Adam Morgan

Alex and Maddie talk about Connelly Early's incredible start to his big league career and dive into why Payton Tolle hasn't been able to replicate his first start again. They give live updates on the second game of the A's series while discussing just how listless the offense has been since Roman Anthony hit the IL with an oblique injury. Finally, they throw some names out for the General Manager search that will take place during the offseason. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-talk-sox-podcast/id1783204104 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qPrPXEngu0CxgTmlf0ynm Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-talk-sox-podcast-244591331/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/4tmd121v Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@talksox

Maddie and Alex talk through the Roman Anthony extension and which players, if any, should be in line to get the next one handed out by the front office. They review the roster moves the team has made over the last week and then try to figure out why the Red Sox still have the third-best odds in the AL East to make the playoffs. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-talk-sox-podcast/id1783204104 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qPrPXEngu0CxgTmlf0ynm Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-talk-sox-podcast-244591331/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/4tmd121v Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@talksox

Alex and Maddie discuss what went wrong during the second half opening series against the Cubs and why Carlos Narvaez has so many catching issues against the Phillies. Then they break down their preferred trade options for the starting rotation, bullpen, and first base. They review some notable rumors from the past week and share their thoughts on which players from the roster should be available as the deadline approaches. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-talk-sox-podcast/id1783204104 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qPrPXEngu0CxgTmlf0ynm Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-talk-sox-podcast-244591331/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/4tmd121v Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@talksox

Alex and Maddie talk about the resurgence of errors with the Red Sox and wonder if some players need to be shipped out to try and fix that problem. They provide a timeline for when to expect some key contributors to return to the big league squad and live react to Walker Buehler giving up five runs in the top of the first, before moving on to discuss the trade deadline. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-talk-sox-podcast/id1783204104 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qPrPXEngu0CxgTmlf0ynm Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-talk-sox-podcast-244591331/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/4tmd121v Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@talksox

With the injury to Triston Casas, Maddie, Alex, and Adam discuss the ensuing feud between Rafael Devers and Craig Breslow. They discuss first base options both inside the organization and outside, and wrap up by discussing the pitching staff and what exactly to do with Tanner Houck. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-talk-sox-podcast/id1783204104 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qPrPXEngu0CxgTmlf0ynm Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-talk-sox-podcast-244591331/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/4tmd121v Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@talksox

Red Sox announcers and the team’s social media pages have been quick to point out that Boston leads all of baseball in three-run home runs with 11. In second place is a four-way tie with six three-run home runs between the Dodgers, Giants, Cardinals, and Cubs. It is a fun statistic, but does it actually matter? To determine this, I decided to look at what teams lead the league in three-run home runs and what were their ultimate fates. For example: In 2024, the Yankees lead the league in three-run home runs. We know that the Yankees made it to the World Series, where they ultimately lost to the Dodgers. The Dodgers were tied for fifth most three-run dingers last year. Since 2000, only three teams have led the league in three-run home runs and won the World Series: the 2019 Nationals, the 2009 Yankees, and the 2004 Red Sox. 2004 was not the only time Boston has led the league in 3-run home runs. They also paced the pack in 2021, when they lost in the ALCS. Losing in the playoffs has been the most likely outcome for teams leading the league in three-run home runs. Of the 31 teams that have led or been tied for the lead since 2000, 21 have made the playoffs. That is roughly 68% of teams. More interesting are the teams that didn’t make the playoffs while leading the league in three-run homers. Most of those squads were pretty good, but there are some outliers. In 2022, the Phillies tied for the league lead in three-run home runs. The Phillies famously lost in the World Series that year. Who did they tie with for the lead? The Colorado Rockies, who finished in last place in the NL West. Similarly, the 2003 leader was the Texas Rangers, who finished in last place in the AL West that season. So, what does all this mean? Well, in terms of replicability, not much. You can't really build your team around the skill of hitting three-run homers. You can, however, build your team around a set of skills that would aid in giving them plenty of chances to hit three-run home runs. Such a team would need to be particularly good at getting on base, as well as hitting with runners in scoring position and hitting, well, home runs. Turns out, the Red Sox are pretty darn good at all of those things. Through April 30, they rank sixth in MLB in team-wide on-base percentage (.334), ninth in batting average with RISP (.253), and eighth in home runs (38). Those are important skills to building a winning team. I doubt the Red Sox will finish in last place this season, but I am not sure they will lead the league in three-run bombs either. Through 30 games, they were on pace to have 59 three-run jacks. The most any team has hit in a single season was 40 by the 2015 Yankees. It would be nice to supplant the Bronx Bombers atop that list, but every indication is that there will be some regression to the mean. Then again, Boston’s offense appears to be clicking right now, so maybe they can stockpile some three-run round-trippers before the dog days of summer really hit.

Alex, Adam, and Maddie break down the Garrett Crochet and Kristian Campbell extensions, discuss the five-game winning streak, get a chance to break some news on the pod, and try to pronounce a lot of player’s names with varying degrees of success. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-talk-sox-podcast/id1783204104 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qPrPXEngu0CxgTmlf0ynm Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-talk-sox-podcast-244591331/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/4tmd121v Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@talksox

If you are a longtime Out of the Park Baseball franchise player, you have seen many Red Sox-affiliated names grace the loading screen. While the game is loading, various baseball quotes flash in the loading bar. Some are funny. Some are fun facts. Some are testimonials. One of those testimonials is from principal owner John Henry, who said, “OOTP is an astonishing accomplishment.” Another is from post-season hero Curt Schilling, who said, “There is no comparison to any sports sim I’ve ever played.” So, when looking at the 2025 season, I figured, why not see what the highly touted game thinks of Boston’s team? OOTP allows you to choose different ways to view player ratings; to keep things consistent with baseball scouts, I am using the standard 20-80 scale in this article. Looking at the Red Sox roster, it should be no surprise that Garrett Crochet is the top-rated player. He grades out as a 70 overall with an 80 fastball, a 75 cutter, a 70 slider, a 55 sinker, and a 55 changeup. While the game does think he has mostly reached full potential, it does allow for the possibility that his changeup could reach a 60 grade. There is a tie for the Red Sox's second-best player between Rafael Devers and Jarren Duran. Both grade out as 65 overall. Duran has 55 contact, 50 power, and 45 eye, while Devers rates out as having 55 contact, 65 power, and 50 eye. Surprisingly, Devers rates as a 50 defender at third base, a position we won't be playing very much this season. Alex Bregman, who will actually be playing third, grades out as a 55 defender, which seems surprising considering he won a Gold Glove at the position and Devers was widely panned as plain bad. Bregman’s rating is 55 overall, with 50 contact, 55 power, and 55 eye. In between Duran/Devers and Bregman are a couple of surprising names: Triston Casas (60 overall, 65 potential), Wilyer Abreu (55 overall, 60 potential), and Aroldis Chapman (60 overall). While Casas and Abreu have been touted as young stars in the making for years, Chapman has had a rocky career on the field since leaving the Yankees. Chapman has not averaged less than five walks per nine innings since 2020 and has not recorded more than 14 saves in a season since 2021. Still, OOTP gives him 80-grade stuff with a paltry 35 control. Chapman is the Red Sox's highest-rated reliever. There is a tie for second-best reliever between Garrett Whitlock and Liam Hendriks, who are both 50 overall. Compared to Chapman, Whitlock has 50 grade stuff and 65 control, while Hendriks has a more balanced 50 stuff and 50 control. If you let OOTP’s AI manager choose the roster, it puts Whitlock in the 8th inning and Hendriks in the 7th, which might seem like a longshot considering the way Hendriks has pitched in spring training. That’s not the only surprising decision the computer makes, though. It chooses Quinn Priester and Josh Winckowski as the Red Sox's fourth and fifth starters, respectively. We know this will not happen in real life, with Winckowski officially being reassigned to minor league camp. More surprising still is the starting lineup, which has Romy Gonzalez as the starting shortstop over Trevor Story. Trevor Story has a 45 overall rating with 55 defense at shortstop, while Gonzalez has a 50 overall rating with 50 defense at shortstop. Maybe if injuries beset the Red Sox, we‘ll see Romy at shortstop, but there is no way this happens on Opening Day. Almost as strange is how OOTP’s AI sees third base developing. It has Devers playing third against right-handers with Bregman not in the starting lineup and Roman Anthony at DH. Against lefties, it plays Bregman at third with Devers at DH. If you were wondering, it has Kristian Campbell as the starting second baseman in both scenarios. The AI manager has Romy Gonzalez and Trevor Story listed as the backups for second base, which means David Hamilton, Vaughn Grissom, and Marcelo Mayer all start in the minors. While we know Grissom will be in Worcester, it is hard to believe that neither Mayer nor Hamilton will be on the Opening Day roster. OOTP lists all three as currently 45 overall, with Grissom having a 55 potential and Mayer having a 60 potential. The game sees Hamilton as a true 45. Despite not believing that Aroldis Chapman is the Red Sox's best reliever nor that Romy Gonzalez is better than Trevor Story (when healthy), the rest of the player ratings check out pretty well. If everything goes right, you would expect Garrett Crochet to be the ace of the staff with Walker Buehler and Tanner Houck battling it out for number two starter, and you hope Devers and Duran will be driving the offense with Casas being a major contributor, provided he stays healthy. The AI manager could work, but we must hope Alex Cora can outthink the computer.