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Yeah but then there’s the whole “DD trades prospects “ reputation the man has for well-deserved reasons. Not like 3b was all locked up when he dealt Moncada...

While I did not know it at the time, Griffey owned Eshelman with a 1.555 OPS in 11 plate appearances. Also unaware at the time, but Griffey had a .400 OPS against Slocumb in only 5 PA...

Unless DD trades him...

Actually I’ve found the “old school” thinkers to be equally if not more stubborn. I remember an argument many years ago (1996?) the day after Ken Griffey Jr just beat the Sox bullpen late in the game, like in the 7th inning. It was definitely not the 9th. Anyway one traditionalist was blasting the Sox manager (Kevin Kennedy?) for not bringing in Vaughn Eshelman to face Griffey. And he went on about how stupid Kennedy was for not using Vaughn Eshelman against Griffey. Yes, the same Vaughn Eshelman all of you forgot about years ago was apparently a lock to retire the best hitter in the entire decade of the 1990s. I brought up Kennedy should have used Slovumb, who, unlike Eshelman, didn’t suck. At least not that year. In fact, he was the best and only decent reliever the Sox had. Wow was this suggestion met with condescension. “You have too use a lefty there.” Like it was a rule. Like Griffey had never faced borderline minor league talent throwing left-handed before. Best hitter in the game vs s***** reliever struggling to stay in the majors, and because of his traditionalist strategy, this was a no-brainer, and failing to see that mess to Kennedy needed to be fired that day. And then re-hired just so he could be fired again. And this was years before sabermstrics went mainstream...

Maybe the Sox need to draft a guy named Popgun who does have the arm...

Double digit at bats?? They’re stifling him!!!

Well, there were no foul poles. But you are talking about the “last seen fair” rule. Basically any ball hit into the stands had to land in fair territory in the stands. Stadiums ran ropes through the stands as an extension of foul lines...

And despite ERod’s propensity for getting hurt, he’s still the more durable of the two...

And for those guys, Launch Ball was natural. But for the Jackie Bradley / Mitch Moreland types, they will need to adjust somehow...

Not really. Launch Ball plays into that strategy (and is more of a developmental technique than a deployable strategy). Once teams figure how to defend Launch Ball or beat the shift, they will fade away like other fads. Like stolen bases and hit and run plays...

The idea that stats and metrics are ruling the game and changing how it’s played is also a tradition, not a departure from tradition...

And it will go away as soon as some of those stubborn lefties learn how to go the opposite way. Or take advantage of it another way. Like dropping down a bunt once in a while...

Maybe the Sox want Gonzalez to get between 6 and 10 at bats before promoting him? Also, De La Guerra is a utility infielder on a good day. But he’s behind the younger Tzu Wei-Lin and Marco Hernandez (who is only 2 months older) on that depth chart...

Although it is somewhat disheartening that a guy named Cannon might not have the arm to stick at shortstop...

And robot baserunners...

ERod is 26, has 2 years of control left, and makes an affordable $4.3mill this year. He could be dealt to fill a hole or two and would have some appeal to nearly every team...

I don’t think 27yo Gio Urshela or Greg Bird carry all that much trade value. German and Frazier probably do, but certainly not enough to get Scherzer even if you take the whole contract. Not to mention it involves the Nationals triggering a rebuild by acquiring players typically older than ones needed to build. The Yankee farm is headlined by Flovial, who certainly has some appeal. But I think the Nats could do better...

Shifting has been around longer than many realize. The “Williams Shift” was created and even named that looooong before Ted Williams played. (It was created to stop 1920s slugger Cy Williams.) The frequency with which it’s deployed is annoying, but it’s a defensive strategy. They happen and just because we’ve seen them all our whole lives doesn’t mean they were never new additions to the game. There was a time when “double play depth” was the hot new trendy thing too...

While I’ve never seen a simulation or study that eliminates the first inning, essentially every study you do see highlights the top 4 spots as being the most productive. A big part of that is they obviously see the most plate appearances. John Dewan (of Baseball Prospectus and The Fielding Bible) in 2006 promoted the traditional view of best hitters batting 3rd and fourth, with the caveat that the third spot go to the faster hitter. The prominent new method (new in application, but actually pretty old) is the Markov model, which has the best hitter hitting second to maximize plate appearances. This model also recommends the pitcher bat 8th (which I don’t like) and the best base stealer bat 5th or 6th ( which makes a ton of sense to me). Why risk stealing in front of the better hitters? Steal bases in front of the hitters less likely to string together singles or hit an XBH. And no one has ever found any way to justify the notion that protection in a lineup works. A lot of this can be found via simple Google searches. Admitting it’s not always the most exciting reading...

If nothing else, that has got to be the best name in the draft. He might need mention on the Name Thread...

Overall I think he’s tradable and actually capable of getting something key, but potentially replaceable. Plus playing in Fenway, this team might need to get less left-handed...

1. They could start Shawaryn or Hernandez in the bullpen. 2. They could deal E-Rod for a position player (or two?) of need.

These are not mutually exclusive moves...

I agree. I lean towards MadBum with all things being equal. But I’m more surprised how equal they’ve actually gotten. I wouldn’t be upset if DD chose Porcello simply to play it safe...

I was ok with using the only gun. While I would never say that game was a must win, it was certainly important after the last 4. As for mop up pitchers, that’s mostly what we have after Barnes and Workman.