SoxProspects News
|
|
|
|
Legal
Forum Ground Rules
The views expressed by the members of this Forum do not necessarily reflect the views of SoxProspects, LLC.
© 2003-2024 SoxProspects, LLC
|
|
|
|
|
Forum Home | Search | My Profile | Messages | Members | Help |
Welcome Guest. Please Login or Register.
Sox considering keeping Iglesias up as UTL player
|
Post by godot on Jun 1, 2013 21:34:43 GMT -5
Brock Holt had a nice May, hitting 349. Looks like he may enter the utility picture once they DFA Pedro. Just a call away from Boston if something happens to Dustin. He can play second, which right now is not a place you would want to see Julio until he gets use to make the dp from that position.
|
|
|
Post by Legion of Bloom on Jun 1, 2013 21:40:14 GMT -5
Who's this Julio I keep hearing of? I know Jose is wondering the same exact thing.
|
|
|
Post by iakovos11 on Jun 1, 2013 21:42:31 GMT -5
Did they re-acquire Lugo? Nooooooooooooo
|
|
|
Post by sammo420 on Jun 1, 2013 21:46:35 GMT -5
He can play second, which right now is not a place you would want to see Julio until he gets use to make the dp from that position. trust me, he wouldn't have any real problems with it.
|
|
|
Post by grandsalami on Jun 1, 2013 22:07:16 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by widewordofsport on Jun 1, 2013 22:29:24 GMT -5
"trust me, he wouldn't have any real problems with it. "
His transfer/release is so fast he'll be fine. Only issue is taking more hits for an injury-prone player.
The one thing about Iglesias for me (vs. JBJ, for example, tonight disregarded). AAA doesn't do Iglesias any good, he pouts, wants to be in the majors, and doesn't hit all that well or get in a groove. It may not hurt his development (he's still just 23) to have him in the majors if you can get him enough time at the three positions + defensive replacement to not have him waste away on the bench.
I certainly don't think Will Middlebrooks has shown he deserves 6 starts a week. And all three IF (Drew, MBrooks, Pedey) have injury history this year. Should be able to get him some playing time.
|
|
|
Post by godot on Jun 1, 2013 22:44:16 GMT -5
Who's this Julio I keep hearing of? I know Jose is wondering the same exact thing. lol Can't help thinking of the singer Julio Iglesias when I think of Jose. Yeah, Jose will be able to turn it, but it is the idea of runners coming straight ahead at you that could of concern at this start. It could take a little time to adjust . That was my concern about Jose at second, at least for now.
|
|
|
Post by Chris Hatfield on Jun 1, 2013 22:46:33 GMT -5
The one thing about Iglesias for me (vs. JBJ, for example, tonight disregarded). AAA doesn't do Iglesias any good, he pouts, wants to be in the majors, and doesn't hit all that well or get in a groove. It may not hurt his development (he's still just 23) to have him in the majors if you can get him enough time at the three positions + defensive replacement to not have him waste away on the bench. That was a thought I had this offseason. There comes a point sometimes where it's counterproductive to have a guy in the minors. At this point he has 916 AAA plate appearances. I'm not sure what he's going to learn there with another hundred or two. If he's going to be better than a guy on the MLB roster, here Ciriaco, then it makes perfect sense to just keep him.
|
|
|
Post by ikonos on Jun 1, 2013 23:30:36 GMT -5
lol Can't help thinking of the singer Julio Iglesias when I think of Jose. Yeah, Jose will be able to turn it, but it is the idea of runners coming straight ahead at you that could of concern at this start. It could take a little time to adjust . That was my concern about Jose at second, at least for now. Its not always the 2B that turns the DP. As a SS am sure he is used to runners coming to knock him off his feet. What Jose needs to show is if he can pivot and make accurate throws to 1B. He seems to be playing pretty good 3B so there is no reason to doubt if he can adapt to 2B. He just seems to be a good athlete and comfortable out there on the field.
|
|
|
Post by mainesox on Jun 1, 2013 23:47:07 GMT -5
lol Can't help thinking of the singer Julio Iglesias when I think of Jose. Yeah, Jose will be able to turn it, but it is the idea of runners coming straight ahead at you that could of concern at this start. It could take a little time to adjust . That was my concern about Jose at second, at least for now. Its not always the 2B that turns the DP. As a SS am sure he is used to runners coming to knock him off his feet. What Jose needs to show is if he can pivot and make accurate throws to 1B. He seems to be playing pretty good 3B so there is no reason to doubt if he can adapt to 2B. He just seems to be a good athlete and comfortable out there on the field. If I'm not mistaken Iglesias played some 2B in deference to Hechavarria on the Cuban National team, so it's not like he's never done it before (he probably hasn't done it a lot, but a lot more than he had played 3B).
|
|
|
Post by mainesox on Jun 1, 2013 23:50:37 GMT -5
I wonder if he could play some outfield too? I think he's got the athleticism, quickness, and arm to play any of the outfield spots, or am I wishcasting here?
|
|
|
Post by Oregon Norm on Jun 1, 2013 23:52:51 GMT -5
The guy is just mesmerizing to watch. How many games has he played at third base? The short-hop play this evening, with the sleight-of-hand transition for a throw, had me shaking my head - probably in unison with everyone else watching. Pure exhilaration if you're a fan.
He's forcing his way onto the team in about as single-minded a way as you can, both with the glove and the bat. He really, really wants a seat at the table. And while I know the hitting is bound for a return to earth, that glove will probably be floating in the sky for a long time to come.
|
|
|
Post by Legion of Bloom on Jun 2, 2013 0:02:35 GMT -5
Norm, I too was foaming at the mouth watching his plays tonight. It's a joy to watch.
|
|
|
Post by Oregon Norm on Jun 2, 2013 0:14:35 GMT -5
Looks like the DSL thread got hijacked by Iglesias (no surprise), so I moved a lot of it. Grandsalami posted a link to the rumour, above, that he'll stick with the Sox as the utility infielder. He certainly has all the utility you'd ever want in the infield. He'll probably upgrade any position he plays, second, ss, or third. He's so, so good.
|
|
|
Post by bluechip on Jun 2, 2013 0:29:20 GMT -5
I certainly don't think Will Middlebrooks has shown he deserves 6 starts a week. And all three IF (Drew, MBrooks, Pedey) have injury history this year. Should be able to get him some playing time. Iglesias has certainly given the Red Sox something to think about with regards to who should be playing third.
|
|
|
Post by Legion of Bloom on Jun 2, 2013 0:35:14 GMT -5
He is due to regress and his current production is unsustainable, but at this point, he's contributing something positive every time he gets the nod; Which is more than I can say for Middlebrooks. Hope Farrell rides the hot hand until it cools down.
|
|
|
Post by widewordofsport on Jun 2, 2013 0:52:50 GMT -5
"He is due to regress and his current production is unsustainable"
So you're saying Hugh Duffy's .4397 mark in 1894 is safe? I'll alert his estate.
I'm probably trying to read too much into his mentality, but I really do think at this point, he'd have a higher BA at MLB than at AAA, simply because of him wanting to be in the majors and his mentality about it at this point. He did a lot of work this offseason with the bat, and I think he expected to have a chance to earn the starting SS gig.
How many ABs a week is enough to keep him going? And to keep him happy? I have no idea... but while I don't hate Drew, he can give up a start (sometimes 2 during a full week) a week, and Middlebrooks K/BB numbers aren't much better than Iggy. (Iglesias has 1 walk in 50 PAs, but a K rate under 20%!).
One more thing I think is important. Iglesias has an injury history, and maybe playing 4x a week for now keeps him a little bit healthier, and that helps his development too. It really comes down to personnel. If the players are on board and have a good attitude, it could work long-term.
|
|
|
Post by Legion of Bloom on Jun 2, 2013 1:20:31 GMT -5
I agree with the sentiment that he seems to be the type of player, be it due to the mental aspect or adrenaline he gets from being up, to be a better hitter at the MLB than at AAA.
|
|
|
Post by adiospaydro2005 on Jun 2, 2013 6:50:18 GMT -5
I would keep Iglesias with the Red Sox and leave Holt at Pawtuckett for depth. In fact, the way Iglesias is playing he deserves more playing time than Drew, particularly against LHP.
|
|
|
Post by soxcentral on Jun 2, 2013 7:09:24 GMT -5
Although it will never happen, this is an ideal scenario where WMB can spend some extended time rehabbing and working on pitch selection outside of the spotlight of Boston. He does have options, and clearly has a large hole in his offensive approach that was hurting the team. That would allow Iglesias to stay up without having to rush a decision, doesn't sacrifice any depth and continues to put out a team that is fully capable of winning games.
|
|
steveofbradenton
Veteran
Watching Spring Training, the FCL, and the Florida State League
Posts: 1,826
|
Post by steveofbradenton on Jun 2, 2013 7:31:45 GMT -5
I know there is some rule about when a free agent signed the previous winter can be traded. Is it June or July? It is possible, if Drew does not get it going, that Iglesias may only be a utility player for a month. I'm sure Boras and Drew do not want there to be any kind of platoon at short. This year is quite important to his future earnings.
I've always loved watching Iglesias play D. The pitchers must love this kid!
Hopefully his play will force the issue. I still want Bogaerts to be ready or close to ready for next spring, but I think it would be best for him to come up in a position other than shortstop so we use our resources well. I know some of you are going to mention the value Xander has by staying at short, but I want his bat in the line-up more so.
|
|
|
Post by jmei on Jun 2, 2013 9:39:18 GMT -5
I think I'm going to have to pump the brakes a little bit here. Iglesias has hit really well, but there's no chance in hell he sustains anywhere close to his current .524 BABIP. Remember, he's had only 55 PAs in the major leagues, and in a sample that small, his BABIP and BA (which are driving his current triple-slash of .431/.455/.529 )have almost zero predictive value. And that BABIP is almost certainly going to regress significantly. Last night, he hit a soft bloop single to left over the head of the shortstop and a soft liner to right that was not exactly squared up. A great number of his hits, especially earlier in the season, were of the infield and bloop variety. He's probably improved his plate approach since 2012, but he's still not spraying line drives or driving the ball with much authority, nor is he striking out much less or walking much more. It may be instructive to compare the peripherals of Iglesias, Ciriaco, and Drew so far in 2013: Name | PAs | BB% | K% | ISO | BABIP | Jose Iglesias | 55 | 1.8% | 18.2% | .098 | .524 | Pedro Ciriaco | 53 | 11.3% | 18.9% | .152 | .278 | Stephen Drew | 171 | 13.5% | 25.1% | .163 | .277 |
Note that Iglesias is worse than Ciriaco in pretty much every offensive peripheral aside from an insignificantly better strikeout rate. And while Iglesias strikes out less than Drew, Drew's far superior plate discipline and power is more than enough to bridge the gap and make him the better offensive player. Granted, Iglesias' defense is obviously magical, but we shouldn't assume that Iglesias' offensive has suddenly improved enough to even sniff Drew's offensive production. I think Iglesias' career marks to date (.256/.309/.336, .320 BABIP) represent an optimistic projection for him going forward. I'm fairly happy to have him replace Ciriaco as the utility infielder if Iglesias can sustain that triple-slash, but that's not good enough for me to confidently trade away Drew, especially considering Iglesias' injury history. Sure, Ben should take any inquiring calls and if someone wants to overpay for Drew, I would consider it, but I certainly wouldn't go out and shop what is, by a fair margin, the best SS on the roster just because he's a FA at year's end.
|
|
danr
Veteran
Posts: 1,871
|
Post by danr on Jun 2, 2013 10:01:16 GMT -5
At the plate Iglesias does not look like the player described in scouting reports in the past. His swing is quick and compact. He isn't chasing many pitches. While he has had a number of infield hits, he also has made solid contact. There isn't much power there, but that isn't necessary. He just looks like a different player now, and he also is getting much better results.
Can we speculate that maybe he will not revert entirely to norm? Maybe we're seeing someone who can hit .275-.280 with doubles power. If that is the case, then he will be an All-Star shortstop. Considering how long it has been since the Red Sox had a really good shortstop, I would not waste this opportunity. There is no way I would send him back to AAA.
|
|
|
Post by larrycook on Jun 2, 2013 10:42:37 GMT -5
At the plate Iglesias does not look like the player described in scouting reports in the past. His swing is quick and compact. He isn't chasing many pitches. While he has had a number of infield hits, he also has made solid contact. There isn't much power there, but that isn't necessary. He just looks like a different player now, and he also is getting much better results. Can we speculate that maybe he will not revert entirely to norm? Maybe we're seeing someone who can hit .275-.280 with doubles power. If that is the case, then he will be an All-Star shortstop. Considering how long it has been since the Red Sox had a really good shortstop, I would not waste this opportunity. There is no way I would send him back to AAA. I don't think you can infer much yet from a sample size of 55 At bats. However the fact that Ortiz is whispering in Iggy's ear before Iggy steps into the on deck circle tells me that Iggy is getting some type of pointers that maybe he would not receive in Pawtucket. And you can not dismiss that incredible defense. So if you believe Bogey is the future Sox SS,would not the rest of this year and the first half of next year, be an ideal time to showcase Iggy?
|
|
|
Post by onbase on Jun 2, 2013 10:56:55 GMT -5
Although it will never happen, this is an ideal scenario where WMB can spend some extended time rehabbing and working on pitch selection outside of the spotlight of Boston. He does have options, and clearly has a large hole in his offensive approach that was hurting the team. That would allow Iglesias to stay up without having to rush a decision, doesn't sacrifice any depth and continues to put out a team that is fully capable of winning games. Is this truly unrealistic? It does seem that Jose has more to learn / gain at MLB speed, and given his athletic talents that makes sense. You don't make the math wiz sit in the remedial arithmetic class. WMB does appear to be in need of a little remedial work, and might benefit from completing the AAA course he left early last year. It's no insult for him to spend the time in Pawtucket, and his power is wasted if he isn't swinging at the right pitches.
|
|
|