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Post by itinerantherb on Apr 8, 2024 8:51:53 GMT -5
Ten games in and the Sox with the second-best run differential in the AL.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 8, 2024 8:56:56 GMT -5
... and that includes 3 one-run losses.
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Post by incandenza on Apr 8, 2024 9:04:48 GMT -5
Ten games in and the Sox with the second-best run differential in the AL. Already underperforming their pythagorean by a win. They should be two games ahead of the Yankees.
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Post by GyIantosca on Apr 8, 2024 9:08:50 GMT -5
I don’t care who they played that’s a dam good road trip. This is a team building road trip for a young team. But the core been together like 3 seasons . You can see these 3 kids in AA. Plug key holes on this team. Looking towards down the road. I see this vision. You can argue we have a great 4 and 5 starters. They were already successful in the bullpen its was making the move to starter. Everyone knows the story. I really impressed with out bullpen in AAA. We have serious pieces. Those days giving out 300 million it’s better invested if you have the talent in your own house. I’m do glad we got Breslow he addressing the pitching. It’s so easy to root for this team.
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Post by incandenza on Apr 8, 2024 9:11:28 GMT -5
Horrendous error by Devers. At this point the sooner he can become a full time DH the better because he is unlikely to ever solve his problems at 3B. Putting that aside, will this team ever start to hit? Duran and O'Neill and the catchers have been great but the rest of the lineup has been a black hole. One day later and the team wRC+ is up to 106.
O'Neill (281) and McGuire (187) will regress, but Casas (88) and Yoshida (92) should improve, and Reyes, Valdez, Abreu, and Dalbec are all at *19* or worse. Lots of potential for improvement there if those guys can be merely bad, rather than Hindenbergian.
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Post by Smittyw on Apr 8, 2024 9:16:45 GMT -5
O'Neill (281)...will regress Heresy.
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Post by sxfan on Apr 8, 2024 10:13:14 GMT -5
Just need to swap out Romy Gonzalez for Dalbec, roster wise. It sounds like they want to platoon both SS and 2B from now on. Idk why that hasn't happened yet, besides the one factor of the Sox being on the West Coast and needing to wait on how serious the Story situation is.
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Post by rhswanzey on Apr 8, 2024 10:51:28 GMT -5
Just need to swap out Romy Gonzalez for Dalbec, roster wise. It sounds like they want to platoon both SS and 2B from now on. Idk why that hasn't happened yet, besides the one factor of the Sox being on the West Coast and needing to wait on how serious the Story situation is. They were going to have a hard time with Detmers even before Story got hurt, but that night’s lineup spelled it out: Cora started every righty he had and still had Valdez in there at second. I’m a big Valdez fan but his path to being a medium term starterish asset requires a caddy. Grissom fixes it but we won’t see him until May. And from the same lens, I think ideally the Valdez platoon partner has more glove so you have that option close and late in games started by RHP. If we’re moving from elite defense at short to give or take averageish defense at short, and that’s an isolated effect, then we mix and match, eventually get Refsnyder and Grissom back, and then still likely need another top half of lineup RHB via trade later on, for a real playoff push. If losing Story has non isolated effects on the defense of the other infielders - and we saw some signs of that throughout this series - then it’s going to catch up with the pitching, and it’s going to make all these career high innings goals a lot harder to reach.
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Post by scottysmalls on Apr 8, 2024 11:09:42 GMT -5
The Story injury once again has me frustrated by the approach to depth the team took. Maybe Hamilton will surprise and prove me wrong and be solid, but right now it would be real nice to have any of Bader, Kiermaier or Taylor, who all signed for cheap and who several of us wanted specifically because of depth concerns.
You could then play Rafaela at short and the overall defense wouldn’t miss too much of a beat. Now that feels less likely. Again rooting for Hamilton to make me wrong though.
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Post by GyIantosca on Apr 8, 2024 11:31:00 GMT -5
Dalbec slot is too valuable. I was allset and now it’s important . No clue why they revisit this .
I’m not judging him on these at bats . I seen enough.
I trying not to harp on too many things .
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Post by itinerantherb on Apr 8, 2024 11:46:50 GMT -5
I wonder whether the solution at short depends on how long Story's out. The team could be thinking that if it's just few weeks, it's not worth complicating Rafael's transition to MLB with a high-stakes positional change, and that Reyes/Hamilton is a tolerable stopgap. The longer Story's out, though, the balance would seem to shift toward putting the best defender in the most important non-catcher defensive position. We'll know more after we watch Reyes/Hamilton at SS for a couple weeks, but I suspect the defensive drop-off in CF from Rafaela to Duran is less than the drop-off at SS from Rafaela to Reyes/Hamilton.
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Post by puzzler on Apr 8, 2024 12:17:44 GMT -5
The Story injury once again has me frustrated by the approach to depth the team took. Maybe Hamilton will surprise and prove me wrong and be solid, but right now it would be real nice to have any of Bader, Kiermaier or Taylor, who all signed for cheap and who several of us wanted specifically because of depth concerns. You could then play Rafaela at short and the overall defense wouldn’t miss too much of a beat. Now that feels less likely. Again rooting for Hamilton to make me wrong though. You're making too many assumptions about Rafaela's play after being thrust into an extremely high pressure situation at a position he basically hasn't played this year. That's the same mistake Bloom made with Hernandez. I think moving Rafaela to shortstop would be a stupid and extremely shortsighted move and I don't think it would turn out how you expect. I don't move him out of CF, except as maybe a defensive replacement late in a few games unless I'm sending him to AAA.
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Post by scottysmalls on Apr 8, 2024 12:23:02 GMT -5
The Story injury once again has me frustrated by the approach to depth the team took. Maybe Hamilton will surprise and prove me wrong and be solid, but right now it would be real nice to have any of Bader, Kiermaier or Taylor, who all signed for cheap and who several of us wanted specifically because of depth concerns. You could then play Rafaela at short and the overall defense wouldn’t miss too much of a beat. Now that feels less likely. Again rooting for Hamilton to make me wrong though. You're making too many assumptions about Rafaela's play after being thrust into an extremely high pressure situation at a position he basically hasn't played this year. That's the same mistake Bloom made with Hernandez. I think moving Rafaela to shortstop would be a stupid and extremely shortsighted move and I don't think it would turn out how you expect. I don't move him out of CF, except as maybe a defensive replacement late in a few games unless I'm sending him to AAA. I actually agree with you that I prefer to keep Rafaela in CF. I think this is a dramatic take on what would happen to his shortstop defense though, since from everything I've heard he's a plus there and the team has made sure to continue getting him reps there even as he's focused on the outfield.
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Post by dirtywaterinla on Apr 8, 2024 12:25:40 GMT -5
The Story injury once again has me frustrated by the approach to depth the team took. Maybe Hamilton will surprise and prove me wrong and be solid, but right now it would be real nice to have any of Bader, Kiermaier or Taylor, who all signed for cheap and who several of us wanted specifically because of depth concerns. You could then play Rafaela at short and the overall defense wouldn’t miss too much of a beat. Now that feels less likely. Again rooting for Hamilton to make me wrong though. You're making too many assumptions about Rafaela's play after being thrust into an extremely high pressure situation at a position he basically hasn't played this year. That's the same mistake Bloom made with Hernandez. I think moving Rafaela to shortstop would be a stupid and extremely shortsighted move and I don't think it would turn out how you expect. I don't move him out of CF, except as maybe a defensive replacement late in a few games unless I'm sending him to AAA. I hear your point about CF defense, but Rafaela is far and away a better defensive SS than Kiké ever wish he’d be. Right now, he’s the best in house option and honestly I don’t think it would be a huge impact on CF if you’re plugging Duran or O’Neill out there for the time being.
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Post by puzzler on Apr 8, 2024 12:29:36 GMT -5
You're making too many assumptions about Rafaela's play after being thrust into an extremely high pressure situation at a position he basically hasn't played this year. That's the same mistake Bloom made with Hernandez. I think moving Rafaela to shortstop would be a stupid and extremely shortsighted move and I don't think it would turn out how you expect. I don't move him out of CF, except as maybe a defensive replacement late in a few games unless I'm sending him to AAA. I actually agree with you that I prefer to keep Rafaela in CF. I think this is a dramatic take on what would happen to his shortstop defense though, since from everything I've heard he's a plus there and the team has made sure to continue getting him reps there even as he's focused on the outfield. Maybe. But why risk messing up Rafaela and then being stuck without the best CF (or one of) in baseball and still needing to fill a hole at SS? It's not worth it. I'll go a step further too and say, I'd rather have started Rafaela in CF in the big leagues and not AAA than have any of Bader, Kiermaier and Taylor.
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Post by puzzler on Apr 8, 2024 12:38:36 GMT -5
You're making too many assumptions about Rafaela's play after being thrust into an extremely high pressure situation at a position he basically hasn't played this year. That's the same mistake Bloom made with Hernandez. I think moving Rafaela to shortstop would be a stupid and extremely shortsighted move and I don't think it would turn out how you expect. I don't move him out of CF, except as maybe a defensive replacement late in a few games unless I'm sending him to AAA. I hear your point about CF defense, but Rafaela is far and away a better defensive SS than Kiké ever wish heâd be. Right now, heâs the best in house option and honestly I donât think it would be a huge impact on CF if youâre plugging Duran or OâNeill out there for the time being. Maybe true - but Kiké also had tons of big league experience to draw from in a) handling the pressure and b) dealing with a position change. Rafaela has no experience of either at the big league level. And when you're going through trouble in the field, it often leads to issues at the plate. It feels reckless to me.
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Post by asm18 on Apr 8, 2024 12:47:15 GMT -5
Chris and Ian made the point on the pod that you try to put your 9 best players in the lineup on given an day and position Rafaela accordingly. Putting him as SS would work… if Wilyer Abreu doesn’t hit .125 and make routine bobbles in right field going forwards. Wilyer would make this a lot easier of a decision if he looks like the guy who came up at the end of 2023.
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Post by James Dunne on Apr 8, 2024 13:11:22 GMT -5
I hear your point about CF defense, but Rafaela is far and away a better defensive SS than Kiké ever wish heâd be. Right now, heâs the best in house option and honestly I donât think it would be a huge impact on CF if youâre plugging Duran or OâNeill out there for the time being. Maybe true - but Kiké also had tons of big league experience to draw from in a) handling the pressure and b) dealing with a position change. Rafaela has no experience of either at the big league level. And when you're going through trouble in the field, it often leads to issues at the plate. It feels reckless to me. There is nothing in Rafaela's profile, history, or makeup to suggest that he'd struggle to deal with a position change. The problem with Hernandez's position change wasn't the mental game or whatever, it's that he was a pretty mediocre shortstop.
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Post by greatscottcooper on Apr 8, 2024 13:17:24 GMT -5
Wasn't the plan to have Rafaela play 1-2 days a week at SS anyways? so seriously what is the big deal about adding two days to that? you can still start him in CF 2-3 days a week and put Reyes at SS when you want to go RH heavy and Ceddanne can play CF to rotate days off for Duran/Abreu.
This is really the best option the Sox have that in my opinion doesn't give them that much of a step back.
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Post by bishop on Apr 8, 2024 13:33:39 GMT -5
Wasn't the plan to have Rafaela play 1-2 days a week at SS anyways? so seriously what is the big deal about adding two days to that? you can still start him in CF 2-3 days a week and put Reyes at SS when you want to go RH heavy and Ceddanne can play CF to rotate days off for Duran/Abreu. This is really the best option the Sox have that in my opinion doesn't give them that much of a step back. I don't think there was ever a plan to play him at SS if Story was healthy. Maybe 2B vs lefties if Refsnyder got back before Grissom.
As long as we're discussing position swings Grissom as the starting SS is also an option when he gets back. Not my preferred one long term (especially if Valdez is still swinging a noodle up there), but it's on the table especially if Reyes gets hurt as well. Other options past Hamilton or a Rafaela swing are what, Romy Gonzalez (I think he's shown who he is as an MLB hitter) then Chase Meidroth? (Who has like 142 innings at SS in his minor league career)
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Post by puzzler on Apr 8, 2024 13:38:29 GMT -5
Maybe true - but Kiké also had tons of big league experience to draw from in a) handling the pressure and b) dealing with a position change. Rafaela has no experience of either at the big league level. And when you're going through trouble in the field, it often leads to issues at the plate. It feels reckless to me. There is nothing in Rafaela's profile, history, or makeup to suggest that he'd struggle to deal with a position change. The problem with Hernandez's position change wasn't the mental game or whatever, it's that he was a pretty mediocre shortstop. There is nothing in his profile at the major league level at SS. This isn't Portland or Worcester. And it's not as if he's won the position coming out of camp - there's already a narrative that the poor defense at SS could sink the pitching gains and ruin the entire season. But, hey, he handled the pressure cooker in Worcester, so there's no reason he'll falter in Boston. All I'm saying is, you're risking his development as a big leaguer for merely possible short term benefit and I wouldn't do it.
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Post by James Dunne on Apr 8, 2024 13:49:36 GMT -5
There is nothing in Rafaela's profile, history, or makeup to suggest that he'd struggle to deal with a position change. The problem with Hernandez's position change wasn't the mental game or whatever, it's that he was a pretty mediocre shortstop. There is nothing in his profile at the major league level at SS. This isn't Portland or Worcester. And it's not as if he's won the position coming out of camp - there's already a narrative that the poor defense at SS could sink the pitching gains and ruin the entire season. But, hey, he handled the pressure cooker in Worcester, so there's no reason he'll falter in Boston. All I'm saying is, y ou're risking his development as a big leaguer for merely possible short term benefit and I wouldn't do it. I disagree with the bolded very strongly! You're moving him from a position where he's comfortable and great to a position of more need where he's comfortable and very good. What prospect in the history of ever got screwed up because he was put at a position he knew how to play?
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Post by pappyman99 on Apr 8, 2024 13:58:38 GMT -5
Yeah I think Rafaela concern is strictly improving his bat. Unless he is completely out of place I don’t think A move to SS really changes his development at all other than make him more versatile
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 8, 2024 14:03:35 GMT -5
I see the problem, if there is one, as short term. Once Refsnyder and Grissom are back there are a number of possible platoon positioning scenarios (we'll call this p3). It becomes easy to imagine a primarily right-handed or left-handed lineup.
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Post by puzzler on Apr 8, 2024 14:30:48 GMT -5
There is nothing in his profile at the major league level at SS. This isn't Portland or Worcester. And it's not as if he's won the position coming out of camp - there's already a narrative that the poor defense at SS could sink the pitching gains and ruin the entire season. But, hey, he handled the pressure cooker in Worcester, so there's no reason he'll falter in Boston. All I'm saying is, y ou're risking his development as a big leaguer for merely possible short term benefit and I wouldn't do it. I disagree with the bolded very strongly! You're moving him from a position where he's comfortable and great to a position of more need where he's comfortable and very good. What prospect in the history of ever got screwed up because he was put at a position he knew how to play? No, I'm saying it wouldn't be the first time for a player (playing out of position, even if he is good at it) to struggle and then take those struggles with him to the plate - a place where he absolutely needs to develop. He doesn't need the media hyping the first error that loses a game and thinking about it while he's trying to lay off pitches way off the plate. I don't know how we watch what Duran went through (admittedly not the same player defensively) and then just assume well, he's not going to lose confidence in himself and everything will go perfectly. And for what - three or four games a week? It's a bad idea trying to solve an extremely short term issue.
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