moonslav59

The Sox are also very careful not to put too much on a young player's plate, which is why Mike Hazen said they wanted him to play 2nd this year. They obviously feel that he is now ready to make the transition to 3rd, and it will be good to get his feet wet over there with a week or two left in the AA season. I applaud their foresight and suggested just about this timetable over a month ago. BY the way, the idea was called "silly" and "ridiculous" over and over. I was gladdened to find out Moncada has played 3B in Cuba at an early age. That should help with the transition. I'm glad they started giving him reps at 3B, because I think that's his eventual landing spot. My concern stems from an issue that may not even be an issue, so as I have said, maybe this is all for naught, but I have heard he has struggled to master 2B defensively. Since that has been his position for several years, that concerns me. It should concern everybody, if indeed he is not ML ready at 2B right now. Maybe I'm wrong on this assumption, or I'm wrong that it took him over 3 years to master 2B, but if it's true, do you guys really expect him to be good enough to play 3B in the bigs after 2 weeks of play in AA and maybe some winter ball and ST'ing? I don't want a liability playing 3B with Shaw or HanRam at DH just so we don't break some unseen rule about DH'ing 5 tool prospects. I'm also not envisioning Moncada staying at DH his whole career and hopefully not even for more than a month or two as he improves his ability at 3B in practice.

I understand you wanting to get his bat in the line-up and I'm not sure if you've ever played the game before, but it isn't as easy as most people think to be a DH. I played baseball for over 20 years, some of which was organized. I played softball for about 30 years. I never DH'd. I'm not saying it's easy, but I guess you assume it will be easy or easier for Shaw of HanRam- sight unseen. There is no way that the Sox are going to risk his offensive development by DHing him. It certainly should be their last option, but an option none the less. It's unheard of for a player his age with his skill set. Not many 5 toll players struggle to learn a position well enough to not be a minus. Their athleticism usually will outweigh other deficiencies to at least make them average to start out. I've never claimed Moncada can NOT be an average defensive 3Bman by the start of next year or by the end of next year, but it is a distinct possibility. If we have a hole at DH next year, and Moncada's bat is ready, I can't see us using significantly inferior bats just to give Moncada extended time to learn 3B. We may sign Encarnacion and the discussion is over: Moncada plays 3B as soon as he's ready and nothing else. "Ready" means as soon as his total package projects to be better than Shaw and/or HanRam. Moncada may be ready as a fielder by opening day, and this discussion was all for naught.

It all comes down to whether or not the Sox feel he is ready to be a starting positional player by the end of next spring. It won't have anything to do with whether or not he is better than Sandoval, Ramirez, Shaw, etc. defensively, because DH won't be an option. So you really think they would DH Shaw or HanRam, even if they felt they were significantly better defensively, just so they wouldn't have to DH a 5 tool prospectwith fielding issues?

Other team notes... Tiexiera will retire after this year. The Jays decided not to send Aaron Sanchez to the pen, but will instead go to a 6 man rotation with Liriano added to the staff.

Steve Adams reports.... The Red Sox have claimed catcher Bryan Holaday off outright waivers from the Rangers, reports Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). Texas designated Holaday for assignment on Monday in the wake of its acquisition of Jonathan Lucroy and Jeremy Jeffress from the Brewers. Holaday, 28, was acquired by Texas from the Tigers late in Spring Training and saw significant action early in the season following an injury to backstop Robinson Chirinos. Holaday was quite productive in the month of May but hasn’t hit much outside of that stretch and has a collective .238/.290/.405 slash in 94 plate appearances with Texas this season. Prior to the 2016 campaign, he’d spent his entire career in the Tigers organization, shuffling back and forth between the Majors and minors while serving as a backup to Alex Avila. The presence of James McCann and Detroit’s offseason pickup of Jarrod Saltalamacchia left Holaday without a spot on the big league roster, however, and he’s out of minor league options, which left Detroit with no way to carry him in the Majors. That he’s out of options means he’ll have to go directly onto the 25-man roster for Boston as well, as Holaday cannot be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers. He’s a career .248/.285/.356 hitter with five homers in 376 plate appearances. Holaday has thrown out 30.2 of attempted base thieves over the past three seasons, though he rates as a well below-average framing catcher, per Baseball Prospectus.

I'm not sure how many righties we will face coming up, but I'd like to see Beni play against most lefties, at least until Young is back to form.

I've been a defender of Hanigan for a long time, but I think you are right. His option next year was pretty much a no-brainer no, unless we trade Swihart, Leon or Vazquez, so cutting him loose seems like the plan.

Newsflash: The Red Sox have claimed catcher Bryan Holaday off outright waivers from the Rangers, reports Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). Texas designated Holaday for assignment on Monday in the wake of its acquisition of Jonathan Lucroy and Jeremy Jeffress from the Brewers. Holaday, 28, was acquired by Texas from the Tigers late in Spring Training and saw significant action early in the season following an injury to backstop Robinson Chirinos. Holaday was quite productive in the month of May but hasn’t hit much outside of that stretch and has a collective .238/.290/.405 slash in 94 plate appearances with Texas this season. Prior to the 2016 campaign, he’d spent his entire career in the Tigers organization, shuffling back and forth between the Majors and minors while serving as a backup to Alex Avila. The presence of James McCann and Detroit’s offseason pickup of Jarrod Saltalamacchia left Holaday without a spot on the big league roster, however, and he’s out of minor league options, which left Detroit with no way to carry him in the Majors. That he’s out of options means he’ll have to go directly onto the 25-man roster for Boston as well, as Holaday cannot be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers. He’s a career .248/.285/.356 hitter with five homers in 376 plate appearances. Holaday has thrown out 30.2 of attempted base thieves over the past three seasons, though he rates as a well below-average framing catcher, per Baseball Prospectus. - Steve Adams

True, and I despise using errors to judge a player's defense, but 37 is a heck of a lot. I believe I read somewhere that scouts were saying his defense was moving along "slowly", but other here have said they heard he was advancing quickly on defense.

I'd probably say Moncada could play 2B in the bigs right now, despite making 37 errors in about 160 games on the farm, but that was his true position. It took him 2 years in the minors to get to that point. I'm not so sure he can get to the same level at 3B playing there the rest of this year and maybe through the winter, but maybe he can. I have never said he couldn't. I'm just exploring options, in case he does not meet that threshold of capability on defense at 3B.

He's a catcher and is out of options, so he will have to be added to the 25 man roster. Is this the end of the line for Hanigan?

He may need more than that with 37 errors made at his "comfortable" 2B position in about 160 games.

Sounds about right.

Are you thinking he'd be helping us this year? I'm not discounting the idea, but just wondering.

I'm hoping last night's game off was just an easement into the flow of MLB. If they are going to platoon Beni, then IMO, they shouldn't have called him up.

Yes, and if Pablo gets traded or DFA'd, then the competition list gets shorter. I doubt Hernandez or Sam Travis seriously compete for a FT job, and I don't see Shaw at DH over HanRam, so the real meat of the competition will probably come down to: LF: Beni, Swihart, Young (vs LHPs) DH: HanRam, Young (vs LHPs) 3B: Moncada, Shaw 1B: Shaw, HanRam (maybe Swihart, if Beni wins the LF job) I actually think Swihart may be the odd man out and gets traded due to his high value to another team as a catcher, and the squeeze he has at winning another position on this team. ,

Good point. I'm not sure how that works. Maybe if Pablo refuses a minor league assignment after passing through irrevocable waivers, he may forfeit his big salary. Not sure. Good question.

I'm not one for judging players by errors made. I like to look at range and other metrics, but unfortunately, there are none in the minors. I did notice that Moncada has 37 errors in about a full ML seasons worth of play at 2B in the minors (1350 innings). He has improved from 23 in 621 last year to 14 in 776 this year, so maybe I'm wrong about his ability to learn quickly. I was basing my opinion on the fact that he has not done well defensively at a position he was "comfortable" with over 2 seasons in the minors, and now we expect him to get to ML readiness in a few short months. This was why I advocaated for him starting to take reps at 3B sooner rather than later, and why I mentioned he "MIGHT" have to play DH to start next year until he becomes good enough defensively to play 3B (or LF).

I hate making definitive judgments based on tiny sample sizes, but Pomeranz is really worrying me. I hated the trade at the time, but it was more based on what I thought Espinoza was going to become, but I didn't expect Pomeranz to take this long to adjust.

I read that too about Moncada playing 3B at a very young age in Cuba. Very encouraging. Perhaps, I'm over-doing the slow development aspect of Moncada at 3B. I hope I am, but if some posters got their way, Moncada would have only played 2B this year at AA, then maybe learned 3B over the winter, started next year at 3B in AAA and arived in the majors who knows when.

I think so, yes. That's why we may DFA him, allow someone to claim him at his contract now, and when nobody does, he stays with the team as a non 40 man roster player - like Craig & Castillo, so his contract is still paid, but does not count against the luxury limit.

Absolutely, with HanRam moved to DH next year. My point was based on a very real possibility that Moncada will not be good enough defensively at 3B by the start of next year. That's one reason I advocated starting to give reps at 3B to Moncada "sooner rather than later". The Sox have done just about what I suggested, and that was called "silly" and "ridiculous" at the time as well.

Just a scenario, what if it takes 2 years for Moncada to become a decent enough 3Bman to not be an embarrassment? You all would keep him in the minors rather than get his bat in the line-up as a DH while he keeps practicing at another position? It's just a hypothetical scenario. Of course, I'm all for playing Moncada at a position, if he's good enough to not be a minus. Shaw has done better at 3B than I expected, and he's seems to be improving. I have serious questions about Shaw's offense, especially vs LHPs, so I do not see Shaw as beating out Moncada at 3B, once Moncada proves he can play 3B. We're not trading Pedey, so Moncada has to learn 3B, 1B our LF to win a job next year. Maybe I'm totally wrong about his slow progress defensively at 2B. If I am, then I'm probably wrong about how long it might take him to develop at 3B. I may also be wrong about Moncada's bat being MLB ready or very close to ML ready right now. If I am wrong, then maybe Moncada has morre time to learn a new position than I think. I also think we should spend almost all our financial resources on pitching next winter not on Encarnacion or the likes. That means we may, if Sox management feels the same way, have to cobble together a line-up with a few positions in flux, platooned or in competition for FT status: LF: Beni, Young, Swihart, Holt, Moncada??? 3B: Moncada, Shaw, Pablo, Hernandez, Holt (Rutledge) 1B: Shaw, HanRam, Pablo, Swihart???, (Holt) DH: HanRam, Pablo, Young, Moncada/Shaw The first name listed is who I would like to see at each position, but until Moncada shows he can play 3B, I'm keeping the DH position as a strong option. I hope we do not trade Moncada, just because he may be slow to learn 3B or LF. That would be a bigger mistake than trying Moncada at DH until he learns another position.

There also not going to move Shaw to 1b and Ramirez to DH, if Shaw and HanRam are better fielders than Moncada. That was my point. Yes, there are scenarios where playing Moncada at 3B and maybe Young at DH vs LHPs is the best line-up, but I don't see us using HanRam or Shaw at DH, and Moncada at 3B, if they are better fielders than him. My opinion, and it's just an opinion based on what I have read about Moncada's fielding, is that Moncada may take a very long time to pass Shaw/HanRam on defense- "5 tools" not with standing.

I hate to call any game "big" this early in the season, but this was pretty big- had we won or lost.