moonslav59

Never say never. True. I'd say the guy "kicking the ball all over RF" is doing a fine job batting 4th vs RHPs only and playing RF.

DHam did really bad in his first stint on the big club in '24, too. Maybe, he's just a slow starter, but I agree. Bring up Grissom, despite his worse D and baserunning. We still have Romy on the 26, and Rafaela can play middle IF.

Now that Casas has 2 dingers in 3 days, is the talk of Grissom at 1B no longer a thing? Is Rafaela's getting on base in 4 of his last 8 PAs enough to lengthen the leash and prolong the inevitable Anthony call-up? These small sample sizes can sometimes influence decisions being made. I still think Anthony is worth the shot as a way to possibly give our offense the spark or boost it seems to need. I really like Rafaela, and hope we can find ways to maximize his playing time, if we do call-up Roman. I've also been a big cheerleader on Refsnyder starting vs all LH'd SP'ers, so something would have to give. For an offense that seems to be struggling, so much, why is it so hard to identify where an upgrade is needed? (Rhetorical question.) Narvaez is too good on D to replace, and we have nothing, anyway. Casas will get a longer look. Devers is Devers. Duran is heating up. Rafaela is so great on D. Story, Campbell, Abreu and Bregman are not the issues on O, so far.

Dobbins pitches, tonight for Woo. It is the free game of the day on MLB.com.

Dobbins pitches, tonight for Woo. It is the free game of the day on MLB.com.

On the road to CLE to face a decent team. We will face a righty-lefty-righty, if it goes as planned. Time to turn it up a notch.

If it wasn't for the hard hit% being high, I'd be much more worried, and the hard hit% has been there for 21 games, 80 games, 162 games, 300 games and career. I am worried. I am concerned. I am just not thinking this is who he is, now- not that you are, but you seem much closer to that than I am.

I've never doubted something might be up. I've never said this start isn't related to the injury or whatever the issue was post ASB 2024. I'm just saying that selected timeframe is subjective, although for a reason (injury-related) so totally useless or important. I am just not sure it is THE most important time frame. he's hit the ball hard, recently (not today) . he had an .810 OPS in 21 games, before today. That made me wonder, if he is still in the "something's up" mode.

Is saying this belligerent? "But you are more than welcome to hang onto what he did 3yrs ago if that makes you feel better."

Couldn't the last 21 games show he is over the injury? Couldn't hitting the ball harder than anyone else, but having bad luck be part of the reason for lower numbers? I'm not hanging out over 3 years. I mentioned the last 162 games as another possible timeframe. I have said I am worried about his last 80 games and whether this years poor start is related to the injury. I never said otherwise.

You would not have picked the AS break, if you didn't know that is when he started struggling. It's been reported over and over. If it was from the start of 2024, you'd be using that sample size, because it would be even more meaningful and about as "recent." 80 games is not the criteria you use for every player and situation, and you know it. BTW, his OPS since the start of 2024 is .842- best on the team. (164 game sample size- call it his last full season. Wouldn't that be a nice choice of sample size, too?) Look, I'm guilty of cherry-picking timeframes to make a point, too, butI recognize it and often mentioned that is what I'm doing. I don't pretend this is my criteria I use for all player evaluations or act like it is the agreed upon time fram to judge players by. This whole topic is gone on too long. You believe what you want to believe. I do, too. I'm not writing off Devers over a selected 80 game sample size. I worry it might be indicative of what is to come, but I am far from expecting hi to be a .660 to .727 batter going forward. Are you?

Man, our offense can look so bad and so many times. Somehow SEA has just scored 4 runs on 8 BBs. Here is a game where maybe we can pull it out, depsite being outplayed, but not by going down 1-2-3, just about every inning. This is so damn frustrating.

No where have I said he has played well since the AS break. I know he did poorly. I think it was due to injury. I'm not sure this year's slow start is due to injury. I don't think he's pouting or brooding, as some have suggested. I do not think 22 games is a large enough sample size to project doom & gloom, and I'm not sure it should be linked to the second half of last year as some sort of proof he is no longer a good batter. He was on pace for his career high OPS in mid July, and suddenly I'm supposed to think he is no longer good and should be demoted in the line-up or traded as some want. It's not belligerence to point out someone is cherry-picking a timeline that fits his narrative. I am concerned about Devers. 80 games is significant, but no more or less than looking at a few sample sizes, like 21 and 300? He called a position of mine "nonsense," and it wasn't even something I said, and I'm belligerent?

But exactly 80 games just happens to be the most important. Yes, it's pretty simple why you chose that number. 21 shows more recency than 80. So does 50. 60. 70... 300 games is a larger sample size than 80. So does 100, 150, 200... We all know why you selected 80 games. Doi you use 80 games for all your projections, and where do studies show that precisely 80 games is what is the best predictor of what is to come? Selecting 80 games is subjective not objective. Simple.

Okay, buy why is last 80 games, more important than the last 100, 150, 300? Because that is the exact time, he start struggling, and it fits your narrative. Why not pick last 21 games? .810 OPS. Why is 80 more important than 21 or 300? I know why, to you.

Heart attack AB by Raleigh

Okay, let's assume the sample dates you hand selected are the most important and most predictive of all others, .727 is still 4th best on the team. (I don't assume that and I don't think Devers will hit .727 from today to the end of the season. For some reason you seem to think players are locked into groundhog day.)

Good point, but we have seen some young top prospects make quick jumps to the bigs and not do too badly, once there. I don't think Jackson Merrill played any AAA games and not that many in AA. A couple others played maybe 30-60 games in AAA and 50-80 in AA. I'm not saying mayer will step in and be an AS game one, but being ML Ready does not mean that. Would you start Rafaela at SS over mayer, if Story went down for 60 days?

That's got to be it for Crochet. Yes, he's human. Nees a strong pen game, here, and some bats coming alive.

Duran.

He leads the team in hard hit% since the AS break, and by a healthy margin.

2021-2024 OPS Leaders by Season (500+ PAs) .890 Devers 21 .879 Devers 22 .871 Devers 24 (so vrey long ago!) .867 JD 21 .863 Bogey 21 .856 Casas 23 .851 Devers 23 4 of the top 7 and some want to trade the bum.

Let's wait and see him lead the team in batting, again this year.

A while ago, some were wondering about keeping Duran leading off, due to his slow start. In the past 2 weeks (12 games) he has a .351 OBP- not great but one of the best on the team. Knee jerk decisions don't work all that often.

I think last years end to the season was injury-related. Maybe, this year's are, too. I don't know. I'm not at the point you are, but certainly if this continues, I'd think about it. You also have to look at the luck factor and hard hit %. 2025 Sox with 50+ PA Hard Hit %: 47% Devers (n all fairness, he is just 5th in LD% at 19.4%) 38% Abreu 36% Story 35% Bregman 32% Duran 31% Rafaela & Narvaez 28% Campbell 23% Casas I'd give him a few more weeks (not days and not tomorrow.) AUG 1 to today: 39% Devers 36% Abreu 33% Duran