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Post by wcsoxfan on Oct 11, 2023 10:55:37 GMT -5
Still 86th percentile whiff and 93rd percentile K, but both trended down obviously. I can’t believe how little he walked after May. He definitely needs to walk more. 17th percentile BB% is pathetic for his reputation. Chase less, walk more, swing at better pitches to hit, roll over on less grounders to 2B. I think it’s easy to blame fatigue and first year in the league, and you can find promising data points, but his odds of being a successful LF/DH next year are much closer to 50% than 100% IMO. Really discouraging second half and if you have to work as hard as people have in this thread to sugarcoat it, then there’s clearly an issue/risk here. When I checked a month ago (page 26) he was 3rd (among qualifiers) at seeing pitches right down the middle while being 4th from the bottom in swing percentage on the first pitch. I'm guessing other pitchers learned to take advantage of this. His launch angle was also 3rd lowest in the majors (which goes to your frustration of grounders to 2nd) so he wasn't making pitchers pay enough for pitches down the middle (which he swung at only 68.9% of the time). He also struggled on cutters, a pitch that is rarely seen in Japan, hopefully experience leads to improvement.
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Post by wcsoxfan on Oct 12, 2023 12:32:32 GMT -5
Red Sox mailbag from Jen McCaffrey. Several mentions of Masa including (paraphrasing): Cora thought best lineup last year was Yoshida at DH and Turner at 2B; Cora is content with Yoshida's defense, thinks it has improved and sees him as a LF, not a DH going forward; Masa has said that he and Yoshi (Yamamoto) are good friends. theathletic.com/4954503/2023/10/12/red-sox-mailbag-part-1/?amp=1(BTW, Athletic has seemed to increased some access to non-subscribers like myself as long as you login)
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Post by Oregon Norm on Oct 12, 2023 12:52:21 GMT -5
The consensus has to see him as a DH with considerably less LF time, no? That's been brought up a few times and it has to help moderate the fatigue I'd think.
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steveofbradenton
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Post by steveofbradenton on Oct 12, 2023 13:31:07 GMT -5
It is totally my hope he understands this off seasom what it takes to be much better next season. Those plane trips and bad beds have got to have taken a toll. I know it made me stop flying and doing presentations. I'm sure he will be more consistent
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Post by bluechip on Oct 12, 2023 14:12:54 GMT -5
The consensus has to see him as a DH with considerably less LF time, no? That's been brought up a few times and it has to help moderate the fatigue I'd think. His defense in left just was such an impediment last year. Obviously Cora can’t explicitly say Masa shouldn’t be in left, as that boxes him. But everyone knows that. The problem with him locking down the DH spot is that it limits their ability in future years to take flyers on aging players at good prices, like Justin Turner in 2023 or what the Dodgers did with JD Martinez.
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Post by bluechip on Oct 12, 2023 14:16:20 GMT -5
The consensus has to see him as a DH with considerably less LF time, no? That's been brought up a few times and it has to help moderate the fatigue I'd think. His defense in left just was such an impediment last year. Obviously Cora can’t explicitly say Masa shouldn’t be in left, as that boxes him. But everyone knows that. The problem with him locking down the DH spot is that it limits their ability in future years to take flyers on aging players at good prices, like Justin Turner in 2023 or what the Dodgers did with JD Martinez.
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Post by Soxfansince1971 on Oct 15, 2023 17:58:49 GMT -5
It is totally my hope he understands this off seasom what it takes to be much better next season. Those plane trips and bad beds have got to have taken a toll. I know it made me stop flying and doing presentations. I'm sure he will be more consistent Many people think jobs that require travel are glamorous, but travel for work in many cases sucks!
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ericmvan
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Post by ericmvan on Nov 21, 2023 22:35:49 GMT -5
On 9/19 I had him at -15 runs per 150 G (Statcast for plays made, average of DRS and UZR for arm, plus DRS "good plays made").
Cora said he was just -1 in September, which is -6 for the season, and that is playable, especially when half your games are in Fenway.
I just ran the final numbers and he was -13.
I'm pretty sure he went from 0 to 1 "Good Plays Made," and that has to be a rounding illusions (e.g actually 0.45 to 0.55).
That leaves him roughly league average over his last 9 games.
It's a small sample size, but it's still promising. And it has huge implications on re-signing Justin Turner. Look for a thread on that.
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Post by orion09 on Nov 22, 2023 6:58:10 GMT -5
Every time I see “new post” next to a thread starting with “Red Sox Sign” my heart skips a beat.
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TearsIn04
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Post by TearsIn04 on Nov 22, 2023 13:02:13 GMT -5
On 9/19 I had him at -15 runs per 150 G (Statcast for plays made, average of DRS and UZR for arm, plus DRS "good plays made").
Cora said he was just -1 in September, which is -6 for the season, and that is playable, especially when half your games are in Fenway.
I just ran the final numbers and he was -13.
I'm pretty sure he went from 0 to 1 "Good Plays Made," and that has to be a rounding illusions (e.g actually 0.45 to 0.55).
That leaves him roughly league average over his last 9 games.
It's a small sample size, but it's still promising. And it has huge implications on re-signing Justin Turner. Look for a thread on that.
I'm doing my best Allen Iverson voice as I say this: "Nine games? Nine games? I mean it's nine games. You're talking about nine games? It's nine games."But the broader point is that Yoshi's bad defense meant the Red Sox putting five bad defensive players on the field some nights. You had him, the two CIs, Duran and KKH. Ok, KKH got shipped out and was replaced by an excellent defender. Good. But that still leaves too much bad D. Yoshi needs to get most of the reps at DH with Raffy and Casas also betting PAs there. The problem with the Yoshi signing is that it added to the glut of bad defenders who hit LHH. You can add Valdez, who would be the best choice at 2B if not for his defense. It all makes for a clunky roster that Breslow has to clean up.
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Post by congusgambler33 on Nov 22, 2023 13:58:45 GMT -5
Its because of Yoshi that there will be no reason to bring Turner back.they need solid defense everywhere and Yoshi is not that.
I just wonder if Cora's bad fundamental baseball last year will magically turn around this year.
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Post by pappyman99 on Jan 13, 2024 17:58:02 GMT -5
I’m hoping Yoshida is traded, but those reports are too good to be true
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Post by incandenza on Jan 13, 2024 18:15:21 GMT -5
Step 1: get rid of our third best hitter by both Steamer and Zips projections Step 2: ? ? ?
Step 3: Profit!
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TearsIn04
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Everybody knows Nelson de la Rosa, but who is Karim Garcia?
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Post by TearsIn04 on Jan 13, 2024 18:40:26 GMT -5
Step 1: get rid of our third best hitter by both Steamer and Zips projections Step 2: ? ? ?
Step 3: Profit!
But he was our 8th best position player by B-Ref WAR and tied for 7th in FG WAR. On FG, Wilyer Abreu accumulated the same .6 but did it in 85 PAs. I know Yoshi wore down in the his first year of ML BB and he's supposed to be getting into better shape this winter, but he needs to improve a lot and to sustain that improvement for that contract to not be a dud. Ditto for Story.
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manfred
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Post by manfred on Jan 13, 2024 18:42:58 GMT -5
Step 1: get rid of our third best hitter by both Steamer and Zips projections Step 2: ? ? ?
Step 3: Profit!
Are you referring to Turner? Surely not Verdugo. It will crack me up if complaints about Verdugo become a thing.
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Post by levi on Jan 13, 2024 18:53:11 GMT -5
Step 1: get rid of our third best hitter by both Steamer and Zips projections Step 2: ? ? ?
Step 3: Profit!
Are you referring to Turner? Surely not Verdugo. It will crack me up if complaints about Verdugo become a thing. Pretty clearly about Yoshida? It’s directly following a post about trading him.
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Post by yuchangclan on Jan 13, 2024 19:14:34 GMT -5
Step 1: get rid of our third best hitter by both Steamer and Zips projections Step 2: ? ? ?
Step 3: Profit!
If Yoshida is the 3rd best player on the team, that’s a major problem on its own.
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Post by chaimtime on Jan 13, 2024 19:22:06 GMT -5
Step 1: get rid of our third best hitter by both Steamer and Zips projections Step 2: ? ? ?
Step 3: Profit!
If Yoshida is the 3rd best player on the team, that’s a major problem on its own. I’m genuinely curious what Yoshida has to do next year for you to stop pretending he’s the worst player and contract in baseball every time his name is mentioned
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Post by pappyman99 on Jan 13, 2024 20:33:40 GMT -5
Step 1: get rid of our third best hitter by both Steamer and Zips projections Step 2: ? ? ?
Step 3: Profit!
No get rid of what is by far our worst contact, $18 million for 0.6 WAR? 30 year old DH with 4 more years of that contract? I’m hard pressed to believe that there is actual interest in him on that contract
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Post by Underwater Johnson on Jan 13, 2024 20:46:05 GMT -5
Step 1: get rid of our third best hitter by both Steamer and Zips projections Step 2: ? ? ?
Step 3: Profit!
No get rid of what is by far our worst contact, $18 million for 0.6 WAR? 30 year old DH with 4 more years of that contract? I’m hard pressed to believe that there is actual interest in him on that contract Which is why you give him a second year to boost his value or even prove that he's worth the contract...
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Post by bluechip on Jan 13, 2024 21:55:25 GMT -5
Step 1: get rid of our third best hitter by both Steamer and Zips projections Step 2: ? ? ?
Step 3: Profit!
If Yoshida is the 3rd best player on the team, that’s a major problem on its own. Best player and best hitter are not the same thing. You know that… Yoshida is a damn good hitter he is just a DH not a left fielder. If you stuck prime David Ortiz* in left, he’d have a lousy WAR too. *obviously prime Ortiz was a better hitter than Yoshida, but he was also a worse fielder, and incapable of playing left. My point is don’t play guys out of position and Yoshida is out of position in left.
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manfred
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Post by manfred on Jan 13, 2024 22:03:24 GMT -5
If Yoshida is the 3rd best player on the team, that’s a major problem on its own. Best player and best hitter are not the same thing. You know that… Yoshida is a damn good hitter he is just a DH not a left fielder. If you stuck prime David Ortiz* in left, he’d have a lousy WAR too. *obviously prime Ortiz was a better hitter than Yoshida, but he was also a worse fielder, and incapable of playing left. My point is don’t play guys out of position and Yoshida is out of position in left. Where is he *in* position? Just a DH does not do them much good vis-vis FA market. Who is left who is not at least mostly a DH?
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Post by grandsalami on Jan 13, 2024 22:21:01 GMT -5
i just read were shopping Yoshisa and Jensen. So basically were a small market team. I guess we have to have the Rays mentality and expect to sign no one every year. The team is *not* shopping Yoshida — they took calls that inquired about his availability. Jansen on the other hand seems to be a goner which is fine by me if it’s young SP coming back. Yup.
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Post by yuchangclan on Jan 13, 2024 23:25:57 GMT -5
If Yoshida is the 3rd best player on the team, that’s a major problem on its own. I’m genuinely curious what Yoshida has to do next year for you to stop pretending he’s the worst player and contract in baseball every time his name is mentioned If he plays well, I’d be more than happy to acknowledge it. They paid him $18m last year to essentially be a stiff. I worry that his whole contract could be a bust. I don’t see how these are even remotely controversial takes. PS. I never said he’s the worst player NOR worst contract in baseball.
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Post by keninten on Jan 14, 2024 1:02:52 GMT -5
Something fun for everyone. I just went and looked at Red Sox sign Masa thread. It gets good on the 19th page until he starts slumping in August. Funny how posters can turn on someone so fast. I`ll wait and see the turnaround again in May.
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