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Post by jimed14 on Mar 22, 2015 13:11:45 GMT -5
Not sure if this has been covered in another topic but as of now who is expected to start in RF/CF, and who is going to AAA? Mookie in CF, Victorino in RF, Castillo in AAA. I think that's not the best 25-man roster. I think Castillo is going to surprise people with how good he is.
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Mar 22, 2015 13:13:44 GMT -5
As of now Vicctorino RF, Mookie CF and leadoff and Castillo to AAA. The thing is though, it's getting more and more interesting.
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Post by FenwayFanatic on Mar 22, 2015 13:20:54 GMT -5
Not sure if this has been covered in another topic but as of now who is expected to start in RF/CF, and who is going to AAA? Mookie in CF, Victorino in RF, Castillo in AAA. I think that's not the best 25-man roster. I think Castillo is going to surprise people with how good he is. Thats how i feel too. I saw Castillo play at the end of the year last year and he was like a human highlight reel. I think thats a bit dangerous with Victorino frequently needing days off. I really don't want to see Nava in RF on those days. I know craig is going to make the team but he has looked pretty bad ever since we got him and I dont think he couls play RF either.
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Post by kman22 on Mar 22, 2015 13:25:07 GMT -5
Mookie in CF, Victorino in RF, Castillo in AAA. I think that's not the best 25-man roster. I think Castillo is going to surprise people with how good he is. Thats how i feel too. I saw Castillo play at the end of the year last year and he was like a human highlight reel. I think thats a bit dangerous with Victorino frequently needing days off. I really don't want to see Nava in RF on those days. I know craig is going to make the team but he has looked pretty bad ever since we got him and I dont think he couls play RF either. It's only spring training, but I've thought Craig has looked better than he did last season.
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Post by FenwayFanatic on Mar 22, 2015 13:27:02 GMT -5
I know its only spring training but he is pretty redundant with Nava and I think we would be better served with an elite defensive guy like JBJ off the bench.
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Post by jimed14 on Mar 22, 2015 13:28:19 GMT -5
Thats how i feel too. I saw Castillo play at the end of the year last year and he was like a human highlight reel. I think thats a bit dangerous with Victorino frequently needing days off. I really don't want to see Nava in RF on those days. I know craig is going to make the team but he has looked pretty bad ever since we got him and I dont think he couls play RF either. It's only spring training, but I've thought Craig has looked better than he did last season. He does, but that's not saying much. He doesn't look like he used to look either.
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Post by jimed14 on Mar 22, 2015 13:29:47 GMT -5
I know its only spring training but he is pretty redundant with Nava and I think we would be better served with an elite defensive guy like JBJ off the bench. We have to get rid of two OF before JBJ makes the team. And I don't think we need elite OF defense on the bench when we already have a likely elite defensive OF.
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nomar
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Posts: 10,706
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Post by nomar on Mar 22, 2015 13:31:55 GMT -5
Craig isn't pulling the ball with authority. That's his biggest red flag and he hasn't convinced me that he's any better. That being said, I think he would have been traded by now if the team really thought he wouldn't improve.
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Mar 22, 2015 13:41:05 GMT -5
Lots of flyballs given up by Varvaro
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Post by FenwayFanatic on Mar 22, 2015 13:58:20 GMT -5
I know its only spring training but he is pretty redundant with Nava and I think we would be better served with an elite defensive guy like JBJ off the bench. We have to get rid of two OF before JBJ makes the team. And I don't think we need elite OF defense on the bench when we already have a likely elite defensive OF. Not on Victorinos days off. My main concern is Nava in right. We may be waiting for the right offer on Craig but it may never come. They may see him as a Napoli replacement and hopefully he gets it together.
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Mar 22, 2015 14:20:38 GMT -5
Bad pitching by Hembree but Cecchini and Brentz weren't much help.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Mar 22, 2015 14:32:49 GMT -5
Betts is certainly good, and getting better. Elite is a little strong, depending on how you define it. His routes are improving, his jumps are still a little unsure, but the speed helps make up for that. Victorino has been exceptional. The question is whether he can stay that way given his injuries. Bradley is in his own class. If you watch him, and not the ball, you realize why he makes so many plays look easy. The jumps are so good that he's already 15'-20' down the correct route, just about when other outfielders might be starting to make their move.
My choice would be to have Ramirez, Betts, and Castillo, with Nava and JBJ as backups. JBJ backs up all of the outfield as a left-handed bat, while Nava gives you a left-handed choice at 1B and in LF, hopefully with minimal use in Fenway's RF. I think Castillo needs to play in the majors, not the minors. They paid for him, and they should use him. He's done nothing but hit since he appeared on the scene, and his glove looks very good.
The problem with that is that JBJ really needs to get at bats and that doesn't happen nearly enough from a bench spot, and Nava has the most trade value. Hard to imagine trading either Craig or Victorino without the Sox eating a bit of salary and getting minimal return.
I have no idea how the team will approach this.
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Post by jclmontana on Mar 22, 2015 14:42:57 GMT -5
I was shocked to read that Victorino was giving up hitting from the left side because he cannot physically handle it. I think he is hanging by a thread.
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Mar 22, 2015 14:47:36 GMT -5
It's only spring but Marrero not overly impressive this year.
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Post by grandsalami on Mar 22, 2015 14:52:02 GMT -5
Kevin Slowey is a donkey.... dont throw at someone intentionally
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Post by jmei on Mar 22, 2015 15:25:10 GMT -5
We have to get rid of two OF before JBJ makes the team. And I don't think we need elite OF defense on the bench when we already have a likely elite defensive OF. Not on Victorinos days off. My main concern is Nava in right. We may be waiting for the right offer on Craig but it may never come. They may see him as a Napoli replacement and hopefully he gets it together. By both the defensive metrics and scouting reports, Nava was an excellent defender last year, and he got almost twice as many reps in right field than left field. I wouldn't hesitate to have him be the primary backup in right field, especially since he forms a natural platoon with Victorino. The other issue with the currently contemplated configuration is that there's not really a backup center fielder (other than Victorino, who is not ideal for obvious reasons). Between these two issues and the fact that Castillo is probably too talented to let toil away in Pawtucket, I think Victorino is gone one way or another by the end of May. But until everyone gets through Spring Training healthy, there's no real urgency to do anything-- there's really only one guy too many, and even a minor injury would resolve the logjam.
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Post by FenwayFanatic on Mar 22, 2015 15:28:14 GMT -5
Thank you for the response. Its been tough to follow everything since I don't get NESN here in DC so I mainly get my info from here, Twitter and WEEI (and they've been mostly talking Bruins lately).
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Post by charliezink16 on Mar 22, 2015 16:01:21 GMT -5
@jtomase: Steven Wright the knuckleballer wants to meet Steven Wright the deadpan Boston comic, the pitcher told reporters in Fort Myers.
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ericmvan
Veteran
Supposed to be working on something more important
Posts: 8,914
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Post by ericmvan on Mar 22, 2015 16:01:36 GMT -5
I think Victorino is gone one way or another by the end of May. But until everyone gets through Spring Training healthy, there's no real urgency to do anything-- there's really only one guy too many, and even a minor injury would resolve the logjam. I wouldn't hazard a guess now as to who is ultimately traded, Victorino or Craig. Keeping Victorino would likely make the team better this year. Craig has a decent chance of being a useful bench member in 2016, but it's not obvious that you need a RHB on the bench, and even if you want one, guys of his expected caliber are not hard to find. It would be a tough call now even if we knew their trade values. Which we don't. Their performance in April (and possibly into May; how good Castillo is in AAA will help set the clock speed on the roster move) is going to determine them, and injuries on other teams will contribute as well. The fact is that a bench of Hanigan, Holt, Nava and either Craig or Victorino, with JBJ in Pawtucket as the first OF callup, and Swihart, Shaw, Coyle, Marrero, and Cechhini all available as well (with only Marrero needing a 40-man move) -- that's about as good a bench as you can imagine (even more so if you regard Mookie as the backup for 2B in case of a major injury).
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Post by soxfanatic on Mar 22, 2015 16:27:25 GMT -5
I'm not sure Betts will ever play 2B again on a regular basis. Maybe if Pedroia is out for 3-4 months plus.
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Post by michael on Mar 22, 2015 17:01:02 GMT -5
I'm not sure Betts will ever play 2B again on a regular basis. Maybe if Pedroia is out for 3-4 months plus. Maybe this year if Pedey were injured. Otherwise by 2016 there will be a cache of 2bmen from which to choose. Maybe even Moncada.
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Mar 22, 2015 22:19:25 GMT -5
The other player that is a wild card in terms of freeing up congestion is David Ortiz. He's 39.
Sprull has not been as impressive as I had hoped and Escobar had pretty much zero command but decent looking stuff.
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Post by jimed14 on Mar 23, 2015 8:05:33 GMT -5
The other player that is a wild card in terms of freeing up congestion is David Ortiz. He's 39. Blasphemy! I've been fooled into thinking he was done before. Never again.
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Post by mattpicard on Mar 23, 2015 8:29:55 GMT -5
Lineup today vs. STL:
CF Betts DH Victorino RF Castillo 3B Sandoval 1B Nava 2B Holt LF Brentz SS Bianchi C Quintero
RHP Porcello
Unsurprisingly, Mookie seems entrenched in center field. I believe this will be the first time Rusney has been slotted into a corner spot since signing with the Sox,
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Post by jimed14 on Mar 23, 2015 8:47:31 GMT -5
Lineup today vs. STL: CF Betts DH Victorino RF Castillo 3B Sandoval 1B Nava 2B Holt LF Brentz SS Bianchi C Quintero RHP Porcello Unsurprisingly, Mookie seems entrenched in center field. I believe this will be the first time Rusney has been slotted into a corner spot since signing with the Sox, Nice! They are being smart. I wonder how much Cherington and Farrell talk about these things.
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