he goes the other way and looks to drive the ball to left field he does well. When he gets pull happy he does not. Secondly he has a tendency to let his swing get too long. When does that his tends to lift his head and eyes off the ball and he swings and misses.

Maybe but I have already heard the objections when they talked about the A's moving there. In any case if MLB decides to expand their at least 5 cities in addition to LV who would make strong bids, Charlotte, San Antonio Montreal Portland and possibly Indianapolis.

Your idea is certainly worth considering. If and when there is expansion there will be a great debate around the historical AL and NL teams switching leagues. Moreover, I suspect there would also be a strong effort to return a team to Montreal either by moving the Rays (if no new stadium is built ) or with giving Montreal an expansion team . Giving LV an expansion team will also be hotly debated especially over the gambling issue.

While all the ideas are excellent fodder for discussion, remember MLB is a business. Those who control it are the owners and the player's union. They will only make changes that suit their financial interests. In the player's case it is to have as many players make as much money as possible. In the owners case it is putting fannies in the seats and eyeballs on TV screens. It is unlikely that either party would agree to any major realignment unless it meets their interests. The obvious advantage to the current system is there are six division races and a balanced alignment. It is likely, however and even probable that realignment to a two division format in each league will happen once MLB expands to 32 teams. Until then it is doubtful. When and if MLB expands to 32 teams there will be the major issue of total realignment along geographic lines. One would expect that there would be a great deal of pressure to have all of the California teams, Angels, Dodgers Padres As and Giants in the same division in the same league with the Mariners Dbacks and Rockies depending if Las Vegas gets an expansion team. I'd love to see how fans in NewYork would react to the Mets and Yankees in the same division. That would be a hoot.

I think that DD and Henry are fairly confident that the Sox will nail down one of the wild card slots. I believe this is the reason that DD has not made a major move given the lux tax. I also think that the worst is over as far as their record. The Sox have 12 games this month against the Royals, Orioles, White Sox, and Jays.

Actually the percentages are quite significant when one considers how few games are played and when they are played and against whom. A case in point, three at bats against a club's best AA prospect is not the same as three at bats against a club's ace or nbr 2. Moreover I can tell you this ST was the most laid back of any of the five that I have been to. Those of us who were there knew that Boston was in for a tough start because of the way ST was conducted and said so. It was common discussion in the stands.

Really I did not know that. I try not to make personal remarks but in your case I'll make an exception. You are needlessly ignorant and rude. This isn't a question of pitchers vs position players. The manager didn't play his veteran position players as much as the Sox did in the years past. It was just more noticeable with the starting pitchers to those who weren't at ST because they were so horrid the first two weeks of the regular season. Oh how do I know the regulars didn't play as often. Besides being there in 18 as well as 19. If you had checked you would have seen that a comparison of the 2018/19 stats show that Betts Beni Bogaerts JD Martinez and JBJ all had fewer plate appearances in 19 than they did in 18. Betts 15 fewer Beni 4 Bogie 6 JD 4 JBJ 3. I didn't check every position player because these demonstrate the point. Given that position players regulars only average 2 or at most 3 PA per game in ST this represents a considerable percentage of less game participation than in years past in each case. In all cases the implicit message was we don't need to work as hard as last guys because we won and we are so good.

True but we are talking about pitching and HOF pitchers especially one with exceptionally long careers would be in a better position to have a knowledgeable position on the subject than someone else. No matter how one feels about the issue. The Red Sox 2019 Spring Training regime was highly controversial. In my 65 plus years of following this team I don't recall a spring training more controversial than the past one. One point of interest, I do not follow the Dodgers so I genuinely don't know the answer but did the Dodgers give their rotation the rest during ST that Boston gave theirs. Like I said I don't know but I think not.

You just have to tune in to MLB radio or the Nat'l broadcasts to hear for yourself. Palmer only appears on the Orioles broadcast but he commented on it several times.

I haven't heard any HOF pitchers contradict Palmer, Smoltz or Eckersley on this subject. If so I'd appreciate hearing who they are. I certainly would trust the opinions of those three gentlemen than any who offer a differing perspective on this forum.

Absolutely not but then again I am not that impressed with today's over reliance on sabermetrics. I just go by what experts like HOF pitchers Jim Palmer, John Smoltz and even Dennis Eckersley have said on televised broadcasts. Or what other former big league executives and former players have said on MLB radio with respect towards pitching. Right now Boston is playing like crap. Except for Kimbrel and Kelly and Ian Kinsler at second base the cast of characters are the same. From my point of view the only variable was the current managers mismanagement of the pitching staff and his lineup since the outset of the season. Moreover I don't think because a manager happens to win the world series his first year that he suddenly is a baseball genius. The current manager is someone who everything he tried last year broke his way. This year the winds have changed and it seems every time he rolls the dice he comes up snake eyes.

Has it now? I don't recall seeing anything definitive about that. There well may be some correlation but that isn't the same as either proof or causality.

If you are going to misquote me at least be honest about it. My exact quote was implied message. That means his actions by not working his starters as hard as everyone else was that certain players didn't have to work as hard as other to start the season or to be successful. It may be nonsense but that is exactly what he did.

Actually it isn't proof of anything. Any logician would tell you that "Correlation is not causation"

It depends on ones definition of tired. The current manager doesn't rest players when they are tired or injured which would make sense but at pre determined intervals often against the players wishes.

That is accurate expression of the philosophy. However the current manager carried it to an absurdity by resting his pitchers at the start of spring training after they already had a several month layoff. The result is the team is in such a team hole that the odds do not favor that they can make up the difference. They may do so but that is wishful thinking. Moreover he is so committed to this philosophy that he has shown a tendency to rest better players against the better teams instead of against the weaker teams even when the matchups do not favor such a move.