5GoldGlovesOF,75

I'm just hoping my mediocre, average, .500 grandchildren, will winsome, losesome, but not be loathsome

My opinion is Kelly thinks it's no excuse for not participating in PFPs.

Conserve! Preserve! DEFER!

Since Casas worships the sun, it would have to be a high priest of probably Aztec, Mayan or Incan origin. But that might mean the guy had to travel, since cannabis is illegal in Florida for recreational use.

Dewey said his biggest error is that he didn't play 58% of his career at DH.

On talkbaines.com, Evans' user name is 8GoldGlovesRF,76-85

The Bregman fam will celebrate mock parties every Bobby Bonilla Day through the '30s and '40s.

Not even Bregman can teach intestinal fortitude. This is a rite of passage for the younger guys... many passages.

Hall of Famer Harold Baines, the White Sox rightfielder with 38.8 career WAR? ... asked contemporary Dwight Evans, the Red Sox rightfielder with 67.2 career WAR.

It was likely Campbell's remade, "unorthodox" attack in the minor league batter's box would get exploited soon by big league pitchers. If anyone caught some ST games on TV, some of his early Ks showed him not just pulling his head, but almost swiveling his whole body off the ball. But the last few games it appears he's already made adjustments. His swing has calmed down and he's barreling more pitches. After the past half decade, we all want the Red Sox to be good again asap, but obviously need to be patient with the youth. The starting pitching could be very good this season, but the best team might still be a few years away...

This is basically what I wrote this morning on the second base thread. Once the season starts, Cora's not going to dis one of his leaders like Story, because that will have a worse effect than not throwing batters out from deep in the hole.

If Devers can continue to provide team-leading production for his age 28 through 32 years, he's worth keeping. Raffy's 162-game averages through 8 big league seasons: 33 HRs, 102 Runs, 105 RBIs, .856 OPS. Another 8 years with those numbers may be unlikely, but if he rakes for 5 or 6 more, the question remains: where else does Boston find a batter that consistent? Hype and roll out as many prospects as you want, but they still have to do it. If only Bloom was still here; he said he was ready to surround Devers with talent... (but maybe not quite like free agent hoarders LA, NY, NY and Philly). Bregman is a good start and may be in Boston longer than people think. Where else is he going to get $40 mil a year, and who is even going to give him a longterm for $30 mil when he's in his mid-30s?

I can't say I'm confident management will make the right decision this season -- and that's why I see '25 more likely as a bridge year instead of the Gold Dust Triplets leading the Sox to the World Series. If Bregman is the third baseman, and we've seen zero reason he won't be so far, expect another mix of mediocrity at the keystone sack. That may be temporary, if a guy like Mayer obliterates Triple A -- but answer this: If Mayer arrives in May, where does he play every day? 2B, with a better arm than Story; SS, with Story moving to 2B; 3B, with Bregman moving to 2B. ... only one choice doesn't involve an in-season change that shifts a veteran leader from his favorite position.

No stroganoff in my kitchen, nor skeletons in my closet. The crabcakes are in Baltimore. I think I ate them at four joints last time I was there to watch the Sox. When the O's start to suck again for not signing top talent (circa Boston in then first half of the 2020s), we should all take a roadtrip.

And does any spouse really take pics of her husband smoking a cigar by the fireplace and post them on getoutofmyface book? Does any significant even stay in the same room with a lit stogie?

Can't believe my wife snuck on here and stole the identity of drewski6

I never saw you streak, but Casas was caught sunbathing in foul territory at Fenway.

In the mid-80s we called Tony Senior "All-or-Nothing Armas." Especially in '84 when he led the league in Homers, RBIs and Strikeouts... what a whiffer: 156 Ks (that's less than O'Neill and Duran had last year).

Cora's Spring line-ups are his way of preparing for the inevitable regular season juggling. All managers covet the versatile utility rover swingman jackknife of all trades who can fill in wherever the Brock Holt they need him. AC may appreciate the type more, since he was once that guy; how many know Cora played more career MLB games at SS than 2B?

Wha -- another Fitts thread?

My biggest concern isn't that he insisted on playing when obviously debilitated last year, but that he had all offseason to heal -- and obviously didn't, at least to the point where he was game-ready at the same time as everyone else. The whole affair reeks of a major disconnect -- insisting he was healthy enough to play down the stretch, management using him (despite their advanced college degrees) on a team going nowhere, and then the offseason: if no corrective surgery, what was the compromise... where was the high tech Driveline reconditioning program to reshape his body and career?

It seems like Raffy has had aches and pains since 2021, when he was swinging with one arm down the stretch and still carrying the club. There's no reason to think Devers will be healthier as he ages, so maybe Sox fans should accept that he's not Big Papi, and just take what he gives us as a Big Guy. My biggest question marks are 2B and C, as in which second baseman is going to be best at blocking throws in the dirt from Wong -- and will a dominant closer emerge, because very few modern teams win 90+ games with a bullpen by committee. As a tangent to Moon's summary, good teams always seem to have a player or players every year who are surprise contributors that exceed the expectations of more hyped guys. It's one of the things that makes it fun to be a fan.

Not sure this should be on the realistic thread: Yesterday, two Boston radio personalities predicted the Red Sox' win totals for 2025... "Hitting is Boston's strength, but now pitching is even better than their hitting," said one guy. "So they should win at least 92 games." "I'm thinking even more," said his partner. "I've got them winning 100." FanDouche promises a 150 in bonus bets.

I'd start calling him January or February, but too many syllables -- and I'm both too lazy and aqualunged to bother.

Not disagreeing with anything you wrote. But see if you disagree with this: the Red Sox might lead the league in infielders who need to prove they can play a full big league season in Boston. That obviously includes Mayer (in any league) and Campbell, as well as Grissom, but also Story and Casas (we know Casas did it his rookie year, but that was before he ripped the core muscles power hitters need to swing hard and continue to be power hitters). Now, of all these potential regulars, is there any doubt the one with the best all-around defensive skills is Marcelo Mayer? I'm not saying he doesn't have batting issues to overcome, but looking at the list, who doesn't? If Raffy is healthy enough to play, I can see Story and Bregman as the DP combo to begin the season. But injuries and WooSox bats banging on Gate B will prob change that in a hurry. Solidifying the infield defense -- locking down improvement -- is so important this year, especially with the top end pitching the Sox invested in (guys they want to keep around awhile).