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And I get that with Hembree, he has a track record and it’s only been 6 weeks. And with Thornburg, his velocity is back up and it might be a good sign. At some point with those two, it might be time to make a decision. But why are Brewer and Weber still in the majors? Seriously. It’s like Dombrowski is just filling roster spots with anyone, because Cora clearly has no intention of using either one any time soon...

Yes. Either Cora trusts very, very few relievers in his bullpen or just keeps falling asleep in the 7th and 8th innings of games, before he takes out the starter. This is clearly on Dombrowski. But hey, at least Pearce is carrying the team. Oh wait...

Would fans like to see Porcello extended if it means non-tendering Bradley?

He’s been ok. But it’s not like he can’t be moved to another position...

R I’m sure the performance of Chavis is a factor for some people in their wanting Pedroia to retire, but I doubt it’s going to matter. As long as Chavis continues to hit, they’ll find a position for him. It’s not like he’s killing it at 2b...

They would need to add Dalbec to the 40-man roster first. They certainly have DFA-able deadweight to make room to do so, but it hasn’t been done yet...

Except that he caught that ball about 3 full steps before he leapt in to the stands. If you’re going to make a catch and run that far before you jump into the stands, I assume it’s because you just caught a touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers....

They’re not going to bench Chavis until Chavis himself gives them good reason. DH, 1b,3b, LF. They’ll find somewhere to play him as long as he keeps this up...

And maybe answers like the one I’m about to give lead to interpretations of condescension. (But it isn’t.) That’s not what the metrics do. Really like any stat, they just tell you what happened. Eye testing defense is more fun because you get to watch games, but it’s very weak comparatively because - that word again - opportunities are imbalanced. A couple weeks back, some were calling Kiermaier overrated because he didn’t look like anything special for 3 games. Obviously Bradley can, will, and has had 3 game stretches where he didn’t do anything special either. Hey, if the chances are not there, we can’t judge him on the plays he doesn’t make. I would say maybe the proper argument for defensive metrics isn’t about “who is the best defender” at position X; but rather “whose having the best season defending” position X. Or best career. Or best 3-season stretch. You get the idea. Even hitting comps are applicable. Jorge Polanco and Josh Reddick are tied for the AL lead in batting average. Are either of these guys really the best hitter in the AL?

Well, are hitting opportunities as guaranteed as we like to believe? It’s only been in the last 20 years or so anyone has decided OBP and walks actually do matter. But before than, hitters who drew a lot of walks had numerous plate appearances with few of any hit table pitches. And we considered them lesser hitters for it. Former Braves’ shortstop Rafael Ramirez was notorious for never drawing walks. When asked about it, he once said “You have to hit like a man!” What does that say about opportunities where the hitter had few if any actual chances? Even from a player’s viewpoint?

Well, before he is handed the starting role, let’s have him get healthy first. But I see no reason why he shouldn’t try that. There may be long term medical implications, but the decision to ignore or adhere to them is on him and not me....

Exactly.

Not about the career comparison. Just about the upper limit of how many games Pedroia might have left. I don’t begrudge him for not going away quietly. If I were in his position, I’d do the exact same thing. And I’m probably not alone there among people on this board...

Brentz was used more so to show the frequency with which we should expect to see Pedroia play over the duration of his contract. He’s just not likely to play often enough to draw the ire he’s getting. And he’s not going to be taking significant time away from any younger, more able-bodied players. If he retires, he’ll have a nice life. But apparently most MLB players have the attitude of “make them rip the uniform off of you,” and that’s exactly what I expect from Pedroia. And I think he’s earned it...

That’s true. It’s like in the NFL. The best-skilled cornerbacks never lead the league in interceptions. But the guys who do are quite often the ones on the other side from them, because that’s where the other teams are throwing. Stats measure history. And in history, opportunity matters...

The thing is, he probably has already gone away. He’ll probably try a few more brief comebacks, but all ending with the same result. Over the next 2 3/4 seasons, I would be surprised if Pedroia played in as many as 20 games, which is fewer than Bryce Brentz has played in since 2016. But I don’t see anyone wishing Brentz would go away or retire or calling him an embarrassment. I might be the biggest Brentz detractor on these boards and I’ve never said any of that. And Brentz’ contributions over the next 2+ years are not going to significantly outweigh Pedroia’s, and his past ones are completely dwarfed by Dustin’s. And that is a massive understatement in itself. But hey, it’s time to hate our past heroes because they aren’t heroes anymore...

There will be great plays, because he flat out has the ability. The point is - he isn’t being “penalized.” Stats measure what he’s done, not what he can do or should do. Bradley is simply underutilized in Boston. And while I could see why the Sox would try to replace him with a more well-rounded CF (re: lesser defender but better hitter), it isn’t going to happen because it’s simply not that easy. Also because having an underutilized defender is much better than one who is just not capable. And while I expect Bradley to get hot at some point, on the off chance he doesn’t, the Sox might have to make a surprising decision this off-season on whether or not they even offer him arbitration or just non-tender him (although even if they do, they still might re-sign him)...

He is off the 25 man. The guy has been an incredible player for the Sox for a long time and is only trying to hold on to the only life he’s ever known for as long as possible. He isn’t hurting the team at all; it’s not like Holt and Nunez we’re doing such great jobs benching them would have been criminal. He may never play again, but all he’s doing now is trying. Yet so many people keep trying to wish him out of existence for some reason...

It’s probably not so much one guy. But a group of people measuring it against the standard. I suppose there is a possibility of automating it with software as well, but I don’t think that has happened yet. WAA does seem like a better idea. But I think stats thrive best when they’re more available, which was a big reason Win Shares and VORP are never mentioned any more. Fans struggle to look them up. I actually think B-R’s WAR stat is better than Fangraphs, but B-R doesn’t have a website feature that makes looking up values anywhere near as easy as Fangraphs does. It’s near impossible on B-R to find WAR ranks that can be customized and manipulated. So I default to Fangraphs WAR out of ease. WAA has a similar problem. And there’s nothing wrong with “old school,” which are the most accessible and relatable stats and techniques of all. But I think people lose sight of the fact that all of them were also considered “new metrics” at one point. And someday down the road, fWAR and WAA will either go the way of WARP or be considered “old school” themselves...

Exactly. And even that assumes he doesn’t have injuries or just plain suck at higher levels...

Whether or not Bradley’s defense is underrepresented in fWAR is a matter of what you are expecting the metrics to tell you. If you think it represents his ability, I can see why. But I don’t agree. But no stat really measures ability. Stats are recorded history of what actually happened. Right now, Bradley ranks 12th out of 19 qualified center fielders in total plays made. He also ranks 17th out of 19 in “out of zone” plays. It’s not like his range has suffered due to a leg injury and he just can’t get to anything any more. He’s s simply not as involved defensively. And a big factor is very likely Betts, who ranks 2nd out of 19 right fielders in “out of zone” plays. (Betts also ranks about the same as Bradley - 13th out of 19 - in total plays made.) So Bradley’s low defensive score is a function of opportunity. Sox pitchers simply are not giving the outfielders as many chances to make plays. And when they do, Betts appears to be taking a decent chunk of the more difficult plays away from Bradley. In contrast, Kiermaier has made fewer plays than Bradley, but ranks 1st in “out of zone” plays. A big part of the reason is Avisail Garcia is no Mookie Betts out there. (A more spacious CF in Tampa also helps.) But defensive stats are there to tell you what happened. Not to measure unused parts of the skill set...

Jarren Duran is in A-ball. Can we let him try AA before we pencil him into the starting lineup in MLB?

This is true. And at some point, the Sox might have to choose one or the other. And I like Bradley, but I hope it isn’t him...

Maybe not the last time, but defensive metrics used to tell me Alfonso Soriano and Matt Holliday were good outfielders. No way, Soriano played here in Chicago and never learned to play the Wall. He also had a bout with defensive yips so bad he got ovations for catching routine pop ups. And Holliday was just awful, one of the worst I’ve ever seen. The man could not catch a cold if he was naked in Norway...

My last time was when I decided that while Bradley is an outstanding defensive CF, I think playing next to Betts is creating a defensive overkill and his defense alone in this case might not justify his lackluster offense. Previously I felt he could hit .100 and be worth it, but I’m not so sure anymore...