moonslav59

MIA beat TOR. BAL beat HOU. KCR just beat DET, so all 3 teams ahead of us have lost. KCR are the closest to ousting a WC leader, so winning tonight will help us stay the same with them, and push the NYY closer to elimination. AL Records, with the Sox-Yanks still to go: 78-54 DET 76-55 TOR 72-59 HOU 71-59 BOS (We can tie HOU with a win.) 69-60 NYY (Can be tied with SEA with a loss and SEA win.) 69-61 SEA (up 2-1 early) 67-64 KCR (-2.5 from SEA and NYY before their games are completed.) 64-64 CLE (losing 4-0 in the 6th)

Agreed, and if he was hitting his career .795 mark, there would be little talk against him, this year. I get that the guy was hurt. I don't fault him for that or his slow recovery/rehab or whatever it was/is, but we need better than .650 from the DH slot, when hitting has become one of our weaker (no weak) areas. It's nothing personal. I was worse with Toro.

Maybe he can hit 25/25. He'd be our 4th to do that! Top Sox SB/HR seasons 39/32 Ellsbury '11 34/21 Duran '24 30/32 Betts '18 27/20 Burks '87 26/31 Betts '17 26/24 Betts '16 26/21 Pedroia '11 23/40 Yaz '70 22/25 Jensen '54 and 20/27 in '59 22/30 Nomar '97 20/27 Valentin '95 22/20 Story '25 20-20 Beni in '17 My favorite childhood player was Tommy Harper, who once hit 31 homers and stole 38 bases for the Brewers before being traded to the Sox. He stole 25, 54 (led league in '73), 28 and 26 in his 4 seasons, but never topped 17 HRs, those years or 18 in any other career seasons.

One could also "guess" his streaky up and down season might have 1 or 2 more up streaks left in 2025, if one were inclined to project his MO going forward, and not just his last 10 games or what he did to end the last seasons. He's young and in excellent shape. I do not think he is wearing down. I do agree that his lack of plate discipline, although improving slightly will lead to continued slumps, but the kid has proven, over and over, that he can have some nice stretches of hitting well. He's even had some pretty long hitting stretches, but of course, one could use a microscope and find mini slumps within those "long stretches:" 2023: He started the season at .917 after 17 games and was still at .799 after 23. He sucked for the last 10 games, but his good stretch was longer than the bad one, despite both being tiny samples. 2024: .566 after his first 32 games, then .747 for the next 93 games, before ending at .477 the last 27 games. One could cherry pick the other way and say he ended the season with a .624 OPS over 61 games, but that long good stretch would still be about the same sample size. (.770 in 60 games) 2025: has been a roller coaster that could very well define who he is, and not the :guess that he will always end every season in a long slump. He was at .467 after 13 games, then .772 for 62 games, then .707 over the last 50 games, including .400 over his last 10 games. However, take away thos 10 games from the previous sample size and that .707 stretch turns into something okay: ,783. The best long stretch I could come up with via cherry picking is: .803 in 50 games from 6/11 to 8/11. Hell, throw out just his first 5 games and last 10, and you have a 109 game stretch of .766 batting. Why do you insist on defining him by smaller sample sizes of futility? Why should we expect futility, when his whole career has smashed the norms for high K/ low BB players? Also, he has improved, even if slightly. 2023-24: K% 27.1 (7th worst on Sox) and BB % 2.9 (worst w Arroyo at 3.4 & Romy & Wong at 5.6) 2025: K% 18.7 (3rd best on the team!!!) and BB% 4.7 (still worst but a 41% improvement over 2.9%. Toro is 2nd at 4.9 with Story at 5.2 and Romy at 5.4.) Rafaela has closed the gap on his weakest areas: High K/Low BB rates. He may or not continue to improve, but you seem to always assume the worst. His OBP improved from .275 over his first 660 PAs in MLB to .294 in 466 PAs, this year. His SLG improved from .389 to .420. His OPS+ from 84 to 96. He's still not at 100, but he's just 24.

Anthony is better on D than Duran, so I'd flip those two. If Rafaela is at 2B, maybe Duran is better in CF than Anthony, but we could also use Jh Garcia in CF v L, which is when DHam sits at 2B, anyway.

Anything to lessen the injury risk for Casas is good. Plus, he's the worst defensive 1Bman in MLB, so why try so hard to keep him there? We should have started the season with Casas at DH and Devers at 1B, but that's water under the bridge. Casas would probably have still got hurt.

I bet we still see Yoshida DH vs RHPs, even after ABreu & Ref return. Ref only bats vs LHPs, so he has no place in the DH v RHP discussion. I doubt Cora begins platooning Duran, as he has the most PAs vs lefties on the team. Cora let that happen. It will be: DH: Yoshida v R/ Ref v L C: Narvaez and Wong (w Bello) 1B: Lowe v R/Romy v L 2B: Rafaela FT (Maybe DHam v some RHPs) SS: Story FT 3B: Bregman FT LF: Anthony FT (Garcia when he needs a rest, only) CF: Duran FT (Maybe Garcia vs some LHPs) RF: Abreu v R/Garcia v L (if he's not demoted when Abreu & Ref return) I'd prefer Duran DH v R and Ref v L, with a rest given at DH to other OF'ers , here and there. Id go with Anthony in LF, Rafaela/Garcia in CF and Abreu/Garcia in RF. Rafaela could play 2B, if garcia shows he can hit, otherwise go with DHam at 2B v R and Rafaela only v L.

It's still a mystery why he wasn't DHing at Woo for a long time. Then, maybe he doesn't need this rahab/adjustment time on the big club.

If he does come around vs RHPs, he's still only .795 career on that split. That's better than many Sox players and nobody jumps out as being a clear better choice. It ain't Wong or DHam. Romy might be better, but he's kinda slumping, too and can play 2B v RHPs, although Rafaela allows all the LHB OF'ers to play OF, if he's at 2B. I guess Eaton is the only other option vs LHPs, so I can see choosing Yoshida nd hoping he can climb near .795, again. If we want to keep all OF'er playing FT, I do think Jh Garcia as an option to oust Yoshida from the line-up as we rotate OF'ers through the DH slot, daily. Anthony, Duran and Abreu, when healthy, all should start every game vs RHPs. Garcia and Rafaela would be the ones squeezing Yoshida from his line-up slot.

Well said. I do think defense is easier to judge over smaller sample sizes, and I did not like what I saw from KC at 2B.

I really don't think a player's value drops as much as some think, due to a 200 PA slump. I think many teams would love to have Campbell, even after seeing his 2025 issues on O and D. I don't see KC as an option at 2B, unless as an extreme emergency. He is really bad on D. We don't need another OF'er. If we trade Duran, we may need help, especially if Jh Garcia struggles. If we keep Yoshida around, he could be a LF option, too. Maybe Romy, too. Maybe Refsnyder returns for 1 more year. I don't like the idea of trading any of our OF'er. I like them all, but our surplus is too valuable to have 1 or 2 on the bench or at DH every game. I'm not trading Anthony. I guess trading Rafaela could be an option, but his glove in CF is too good to lose. I'd be okay with trading Abreu, as Anthony and Garcia can play RF decently.

Mine was a projection not my choice. Romy is a lefty killer. I'd lead him off, despite his trailing off a little. DHam sucks at the plate, especially v lefties. Rafaela is better, overall and at 2B, he allows all the OF'ers to bat, even Duran who sucks vs LHPs, this year and for all but 2024. My choice: R Romy 1B L Anthony LF R Story SS R Bregman 3B R Garcia RF L Duran CF R Narvaez C R Rafaela 2B R Eaton DH Save the LHBs (Lowe & Yoshida) for PH opportunities.

Sox prospects.com has Gonzales at GRE, next season. Maybe he ends up at POR by the end of 2026. He sure looks like a keeper. Our everyday prospect list took a big hit with graduations by Anthony, Mayer, Campbell, Narvaez and the trade of Teel, Montgomery and Meidroth, but I still have hopes in some big jumps next year.... C Jo Garcia, Jo Rodriguez & Mussett (H White & Rosario) 1B Hickey, Brooks (C) & Brito 2B Godbout, Mason & (Cespedes is dropping) SS Arias, Soto, Cason, Ramos & Pinto (Nunez is dropping) 3B Romero, Liendo & Encarnacion (Alcantara & Anderson are dropping) LF Gonzales, Azocar & YRod (Castro is dropping) CF Jh Garcia, Rivas & Martin (Bleis is dropping) RF Taylor, Turner & Yuten DH Hickey

With Lowe doing well, I don't see Campbell being a 1Bman option need, and he may never play another game at 2B for the Sox again. We just called up DHam over Campbell, so that is pretty telling. I am far from giving up on Campbell's bat, but his glove is a major concern. His most likely fits on Defense are LF (where he needs to learn the difference between playing CF and LF) and DH. While DH seems a waste of his athleticism, if the guy can't be a plus on D anywhere else, then what is left? We also have such an overload in the OF, playing LF is not really an option and may not even be an option if we trade Duran. LF: Anthony & Garcia CF: Rafaela & Garcia RF: Abreu, Garcia & Anthony Where does Campbell fit in, unless Jh Garcia bombs out? With Yoshida at DH, being a DH platoon is a waste of a roster spot. DH v LHPs and 5th OF'er and emergency 2Bman is still not a good option. He may end up being trades along with Duran or Abreu- maybe in a separate deal.

I am nearly certain either DHam or Grissom are not on the 40, next season- maybe both. Sogard and Eaton will likely be non-tendered. With 9 guys on the 60 Day IL, and no 60 Day IL allowed before opening day, some roster moves will be needed. Sandlin may be the only sure bet Rule 5 guy added, this winter, but word is Tolle may be added, soon, despite not being Rule 5 eligible for a while. Other that might be protected are Mullins, Uberstine & Paez. I doubt we add Hickey, Bleis or Castro. Houck will be added to the 60 Day IL, soon after opening day, but he will take a 40 man slot up for the full 2026 season. That creates a winter dilema, to some extent, but I really feel like our winter plans should concentrate on quality additions over quantity, so a roster crunch can easily be avoided. One 5 for 1 deal, involving 2-4 forty-man players would go a long way in solving any issues. A second similar trade would allow us to add quality (Bregman, Chapman) and quantity, as in depth at 2B and 1B (Lowe) and the pen. Maybe even a 3rd catcher than can be stashed at Woo but be on the 40. I think Wong will be out of options, after 2025. Salary dump trades involving Yoshida and or Hicks could also allow us more roster flexibility and improvement. Lowe's contract could become an issue.

I'm really excited about the Sox extending so many of our core young players and prospects. Only the Campbell one looks somewhat questionable, as of now, but it's way too early to judge that deal. The Bello and Rafaela extensions made previously were questioned by a few posters, here, and there was some merit to question why the need for jumping the gun on these two, but clearly Bello would get more had we waited until now. Rafaela is third in fWAR on the team and about tied with Duran for second on fWAR per PA or game started. He's ranked about 50th in all MLB. His $6.25 AAV looks like a steal, now, to me. The Crochet extension made the trade 5 times better.

It's $130M/8, so the all important AAV will be a hit on the lux tax, starting in 2026. (He would have been below $1M in 2026, so the front end is a budget burden at $16.25M, but over the long haul, it should be a major budget asset.) The team also has a 9th year option with no buyout cost, but it's $30M, so he better be great to kick that option is. Here is the year by year: $5M signing bonus 26:$2M, 27:$4M, 28:$8M, 29:$15M, 30:$19M, 31:$23M, 32:$25M, 33:$29M, 34:$30M club option (no buyout) awards may increase 2031-34 salaries up to $14M in 2031, $16.2M in 2032, $18.4M in 2033, $21.6M in 2034: $1M annually in 2032 or 2033 for first or second place in Rookie of the Year vote $2M in 2034 for first or second place in Rookie of the Year vote $2M each for winning league MVP award $1M each for second or third place in MVP vote $750,000 each for fourth or fifth place in MVP vote $500,000 each for sixth through 10th in MVP vote per cots.

Tolle won't be starting for the Sox on Monday. I think it might be a pen game, if we don't overuse them, today. Otherwise, I think we go with Fitts, since he's on the 26, now. Harrison might "deserve" it more than Fitts, but based on what? Just to give him a fresh look? It would be nice to get 6 or 7 IP from May, tonight. It was great not needing Chapman or Whitlock, yesterday and this is a night after day game, too. Weissert just threw 13 pitches, so he could probably pitch, again. Wilson is dropping in the high leverage role, so not using him might be a plus, tonight. Slaten may be ready for a promotion by the time Tolle could get a start, so with the addition of Buehler to the pen, we could see a major shift in the make-up of the pen and rotation. Since the deadline, we might see: Rotation: May>Buehler and Tolle/Harrison>Fitts Pen: Matz> Murphy, Buehler > I Campbell and Slaten> Moran/Kelly/Hicks (Hicks to IL??? He is out of options.) That's 5 of 13 slots changed out, with those 5 still here as depth in AAA.

The thread starter has been suspiciously absent from any further comments or retractions. Man up, OCA!

Do you think Yoshida has played too much?

I guess it could be Brez telling Cora he has to play Yoshida, but I think Cora calls the shots on who plays from the 26. Brez sets the 26 with Cora input, IMO. Cora seems to have full faith in Yoshida, despite his shortcomings, this year. I think he cut him a lot of slack, assuming he was adjusting after missing so much time with the injury, that apparently was not supposed to affect his hitting. Yoshida has played almost FT since his return. 28 games (26 started.) in 37 games. He's batting .234 with just 2 HRs and 8 XBHs in 103 PAs. He has a .643 OPS. That sucks for a DH. With Ref on the IL, now, and Romy needed as a platoon for 1B or 2B, and Rafaela being used at 2B, it looks like Yoshida will DH vs L & R. There is no OF to DH rotation in the works, IMO. BTW, Cora specifically asked me not to give you his new email account information, as the last time you stalked him relentlessly. 🤪

Agreed. Judge has also missed time with injuries, not just this year. Stanton has missed a ton of time. Rice, Bellinger, Grisham & Chisholm have done well, this year, but I don't see them as the types to carry and offense, when Judge and Stanton are out or not having big games. When all healthy, they have a solid 6. Goldschmidt at .760 looks fine, but he's at .735 since April 15th and .618 since May 31st (225 PAs) He hit .716, last season, so maybe that's who he really is, now. Six is better than a lot of teams. I'm not saying the Yankee offense is a weakness. It is far from that, but when it gets to crunch time, teams can pitch around Judge and Stanton, and fell pretty confident the other 4 guys won't burn them. I guess you could say the same about Bregman and Anthony, but Story leads the team in RBI and the Abreu-Ref and Lowe-Romy platoons give us two slots that beat any of those 4 Yankees. Duran may not be a reliable "key hit" batter, but he is suck an offensive threat in other ways, so he has to be seen as at least equal to those second tier 4 Yankee batters. Narvaez and Rafaela offer some hope, as well and Jh Garcia is the wild card addition.

I project this line-up: 1. R Romy 1B (Lowe sucks vs LHPs) 2. R Bregman 3B (Cora loves him at #2. I might go Anthony 2 & Bregman 4.) 3. L Anthony LF (Our new Yankee killer) 4. R Story SS (Has done well, this year) 5. R Garcia RF (Breakin-breakout game, tonight!) 6. L Duran CF (maybe Cora gives him a day off: insert Yoshida 6th.) 7. R Rafaela 2B (DHam cannot start v a lefty.) 8. L Yoshida DH (It's what Cora does, although demoting to the 8th slot would be new.) 9. R Narvaez C (Heating back up?)

I think Cora is flexible enough to see the DH role as a way to rest players while keeping their bats in the line-up. He could still give everyone 3-5 full days off, instead of 6-10, like now. The problem is that he feels like as long as Yoshida is on the 26, he HAS TO PLAY HIM FT. Brez needs to rid Cora from having that option. If it comes to a DFA, then so be it. Maybe he can trade Yoshida, Lowe and DHam for Arenado. STL would still save money. Throw in Mullins, if need be. I don't see playing Rafaela or Abreu at DH, especially Rafaela. Just give him the full day off. I'd rotate Duran, Anthony and maybe Garcia at DH, but now by adding Garcia we are at 6 OF'ers, so one will be traded. One has to be traded. If it's Duran, we could see this (assuming no Yoshida option): LF: Anthony v R (when not at DH)/ Garcia v L (when not at DH) Campbell???? CF: Rafaela FT (Garcia when rest is needed, most likely v R, as Garcia spells Abreu & Anthony v L's) RF: Abreu v R/ Anthony v L (when not at DH) Garcia v L DH: Rotate Anthony, Garcia and rarely Abreu. (If we move Abreo to FT, then he DHs more often) Campbell???

Back in the 70's and 80's OOB was a Quebecer magnet. Yes, I have not noticed many there in the last couple decades.