moonslav59

I'm not a big Moose fan, really, I'm not. I don't want to make new holes by trading for a big bat like Votto or Stanton. Plus, there's more issues with those two than just new holes created by getting them. My point is this: we need a big bat for next year to hit clean-up. (We could probably use two, but let's just get one great one.) What are the best FA power hitters this winter? 1. JD Martinez: injury history, plays OF (we have 3), would have to DH and force HRam to play 1B FT. Devers plays 3B. 2. Moustakas: unknown if power is sustainable, not a great defender, will cost a lot of money and years, would force Devers or him to move to 1B. 3. Hosmer: NOT A POWER HITTER, not even a consistent hitter overall, great glove at 1B, allows Devers to continue at 3B. Truthfully, I don't like any of the choices for the reasons given, but certainly Moose looks like one of the best 2 choices of these three. Sure, we can try Duda, or Morrison, or Alonso, but I seriously don't expect any of them to answer our biggest need this winter. Tell me a better idea. I mean that with all sincerity. I'd love to find a better plan that doesn't involve trading a vet or a star and creating a new hole. I'd love nothing more than to add a legitimate 4th choice.

He's doing great --this year, but I didn't know he was a starter.

Gray is an ace with an injury history. He may end up being Buch, or he may end up being the ace he was for the A's. He is healthy now and pitching very well this year.

Can we get back to baseball, if only to distract us from the impending Armageddon?

Add to that enigma these numbers: 2014: -3.7 UZR/150 & -9 DRS 2015: +0.9 UZR.150 & -1 DRS (Showed marked improvement on defense) 2016: -2.9 UZR/150 & -10 DRS 2017: -1.3 UZR.150 & -12 DRS and counting Not only has Bogey failed to continue the progress he showed from 2014 to 2015, he's gotten much worse on defense.

The argument by many of us, was more about trading Margot plus 3 other prospects for a RP'er. It was not about us wanting to keep 15 prospects with only 9 slots. I'm not saying it could have happened, but maybe we could have gotten Quintana and/or Gray or some inexpensive big bat for some mix of Margot, Espinoza, Shaw, Dubon, Guerra, Asuage, Allen and Pennington (plus maybe others).

The comp is not Moose v Devers, it's Moose v Moreland.

Look at 2012 to 2013 and you'll see 2013 was not that much of an outlier. 2013 was 2014 was as freakish as 2016 to 2017.

Then, where was the "protection" in 2014, when just about everyone declined that year? Papi still had 35 Hrs and an OPS over .870, yet we saw this... (Players listed in order by most PAs in 2013) 2013>2014 .787 Pedey .712 .842 Naps .789 .831 Nava .706 .801 SVic .685 .777 Drew .583 .696 Middy .522 .771 Gomes .683 .885 Carp .599 8 out of 8 of our top returning players by PAs, declined from 2013 to 2014 while Papi was still mashing. Random?

I never knew a batter hitting 3rd or 4th "protected" 9 of 10 players spread from the 1 to 9 slot.

Yes, on July 20th, JF dropped the "power hitting", slumping Bogey to 6th. (He should never have been batting 3rfd to begin with- second or even 1st was best.) He took longer to drop Moreland from the 4/5 slot. He put Holt leading off 5 times and second (the spoit to put your best hitter) 3 times. At what point was Holt ever hitting well? I'm not putting all the blame on JF for 9 of 10 guys declining, but if he is given credit when players do well, he should take some of the blame when just about everyone declines, except the guy who had no where to decline to (Vaz). JF is an excellent pitching coach, and it shows when he manages. I have very little criticism for the way he has handled our staff. I don't feel he has a clue about hitting, fielding and base running nor the rules of the game. It shows.

Yeah, he patiently kept our weakest power hitter batting 3rd for months, even as his slump became obvious. Sometimes patience isn't a virtue.

1) I said partially responsible. 2) I never said every player's decline was his fault or even partially his fault. We all expected Leon to decline and maybe HRam, Pedey and Young, but not 9 out of 10. (Note" we all probably also expected Vaz to improve over his putrid 2016 numbers, so basically it's the 5 out of 5 I'm mostly speaking to.)

The reason we have so few homers is because the bat boy thought JF told him to put a fork in the bats not cork!

I'm hopeful. I have Smith penciled in to the 2 slot behind Kimbrel for 2018. I'm hoping Thornburg can be our 3/4.

Jf was rewarded for those "past years" by keeping his job, and by the way, we finished in last place a few of those "past years". This team is also younger than any Sox team in recent years. Yes, that makes it harder to manange, but one should be expecting improvement as players move from 22 to 28 or 29 years old, staying somewhat even from 27-33, and maybe some decline from 31 on. We have nobody over 33, unlike teams in the past. If anything, we should have expected inclines not declines. I get the loss of Papi's bat, spirit and leadership extends beyond just the numbers he put up over the last few years, but 9 out of 10 declines with more than half being serious declines? JF has to shoulder some of the balme- just as he shared in the rewards of 2013 and all those "up years" (that wasn't actually as much as people believed it was).

The bat boy has cost us at least 5-10 games!

According to your logic, it shouldn't count as good base running, because (by deep analysis) it didn't change the outcome of the game.

None of the plays I label as being "bonehead" have anything to do with aggressiveness. Few have anything to do with overaggressiveness. Forgetting how many outs there are, running with your head down into an occupied base, not hustling, and lack of focus are not a result of being aggressive or overaggressive. Linking the two is not facing the true debate here. Running into an out when you are thrown out by 15 or more feet may be labelled "aggressive" by some, but to me, someone made a mistake (runner/ 3B-1B coach?). Even if you throw all those out, we've still had way too many bonehead plays on the base paths and on defense.

Yes, adding Darvish and a couple other mid level to big FAs should help you guys get significantly better.

If he can never throw the slider like he used to, one has to wonder if he'll ever be as effective as he was that one year with Seattle.

So, sign JD Martinez and a one year 1Bman and sit the $22M team HR leader, so we can improve our power?

If we could trade HRam and save $10M or so, I'd sign JD in a heart beat- injury history and all. Then just find a cheap one year 1B fix and punt the decision to next year.

I've mentioned JD as an option, and he's a safer gamble than Moustakas. He's a better clean-up hitter. However, I just don't see HRam as a FT 1Bman next year. I don't want to have to trade for a hitter. I would suggest JD over Hosmer, but I still think Moustakas is a better fit.

Good story. Go Sox!