Maxbialystock

When he is healthy, JDM has a lousy DWAR. So does Schwarber. I am attacking JDM--who very definitely deserves to be defended--simply to make the point that this crap about defense uber alles makes little sense to me. Of course, my opinion doesn't mean much, so let's ask Alex Cora. Mr Manager, you have a hugely important series--the last three games of the season--coming up against a NL team, which means you can't use a DH. Are you going to foolishly, stupidly try to get both JDM and Schwarber into the lineup?

Really? Are you saying you would sacrifice defense to get a good bat into the lineup? I pity the pitchers on a team you would manage.

Absolutely stunning. Yes, JDM will be missed, but that bullpen looks really good with the addition of Taylor. I would not have included Richards, but what the heck. I also have doubts about Ottavino and Davis. Since it's just one game, it makes sense to have 14 position players to 12 pitchers. I was hoping JDM could pinch hit, but obviously he can't.

So here's an interesting question. Reports are that JDM might not be able to play tonight. Is that good or bad? If you love defense, it's good news because Schwarber can move smoothly into the DH spot, Dalbec to 1b, Arroyo to 2b, and Kike to CF. I think Iglesias is better at 2b, but Arroyo has the better DWAR. And, not to put to fine a point on it, who needs JDM's bat when he is having a downish season?

A stunning sequence of stats posts.

While I agree with Notin's comment that the Rays have figured out to have good fielding and good hitting and that that could very well be what Bloom is hoping to achieve one day, my point is simply that the Sox in the John Henry era have won more WS, 4, than any other MLB team and done it with hitting first, pitching second, and fielding a distant third. Indeed, as I have said before, the Sox have gone out of their way to dump/trade good fielding SS's like Alex Gonzalez and Jose Iglesias. And the best Sox team ever--108 wins in the regular season and 11-3 in the postseason--had the same two guys, Devers at 3b and Bogaerts at SS, we are now complaining about. I might add that this year's leftfielder, Verdugo, has a better DWAR than Benintendi had in 2018, and, an even bigger shocker, Kike has a better DWAR in CF than JBJ had. Mookie Betts was of course much better in RF than Renfroe is, but Renfroe does have more outfield assists. The 2018 second baseman Nunez was wretched in the field, and the bunch of guys who played 1b weren't much better than Dalbec if you go by DWAR's. One more time. I would love to see a Sox team in your proverbial top ten in defense that can also be among the top 3 or 4 in hitting. Chaim Bloom just might be able to pull that off. Meanwhile, it would be nice to see him pick up some better pitchers. Whitlock was a stroke of sheer genius, but Perez ($4.5M), Richards ($10M), and Ottavino ($8M) haven't worked out so well--nor has boosting Barnes's salary for the next 2 years. And yes, I do think Chaim Bloom is the right guy for the job. I'd just like to see better pitching even though you have half-convinced this board that better fielding will solve our pitching problems.

Great point. Bloom should have dumped those lousy fielding bums like Devers, Bogaerts, JDM, etc, never signed Schwarber, and brought in a bunch of good field, no hit types. Because by golly it’s the fielding that really counts.

Taylor is still on the IL. To be honest, a roster for one game doesn't mean much. So too your long list of relievers. About which, this: my list was based on their individual WAR's. Davis's is -.1, plus he stunk Saturday vs. the Nats. On the other hand, he went 3.2 innings in September while giving up 0 runs. Should the Sox win tomorrow, I'm not sure the roster for the ALDS is that big a deal if only because you need fewer pitchers for the postseason so a bullpen of 7 plus 5 starters (who can also relieve in a pinch) should be ample.

Fully understand. You can see where I live, which as everyone knows is a hotbed of Red Sox insider info--only it's about Republican stuff.

And you quite obviously didn't watch the game on Saturday.

Taylor, a lefty, is out. So I picked Perez because he is a lefty with a .669 OPS against vs. lefties. I agree with someone that 13 pitchers is vast overkill for one game, but the Sox non-pitchers right now are uninspiring. Santana is there because I couldn't think of anyone else. I can't believe you didn't know about Iggy.

Rather than start a separate thread, here is my Sox postseason 26 player roster: 13 position players, 13 pitchers. Verdugo Kike Renfroe Devers Bogaerts Arroyo Dalbec Vazquez Schwarber Plawecki Duran Shaw JDM (or Santana if JDM can't play) Eovaldi Sale ERod Pivetta Houck Whitlock Brasier Robles Sawamura Hernandez Barnes Ottavino Perez

Don't put too much into the Yankees slaughtering the Sox, especially Eovaldi, 8-10 days ago at Fenway. With Whitlock back and Cora willing to use his other starters in the bullpen, I think the pitching will be pretty even. I do think Cole is better than Eovaldi, but he wasn't so hot last time out and September this year has been his worst ERA (5.13) month. In his last three starts (Toronto, Boston, Cleveland) he has gone 17.2 innings, which is good, but given up 15 earned runs, which isn't.

jacksonianmarch is normally very balanced in his take on both teams. Who cares about those other commentators? Before the first pitch, this is a really great game, given the decades-old rivalry and the ups and downs of this season.

You are no doubt right about the hitting. It certainly worked last time vs. Eovaldi. As for Cole, the other reason not to leave him in is the depth of the Yankees bullpen. Huge win yesterday vs the Rays--who had just taken the first two games--thanks to the Yankees bullpen going 5.2 scoreless innings.

Good stuff.

A good thread.

I'm fine with using the overall team salary--lower is better--as one of the barometers for manager of the year. I also don't mind the voters holding the sign-stealing against Cora. Plus I am usually clueless about the brilliance of lack of it of opposing managers. But I do know something about what Cora does game to game and will not hesitate to second guess him--and will nevertheless take him over any other manager.

Ain't Cora's way. Over time, I've come to think managers' tantrums, while understandable when a call against them was egregious, serve little purpose. I was not in favor of replays until I realized they minimized managers and players' tantrums and consequent lengthy game delays. I like that Cora maintains a steadying, focused perspective on what's happening on the field and what moves need (or don't need) to be made.

Realistically, I think the Sox can win 92 games and get to the wild card game.

Jays got screwed by COVID and Canada.

Hopeless. Cora should concede because nothing good can happen in the later innings..

I lived in both those states and don’t like them either, but I think both those teams are pretty good.

Why not indeed?

I know Devers was 3 for 4, but this was ridiculous, insane, unbelievable. It is not possible to overstate the value of this at bat and his game today. Also, a shout out to the bullpen (but not Richards). One incredible game. I am happy I did not join the boo birds which has been my custom too often recently.