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moonslav59

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Everything posted by moonslav59

  1. moonslav59
    The best Sox team, O & D combined, and with some speculation on the kids involved, might be: C: Wong & Narvaez. 1B: Casas & Devers DH: Devers & Casas (Ref) 2B: Campbell/Story SS: Story/Mayer 3B: Bregman (Campbell) LF: Duran/Ref (Anthony) CF: Anthony/Duran (Rafaela/Campbell) RF: Abreu/Anthony (Campbell) Utility: Rafaela & Romy (Yoshida, DHam & Grissom in AAA) I'm not sure how you find enough PAs if Story is 100% healthy all year, but I doubt that happens
  2. moonslav59
    I'm not sure starting the year with 2 from that group of 3 can be called "relying" on them, when Campbell can be called up, at any time. maybe we wait for him to gain the extra year of control and are "relying" on that plan. I would not be happy, if the year long plan was rolling the dice with the best 1-2 out of those 3, but starting the year with 2 should not be the end of the world. As I said, I hope Campbell wins the job, and all my recent inquiries were about wondering what we do, if he does not. I will add that the main reason our 2B position was so bad in 2024 was not because of DHam and Romy, especially after June 1st. fWAR at 2B: -1.0 E Valdez (202 PAs at 2B) -0.6 Grissom (109) -0.3 Westbrook (39) and Rafaela (17) -0.2 Gasper (11) -0.1 Reyes (16) & Short (3) 0.0 Sogard (42) -2.6 all the above (429 PAs) +0.2 (DHam 118, Romy 56 and Wong 8= 181 PAs) These numb ers are not great, but they were not what brought 2B down. bWAR was much more kind: these were their overall WAR scores (not broken down by just 2B): 2.6 DHam 0.9 Romy 0.3 Sogard -0.1 Westbrook -0.2 Grissom & Short -0.6 Valdez -0.7 Reyes I'm not as high on Grissom, as some seem to be, but I do think he still has some hope. I'm not high on DHam & Romy, either, but they did combine for a 3.5 bWAR in just 533 PAs. That comes to about a 3.9 over 650 PAs. These two were not the reason our 2B numbers stunk up all of MLB.
  3. moonslav59
    Mayer for mayor!
  4. moonslav59
    I disagree. All it takes is Campbell to not be put on the roster and Bregman at 3B. IMO, the next best choice is not Grissom FT: he is not good on D and has a lot to prove on O. It's not DHam FT, because he has not shown he can hit LHPs worth a dime. His D is okay at 2B only and he can steal bases. It's not Romy FT, because he can't seem to hit RHPs well. It makes the most sense to platoon DHam with either Romy or Grissom. I choose Romy, because he defends better, can play more positions than Grissom and DHam and killed lefties, last year. What is your choice at 2B, if Devers begins the year hurt and on the bench or at DH, assuming Bregman plays 3B AND Campbell is not on the roster? I know you don't like platoons, but who would you rather have?
  5. moonslav59
    Next Year's FA Class: https://www.mlb.com/news/2025-2026-mlb-free-agent-class-preview
  6. moonslav59
    Yup. He has used thepatoon, very often. For the first time, in as long as I can remember, a Sox manager seemed to start his catchers, not based on who they were catching, but often by the opposing pitcher's arm side. McGuire, who bats lefty never started vs a lefty in 2024. (41 GS v R and 0 v L) Wong did start many games vs RHPs, but I think only after Jansen took over McGuire's job. (71 GS vs R and 42 v L, which is about every game vs a LH SP)
  7. moonslav59
    True, often platoons don't work as hoped. Sometimes, players have reverse splits and mess it up, of one or both just have bad seasons. Sometimes, a platoon looks like a better choice than just letting Abreu play FT in RF, DHam or Romy or Grissom FT at 2B or Ref FT anywhere.
  8. moonslav59
    I think DHam is just thrilled to be in the bigs and getting playing time, after his rotten start. I'm pretty sure Romy will take what he can get and be happy the more he plays.
  9. moonslav59
    Many teams settle on almost strict platons at some positions. Injuries may force some changes, but it often works out okay. Players that platoon must want to play FT, but for some, they would not play at all, if not for their nice splits vs certain-handed pitchers. A guy like Refsnyder might not even make the 26, if he wasn't great vs LHPs, and the team has a great need for batters vs LHPs. If more of our players could hit both handed pitchers well, we would not need to platoon. That would be ideal, but it's not reality sand never was for many teams/players. Ref does great starting just vs LH'd starters and PH'ing other games. He ha sstarted some vs RHPs' but not many, and he does not do well, when he does. REF 2022: 1.005 v L (1.084 vs LH SP- 20 GS) and .792 v R (.771 RH SP - 15 GS) 2023: .828 v L (.740 in 39 GS) .466 v R (.556 in 9GS) 2024: .941 v L (.905 in 31 GS) .733 v R (.774 in 30 GS) He did start many games v R, mostly when O'Neill was on the IL and Rafaela at SS.)
  10. moonslav59
    Agreed. It might even be his to lose, this ST'ing. What's your solution, if Campbell does not make the roster? That was the scenario I proposed. It's not a far-fetched "what if," like some of my other ones. 🤪
  11. moonslav59
    I'm hoping we go with Campbell at 2B, day one. He seems to be ML ready, despite so few PAs on the farm. He should be okay on D, too. If he does not start on the big team, and Devers is still nursing his shoulder and is at DH, Bregman will play 3B. We may not like DHam-Romy-Grissom at 2B, but it's a real possibility.
  12. moonslav59
    Agreed, and the hypothetical scenario was a DHam playing 2B vs RHPs, only. We'd likely PH for him, if a lefty came in and we needed a hit. That is not an ideal slot for a player to have on the 26. It is very limited. I get it, but if Bregman is at 3B, and Campbell does not make the roster, I see it as the best option. DHam can also PR, at times or replace or PH for Romy when a RHP is brought in.
  13. moonslav59
    Again, the point wasn't about whether they could or will hit a combined .800 as a strict platoon, but instead, what if they did. BTW, they did hit close to .800 combined with splits for a stretch in 2024. Overall : .729 DHam vs RHPs in 267 PAs .879 Romy vs LHPs in 130 PAs Since DHam would get about 2:1 PAs in a very strict platoon, whereby they rarely faced wrong-handed pitching, it would be projected to about .780. I realize that is a reach to suggest they might have hit .780 in 2024 with a strict alignment, but that seems like a possible potential. (Yes, that is not .800, but it's way better than the league OPS of .711 and .684 MLB 2B OPS.
  14. moonslav59
    No, but I think the SBs add to that offensive value. There is also the worry that he had just one hot streak. .438 in 2023 (39 PAs) .553 to start 2024 (36 PAs) .916 middle 99 PAs in '24 .607 in last 182 PAs of '24 I'm not arguing DHam will be good enough, or not. Overall, he hit .729 vs RHPs in 2024, which is not bad, but certainly hopes are we can do better than that. (27 SBs in 267 PAs vs RHPs is a nice plus.) He ended up hitting .715 in gams with a RH'd starter. The more promising half of the platoon scenario is Romy, who had great splits vs LHPs, which is a weak area for the Sox. We have the same "was it a fluke" worry with him, too, but .879 vs LHPs and .780 when he started w a LH pitcher was pretty good. Remember the 2024 MLB OPS was .711. I hope Campbell wins the job, but until he does, I do think DHam-Romy 2B platoon, with Bregman at 3B and Devers at DH might get some looks, and maybe even more looks than Bregman at 2B and Devers at 3B, especially if Devers has shoulder issues and or Yoshida is on the IL.
  15. moonslav59
    No doubt. Platoons are not ideal. My point was not about them hitting .800, combined, it was IF THEY DO, would that do away with the need to have to have a FT 2BMan? Both would likely get a few ABs against the wrong handed pitchers, but the scenario was that combined, they would have an .800 OPS. (I'm not sure they can do that, since DHam will likely hit .750, at best, vs RHPs- the larger split.
  16. moonslav59
    There will be a lot to discuss over the season, but how about starting with the changes to the pitching staff. On the surface, adding Max Fried, someone many Sox fans, including myself hoped we'd sign plus Devon Williams looks like a slam dunk gain. Maybe it is, but we need to look at who the lost from 2024, too. (They also added Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill and Carlos Carrasco to a minor league deal.) Pitchers lost: Nestor Cortes: He was the darling of every Yankee fans' eyes from '21-'22 and had a 109 ERA+ in 2024. He's no Max Fried, but he was pretty damn good. He had a 124 ERA+ from '21-'24. He just turned 30. Clay Holmes: He turns 32, soon, but he's been their horse in the pen for 3 years. 60+ IP all 3 years. Since joining the Yanks in 2021, he has a 2.69 ERA (155 ERA+) and a 1.116 WHIP. Tommy Kahnle: He turns 36, this year, but has put up good numbers: 40+ IP the last 2 years and since 2022, he has a 2.44 ERA (174 ERA+) and a 1.063 WHIP. Cody Poteet: A 30 year old with some promise. Had a 2.22 ERA in 24 IP in '24. I'm not saying the Yanks lost more than they gained, but it may not be the major improvement it's been made out to be. One could say the loss of Soto and Torres outweigh the gains on the everyday side plus the pitching net gain.
  17. moonslav59
    No, you answered a question I did not ask. I did not say DHam and Romy will hit .800. I asked, if they do, would you still want a FT'er at 2B? (Hell, Bregman hasn't even his .800 over the past 5 years combined.) Of course, I'd rather have Bregman at 2B than a DHam-Romy platoon. Everybody would, but the choice is not just about 2B. It's about several positions related to the choice Cora makes. Maybe Campbell, takes the choice away. I can certainly see this position is valid, if Campbell does not win the job: 3B: Devers, 2B Bregman, Yoshida/Ref DH (and no Yoshida/Ref in the OF.) I've recognized the benefits and downfalls of this choice. The choice is not clearcut, and there may be more factors involved than we know (like Yoshida's health.) Assuming no Campbell at 2B, I also like this plan, maybe even more: 3B: Bregman, 2B: DHam-Romy platoon, Devers DH and REF in LF vs LHPs. I know you don't like the idea, but that was not my question. There are pluses and minuses to this idea, too. Maybe Cora mixes and matches both plans and we see moving parts all over the place- just what yuou like...LOL!
  18. moonslav59
    EValdez and Reyes did not get injured. Grissom did, but he seemed set on losing the job, anyway. Why does it matter how they got the job, anyway? I agree, they are better as back-ups, but answer my question. If they hit .800, combined and play plus D, why do we need a FT'er to keep Bregman at 3B?
  19. moonslav59
    So, if a DHam-Romy platoon is hitting .800 and playing plus D, that's not good enough to keep Bregman at 3B? We need a 2Bman who plays FT? Regardless who plays 2B and how much, they are likely just a placeholder for Campbell, who may very well win the opening day job or become the FT 2Bman by May. It's nice to have choices, and by that I mean better choices than Peraza vs Arroyo or EValdez vs Reyes.
  20. moonslav59
    And what you think is "true?"
  21. moonslav59
    I could not agree more. Very well said.
  22. moonslav59
    I thought Arias we known for great D. What do you think of Romero? Here's a kid that was highly praised, but injuries made everyone forget about him. He looked pretty good, last year. Maybe he jumps a lot.
  23. moonslav59
    He may have pulled a brain muscle swing at the fences with his Devers and no prospect promotion comments.
  24. moonslav59
    Why should they? They might not even understand the written article in English or notice the nuance. You are missing the point. Take the last statement I quoted., "The conversation not close." It does not even make sense as written. There is no verb. I know what he said. I listened again, today. He was clearly saying the talks are not done. Not that the conversation is not close to him geographically. Come on, dude!
  25. moonslav59
    I speak Spanish, and I heard what he said. Words can be translated within the context they are said, differently, and some expressions are hard to translate, and even harder, if the translator is not from the same area as the player. For example, Devers said "The conversation not close." That's how it was translated in print. IMO, he meant, the conversation is not closed, as in I'm open to talking about it.
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