sk7326

If there were no coaches, no fielding instructors, and no such thing as practice, and the kid was not a "I'll figure this out" sort of dude - 10 games at 3B might be a bit short.

I was only looking at AA ... and 30% is extremely high. Now scouts and people smarter than me can suss out whether that is approach (see Napoli, Dunn) or flat not hitting certain kinds of pitches. This does not temper my excitement at the promotion - baseball is fun, and this is fun. I am grateful for things like Bogaerts joining the lineup in 2013, Benintendi this year, Clay throwing a no-no out of nowhere in 2007 ... makes the dog days pass easier.

I think the occasional leaks to the Globe (like when Francona left) are in poor taste. And in some cases they were cheap for no special purpose (all of that 2003 ARod crap). And the mewling about the Evil Empire was in poor taste. But any reading of the 15 years in total which was not seen as a major positive is just not being honest.

And people liked working for him - a lot of the guys who stayed under Epstein stayed with Cherington ... some left for bigger gigs, but a lot of guys (I read) turned down promotions to stay in Boston. I suspect if a team like the Twins hires him, they will be happy with the outcome.

i read the same concern that Benintendi did not have enough reps in LF. But he was getting reps in CF, the harder position. Between the coaching and the kid, the bet is that the esoteric stuff (like a 37 foot wall) takes care of itself.

struck out in nearly half of his trips to the plate on that side.

I don't think it matters either way - nobody is stupid enough to have him take this sort of exam cold. So I am not going to look at the games number as an indicator of a whole lot.

Pitchers did not throw as hard then.

Me neither ... even if I say that about the Cards ... if a team is going to win its first title (or first title in a billion years), 2004 is the way to do it

Yeah he has not hit much (or well) right handed - and he has not made a ton of contact ... but Farrell has shown some ability to bring these guys in without overwhelming them.

He came up as a SS - he was blocked there. So 2B was I think the first natural transition place. I think there are just so few middle infielders his size - a corner always seemed destined. But you might as well try - if he can play a middle spot well, he is even more valuable.

This. I think some people don't appreciate the sheer difference in how much baseball Benintendi and Moncada have respectively played the last 2 years. Benintendi was in a high profile college program - Moncada defected. Add the cultural differences - and frankly, the Sox I think trying to take some pressure off (because of how big the bonus was). I expect Moncada will play the corners in the offseason.

My hot take guess is that the Red Sox and ChiSox revisit talks on either Sale or Quintana, and Bradley is in Chicago next year as a result.

Could be either. After all Devers (who is not that far behind Moncada) profiles to 3B ... and there is a significant school of thought that Moncada ends up in RF ... and Bradley is a very attractive guy (not as a centerpiece but as part of a deal) in a trade

Yes - our run differential will reflect positively in simulation exercises

Very simple - this team is in a title chase. The management are not dummies (and I pray to the spaghetti monster for forgiveness for using the "appeal to authority"). I have to assume they are comfortable that the infield work they have done with Moncada will stick. He has played some already - and it is an easier position than the ones he has played so far in his career. Always bet on the athlete.

To quote the poet Stone Cold Steve Austin, I guaran-damn-tee you at least one of those five will be gone within three years.

With Liverpool - there is such a crazy arms race in England that it is possible that they might just not be able to keep up - I mean they are not poor, but they might not be City-Arsenal-United rich. The Red Sox I think (relative to the peers) are positioned much better financially.

It is hard to make this theoretical because the Sox DID win it all. And besides, it is a bit of a false choice. But either way: 1. I like baseball. When the team I have cared about more than any other (across all sports) plays good baseball, I am happy. 2. There are not many other things to follow sports-wise during the summer. When the Sox stink, it's a real drag. (it infects my ability to give a crap about my roto team - or to even watch baseball) 3. The playoffs are a crapshoot - while you'd like to be able to invent a champ out of thin air, I can only remember that actually working out once (the 2009 Yankees). You need luck, the right bounces. The Red Sox three titles were sort of rare in that they were probably the best team in the league all three years. (and beat the 2nd best team in the league all three years) Get multiple bites of the apple and see what happens - after all one of the Cardinals titles came with the worst team to ever with a title. That the Red Sox whiffed on getting a bite of the apple so badly in 2012, 2014-15 is a real black mark on their record - you can't unsee that. This does not mean I am ungrateful for the three titles. But it does mean that within the context of whether I'd rather be the Sox or the Cards of the last decade, the Cards could be argued quite easily. Being a Red Sox fan from 1970 to 2003 was not difficult - the team was almost always good! There was heartbreak which stinks - and some years stunk even more. The reason it was so easy to yammer about a curse is that the Red Sox WERE good - the idea that they would get to Game 7 four different times and lose is mystifying. But I'd recommend that being an Expos fan was slightly harder during that time frame - the angst of the pre-curse Sox fan (let alone post) is why other fan bases hate us.

This is what he is ... a .270/.350 hitter with power and a lot of peakiness ... with the glove that is a fringe All-Star, so let's not sweat too much here

the Yankees won fewer titles, but were never bad ... which is the interesting contrast. It is what makes the Giants comp interesting - Giants have won 3 times, but have generally missed the playoffs otherwise ... Cards to me at the clear #1 - won twice (the edge over the Yankees) and have basically never been bad (the edge over us)

Who is concerned about him not getting enough reps playing 3rd. It's a pretty straightforward philosophy - moving from the middle to a corner is straightforward - so keep the guy in the middle until you are sure he can't do it. Moncada tried - but ultimately the odds are against a guy built like Dez Bryant to be a middle infielder. Now it can happen (see what Corey Seager is doing) and he came up at SS, so you ought to try it if you can - it makes him more valuable. The org is clearly trying to be more careful with Moncada either way. I don't think the position he played matter much either way.

I would not be against it - but if the bat is afraid of breaking pitches, then he is no threat

Hot take: Wright will be in the 'pen if/when elimination games start

it is why pitchers wins is stupid ... especially after the starter leaves. And honestly, he threw one bad pitch ... wish he had held it down, but that was a very tall ask.