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Post by James Dunne on Jul 10, 2017 21:59:23 GMT -5
I can't be the only one watching this "celebrity softball" game on ESPN. I can't stop laughing at the absurdity of what's going on. You are not. Andre Dawson just hit a softball about 330 feet and he has no knees.
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Post by Coreno on Jul 10, 2017 22:19:23 GMT -5
these softballs are juiced too
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Post by soxfan511 on Jul 10, 2017 22:33:33 GMT -5
Really pains me to say, but what judge did tonight was incredible. 513 ft, 507 ft, 504 ft...pop ups to opposite field that easily leave the ballpark. I don't think we've seen a power hitter like this since the Barry Bonds/Mark McGwire steroid era. His swing is effortless too, he is also very athletic for his size. He is having a 1956 Mickey Mantle type season. I think he compares favorably to Mantle in the power department. If he can continue to hit for a high average and get on base , we are looking at the next all time great baseball player. Time will tell. I do think he will be a 50 home run per year guy, his power is unlike I've seen in a long time.
Drives me crazy that he's a yankee.
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art
Veteran
Posts: 352
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Post by art on Jul 11, 2017 9:17:11 GMT -5
It's hard to imagine the ball isn't juiced. It looks like 1999. Number of ML players who hit 40+ HR for the season: 2016: 8 2015: 9 2014: 1 2013: 2 2012: 6 2011: 2 2010: 2 Number of ML players with 20+ HR at All-Star break in 2017: 25 Anyone notice a trend?
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Post by soxfan511 on Jul 11, 2017 10:51:32 GMT -5
Travis Shaw is on pace for 38 home runs......yuck
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Post by Smittyw on Jul 11, 2017 11:26:10 GMT -5
And of course our guys seem immune to whatever is behind this home run explosion...it's probably irrational, but it makes it all the more annoying to watch Hanley being so mediocre when guys like Smoak and Morrison who could have been had for next to nothing are having monster seasons out of absolutely nowhere.
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Post by soxfan511 on Jul 11, 2017 12:18:06 GMT -5
And of course our guys seem immune to whatever is behind this home run explosion...it's probably irrational, but it makes it all the more annoying to watch Hanley being so mediocre when guys like Smoak and Morrison who could have been had for next to nothing are having monster seasons out of absolutely nowhere. It seems to me the Red Sox ideas on linear hitting need a different approach. They want everyone to hit like Wade Boggs. A high batting average, low strike out rate.. and fewer HRs and RBIs seems to be their goal. Sluggers don't fit in with this style. Shaw practically admitted that the brewers hitting coaches brought out the best in his hitting style
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Post by James Dunne on Jul 11, 2017 13:11:32 GMT -5
Given that the Red Sox are fourth in the league in runs scored and have the second best record in the AL despite being last in home runs means that their approach, both to team building and the act of hitting baseballs, is a very good one. If home runs are expensive and the team is winning without them then that is a good thing. And if the home runs do come? Like if Betts or Ramirez go on a power surge, or if Devers comes up and goes all late-season phenom on the league? They are going to be a really, really tough team to beat.
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Post by station13 on Jul 11, 2017 13:46:57 GMT -5
Mookie has 14 road to 2 Fenway HR. He has been popping up at such an alarm rate, and it makes me wonder if he is trying to elevate the ball too much to hit them over the green monster that somehow mess up his swing.
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Post by sarasoxer on Jul 11, 2017 15:16:58 GMT -5
Wondered this too....trying to make up for team power vacuum.
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Post by rookie13 on Jul 11, 2017 19:08:55 GMT -5
I clearly missed something, as I just now found out that the league that wins the AS game doesn't get automatic home field advantage in the World Series. I'm assuming it's now based on which team had the better regular season record?
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Post by jerrygarciaparra on Jul 11, 2017 20:29:33 GMT -5
I decided to watch some of the game and Fox is pulling out all the stops. Ken talking to guys before they hit, A-Roid talking to guys out on the field, and now Joe Buck is talking to Bryce Harper while his actually playing right field. I don't know what to make of it, but I have had enough.
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Post by pedrofanforever45 on Jul 11, 2017 20:32:27 GMT -5
Don't run on Mookie Betts.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Jul 11, 2017 20:40:49 GMT -5
Wow, a TOOTBLAN in the All-Star Game? See something new every day.
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Post by James Dunne on Jul 11, 2017 21:34:09 GMT -5
Wow, a TOOTBLAN in the All-Star Game? See something new every day. A pretty egregious one, too.
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Post by station13 on Jul 11, 2017 23:03:36 GMT -5
How is homefield determined now?
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Post by pedrofanforever45 on Jul 12, 2017 0:09:25 GMT -5
How is homefield determined now? Best record gets homefield. I'm not sure what happens in the event both teams having the same record however.
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Post by Coreno on Jul 12, 2017 1:44:21 GMT -5
Just gonna venture a guess that WS homefield will be decided exactly the same way it was for 100 years until these past 14.
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Post by pedrofanforever45 on Jul 12, 2017 5:10:06 GMT -5
Just gonna venture a guess that WS homefield will be decided exactly the same way it was for 100 years until these past 14. They use to alternate home field every year regardless of record. Now they are basing it off in season records.
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Post by soxfan1615 on Jul 12, 2017 6:36:28 GMT -5
Given that the Red Sox are fourth in the league in runs scored and have the second best record in the AL despite being last in home runs means that their approach, both to team building and the act of hitting baseballs, is a very good one. If home runs are expensive and the team is winning without them then that is a good thing. And if the home runs do come? Like if Betts or Ramirez go on a power surge, or if Devers comes up and goes all late-season phenom on the league? They are going to be a really, really tough team to beat. Only because we have a hitter friendly ballpark. We have a team non-pitcher wRC+ of 98, which is below average. We are a below average hitting team. Our team is winning without them because our team ERA- is 83, the 3rd best in the MLB. That's a good thing, but that doesn't suddenly mean we have a good hitting team. We don't.
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Post by sox fan in nc on Jul 12, 2017 10:49:24 GMT -5
Was aggravated listening to Buck. REAL pro NL. Nice seed by Mookie. Was watching IT w/Millar, he said Smoltz shot a 64 the other day....Insane
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Post by Coreno on Jul 12, 2017 11:40:43 GMT -5
Just gonna venture a guess that WS homefield will be decided exactly the same way it was for 100 years until these past 14. They use to alternate home field every year regardless of record. Now they are basing it off in season records. Well then. I guess its been so long and that's such a dumb way of doing things that I had just blocked that out. Makes you wonder how All-Star game deciding homefield lasted only 14 years when that method lasted a century. Reg season record is the only of these methods that makes sense.
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Post by station13 on Jul 12, 2017 11:49:46 GMT -5
Better record is going to favor the NL (this year at least) with them chewing up terrible teams on a nightly basis.
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Post by DesignatedForAssignment on Jul 12, 2017 20:29:34 GMT -5
all-star game is back to the old approach .... no homefield advantage. Instead, the objective is to see how close they can come to "running out of pitchers".
Robbie Ray & Lance McCullers Jr. were only pitchers available to go their full 3 innings and they would have screwed it up if one of them developed an in-game injury.
Strasburg was going to pitch only the 12th and hand off to Ray Severino was going to pitch the 11th and 12th and hand off to McCullers
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