moonslav59

So, you were okay with Bogey playing 3B in the World Series after just 10 games in the minors at 3B? You were okay with Swihart playing LF this year after 11 games in AAA in LF? You were okay with Betts sudden shift to OF? All worked out, but don't you think we may have gotten a little lucky? That we could have prepared for these situations that to me, all looked probable (not in hindsight either)? What if Bogey had made 4 errors in the playoffs and cost us a game or two? The Betts move couldn't have cost us anything, because as it turned out, it would not have mattered in 2015. Swihart has not cost us any games on defense in LF, so far. All looks okay in hindsight, but I think we should have planned better.

You may end up being right, but Buch has looked "done" about 5 times in his career but bounced back to do well and even very well several times. This may be the end of the yo-yo, but then again, it may not be.

I think Buch's history might project to him having a good half season starting just about now. I heard the same about Wake's "volatile" knuckleball for about 15 years. I'm not saying what you said doesn't make sense, but would you say the odds are better or worse than 50-50 that either Buch or Wright do well the second half of 2016? I'm thinking better. The odds of both doing well together is way less than 50-50.

Besides a major injury happening, let's look at the possible offensive positions of need for the remainder of this year and next year: DH: Papi's retirement is going to leave a gaping hole in our line-up- no ifs, ands or buts. Transitioning Moncada to DH is not a positional issue, so no worries here. I doubt Moncada becomes a better 3Bman than Shaw, a better LF'er than Young or a better 1Bman than HanRam over this summer, fall and winter, so he may end up right there- at DH or part-time DH anyways. Now, it gets more complicated, assuming one of these guys struggles to the point of needing to be benched (or gets hurt), who might be the better replacement in August or September or maybe even mid July? 1B: If HanRam reverts to 2015 numbers, who plays 1B? Shaw? Then who plays 3B?(see below) Nope Papi? With his feet and our need for him to stay healthy and in our line-up? Nope Holt? Nope Sam Travis? Perhaps. Moncada ??? 3B: If Shaw struggles or gets hurt, who plays 3B? Holt? Assuming he's over his concussion, notin pointed out that Holt at 3B was the reason we signed Pablo. Nope. Marrero? Talk about an offensive black hole. Nope. Hernandez? Probably my choice, but still a flawed choice. Perhaps Trade for someone? Perhaps Moncada??? LF: If the Swihart/Young platoon struggles, then who? Holt? Not FT, nope. Benintendi? Perhaps Add Craig or Castillo (if he's on the team) to the 40 man roster? nope. Moincada ??? We may be forced to add Benintendi or Moncada to the 25 man roster before their projected ETAs. Let's be prepared. We may be surprised how their offensive input could put us over the top. Let's hope Moncada's defensive deficiency doesn't cancel out the plus on offense. Maybe we can do something about that sooner rather than later. That's my position.

Great read. On Moncada, I do not think he's done very well at 2B defensively in the minors. Everyone speaks of his physical abilities and that he should end up being a good defender, if only because of his natural born abilities. I take that to mean, he's still basically learning 2B. I volunteer teaching ESL at a nearby title 1 middle school. My students come from a bilingual Elementary school where they are taught to first (try to) master their first language, so acquiring a second language becomes easier and more meaningful. While some evidence exists showing full immersion into the English language is preferable, I think the bulk of studies show the bilingual method shows better results, especially for children who may not have had very good education as smaller children and have serious gaps in their primary language (such as reading and writing deficiencies). I get the philosophy of learning your first language (or position in baseball) first. trying to master it first, before moving on to something different. However, it might take Moncada 1-2 years to master 2B defensively, and what good does that do us? I think Moncada is very very close to being MLB ready on offense. He might be better than Shaw, HanRam and Swihart right now on offense. We may need him as early as September of this year, especially if one of the 3 guys I just mentioned gets hurt or falls off a cliff (maybe sooner). I just don't see the harm in asking him to stay a little later after practice to take a few reps at 3B or 1B. I do not think that messes up a person's brain or confidence.

I never tried to claim this wasn't the "widely considered developmental best practice" and I agree with the practice and reasons for the practice, but there are exceptions to any rule or guideline, and I do think teams realize when a player is coming close to be major league ready and begin to transition them to the position of need. Getting the exact timing right is not easy, and injury or sudden decline by vets can sometimes force a team's hand, as with Bogey playing 3B and Swihart now in LF, but to me, both of those cases were foreseeable and discussed often over the prior months and even over a year. To me, I do not think asking a player to spend a few minutes a day over a few months learning a new position is going to disrupt there growth as a hitter or fielder at their natural position. It seemed like everybody knew there wasn't going to be enough PAs at the catcher position once Vazquez recovered from his injury, and this was discussed before Vaz got hurt as well. I do not think Vaz returned much quicker than anticipated, yet the Sox waited until he returned to begin giving Swihart lessens in LF. I cannot see the harm in giving Swihart some LF reps in SP'ing or over the winter prior to this season. Also, I'm not sure Swihart even fits the model, as he was in AAA in 2014, and spent half the season in MLB last year, so I think giving him reps in LF over the winter and spring wouldn't have even conflicted with standard acceptable practice. The Bogey case was more complex. Some of us, and wrongly so I might add, did not see Bogey as being likely to develop into a plus defensive SS. We saw Iggy as our future SS and Bogey as our future 3Bman, so much of the discussion about giving him reps at 3B were based in that aspect of the conversation. There were several scouting or ranking services that stated Bogey would likely "grow out of" SS and be moved to 3B. Some of us believed that and also felt it would be a good idea for him to at least learn how to play 3B for two reasons: 1) He had a better chance at being a plus defender at 3B than SS due to his skillset and projeced size. 2) We had little faith in Middy and thought Bogey would be needed at 3B sooner rather than later. Even Middy supporters should not have been shocked at his decline at 3B in 2013. Bogey ended up being rushed to learn 3B, and was in the bigs playing 3B after just 10 games at 3B in the minors. We were lucky he did well those few weeks, but I will add than many felt the move to 3B was what messed his bat up the following year. While I'm not sure anyone can prove that was the reason, certainly it can be viewed that way as evidence to avoid such moves until absolutely necessary. My contention is that the Swihart move was obvious and absolutely necessary before Vaz's injury even happened. That was a long time ago. Now, once Vaz got hurt, certainly Swihart needed to focus all his energy on catching (and hitting to a lesser extent) as he was rushed to the bigs before his" normal" time. However, once the season ended, my position is that he should have been given some instruction on playing LF and maybe even 1B or 3B as well. (At the time, we were not sure about Travis Shae, Pablo and Hanram.) The Betts move to OF looked effortless, but (IMO) that is more a tribute to Mookie's athletic skills and mindset than to Sox management's being proactive. I get that Mookie's rise was off-the-charts, and hard for anyone to project, so I give management some slack here, but I still think it was obvious he was never going to play 2B for the Sox. I can see keeping players at high skilled positions like SS and Catcher for as long as possible, especially if they are good there defensively, since it adds value to their stock, but I never saw that as being the case with Betts. He seemed to be better suited for CF or RF than 2B anyways, but that was just my opinion at the time. Anyways, it all worked out with him in the OF and Bogey at 3B in the fall of 2013. Swihart has looked pretty good in LF in the small sample size we've seen so far, but I still think these three should have been given a few more reps at their new position than they ended up getting. I'm not talking about major shifts in their development plans- just a few more reps than they got. (Swihart should have been given an OF'ers glove over a year ago.)

This pretty much sums it up... Papi:"One, I have already contacted the Players Association to confirm if this report is true. I have just been told that the report is true," Ortiz said in his statement. "Based on the way I have lived my life, I am surprised to learn I tested positive. Two, I will find out what I tested positive for. And, three, based on whatever I learn, I will share this information with my club and the public. You know me -- I will not hide and I will not make excuses." Terry Francona: "We admire his approach to this, which is, he's not going to run from it, he's not going to hide from it," Francona said after the game. "The first thing he needed to find out was whether he indeed tested positive or not, and he confirmed that this afternoon talking to the union. Now he needs to find out what he tested positive for. He needs some time to get some answers and then he's going to stand up and answer every question. I admire that courage."

He would be a nice addition, but I think his cost would lessen what we could do to build the pitching staff. Also, I thought you frowned on speaking in absolutes.

Perhaps more importantly, sample size numbers need to be kept in perspective as well.

Although this evidence may not be conclusive or objective, the Cardinals, known for clubhouse unity and harmony traded for Lackey. Theo Epstien and Joe Maddon both knew Lackey very well and agreed to pay the aging pitcher $32M to play for the Cubs.

Too many times in the Sox recent history, however, players get thrust into playing a position they barely have had any time to learn at a "new level at the same time" and that level is MLB not a minor league level. That's my issue! Look, I get the slow approach philosophy and the benefit of not making a player adjust to a new level offensively while also trying to learn a new position defensively, many teams do that or strive to do taht, but much too often, we've had to use very inexperienced young players at new positions at the MLB level. It's obvious Moncada will not be playing 2B for Boston, unless Pedey gets hurt. Moncada may be needed as early as April 2017 at 3B, 1B or LF. Do you really want him to play winter ball to learn a new position or positions, then have just spring training before playing with the Sox? If Moncada ends up with us in September, I'm not sure I want to risk burning the young guy out playing winter ball, if we may need him for `150 games next year.

I could also see Moncada at 1B, if he struggles at 3B or LF.

I think Shaw actually started at 3B in college and was moved to 1B in the minors, but he still played a lot of 3B in the minors as well (22% of his games)

Last off season was the right time to do it. We're never trading Pedey, so 2B is just about as blocked as any position on any team in MLB can possibly be. We keep being forced to play people "out of position" due to lack of insight and forethought. We should prepare ourselves for a great prospect to rise quicker than we anticipate or some major injury or falling off a cliff by a regular occurs. Here are some recent instances of lack of forethought by Sox management on preparing players for positional chances (some worked out okay- others did not): Swihart in LF: It was obvious he would need to play other positions with the Sox once vaz got healthy, especially if he hit like he was projected to do. We knew e had potential weaknesses at LF, 3B and 1B. he should have been given a few reps there in the minors over the last year or two. (Note: I said this 2 years ago.) Betts in the OF: he should have been given OF reps long before he did. He ended up adjusting amazingly well, but what if he didn't? Everybody knew he'd never play 2B in Boston unless Pedey got hurt. HanRam at 1B. They should have given him a 1Bman's mitt last summer, when we were out of it. Bogaerts at 3B: he played 10 games at 3B in the minors, then was playing 3B in the playoffs for us! Inexcusable. (Note: this is not hindsight bitching on my part, I was calling for him to be at 3B that whole minor league seaons.) Now, it's Moncada. I'd also start playing Benintendi in LF at least 30-40% of the games, so he gets used to it.

Several players make the jump from AA to MLB, if their doing great. I'm not really going to count on Beninetendi or Moncada for this year, but I think Sox management will not look to replace Papi with Bautista or Encarnacion. I think they will hope Pablo and a mix of rotating players will fill the DH slot, and one or both of Benintendi and Moncada will provide some added spark to the offense. Sam Travis may also win a slot on next year's 25 man roster. Once papi retires, Holt's "flexibility" value is lessened on this club, and I think he'll be dealt away. I think we keep Hanigan and his option and trade Swihart (and others) for pitching. We'll probably have to make a big prospect package deal to avoid spending big on free agency to fill all of our pitching needs. I doubt we go too much over the luxury limit next year. I don't see henry as being OK with deals like Price and Kimbrel's contracts being added every winter (plus $6M for a platoon OF'er who only does well vs lefties not righties). The rise in the luxury budget limit will helps some, but not only are we losing Papi, but Uehara and Tazawa will be FAs as well. That's 3 significant roles to fill plus 2 SP'ers and another RP'er.

I never trust sportswriters for anything. I stopped valuing MVP, Cy Young Gold Glove Awards when the gave (I think it was) Rafael Palmero the GG awards at 1B when he was the DH most of the year.

I read somewhere that Lackey was not actually yelling at his players behind him for not making plays. He was yelling at himself, and his teammates understood this and has no issues with his antics. From the TV screen it looked like he was a douche, but in reality maybe he wasn't.

If your not on the 40 man roster, your salary does not count against the luxury tax. If the Sox pay your salary to be on another team's 40 man roster, I believe that counts against the luxury limit, like when we paid the Dodgers $3-4M a year after the Gonzo/CC/Beckett dump.

I'm still not worried about our offense. I think it's just a team slump coupled with coming up against a few pitchers having very good nights. I sill think our biggest needs are SP'er and RP'er.

Last year, there were only about 5 or 6 teams surely out of it by the deadline, and with parity the way it is and the wild card opportunity, I doubt there are many GM who view themselves as out of it next year. I know teams would love to have Espinoza and Devers, but with them so far away from MLB and their vale still somewhat speculaive, I'm not sure we'd get back what I think these two are worth. Now, I realize you have to give a lot to get top quality pitching under team control for 3+ years at a reasonable cost. I realize a package of Swihart, Devers, Travis, Kopech plus one or two from Lakins, Dubon, Chavis, Basabe, Light, T Ball.... might not get the type of pitcher both of us are wishing for, and maybe the need to add Espinoza or Benintendi is a sure thing. I'd have to see who the pitcher is, before I agree to that big of a futures dump. Concerning your list of 4 guys above, I'm not sure on the years of team control on these guys, but if it's 3 1/2 + years, I'd seriously consider offering Swihart, Espinoza or Benintendi, Devers and 2-3 others from my list above (basically anyone but Moncada). You are right about GMs valuing players much differently than us fans here. One example was the rumors of so many GMs calling about JBJ. Some fans severely devalued JBJ after just 500 PAs of poor offense at the ML level. GMs look beyond certain size sample sizes and listen to their scouts.

I'm thinking beyond this year, and am willing to trade some of our extended future (in prospects) for a solid pitcher under team control for 3 1/2+ years at a decent cost and age. Once Papi retires, we're going to have to find new ways to win, and improving our rotation significantly seems like the best way to do that. Getting a decent 4th starter type is never my idea of a good plan, and usually if he's just a 2 month rental.. I'm tired of the Jake Peavys (who was maybe a #3), Aaron Cooks, Franklin Morales, Zach Stewarts, Eric Bedards, Brad Pennys, John Smoltzs and Paul Byrds. These guys rarely make a difference.

1) I view Fernandez as an ace, so we may be arguing semantics on ace vs solid #2. I view an ace as a top 30 MLB pitcher or a top 15 AL pitcher. That being said, I'd be fine with a solid #2, whcich might mean a top 20 out of 30 #2, so basically, I'd be fine with a top 50 pitcher or maybe even a top 75 pitcher that is young and is promising enough to get better. 2) We should make the playoffs by just adding a solid RP'er and dependable #4 SP'er, but if we are to seriously try for a championship this year, Papi's last year, then we'll need more than that to be one of the top 3 favorites.

Usually the team goal, from a management perspective, is to try and improve your weakest links, but this is not done in a vacuum. If we tried to improve on catcher offense, we'd likely lose in catcher defense (in the widest sense of the word), so although Vaz may never reach MLB positional "average" on offense with Vaz behind the plate, I think we will always have an overall plus due to the defense and intangibles Vaz brings with his game. As a general manager, I think the goal is to strive to improve your weakest links first. I do not think our weakest position is catcher. I think it is more like this: 1) #2 type SP'er 2) Solid RP'er 3) #4 type SP;er, even if just as insurance against ERod. 4) LF (Benintendi?) 5) Looking ahead after Papi retires- 3B/1B/DH (Moncada?) 6) Maybe just maybe offense from the catching position * *If we keep Swihart around, we can either have offense at the catcher position with him playing catcher, or if he plays LF and we have Hanigan or Leon on the roster, we can afford to PH for Vazquez as many games as we need.

Agreed. I have never said a word about Papi being clean. It's pretty obvious he did something while in the D. R. and probably afterwards as well- perhaps when it was not illegal.

He did rise to .475 and .500 his final two years with MN. Sure, one could use is big increase in SLG% as evidence for PED use, but many players improve their SLG% after age 25/26 without PED use. Note: Papi did hit 18 HRs in just 303 ABs in 2001 with MN and 20 HRs in 412 ABs in 2002 with MN. If you pro-rate those HRs to 600 ABs, he'd be close to 40 HRs, so it's not like hitting 31, 41, 47 and then 54 with Boston immediately after the move to Boston is wacky out of line. It's not like Brady Anderson's one year spike and return to oblivion.