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RH Bat
Jan 31, 2017 11:40:30 GMT -5
Post by brendan98 on Jan 31, 2017 11:40:30 GMT -5
I feel like the Red Sox still need to add another RHH who can do some damage vs LHP, I’m guessing Benintendi is going to hit lefties eventually (hopefully right out of the gate this year) but he still has to show he can do it at the big league level, and the last 3 or 4 spots in our lineup vs LHP could be really weak vs lefties. Rickie Weeks Jr. might be able to provide some offense vs LHP, he can play corner OF, and being a former 2B, I wonder if he might be able to play some 3B on a limited basis? Weeks had a 1.010 OPS vs LHP last year, and has always performed well vs lefties, his numbers vs RHP are not very good however, so he is likely just a platoon player at this point, which could be good for the Red Sox because they could probably sign him to a $1M to $2M deal, maybe even get him on a minor league deal. I remember that Weeks made a lot of errors at 2B early in career, but I also seem to remember that most defensive metrics had him closer to league average, if he could play some 3B I think he could be a shrewd signing for the Sox.
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RH Bat
Jan 31, 2017 11:58:54 GMT -5
Post by The Town Sports Cards on Jan 31, 2017 11:58:54 GMT -5
There's not really a roster spot for him now, so you have to be bringing him in on a minor league deal. Your bench is already full of RH bats with Vazquez, Holt, Young and Rutledge. Maybe Weeks is an upgrade over Rutledge vs LHP, but i'd rather have Rutledge at a cheaper price, and with more upside than a 34 year old Rickie Weeks
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Post by James Dunne on Jan 31, 2017 12:05:18 GMT -5
Is there a better right-handed bench bat in the league than Chris Young?
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RH Bat
Jan 31, 2017 12:10:10 GMT -5
Post by mattpicard on Jan 31, 2017 12:10:10 GMT -5
Weeks' defense is truly atrocious these days at any position. He's basically a PH/DH bat vs LHP, and nothing more. Definitely not someone you'd bench benny for. But yeah, ideally the RH 3B/IF bat would be a little stronger than what we currently have in Rutledge, who isn't even a plus defender. Is there a better right-handed bench bat in the league than Chris Young? I think his concern is that Young will be in there vs. every LHP (often at DH), and yet we'll still be a little light against them due to the 3B and LF/CF situations.
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RH Bat
Jan 31, 2017 13:07:42 GMT -5
Post by brendan98 on Jan 31, 2017 13:07:42 GMT -5
Is there a better right-handed bench bat in the league than Chris Young? I think his concern is that Young will be in there vs. every LHP (often at DH), and yet we'll still be a little light against them due to the 3B and LF/CF situations. Correct, Young should play against every LH pitcher, and he could DH and have Hanley play 1B, but that would leave JBJ and Sandoval in the lineup vs LHP, if Benintendi hits lefties like he did in the minors, and Leon murders lefties like he did last year than maybe it’s not such a big problem, but if Benintendi has some growing pains against lefties and Leon regresses back towards his career line, the bottom 4 in the batting order could be downright anemic vs LHP. There is also the possibility that Moreland hits lefties, which would allow Young to play for JBJ or Benintendi and leaving 3B as the only weak spot, or possibly that Sam Travis forces his way into the equation sooner rather than later in the season and provides production vs LHP (he has hammered lefties in the minors). Just think another guy that hits lefties could prove to be extremely valuable, Weeks might fit that bill, and if he could play some 3B even moreso. I also think that there is an extreme likelihood that the Sox could get Weeks on a minor league deal.
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Post by m1keyboots on Jan 31, 2017 13:30:45 GMT -5
Weeks is interesting but previous comments already explained how bad he has been defensively in the outfield let alone him playing 3rd.
I happen to think JBJs defense and ability to at times hold his own against lefties is enough to leave him in the lineup 3/4 of the time against LH. Benintendi looks to have the contact profile to be ok against lefties most of the time, however his defense in center hasn't really been tested in season and Young isn't what he once was obv ( Although I, as a fan was happy with how he handled LF in his first year). Really it just seems more advantageous to have a top 5 centerfielder in baseball playing defense for you everyday.
The real problem lands with Moreland and Sandoval and if they can stay in the lineup against lefties. People have brough up Valencia before, but who would you take off the roster?
IMO this situation is the kind of thing where is should be addressed if it ends up being a problem.
If JBJ bottoms out, and Benintendi struggles early we have a couple RH bats in AAA to play the corners or left in a pinch (Craig, Travis) and if action needs to be taken maybe somehow getting a Brett Lawrie/David Freese type. But the season is coming up quick. I'm fine with What we have. We aren't devoid of RH depth, considering we have 4 of the better right handed hitters in the league. ::praying for a Sandoval Surprise and us all jumping back on his bandwagon and pretending we didn't question his weight/work ethic/skill last couple years::
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RH Bat
Jan 31, 2017 13:45:05 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by twinstatesfinest on Jan 31, 2017 13:45:05 GMT -5
I think Benintendi may have a bit of a learning curve, but his bat has the chance to be a .320 hitter. He's not gonna be a problem in LF with plus defense in the corner and a plus bat... JBJ I'm still not sold on vrs. lefties but his defense is Gold Glove and in my opinion, you cant leave him out. Still need to see what he can do vs lefties.
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RH Bat
Jan 31, 2017 13:54:48 GMT -5
Post by James Dunne on Jan 31, 2017 13:54:48 GMT -5
Yeah, I'd like someone who could play second and third base and has some pop in his bat. The problem is, that player is commonly referred to as someone's starting second baseman. The team is only carrying four bench spots. One is the backup catcher, and the other is eaten up by the Moreland/Young platoon. In those two remaining spots, versatility is key. Holt is a really nice tenth man, and Rutledge is a slightly-above replacement player for very short money who gives the team the flexibility to run the Ramirez/Moreland/Young DH-1B set-up as planned. If they can find a cheap upgrade from Rutledge that would be neat, but I wouldn't take Weeks or Valencia there.
Now if you're being creative and decide to go with an 11-man staff you could bring Selsky or Brentz and an all-field/no-hit middle infielder instead of Rutledge and Abad. But if you're gonna carry a 12th arm then you need that flexibility of Rutledge or his equivalent.
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RH Bat
Feb 3, 2017 10:56:20 GMT -5
Post by sibbysisti on Feb 3, 2017 10:56:20 GMT -5
There's not really a roster spot for him now, so you have to be bringing him in on a minor league deal. Your bench is already full of RH bats with Vazquez, Holt, Young and Rutledge. Maybe Weeks is an upgrade over Rutledge vs LHP, but i'd rather have Rutledge at a cheaper price, and with more upside than a 34 year old Rickie Weeks Holt is LH. Then there's always Rusney. His contract would upset the bookkeeper, but he's having a good winter season for Caguas.
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KB24
Rookie
Posts: 147
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RH Bat
Feb 3, 2017 12:26:51 GMT -5
Post by KB24 on Feb 3, 2017 12:26:51 GMT -5
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RH Bat
Feb 3, 2017 13:02:16 GMT -5
Post by dmaineah on Feb 3, 2017 13:02:16 GMT -5
To start the season I predict Rutledge gets sent back to Colorado & Brentz makes the team as a RH Bat of the bench. Holt becomes a back up infielder emergency OF. I think Holt is a better LH hitter vs LHP then Sandoval
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RH Bat
Feb 3, 2017 13:10:28 GMT -5
Post by jimed14 on Feb 3, 2017 13:10:28 GMT -5
To start the season I predict Rutledge gets sent back to Colorado & Brentz makes the team as a RH Bat of the bench. Holt becomes a back up infielder emergency OF. I think Holt is a better LH hitter vs LHP then Sandoval Brentz hit .250/.278/.402 in AAA last year and he's not a good fielder or baserunner. He's not going to be on the major league bench unless horrible things have gone wrong.
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RH Bat
Feb 3, 2017 13:17:18 GMT -5
Post by James Dunne on Feb 3, 2017 13:17:18 GMT -5
They're not going to carry Brentz if the starters, Holt, and Young are healthy. They just aren't. I know he's your boy, and his power is real, but he doesn't fit this team at all.
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RH Bat
Feb 3, 2017 13:36:44 GMT -5
Post by jimed14 on Feb 3, 2017 13:36:44 GMT -5
They're not going to carry Brentz if the starters, Holt, and Young are healthy. They just aren't. I know he's your boy, and his power is real, but he doesn't fit this team at all. Where did the power go though? Hasn't been there in years.
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RH Bat
Feb 3, 2017 13:40:54 GMT -5
Post by fenwaythehardway on Feb 3, 2017 13:40:54 GMT -5
Brentz just turned 28. He's post-peak, and his peak was AAA depth at best.
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RH Bat
Feb 3, 2017 15:52:24 GMT -5
Post by ryan24 on Feb 3, 2017 15:52:24 GMT -5
this brings up an interesting discussion on whether the sox carry 11 or 12 pitchers?
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Post by jimed14 on Feb 3, 2017 16:03:56 GMT -5
this brings up an interesting discussion on whether the sox carry 11 or 12 pitchers? Well it won't be 11. But it could be 13 when they're in a tough stretch. Normally, it will be 12.
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RH Bat
Feb 3, 2017 16:05:57 GMT -5
Post by ryan24 on Feb 3, 2017 16:05:57 GMT -5
The 6 starters and kimbrel, thomberg ,kelly, barnes and ross I think are givens. Heath and abad maybe in limbo. Maybe trading one of these two gives the team a chance to pick up a rhh infielder type. wright gives them some flexibility to cover both starters and relief. Erod probably starts the year in AAA. Maybe abad is gone. Will they keep barnes, Kelly and heath. Maybe just 2 of the 3. Maybe the vechile to build some depth back in the farm system.
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RH Bat
Feb 3, 2017 16:15:13 GMT -5
Post by ryan24 on Feb 3, 2017 16:15:13 GMT -5
this brings up an interesting discussion on whether the sox carry 11 or 12 pitchers? Well it won't be 11. But it could be 13 when they're in a tough stretch. Normally, it will be 12. sales, price and porcello all pitched 200 innings last year. Wright gives them a swing man. Maybe it depends on how the bench is doing as to how many pitchers they keep.
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RH Bat
Feb 3, 2017 22:19:55 GMT -5
Post by fenwaythehardway on Feb 3, 2017 22:19:55 GMT -5
Well it won't be 11. But it could be 13 when they're in a tough stretch. Normally, it will be 12. sales, price and porcello all pitched 200 innings last year. Wright gives them a swing man. Maybe it depends on how the bench is doing as to how many pitchers they keep. It's still going to be 12 if not 13 pitchers. Doesn't matter if it SHOULD be, it's what Farrell is going to want.
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RH Bat
Feb 4, 2017 0:37:34 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by telson13 on Feb 4, 2017 0:37:34 GMT -5
I agree that he's probably worth a look. With the nagging injury, new league, new culture, etc., it seems like a few reasonably small adjustments might get his K rate down into the mid-20s. If that were the case, and he tallied some walks, the quality of contact is there.
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RH Bat
Feb 4, 2017 8:15:33 GMT -5
Post by ryan24 on Feb 4, 2017 8:15:33 GMT -5
sales, price and porcello all pitched 200 innings last year. Wright gives them a swing man. Maybe it depends on how the bench is doing as to how many pitchers they keep. It's still going to be 12 if not 13 pitchers. Doesn't matter if it SHOULD be, it's what Farrell is going to want. I do not know what should be. Farrell's management of innings will be key to the number of pitchers and the number of guys on the bench. Hopefully he gives the starting positional players some rest so that they can maintain a high level come sept/oct. The bench now has more flexibility with no papi at the dh.
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RH Bat
Feb 4, 2017 9:38:24 GMT -5
Post by benfromma on Feb 4, 2017 9:38:24 GMT -5
The topic of this discussion is RH bat not the amount of pitchers on the roster. It is another discussion for the board all pitching decisions are important and can make a difference and will especially in the playoffs. Right now our lineup against lefthanded pitching is weak Sandoval,Bradley and Benintendi how will they hit against LH. I know we add Young (Moreland) but he seems to be injury prone and we do not know how Benintendi will hit LH (it will good to ease the pressure if he struggles), I know Sandoval is skinny but still may have trouble against LH, and his defense is so good we can afford to carry JBJ in the lineup but adding the option of RH bat especially someone who can play 3B really enhances our lineup against all pitching. The player would be insurance for Sandoval who is skinny and motivated but does guarantee a productive player.
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Post by rjp313jr on Feb 4, 2017 9:51:28 GMT -5
I thought our lineup was too right handed? Now we feel like we need another right handed bat.... truthfully, I don't think this team needs anything right now. The best thing they can do is leave as much flexibility as possible (that includes money and prospects) to evaluate the team once games are actually being played. That way you have as much ammo and room as possible to fill in any perceived holes. No team is perfect and there are always areas that can be improved but you get to a certain point where we are nitpicking and it's more valuable to keep as much remaining flexibility as possible to see what comes of things.
For example, third base is a position where it would be nice to have more certainty, but it's certainly possible Pablo bounces back and plays well. If so, then you've wasted resources trying to marginally upgrade your back up option of Holt.
What if Travis is raking from the get go in AAA?
On the flip side, what if one of our starting outfielders suffers a major injury? Young can be an adequate fill in for a period but maybe they want to go get a Jay Bruce or someone for a more permanent role.
If there is one spot, I would want to see an addition it would be another reliable bullpen arm, but that's not worth while right now. Better to evaluate Smiths recovery and how Kelly handles full time duty.
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Post by jmei on Feb 4, 2017 10:17:42 GMT -5
I would like to see them bring in another player or two to compete with Rutledge for the last bench spot. Aaron Hill is still a free agent and might accept an NRI minor league contract with an early opt-out (a la David Murphy last year). Old friend Jerry Sands is in a similar situation and offers some upside along with some positional flexibility. I'm sure there are minor league free agents who fit the bill as well.
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