5GoldGlovesOF,75

Our people do, but we're not so sure about the guys who run the Red Sox...

Nothing against Kike the man -- what's he supposed to do, admit he's not a full-time MLB shortstop and ask to be a bench-warmer again -- but the big swing and miss is Bloom acquiring not one but two high profile shortstops that were obviously damaged goods. Neither have played one inning at short for Boston, and even if you're an optimistic fan, the nature of their injuries make it very dubious when they return that they'll be any more effective at such a key position than Hernandez.

There are still sightings being reported, at least of the first two! But I think one was by a couple of fishermen with a cooler of Bud.

Bloom and his pitching acquisitions are becoming more exposed. Labels like hit-or-miss usually mean when they don't give up hits, it's because they miss the strike zone. If Tampa ever has an ineffective pitcher, he's not a guy anyone hears too much about, and then he's gone... it's almost as if their system is a big gang of Bigfoots: a lot of sightings, but never any physical evidence of bodies or even bones when they die -- like their burial grounds are in another dimension. When Bloom came to Beantown, he left that safe portal to anonymity forever. Some college students pulling all-nighters (partying, not studying) swear they can hear him howling at writers and demanding fans in the witching hour. Recently, one undergrad had a brick thrown at him by a guy wearing ERod's old uniform -- same name and number. The projectile missed by a mile... but some say it was just a warning.

According to a stathead search on bb-ref, the best MLB reliever of this century was Jonathan Papelbon with a 5.0 WAR in 2006. Rivera had the 5th, 6th, 10th and 14th best seasons (all between 3.9-4.3 WAR). The next best Red Sox reliever was Kimbrel 3.6 in '17, and then this grouping at 3.5: Koji in '13, Pap in '09, Foulke in '04, Lowe in '00. Boston missed the playoffs in '00 and '06.

Some days he can, some days he can't -- it's why the Red Sox are likely to continue to their win-some-lose-some inconsistency (... or is that consistency?). Cynics may view the Kike-at-shortstop experiment as a ploy by Boston to basically just field a team and sell pretension of contention to the fanbase, but what's also concerning is the lack of any authentic fulltime shortstop in the system's next level at Triple A. The Bloom Era has always overemphasized versatility -- Marwin Gonzo was the Opening Day leftfielder in 2021 -- but shortstop is such a key position in stabilizing team defense. Instead, the starting shortstop in Worcester is David Hamilton, who the Sox won't call up, with multi-position guys like Fitzgerald, Koss, Meidroth and McDonough behind him or in Portland. No one is saying Marcelo Mayer should be promoted to Fenway this year, but there may not be anyone else the system down to Luis Ravelo in Single A projected as an actual shortstop. Remember, the Reds' Matt McLain made the bigs before high schoolers drafted ahead of him like Mayer and Jordan Lawlar because he's 23 and played D1. In the meantime, sit back and avert your eyes...

Hey, give him a chance! At least Dombro's no brittle dino -- he looks at the younger generation of Rays Way execs around the compass, and is willing to copy them.

Queen of Spades (not England)?

... maybe by August, after four months of swinging as hard as humanly possible, Devers is starting to develop some nagging injury or another that slows his production. I'm only thinking of the past two years now that he's slightly older: the hamstring that hamstrung him in '22, and the inflamed right arm in '21 that caused him to wear a protective sleeve down the stretch (that must've helped a little, since he was still clutch).

If we're going to use card-playing metaphors, better stick with spades and just shoot the moon: win all the hearts and the big bad Queen-- -- damn, did it again; not that moon... or that queen.

Are they using him as an opener? Or just as a normal starter in the modern era of short start derangement syndrome? I did notice in his '23 splits on baseball-ref that Strahm's stats as a reliever in 7 appearances are a lot better...

Chaim Bloom to the crowd at Winter Weekend: "... rebuilding for half a decade -- that’s not acceptable to you guys; that can’t happen in Boston.” He did make a multi-year offer to Eflin, who let's not forget was a Phillies' bullpen piece last postseason, all the way through the World Series. What's intriguing is that Eflin -- now 7-1, 3.17 in 9 starts -- was targeted for Tampa's rotation... and maybe Bloom's; was his old front office gang still sharing info or intentions, or does Bloom still think like them? Were any other clubs in on Eflin as a starter? What's also interesting is that Dombrowski in Philly signed a cheaper option, and allowed the new guy to then make a reliever-to-starter transition of his own. Please don't tell me $7.5 mil AAV is too rich to pay for a guy with a 3.90 ERA and 1.048 WHIP in 7 starts.

You know there is separate mold when it comes to starting pitching and Bloom. And unfortunately, it usually the kind growing on musty old arms before he'll offer one-year contracts... with options. Here, I googled it: "When the humidity is above 60 percent relative humidity, molds will germinate causing what is referred to as a mold bloom. These molds can bloom in many colors and are often confused with dust, dirt, foxing, or cobwebs. Both active and inactive mold can have a distinctive smell, which most people describe as musty."

What notin is saying is that if Philly really wants to keep him when the clock runs out, they'll have to deal someone else to Boston. So Bloom would ultimately get the Rule V fee and another body.

A few of us have been saying this for two months. A few more have been saying (in effect) Raffy shouldn't change anything... Keep swinging as hard as you can at every single pitch no matter where it is in the late innings with runners on base. As long as the approach remains the same, what opposing professional pitcher, pitching coach or manager would ever condone a fastball down the middle to Devers in such conditions?

But they'll swap some pelts for a dance.

I agree with your disagree. The Red Sox love Refsynder as the perfect bench guy, who accepts and thrives in his role.

I'll bet not even fans of OPS really want Raffy to walk more, just K less. The only thing good about Devers getting a free pass is that he didn't swing and miss at too many pitches off the plate. But every time he walks means that the next eight hitters in the batting order have less chance to crank one out of the park -- and opposing clubs are just fine with that. To me, Raffy will really break out of his slump when his batting average rises about 30 points. And of course that will increase both his O plus S, but especially the slugging... because when line drives find the gap, the extra-base hits add up. And those are even better than walks (even with the bases loaded).

Who will play shortstop for Boston's MLB team first: a rehabbing fast guy with an artificial brace in his elbow who is very good at second base? a rehabbing ghost who was once even faster, but blew out his knee? the healthy fast-track prospect and the only one who's played all season and played really well? Place your bets! And remember, predictions most likely won't pertain at all to pre-trade deadline or even 2023 at all...

The problem with Devers' OPS -- and maybe the stat's importance when looking at a batter like Raffy -- is the O, which stands for On Base, which is affected by bases on balls. It's very hard for a hitter to walk, especially in late innings with runners on base, when he swings at every pitch -- even when the opposition refuses to throw strikes. Through the first two months, basically one-third of a season, Devers has 10 walks. That's a lot less than the two worst hitters (by batting average) in the starting line-up: Kike 17, Casas 25. It's even less than part-timer Rob Refsnyder, who has 15 in over a hundred less plate appearances. Raffy's On Base Percentage of .283 is ghastly, but it's not even as bad as known hackers like Javy Baez or Teoscar Hernandez, or so-far-overmatched youngsters Bobby Witt or Anthony He's-Not-Jeter-No-Matter-How-Much-MLB.com-Wants-Him-To-Be Volpe. But we all want Devers to hit -- not walk -- as long as he doesn't hurt himself swinging as hard as he can at dirtballs or fastballs over his head... because there's no one else in the Red Sox organization that can follow him in the order and do similar damage to a baseball right now.

... 4th from the bottom tonight, with no Raffy (resting up for the playoffs). They could pinch-hit him late, but you don't wake sleeping Giants. Or Dbacks. Red Sox maybe...

Your assessment of recent Boston aces is right on. What Henry has said and what he has done reflects ambivalence through his tenure, so we can only guess what's next. The Sox have drawn the line with investing long and large on starting pitchers, as much as it bothers fans that want to win everything every year... and have to instead suffer through Klubers. And yes, injuries are part of the game. But as far as big money batters go, it is very rare when a guy tears his swinging elbow or batting wrist, and has to miss an entire year or more healing from reconstructive surgery.

Some will say it's a pitcher people will pay to see live, the guy who draws the biggest crowds on the road, marketing phenoms having Cy Young seasons that can overlap multicultural interest with pop culture appeal: Vida Blue, Mark Fidrych, Fernando Valenzuela... Pedro. But if you ask pro ballplayers, they'll tell you an ace always gives you a chance to win, and finishes what he starts, year after year after year: Roy Halladay... every five days, the man who demands the ball and gives the entire bullpen the night off.

It's high, but not even a face card; icons are just Lucky Charms, without all the colors. And if Hamilton ever gets called up to the parent club, hopefully he doesn't hitch a ride on a big drone heading due east -- as the crow flies -- or he'll ditch in the Atlantic before he finds Beantown. But don't let him go directly north from there, or he might end up back in Portland, which is about a hundred miles above Boston. Here's the deal if you're driving from Connecticut: the state directly above you is Massachusetts. That would be North. If you take Interstate 84 and cross the border, you're really close to Worcester, which is about 45 minutes from Hartford... then you can take the Mass Pike (90) either west towards Springfield or east towards Boston. The latter is still another 45 minutes away. Technically, both Worcester and Boston are north of Hartford on a rising diagonal... but Boston is twice as far. A lot of WooSox just can't seem to get there, and should never ask for directions from a failed community college player like me.

Relax. I'm not saying it was you, but there were and still are some fans overly optimistic ever since Bloom started hoarding over-30 vets-with-pedigree last winter. You read and post here every day. Don't pretend 2013 didn't come up many, many times as an example -- as rare as it was/is/and forever will be -- of the infinitesimal possibilities of change. ... and if 2013 ever does repeat itself, what would be the end result?