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Maxbialystock

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Everything posted by Maxbialystock

  1. Maxbialystock
    Good points. Nunez has the worst WAR on the team, -.6. But right behind him are JBJ at -.4, Pearce at -.4, and Pedey at -.4.
  2. Maxbialystock
    Too true. As Prospero and later Sam Spade both said, "the stuff that dreams are made of."
  3. Maxbialystock
    You're right I guess. But, honestly, I think 2015 was the year that poisoned the well for management's perception of Swihart's catching ability. Fair or unfair, the Sox have generally avoided having him catch MLB games in the now 4 succeeding seasons. Last year was a complete stunner: they kept him on the active roster, but didn't let him catch a game until Leon or Vazquez went on the DL. In defense of your position, I will add that this year Swihart caught the entirety of one of the Sox few wins--a shutout by the bullpen.
  4. Maxbialystock
    He who challenges moonslav on numbers will be rebutted. In this case, you're only saying there is a smidgen of hope, which I can accept.
  5. Maxbialystock
    JBJ's OPS's-- 2014 .531 (this was the year he replaced Ellsbury and ended up in Pawtucket) 2015 .832 (the year the light turned on in August and he hit like a champ) 2016 .835 (still up and down, but mostly up--his overall WAR was 4.3, highest of his career) 2017 .726 (regression to the mean, as moonslav would say) 2018 .717 (the mean stays mean) 2019 .375 (too early to be meaningful, but worrisome)
  6. Maxbialystock
    Back to the lineup. While I think one lineup can work better than another on a given night, I also think there is a lot of hocus-pocus that defies analytics. I would bat Vazquez 14th if I could, but last night he hit that 2 run dinger in a game where Mookie was hitless and the Sox were 0 for 3 with RISP. Bottom line: I love to comment on lineups, but find it hard to criticize whatever Cora decides upon. Also, I remember last year's unending, dismal dirge about the bottom (7, 8, and 9) of the batting order and what a disaster it was. Sometimes it was, but the Sox still scored in the most runs, 876, in MLB. And basically all of those guys are back.
  7. Maxbialystock
    Yup. But he also has a pretty good human touch.
  8. Maxbialystock
    True about message boards, but I think talksox works exceptionally well. It allows us all to go off on tangents, but also clarify something we meant seriously--all pretty much without moderators having to jump in.
  9. Maxbialystock
    I stand corrected. Almost all of us on talksox agree ST was not productive.
  10. Maxbialystock
    Meh. Gotta go with notin. I'm mad about spring training, but I'm not sure how you can introduce intensity and tenacity into ST games. I think those two come into play much later in this monster of a 162 game season. What we have seen is that the pitchers, especially the starters, didn't have good command (or even good velocity--Sale) when the season started and got hit hard and walked guys. This apparently was a risk Cora and DD were prepared to incur in order to compensate for the rigors of the 2018 postseason. I will grant you this word--focus. Not the same as intensity and tenacity, but in the same family. Focus as I understand it is how JDM became such a good hitter, and all hitters need it all the time. Same goes for all pitchers. Fair enough?
  11. Maxbialystock
    Are you saying Ellsbury isn't getting paid despite that 7 year, $140M+ contract?
  12. Maxbialystock
    You forgot Pomeranz. Losing him was a net plus, maybe a big net plus. Kelly right now is carrying a pitching WAR of -.6 and an ERA of 10.8, so I'm not sure he was such a big loss. As for Kimbrel, yes, a loss, but probably inevitable because he wants a lot of money, more than he is worth. Also, I doubt Kimbrel could have helped us so far. We've had 5 save opportunities and blown 1--last night in the 7th inning, an inning in which Kimbrel has never, ever pitched.
  13. Maxbialystock
    Really? I just checked the AL catcher DWAR's for 2015. Leon's was .7, Hanigan's .3, and Swihart's -.4. He caught in 83 games and started 78 as catcher.
  14. Maxbialystock
    And team ERA-- Sox at 6.01, ranked 29th in the MLB and just a tad better than the Orioles' 6.05. A race to the bottom.
  15. Maxbialystock
    And some lineup WAR's (offense and defense combined) to date-- Bogey .8 JDM .6 Mookie .4 Devers .3 Beni .3 Moreland .2 Vazquez .2 Nunez -.6 JBJ -.4 Pearce -.4 Pedy -.4 Holt -.1 Leon -.1
  16. Maxbialystock
    Some pitching WAR's to date-- Price .5 Brasier .4 Barnes .3 Velazquez .2 Workman .1 Porcello -.8 Sale -.4 ERod -.4 Eovaldi -.1 Thornburg -.1
  17. Maxbialystock
    Too true, especially about JBJ.
  18. Maxbialystock
    I honestly could care less about "fixing" 2B. The Sox won 108 last year basically with good field, no hit Kinsler--and sometimes Holt and sometimes Nunez. 2B to me is borderline irrelevant to our current struggles--except that Pedey still gets paid whether or not he can play. I do regret my harsh remarks about Mookie even though he has said basically the same thing about himself. i think I picked on him because the commentators going into this season kept talking about his potential for a "big" contract and how $20M for this year would be chicken feed. My expectation, however, is that he will recover and again be a key member of the lineup.
  19. Maxbialystock
    Nobody on this team is serious about winning, and that includes Cora, who never should have used Workman in a very winnable game.
  20. Maxbialystock
    Nunez the great one. First an error, now swings at a first pitch slider below the zone to get a fly out with the bases loaded.
  21. Maxbialystock
    Mookie just hit the Mendoza line. Could anything be more appropriate? He has his head up his ass on the basepaths and in the outfield, so why not at the plate?
  22. Maxbialystock
    I got part of that right. Just three lefty bats (Nunez is out tonight, as is Beni)-- Betts Bogie JDM Pearce Moreland Pedey Devers Vazquez JBJ
  23. Maxbialystock
    It all starts with the pitching, especially the starters. Cora has said that out loud because it's so obvious. One presumes Cora will go with some righty bats vs. lefty Happ, who was pretty tough against us last year (until the ALCS). One presumes Beni will rest another day, so my guess is JDM will be back in LF, JBJ in CF, and Mookie in RF. I see Devers at 3B (but it could be Nunez), Bogie at SS, Pedey (or Nunez) at 2B. and Pearce and Moreland at 1b and DH or vice versa. Vazquez catching. So, if Devers sits for Nunez (unlikely), we could see as many as 7 right bats. But, honestly, I believe the winning card is a700hitter transmitting vital bulletins from enemy territory.
  24. Maxbialystock
    Agree with you and Kimmi. Cora is young and can learn from this.
  25. Maxbialystock
    I'm with you. As ST progressed and we saw more and more of the regulars, including starters, the team looked worse and worse, including the losses. I'm not absolutely sure the completely lackluster ST was/is to blame, but it's pretty hard to ignore. I also recall a chorus saying that the MLB schedulers were/are a bunch of meanies and virtually guaranteed the Sox would get off to a bad start because, horror or horrors, they started out on the dreaded west cost. Unfair, unfair came the cries from TalkSoxers. Then the return to Fenway and a 3-3 home stand against the dregs of the AL East--the very teams the Sox destroyed last season. Finally, last night's debacle with our ace getting pounded by a Yankees lineup weakened by injury and a shutout by a pitching staff that has also struggled. So far, in fact, the Boston Red Sox right now are welcomed by every ballpark in America because they bring with them sure victories for the home team. The Orioles split 4 immediately after losing 4 straight on the road, so maybe the Sox won't be quite so welcome at Fenway.
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