moonslav59

Hard to read sarcasm in print. He could catch a little less, so he could DH or maybe play 2B more.

Cutter Coffey is 16 for his last 36 with 8 HRs and 20 rbi! WOW!

When Abreu comes back (today?) we will start to see an OF squeeze, but only when we face RHPs.

I'm not writing it off. I'm just saying the SSS might not reflect any actual major problem. I did say it was "concerning," so I don't know where you get the "writing off" aspect of your post.

Loved your other silver linings, but Dalbec, Cooper and DSmith have not added much of anything to any aspect of the game.

Why overcomplicate things and make changes to things that are working? Hell, forget the "hot hand" argument: go by 2024, or 2023 through 2024 numbers and even career splits numbers on the guys we have and show me where Yoshida has earned the right to replace someone in the line-up. Sure, he should be in the line-up vs LHPs over Valdez, Abreu and maybe a couple more guys. He's got better numbers than some guys vs RHPs, and he beats Ref in career OPS vs RHPs, so in that area, one can argue he should get another shot, but to me, Ref has more than earned a FT place in the line-up, until he shows he no longer deserves it. He has got many key hits, which had been a sore spot on this team. He seems like he has played a major role in bringing up the team as a whole. Of course, sitting him a few games vs tough RHPs might not ruin all that. I get it, but I think the guy should DH vs RHPs most of the time. I'm not sure why this has become a flashpoint discussion, and my stubbornness is surely part of the reason for that, but I'm a bit surprised that posters who seemed most critical of Yoshida seem to have the biggest problem with my opinion that he has not earned a slot in the line-up just yet, or that ref has not "earned" a change in his role. If Cora plays Yoshida at DH, I won't be at all surprised, and I will root for him as much as for any Sox player. It would be great for him to get closer to expectations. It is entirely possible, he can do well for us. I hope it works.

I suggested that over a month ago. People write off Grissom and others for 90 PA sample sizes or less, but don't think Wong's 210 PAs of 2023 are telling enough. (The guy also has a .725 OPS in 683 career PAs, which is pretty good for a catcher and better than our DH, 1B and 2Bmen have been doing.)

I am not and have never written him off or suggested we DFA him. I do not think he has earned the right to start, except maybe in a reverse spit DH role v LHPs, but only because so many other Sox batter really suck v lefties. It's more about what other players have been doing vs RHPs that I am against upsetting. I'm not for changing things that are working, and working even better than fine. I've suggested the Ref success vs RHPs may end at any moment, and he has slowed a bit, but IMO, he should play everyday, unless it's a rest day or he's facing a tough RHP'er that Cora feels he might struggle against. I get the point on DHam and the smoke and mirrors argument. He's not good on defense, either, but Rafaela at SS has not been top notch, either, and keeping him in CF seems like the a very good plus. With the OF about to get squeezed by Abreu's return, I can see how it makes sense, and DHam can play at 2B with Valdez as yet another reverse split platoon role. It seems rather awkward to play Rafaela out of position, so Yoshida and DHam can bat vs LHPs. As of now, I am not convinced Yoshida has earned the right to DH v RHPs over someone like Ref and maybe DHam. This is not some major knock-down drag out no brainer opinion of mine. I always trust what Cora chooses and do not hold it against him, if chooses positions I don't agree with. I've seen his choices work more than many of mine might have. If Brez thinks Yoshi should be on the 26, and he obviously did (does,) then I fully expect Cora to play him. That is what it is. I've suggested paying a big chunk of Yoshi's contract to trade him away, but there might be zero takers on even us paying 90% of his remaining deal, so I can't blame anyone for not doing that. I just feel this team is gelling, right now, and the players all know their roles and what is expected of them. Just about everyone has been contributing, even some who were demoted for sucking out of the gate, like Valdez and DHam. A guys like Westbrook (.958 v RHPs) and Romy (pretty solid D and better O than we saw in April at middle IF) pulled their weight, when called upon. Now, we are going to tell a guy who has carried us, he will be benched or partially benched so we can play a guy who hasn't done squat since August '23. This is the same guy you have been hyper critical about for months, too.

That might be the most shocking part of all. Add to that missing what appeared to be two of our top 3-4 (maybe 5) SP'ers just about all year only adds to the amazement. The Martin issue has also added to the wonder at how we have done this.

A lot can happen in the next 5-6 weeks: good or bad or meh. I'm certainly feeling more optimistic about 2024 than any other time in over a year, but we know we will hit some snags, going forward. It's how long those snags last, and how we react to them that will tell the full story, when this season is finished. Before the season started, I probably felt there was a 90% chance I'd be on the "Sell, Sell, SELL Bandwagon" by the end of July. That number slowly creeped downward, until the PHI series to now brought it down more quickly. I'd say, I'm somewhere around the 50-50 mark, but it depends on what people consider us as "Buyers" means. I'm not really for trading for rentals, unless it is with players that have little or no future with the Sox anyway, and for the most part, that means not really being serious buyers. I'm thinking Wink, McGuire and maybe Romy might be the top players I might deal w ML experience, and for prospects, maybe Bleis plus 2-3 from Meidroth, Castro, Lugo and Paulino type prospects. Trading Bleis for a rental might be too much for me, even, You rarely see young to pre-prime pitchers with 3+ years of experience traded at the deadline, and that is the type of deal I'd really like. (Those are made in winter.) A trade for a 27-30 year old established SP'er who would agree to an extension at a reasonable FA market rate for 3-4 years would be something I'd like. While I think we could use a big RHB, I don't see how it fits, unless the guy plays 2B or SS, and nobody has yet named a player who fits that need and should be available at the deadline. Our pen looks fine, but adding an arm there might be nice, but at what cost? Maybe I'm too invested in our future to see the light on 2024. Sox teams in the past have surprised me, like 2013 and 2021, but in both of those cases, we pretty much all knew we should not be sellers. I guess there is a first time for everything.

I only saw him on TV, when he was much older. It's hard to imagine anyone was better.

He should have traded Wink, before the story got out.

I'm kinda surprised he's not watching golf and is still posting, since we have been winning, recently.

He still thinks I want Yoshi DFA'd, despite me saying every time, I do not. Words have totally different meanings to him. Some, very simple words, too. It's impossible. The other thing is, he keeps saying "ignore the man behind the curtain," but can't take his own advice and is obsessed with tearing down anything I say. Kinda sad, really. Now, cue form him... "But, but, but, he said he wasn't going to say anything about poor ole me, again, and he just did..."

Just about. I mentioned Gil only because he was in competition with Houck for top SP'er in 2024.

Oh, I know Cora will play Yoshida. He plays who Brez puts on the 26. I'm not projecting DHam to keep hitting like this, but I do like riding the hot hand, until it cools. My second point was that I prefer Rafaela in CF, but with all these OF'er hitting well, let's assume DHam (vL) platoons with Valdez (vR) at 2B: I'd still prefer Ref at DH v RHPs (O'Neill, Duran & Abreu in the OF) Don't se still have to sit one of these 4 vs RHPs? I get that Ref may not continue hitting RHP's this well for much longer. He has already dipped some, but he's still hitting well enough to keep playing FT. I get how maybe we can think DHam won't, but who is confident Yoshi will hit any better? The worst part is, we have so many bad hitters vs LHPs, that Yoshida might be better in that platoon than v RHPs against Refsnyder/DHam.

Meidroth has walked in 14 of his last 16 games and 24 times, total! He has a .517 OBP in June. It was .398 in May and .462 in April.

That is concerning, but it's just 52 ABs in 2024 v LHPs. In '23 it was .710 .896 in '22 .887 in '21 (actually better than v RHPs)

Sox fWAR and Ranking by Positions: 2nd Pitching at 10.7 (4th as SP/3rd as RP) 2nd LF 2.7 (Duran Da Man) 4th RF 2.6 6th Catcher 2.1 8th CF 1.6 14th 3B 1.2 17th SS 1.2 (Surprisingly not bottom 5-10) 19th 1B 0.2 (Casas should help, when he returns.) 23rd DH -0.4 30th 2B -1.5 (How much longer can we be the worst, here?) 2B Rankings in recent years 30th in '24 28th in '23 (30th '23-'24) 10th in '22 (27th '22-'24) 13th in '21 (25th '21-'24) 30th in '20 (27th '20>) 25th in '19 (28th '19>) 27th in '18 (29th since 2018!) 22nd in '17 (29th, still) 9th in 2016 was the last time we were better than #10.

Nobody is saying out pitching will continue doing this well, all year, but we are on pace for a 23.1 fWAR in pitching. In JH's era, here is how that would rank: 23.2 2017 23.1 2024 projected 21.5 2003 20.7 2004 20.3 2021 18.8 2016 18.5 2018 & 2009 18.4 2007 & 2008 16.5 2019 15.8 2013 15.7 2010 Our 10.7 current fWAR is already higher than 10.6 2024 10.2 2022 6.4 2012 0.1 2020 (short season)

Sox fWAR and Ranking by Positions: 2nd Pitching at 10.7 (4th as SP/3rd as RP) 2nd LF 2.7 (Duran Da Man) 4th RF 2.6 6th Catcher 2.1 8th CF 1.6 14th 3B 1.2 17th SS 1.2 (Surprisingly not bottom 5-10) 19th 1B 0.2 (Casas should help, when he returns.) 23rd DH -0.4 30th 2B (How much longer can we be the worst, here?)

We once had a guy who wanted 36 out of the 40 gone.

I'm not for DFA'ing Yoshida, just yet. I'd like to see us try to trade him and offer a chunk of money with it. If Brez puts anyone on the 26, Cora will play them, and sometimes maybe, too much. It's weird how some who seemed so anti-Yoshi now want him starting over players doing much better than him.

OPS Last 4 weeks 1.156 Valdez (1.066 last 14 days) .940 O'Neill (1.120) .889 Devers (.728) .880 Rafaela (1.086) .841 DHam (.844) .837 Duran (.986) .792 D Smith (.710) .784 Wong (.917) .780 Refsnyder (.725) .765 Abreu (N/A)

Sox RP'ers OPS Against .464 Uwasawa (only 16 PAs) .470 Z Kelly (almost as many PAs as Jansen)/.250 as SP in 8 PAs .499 Jansen .556 Bernardino/.384 as SP in 11 PAs .575 Slaten (most PAs Against at 151) .623 Anderson (2nd most PAs) .634 Keller .654 Booser .714 Martin As SP'ers .528 Houck .616 Whitlock (75 PAs) .620 Wink (41) .656 Crawford .708 Criswell .719 Pivetta .766 Bello