5GoldGlovesOF,75

Another perspective to consider: if Spring Training offensive stats are meaningless -- batting vs. big leaguers trying new pitches or grips, or minor leaguers stressing to impress -- then so are early season stats. Even the Red Sox dismiss certain metrics over others, like when they promoted Anthony to a higher level in the minors with a low batting average solely because of his hard-hit rates. Or when they started Campbell on Opening Day because he was the best minor league player last year. Not all hitters flop like Holliday when first promoted to the majors. Sometimes, players enjoy more success seeing more strikes to swing at, under better lighting conditions, after better rest and nutrition from big league travel and accommodations, with bigger crowds cheering them on. At least, initially -- until pitchers (and advance scouts) find a hole in their swings to exploit. Mayer's production at Worcester doesn't show struggles: 4 HRs, 22 RBI in 17 Games. He also has 16 Ks, so a similar profile to Story's start in Boston: 5 HR, 14 RBI, 25 Ks in 22 G. Let's also not forget Mayer clearly outplayed Campbell in the infield in Florida, and was as good or better than Story, as well. He knows he's a big leaguer; there's just no openings for him in Boston yet...

No issues. Next time I spew nonsense about the Red Sox promoting very young prospects like Bogaerts, Betts and Devers, I'll be courteous enough to include website links to places like baseball-reference.com and mlb.com/milb/prospects. Those places give good statistical and/or numerical perspective to the insanity of bringing up top prospects too young. They show the true destruction to the careers of Bogaerts, Betts and Devers, who have only combined to receive MVP votes 19 times, make 15 All-Star teams, and win 14 Silver Sluggers... so far. The same trio together has also earned or are under contract to be paid about one billion dollars. Luckily, Boston's current Big Three prospects are more highly regarded before their MLB debuts by evaluators, so may be better bets not to have their careers similarly ruined forever if they all make the majors this season.

One trend remains the same: the Red Sox have burnt out their bullpens in every first half since the Matt Barnes days. Make no mistake, they chose to go into this bridge year by signing Old Man Chapman and Old Man Wilson, and counting on healthy returns from Old Man Hendriks and Young Man Whitlock. Chappy, Whit and Slaten have been good so far, but no club serious about making a World Series run just rolls the dice on its bullpen. The starting pitching depth has already been depleted, and as a result taxed the only three relievers Cora seems to trust on games that have to be won. Hopefully Brez and Bailey will be able to develop or acquire other reliables soon, because calling up fresh arms and sending them down the next day is already too big a trend three weeks into the season.

The only question I ever have for the Red Sox front office when Boston-area players make the majors is: why is he on any other team than ours?

How could any sane fan expect their ballclub to promote the #1 prospect in the game? At age 20? It's so early in his life. And in Boston's season! When the Red Sox don't play St. Louis this year (3 game-sweep, 36 to 20 in runs), they've scored an average of 3.7 runs per game and allowed 4.4. Maybe their top hitting prospect can help more when they're facing the AL's top pitching staffs like on the Tigers and Rangers; the Sox don't have to deal with them until May. Fans can wait -- that's weeks away.

How adult of you not to demean other posters' opinions by questioning their sanity -- often backed up by history which any fan can research on statistical sites like baseball-reference or fangraphs... ... as if any of us need be reminded of the "nonsense" of typing daily takes on an anonymous forum to discuss one of our favorite pastimes: watching grown men dressed in costumes playing a kids' game.

Hendu?

79... more wins to 90!

Rafaela's listed at 5'10, 165 - but sports teams always exaggerate those dimensions. Most small players don't stay buff by throwing bowling balls around all winter, like Mookie Betts. Fans may just have to accept that Ceddanne has to swing from the heels to have a chance to hit a baseball far. It's really more a testament to his talent that he cranked 15 home runs in the majors like year, and at least 20 in each of his two previous minor league seasons. Anyone who makes the big leagues has elite hand-eye coordination to some extent. But all these prospects try to homer their way into promotion, because the longball is a big separator. Anthony, Campbell, Mayer, even Teel, had huge swings last year. Now that Grissom is raking, there's another guy knocking on the door. Four doubles in one game is a novelty, but the fact he also hit one out of the ballpark boosts his status -- especially now that he's taking reps as a righthanded-hitting first baseman...

At least he hit a homer in the Major Leagues before Philly thought it a good idea to sign him (turn your head and cough, Yoshida).

One expectation that the front office may be intentionally deceiving the fanbase about: injuries that severely depleted the swings of Boston's two main power hitters last year are totally healed and no longer an issue. Any adult who has ever played any sport regularly -- even at a rec league level -- knows that nagging injuries never go away entirely; we just have our good days and our bad weeks. Athletes are still capable of competing at anywhere from 50-75%, but no one is ever 100% again after about age 25 (in the testing era). Batters who hurt their core like Casas in the very motion that makes them good, or continually traumatize their shoulders in such a violent motion like Devers trying to pull, may never be as good again (it hurts my shoulders just watching Raffy swing and miss). Pro hitters constantly adjust, and Casas and Devers have shown they can produce by containing their contact to the opposite field. But it appears they're just not interested in too much of that...

Nowadays, it may be piece work. For batting coaches, every hit is worth a dollar. Swings and misses are only 50 cents. But every out not wasted on bunting a ghost runner to third is a five-dollar bonus.

As is often the case, the team that ends the season may have different faces (and arms and legs) than the one that opened the season. If there is an October... '04: Cabrera, Roberts, Mienkietwicz '07: Ellsbury, Lester, Bobby Kielty '13: Bogaerts, Koji, Peavy '18: Pearce, Eovaldi, Kinsler '21: Schwarber, Sale (really?)

We can't bring up a 20-year old kid now. His longball power could ruin the Red Sox batting order for life!

Some posters say it's way too still early to make any significant changes, but the Rockies just fired hitting coach Hensley Muelens. Colorado batters have more strike outs than any other club but one... but we know Boston has had two more games full of K opportunities. Still mystifying how the Rox are below the Sox in HRs and Slug -- is there climate change in Denver... or maybe late storms blowing in at Coors?

Let's also keep in mind that all those last place finishes put the Sox in a position to draft better players the past half decade. None of those young prospects are stars in the majors yet -- but Monegro struck out 9 in 4 IP in frozen Hartford last night.

AC says the hottest hitter. Gotta take cara these kids, right?

Ya, and while a few of those wins were entertaining, it sure seems like more of the losses were exitaining (as in: fans heading for the exits, or leaving the big screen room, or at least changing the channel). A couple things that have to happen in the next 142 for a postseason stretch drive: 1. quality winning streaks that propel the Sox to a record that's lands between five to nine wins better than break-even 71-71; 2. legitimate recruits at the deadline that will supply both depth and a spark to the rotation and/or bullpen, clubhouse and roster to finally end the most ugly, underrated problem with this franchise since 2021 -- giving up and going through the motions. Legitimate recruits are players who are good this year, and not used-to-be, or might-be-again next season after rehabbing a current injury. And if the front office thinks there's really a chance this summer, such acquisitions will require more painful transactions.

That was a great bullpen win, and not just because everyone knew it would be a Whitlock night, and he rocked. It was also a defining moment for Weissert (the Betts trade keeps on giving), and Slaten gave Chappy a break. Was Slaten talking to himself on the mound, or issuing subtle threats to batters and umps? Either or, when a guy's stuff is that efficient, it makes for an intimidating at bat...

From someone who was at the game, Bello's fastball sat at 97-98, and he could dial it up whenever he wanted a strikeout. But it looked like he was intentionally throwing as many breaking balls as possible by design, without concern for the results. Mastering those pitches may be the last step before he's back -- the arm is ready.

It's still.

In an interview that never was, Casas insists his BACS and BASAM aren't any worse than any of his teammates. Key: BACS = Batting Average on Called Strikes; BASAM = Batting Average on Swing And Miss.

No one gives extensions to babies past 12 years, because once they hit 13, they all opt of any semblance of sanity and transform into total psychopaths.

Why? Because he's never thrown a single pitch in an MLB game for the Red Sox, who are paying him $50 million? At least Paxton came back years later and had a good month... before he broke down again... and before the Sox traded to get him back... before he broke down again again. Bello, age 25, signed longterm, is the key to stabilizing the rotation.

It's still now.