moonslav59

This is like a broken record. Your favorite album with a big f***ing scratch down the middle of your favorite song. (I know you young sprouts are wondering what the hell I am talking about.)

I wouldn't say a 5.26 ERA is "mid rotation" quality, but the sample size is teenie.

I try not to use. small sample sizes, though even some of these are pretty small, so I used 2015-2016 combined stats from fangraphs rather than just this partial season. Here's the link to vs RHPs: http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=200&type=1&season=2016&month=14&season1=2015&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=8,d

Really good article about Sox messing up Swihart situation for short term gain. Do you have a link? Best scenario would have been to put him back in AAA and work on his defensive catching. His bat was considered ML ready and maybe explode. We needed a LF'er badly. Vaz looked like he was in the lead for catcher of the future. I get the move, but I also can see how Swihart's value will always be highest as a catcher- even if not a good one defensively. We no longer need a left fielder. Young and Benintendi will have it covered in 2017 unless we can unload Young for a relief pitcher. Swihart needs to work on catching. His trade value has to be low right now. True, but Young was hurt and Beni "wasn't ready". I can see Pedey being out for long stretches over next 5 years. He just goes all out and I don't think his body is durable. So, are you thinking Moncada stays at 2B maybe? Need to have a Jesus meeting about Hanley. Are we simply trying to recoup some of his salary? Will he hit good enough to play 1B or DH for another 3 years? $22M a year is too mjuch to spend on a 1B/DH who should only play vs LHPs (35% starts?), but with Castillo and Craig already dead weight and Pablo maybe soon to join that party, we may be stuck with HanRam. I'm all for trying to trade him, but not if we have to pay a huge chunk of his deal. Last winter, I said I'd trade HanRam, even if he had a ,900 OPS this year, just ebcause I don't trust getting any consistency from him. What to do with Shaw? Pablo? Platoon HanRam and Shaw at 1B? Platoon HanRam and Sandy at DH with Shaw at 1B? Our starting pitching is beginning to look good in comparison to our relievers. Only one doing well is a summer rental. Ugh.

Okay, but the last 4-5 posts were about Pompom, and I do recall some posters saying he had "ace potential".

Yes. I specifically said this was based on just "the numbers" with a min PA threshold. Of course Beni would and should fit into any future line-up projection. This was meant more as a guideline based on data, but I would not choose any of these line-ups as my own. The data would influence my choices, and I'm more likely than many to juggle players around based on splits, so use as you wish.

I'm not sure I ever read anybody call him a "true ace". Are you being sarcastic? Some stats and metrics showed he was a 15-30 pitcher in the NL over the first 15 games of 2016, but I wouldn't say that made him even a number 2. So far, he hasn't come close to being a number 2, unless you mean doo doo number two.

I was against the trade even with the assumption that Pompom was a number 3 or 4. Now, we're possibly back to square one: looking for a solid pitcher with Pompom joining the long list of mediocre pitchers fighting for the 5 slot. This is why I hate trying to rebuild a rotation from the bottom to middle. I know it costs more in prospects to get a true ace, but squandering smaller packages over and over, eventually adds up to one big package that had a better chance or getting a 1 or 2 slot starter.

Young blows everyone away v lefties. He has to start v them. Too bad he can't play 3B. Hill sucks! To

It might be more frustrating to watch, but hitting the ball well is better than losing 3-0.

last I looked, I think JBJ has a .370 OBP vs lefties. We have very few hitters with .360+ OBPs vs lefties. I'd bat JBJ second vs lhp or first. I would rest him some too, but I hate to lose the defense.

I'd sit Papi some, JBJ a little betts maybe one game and beni the rest.

Young has to play vs LHPs, but Beni doesn't have to be the one who sits most of the time

We hit the ball really hard last night. Some found gloves. Others were not timed right.

Ageed. Word is DD thought the deal was done. I'm glad it wasn't!

Of course he's not going to continue like this, but what BAbip does not show is that he has a 26% LD rate and 36% hard hit ball rate, which rank pretty highly on the team. That means it hasn't all been luck, although it doesn't mean he will continue hitting the ball hard going forward either.

Agreed, but it's just 1 of 162 games, and at least our offense didn't look totally dead- like on the road.

I'm not defending HanRam, but a lot of players had chances to knock in multiple runs.

Just got done watching the game on delay. I haven't read much written here, but another sad ending after a good start. Pomeranz finally looked alright. . Abad is looking like a bad move, and I'm being kind. I wondered why Buch only went 2/3rds. I was on the dump Farrell bandwagon last year, and I'm usually the last to call for a manager's firing, but this is getting too obvious to overlook.

He has been amazing. When you think about him having just a .701 OPS at Arkansas in 2014. That was less than 3 years ago! Then this.... 2015 ARK 1.205 OPS in 288 PAs ..A- .948 OPS in 153 PAs ...A 1.011 OPS in 86 PAs 2016 ..A+ .976 OPS in 155 PAs ..AA .872 OPS in 263 PA What a two year climb to the top! College .376 20 57 (.488/.717/.1.205) 65 games Minors .312 20 107 (.392/.540/.932) 151 games 216 games 845 PAs

The catching situation with the Sox has gone through some tough times since VTek's glory years. David Ross Kelly Shopach Ryan Lavarnway Jarrod Saltalamacchia AJ Pierzynski Ryan Hanigan Don't these three names sound a lot better right now? Sandy Leon Christian Vazquez Blake Swihart

It's not an easy question, but I agree. Player A gets "in stride" 3 months earlier. The trade off is he struggles for 3 more months (in the previous year). The 3 extra "struggle" months could prevent a playoff run the 1st year and maybe even the second year, so of course other information is needed to make the actual call, but I thought this question addresses some of the thoughts in the decision making.

Same exact level prospect.

Here's a theoretical question based on some speculative aspects that for arguments sake we will take as "givens": Let's assume player A and player B end up being exactly the same player for the remainder of their careers and retire at the exact same age. (Note: I know there are plenty of what ifs, but humor me and stick to just the scenario listed.) Player A is called up in August after spending just about a year in the minors and jumps from AA to MLB. He struggles for 4 of his first 5 months, but then hits his stride in July 2017 and never looks back. Player B is called up in August after spending about two years in the minors and is promoted from AAA after spending close a year there. He struggles for just 1 out of his first two months, but hits his stride in April of 2018 and never looks back. Which do you choose? Does it matter if your team is in a playoff race in 2017 and hopes to be in 2018 as well? Please hold the what ifs and permutations to a minimum and try to answer the scenario given. (This in no way is a projection on what Beni will do or might have done under different circumstances.) Which do you choose if your team is not in a playoff race in 2017 but

I'm a huge Vaz fan, and have supported him in the Vaz Vs Swi debate, based significantly on speculation I might add, but the only reason Leon has stuck around so long despite his horrendous hitting numbers is that he is known as a very good defensive catcher. This includes the intangible aspects of catching. I super high on Vaz's defense, but I'm not going to pretend I know he's better than Leon on defense or ever will be. If Leon can continue hitting between .700 and .750 OPS, Vaz has his work cut out for him. The Swihart injury is very unfortunate. He was already at best 3rd on the catching depth chart, and now it's all put on hold for months as he recovers. During that time, we'll know more about Leon and Vaz, so I'm not counting Swihart out of the catcher sweepstakes right now.