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Post by mandelbro on Jul 2, 2018 10:33:32 GMT -5
The shift is ingenious. Don't like it? Beat it.
Baseball has a bit of an identity crisis right now. Rob Manfred thinks the game isn't "exciting" enough. With the subtext being that other sports that are more popular with young people (read: NBA) are "exciting".
But no matter how badly Mr. Manfred wants to snap his fingers and turn baseball into basketball, its not going to happen. You can't make baseball games as short and fast-paced as basketball ones. All these arbitrary and frivolous rule changes will only serve to make baseball an inferior version of a hypothetical fast-paced and exciting product. Rather than a superior version of the product that baseball already is.
As for the Boras angle, his interests aren't mine, or baseball's, and that's OK. He's a great agent.
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Post by mandelbro on Mar 27, 2018 9:31:50 GMT -5
I was unimpressed with Quiroz. Seems to have a big hole in his swing.
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Post by mandelbro on Mar 16, 2018 13:40:55 GMT -5
If Poyner's so wonderful, he can get a few batters out at AAA. Brian Johnson and Elias have done a lot more to be on the 40-man than get some guys out in spring training. I don't understand the impatience.
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Post by mandelbro on Mar 13, 2018 7:49:27 GMT -5
I haven't seen any games and so I really can't comment on Swihart's catching, but I don't really want to see the guy in a utility role. At this point, I don't see the Sox having a choice. Leon could probably fetch a decent B prospect, no? Someone that slots in the 20-30 range ? Jeez, I know it isn't easy, but this has been the plan all along. If a spate of catcher injuries occurs (god forbid), there shouldn't be any 2nd guessing with letting Leon go. But Chris Sale likes Sandy Leon, so whether or not he's actually the better player doesn't actually matter.
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Post by mandelbro on Mar 11, 2018 10:24:15 GMT -5
Actually I thought Travis had more of an uppercut swing this spring. He does have power and has 3 HRs so far FWIW. Working with Elias to drop down vs lefties in a relief role is interesting...It's rare to see a LH batter look comfortable vs sidearm lefties...and Elias isn't a 'slopper' trying to get by. I am surprised more pitchers, from both sides, don't employ sidearm in given situations. The change in look alone can be disconcerting. IIRC, Elias had a LOOGY-esque arm slot when we acquired him, and a split to match. And we've worked on him being more over-the-top in AAA so he can be a starter in the bigs. So its not like they have to teach him something he hasn't done before.
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Post by mandelbro on Mar 8, 2018 11:27:54 GMT -5
1-2 is Betts-Benintendi
4-5 is Martinez-Devers
3, 6, and 7 are Bogaerts, Pedroia and Ramirez, in some order that depends on whose 2017 season was a fluke and whose wasn't.
8-9 is catcher-JBJ
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Post by mandelbro on Feb 28, 2018 2:20:47 GMT -5
Of the remaining LOOGY/shuttle crew, I’m most fascinated with Austin Maddox, who has a very big FB and an inconsistently nasty CH who somehow managed to rediscover his minor-league control last fall after struggling some with it in AA and a lot in AAA. A SwStr rate of over 14% and an O-Swing of 38% make him my dark horse late-inning candidate. I'm with you, Maddox is the one I'm most curious about. His fastball is alive. It's not the speed alone, its the late movement. Kelly is weird. His peripherals don't say he should be having as much success as he's had out of the pen so far for us. But it has worked so far.
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Post by mandelbro on Feb 26, 2018 9:57:54 GMT -5
For some reason I always had the impression that if he stayed healthy and and got enough at bats, Swihart would be a productive hitter. The partial season he put together in 2015 was all you need to see. 1.5 fWAR/93 wRC+ as a 23 year old catcher. He can spray the ball all over the field, he can throw, he can fight off pitches, he can score from first. The kid's the goods. He wasn't perfect. Show me a 23 year old catcher who is. I wasn't the biggest critic of John Farrell. But my least favorite thing about him was his tendency to caddy for the pitchers over making decisions in the best interest the club. And the worst example of that was throwing Swihart under the bus after a week in 2016 because the pitchers weren't doing their job. Swihart might make the club as a utility player. But if he does, I'm willing to bet that by the end of the season, he'll have seized the role he should have had a fair chance at a long time ago.
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Post by mandelbro on Feb 25, 2018 14:40:58 GMT -5
Is there room on the Kemp bandwagon? Given how raw he was coming into the system, and how good the tools are, his debut in Salem had him looking like last year's breakout. Then he got hurt. He's my pick if he's healthy and ready to play. I'm with you. If I had to pick a position player to watch for a meteoric rise, I'd go with Trent Kemp. Has tools and his results have trended up in spite of moving up levels. Darwinzon Hernandez would be my choice of a pitcher. Being a tough look lefty, I don't think he's far off the major leagues in some kind of role, and with some maturation he'd be an MLB starter.
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Post by mandelbro on Aug 23, 2017 9:28:22 GMT -5
I would absolutely read Lars' memoirs. He had a gifted eye for detail and a smooth writing style. Same, that series has quickly become the best thing on FG. The kid has real talent. Likable tone, occasionally poetic, finds a lot of broader cultural observations in the mundane. I hope he keeps writing.
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Post by mandelbro on Aug 22, 2017 10:21:32 GMT -5
I'm having a hard time with the idea that Matt Barnes is a demonstrably worse option than Brandon Workman. Barnes has been a fairly average-to-good reliever this year. 3.60/3.20/3.41 ERA/FIP/xFIP even after last night's debacle. Workman's coming off a nice 10 innings or so but why are people so sure he's better than Barnes? The problem with Barnes is that when he enters the game I can usually tell within one or two pitches what he's going to give the team that night (which means its probably pretty apparent in the bullpen too??), yet Farrell insists on giving him opportunities to try to fight his way out of it in the middle of high leverage innings and situations. That is likely because he wants Barnes to feel good about himself and not get pulled shortly after entering. Unfortunately, the team can't afford that right now. If Barnes cant find the zone, get him out immediately and manage for the win. If Barnes doesn't like that, he can pitch better or more consistently. Its August, its time to focus on the team not the individuals... I know what you mean. It's maddening watching Barnes throw noncompetitive 1st and 2nd pitches out there. My problem is this - I'm not ready to buy on Workman as a true talent late inning reliever. He came up big in a few PA here and there in 2013, but overall he wasn't particularly good in either 2013 or 2014. He didn't have great stuff before or great results. Did he really become a whole different pitcher over his rehab?
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Post by mandelbro on Aug 22, 2017 9:59:06 GMT -5
I'm having a hard time with the idea that Matt Barnes is a demonstrably worse option than Brandon Workman.
Barnes has been a fairly average-to-good reliever this year. 3.60/3.20/3.41 ERA/FIP/xFIP even after last night's debacle. Workman's coming off a nice 10 innings or so but why are people so sure he's better than Barnes?
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Post by mandelbro on Aug 18, 2017 11:12:07 GMT -5
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Post by mandelbro on Aug 10, 2017 0:02:29 GMT -5
Here's a naive but sincere question. How do you explain the struggles of a guy like Swihart in the Gulf League compared with the "success" a guy like Everlouis Lozada is having, fresh from the Dominican League? I understand that Swihart is rehabbing and it's obviously a SSS. And if you called both of them up to the bigs tomorrow Swihart couold probably hold his own and Everlouis would be waaay overmatched. But is there any explanation for Swihart's struggles compared to Lozada's "success"? I'll hang up and listen for a response. SSS and rust, mostly. But that's always sort of fascinated me - MLB guy goes down on rehab, doesn't do well, gets recalled and he's fine? You could also, in some cases, chalk it up to a guy being there to get his work in. A rehabbing player isn't necessarily being evaluated based upon whether his hits are falling in, but rather on whether he's able to play without pain or something like that. I don't mean a guy isn't trying, but the focus isn't the same as when you're at the appropriate level. Swihart in particular's big league track record seems out of proportion to his relatively pedestrian career at AAA. Here's the OPS #s: AAA: .659 in 2014, .714 in 2015, .655 in 2016 MLB: .712 in 2015, .720 in 2016 He's been hurt a lot. But I've also wondered if his relative success at the big league level in 2015-2016 is a reflection of his skillset. He has a relatively unrefined approach, but can get the bat on the ball very well. That's not ideal for hitting a bomb off a journeyman in AAA but it helps when trying to foul off 95 mph heaters in the AL. Think there's any truth to that?
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Post by mandelbro on Aug 9, 2017 9:23:53 GMT -5
Let me know thoughts: 1. Devers 2. Groome 3. Chavis 4. Flores 5. Houck 6. Mata 7. Beeks 8. Shawaryn 9. Scherff 10. Ockimey I don't get the hype about Travis. Based upon the position he plays, I don't ever see him putting up numbers better than Moreland and all anybody does on here is rip Moreland apart, yet he's a very good fielder and is playing w a broken toe. I'd be way more excited about Travis if he were a CF or 2B. As a 1B, I'm not excited and definitely would not hand him the job next year. I'd have a different Plan A. Yeah, I believe in his cup of coffee he hit 1 wall ball and got 1 ball to the warning track. I love his batting eye and contact ability, and he deserves to be a highly ranked prospect for his age-advanced MiLB production. But there's so much pressure on his AVG/OBP in the majors to be outstanding, not just good. It'd be one thing if he had notable defensive chops but he doesn't. It's all on the hit tool right now. Now that Dalbec and Ockimey have been dropped, the site rankings are about where I'd have them. I'd probably push Darwinzon Hernandez higher since he seems like he has an interesting floor if fast-tracked in relief. His velocity + delivery combo is tough.
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Post by mandelbro on Aug 1, 2017 19:12:04 GMT -5
It's early, but Nunez over Todd Frazier is working out.
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Post by mandelbro on Aug 1, 2017 18:57:38 GMT -5
Seriously, i hope this isn't an arm issue thing. Velo is still good, right? Velo is fine. He looks fine. File it under baseball happening.
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Post by mandelbro on Aug 1, 2017 18:42:57 GMT -5
Good news for Leon. They wouldn't move on from the dude when Buchholz liked him. Sale? Total job security.
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Post by mandelbro on Aug 1, 2017 16:40:50 GMT -5
The full list is Devers, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams (3x), Tony C. (2x) and Dalton Jones (2x). I never even heard of Dalton Jones and after I looked him up, I see why. What a strange addition to the list. In his rookie year when he was 20, he only hit .230/.274/.342. Isn't that curious? It's not like he got off to a fast start and burned out, he was a mediocre rookie who ran into the feat twice.
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Post by mandelbro on Aug 1, 2017 16:06:47 GMT -5
From 108 Stitches: According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Devers joined Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, and Tony Conigliaro as the only Red Sox 20 or younger to go 4 for 4 or better. The full list is Devers, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams (3x), Tony C. (2x) and Dalton Jones (2x).
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Post by mandelbro on Jul 31, 2017 13:01:00 GMT -5
In order to build a team to "win now," the Red Sox have traded Shaun Anderson, Gregory Santos, Yeison Coca, Mauricio Dubon, Josh Pennington, Travis Shaw, Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Luis Alexander Basabe, Victor Diaz, Pat Light, Anderson Espinoza, Luis Alejandro Basabe, Jose Almonte, Wendell Rijo, Aaron Wilkerson, Jonathan Aro, Wade Miley, Manuel Margot, Javier Guerra, Logan Allen, and Carlos Asuaje in the last 20 months. They are starting Doug Fister against the Cleveland Indians tonight. Yeah but they got Craig Kimbrel, Chris Sale, Drew Pomeranz, Abad, Ziegler, Aaron Hill and Nunez, all which have been at least useful in one way or another. The only real clunker among those was the Thornburg trade, because he has been injured and Shaw has been a breakout star. Ignoring Travis Shaw because that was clearly an idiotic trade, I think you're underrating a team that has won the division once and is (was?) on the way to win again or overrating a group that mixes top prospects with flat out non-prospects. You're right that the only one that has truly come back to bite is Shaw so far. But when you've traded 22 players, and have 6 that aren't rentals to show for it, you're seriously tempting fate. At some level, it's just poor management of the unknown.
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Post by mandelbro on Jul 28, 2017 12:03:07 GMT -5
I'm not saying that Price is the people's champ, and he's definitely defensive/abrasive at times, but I definitely think that the media has greatly exacerbated whatever problem he has created. His teammates seem to like him, so that's all I care about. If he's not on good terms with the media, oh well. The Sox are playing poorly because of their offense. I don't care much for the media targeting someone who has helped stabilize one of the best rotations in baseball. If he's a dick, he's a dick. But he's cool with his teammates and helps the Sox win games. His teammates have always liked him. Everywhere he's gone he's been praised as a leader. Not only that, he's always been on good teams. Golden era of the TB franchise. Playoff Toronto and Detroit teams. A Boston team that got 1st in the AL East last year and is winning the AL East this year. The notion that Price is a dick does not seem to exist within actual baseball.
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Post by mandelbro on Jul 28, 2017 11:14:33 GMT -5
Christmas in July for the the crowd that's into the "Days of our Lives" school of watching people play sports.
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Post by mandelbro on Jul 28, 2017 9:34:49 GMT -5
Players hate when announcers are critical and Eckersley is uncommonly critical for a local announcer. In most respects, local announcers act as promoters more than analysts. That is, by the way, why it's often so hard to listen to a telecast of a team you don't root for. The constant propping up of mediocre players and whitewashing of poor performances and plays is infuriating. Three years ago I listened to Michael Kay explain eight times that Derek Jeter not covering third base on a bunt down the third base line with men on first and second wasn't actually his fault. There are countless other examples, but I think we all identify here with the kid gloves that Jeter's faults were treated with, so that's kind of my go-to case of announcers existing basically to promote and absolve. The reason Eckersley is so refreshing is that he doesn't do that crud. And I'm sure the players hate it. The nature of the beast is that the game telecasts aren't meant to be an objective discussion of the action on the field, they are meant to be active promotions for the home team. It's been that way for as long as I've been watching baseball. It's why Sean McDonough was elbowed out the door 15 years ago. It's dumb, but it's also important to understand this whole thing in the context of how the players - especially the veteran ones - have been treated by local guys their whole career. EDIT: What I'm saying is, this is the fault of Josh Beckett in even-numbered years, Clay Buchholz, and probably Adrian Gonzalez's religiosity. It's not like Eckersley is unfair. He's effusive in his praise of the Sox players when he sees it as deserving. He's criticial when he doesn't. And he actually does his research for the broadcasts. He knows who the players on the other team are, what kind of seasons they are having, and their strengths and weaknesses. Remy has a fun personality, but the difference in professionalism is glaring to me.
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Post by mandelbro on Jul 28, 2017 0:05:25 GMT -5
DSL Yankees score 21 runs on 11 hits, including 19 in one inning. Play-by-play.Errors, walks, wild pitches, and a bunch of hits in the direction of the unfortunate Jevi Hernandez.
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