5GoldGlovesOF,75

That's an interesting observation, and I'm surprised no reporter has mentioned it (wouldn't want to rock the juggernaut season we're having). Hope Cora at least spoke to a few leaders in the clubhouse, because even if he doesn't like all his guys, he knows he's gonna need them all to win (seriously: Romy at 1B will carry us through October?). If the org thinks Casas is full of it, and won't admit to them exactly how much pain he's still in, then why would they have confidence in him to still generate the same torque he once had to drive the ball? The sad part to me is if his teammates shun him just because he's a different personality. The Red Sox loved Bill "The Spaceman" Lee -- as long as he was pitching well... but when he started to age, they couldn't wait to launch him into the sun. Luckily for Lee, he was able to latch onto a gopher ball in orbit he once threw to Harmon Killebrew, and has been circling diamonds ever since. He still plays in old-timers leagues or on tournament teams at age 78 -- who's a better ambassador for a sport than that? Spaceman is more erudite with more old-timey stories than any of the ex-Red Sox players NESN keeps hiring year after year -- but they just can't trust him live... even with a 10-second audio delay. But they're idiots, because Lee would be can't-miss TV... fans would never use mute buttons again.

OPS is one tool to evaluate position players, but for catchers probably not as valuable as OPS Against. Not sure how catchers are credited with WAR on defense, but there's probably a way (without human counting) to find W-L records in specific games caught. Doubt there's a stat for number of times a catcher is requested by starting pitchers, but bet coaching staffs use the ear test...

Duran leads all outfielders in CBDC, but it's still now. (key: Charlie Brown Dropped Catches)

For a few months in 2020, Verdugo looked like was going to be a star... at least, at 24 years old, a core member of the Red Sox going forward. Never would have thought then that he'd be back in the minor at 28. Posters rag on Benintendi for not becoming a star, but at least he's still in the majors, hitting a laser off a Chapman triple-digit fastball. When he took Dobbins deep last week, our household rejoiced that "Beni homered off Hunter" (the names of our two male dogs).

So he won't be his best friend anymore if he replaces him? It's not like he's stealing his girlfriend -- or worse, his dog!

... league (confession: I insisted on Verdugo in the Mookie deal, but also demanded a young pitcher, since LA cornered the world on stockpiling arms)

It took that long for another team to finally agree to take Price -- if we paid them to.

Nothing -- Cora just liked using him better for yesterday's match-ups coming up in the 8th. Chapman is used to being a "set-up" man from the role on other teams the past few years. Seems like a guy who simply tries to blow away anyone at any time. So he's not like one of those Sheldon closers who can only pitch in the 9th with a lead or they might lose their minds (thinking of a few borderline Hall of Famers who recently pitched in Boston). Maybe Cora is transitioning Slaten, his youngest power reliever, into the closer role.

I said it about Anthony, and Casas, at one point, because this club desperately needs another consistent power hitter in its batting order to pair with Devers. Each of those guys show potential to develop into perennial 30-home run men, something Boston has been missing since Betts and Martinez overlapped (each averaged 31 HRs in four-year spans; Mookie from 2016-19; JD in '18/19, 21/22). Raffy averaged 30 HRs in six full seasons: '18/19, '21-24. Now, it may be even more important to keep Anthony around, with injury issues possibly depleting the power of Casas and Devers; posters making Casas their poster boy for failure should note a torn ribcage from swinging too hard may forever alter a batter's longball abilities (maybe this -- and not his fingernails and suntan rituals -- is why the Sox tried to trade him last winter). Btw: I was also against trading Teel (because a good catcher who can hit is as rare as Carlton Fisk) -- and look what that got us...

No one is arguing Mayer "needs to come up." There is no thread on the forum like the one titled "Roman Anthony SHOULD be on the big league roster." Marcelo Mayer outplayed both Anthony and Kristian Campbell for a month in Spring Training, and is clearly as good as any other Red Sox infielder with his glove and arm in the majors right now. "The mental side of the pressure" for Mayer was knowing he earned and thereby deserved a spot on Boston's roster, but had to go back to Worcester to bide his time (at least, that's what he said to the press). Mayer is MLB ready, and might already even be at Chase Meidroth's level if he played in another organization and wasn't blocked at his position by Boston's current leader in batting average and slugging percentage. Then again, we know that's not the only reason, because the Red Sox owe their current shortstop over $80 million dollars...

Gotta give him credit, especially for changing his approach to curveballs: meet them, don't swing as-hard-as-you-can under them. To me, the key guy might still be Bello, a young arm that should be able to go deep into games all summer, which will help preserve the bullpen for other days when more brittle oldsters get starts. Story gets hurt and we have arguably the best SS prospect MLB-ready to step in. Bello gets hurt and we have openers in August...

Kristian Campbell: At. Bat. Of. The. Year.

Nooooo -- have to compartmentalize every player, label them forever; no room for gray areas in the gray matter. Here's the Story (of a man not named Brady)...

Walker is just not a good name for a pitcher. It may even be worse than Meatball or Headhunter.

The Zebra ties it! Off a righty!!!

Don't worry, it's still early... (not even noon yet).

The Red Sox always made generous offers to Mookie, but they were always a year or two behind his market value at the time. That wasn't an accident or coincidence or the fault of Dombrowski (known for overpaying to land free agents) or Bloom (hired to dismantle the team that hates Mantle). Nope, the reason Betts is the Babe Ruth blunder of this century falls on a franchise front office haunted by owners and dozens of college grads graphing data -- all of them thinking they're smarter than everyone else... and all of them outsmarting themselves.

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!