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Jackie Bradley ranks 3rd in MLB in innings played in CF this season. In that time, he ranks 8th in Balls in Zone and 8th in plays. So right away, his opportunities are limited compared to other center fielders. Defensive metrics like UZR and dWAR also give significant credit to plays made out of zone. With 40 OOZ plays, Bradley ranks 14th out of 17 qualified center fielders. The man standing in RF ranks fourth in OOZ plays, taking a significant amount away from Bradley. As several other center fielders don’t have the “handicap” of an elite defender in RF taking their plays, they benefit. It’s not a flaw. It’s a measure of accomplishments, not ability. What JBJ’s reduced defensive metric is saying is that he has not been as involved in CF as many others around the league. His innings are high, but his opportunities relative to those innings to make routine plays are below average, and his opportunities to make elite defensive plays are very low. Again, these stats are measures of accomplishments, not ability. Basically Bradley isn’t getting any credit for standing in CF while other fielders make plays. If you are a believer in lineup protection, and that certain hitters get pitched around and it negatively affects their offensive stats, it’s a similar concept - reduced opportunity. If a hitter struggles while getting pitched around, is he a worse hitter than one who repeatedly crushes meatballs? Again, this is not a flaw...

Well, that and neither seem to excel over the long haul...

Bogey’s meltdown? Velasquez created his own mess, including that careless obstruction call...

If the Sox need a RHH left fielder, I can understand that. But that the best internal answer is Sam Travis, it’s a loud statement about how weak this farm system is. Travis has logged all of 74 games in LF in the majors and minors combined. I’d actually have preferred bringing up Cole Sturgeon, who is left-handed (making for a bad platoon partner) and extremely likely to struggle vs MLB pitching. But at least he’s a superior defensive outfielder. So back to my calls this March for an actual fourth outfielder on this team. Somewhere, Rusney Castillo is crying for a pay cut...

Why was it the right thing to do? The Sox used his roster spot to promote Sam Travis and his sub-.400 OPS. Sam Travis is “Mr. March”. (I would also accept “Mr. Florida” or “Mr. Grapefruit”.) Crushes in spring training, but once the regular season starts, his inability to hit MLB pitching is on full display. And it’s not like he brings any defense or versatility to the Sox here either. No idea why, during the most baseball-intensive stretch of the season when depth is vital, Dombrowski clears out an actual versatile (albeit limited) Major League player and promotes one of the least useful minor leaguers in the entire organization...

I honestly don’t get this move. Like Nunez or not, there was no need to clear him out to make room for Sam Travis...

The root of the problem!

Wait until they hire their new “Special Assistant” Mike Trout...

... which in turn brings down his price in free agency, as he will have a QO attached...

Are you suggesting they have a bunch of former Major Leaguers on staff whose sole duty is to be put up for stud?

They could be unveiling their new Sons of Infield soon. They just need to call up Bo Bichette and somehow get their hands on one of the Cron brothers or Travis Shaw. Or apparently they could also call up Griffin Conine (son of former Marlin Jeff) to play 1b. How many MLB legacies does this organization have?

But Johnson is setting the bar at new levels for fragility...

A “proven closer” doesn’t fix the bullpen. But letting two late inning, high leverage arms go and replacing them only with Colten Brewer and wishful thinking was a bad idea. I do wonder if there was some MASSIVE miscommunication here. Dombrowski built a team expecting it to be carried by the rotation, with the bullpen merely wrapping up the ends of games.. But Cora is managing the team in a way that emphasizes resting the rotation and relying more heavily on the bullpen. Not exactly coinciding plans here...

Eh. I think half the hitters in the Blue Jays lineup have numbers like that against Boston this year...

Probably not. If DD was counting on Wright to help fix the bullpen (which he’s talked about since January and would partially explain his complete lack of bullpen attention), why bury Wright when Velasquez and Taylor still have options?

I think you’re looking at dWAR as a measure of ability when it’s not but rather it’s a measure of accomplishments. And playing next to Betts has certainly mitigated the accomplishments for Bradley. His dWAR is low because it’s saying the Sox could certainly get by with a lesser defensive CF thanks in large part to the way Betts plays RF. What it’s NOT saying is Bradley isn’t a good defensive player. But his OOZ (out of zone plays) is among the lowest in MLB because Betts covers a lot of that territory and Austin Meadows, for example, does not...

There’s little point in selling if you don’t move Betts and/or Bradley. The thought of moving Benintendi in a down year is appealing, but his cheaper contract and outfield versatility might come in handy. Sell on Betts, Bradley, Porcello, and Cashner. If someone calls about Holt, Nunez, Pearce or Moreland, listen. But only if they talk fast. No point in actively trying to move these players. The return is likely negligible...

Me too. But only because I’m hoping the Sox can flip him for other minor leaguers...

While Hector Velasquez is awful, you can’t expext any bullpen to be effective 6 or 7 men deep. The bullpen was surprisingly effective last night. The offense and their ability to squander scoring chances was not. And the Sox have too many games where it’s hard to think of anything good the reigning MVP did...

I hope this team decides to sell. And Dombrowski gets fired...

It wasn’t nerves. He was nowhere near the strike zone the entire inning...

Seriously. Hector Velasquez sucks...

Point?

He should make about 13 starts, so that’s about 7 IP/start. Possible but not likely. And if he does average 7IP/start, the Sox should accept that contract option with open arms and songs in their heart...

Unless there is a roster crunch...