notin

Errors are not the only defensive metric he hasn’t done well on. Absolute worst case scenario for Devers is he does get moved to 1b, as hit bat got him to Boston. But I think they keep him at 3b and move Dalbec elsewhere...

But do players really notice or care? Maybe some might, but the notion that players in small markets can walk amongst the normies unnoticed is ridiculous. I believe most players live in a bubble, and that bubble contains 24 other guys they spend nearly all their time with. And when they’re on the field focusing on the game, they’re not thinking about what Gerry Callahan or Tony Massarotti is going to complain about the next day. Those guys complain about everything. They’re focused on the pitcher staring them down. Or the hitter and what they have to do when the ball is hit to them. They’re focused on those other 24 guys and not letting THEM down. Because those guys are in their bubble, not Callahan or Massarotti. And I believe every player in MLB has this type of focus, because you simply don’t make the majors without it. And probably plenty of players worry about the players coming up to take their jobs, or how their current injuries will affect their time going forward. Or their pending contract. Or what do they need to do to make sure their next road trip isn’t on a bus. That Bob Q. Twitter has some disparaging comments to share with his followers is far, far down on the list, where it belongs. And none of that is any different in Boston than it is in Minneapolis...

It’s not faulty for Shaw’s tenure there. This was about Shaw. In fact, I don’t think you get how impressive that is. Milwaukee is only about an hour from Chicago. People commute from the Milwaukee suburbs to the Chicago suburbs. Yet even in the wake of TV coverage from another major market so close, the Brewers still do well. They have a huge disadvantage in that their blackout region covers Wisconsin and Iowa, which affects viewership. Even if you want me to concede that media pressure in Boston is so much worse, the notion that players in other cities have no pressure is just ludicrous. Media pressure isn’t the only factor and certainly not the only type of pressure. Also the notion that it was an issue for Shaw - which is really where this all started- is 100% unsupported.

I could write an entire treatise on why I think fan perception of media pressure is overblown. But I don’t think you’d want to take the time to read it. Even though I would probably color it up with a lot of profanity...

He did win some sort of Defensive Player of the Year award in the minors. So really so far his defense has been more of a disappointment than anything else...

Think that’s an indication going forward? Or do you think he can bridge that gap in the next 100 games? If it was up to me, I’d demote Weber (or Shawaryn as he would not need to be DFAd) and keep Chavis. The only way I demote Chavis is if Moreland comes back before Saturday’s double header. Personally I don’t think Weber is a major leaguer and should easily clear waivers...

Kind of a shame, as he had made himself a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year with his early explosion. The best competition for the award is probably Brandon Lowe, who is also struggling of late. Of course a lot of that was before VGJ came up. (VGJ said a few good words about how impressed he was with Chavis, too, and was the first I saw to actually say Chavis could be a legitimate ROY candidate.)

On this deal, I’m calling “Bad Dombrowski!! Bad! Bad!!” for sitting out this negotiation. With the tax implications, Kimbrel runs about $21-22 mill with luxury tax, depending on pro-rating, etc. That’s far less than the $29mill the Sox are paying to Castillo and Sandoval to play elsewhere. I get that DD inherited both contracts and had no choice. But on some level he is saying it’s more important to clean up the messes of other GMs than to fix his own...

But even then, what percentage of players are affected by it over the dozens of other pressures they have? And certainly it doesn’t affect every player, as media attention is hardly evenly divided. Sandy Leon is not getting the same coverage as Mookie Betts...

Well, according to the fine people at Notin Industries, a wholly owned subsidiary of Notin TransGlobal MegaCorp (NTMC) (long time since I broke that out), the answers are: 1. The fourth hitter comes up the most after the first inning 2. The greatest opportunity for high leverage - which is very game flow dependent - doesn’t change since the percentage of high leverage opportunities in the first inning is minimal. No actual research was conducted for these answers...

Apparently. But it’s also very soon after the draft. I get why DD didn’t bring him back, but on that contract, I don’t agree with the decision...

I missed that. I’m surprised he settled for that amount...

2.7, not 2.3. That would give him an AAV of $16.7mill. Less than Wade Davis. My guess is he refuses it and sees what else is out there. He’s not still unsigned due to a lack of 3yr $45mill offers. Now that the draft pick is off the table, he’s probably still looking for some sort of record-setting deal for a closer...

Shaw’s first half season in Boston (.842 OPS 13 HRs in 250 ABs) was essentially the same as he has been doing in Milwaukee. But as I said, this whole Boston media pressure excise gets thrown around really quickly and far, far too often. I’m surprised no one has made that comment about Chavis yet...

Even players with high OBP are still kept off base around 60% of the time...

Of at best that’s just a suspicion. And certainly not one about Shaw, since he stepped in to replace possibly the worst free agent in team history, so all he had to do was keep his weight under 3 bills...

Oh please. Shaw (remember this was about Shaw) hasn’t been there since 2002. And regardless of park capacity - which doesn’t help Tampa - what you’re missing is two fold. First, that you think athletes outside of Boston can walk unrecognized among the general populace like Bob Smith-Jones from Accounting. But that you think media attention scares them? And it’s universal? Please. Maybe a handful of players at best. And THAT is the scariest pressure? Know what I think scares more players like Shaw? The players behind them. Being buried in a quarter billion dollar lineup of superstars? All Shaw had to do was field and make no money. Or sitting on a small budget team knowing if you don’t produce, Keston Hiura is coming on strong. And the fans love him more. Only because he’s younger. In Boston, maybe Shaw doesn’t win. Think he cares? He made the last out in the ALDS once and appeared unfazed. In Milwaukee, he can hit or get benched. Or worse - DFA or non-tendered like Avisail Garcia, who hit worse than Sox mgmt thought Eloy Jimenez could. Heck even succeeding in a low payroll can get you run out of town on a budget train. So - Boston and oh no-criticism?? Or Milwaukee and your career? Which one is more pressure?

You do realize Milwaukee has been right behind Boston in attendance the last two seasons? Last year, the Brewers drew 45,000 less than the Red Sox. That’s piddling. As much as Sox fans like to think they’re equal in size and intensity to New York, Los Angeles and Chicago and the rest of the league is a bunch of small towns, that’s not reality. Wisconsin fans are also crazy. They put an NFL team in Green Bay and it sells out. Green Bay! Ever been to Green Bay? It’s 2 hours from Milwaukee and about 100 years in the past! Geographically it would be like putting the Patriots in Springfield MA (but with 33% fewer people) and hoping people come from Boston for games. Boston isn’t the only city where fans recognize their players. It might be the only one where a player took public transportation to get to games, however...

I was SCREAMING when they were getting shut down by Glenn Sparkman, whose name is more reminiscent of an orthodontist than a Major League pitcher...

I was only looking at AAV and how it relates to 2019. The Sox recoup the rest of the money by avoiding the temptation to extend Sandoval...

Your point?

I think it’s more rare than people realize and gets used too often and too quickly any time a player doesn’t make an immediate and meaningful impact. Sometimes players just have slumps and bad seasons unrelated to the media. Heck the league is loaded with Dominican players, many of whom don’t speak English or only speak it minimally and can’t understand the media anyway. Yet somehow the “pressure of Boston” gets to them?

So Pedro’s starting his career in Montreal should have been a huge red flag? And Ramiro Mendoza should have been a rousing success? In fact, Ortiz came from Minnesota, which was as small as it got back then. I think the broad brush you’re painting with here might not be the best guideline...

So the Sox should replace him in the rotation with who?

Hanley was already off the books. And Pedroia wasn’t “dead money” yet. It’s not like the Sox went out and spent for another 2b. But if the Sox didn’t sign Pearce and non-tendered Thornburg, that would have accounted for nearly $7mill of the necessary $9mill....