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2018 Red Sox postseason roster
ericmvan
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Post by ericmvan on Sept 6, 2018 14:01:03 GMT -5
There will almost certainly be an 11-man staff and a 5-man bench in the ALDS, as there are never three games in three days.
A 12-man staff for the ALCS and WS makes sense if they want to give Sale extra rest.
Ordinarily, you'd pencil in Sale for game 1 of the DS, and games 1 and 5 of both the CS and WS, or games 3 and 7 if you use him in game 5 of the DS (which you really want to avoid for that reason). Everything except a CS game 1 start would be on 4 days rest.
But there's an alternate scenario where, if you win the DS in 3 or 4, you can give Sale 7 days rest, then 6, then 5, then 4.
Note that in the following, Price and E-Rod can be swapped, as can Porcello and Eovaldi.
CS Sale (7)
Price (7) E-Rod (7) Porcello (7 or a lot more if they swept the DS) Eovaldi (lots) Sale (6) Price (6)
WS
E-Rod (6) Porcello (6) Sale (5) Price (5) E-Rod (4) Porcello (4) Sale (4) and Price (3)
What this does is take one start each from E-Rod and Price and give them to Porcello and Eovaldi, while giving Sale extra rest and making Rice available for Game 7 relief. And it also probably means you want Kelly in the pen rather than CV on the bench in the CS, but you could go back to the 5-man bench in the WS (where the extra guy will also come in handy in the road games). We have no idea yet whether that's a net gain or not. A lot depends on how well Porcello and Eovaldi pitch the rest of he way.
The compromise version just gives Sale extra rest in the WS:
Sale (4) Price (4) E-Rod (4) Porcello (4) Eovaldi (tons) Sale (6) Price (6) and E-Rod (4)
However, you'd have to have a 12-man staff here. You still have a 5-man bench in the road games, though 6 would be a nice luxury.
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Post by ponch73 on Sept 6, 2018 21:06:58 GMT -5
There are too many days off to carry 12 pitchers in any of the series. No particular order intended. Betts JDM JBJ Benny Devers Nunez Bogaerts Holt Kinsler Moreland Pearce Swihart Leon Vazquez Sale Price ERod Porcello Wight Evoldi Kimbel Barnes Brasier Kelly Pomeranz or Workman or Hembree depending on how the month works out I agree that 11 pitchers makes the most sense. Here's my preferred 25: POSITION PLAYERS Starters: RF - Betts LF - Benintendi DH - Martinez SS - Bogaerts 1B - Moreland 2B - Kinsler 3B - Devers C - Leon (maximum 2-3 PA per game) CF - Bradley Jr. Backups/Platoons/PH/PR: Vazquez, Swihart, Pearce, Holt, Phillips PITCHERS Starters: 1 - Sale 2- Price 3 - Rodriguez 4 - Porcello (with a short, f'n leash) Relievers: 5th inning / 6th inning: Wright, Hembree 7th inning / 8th inning: Eovaldi, Barnes, Brasier Closer: Kimbrel Situational: Kelly (with an even shorter, f'n leash)
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mobaz
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Post by mobaz on Sept 7, 2018 7:42:34 GMT -5
I was going to argue that C Vazquez made no sense and added nothing to the team given Leon's D and Swihart's O/arm, but somehow I hadn't realized how truly inept Leon has been at the plate. I remembered the mid-summer hot streak and assumed he'd reached a "playable" steady state. Sheesh, he has not. Since going 2 for 3 on July 15th, he's had 9 hits (1 since August 15th) over 27 starts and 31 total games.
From May 6 to July 15th he hit .282 with a .774 OPS, but either end has been a complete dumpster fire.
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Post by FenwayFanatic on Sept 7, 2018 9:20:10 GMT -5
I think its a bit redundant to have Holt, Kinsler and Núnez, two of them don't play second well and two of them don't play third well or at all. I'd rather have Phillips than Holt but I just don't see them going that route, everyone seems to love Holt. I mean I don't blame them he seems like a hilarious, great guy but I do think Phillips would be better for the team.
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Post by voiceofreason on Sept 7, 2018 10:20:43 GMT -5
As I have stated earlier, Phillips could make the decision very difficult. Tough to leave a player off the roster who has been their all season but if Phillips continues to hit the way he has someone could be watching.
Lin vs Phillips?
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Post by James Dunne on Sept 7, 2018 10:47:23 GMT -5
As I have stated earlier, Phillips could make the decision very difficult. Tough to leave a player off the roster who has been their all season but if Phillips continues to hit the way he has someone could be watching. Lin vs Phillips? They did it with Tim Wakefield two or three times over the years. Sometimes a guy is a better fit for the regular season roster than for the playoffs, and sometimes the timing is just bad.
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Post by FenwayFanatic on Sept 7, 2018 10:54:42 GMT -5
As I have stated earlier, Phillips could make the decision very difficult. Tough to leave a player off the roster who has been their all season but if Phillips continues to hit the way he has someone could be watching. Lin vs Phillips? They did it with Tim Wakefield two or three times over the years. Sometimes a guy is a better fit for the regular season roster than for the playoffs, and sometimes the timing is just bad. Holt seems to fit this... he is pretty useful during the regular season just because he can fill in at so many spots and so many people get hurt over the course of the season. But he is a barely above replacement level player and a jack of all trades master of none. Núñez would seem to make more sense so he could backup 3rd and Phillips could backup second. Swihart could be the emergency 5th outfielder, as well as 3rd first baseman, and that would make it more palatable to carry 3 catchers.
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Post by James Dunne on Sept 7, 2018 11:01:11 GMT -5
Yeah, in the playoffs there's a real thinking that you want the guys on the bench to have a specific skill. General versatility on its own doesn't have the same value because you're not rotating days off like you are in the regular season: Andrew Benintendi and Xander Bogaerts are going to play in every game, so "we can cycle him in left field and shortstop without him killing us to keep them fresh" aren't concerns when building the postseason roster. Holt is great in the regular season because if anyone is feeling nicked up or has flu-like symptoms or you just want to give a day to freshen up, you've got a guy who isn't going to hurt you without making a roster move.
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Post by voiceofreason on Sept 7, 2018 11:42:44 GMT -5
As I have stated earlier, Phillips could make the decision very difficult. Tough to leave a player off the roster who has been their all season but if Phillips continues to hit the way he has someone could be watching. Lin vs Phillips? They did it with Tim Wakefield two or three times over the years. Sometimes a guy is a better fit for the regular season roster than for the playoffs, and sometimes the timing is just bad. I remember them sitting Wake and I didn't like it. Maybe it is what is best for the team and that is all the matters but still a tough pill to swallow.
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Post by FenwayFanatic on Sept 7, 2018 12:44:00 GMT -5
They did it with Tim Wakefield two or three times over the years. Sometimes a guy is a better fit for the regular season roster than for the playoffs, and sometimes the timing is just bad. I remember them sitting Wake and I didn't like it. Maybe it is what is best for the team and that is all the matters but still a tough pill to swallow. It was the right move in 2007 for sure. He was not very good that year and they swept the Angels. Then they brought him back for the ALCS, where he was not very good, and then I think he got hurt and was left off the WS roster.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 7, 2018 13:04:41 GMT -5
I remember them sitting Wake and I didn't like it. Maybe it is what is best for the team and that is all the matters but still a tough pill to swallow. It was the right move in 2007 for sure. He was not very good that year and they swept the Angels. Then they brought him back for the ALCS, where he was not very good, and then I think he got hurt and was left off the WS roster. I could be mistaken but I don't believe he's talking about the 2007 post-season. Wakefield did have a back injury that prevented him from pitching in the World Series. In fact, I remember the original intent was to start him in Game 2 against the Rockies and in Game 6 as well (both starts at Fenway). I believe he's talking about 1999 when the Sox left him completely off the roster by their own choosing. I remember Wakefield being rather insulted by it and there were some hard feelings. He had been a starter, they turned him into a closer when Tom Gordon got injured and he was kind of in no-man's land by the end of the season when the Sox got Gordon back (he wasn't the same) and had acquired Rod Beck. I think when Wakefield was included surprisingly on some all-time Red Sox team to commemorate their 100th anniversary, it smoothed out some tough feelings and then when John Henry took over and Duquette left, he became a starter again eventually and the relationship improved dramatically.
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Post by voiceofreason on Sept 7, 2018 13:18:06 GMT -5
I was thinking back to the early days when he contributed a lot and was still left off the roster. Hey I understand the whole idea of putting what you think is your best roster out there but I also realize how difficult that is once in a while. Heck I am the one bringing up the possibility that Phillips plays his way on to the roster now, long shot but it could happen and someone could be left out.
At the end of the day without injuries it will come down to a bench of Nunez/Devers, Swihart, CV, Holt, Lin, Pearce and Phillips. That is a lot of good depth to choose from and some tough decisions. Lin would be my first cut and if Devers is right he will be in. Could come down to Holt for Phillips which would suck for Holt, could be a tough call come 10/1.
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Post by ponch73 on Sept 7, 2018 22:11:09 GMT -5
I think its a bit redundant to have Holt, Kinsler and Núnez, two of them don't play second well and two of them don't play third well or at all. I'd rather have Phillips than Holt but I just don't see them going that route, everyone seems to love Holt. I mean I don't blame them he seems like a hilarious, great guy but I do think Phillips would be better for the team. What value does Nunez bring to a postseason roster? 1. He doesn't hit well 2. He doesn't have plate discipline and doesn't walk 3. He doesn't take pitches to produce tough AB's 4. He doesn't field especially well 5. He can't back up 2B or SS or OF I'm with you -- I want Phillips on the postseason roster. But Holt isn't the guy I want to leave off. Aside from tonight's debacle, I'm also wondering what value Joe Kelly brings to a postseason roster. 1. He can't finish guys off (no out pitch) 2. He doesn't have effective secondary pitches 3. He doesn't have good control 4. He doesn't have good movement on his fastball 5. He doesn't have any deception
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 8, 2018 0:07:07 GMT -5
I'm not sure why Holt would be left off of the roster. He's the only guy who can back up SS if Bogaerts gets hurt during a game and he's probably the primary LH pinch-hitting option (depending upon if Devers is used as a backup or doesn't make the roster altogether). Other than Lin, nobody is capable of backing up SS and I really wouldn't think the Sox would choose Lin over Holt at this point.
And I've seen some rosters where Nunez or Hembree would be left off. I get why, but it's not happening. Cora thinks the Nunez he's seeing now is the Nunez the Sox had last August. I don't really agree, but I think Cora trusts Nunez over Devers, so not only is he making the roster, but he likely starts.
And for whatever reason Cora likes Hembree as his go-to 6th inning high leverage clean up the mess guy. I don't get it, but it's worked for the most part thus far.
So, at this point, I'm thinking the Sox go with just 11 pitchers for the ALDS.
The rotation is: Sale, Price, E-Rod, and Porcello.
The bullpen is: Kimbrel, Barnes (I really, really hope he's healthy!), Brasier, Hembree, Eovaldi, and Wright, with 1 spot left, which is a battle between Kelly and Workman, which I think/worry that will be a spot that goes to Kelly. At this point I no longer think Johnson is an option.
The lineup:
Betts, RF Benintendi, LF Martinez, DH Bogaerts, SS Moreland, 1b Kinser, 2b Nunez, 3b Leon, C Bradley, CF
The five man bench would be Vazquez, Swihart, Holt, Pearce, and a tossup between Devers and Phillips. I'm guessing it's Devers because of his LH power.
I'd prefer to see both Phillips (good RH PH off the bench when Pearce starts against a lefty) and Devers and have Vazquez, who I think adds nothing, not be on the roster. I'd also rather see Devers start, but I don't think that's going to happen, and I'd like to see Swihart catching and pinch-hitting for Leon if the Sox are behind in the later innings of the game.
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Post by pedrofanforever45 on Sept 9, 2018 14:30:41 GMT -5
Bobby Poyner is at least getting the conversation going for consideration, while Kelly goes one step forward and then two steps back. If Kelly keeps being inconsistent, then there could be Poyner's opening.
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Post by telson13 on Sept 9, 2018 16:04:11 GMT -5
I think its a bit redundant to have Holt, Kinsler and Núnez, two of them don't play second well and two of them don't play third well or at all. I'd rather have Phillips than Holt but I just don't see them going that route, everyone seems to love Holt. I mean I don't blame them he seems like a hilarious, great guy but I do think Phillips would be better for the team. What value does Nunez bring to a postseason roster? 1. He doesn't hit well 2. He doesn't have plate discipline and doesn't walk 3. He doesn't take pitches to produce tough AB's 4. He doesn't field especially well 5. He can't back up 2B or SS or OF I'm with you -- I want Phillips on the postseason roster. But Holt isn't the guy I want to leave off. Aside from tonight's debacle, I'm also wondering what value Joe Kelly brings to a postseason roster. 1. He can't finish guys off (no out pitch) 2. He doesn't have effective secondary pitches 3. He doesn't have good control 4. He doesn't have good movement on his fastball 5. He doesn't have any deception Ugh, I hate that I agree so much with this, but I do. Not so much Nunez (tho fwiw he is a passable 3b), who I think is redundant and has no single valuable skill, but Kelly. Earlier this year he really looked like he might be turning the corner. Even his peripherals were kind of encouraging. But he’s backslid badly and, well, I don’t have a lot of hope for him. He’ll go somewhere else in the off-season, and probably do more of the same, but damn...this team needs some stability in the 7th/8th. Just a whole lot of mediocre in there right now. Edit: I should clarify, I agree 100% about Nunez, but the “Ugh” is for Kelly. I had little hope for Nunez for being other than what he is, but freakin’ Joe Kelly...ugh. The sum is so much less than the parts, it is truly maddening.
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Post by jimed14 on Sept 9, 2018 16:22:11 GMT -5
In Kelly's appearance on Friday, he gave up two singles that bounced about 3 feet in front of the plate for very negative launch angles, then a real hit by Bregman and then a weak SF to right. The inning easily could have been over before anyone complained.
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Post by ponch73 on Sept 10, 2018 8:35:52 GMT -5
What value does Nunez bring to a postseason roster? 1. He doesn't hit well 2. He doesn't have plate discipline and doesn't walk 3. He doesn't take pitches to produce tough AB's 4. He doesn't field especially well 5. He can't back up 2B or SS or OF I'm with you -- I want Phillips on the postseason roster. But Holt isn't the guy I want to leave off. Aside from tonight's debacle, I'm also wondering what value Joe Kelly brings to a postseason roster. 1. He can't finish guys off (no out pitch) 2. He doesn't have effective secondary pitches 3. He doesn't have good control 4. He doesn't have good movement on his fastball 5. He doesn't have any deception Ugh, I hate that I agree so much with this, but I do. Not so much Nunez (tho fwiw he is a passable 3b), who I think is redundant and has no single valuable skill, but Kelly. Earlier this year he really looked like he might be turning the corner. Even his peripherals were kind of encouraging. But he’s backslid badly and, well, I don’t have a lot of hope for him. He’ll go somewhere else in the off-season, and probably do more of the same, but damn...this team needs some stability in the 7th/8th. Just a whole lot of mediocre in there right now. Edit: I should clarify, I agree 100% about Nunez, but the “Ugh” is for Kelly. I had little hope for Nunez for being other than what he is, but freakin’ Joe Kelly...ugh. The sum is so much less than the parts, it is truly maddening. Unfortunately, Phillips might not be a silver bullet. Granted, the sample size is still miniscule, but his defense at 3B didn't look up to the standard set by Nunez thus far, and the AB's didn't look much different. I desperately hope the Red Sox do not come anywhere close to re-signing Kelly in the offseason.
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Post by FenwayFanatic on Sept 10, 2018 11:16:41 GMT -5
Bobby Poyner is at least getting the conversation going for consideration, while Kelly goes one step forward and then two steps back. If Kelly keeps being inconsistent, then there could be Poyner's opening. I was wondering the same thing. Even if he is only a middle relief LOOGY, thats a role that should be filled over yet another righty that can only go one inning IMO. Especially since he doesn’t walk many guys and that is pretty damn useful for when we have 3-4 run leads, given the walk rates of Kelly, Kimbel and Barnes.
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Post by caseytins on Sept 10, 2018 11:55:33 GMT -5
Here we go:
C – Leon 1B – Moreland 2B – Kinsler SS – Bogaerts 3B – Nunez LF – Benintendi CF – Bradley RF – Betts DH - Martinez
Those are my starting position players at this point.
SP 1 – Sale SP 2 – Price SP 3 – Porcello SP 4 – E-Rod
Starters - we need to see how the rest of the regular season plays out. I could flip flop the order of the final three. Price has been great and should be the #2. It’s Price, though, so let’s let that play out.
CL – Kimbrell RP – Barnes RP – Brasier RP – Hembree RP – Eovaldi RP – Poyner RP – Wright
Bench – Swihart, Devers, Holt, Pearce, Phillips
Phillips, Vasquez, and Devers are competing for two of the final three bench spots currently. Workman, Wright and Hembree are doing the same for me in the bullpen
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Post by voiceofreason on Sept 10, 2018 12:26:57 GMT -5
Devers needs to show something over the next few weeks or he may find himself watching the playoffs. He is batting .197 with 2 hrs since July 1st, granted he has missed a lot of time but if he doesn't do more soon he isn't a lock.
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Post by carmenfanzone on Sept 10, 2018 12:32:25 GMT -5
Wow. I am doing something wrong. I wanted to suggest to caseytins that he might want to save a spot on his roster for J.D.
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Post by telson13 on Sept 10, 2018 14:31:40 GMT -5
In Kelly's appearance on Friday, he gave up two singles that bounced about 3 feet in front of the plate for very negative launch angles, then a real hit by Bregman and then a weak SF to right. The inning easily could have been over before anyone complained. Very true. But I think it’s folly to look at that one outing as a bad-luck anomaly in light of the past two months. He is what he is: an exceptionally gifted player with huge velocity, two solid secondaries, and a heretofore-inexplicable inability to miss bats. If he can somehow get on a roll like he was on back in April-May, by all means ride the hot hand. When he’s on he gets grounders and doesn’t give up HR. But I also think it’s highly unlikely (tho obviously not impossible) that he makes any sort of evolutionary leap that turns him into a *consistent* back end bullpen threat. I think odds are, he remains an enigma, and not one I’d be willing to shell out 3/$20M for, or whatever his market might be with that glorious(ly frustrating) arm.
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Post by caseytins on Sept 10, 2018 14:53:16 GMT -5
Wow. I am doing something wrong. I wanted to suggest to caseytins that he might want to save a spot on his roster for J.D. Yeah, I somehow overlooked that one.
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Post by dmaineah on Sept 10, 2018 15:00:25 GMT -5
Here we go: C – Leon 1B – Moreland 2B – Kinsler SS – Bogaerts 3B – Devers LF – Benintendi CF – Bradley RF – Betts DH - Martinez Those are my starting position players at this point. Leon’s defense can’t be undervalued. Devers and Nunez are basically even at this point for me, depending on the pitching matchup and how each look over the next few weeks. SP 1 – Sale SP 2 – Price SP 3 – Porcello SP 4 – E-Rod Again, we need to see how the rest of the regular season plays out. I could flip flop the order of the final three. Price has been great and should be the #2. It’s Price, though, so let’s let that play out. CL – Kimbrell RP – Barnes RP – Brasier RP – Hembree RP – Eovaldi RP – Poyner RP – Wright Bench – Swihart, Nunez, Holt, Pearce, Phillips I actually would rather have an extra arm than Vasquez at this point. Again, we still have plenty of games left, so I think a lot of this will sort itself out. I thought Phillips wasn't eligible for the post season roster because he wasn't added to the 40 man until after Sept 1st. Am I wrong?
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