Maxbialystock

Could you 'splain that please.

If he struggle or flops, it will be such a shame because to me he has been the consummate ace: great stuff, never challenges signals, stays focused, gives his all, and really fields his position well. I have no idea how he is around people and other players, but to me he sets a great example. I'm trying to say he really deserves to do well in the postseason.

We're entitled. The only head that needs to stay out of the sand is Cora's. He knows all of what I wrote and a lot more. So I can't believe he isn't thinking about options, the simplest of which is to tell Wright or someone like him to be ready to go early. That doesn't mean to warm up, only to be mentally ready. Eovaldi might be an even better choice.

About Sale being effective with a fast ball in the low 90's. He has always been a power pitcher and thrives on it, so mixing things up will be a big change and I think require a lot more than one game (see para below about that game) to make the adjustment. Also, he basically throws just two breaking pitches--slider and changeup. Both are good, but don't have sharp breaks and I think depend on the fastball being really fast. If the Orioles lineup can get 3 runs in 4.2 innings when Sale is going with his low 90's fast ball (even high 80s), I think the Yankees can give him some grief.

jacksonianmarch might be trolling, but he certainly has a point. You can't ignore his last outing. it's not definitive, but is worrisome, especially if the Yankees are in the ALDS. Also, it's not just the one game. He was great in July, went on the DL, came back, and has been up and down since then. He has not pitched more than 5 innings since July 27. Since going on the DL in July-August (2 weeks), he has pitched in 5 games. He was super in the first one on August 12: 5 inning, 12 K's, 1 hit, 0 runs, and 68 pitches. But since then, 1 inning, 3 inngs, 3.1 innings (2 earned runs), and 4.2 innings (3 earned runs vs. Orioles and 92 pitches). Then there's the whole issue of earlier seasons, especially 2017, running out of gas in September/Oct.

I think this was a pretty good first stab, but vehemently disagree on dropping Vazquez. And not including Wright is criminal. I also see 3 relievers you could drop without hurting the bullpen: Kelly, Pom, and Johnson. Vazquez brings you back to 14 position players, about normal for the postseason and leaves 11 pitchers, also normal for the playoffs. If you drop Kelly, Pom, and Johnson, you can bring back Wright and Vazquez--and maybe Poyner (lone lefty in bullpen). Pom has a WAR of -.6, which I think is earned. Johnson's is 0.0, ditto. Kelly's is .3, but he is just so inconsistent and has been horrible in September.

Yeah, well I like Lindor so there.

I'm pretty sure both Nunez and Devers will be on the roster and am fine with whoever Cora starts in a given game. The other one can always pinch hit. Speaking of which, there was a discussion earlier about Cora having options to pinch hit for his catcher. Thus the 3d catcher on the roster and maybe an extra bat. Lately, I'm thinking it might be smarter to beef up the pitching because it sure is looking like the weak link. Normally, usually a MLB carries 12, but lately just 11 in the playoffs because of the rest days. So I'm thinking Cora carries 8 starters: Sale, Price, Porcello, ERod, Eovaldi, Wright, Velazquez, and Johnson (or that kid Cuevas). The last four have already relieved once or more this season, so they can relieve, but I'm thinking right now early relief before the game gets out of hand. The other three pitchers would probably be Kimbrel, Brasier, and Barnes. Cora might even consider a 12th arm on the roster to beef up the short relievers with Poyner or Workman or whoever.

But he's still good for $100M for 5 or so years, don't you think? He actually is a pretty good closer but remarkably unreliable in anything other than a 1 inning save situation given a clean inning to work with.

I believe someone else posted an article or something that says WAR has become popular with the MVP voters.

mvp78, moonslav has a thing about defense up the middle. He loved Iglesias in 2013 and hated that he was traded. His theory was that good defense saves probably two or three hundred runs a year--or is it a month? With Iglesias at SS and JBJ in CF right now the Sox team ERA would be like 1.25. That's how important defense is, and Bogey is just average (or worse). Nevertheless, I always like it when moonslav provides a list like this. He knows his own mind--and the players. My only switch in fact would be switching JBJ and Bogey.

Interesting.

Hell, it almost always is location when you throw a lot of fastballs. Kelly can throw 100 mph most of the time, but gets hit hard because they know one's coming and he ain't that good at working the edges.

2 dingers off Price? Both off of fastballs. Hmmmm.

I facetiously said 105 but then admitted I had no idea how many and, honestly, would have been just fine with 95. 106 and counting is insane. Those two early streaks were big, so was the pitching. And the hitting came back with a vengeance, largely, I think, because of the JDM who is another David Ortiz in his effect on the lineup and their run production. Thus Betts, Beni, and Bogey all improved over 2017. jacksonianmarch complains we did this by beating up on weak teams. True. But guess what? The Yankees played them as often as we did. Compliments to the OP for putting in that poll and now reminding us of it.

Nicely said. Watching Kelly pitch, I sometimes get the impression he has a confidence issue. If so, maybe his subconscious is telling him--stay away from that playoff pressure.

Lindor is, I think, the top-rated defensive SS in MLB and has an OPS of .879 with 36 dingers, 89 rbi's, 124 runs, 23 SB's, etc. His overall WAR, however, is 7.7 to Mookie's 10.7. Still, that OPS is awfully darn impressive when owned by the best fielding SS. The big surprise to me is that earlier in the season Trout had a better DWAR than Mookie. But now Mookie's DWAR is double Trout's.

Lindor is, I think, the top-rated defensive SS in MLB and has an OPS of .879 with 36 dingers, 89 rbi's, 124 runs, 23 SB's, etc. His overall WAR, however, is 7.7 to Mookie's 10.7. Still, that OPS is awfully darn impressive when owned by the best fielding SS.

Really? Why would Cora keep Kelly when he has the 12th best WAR on the Sox pitching staff and an ERA of 10.29 in September. Kelly is an interesting study in relievers this season. He had three great months--April, May, and August--and three horrible ones--June, July, and September.

I'm thinking the same thing. I think the Yankees had like 8 righty bats and no bad ones (Sanchez came the closest to bad) against Price last week when they got 6 runs off him in 5.1. They also hit ERod and couldn't get to Eovaldi who went 6 scoreless in game 1 before Workman and Brasier coughed up 3.

Kelly looked awful again last night--no command of his pitches. I think his best modus operandi is to go mostly with breaking stuff--he has a curve, slider, and changeup, all pretty decent--and an occasional fastball. Last night his first pitch was a fastball down the middle, hit squarely for a clean single. Then he tried hitting the corners with his fastball and breaking stuff and walked guys, plus I think he got an out. Interestingly, the Sox currently have 8 starters: Sale, Price, Porcello, Eovaldi, ERod, Johnson, Velazquez, and Wright. Of those 8, the four with the most quality starts are Price, 18, Sale, 17, Porcello, 16, and ERod, 7. So, as much as I like my idea of starting Wright 3 times for, say, 2 innings each time, it also occurs to me that Cora could simply go into the ALDS with 4 short relievers--Kimbrel, Brasier, Barnes, and one other--and 3 long relievers--Wright, Eovaldi or ERod, and Velazquez or Johnson. He can still start those long relievers for 2 or more innings, or he can use them in the traditional way. It appears Cora is currently conducting a mini-camp to see who can pitch in what situation. Eovaldi just might get the 4th starter slot over ERod, which would give Cora two lefty starters and two righty starters.

That's exactly what I think. At aother time Kimbrel long term might have been affordable, but not next year.

It pissed me off too. But, to be honest, he did give the lineup a chance to score the go ahead run. I really think he left Cuevas in there so the game would end at a decent hour and they could catch their flight back to Boston to play tonight. Therefore I have redirected my anger at Sunday Night Baseball, which I hate with a passion, and on the lineup for not scoring. This loss did not put home field advantage in jeopardy. Plus Cora got a chance to see Cuevas work 5+ innings.

That makes a lot of sense. The one thing I thought Lin might be valuable for is pinch-running. By the way, are you advocating 11 pitchers or 10? If the latter, I see these 15 position players. 9 starters: Betts, Beni, JDM, Bogey, Moreland, Kinsler, Devers, Leon, and JBJ. Then these 5: Pearce, Nunez, Holt, Vazquez, Swihart. That leaves 1 guy and maybe that could be Lin, who is almost as versatile as Holt and faster. I think better than Phillips. If it's 11 pitchers--4 starters, and 7 in the bullpen, then Lin is out.

I want him off the roster. I want him deported or rocketed to the moon. But, honestly, you could be right. Last night he looked pretty darn good. Maybe he just needs to use his fast ball less and the other stuff more. I liked that changeup.