5GoldGlovesOF,75

Thanks for preparing us for threaded discussions on all available players of reported interest to the Red Sox who will be outbid by more attractive clubs that match offers taken to them by super agents. Though I'm confident the front office can scrape together enough bodies to fill jerseys and field a team. But I swear, when we're finally good enough, then we'll get some really good players...

The debate about Yoshida vs Duvall -- at least, on defense -- was settled by Baseball Savant's new stat called Fielding Run Value. Of all position players with at least 400 fielding innings, Yoshida ranks #51 out of 54 leftfielders, while Duvall ranks #48 out of 50 centerfielders. They both suck. But at least they have bad company: Duran ranks #44 of 50, cementing the Sox with the worst centerfielders in baseball. Other lowlights include Casas (#47 of 49), Raffy (#46 0f 51), and of course, Kike (tied for #47 of 47). The only player even middle of the pack is Verdugo, #23 of 51. With Red Sox obits being written before September even begins, posters can lament all the predictable injuries to the rotation, and the predictable damage it did in draining the bullpen. But this club's defense can't be blamed on a season of bad hops -- it was assembled this way by the front office and management. https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/how-bad-is-red-sox-defense-even-worse-than-youd-expect/550483/ https://www.audacy.com/weei/sports/red-sox/alex-cora-details-what-has-gone-wrong-with-the-red-sox

What-Have-You-Done-For-Me-Lately: starring Duvall as the hero, Yoshida as the zero. But with a month to go, they're about even for season contributions. Sure, Duvall has the edge in WAR, but there's no guarantee he'd post positive if he played the entire season. On bb-ref, his career high is 3.3, all the way back in 2016 (bb-ref describes a player at 5+ as "All-Star Quality" and 2+ as a "Starter"). My issue with Duvall isn't so much the player, but Bloom acquiring him to be the centerfielder, where he isn't as good as at the corners, and as we've seen, takes a beating trying to cover ground. Give Duvall credit for all-out effort, but when a guy is on the IL, he's not contributing; though it's not his fault he's out of position. Yoshida has three Es in left, but usually makes the plays he can get to. He has less range than Duvall, who has also missed some plays that other more fleet natural centerfielders make in the majors. Yoshida has a 12% K rate to Duvall's 28%, but has been hurt by a power outage the past month. Still, a guy who was leading the league in batting average during the first half obviously has to be consistent at making contact. If grading, I probably wouldn't give either higher than a C+ because both have had to miss a lot of games for various issues. But I'd like to see if a healthy Duvall can stay hot for an entire year. I also think Yoshida will be a more productive player, at least on offense, next season after the adjustments from this initial campaign in a foreign land.

After the Bear Claw Game, most fans and media can see their ever-lasting summer fading fast, and are now calling the season a failure before mathematical elimination. If the Red Sox finish with a winning record or even in fourth place, it's an improvement over last year. But if they don't qualify for the postseason, most of us here view 2023 as a failure -- at least in the fact that Boston would fail to make the playoffs. As for your grades, I'm not sure how you calculated an overall GPA of B- If you assign whole numbers of 4 for As, 3 for Bs, 2 for Cs, and 1 for Ds (0 for Fs); the point total adds to 36... divided by 24 players (or subjects) = a GPA of 1.5. That's a solid D... overall for Chaim Bloom's additions to the roster. Subjectively, I agree with most of your individual grades, except I'd go a little higher on Masa and a little lower on Duvall. A guy with a .300 batting average most of the season -- even without a lot of power -- contributes to the offense, and while a lot of fans are really down on Yoshida for August, he actually had a higher OPS in July than Duvall (who has had two hot streaks, but never had an .800 OPS for an entire six-month season in his career). Those two, along with Turner, Jansen and Martin, have definitely compensated on the report card for the Ws -- subjects from last year that Withdrew or Went away...

"The owners failed to make changes at the top of the organization, staying with those responsible for assembling a big league roster worthy of World Series contention, and a front office fully committed to rewarding Red Sox fans who paid higher prices for tickets, parking, concessions, and cable bills with... uh: sincerity, integrity and honesty about delivering those goals-- um, hold on... wait a min-- "

Bloom's judgment? He's "surrounding Devers with talent!" I know, I know, he didn't say on the diamond... but Raffy has a really good interpreter, and masseuse, and videographer, and curfew attendant who tucks him in and sings "Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur..."

DDDHHH... now that makes sense.

It... it just... it has to make sense.

They have to protect Bear Claw, at least for all the future merchandising profits: t-shirts, bumper stickers, bobble-hand night, etc.

Shoulda never cut his hair. deGrom, either. Or Samson Kennedy; he beheaded to the wig factory...

That was a typo on my part. I meant Odin, the god of gods, the all-father and sire of the thunder god, the mighty Thor.

They could also get a King and Queen, but forget about a Royal Strait... because in reality, they won't get Jack.

Can't you just wait a few days? By then the t-shirts should be printed and distributed to the dozens of DFAed and DOAed relievers Bloom has recycled through the past four years, for our spectating displeasure. Presenting the new city disconnect jerseys: the Boston Bear Claws

How can you classify Bloom as a failure. How many times does Chaim and BO and Sam have to tell you that investing in quality right now DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. The Red Sox are not Overdogs. They're just not good enough YET to acquire any ballplayers good enough... to, uh, make them good enough to... acquire good -- FAAACCKKK!

Give yourself more credit than that. We ALL knew it was folly to count on ANY guys coming off operations, rehab or the brittle ravages of Father Time. Bloom chose to go into the season with a starting rotation featuring exactly two reliably healthy pitchers: Bello and Pivetta.

An UNrealistic View of 2023: Part Infinity "Swing and a ground ball, stabbed by Sale... he underhands to first and doesn't throw it away! After 86 pitches, the Red Sox have a starting pitcher complete seven innings -- can you believe it!" Back to reality... 2023 is destined to be remembered for The Bear Claw Game At least they brought up Rafaela in time to be eligible for the postseason...

It's too bad no one in the front office could read the schedule before then and realize how important it would be to add a MAJOR LEAGUE reliever to the bullpen.

You don't think the players on the field are just a little irked, as well, that their CBO abandoned ship in July? They're professionals, so maybe winning isn't life and death, but any business or company can go down the tubes if the owners let it go to hell and crush morale.

When criminals in this world appear, And break the laws that they should fear, And frighten all who see or hear, The cry goes up both far and near for Underdog, Underdog, Underdog, Underdog.

You mean a big fly -- but watch what you call our pitching staff...

But... we're the Underdogs! It just didn't make sense to Bloom or Kennedy to trade ANY prospects for a legitimate bullpen piece that only measly fans and Jansen and Devers asked for before the deadline. Don't worry, by tomorrow, some poster will complain how Alex Cora just can't seem to manage to squeeze blood out of stone.

One guy isn't a system. Bello improved recently: in '21 he dominated A ball -- 5-0, ERA 2.27, WHIP 1.01; in '22 he dominated AA -- 4-2, 1.69, 0.80, and then AAA -- 6-2, 2.76, 1.19. Tomorrow, the world...

Regarding prospects, and dealing some before they become big league regulars or busts -- no one wants to give up a Bagwell (Gammons, driving when he found out, pulled over to the side of the road and broke down in tears) -- but the purpose of a deep farm is to constantly replenish the parent club, via promotion or trade capital, and save the owners from themselves from overpaying for free agent busts. Nowadays, entire departments track and analyze every aspect of a players' development and project potential. However, there's still no stat that measures heart or determination that can predict Dustin Pedroia becomes a borderline Hall of Famer. In six years in the minors, Pedroia had 21 homers; then he hit 21 in one season in the bigs. Ceddanne Rafaela already has 20 this year. But will he even be a better major leaguer than Jarren Duran, who had a slightly better slash line in his five years in the minors? By some assessments, Blake Swihart's ceiling was Buster Posey...then he wrecked his ankle playing LF. Oakland's Billy Beane made Scott Hatteberg famous by moving him to first base -- where he averaged 1.4 WAR in four years. Nothing ventured, nothing gained... Boston's pitching staff isn't going to improve on its own (unless Braiser returns to teach everybody his new grip). Some fans are convinced Henry will resume paying for legitimate starting pitchers in their primes. No one is convinced Chaim Bloom will trade prospects. Something -- or someone -- has to give.

Anyone compelled to say we have to move on from Mookie really hasn't. But let's try: flashforward, some years from now (when posters are no longer feigning excitement about platoons of Duran/Refsnyder and Wong/McGuire) -- Teel at C, an OF of Anthony-Rafaela-Bleis, 1B Casas-3B Devers-SS Mayer, and which ever of the remaining 75 middle infield prospects emerges at 2B... all backing a rotation of Bello, a Japanese import, and three other primetimers that Henry actually invested in, because "he always spent big in the past." Such a collection of maturing young talent should be legitimately contending for wild cards every season. Meanwhile, Mookie will still be short, still feeding the homeless, always smiling, never showing up late, and still rocking the majors, playing multiple positions with a higher WAR than any player in baseball -- just like he has since his first full MLB season, nine years ago.

This makes total sense, unless the kajillionaire is an egotist used to getting his way -- right or wrong -- because he says so. And nothing personal, RBM, but if you read the forum threads the past three days, you must know that Mookie just said the Red Sox never offered him $300M...