Kimmi

This is the point I was trying to make in the other thread. Based on his previous season's WAR values, there was no reason to think that he would be playing as badly as he is this season. Anyone who says they knew he would be this bad is FOS. Also, in terms of salary comparisons, you can't really compare his first 6 years of salary with his FA salary. Two completely different animals.

I'm not sure why people want to trade Hanley. People are using revisionist history in their assessments of both the Hanley and Pablo deals. In 2013 and 2014, Hanley was worth 5.1 and 3.3 WAR, despite playing in only 86 and 128 games, respectively, and despite his poor defense. His contract is more than reasonable. Also, in terms of the question of why anyone would think he would be okay in LF, left field is the 2nd easiest defensive position to play, while SS is the 2nd hardest defensive position to play. It's not uncommon or unreasonable to think that moving a poor or aging SS to LF will make him a better defender, if even only slightly. Outside of possible concerns with his attitude, there was nothing wrong with the Hanley contract, and there were good reasons to believe that his attitude would not be a problem. Personally, I don't think it is. As far as Pablo goes, I was not a fan of his signing, only because I thought that for the price, there were better options, such as Headley. However, we desperately needed an upgrade at 3B. Based on his numbers from the previous seasons, Pablo should have been a significant upgrade over what we had last season. Pablo represented a key addition to this team, albeit a slightly overpaid one. Obtaining a 3B was a necessity. There is no way anyone could know whether Donaldson to the Sox was a viable option, so blaming Ben for not getting him is ridiculous.

I am in no position to say who starts the game threads and who doesn't, but I would say go for it Thunder. You're one of the few posters who are still maintaining a positive outlook, and your mojo seems to work better than anyone else's.

JBJ saved 14 runs last season in 127 games. Over a full season, his defense would be worth about 2 games. His overall WAR last year was .5, despite his very pathetic offense. So yes, we could get away with his subpar bat (not as subpar as he was in 2014), provided that the guys who are supposed to hit actually do.

As long as it's a possibility, there is hope. Can't give up hope!

That would be nice. It would be nice to read some positive comments for a change.

If Papi is not back with the Sox next year, Hanley becomes the DH, and JBJ has a spot in the OF. The question is, will he be able to hit big league pitching like he is hitting in AAA? I would hate for the Sox to trade him, especially if they have to sell low.

Speaking of unlucky, Speier had a good article about Ortiz today which addresses your question of whether he is done or not. Here is the pertinent part of the article: https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/06/11/david-ortiz-hammering-baseballs-why-slumping/HVG6xRDtLc9IAeNXJe1gZM/story.html In short, the fact the he is struggling doesn't make any sense. I would go so far as to say it's an enigma.

Some well hit balls that inning, and nothing to show for it.

Of course they're in shock. We're all in shock. No one could have foreseen this offense being so bad. It really is an enigma.

Whammy #1 - Napoli is getting more strikes called on him outside of the zone than most batters are. Whammy #2 - Having to expand his strike zone takes him away from being the type of hitter that he is. He is known for being a patient hitter, having a good eye, and working the count. That's part of what makes him such a good hitter. When he has to swing at balls that are off the plate, that takes away from his strength.

Ortiz is hitting pretty well against righties.

Amen to that. Go Sox!!!

Yes, both of those plays would be counted in the TOOTBLAN stat. FTR, the stat is not intended to point out "stupid" base running, although its name suggests otherwise. (Thrown Out On The Basepaths Like A Nincompoop). The LAN part really isn't important, or accurate. The purpose behind this stat was to determine the adjustment that should be made to OBP when a runner is thrown out on the basepaths, because he effectively wipes out his being on base in doing so. Also, TOOTBLAN is not a saberstat. It's a basic counting stat, and doesn't tell you much, similar to "Hits". A stat like Fangraphs UBR is much more comprehensive and meaningful. Here's the TOOTBLAN site if you're interested: http://tootblan.tumblr.com/2015

FTR, I liked the Hanley signing, and while I didn't like the Sandoval signing, I completely understand why the FO would sign both of them. There is good rationale behind both signings, despite the fact that it looks bad right now.

Nice AB by Hanley.

Sigh.....

You have no idea. You're lucky.

Good to see Hanley back in tonight. When he was hit by that pitch last night, I was fearful that he would require a DL stint.

The Sox need to shut Thorne up. Win tonight! That is all.

Read an article as SOSH today that showed that Napoli is really getting hurt the expanded strike zone. Not only is he getting a larger % of balls outside the zone called strikes, but his approach is one that relies on knowing the strike zone and being patient. Double whammy for him.

Call up Allen Craig!!!

The Yankees were on a 7 game roll. And right before that, they lost 10 of 11. As the saying goes, a team is never as good as they look when they're winning, and they're never as bad as they look when they're losing. The Sox are 5-3 in June, which is not bad at all. It's unfortunate that they have been unable to gain any ground.

Haha! We need this matchup to take place.

I don't know if they'll fall back to earth or not, but if I had to venture a guess right now, I would say that they won't win their division. On a related note, I just read that the Rangers were 9.5 games back in the AL West on May 20th. After going 14-4 since then, they are only 2 games back. In a 3 week span, they made up 7.5 games. If they can do it, the Sox can do it.