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oldtimer

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Everything posted by oldtimer

  1. oldtimer
    I'd be interested to hear what Jackie Bradley will do in spring training. His in field play was fine last year but his hitting deteriorated as the season wore on. I speculated at the time that his swing had lengthened and gotten more uppercut in nature. That might be good for power, but not so good for contact. I wonder if those watching him in spring training or hearing from his own personal stories whether he is taking steps to improve his contact. Clearly the hitting coaches would be trying to help in that regard. He is one of our more important players and to have him close to his early season 2016 form would be a huge benefit for the 2017 Sox.
  2. oldtimer
    I'm 6'1' and 235# Whereas Leon is the same weight but 2 inches shorter. I think he is at least 20 # over his reasonable playing weight. It has to impact his speed and it is hard to say about durability. I know Molina has been quite heavy as well and managed it but I would like to see Leon take the Panda challenge and get into better playing shape.
  3. oldtimer
    Last year Abad looked like he had good stuff but then couldn't help us. They kept him despite his poor results because they could see the potential he has. Hard to get a lefty reliever that can get it done so the FO will give him another try. He may turn out to be a real positive for us in the BP. Think positive, it is Springtime in Florida.
  4. oldtimer
    Depends when in the year the replacements are needed. Travis is likely to be ready fairly early in the year (assuming HR is DH). If so, he is probably the one when available. I am a fan of Hernandez and think he could handle second and possibly short. Why have Rutledge on the team if he is not the short term replacement for 3rd? Holt has shown he could handle 3rd.
  5. oldtimer
    I still wonder if a guy as stocky and slow as Leon is can last a full season of regular catching duties. His hitting is only one of the questions but if he can hit, he has the best chance of being the starting catcher.
  6. oldtimer
    The report today indicates both Pomeranz and Wright reported to camp with physical problems. Ugh1
  7. oldtimer
    Nice attempt to divert the conversation away from Statists vs anti-Statists, however there seems to be a need to continue with that as seen in some of the follow-on entries. I will be happy when spring training finally gives us more beneficial things to discuss.
  8. oldtimer
    I keep thinking of Leon with his 5'11", 235 # frame and how unlikely he can last a season with his weight leading to a breakdown or at least exhaustion. Perhaps the Sox believe Sandy can play regularly at that weight, but I doubt it.
  9. oldtimer
    Sounds like you got that from Ecclesiastes 3. A time for every purpose under heaven. To me the move represented taking a major risk in Sale. He is very talented but may prove fragile. Is the risk worth the amount of resources it took. That remains to be seen but the FO decided to go that way and that is what we will see over the next season. Talent is great to have, but also needed is cohesiveness and that is developed by having a manager who can get the best out of his club. I hope we have that going forward. Francona was that, is Farrell?
  10. oldtimer
    It brought back a flood of memories for me personally and a new understanding of why things were happening the way they were. Now I see Lucchino leaving as a good thing, while before I had no opinion on him.
  11. oldtimer
    I think a reading of the book "Francona, The Red Sox Years" by Frnacona and Shaughnessy is a good way to pass the time before spring training commences. Clearly there is so much that goes on from players health, feelings and interactions that get involved with performance. Also the demands put on teams by the front office needs often are opposed to the best interests of winning. So many personalities and non-baseball related issues are playing out continuously. While Theo was a proponent of data driven decision making, he also understood the needs of Francona to have freedom in keeping the clubhouse together in his own way. All of you hung up on Sabermetrics should read this just to raise your awareness of the real world of team dynamics. Concepts like clutch performance and home field advantage can and are impacted by how a manager can set up a rotation and use players in positions where they thrive.
  12. oldtimer
    That doesn't seem to stop you!
  13. oldtimer
    When folks talk about how things are likely to go forward, with us keeping our young stars and trading away aging and costly players I caution them to consider that baseball is not a linear situation. You use the word 'if" they play well we may be able to move some of the older players to allow us to pay the younger guys. I would hazard a guess that at least one of our outfielders will perform well below expectations and other thinking about the team may be needed. The same in the catching department. We do have 4 good pieces left in the farm system but only one of those is a potential starting pitcher. Not so deep there. Maybe all three of the others you mention will be brought up some time this year giving us the opportunity to drop some of our other ageing players, like Moreland and Young.
  14. oldtimer
    I still have pleasant memories of going out and throwing the ball around with my dad and brothers in the late 40's and early 50's and then coming in and listening to the radio broadcast. We were really into the games in those days before TV (for us). We got our first TV around 1958.
  15. oldtimer
    I would put it in terms of unknowns I would put the largest at 3rd base (no pun intended) To me, catching is still and unknown with neither expected starter likely to hit well and Swihart's defense needing improvement The Pen is an unknown with only one excellent addition and three losses. The Bench also is a bit of a question. Holt, Young and Swihart if he is up would give some strength. It was more of a weakness last year
  16. oldtimer
    Recent question concerning the Sox was what happens if Castillo makes a big step forward this season. He was hitting .392 this winter and some are saying having his relatives around and a child may have changed his outlook. I believe he is in the 3rd year of a 7 year contract for around $10 million a year. It is doubtful that he would make the 40 man roster this season due to the salary cap, but if he really comes along, he might find a place in the outfield in one of his remaining years. Young would possibly be gone next year but $10 million is a lot for a reserve player. If Panda can earn a second chance due to the money owed, possibly Castillo could be reconsidered as well.
  17. oldtimer
    Rumors in Boston having the Sox reaching agreements with Trevor Plouffe. It looks like an insurance policy in case things with Pablo don't work out.
  18. oldtimer
    If Swihart looks good enough in AAA catching, then we may have a ML catcher to trade during the season, freeing up some salary and making a RP acquisition possible while staying within the guidelines you mentioned above.
  19. oldtimer
    Yaz was a great player and hit for power and average. It does show me that Beni at 175 3 and about the same height could deliver reasonable power in 2017.
  20. oldtimer
    I remember sitting in the sky boxes with my dad in 1967 in a game where Carl Yazstemski and Reggie Smith batted in succession in the order. At that time I saw the two of them swinging for the fences when a simple single would have brought in runs. It was like they were competing with each other to see who could be a hero that day. It left an impression on me of what sometimes drives players. I might have been all wet, but it sure looked bad to me. That year, Carl hit 44 HRs. He was listed at 5'11" and 175 #. Kind of the same size as Beni.
  21. oldtimer
    A couple of pot stirrers!
  22. oldtimer
    join the crowd. the hot stove is only luke warm now. Keep on stoking it up, someone needs to.
  23. oldtimer
    Probably he has been drinking too many cups of coffee.
  24. oldtimer
    Anyone who is 5' 11" and weighs 255 lbs and thinks he can compete at the ML level is kidding themselves. He had to know the situation yet he lacked self control or interest to do what he needed to do. Now we see that he has taken steps to get into decent shape. Will he regain the ability to compete or will two years of idleness have dulled his performance. We bet $95 mil and so far have lost. With his history, one wonders why we pulled the trigger on him in the first place.
  25. oldtimer
    My view is that JBJ needed to alter his approach at the plate during the latter part of the season and he was leery of making a change when it counted. I noticed he had gone to a longer looping swing, presumably to gain more power. The problem is that he was not making solid contact very often and that means lots of strikeouts and a substantially reduced batting average. I had hoped he would use the off season to experiment with a shorter and more compact swing. Unfortunately, players think they get paid for home runs. That produces guys that hit home runs but strike out at a very high rate. Just look at the DH FA's and there are many in that category. I prefer that line drive 300 hitter with 15 home runs to the strike out king with 30 HRs.
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