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Post by soxfaninnj on Mar 20, 2019 19:25:42 GMT -5
Is Gary Sanchez catching for Baltimore??
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 20, 2019 21:05:09 GMT -5
The O's are gonna get stomped this year. Sad.....great baseball franchise. Probably but didn't they lead the Sox until unpardonable foibles late in the game? And didn't they out - hit the Sox? And hasn't the opponent done so in most of our spring games? Yep we're trying out minor leaguers, slow moving the starters after last year's miracle and hoping for any relief pitcher to step forward to augment last year's found gold, Brasier. But, so far, not so good. Maybe Brewer, maybe Thornburg, maybe tried, but not true, Walden.... Then there is prone-to-hard-hit Hembree...Poyner...lefties only. Folks, slim pickins indeed..In our moment of discontent, we are bestowing alms to a very unrefined, lacking in command lefty, Hernandez, to annoint a very pedestrian bullpen. Feltman is a max effort but not a 95+ guy. So, except for Barnes, the pen is near empty on gas...in an era that treasures a surfeit of high octane. And the team so far seems mired in the afterglow malaise from the championship. All of this worries me. My pessimistic side says bask in the incredible, historic season we had last year and be damn grateful. To me, it doesn't look to repeat, at this juncture, anytime soon.
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Post by grandsalami on Mar 20, 2019 21:24:21 GMT -5
I mean closers are fickle.
Didn’t the Sox go through like 4 closers in a season before Koji took the job?
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nomar
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Posts: 10,828
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Post by nomar on Mar 20, 2019 21:31:47 GMT -5
I mean closers are fickle. Didn’t the Sox go through like 4 closers in a season before Koji took the job? What does this have to do with 2019?
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Post by grandsalami on Mar 20, 2019 21:34:35 GMT -5
I mean closers are fickle. Didn’t the Sox go through like 4 closers in a season before Koji took the job? What does this have to do with 2019? Just because we don’t have a shutdown closer now doesn’t mean we won’t have one sometime during the season. Someone in the BP could be 2019 koji. Where was Koji on the depth chart going into the 2013 season?
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Post by ancientsoxfogey on Mar 20, 2019 21:45:52 GMT -5
The O's are gonna get stomped this year. Sad.....great baseball franchise. Probably but didn't they lead the Sox until unpardonable foibles late in the game? And didn't they out - hit the Sox? And hasn't the opponent done so in most of our spring games? Yep we're trying out minor leaguers, slow moving the starters after last year's miracle and hoping for any relief pitcher to step forward to augment last year's found gold, Brasier. But, so far, not so good. Maybe Brewer, maybe Thornburg, maybe tried, but not true, Walden.... Then there is prone-to-hard-hit Hembree...Poyner...lefties only. Folks, slim pickins indeed..In our moment of discontent, we are bestowing alms to a very unrefined, lacking in command lefty, Hernandez, to annoint a very pedestrian bullpen. Feltman is a max effort but not a 95+ guy. So, except for Barnes, the pen is near empty on gas...in an era that treasures a surfeit of high octane. And the team so far seems mired in the afterglow malaise from the championship. All of this worries me. My pessimistic side says bask in the incredible, historic season we had last year and be damn grateful. To me, it doesn't look to repeat, at this juncture, anytime soon. I think this is a wise philosophy. Odds are against us repeating last season under ANY circumstances, and we have some holes, so it's very likely we don't win 100+ again. Heck, the chances are we're half a dozen games behind last year's pace after the first 20. After the championships, what I wanted, having never seen a 100-win season in 62 years of following the team, was just one true dominant season from beginning to end. I got it. I'm a happy camper and don't really need any more out of my favorite rooting franchise all these decades.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Mar 20, 2019 22:03:22 GMT -5
What does this have to do with 2019? Just because we don’t have a shutdown closer now doesn’t mean we won’t have one sometime during the season. Someone in the BP could be 2019 koji. Where was Koji on the depth chart going into the 2013 season? We don't have a Koji on this roster. When the Sox got him I remember being pretty damn happy about it. I saw his K/BB ratio. He was a hidden gem practically nobody knew about. We don't have anybody in the bullpen with anywhere near that kind of K/BB ratio. The bullpen is very scary. I mean, honestly, how many guys in that pen do you trust? I trust Barnes, but he's in my opinion our top guy. Compared to other top guys on the other teams in the league, he's not exactly Blake Treinen. Brasier looked good last year but I don't think he's anywhere near as good as his numbers indicate. He is serviceable and an asset to the pen, so I kind of trust him, but I'm not all the way in with him. The sample size is too small. Beyond that, does anybody come close to being somebody you feel comfortable with? For me the answer is no, not at all. Hembree can be serviceable at times. Thornburg is a huge key. He can really swing the pen either way. He can be Milwaukee Thornburg and if he is that could really strengthen the pen. Milwaukee Thornburg is good enough to be the closer allowing Barnes to be the high leverage reliever. The Boston version of Thornburg is highly questionable. I hear that his stuff is better but the results have been bad. If he's still ineffective, then the pen is really searching for answers. In the second half, the Sox could have some answers. I'm hopeful Feltman can work his way up and contribute. I think Lakins has a shot to be ok. Maybe Houck surprises or Hernandez by the end of the season gives the Sox their only high octane lefty relief arm. But relying on those guys seems kind of dubious. I think those kinds of scenarios work out better when you're not relying on them, and they can work their way in - rather than everybody staring at them like they have to be THE GUY - the way Craig Hansen was looked at (kudos to Alex Cora for mentioning that - he totally gets it.) I don't think he's a life saver by any stretch but maybe the Sox can pick up Alex Wilson now that Wilson isn't going to be on the Indians? His K rate is low but he doesn't walk guys and he's highly reliant on his infield defense. Honestly the infield defense is questionable on the Sox. I think it can be better than last year. I don't expect gold glove Pedroia. I do think Nunez has to be better than last year. He couldn't even move last year. Devers should be better with more experience. I think the Sox need to get at least one or two guys with a bit of a track record to help prevent the scenario where the Sox have to blow a bunch of games just to figure out how to solve their problem later in the season. Maybe get Wilson now and trade for a guy in July and then ease the kids in and see which ones really take to the Boston pen.
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Post by station13 on Mar 21, 2019 7:45:31 GMT -5
Devers is hitting 3rd isn't he? Cora has been on him since last year, as well as EdRod to do more.
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Post by jerrygarciaparra on Mar 21, 2019 11:09:54 GMT -5
Re. Sarasox and ancientfogey osts....it will be an interesting experiment this year. What level of tolerance will a normal.....vis a vis......90 plus win season ( me....you..fan base) put up with. I feel as though nothing really matters after last year, but I also know I love watching them win and hate watching them lose. It could get real interesting.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Mar 21, 2019 13:09:42 GMT -5
Re. Sarasox and ancientfogey osts....it will be an interesting experiment this year. What level of tolerance will a normal.....vis a vis......90 plus win season ( me....you..fan base) put up with. I feel as though nothing really matters after last year, but I also know I love watching them win and hate watching them lose. It could get real interesting. I hear you. You can't be mad because this team DID win a World Series during their time when they had all that talent together. The Dodgers are still trying to and one day they might look up and realize that their best days passed without winning. It's a sad story that happens often. We won't say "remember when the had the Killer Bs lead by Mookie, had Sale and Price and a Cy Young winner in Porcello, a guy throwing 100 in Eovaldi and a young up and coming E-Rod, one of the best closers of all-time - and didn't win it all? That aside, I really hope they can maximize this "window" for lack of a better term. I think the 2019 Red Sox have a reasonable chance of repeating. That's why I get annoyed that the bullpen is such a crapshoot when spending another $7 million or so might have provided a good hedge against a bullpen meltdown or having to play catch-up. If the Yankees aren't in the same division then you don't feel as much pressure to win 100 plus games. You never really want to play for a wild card even though at the end of the day it's only 1 extra win that's needed. The point is that one day soon we're going to lose more than a Kimbrel - oh the Sox will retain some talent but they definitely can't keep all this talent and the farm system isn't going to have talent the caliber of what they're losing. We knew that when they had Bogaerts, Devers, Benintendi, Bradley, Betts, they had impact players for a core. Not saying that what the Sox have now is nothing but Chavis is the only guy who projects pretty well as a regular and he is defensively challenged. So while I have a "at least we won it all last year" I still have a desire to see them maximize things - sort of the way the Blue Jays did in 92 and 93 before the well ran dry....but if they don't we'll always have 2018 - the greatest Red Sox team of all-time.
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Post by soxfansince67 on Mar 21, 2019 13:39:28 GMT -5
Here's a different spin on this, and I am sure it relates to our ages and personalities.
I am actually fine with the bullpen a mystery. For me, I enjoy ambiguity and surprises more than sure things. Having Kimbrel and/or a set bullpen leaves room mostly for disappointment due to injuries or dropoffs.
Winning last year, especially the way we did, for me leaves room for seeing them make some things up along the way....the Brasier of this particular year.
It will be baseball, it will be fun, there will be unanticipated surprises....but it will be the Red Sox, under Cora, with a young likeable talented core. I am ready for that...and for however it unfolds!
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 21, 2019 14:14:10 GMT -5
I am willing to have a 'rest' year, shedding financial albatrosses in Hanley and Panda, regrouping a year from now with our still young core...and patching where opportunity presents. We will have had another draft, some prospects surging and have one of the most attractive landing spots for FAs.
I am still digesting last year and have a lot of meat on the bone. In something of a seasonal reversal, I can 'hibernate' thru this year toward the greater future good.
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steveofbradenton
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Watching Spring Training, the FCL, and the Florida State League
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Post by steveofbradenton on Mar 21, 2019 14:35:32 GMT -5
I am willing to have a 'rest' year, shedding financial albatrosses in Hanley and Panda, regrouping a year from now with our still young core...and patching where opportunity presents. We will have had another draft, some prospects surging and have one of the most attractive landing spots for FAs. I am still digesting last year and have a lot of meat on the bone. In something of a seasonal reversal, I can 'hibernate' thru this year toward the greater future good. Ken.....you sleep too much!
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 21, 2019 14:57:56 GMT -5
I am willing to have a 'rest' year, shedding financial albatrosses in Hanley and Panda, regrouping a year from now with our still young core...and patching where opportunity presents. We will have had another draft, some prospects surging and have one of the most attractive landing spots for FAs. I am still digesting last year and have a lot of meat on the bone. In something of a seasonal reversal, I can 'hibernate' thru this year toward the greater future good. Ken.....you sleep too much! Since when is 12 hours a night too much!...and hey I'll still toss and turn with the Sox. But when awake I will try to smell the roses.
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Post by jerrygarciaparra on Mar 21, 2019 15:28:55 GMT -5
I hear you. You can't be mad because this team DID win a World Series during their time when they had all that talent together. The Dodgers are still trying to and one day they might look up and realize that their best days passed without winning. It's a sad story that happens often. We won't say "remember when the had the Killer Bs lead by Mookie, had Sale and Price and a Cy Young winner in Porcello, a guy throwing 100 in Eovaldi and a young up and coming E-Rod, one of the best closers of all-time - and didn't win it all?That aside, I really hope they can maximize this "window" for lack of a better term. I think the 2019 Red Sox have a reasonable chance of repeating. That's why I get annoyed that the bullpen is such a crapshoot when spending another $7 million or so might have provided a good hedge against a bullpen meltdown or having to play catch-up. If the Yankees aren't in the same division then you don't feel as much pressure to win 100 plus games. You never really want to play for a wild card even though at the end of the day it's only 1 extra win that's needed. The point is that one day soon we're going to lose more than a Kimbrel - oh the Sox will retain some talent but they definitely can't keep all this talent and the farm system isn't going to have talent the caliber of what they're losing. We knew that when they had Bogaerts, Devers, Benintendi, Bradley, Betts, they had impact players for a core. Not saying that what the Sox have now is nothing but Chavis is the only guy who projects pretty well as a regular and he is defensively challenged. So while I have a "at least we won it all last year" I still have a desire to see them maximize things - sort of the way the Blue Jays did in 92 and 93 before the well ran dry....but if they don't we'll always have 2018 - the greatest Red Sox team of all-time. And I think that kind of regret permeated my feelings for the teams I watched growing up, who really were fantastic, but seemed a bit snakebit. The thing with last year, for me and I am sure you feel the same way, was just the way it went down. So many regular season wins. Beating the Stros, Yanks for the pennant. Third most all time wins. It was just so amazing. I don't know that i have to the right to be upset this year. However.................
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Mar 21, 2019 15:58:19 GMT -5
I hear you. You can't be mad because this team DID win a World Series during their time when they had all that talent together. The Dodgers are still trying to and one day they might look up and realize that their best days passed without winning. It's a sad story that happens often. We won't say "remember when the had the Killer Bs lead by Mookie, had Sale and Price and a Cy Young winner in Porcello, a guy throwing 100 in Eovaldi and a young up and coming E-Rod, one of the best closers of all-time - and didn't win it all?That aside, I really hope they can maximize this "window" for lack of a better term. I think the 2019 Red Sox have a reasonable chance of repeating. That's why I get annoyed that the bullpen is such a crapshoot when spending another $7 million or so might have provided a good hedge against a bullpen meltdown or having to play catch-up. If the Yankees aren't in the same division then you don't feel as much pressure to win 100 plus games. You never really want to play for a wild card even though at the end of the day it's only 1 extra win that's needed. The point is that one day soon we're going to lose more than a Kimbrel - oh the Sox will retain some talent but they definitely can't keep all this talent and the farm system isn't going to have talent the caliber of what they're losing. We knew that when they had Bogaerts, Devers, Benintendi, Bradley, Betts, they had impact players for a core. Not saying that what the Sox have now is nothing but Chavis is the only guy who projects pretty well as a regular and he is defensively challenged. So while I have a "at least we won it all last year" I still have a desire to see them maximize things - sort of the way the Blue Jays did in 92 and 93 before the well ran dry....but if they don't we'll always have 2018 - the greatest Red Sox team of all-time. And I think that kind of regret permeated my feelings for the teams I watched growing up, who really were fantastic, but seemed a bit snakebit. The thing with last year, for me and I am sure you feel the same way, was just the way it went down. So many regular season wins. Beating the Stros, Yanks for the pennant. Third most all time wins. It was just so amazing. I don't know that i have to the right to be upset this year. However................. No reason to be upset - unless the they blow a playoff series to the Yankees or something like that. I think the Red Sox have had 4 prominent core groups that had opportunities and couldn't get it done. The Sox had an awesome core from 1946 - 1950 but got to Game 7 of the 1946 WS and lost the pennant by 1 game in 49 and 50. Too bad there was no wild card back then. The 1967 core looked promising and got to the 7th game but they were no match for that Orioles team that was a juggernaut, but only one once. The Red Sox looked like they would do in in that 1975 - 1979 era but they got to the 7th game in 75 and just missed the post-season in 77 and 78. They could have used the Wild Card, too. And the Sox from say 86 - 90. They weren't as good as that mid 40s and mid 70s core, but they got within a strike in 86 and had a couple of division titles but were no match for Oakland. Luckily in this century the regrets don't exist. That 2008 team wasn't far from being a repeat winner. Had Lowell and Beckett been healthy who knows? Francona thought that was the most talented team. I felt that 2011 was the end of that 2002 - 2011 core cycle that was very successful. The Sox had that crazy unexpected out of nowhere championship in 2013 and then the new core that's going from 2016 - 2020 (I guess?) - they have no regrets either but they have a shot at another championship, so we'll see how they rank in Sox history. Pretty successful, anyways.
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Post by umassgrad2005 on Mar 21, 2019 16:01:34 GMT -5
I am willing to have a 'rest' year, shedding financial albatrosses in Hanley and Panda, regrouping a year from now with our still young core...and patching where opportunity presents. We will have had another draft, some prospects surging and have one of the most attractive landing spots for FAs. I am still digesting last year and have a lot of meat on the bone. In something of a seasonal reversal, I can 'hibernate' thru this year toward the greater future good. Yea I don't want to hibernate through what could be the last year of Sale, Martinez, and Bogaerts. You haven't reset the tax and if you do next year you will be crazy limited on Money. You might not like what you find when you finally wake up. Which is the point so many of have been making. It's crazy weird to draw a line in the sand given where they are in the process and what they are spending.
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Post by michael on Mar 21, 2019 18:32:09 GMT -5
Ken.....you sleep too much! Since when is 12 hours a night too much!...and hey I'll still toss and turn with the Sox. But when awake I will try to smell the roses. I definitely relate to 12+ hours, not necessarily in a row but I prefer to wake to the smells of coffee and bacon.
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Post by soxfansince67 on Mar 21, 2019 19:56:18 GMT -5
So...Swihart is looking more certain, Leon being dangled as trade bait. I think that makes good sense - Leon had his magic year with the bat, but that seems to be gone for good. Walden is showing well in spring too...nice to see a resounding victory today with four spring games remaining.
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Post by telson13 on Mar 21, 2019 21:36:41 GMT -5
What does this have to do with 2019? Just because we don’t have a shutdown closer now doesn’t mean we won’t have one sometime during the season. Someone in the BP could be 2019 koji. Where was Koji on the depth chart going into the 2013 season? Lol, 4 if I recall correctly, after Hanrahan (elbow), Bailey (shoulder), Tazawa (failed brief CL experiment). I fully agree with you. For one, Barnes was pure dominance last year outside of a very brief but very poor stretch. He’s improved his command, mix, and results every year. His McCullersing of the Astros in the ALCS (14/15 pitches CBs they could barely hit) was, to me, a clear demonstration that he’s artived as a *pitcher*: a thinker, and gamesman. Brasier showed supreme stuff and had very good results. Hembree remains a bit of an enigma, but he’s improved slowly and misses tons of bats. He could go buckwild with maybe one or two small tweaks. Darwinzon has stupid good stuff—best of the lot, really (and that’s saying something with Barnes in there)—and could very easily been a revelation en route to a permanent rotation spot. There’s a bevy of longshot guys with huge stuff, too; Ellington’s been wild but he’s had extremely successful stretches before; Thornburg’s stuff has been excellent if not the command just yet (no surprise given the thoracic outlet surgery; that the stuff alone is back is big). Bullpens are so volatile (look at what happens to Cleveland last year) that I’m not sweating it at all yet. It *coukd* blow up in their faces, but so did Miller, Allen, et al. With Feltman, Big D, and Lakins, plus a baker’s dozen reclamation arms, there’s a pretty good chance they have sufficient depth to come out looking just fine, and maybe smelling like roses.
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Post by telson13 on Mar 21, 2019 21:50:03 GMT -5
Devers is hitting 3rd isn't he? Cora has been on him since last year, as well as EdRod to do more. I like that Cora is “demanding” that of them; I think he’s doing so in a way that demonstrates tremendous confidence in their abilities but with a clear expectation that they shoulder the responsibility of making the most of those abilities through persistence and growth. I just love his management style, which (and I’ll always give Farrell credit for his great work in ‘13) has really been unseen in these parts since Tito, and possibly long before him as well. The closeness, accountability, and clarity of communication on this team seems at a whole other level these days (hence, 108 reg season wins and a WS title after an 11-3 postseason against the three other best teams in the game).
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Post by telson13 on Mar 21, 2019 22:30:21 GMT -5
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Mar 22, 2019 5:08:06 GMT -5
Good calls in that article. Exciting stuff in an exciting day. So exciting that I admit to being twitterpated when reading the almost perfect ST starting lineup vs the Rays on Thursday, especially hearing rumors that Swihart would be retained and Pedroia seems healthy enough for 100G.
In the context of a 2019 Pennant, this long, good hitting, powerful, speedy lineup of starters is beyond formidable: Beni, Betts, Devers, JDM, Xander, (MM/Pearce), Pedroia, Bradley, Swihart. Opposing pitchers will not be thrilled. Why not Pedey in the 9th spot, a very high OBP contact hitting RHB in front of LHB Beni as an additional leadoff. Then again, savvy baserunning and/or speed from batting Pedey, Bradley, Swihart, Beni, Betts, Devers consecutively would also be interesting.
Except for today’s successful bullpen game, ST is suddenly more like the real deal. Exciting.
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Post by soxfansince67 on Mar 22, 2019 19:19:14 GMT -5
Tonight's game - JBJ, Raffi, Benny swinging well...Brasier, Workman and Brewer looked good. Rolling into the season...
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Post by jerrygarciaparra on Mar 23, 2019 12:43:18 GMT -5
Only 5 days til real baseball. Sale getting set for his spot in the rotation today. Looking absolutely filthy. Oh Yeah.......The time has come !
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