5GoldGlovesOF,75

If that's the plan, then the Sox are just trying to field a full nine so they can play the games and sell tickets. If the Sox won't even spend on a Nick Ahmed-type -- who the Giants signed for one hundred grand over MLB minimum wage -- then the least they could do is find the best internal glove to help the club's strength, which is pitching this year. The last thing to worry about is some young guy who can't hit big league pitching, because Story has always had a below-average bat since he came to Boston. There are lots of big whiffers in the Red Sox major league batting order. Age and experience matter, but there are plenty of cases every season -- with mitigating factors like injuries -- where prospects are called up out of necessity. And not just Bogie and Raffy, who were 20 and ready, but plenty of others, like Willie Mays, who made it at 20, was 0fer his first week and wanted to be sent back down. A few who didn't were Robin Yount, starting shortstop for the Brewers at age 18. And Al Kaline, who never played a single inning of minor league ball. If a guy can play, he can play.

Dever isn't moving to first base or DH as long as Cora is his manager. A new skipper who's all business and not Raffy's mentor could maybe force more consistent focus on D by issuing ultimatums, with position changes an option. Or the new boss could just announce the shift in an offseason, accompanied by the acquisition or anointment of a new third sacker... while Devers is assigned special training and a personal coach for a different role. Meanwhile, all we can hope for now is that AC can convince Raffy to stop hurting his shoulder trying to pull 500-foot HRs and go back to terrorizing left-center, like he did in Florida...

All likely -- but what if Story needs corrective surgery and is gonzo? Is Brez even allowed to dumpster dive for a good glove/bad bat 4A type? Will the FO curse the 6-2 start, because it will be bad PR not to go for it?

That's the point -- for a owner guarding a frozen budget. If he's already paying other shortstops at various levels, why shop, when bringing up any one of them will only cost MLB minimum wage... ... and sorry, one more year of control sometime in the 2030s (if Boston hasn't become part of the Atlantic Ocean by then)!

Is it even possible for anonymous typists with metaphorical handles who carp back and forth with device screens every day?

I get it, and many top prospects get called up to the majors by age 20, as well. Nolan Schanuel got drafted by the Angels less than a year ago, and he's their starting first baseman. Same age as Mayer.

No disagreement about Hamilton. Never mind for the first-place Red Sox; he wasn't even Plan A, B, C, D, SS when Boston was in last place last year. Fans always need to remember that orgs fill uniforms at every level to field a full team just so their handful of real prospects have somewhere to play as they grow...

My Yankee fan cousin still talks about that play as the turning point; not the Tony Clark long foul... but I still remember another diehard Yankee disappointed when Clark didn't walk off the Series. Yankee fans were so conditioned to always win in the end that they expected it. Yankee fans also love to blame not going to the World Series the past 15 years on Astros' garbage cans. Red Sox fans never cry about losing the playoffs to Houston in '17 -- mainly because they beat them the next year and won rings with Cora, and paid consequences for their own crimes against humanity -- of which Houston, Boston and New York, among others, were widely reported to have committed.

The first-place Red Sox already clinched a winning record on this season-opening road trip. If they can just go .500 the rest of the year, they'll finish with a winning record. If Story goes on the IL again for a long time, it's not the end of the world. His defense can be replaced, as good-fielding pro shortstops abound in baseball, and his bat was mediocre. But ownership has no desire for additional spending -- even to reinforce this spirited group of overachievers. They had no desire to acquire a real shortstop last year nor legit starting pitchers this winter, so foegedaboudit. Better prepare for Pablo Reyes and more Romy Gonzalez types. Eddie Alvarez looked pretty slick in Florida. Hamilton is not an option. Hopefully, they don't move Rafaela to the infield and lose the improvements in CF (the ball he dropped looked like he just got lazy, bringing his glove down to his throwing hand instead of the other way around). And forget about "rushing" top prospect Marcelo Mayer up to Boston... even though Henry Davis, the guy the industry thought Mayer would be drafted ahead of at #1 overall, is the starting catcher for the first-place Pirates in the NL. With so many shortstop prospects in the org, wouldn't it be great if Brez and Co. auditioned the top glovemen at all levels to help the best pitching staff in baseball: Franklin, Marvin, Nazzan, come on up, boys!

You make a good point. But these guys still had to play LF half the season in other ballparks, too. It really is uncanny how many Red Soxers over the decades have earned a negative dWAR in left. I also meant to add Yoshida and Blake Swihart (where he didn't turn into the next Posey). Speaking of Mays, in his bio some peers said he was so good at D he could've been an All-Star shortstop if he wanted. What in the name of Mookie were they thinking?

Posters shouldn't have to start every post with "In my opinion" -- but shouldn't assume theirs is gospel, either. But you're right, no one can know what you see, even sitting next to you, because you might turn your head and miss a play (busy looking in the stands, the way Mantle did in Ball Four). Thus, Ben Intendi was the best defensive Sox leftfielder since Yaz. Beni > Rice, Greenwell, O'Leary, Manny, Bay, Nava, Gomes, Crawford, Hanley, Holt and Dugie. Is that ever a grim list...

Just curious: who was the best Red Sox rightfielder you saw? I admired Dewey Evans, and his arm had such a rep that in the second half of his career, base coaches wouldn't even let runners test it. But no RF in baseball had the range of Mookie Betts in Boston. I'll go with Marcus -- and Buck Showalter, who said he was the best in his lifetime.

Lynn's best grab didn't even rob a homer, but after a long sprint into the gap he left the Earth to rob Nettles then bellyflopped to avoid being decapitated by Rice hopping over him. That catch at Shea Stadium in '75 had me yelling the loudest because it came in a tense 1-0 game vs. the hated Yankees and probably saved Bill Lee's complete game shutout over Catfish Hunter. And anyone who thinks Bradley was overrated misses the entire point of his excellence. His jumps were so elite that he often made tough catches look easy -- when JBJ went into a jog, even with a long drive still 20 or 30 feet away, he knew he had it... and so did we.

Bradley wasn't the fastest, but no one I ever saw play centerfield got a better jump consistently. It's also what makes Rafaela comparable. When he saved the game for Winckowski, Ceddanne immediately noted it was because of the jump he got on the ball before he ran it down. That's what makes him legit; this guy isn't outrunning misjudgments, like some other fast outfielders... The best season I ever saw in CF was Lynn in '75, when spectacular catches seemed to come in the clutch all year long. He wasn't just voted AL MVP because of his bat.

I know -- if only the Red Sox could've started off 2-5 instead of 5-2, then they'd be ranked higher in ESPN's first POWER RANKINGS, like the Phils, Astros, Ms, Rays and Jays... ... five teams with losing records ranked most powerful than #13 Boston. Like, what's the use of even writing such a stupid article.

So: one vote for Memorial Day, another for Halloween. I'll take the 4th... but my team has to be at least .500 and within a few games of a wild card spot. Keep the summer interesting. Put it this way -- if a club is dead last in April, May and June, it's not "still early." But if they somehow trade for four decent outfielders with pop by the end of July -- and all four go on tears to transform the line-up (like the '21 Braves) -- then by the end of August it's ok to say, "it's not too late." "Still early" is usually reserved for underachievers -- or helplessly hopeful standings deniers. When ballplayers are playing well enough to win more than they lose, it's unreasonable to expect them to suddenly suck. It is fair to reserve judgment until they beat some favorites, though. But never say, "They're actually not good; they're just playing good" ... cuz that's bad gramma.

Snowing in New England today. But even if not, climate change regularly brings windy, rainy nights in the 40s through most of April now. If MLB is smart, they schedule East Coast teams out West (or in domes) at the start of every season... ... speaking-of, yes, it's one trip. But it's evident Boston is improved, if just under the spell of Bailey. I always shook my head in past years when the team sucked and posters insisted "it's still early" in April, May -- "it's only Memorial Day" --, June -- "it's not even officially summer" --, July "it's not even the All-Star Break... wait til the deadline" ... "The season's only half over..." Players and management have to use those stock lines, but fans see the truth. The Red Sox may not be contenders or not even a .500 team this year, but they've been winning now for two months. So here's a serious question for the board: When is it no longer "still early?"

According to Brez all winter, Mayer is one of his Three Prayers. Meanwhile, the handsome Griz is already a darling of NESN's dancing Red Sox player promotions. I'm so confused!

This brings up Mayer -- if he knocks the cover off the ball and shows he's ready for promotion this summer, what position does he play? Story and his contract are Boston's for three more years after this one...

We know the Sox best prospects are stockpiled in Double A to start the season. But the Orioles' future lurks in Triple A. International League stats: Romy Gonzalez leads Worcester with 5 hits... down in Norfolk, Baltimore has five guys with 10 hits or more.

Lots to praise, not a lot to complain about. Pitching is obviously a lot better than anyone expected -- best staff ERA and FIP in MLB, second in WHIP, most Ks in AL! Rotation may regress vs. better clubs, but Jansen's back may loosen up with warmer weather. Defense is improved, as expected -- maybe as good as it can be: second in AL in Defensive Efficiency. Bats are weak, so far (as a few of us expected): below-average in runs/game and OPS, second in AL in Ks, 4 home runs (one less than Mookie Betts). Some will get hotter, others will cool off. Grissom not here yet... As always, Cora is doing the best with what he has -- but for the first week, anyway, it is working.

More whiffing and less slugging (compared to '23) is a problem that will definitely hurt when Boston plays better teams. But this is the team that was built. We certainly expect Casas to re-emerge, and hope Grissom can contribute, but the batting order feels incomplete. Story -- .303 career at Coors, .238 everywhere else -- will help, but he's not a #3 hitter in a good line-up... In terms of strategy, the Earl Weaver pennant plan to ride pitching, defense and three-run homers is at risk.

A couple of others: Espinal was an All-Star in Toronto, now in Cincy; Dubon was a multi-purpose Gold Glover last year in Houston -- both are 29, in their primes, and bench pieces or platoon guys. The first was swapped for Steve Pearce, 2018 World Series MVP... the second for Tyler Thornburg (and later from Milwaukee to SF for Pomeranz). Win some, lose some. If you don't trade anyone and your name is Chaim, you get fired.

You had to bring up the shortstop currently leading the majors in hits, runs, homers, RBI, BB, Slugging and OPS? Speier's book recounted that after being drafted, Mookie held out for a signing bonus of $750K (I think) and prepared to go to college, when at the last minute Epstein told his staff, "Give it to him."

The Romdawg is now batting clean-up for the WooSox Opening Day. Just watched the entire Woo team introduced on the foul line -- not many significant prospects, except maybe Fitts, like in years past. But nearly every guy is a depth piece for the big club, and names that fans are familiar with from just this past month in Florida. That has to be by design.