Hugh2

The shot clock resets yes, but it's not like they stand around for 24 seconds and wait to move.

I actually have a math based degree and spent quite a bit of time studying statistics. Now I'd be lying if I said I break down the data of every study that comes out, hardly ever actually. I do whatever everyone else does and read the results. Now, I don't think it's bad advice to tell people to be skeptical at all, but I do check things out from time to time, and when the people compiling data together are people well qualified, things tend to check out. I think the problem comes from being able to tell what is a good study and what is NOT a good study, with considerations of the SOURCE!. And most of us read a summarization of a study in the press and not the actually study itself. Myself included, but when I have dived in things tend to check out when the source is good. People are trying to get things right. Data scientists aren't dumb, and the doctors, surgeons, athletic trainers all want what's best. I don't think there's some secret national cabal of evil doctors, athletic trainers, surgeons, sports trainers etc etc etc. that aren't interested in finding out what is leading to the cause of a rise of injuries among mlb players With a relative level of comfort, I trust those studies. Obviously it's something. they have decades of data now from the onset of all these "sports labs" they put kids in to up performance and to be quiet frank the leading explanation makes complete 100% sense to me. As a former athlete and someone who has been entrenched in the fitness industry their whole life it makes absolute sense to me that throwing harder and pushing your body's limit during a violent un-natural movement is going to increase your risk of injury. That makes sense to me, I'd be very surprised if that was not the case. It will be interesting to see if the pitch clock does add to that. I'd think if anything it would wear pitchers out quicker, and that might actually end up putting a little less stress on the arm. That's literally a hypothesis made while writing this, I don't know but it is interesting.

Yeah, data will change my mind but I'm pretty sure the pitch clock has a marginal affect at best. As you said there's a study, albeit we might need more time to pass to truly know but they have OTHER studies that have definitively tied the rise in pitching injuries to other causes. If people don't like the pitch clock....that's fine.

I think of it like this. Lets say I was doing squats in the gym. I was lifting 125 lbs and giving myself 20-25 seconds rest in-between sets. If I decrease my rest time I'm not going to hurt myself if I'm I decrease my rest to 15 seconds. I might run out of gas quicker, but if I get injured it's because I was in s*** shape and about to get injured anyways.

Yes, but the injury trend has been well established well before the pitch clock. We know it's because guys are throwing harder, it's being taught to them at an earlier age. All these camps emphasizing throwing hard. I don't buy the pitch clock is causing an increase in injury, I'm not sure if any studies have been done on that it would interesting if there were.

And we aren't even talking about just spring training, we are talking early spring training. I get that we are all eager to talk baseball, and spring training games is the only thing we have at the moment. I can respect that.

ADD. I think it's probably too early to anoint Fitts the 5th starter. When these guys get stretched out things could look different. I think Priester still has a good shot at at being the best option.

I think the Sox prefer Criswell in the swingman, long relief role. The 5th spot is Fitts for the taking right now.

That's the explanation I have read that makes the most sense. The human body has limits, you can train and get faster and stronger but your body's ability to handle that load doesn't always move in lock step. Professional athletes train for functionality, not optimal health. A pro power lifter is going to deadlift more than me or you, but his chances of a back injury are significantly higher. If you went to a personal trainer and wanted an exercise program put together to build strength and improve overall health and fitness, it would be completely different than a kid who went to a trainer and wanted a program to be able to throw a baseball faster. Obviously they train with the most advanced knowledge and programs are put together to build functional strength in such a way that helps to prevent injuries but if the action of your sport is naturally un-natural human movement that training will only do so much. Kids are throwing harder. Pitching is a not a natural movement. I don't think there's a silver bullet to this, increased chance of injury is just part of this sport now.

Ah you gotta love the spring training narratives, I will say the ones this year are more fun than in years passed. It does feel that this is a better team with higher expectations.

15 seconds is plenty of time to throw a pitch. Imagine if basketball players got 15 seconds in-between every basket. Also, I'm fairly certain the trend of increasing injuries and TJ surgeries started to rise WELL before the pitch clock.

Balls change

Dude is 33 and has been in the majors for 7 years up and down. He's not magically becoming a different player. If a few guys went down and he started the year hot, sure ride that wave until it crashes. But he's looking like a really nice depth piece for AAA. It's really easy for a fringe spot on a roster to mash pitchers who are more concerned with building up their innings and arm strength than getting you out.

It's not just spring training, but it's early in spring training. I don't think it's going to be a very hard decision, things will fall into place by the end of this month.

I don't think he will because I don't think they think he's ready yet. In a perfect world Story plays so well this year he either opts out or becomes tradeable and Mayer takes over SS in 2026. I'm not saying we won't see him in 2025 but I don't think he's the starting SS unless Story goes down. OR if they want to slide Mayer/Story over to 3B if our third baseman goes down.

If healthy, Story is presumably a plus defender at SS.....why should he move? If Mayer is in a position to take over for Story it's because Story gets injured.

The Red Sox are going to start him in AAA. I think the better question is where is he going to end the year?

This will be an interesting year for Grissom, I feel like he can fall into oblivion and be 100% irrelevant. With such disappointments of trading a stud for a prospect that Jeter downs brought. Or, he can turn it around and turn it on with little expectations the same way Duran did. Wide range of outcomes, but he will have to mash to prove himself because the Sox have so many options.

I'm certainly not talking him up, but I'm certainly not talking anyone down on March 6th either.

If they decide KC isn't healthy. I can see Bregman at 2nd and Devers at 3rd. Devers has been better at the corner when playing along side Story, so with a healthy Story and Alex at 2nd that's still a much much improved infield. And it gives you a chance to see what a healthy Yoshida can do. Also, if someone like Hamilton or Grissom really shine, you could still move Bregman to 3B and DH Devers.

If games to date are an indication of things, it would appear to be that Campbell is competing for an outfield spot and not the 2nd baseman spot. Kind of weird, but it does make some sense.

You don't believe in the 2nd coming of Ben Zobrist???

I'm all for trading guys, but I'd rather start trading from depth when their is more certainty and roles locked in at the MLB level. As much young talent as we have we DON"T have that yet. Sure, I can see many permutations of the future where Campbell is locking down 2nd, Mayer is at SS and Anthony is mashing on a corner. But until we have that team, I want a balanced approach that doesn't gut the farm.

It's not that people don't want winner on this team, it's that we understand you need more than one or two of them. It's very easy for the worse teams in the league to have some of the best players. 4 for 1 deals to bring in talent can be great and have their place, but there's a time and a place for them and if you do it too much you pretty much corner yourself into a small window.

And what have the majority of his seasons looked like when you take out his very first two at the young age of 20 and 21? how many guys reach their peak at 20? and the following year was the covid year. A team is always going to weight what you did vs. what you recently did. If you're a 27 year old STUD and they say "well you weren't that good when you were 20" they're going to lose the bidding war. It only takes one team to agree with me for me to be right, and all 30 teams to agree with you for you to be right. This is why free agents are mostly overpaid every single year. Someones going pay for him to be that 6 WAR PIG. Can I say pig for hitters?