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2018 Red Sox postseason roster
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Post by Canseco on Aug 29, 2018 8:49:19 GMT -5
Let’s get good looks at Lakins, Scott, and Maddox in September. I’ve always liked Scott—assuming he is being properly utilized as an exclusive LOOGY.
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Post by James Dunne on Aug 29, 2018 8:55:46 GMT -5
Maddox's rehab was shut down without him being activated, so it doesn't sound like anything is happening there. I expect we won't see him this year.
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redsox04071318champs
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Aug 29, 2018 8:56:45 GMT -5
I don't trust Scott. I think he walks too many of his fellow lefties to be able to be trusted, but I could be wrong about that. All I know is that in a very small sample size this year I was pretty unimpressed. And in a larger sample size from the past I wasn't very overwhelmed.
I think September could be big for Wright if he stays healthy and possibly Lakins. This could be a big opportunity for him.
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Post by soxfansince67 on Aug 29, 2018 9:45:02 GMT -5
Maddox's rehab was shut down without him being activated, so it doesn't sound like anything is happening there. I expect we won't see him this year. We saw Maddox get absolutely raked pitching in Durham just before he was shut down. His single appearance back at Pawtucket was a similar disaster. He doesn't seem remotely right yet, so I don't expect him to be any sort of factor. Scott is interesting - blows them away at Pawtucket, but has issues finding the plate in the bigs.
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Post by jimed14 on Aug 29, 2018 14:08:10 GMT -5
Is it just bad luck or is there more than a coincidence that so many pitchers are having shoulder problems the last few years?
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Post by natesp4 on Aug 29, 2018 14:40:24 GMT -5
I don't trust Scott. I think he walks too many of his fellow lefties to be able to be trusted, but I could be wrong about that. All I know is that in a very small sample size this year I was pretty unimpressed. And in a larger sample size from the past I wasn't very overwhelmed. I think September could be big for Wright if he stays healthy and possibly Lakins. This could be a big opportunity for him. I see a lot of people share a similar sentiment as you about Scott and I just genuinely don't understand it. In his full year with the big league team last year he held lefties to a .121/.224/.303 line. Farrell used him all year as his mop up guy against righties and I think people forget that when used correctly he was completely dominant.
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redsox04071318champs
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Aug 29, 2018 14:48:42 GMT -5
I don't trust Scott. I think he walks too many of his fellow lefties to be able to be trusted, but I could be wrong about that. All I know is that in a very small sample size this year I was pretty unimpressed. And in a larger sample size from the past I wasn't very overwhelmed. I think September could be big for Wright if he stays healthy and possibly Lakins. This could be a big opportunity for him. I see a lot of people share a similar sentiment as you about Scott and I just genuinely don't understand it. In his full year with the big league team last year he held lefties to a .121/.224/.303 line. Farrell used him all year as his mop up guy against righties and I think people forget that when used correctly he was completely dominant. There's probably bias from this season's small sample. The Sox are kicking butt, rolling along, bring up Scott, put him in to do the one job he's supposed to be able to do and he's walking guys and getting hit. The other issue is that a lot of times a guy like Scott gets used when there are two lefty batters out of 3 hitters. Maybe he does get the lefties out, but the righty in the middle tattoos him. Unless he's used totally as a LOOGY, meaning that he only faces that one lefty or he faces two lefties that the opposing manager wouldn't pinch-hit for, he's pretty useless. If I recall Farrell used to use him in a 2 lefties out of 3 batters situation and the righties would tattoo him or Farrell would use him against a lefty who gets pinch-hit for and then he'd keep him on against the righty. Unless the Sox are going with 12 pitchers it's hard to see a guy like Scott being on the roster.
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Post by ericmvan on Aug 29, 2018 23:53:55 GMT -5
As the sole LHR, Pomeranz always had pole position in the race for the last two bullpen spots. As of tonight, he's opened up a lead.
If he can solidify that, you have to be happy about the odds of one of Thornburg, Kelly, or Workman finishing the season strong.
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manfred
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Post by manfred on Aug 30, 2018 10:02:55 GMT -5
I woke up feeling good about the postseason pitching. More like han anything, it is a question of health. If you have Sale, Price, Porcello, and ERod at around 100%, things are good. At least the first 3 can/should be 7 inning guys. Further, in must-have games, you might get Sale or Price for a relief inning. Hopefully that cuts the real need to a bridge (Barnes, shudder) and Kimbrel. Sure, Kimbrel’s looked bad of late, but the big game is what he gets paid for. Have to trust him.
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Post by rjp313jr on Aug 30, 2018 14:38:10 GMT -5
Is it just bad luck or is there more than a coincidence that so many pitchers are having shoulder problems the last few years? I think it may be in your head.
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Post by tizzle on Aug 30, 2018 16:55:05 GMT -5
As the sole LHR, Pomeranz always had pole position in the race for the last two bullpen spots. As of tonight, he's opened up a lead.
If he can solidify that, you have to be happy about the odds of one of Thornburg, Kelly, or Workman finishing the season strong. August ERAs, BB/K: Kelly 1.54, 4/12 Workman 2.19 6/9 Thornburg 3.38, 5/7 Pomeranz 3.94 12/7 I don't care that he's a lefty, at this moment Pomeranz wouldn't even be under consideration for a postseason spot if it was up to me.
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Post by awall on Sept 1, 2018 18:20:41 GMT -5
Per McAdam on BSJ, “The Red Sox seem to be sending something of a message to third baseman Rafael Devers by not recalling him from his rehab assignment on the day that rosters expand. Eduardo Nunez has hit .306 in his last 29 games and shown solid defense at third. “One thing’s for sure, Raffy has to play better,” said Cora. “We knew that. The whole season, offensively, he’s been up and down. Defensively, he’s made his errors. But he needs to be better, that’s the bottom line. We’re here to win games and whoever’s playing best is going to play.”
I don’t think Devers is a lock for the post season roster.
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Post by bosox on Sept 1, 2018 18:42:25 GMT -5
Per McAdam on BSJ, “The Red Sox seem to be sending something of a message to third baseman Rafael Devers by not recalling him from his rehab assignment on the day that rosters expand. Eduardo Nunez has hit .306 in his last 29 games and shown solid defense at third. “One thing’s for sure, Raffy has to play better,” said Cora. “We knew that. The whole season, offensively, he’s been up and down. Defensively, he’s made his errors. But he needs to be better, that’s the bottom line. We’re here to win games and whoever’s playing best is going to play.” I don’t think Devers is a lock for the post season roster. I think Devers will need to get hot the last part of September to make the postseason roster because his defense won't help him. His minor league rehab this week Wednesday through Friday - he's 2-9 with 5 strikeouts. Tonight so far 1-3 with a K and a 2-run bomb.
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manfred
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Post by manfred on Sept 1, 2018 20:35:07 GMT -5
But... but...
😢 Devers.
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redsox04071318champs
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 1, 2018 22:28:16 GMT -5
Per McAdam on BSJ, “The Red Sox seem to be sending something of a message to third baseman Rafael Devers by not recalling him from his rehab assignment on the day that rosters expand. Eduardo Nunez has hit .306 in his last 29 games and shown solid defense at third. “One thing’s for sure, Raffy has to play better,” said Cora. “We knew that. The whole season, offensively, he’s been up and down. Defensively, he’s made his errors. But he needs to be better, that’s the bottom line. We’re here to win games and whoever’s playing best is going to play.” I don’t think Devers is a lock for the post season roster. I think he makes the roster. The alternative is a 4 man bench consisting of Vazquez, Swihart, Holt, and Pearce and a 12 man pitching staff. And I really don't see what Vazquez brings the Sox over Devers. Devers at worst has useful power off the bench. Ultimately I think Devers will wind up platooning with Nunez, but we'll see.
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Post by umassgrad2005 on Sept 2, 2018 14:04:36 GMT -5
I'll take Devers and his bat over Vazquez all day long!
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Post by dawnbringr on Sept 2, 2018 14:43:23 GMT -5
Per McAdam on BSJ, “The Red Sox seem to be sending something of a message to third baseman Rafael Devers by not recalling him from his rehab assignment on the day that rosters expand. Eduardo Nunez has hit .306 in his last 29 games and shown solid defense at third. “One thing’s for sure, Raffy has to play better,” said Cora. “We knew that. The whole season, offensively, he’s been up and down. Defensively, he’s made his errors. But he needs to be better, that’s the bottom line. We’re here to win games and whoever’s playing best is going to play.” I don’t think Devers is a lock for the post season roster. I think he makes the roster. The alternative is a 4 man bench consisting of Vazquez, Swihart, Holt, and Pearce and a 12 man pitching staff. And I really don't see what Vazquez brings the Sox over Devers. Devers at worst has useful power off the bench. Ultimately I think Devers will wind up platooning with Nunez, but we'll see. I can't see leaving Devers off the roster and keeping Vazquez, especially since Swihart a) plays other positions, and b) is a switch hitter.
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Post by pedrofanforever45 on Sept 3, 2018 1:10:10 GMT -5
I think it will vary from ALDS, to ALCS, to World Series, depending on how far the Sox obviously make it.
Devers should be a obvious lock for the world series and ALDS rosters because of the pinch hitting opportunities. Pinch hitting for the catchers in the ALDS, pinch hitting for the pitchers or catchers in the world series.
Hembree could be a guy that displaces Devers on the roster in the ALCS due to needing a extra arm in that series.
My 11 arms- Sale Price Eduardo Porcello Eovaldi Barnes Wright Brasier Kelly Pomeranz (if he keeps throwing in the low 90's in September with the fastball) Kimbrel
You got the starting 9, and then you could have- Holt Swihart Devers Vazquez Pearce
Again, Devers could get replaced by Hembree at anytime in the ALCS or World Series in order to carry a extra arm. Nunez has been more a little more steady at third base this year defensively and he's getting hot at the right time.
Swihart is a great bench guy and the most intriguing one at that. The Sox talked about how they didn't need to trade for a pinch runner this waiver deadline because of the presence of Swihart. Swihart could come in and pinch run for Moreland, Pearce, or JDM late in games to run or Swihart could pinch hit at times when the Sox burned through 1 pinch hitter in Devers earlier in the game for a catcher earlier in the game. The catching position should be pinched hit for at least once if not twice a game in playoffs when playing behind with the lack of offense out of that position.
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Post by tizzle on Sept 3, 2018 16:58:26 GMT -5
I think it will vary from ALDS, to ALCS, to World Series, depending on how far the Sox obviously make it. Devers should be a obvious lock for the world series and ALDS rosters because of the pinch hitting opportunities. Pinch hitting for the catchers in the ALDS, pinch hitting for the pitchers or catchers in the world series. Hembree could be a guy that displaces Devers on the roster in the ALCS due to needing a extra arm in that series. My 11 arms- Sale Price Eduardo Porcello Eovaldi Barnes Wright Brasier Kelly Pomeranz (if he keeps throwing in the low 90's in September with the fastball) Kimbrel You got the starting 9, and then you could have- Holt Swihart Devers Vazquez Pearce Again, Devers could get replaced by Hembree at anytime in the ALCS or World Series in order to carry a extra arm. Nunez has been more a little more steady at third base this year defensively and he's getting hot at the right time. Swihart is a great bench guy and the most intriguing one at that. The Sox talked about how they didn't need to trade for a pinch runner this waiver deadline because of the presence of Swihart. Swihart could come in and pinch run for Moreland, Pearce, or JDM late in games to run or Swihart could pinch hit at times when the Sox burned through 1 pinch hitter in Devers earlier in the game for a catcher earlier in the game. The catching position should be pinched hit for at least once if not twice a game in playoffs when playing behind with the lack of offense out of that position. A lot of people ask what the advantage of having Vazquez on the roster is, and I think you nailed it. The value of Vazquez is what he frees Swiahrt up to do. For me, Leon starts in the playoffs, but if we're losing around the 5th, Swihart comes in, especially if it's an AB with runners on and Leon up. If it's a closer game, maybe I stick with Leon, but I can hit for him and go to Vazquez if necessary and still maybe have the option of bring Swiahrt in for him later if I need, and if Swihart hasn't been used for something else. Now, I'm not 100% saying we need to keep Vazquez, but that is the argument for doing so. Devers is interesting, because if he's not starting, I'm not sure he's worth a roster spot. Lin provides defense and speed, Devers at that pit is just a LH PH, where I have Holt and Swihart available. Of course, the possibility that Devers and Nunez platoons is there, too. The bullpen I don't think any of us can be near committing to until we get closer.
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ericmvan
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Post by ericmvan on Sept 3, 2018 19:58:36 GMT -5
Right now it looks like Pomeranz will be the lefty in the pen, which leaves four guys competing for three spots:
Kelly Swihart Vazquez Devers.
Thought #1: the odds are decent, alas, that one of the 11 pitchers ahead of Kelly will be hurt or surprisingly ineffective coming down the stretch. That solves your problem right there.
Thought #2: If you have Pomeranz, Wright, and either Eovaldi or Porcello in your 7-man bullpen, there's really no need to have 8 guys out there.
Thought #3: It's a bad idea to leave the second-best player at any position off the roster. If Nunez tweaks a hammy or reverts to his bad batting form, I want Devers at 3B rather than Holt (in large part to preserve the latter's preferred role), and probably so do you.
Thought #4: Going from a 4-man to 5-man bench yields a huge gain in flexibility. It allows you to hit twice for your catcher without reducing your bench to a dangerously thin level, and it allows you to choose the hitters. In a 4-man bench with two of them catchers, you have to use Pearce and Swihart as the hitters, in that order, and then just Holt is on the bench. It's not worth carrying both catchers, so if they go with an 8-man pen, Devers is on the roster (per thought #3) and I think CV has to be off, since Swihart can pinch-hit, pinch-run, and play a bunch of places. While CV has caught all but 2 of E-Rod's starts, E-Rod was terrific in the two games Leon handled him.
With a 5-man bench you can use Pearce or Devers the first time, Swihart or Pearce the second time, and in most cases you have either Pearce or Devers left on the bench as well as Holt (the exception is when you want a LH hitter the first time and a RH hitter the second). You also have an extra option for starting catcher in every game, per your matchup algorithms and how well each guy has worked with the starting pitcher.
I think it really comes down to Vazquez or Kelly; the reason to go with the latter is to increase the number of short relief options in case Barnes and Hembree are still being inconsistent and/or Wright and Eovaldi / Porcello look like solid long relief guys but less trustworthy with the game on the line.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Sept 3, 2018 20:19:58 GMT -5
Per McAdam on BSJ, “The Red Sox seem to be sending something of a message to third baseman Rafael Devers by not recalling him from his rehab assignment on the day that rosters expand. Eduardo Nunez has hit .306 in his last 29 games and shown solid defense at third. “One thing’s for sure, Raffy has to play better,” said Cora. “We knew that. The whole season, offensively, he’s been up and down. Defensively, he’s made his errors. But he needs to be better, that’s the bottom line. We’re here to win games and whoever’s playing best is going to play.” I don’t think Devers is a lock for the post season roster. I don't think the point is that Devers would fail to make the roster. I think the point is that Devers might not be a lock to start every playoff game. I think that's fair. But we've also seen that Devers responds well to a kick in the ass sometimes, and I think that's what this might be.
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manfred
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Post by manfred on Sept 3, 2018 21:18:39 GMT -5
I still have Vasquez as #3 at catcher. Leon has proven to be too valuable defensively, and Swihart is so much more versatile. That said, if he is the second of two catchers, that versatility matters less.
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Post by tizzle on Sept 3, 2018 21:47:43 GMT -5
I still have Vasquez as #3 at catcher. Leon has proven to be too valuable defensively, and Swihart is so much more versatile. That said, if he is the second of two catchers, that versatility matters less. If we're keeping 2 Cs, I really have trouble seeing the argument for Vazquez over Swihart. Swihart brings offense, running and versatility, Vazquez would just be Leon's back-up who repeats his strengths and weaknesses.
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Post by carmenfanzone on Sept 3, 2018 22:43:30 GMT -5
Just do not see them carrying more an 11 pitchers in a 5 game series like the first one will be, particularly if Sale, Price, ERod, and Porcello are all ready to go. They won't use more than 4 starters in a 5 game series. That will give them 7 relief pitchers. I can't see them wanting to use their 8th best relief pitcher in a playoff game.
So that means 14 position players and that means there is room for Devers, both extra catchers, Holt, and Pearce. Barring an injury, I would be surprised if that wasn't the case.
Pitching is tougher and probably depends somewhat on who the opponent is. Do they really want to start three lefties against all of that Yankee right-handed hitting if the Yankees are the opponent? I think they will keep at least one left-hander in the bullpen if Sale, Price and ERod are all starting - either Johnson or Pomeranz - depending on who looks best as we get nearer the playoffs. There would also seem to be on righthand slot available for one of Hembre, Workman, Velazquez, Thornberg, or Wright. If one of Price or ERod doesn't start, maybe the one who doesn't start could be the only lefty in the pen and it would open up another slot for another righty reliever. Of course, all of this assumes Sale is going to be ready to go.
Interesting to think about, but first they have to clinch the division. Looks like they should be able to do it, but I still remember 1978.
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ericmvan
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Post by ericmvan on Sept 3, 2018 22:50:26 GMT -5
Relevant info: Career pinch hitting. The overall career numbers are in ().
Brock Holt: 46 PA. .268 / .333 / .561 (.264 / .332 / .361). A good reason to have Swihart on the bench as an alternative jack-of-all-trades, because it looks like he's good at this. That he has a reverse platoon split is good, too.
Steve Pearce: 128 PA. .193 / .281 / .298 (.270 / .355 / .503 vs. LHP). Ouch, he really hasn't done this well. Moreland hits LHP better than that. But he's been better the last 3 years, .269 / .367 / .346 in 30 PA, if that's meaningful. Previously he was .170 / .255 / .261 in 98 PA.
Blake Swihart, 21 PA. .263 / .333 / .263 (.257 / .315 / .358). However, since he started hitting this year (.296 / .333 / .423 since July 6), he is 3/4, plus a 2B in his second PA as technically a PH, in That Inning. That's 4 of his 5 career pinch-hits.
Rafael Devers, 0/3, 3 SO. The pitchers: David Robertson, who was dealing (0/5, 3 SO), in the game he later homered off of Chapman; Roberto Osuna, when Devers was at the end of an 8-game slump; this year, Sam Gaviglio of the Jays, who held us to 3 1 0 0 0 1 in extra innings to earn the win; Devers was ice-cold at the time here as well. So I don't think this tells us anything (not that I expected it too; it might have been suggestive if he were hot and fanned against guys who were otherwise hit hard, which is why I looked).
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