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Post by telson13 on Mar 31, 2022 19:32:21 GMT -5
Listen, Duran obviously wasn't a success in MLB last year, and should be open to instruction on improvement. But I hate when players get jerked around or keep tinkering. Beni going from lithe to buff and then back while losing his speed and swing in the process, Swihart's position. Just gives me some bad vibes. I think where Duran may have gotten jerked around was by whoever tried to turn him into a power hitter. Not everyone is the same and shouldn't be put into a cookie cutter approach. I agree with Cora here. Duran has elite elite speed which isn't taken advantage of by jogging around the bases after a homerun and especially not when trotting back to the dugout after a strikeout. Players should maximize their talents and minimize their deficiencies not the other way around. I feel like there can be a happy medium with Duran. I think maybe he or others focused on HR power/LA too much last year and not just hitting the ball hard where it's pitched. This seems to be the aim here in what Cora's saying and I think it's harkening back to Duran's early pro style but maybe with the wrinkle that he can learn to hunt pitches to drive. If he's hitting a lot of liners he's not a true-talent .480 BABIP guy (lol Salem) but he could be a .330-.350 true talent BABIP. Duran is far from a finished product as a hitter. Bogey, Raffy, JDM...they all struggled at least some figuring out how to put it together. I think the big thing is him making the adjustment to focus simply on hard contact, not hard contact in the air (or even better, learn to do it situationally)...we'll see how adaptable he is.
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Post by telson13 on Mar 31, 2022 19:36:14 GMT -5
I'm 50% putting Bobby D at 2nd is the dumbest thing I ever heard and 50% wow I really want to see how good he might look there, I'm intrigued. I had the same exact reaction, half disgusted by the idea and half intrigued. And appropriate response to the "Hanley-in-LF or Brian Dozier?" Dichotomy.
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Post by borisman on Mar 31, 2022 22:08:47 GMT -5
What do people think of Devers’ defense this spring? His footwork has looked significantly smoother (which really was the culprit with his plethora of throwing errors). If he stays healthy I really could see a 7-8 WAR season in there if he eliminates the routine errors (we know what he can do with the bat) He’s not as fat so he can move a little better this spring. Just saying.
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Post by azblue on Mar 31, 2022 22:58:31 GMT -5
Devers appeared to gain quite a bit of weight in at least 2 searsons. Let's hope that they check his weight frequently so that it is not repeated in 2022.
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Post by greatscottcooper on Apr 1, 2022 7:48:27 GMT -5
Obviously we all dream of our beloved red sox prospects reach or shattering their ceilings as players but one thing I'd love to see out of Duran this year is improvement in his defense. He might easily be a platoon/4th outfielder but if he can field his position(s) better he could be a very valuable role player at that. Especially on this team down the stretch.
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Post by telson13 on Apr 1, 2022 13:55:37 GMT -5
Obviously we all dream of our beloved red sox prospects reach or shattering their ceilings as players but one thing I'd love to see out of Duran this year is improvement in his defense. He might easily be a platoon/4th outfielder but if he can field his position(s) better he could be a very valuable role player at that. Especially on this team down the stretch. Agreed. I'd love to see him put it all together, but if he improved his CF defense to 55-60 level (I know that's going to take a lot of work) he'd be guaranteed a 10-year career a la Dave Roberts. His speed is great but he's an outstanding baserunner too. He has the situational awareness.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Apr 1, 2022 14:54:01 GMT -5
Obviously we all dream of our beloved red sox prospects reach or shattering their ceilings as players but one thing I'd love to see out of Duran this year is improvement in his defense. He might easily be a platoon/4th outfielder but if he can field his position(s) better he could be a very valuable role player at that. Especially on this team down the stretch. Agreed. I'd love to see him put it all together, but if he improved his CF defense to 55-60 level (I know that's going to take a lot of work) he'd be guaranteed a 10-year career a la Dave Roberts. His speed is great but he's an outstanding baserunner too. He has the situational awareness. Not to be Debbie Downer here, but the odds that Duran will become an above-average to plus defender are quite slim. At this point you hope he can get to average and hits enough, I think.
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cdj
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Post by cdj on Apr 1, 2022 14:56:01 GMT -5
Franchy playing his way onto the roster? *eyeball emojis*
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Post by soxinsf on Apr 1, 2022 22:22:02 GMT -5
Agreed. I'd love to see him put it all together, but if he improved his CF defense to 55-60 level (I know that's going to take a lot of work) he'd be guaranteed a 10-year career a la Dave Roberts. His speed is great but he's an outstanding baserunner too. He has the situational awareness. Not to be Debbie Downer here, but the odds that Duran will become an above-average to plus defender are quite slim. At this point you hope he can get to average and hits enough, I think. Agree absolutely on this. Duran could become an OK defender, but the chances that his defense is going to be important to his big league possibilities seems pretty remote. He needs to hit or he is a bystander, not a star.
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nomar
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Post by nomar on Apr 1, 2022 23:15:26 GMT -5
Not to be Debbie Downer here, but the odds that Duran will become an above-average to plus defender are quite slim. At this point you hope he can get to average and hits enough, I think. Agree absolutely on this. Duran could become an OK defender, but the chances that his defense is going to be important to his big league possibilities seems pretty remote. He needs to hit or he is a bystander, not a star. Average feels like a pipe dream at this point and he doesn’t have the arm for RF either. Hope he can figure it out
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Apr 2, 2022 6:04:03 GMT -5
Anybody know how Whitlock pitched ? I think he was scheduled to start in the back fields earlier. My go to guy to root for, Hill, was ummmm unimpressive.
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cdj
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Post by cdj on Apr 2, 2022 9:37:43 GMT -5
Our Andriese upgrade
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Post by missourimike441 on Apr 2, 2022 10:51:09 GMT -5
Whitlook could indeed be a silver lining this year in the Sale/Paxson saga. The article Christopher Smith article I read this morning about Sale's recent MRI, was that there was only "some healing", and the mood around camp was that Chris would not really be a substantial factor for Boston in 2022. Maybe that writer was jumping the shark, but Garrett Whitlock IMHO has the tools to be a steady hand this year, if and when he could be chosen to be a spot starter.
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Post by congusgambler33 on Apr 2, 2022 12:58:16 GMT -5
Hill had 2 straight obvious strikes called balls and he was visibly peturbed by the calls and then went off the rails soon after.
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Apr 2, 2022 14:53:30 GMT -5
During the game, Theo {lol, Chaim}with a pretty definitive we don't know on Whitlock. Sounded more like the reality than an obligatory answer to an undefined role.
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Post by soxfansince67 on Apr 2, 2022 14:53:37 GMT -5
Been listening. Joe C and Will F noting Barnes is working slow again, with unimpressive velocity on the fastball.
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Post by ematz1423 on Apr 2, 2022 15:08:14 GMT -5
During the game, Theo {lol, Chaim}with a pretty definitive we don't know on Whitlock. Sounded more like the reality than an obligatory answer to an undefined role. Might end up being whether or not they have anyone else in the pen that they can trust at this point. I think Whitlock can be a viable starter but he may take his lumps early. We know he can be a weapon in the pen.
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Apr 2, 2022 15:09:44 GMT -5
During the game, Theo {lol, Chaim}with a pretty definitive we don't know on Whitlock. Sounded more like the reality than an obligatory answer to an undefined role. Might end up being whether or not they have anyone else in the pen that they can trust at this point. I think Whitlock can be a viable starter but he may take his lumps early. We know he can be a weapon in the pen. Chaim also alluded to that thought but more as a second answer. The gist was clearly we don't know. ADD: They also interviewed Whitlock who did have the obligatory whatever role they give me answer.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 2, 2022 15:10:41 GMT -5
Been listening. Joe C and Will F noting Barnes is working slow again, with unimpressive velocity on the fastball. On the other hand, Strahm is pitching some $h!t up there. That is some hard-thrown left-handed stuff, including a slider that does slide.
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Post by Underwater Johnson on Apr 2, 2022 15:19:59 GMT -5
JBJ with a 7th inning blast as the first batter facing PIT's Eric Hanhold this spring (6.97 ERA with BAL last year). Old friend Michael Chavis with a homer off Big Nate, who tired in the sixth.
Franchy Cordero had a single to improve to 11-for-22 in spring training this year.
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Post by patford on Apr 2, 2022 17:24:16 GMT -5
Agreed. I'd love to see him put it all together, but if he improved his CF defense to 55-60 level (I know that's going to take a lot of work) he'd be guaranteed a 10-year career a la Dave Roberts. His speed is great but he's an outstanding baserunner too. He has the situational awareness. Not to be Debbie Downer here, but the odds that Duran will become an above-average to plus defender are quite slim. At this point you hope he can get to average and hits enough, I think. I give him a zero chance. The ship has sailed. He should be moved back the 2B. No one in the history of the game fails to substantially progress at a new position over a two + year period and then suddenly makes big
strides. Further what he lacks in CF is one of those "it can't be taught" sort of things.
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Post by julyanmorley on Apr 2, 2022 18:34:24 GMT -5
It's a tough pill to swallow for several reasons, but I think Duran probably needs to move to 1B.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Apr 2, 2022 18:41:17 GMT -5
It's a tough pill to swallow for several reasons, but I think Duran probably needs to move to 1B. If he can't hack it as an OF he had no place in the Red Sox organization.
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jimoh
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Post by jimoh on Apr 2, 2022 19:44:32 GMT -5
Watching a little of today’s game. That Tony Mazz really has a voice made for print media.
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Post by jerrygarciaparra on Apr 2, 2022 22:03:38 GMT -5
Duran is 25 years old people. Let's take a step back from the ledge and calm down on the certitudes.
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