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devildavid

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Everything posted by devildavid

  1. devildavid
    And too little information can impair the ability to improve and succeed. Players should be students of the game if they want to maximize their talent. In the old days, it often took the form of sharing tips and talking about opponents strengths and weaknesses while traveling together. Teammates should look out for each other and share helpful information that they might see better than the teammate they are advising. And just because some information may come in a numerical, statistical form does not mean it can't be properly utilized. The battle between a pitcher and hitter is as much mental as it is physical. Every little bit helps.
  2. devildavid
    Me three.
  3. devildavid
    Ted Williams saw hitting as a science and studied it extensively. He mapped out his optimal hitting zone. He weighed and honed his bats and was concerned about their moisture content. He expected his teammates to give him information about what the pitcher was throwing. He also shared all his knowledge of hitting, to friend and foe alike. He was hungry for every piece of information he could get. He certainly did not take the KISS approach.
  4. devildavid
    Clutch and choke do exist in small sample sizes. It is questionable if they are inherent qualities of athletes. We can't label anything clutch or choke without actual game results. A player sitting on the bench in a high pressure moment does not possess a quality of clutch or choke. The evidence of clutch and choke is not what we think is in a players heart, but what actually happens on the field. There is the argument about a player possessing clutch as a distinct skill. The numbers suggest that since it is not repeatable with any statistical significance, it is not a skill. Unlike say, hitting HR's, which can be repeated with statistical significance. So even though Jacoby Ellsbury hit 32 HR's in 2011, his career HR frequency of 1.9%, which is below the MLB avg. of 2.7%, would strongly suggest he is not a HR hitter as part of his skill set. David Ortiz, on the other hand, hit HR's 5.4% of the time, double the MLB avg. His skill set does include hitting HR's.
  5. devildavid
    But the tricky thing is with these borderline injuries that aren't completely debilitating but cause a major drop off in production. It is possible to get a good performance out of a bench player, but you need some luck as well.
  6. devildavid
    I took it wrong. Yes, defensively the Sox were very good as a team.
  7. devildavid
    But in this case you have insider information on the severity of the injury.
  8. devildavid
    The team was not excellent on that side defensively. Third base defense was terrible and SS defense was average at best.
  9. devildavid
    And one of the ways you figure that out is by looking at the numbers. If a banged up star is playing at below replacement level due to the injury, there are better options.
  10. devildavid
    That wouldn't stop a healthy Stanton from hitting HR's. My main concern with him is that we are all starry eyed about his latest season and we are not looking at his past history of injuries. He is a great talent, to be sure, but what will it really take to get him? His 2017 is history. It is worth nothing to any team that might trade for him.
  11. devildavid
    If an injured players stats suffer it means the team is suffering as well. If there is a healthy option on the bench who can put up equal or better numbers in that limited role, the bench player should play. Any team is better off with healthy players on the field as long as production does not suffer dramatically. Playing injured players is foolish if it hampers their ability to recover.
  12. devildavid
    Hitting is very individualized. Part of hitting is being selective in a way that maximizes the chances of getting on base. Hitting coaches should be there to give tips and point out flaws or weaknesses in the technical aspect of hitting, as long as the ultimate goal is to maximize that individual hitters potential. Telling hitters to take pitches or change things up probably will not help if it messes up that hitters normal approach. Real life lesson. Minnesota had a hitting philosophy that hampered David Ortiz early in his career. david-ortiz-boston-red-sox-book
  13. devildavid
    Barring injury , I expect more power production from the team as a whole. With Betts, Benintendi, a full season of Devers, a healthy JBJ and Hanley; I see 5 hitters with at least 20 HRs. I also expect 30 or more 2Bs from these hitters. In addition, Pedey and Bogey (if healthy) should also hit at least 30 2Bs, and maybe hit double digits in HRs. Plate appearances were down substantially in 2017 for JBJ, Hanley, and Pedey due to injury. The one key area that needs a bit of improvement is OBP, which is harder to get a read on. Only Pedey seemed to be able to excel in this area in his limited playing time. The other key hitters dropped off from their 2016 results for the most part. I'm not sure what to expect for 2018.
  14. devildavid
    Agreed.
  15. devildavid
    Now you are asking for something more nuanced, which I don't disagree with at all. But I have no idea of what goes on behind the scenes in the detail needed to judge a manager. I only see the manager in the dugout and in the post game interview. That doesn't tell me how he handles each individual situation or how players react to him.
  16. devildavid
    Ortiz. Believe it or not, I'm not trying to undermine your 2 year assessment barometer, but defend it. Ortiz was not a full time player for his first 6 seasons. He bloomed at age 27 in Boston when he was give the opportunity to be who he really was all along. So it does make sense to sometimes discard early results in careers, especially rookie seasons and part time seasons. There is probably not enough data to really know the full potential of the Sox young core, especially Beni. And you do have to take into account the injuries that happened in 2017 to Bogey. JBJ, and Betts. So I think you are being more than reasonable in expecting improved performances from the offense in 2018 and that 2017 was a big downturn in production that is not completely explained by the absence of Ortiz. I certainly expected better production in 2017 and expect it in 2018 as long as there are no lingering health issues.
  17. devildavid
    Here are his last two seasons: .256/.333/.490/.822 Would you expect this from his next 6 seasons?: .297/.398/.598/.996
  18. devildavid
    Name one example in today's MLB of a tough guy manager who is successful.
  19. devildavid
    It was a major drop off from 2016, no question. It is probably too early to get a good read on performance expectations for the young core. How would anyone feel about a player with this stat line in his first 6 season?: .266/.348/.461/.809
  20. devildavid
    I think 2017 is not indicative of how the young core will perform in the future. Bogey was hurt, so I expect him to improve in 2018. Your two year barometer seems reasonable and fair for what we should expect in the future. The only thing that throws it off, of course, is the players health.
  21. devildavid
    You left out the WS Championship. And yes, it may be hard to match. Making the playoffs in 3 out of 5 seasons is not easy.
  22. devildavid
    I guess more precisely you should have said their performances were major drop offs from 2016. So maybe it is tough to say what exactly is their expected performance level.
  23. devildavid
    Farrell, on the whole, was a successful manager with the Red Sox. One World Series Championship and two division titles in 5 seasons. He was the victim of bad personnel moves in 2014 and 2015 in addition to some major drop offs in key player performances. He also faced the personal challenge of cancer in the middle of the 2015 season. All in all, nothing to be ashamed of and plenty to be proud of. Despite the firing, he can leave with his head held high.
  24. devildavid
    It might depend on how far he takes the Yankees. I sure hope it isn't to a *gulp* World Series Championship.
  25. devildavid
    There may be something to that. Maybe you can be too blandly professional. But it still didn't stop them from winning the division. Maybe the young players would have been helped by a veteran presence. Hanley was one possibility, but he seemed like one of the few who likes clowning around. Pedroia just doesn't seem to have the right personality to be that guy either.
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