5GoldGlovesOF,75

It's upsetting because anyone who has watched Twilight Zone knows it's inevitable what will happen next. Give robots control of the strike zone, and before long they'll control the scoreboards. In about a year they'll be eating our livers, with a vintage bottle of WD-40.

Then we'll have nothing to blab about... except nostalgia. Meanwhile, we've got about a month before the current pact runs out and they officially declare war. Regarding Baez: I'm just not keen on adding yet another swing-from-the-heels K-man to a lineup we'd all like to see make more contact. Baez led the MLB in strikeouts this year with 184. He whiffed every 2.7 at bats. For the '21 Sox regulars, Dalbec was the worst, fanning every 2.67 ABs. Next was Schwarbs 3.4, Arroyo 3.7, JD 3.8, Hunter 4.0, Devers 4.1, Kike 4.61, X 4.68, Vaz 5.4, and Boston's top contact man: Verdugo 5.6. Houston had five guys (or over half their batting order) as good or better than Beantown's best: Brantley 8.8, Gurriel 7.7, Altuve 6.6, Bregman 6.5, Tucker 5.6; Brantley, Gurriel and Bregman were also the toughest to punch out at their positions in the bigs. Other shortstops' K/AB: Tatis 3.12, Adames 3.18, Story 3.7, BCrawford 4.6, Bichette 4.67, (Bogie 4.68), Lindor 4.70, Correa 4.78, Seager 5.3, Turner 5.4, Simmons 6.6, Kiner=Falefa 7.0, Wander Franco 7.59 (probably not available at this time). The best by far was Kevin Newman from Pittsburgh: 12.6. Newman!

If he plays enough, yes. It's easier to outrun bad jumps or routes if you have elite speed, and more reps equals more confidence in taking the proper first step, reading the flight of the ball, and sprinting to location with back to the plate. Duran isn't hapless out there to begin with from what I've seen (and not just read second-hand). If you're fast, at least it's easier to chase down a ball in the gap than it is to hit 90 mph sliders or change-ups.

Some were saying they call it a swing if they see the end cap (or cup) of the bat pointing at first base; in other words, a horizontal bat just crossing over the plate isn't really swinging. Yep, insanity.

If Bogaerts' future profile indeed trends to a move off shortstop -- to 2nd or 3rd or LF -- I don't see an opt out resulting in any GM giving him a giant Tatis or Lindor-type contract. Tatis, who at age 22 already moved for a spell to right field, isn't maybe a good Xander comp anyway... leading the league in home runs at age 22. It could be X opts out just to get a decent raise and extension to stay where he really wants to, in Boston. The total dollars and years will certainly be affected by what happens in the upcoming agreements, between owners, unions, and ultimately, free agent shortstops.

Before they can review it they have to define it first. Umpires admit there are no rules stating exactly what constitutes a swing or check. MLB TV tried, but the first baseman and ump interviewed said 20 different guys will give you 20 different opinions. At least the rulebook delineates the strike zone... to give everybody parameters they can then disregard.

I'm for Robos as long as baseball bans check-the-check-swings. The Giants got eliminated from the playoffs on a bad call by a base ump who was 90 feet away from the action in question... on a concept that no rule books have ever even defined. No more of that, please.

Flips were so much easier for old guys to text, because they had raised letter buttons. Plus, you could pick it up by any part and not have to worry about accidentally touching a screen that instantly transports to unwanted sites impossible to get back from. Flip phones also never facetimed random contacts from your pocket, either. No voices from your pants...

I tend to agree with you, Red. The upcoming CBA conflict may postpone any big money signings... but if budget structures change dramatically somehow (salary "caps", tax penalty dynamics, etc), then I could also see the Sox front office maybe manipulating the new market. But it won't be soon.

He never cites sources unless he's typing quotes, but he's been a beat reporter, columnist, and now sports talkshow guest since the mid-70s. Some fans disrespect his tone and perceived agenda, but he knows and talks to plenty of people in the franchise and the industry. My conjecture -- based soley on my subjective reality -- is that his conjectures are often influenced by off-the-record contacts we'll never know about.

Bogaerts news: ESPN's Joon Lee reports, "According to sources close to Bogaerts, the shortstop currently plans on opting out... also open to moving to second or third base down the road." Lee also said X still wants to stay in Beantown (just at market rate). ... that notion, plus Downs re-establishing his potential and Yorke being named Sox Minor League Player of the Year, may preclude a Semien signing (to play second base). Justin Leger from NBCSports just tabbed Semien as Boston's "top free agent fit", then listed these pitchers in order: Ray, Stroman, Graveman, Hand, Iglesias, Gausman. Shaughnessey also said the Sox won't be willing to pay ERod and Schwarber enough to keep them. If true, that just about eliminates signing any top pitchers or position players this winter -- if there even is a free agent market pending a strike/lockout.

But once it did, it looked like it was made for TV. A big part of the early draw had to be the Dallas Cowboys (who I always viewed as the Yankees of the NFL) -- right around the time every household finally had a color set -- when fans could marvel at their uniforms, and the ones not worn by their cheerleaders... Now the Super Bowl is a national holiday (though the Monday after should be a day off for hungover America, like New Year's Day). The MLB will never take back the popularity it had before TV and football collaborated, but at least the Red Sox helped reignite some Nielsen respectability for a generation for their part in the 1975 World Series.

I played with a pitcher who dislocated the index finger on his pitching hand. He had to wear a metal splint and doctors told him to give it three weeks to heal. He couldn't wait that long... but man, did that splint make his pitches move. After he removed it, his stuff was never as good.

My post noted that people once cared more about winning pennants, in a time before they had televisions. TV changed how Americans viewed sports and concepts like "winners" and "champions".

The weird thing about the story is he cut his left thumb. That part makes sense, since he is right-handed and presumably holds a knife righty. But he didn't say if the injury somehow affected his balance or delivery when throwing righty...

Dalbec's platoon partner just may turn out to be Casas, who bats lefty. Is it a stretch to say Casas has a better chance to make the Opening Day roster than Duran? Both have to play, no matter where they land, but there may be more PT at first than in the outfield next year. I'm saying this because I don't think there's any chance JD will opt out, with the uncertainty of the CBA... and that means Schwarber is gone.

All I'm saying is the Barnes mystery is underrated when reflecting on '21 (which we're already doing) and certainly going forward. At the end, Cora was using the same phrases he said about Sale, "trying to get him right" -- but Barnes wasn't coming off major surgery. We all want better relievers for '22. The bullpen was the top reason the Wild Sox of '21 didn't go even further on their trail of beers and jeers.

I'm not trying to mislead. Although admittedly, when I look at data, I am often misled. Statistically, in the past three years, Matt Barnes has twice as many saves as blown saves. There are many AL relief pitchers during that span that have better ratios for those two categories that include the word "save" in their labels. Number guys can defend him all day with quantitative data. But is it that unlikely that qualitative data was also involved when it was determined by management and the front office that Barnes can't be trusted to close games down the stretch this year?

Schwarbs didn't mention his option but said, "this is definitely a clubhouse I could see myself wanting to stay in". If that interview was printed in a Mad Magazine feature, the thought word bubble might add: "... if Boston backs up an armored truck full of cash to my garage."

The numbers posted were straight from bb-ref's Stathead for saves and blown saves AL 2019-21. Barnes was certainly the Red Sox closer the past two seasons, and briefly in 2019, when he began as Cora's go-to in any high leverage relief inning before inconsistencies plagued him after only two months. I could care less about Rasiel, and just added his stats for perspective since his name has been coming up here. But I'd take his 76 saves vs. 13 blown over a guy who blows the lead in 50% of his outings (whenever he enters the game). I get the point about the terminology, but wasn't personally trying to mislead. The stat sites label them "saves" and "blown saves", but there are no "let-go's" to counter "holds".

I remember reading that, but then they activated him and Barnes pitched an inning in the ALDS. I just found it odd that never during the many shaky Red Sox playoff relief outings -- including their first two losses to Houston -- did any uniformed personnel publicly lament missing their All-Star closer. Maybe it was because of his performance in the second half? Btw: Barnes leads the AL in blown saves the past three years with 18. Ottavino is second with 16. Liam Hendriks is next with 14, followed by Taylor Rogers 12, then Chapman and four others with 11. For what it's worth: Hendriks leads the AL with 77 saves in that span, and Chapman is second with 70. Barnes is 10th with 37, one behind Hansel Robles (and his 8 blown saves). So, from 2019-2021, Barnes has 37 saves with 18 blown saves... For those pining for Rasiel Iglesias in '22: 34 saves with only 5 blown saves the last three years.

What exactly happened to Barnes? Did I miss the announcement where the Red Sox said why he wasn't used down the stretch and was left off the ALCS roster? Sore arm? Covid side-effects? Seriously, even if there were mental health issues, you'd think someone in the media would have inquired in an interview with Cora or Bloom this month... unless they all know and are keeping it quiet... The reason a team's All-Star closer was unavailable in the playoffs is news that at least the national media would report. Did any players or coaches ever talk about it? At least Devers now admits that he was injured. Maybe we won't find out about Barnes until someday soon when the PR dept. subtly issues a press release about an operation.

LA lost Kershaw, Bauer and May... and yet, the Dodgers are now getting hammered for burning out Scherzer so badly in the postseason that he couldn't save their postseason. The problem is that LA had a big-time bullpen, too. At least RS Nation is split on Cora using Nate to try closing on his "bullpen day" because he couldn't trust actual relievers; some fans have selective memories, because when AC used starters in late innings in '18 -- and it worked -- he was smaaaht.

Cool overall season stats. In perspective, they underscore what kind of shape teams' rotations and bullpens are entering October. Every club is affected by injuries, but it's hard not to think how far the Sox could've gone if they still had Barnes closing like a first-half All-Star. Of course, that is, as long as Tampa was still missing Glasnow, and Houston was without McCullers...

All at once, yes... but a couple this year, then swap one for a couple more next year, then the next, and before you know it: you win 100 games and finish first without any full-time starting pitchers... But that's just one method of bullpen-building. It can help you throw a shutout in the opener of the ALDS, but you also risk getting your doors blown in three straight when an opponent with a stacked line-up exploits a weak reliever or two who just aren't on in each day's endless parade to the mound.