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I’m not entirely sure he was referring to Defense-Independent Pitching Stats...

I can think of 2 people who might take the other side of that controversy - Keuchel and his agent...

The Red Sox have $220mill or so divided up among 40 players and 20 of them make less than $1mill. It’s not the expenditure of Sandoval that’s putting financial restraint on this team. It’s that we have 20 players combining for over $200mill...

Middlebrooks was a one trick pony and the rest of MLB figured out the trick...

The Sox have a payroll of about $240mill. Even ignoring the wasteful Panda contract, a good GM should be able to build a winning team with $220mill...

So are you saying the team with the highest batting average wins the World Series? Just about every Red Sox team from 1977 to 1990 might disagree there. And while no one said the most HRs should win MVP, are you correcting that with saying the award needs to go to the highest batting average? Do you even know what batting average really represents?

A 2-run single requires help from 2 other hitters capable of getting into scoring position. A 2 run home run just needs one man on any base. A higher batting average does NOT mean you put the ball in play more often. Betts and Martinez finished 1 and 2 in batting average last year, yet each put the ball in play less often than Yangervis Solarte, whose batting average was among the worst in MLB...

I make them to keep mvp updated...

Only if Houston includes Cole...

I like Bradley and have been pro-Bradley in these debates for, well, all of them. But now I’m starting to wonder. Is Bradley necessary when you have a smaller CF and you have Betts in RF already? It seems like his abilities might actually be being underutilized.

Gold Gloves are NOT voted for by the BBWAA. The coaches and managers in each league do the voting, and cannot vote for their own players...

Like I said, not sure. We’re talking about earned runs, so errors are not a factor. It’s all about defensive plays not made. So it’s tough to get a grasp on...

Batting average? The stat that says singles and home runs are equal? At least look at OPS (Bradley .711 / Pillar .690)

I don’t think JBJ making plays look easier impacts his metrics. I suspect those degrees of difficulty are more cold and concrete than that...

So about 20 ER over the course of 180IP? That’s about 2 runs for every 3 starts. I’m not sure if I find that believable or not. I suppose it’s not unreasonable...

And it’s possibly some of those 10-60% chances that Betts is taking and Avisail Garcia isn’t...

What about them? I’m not redoing all the math and looking everything up just to notice that both Pillar and Springer don’t lose chances to Betts....

I might think CF to be more important than 2b or SS. With the offensive focus now on launch angle, one would expect fly balls to increase and ground balls to decrease in average velocity...

I did some looking into the building blocks of this defensive Bradley/Kiermaier thing. On a per inning basis, Bradley gets more assists, makes more double plays and fewer errors than Kiermaier. But Kiermaier gets more chances. Now more chances does explain the errors difference, which is very slight. (JBJ has a substantial advantage in the other 2 categories.) So how much is pitching staff? If your pitchers give up more fly balls, you get more chances. Or is it that Kiermaier simply covers more ground. I can only look at the first part right now. Factoring in FB%, K%, HR/FB% and IFFB%, the two staffs are very equal with regards to “playable” fly balls in the OF. Not enough to make any difference in the defensive metrics, though.(The teams differ by 3 FBs per opposing 10,000 ABs.) So it appears Kiermaier simply makes more plays. That helps his case massively. But there are two other important factors that do slight JBJ. 1) Ballpark. Fenway has massive walls in left and straightaway center. A ball could hit these walls 12-15 feet up and still is considered “playable” in my numbers, when in truth, it is not. While UZR can account for these being unplayable and not penalize Bradley, it does change the hypothetical “lost opportunities.” The OF wall in Tampa is closer to 9’ high, giving a significant reduction in margin for unplayable “playable” flyballs in Tampa. 2) Betts. Betts covers more ground than Wyoming’s area code and takes plays from Bradley, and on the side with more outfield ground to cover and lower walls. Kiermaier has never played next to an elite defensive outfielder anywhere close to the caliber of Betts. So is Kiermaier a better defender because he has better skills? Or because he has a better opportunity and Tampa needs him to be better? If the Sox and Rays swapped center fielders, which team really benefits more? And which player does?

The I would never say Bradley was irreplaceable. There are a few CFs I agree are better than he is. But none of them are in Boston (except Betts, who is arguably better). And I like how Bradley plays the position.

Are you referring to MLB or Jenny Dell?

Also bear in mind, it’s going to start at some point when you come home from work, and your wife will tell you “I’ve been taking care of him all day. It’s your turn now.” And you’ll be thinking “Hey I was at work. It’s not like I was out doing something fun!” Don’t. It’s your turn...

Then maybe it’s time he hit the weight bench...

Asche definitely. Curletta appears to have had decent MiLB seasons (.865 OPS in AA) but has had some injury issues. Plus he’s only 25, making him younger than all the outfielders in Pawtucket...

He had an OBP of .400 and an OPS of 1.067. Take your own advice...