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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 13, 2021 7:04:28 GMT -5
Whitlock, Pivetta, Robles, Schwarber, Hernandez, Renfroe, Verdugo, Mayer, Yorke, Blaze Jordan... How can you rate Bloom as anything other than phenomenal? I'll give you the major league pieces but I think it's a tad early to be taking victory laps on Mayer, Yorke and Blaze. I would say that taking Yorke where the Sox did in the first when he was rated as a 4th rd pick took a lot of stones. It was Blooms first pick as the GM and it certainly looks like a grand slam at this time, many people have had to eat their commentary on that. Bottom line is we should all be very happy with our new GM.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 12, 2021 16:45:10 GMT -5
I just think the character of this team right now is such that they are really trust each other and picking each other up. Good baseball happens when these things are occurring. Guys don’t press too hard, they play loose they play with confidence. I am thinking this is going to help Chris relieve some of the pressure on himself, possibly. If anything can help him relax and just focus on doing his thing and not overthinking it, it’s this factor. I think it’s very possible we get a good 5 innings from him, maybe 1 or 2 runs. It would really help Chris I think if he doesn’t feel like he has to do it all himself but trusts the team will pick him up like they did in Tampa. We shall see. But I think the way the team is conducting themselves lately will help him settle down and deliver the results he is capable of, even if he is not 100%. Maybe they got all of the bad not so loose play out of their system and have learned to overcome it and have fun. It's always fun when your averaging 15 hits a game.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 12, 2021 16:19:48 GMT -5
"wasn't even top 30" Out of how many players was he not top 30? I mean really guys do you remember how bad he was to start the season? From May on he was better than JD and we are going to say he had a fine season. He had a fine season for an established very good player. For a guy that Bloom got for nothing and nothing was really expected from he had a great year. Just like Kiké did. Renfroe is a big reason why the Sox are in the playoffs. He single handedly won games down the stretch. He can be my Rt, fielder for the next few years. Right. From May 26 Renfroe hit .274 .335 .551 .886; overall he did a great job in the toughest RF in baseball, played a few games in CF to help the offense, and had 16 assists, many of them improbable and clutch. And a lot of that praise and "all-star talk" came when he was hitting .290 .351 .583 .934 from May 26 to Sept 8, which put him in the group with Xander and Raffy. (.211 .268 .421 .689 from Sept 10 to the end, and now not much of a threat in the ALDS) I know you can't just throw out the first six or seven weeks, but only nine OF in baseball had an OPS of .870 or higher; tenth was the Dodgers RF at .854. Even counting his bad start his OPS was .816, 13th in mlb, just ahead of Arozarena (yes, I know it's relevant that OPS overvalues his power and under-penalizes his modest OBP) I think he developed as a hitter this year. I think they had him working on his approach and it worked. He didn't start hitting for power until a bit later. He first improved his plate discipline and upped his average a lot before actually hitting for power. I would not be surprised if he was even better next year, building on what he learned this season. I think I read him mentioning they wanted him to focus on hitting the ball to center. I know his defensive metrics are actually bad but more time in Fenways RT fd should help. Pretty damn good for a #6 hitter in the order.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 12, 2021 16:11:14 GMT -5
In Bloom I think we have someone very good at his job. Take the TBay methods of doing things and combine it with a big market budget and the Sox should be relevant for a long time. For example, the TBay way of constructing and coaching a pitching staff where guys hardly ever see the opposing lineup 3 times in a game works better during the season than in the playoffs. So the Sox can combine that philosophy with the budget to have an ace like Sale and Eovaldi and a solid 5 man rotation. Not having that just killed the Rays. Also the Sox have Cora who I think is one of the best in the game. The ML pipeline is looking great, the team is taking on Blooms identity and the future is bright. It has to be as the AL East is absolutely loaded. Which leads me to this thought on the ALCS. Neither the Stros or the Wsox have had the same level of competition as the Sox, especially since the break. Will that make a difference? Well, it wasn't Bloom whose signature is on those contracts, both of which were considered wild overpays (one has been redeemed, while the for the second the jury is still getting their first pizza order together).
I believe that whether Chaim combines "TB methods" with, let's call them "DD methods," is still an open question that will first be truly answered this offseason. To date, he has been focusing on the former, given the state of the team (at all levels) that he inherited, post-2018-all-in-season.
So, will he go after top-market guys like Scherzer or S. Marte (my 2022 FA crushes)? Will he make room for them by trading guys whose market values might be peaking now (e.g. Renfroe, Duran)? This is on top of continuing to make smart acquisitions of cheaper, controllable guys like he's done with Pivetta, Whitlock, Seabold, Verdugo. Who, for example, will be the next Renfroe or Kiké (not necessarily an OF but another cheap player whose value spikes following his acquisition)?
It's almost a spanner in Chaim's works that the 2021 team has already made the final 4 (as of this writing), with as good a chance as anyone to keep the line moving. Makes it tougher to shake things up in the winter (failing to do so being one of the reasons that emerged for DD's removal after he was largely responsible for the best single-year team in a century).
Get your popcorn ready...
I don't think he goes to the top of the FA's available. I think he signs some guys that help the team but I like a lot of this team and can see him spending money on pitching mostly. A lot depends on JD and what he decides, I like Schwarber.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 12, 2021 16:07:40 GMT -5
In Bloom I think we have someone very good at his job. Take the TBay methods of doing things and combine it with a big market budget and the Sox should be relevant for a long time. For example, the TBay way of constructing and coaching a pitching staff where guys hardly ever see the opposing lineup 3 times in a game works better during the season than in the playoffs. So the Sox can combine that philosophy with the budget to have an ace like Sale and Eovaldi and a solid 5 man rotation. Not having that just killed the Rays. Also the Sox have Cora who I think is one of the best in the game. The ML pipeline is looking great, the team is taking on Blooms identity and the future is bright. It has to be as the AL East is absolutely loaded. Which leads me to this thought on the ALCS. Neither the Stros or the Wsox have had the same level of competition as the Sox, especially since the break. Will that make a difference? I don't understand this TB method, its all A's/Moneyball to me. Its not like Bill James worked for TB or something like that. I really like Chaim Bloom, but he's no Theo. But I wouldn't mind if he came close or surpassed him. The Rays were a bad team (and I understand they were an expansion team, Arizona Diamondbacks says Hi) from 1998-2007, they drafted high and got some good players through international and FA. Then they were good from 2008-2013. Them they traded their core or could not afford to sign their top players and were bad once again from 2014-2017. In that time they drafted high and signed some good players from international (Wander says Hello) and FA. And now they have been good from 2018 until now. Just like the A's. I understand because of our history and incredible fanbase we have a higher payroll (we have double their payroll) but that says more about them than us. We have 4 titles to their 0. We have had better homegrown players: Xander, Devers, Moncada, Lester, Pedey, Rizzo etc; and we have drafted and developed a generational talent like Mookie despite drafting so low. And I also hear they are good at taking bargain players and making them good, but I want to know if any of their bargain players (in their whole existence) is better than David Américo Ortiz Arias, now that was a bargain. I give them credit, they do very well with a much lower payroll. But every time I see them, I keep thinking about what Joe Morgan said about the A's. They can do this in the regular season but in a playoff series all those weakness will be exposed. Using their methods they let go of Morton, Snell and those 2 alone would of made the difference. Maybe Wander Franco will be great, the next Trout or whatever but unless TB changes their ways, he will be traded in 5-6 years. And this cycle of being the Bridesmaids will continue just ask Billy Beane. Bloom actually wrote a player development manual for the team called the Rays Way. So it is real simple. You combine the Rays Way with a 200 million dollar payroll and always compete. Heck TBay competes with a 70 million payroll. And the Sox are well on their way, ahead of schedule. And I don't think the pitching philosophy started in Oakland, that started in TBay. That is what Bloom has pushed from the beginning. It's really simple, guys don't go threw the lineup 3 times very often and the relievers can give you 2+. Doesn't work in the playoffs but the Sox can afford an actual rotation with an ace or 2.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 12, 2021 7:44:33 GMT -5
Does the start day of the ALCS depend on whether or not Houston wins tonight? Or does the ALCS start on October XX regardless of how Houston/Chicago plays out? The game is scheduled for friday regardless, I guess another rain out would matter but as of now it is friday.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 12, 2021 6:51:38 GMT -5
In Bloom I think we have someone very good at his job. Take the TBay methods of doing things and combine it with a big market budget and the Sox should be relevant for a long time.
For example, the TBay way of constructing and coaching a pitching staff where guys hardly ever see the opposing lineup 3 times in a game works better during the season than in the playoffs. So the Sox can combine that philosophy with the budget to have an ace like Sale and Eovaldi and a solid 5 man rotation. Not having that just killed the Rays.
Also the Sox have Cora who I think is one of the best in the game.
The ML pipeline is looking great, the team is taking on Blooms identity and the future is bright. It has to be as the AL East is absolutely loaded. Which leads me to this thought on the ALCS. Neither the Stros or the Wsox have had the same level of competition as the Sox, especially since the break. Will that make a difference?
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 12, 2021 6:34:32 GMT -5
The Red Sox got the best player available in the draft the same year they made th ALCS. Let that sink in. Not to mention what looks like the steal of the 2020 draft in Nick Yorke who had one of the more exciting seasons in recent memory.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 12, 2021 6:09:30 GMT -5
I just watched Cora's post game. If I were a ball player, I would love to play for this dude. He is smart, he connects well, he cares, he plans - and he supports his players and believes in them. I remember interviews with John Farrell - what a contrast. I could listen to Cora talk baseball all day. The Sox are pretty damn lucky to have him. So interesting how this team oscillates from great to bad to great to ..... Cora coming back this season is why I thought they would be good again, he is one of the best in my eyes. Of course the big 3 also had me more optimistic than most.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 11, 2021 21:50:16 GMT -5
Next game is Friday so the staff can regroup, big bonus.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 11, 2021 21:45:21 GMT -5
One of the biggest mistakes in judgment in my lifetime of RS fanatacism: hating the KKH signing. That guy just flat-out balls. We were all hating on him back in April and May, figures he would be the playoff MVP at this point.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 11, 2021 21:36:33 GMT -5
Their we go boys their we go!!!!
On the the next series with a little bit of rest!!
Anything can happen!!
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 11, 2021 21:33:39 GMT -5
Come on Kiké
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 11, 2021 21:11:34 GMT -5
HE IS SAFE!! \
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 11, 2021 20:35:28 GMT -5
There ya go Raffy... Bogeys turn.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 11, 2021 20:33:22 GMT -5
OK lets make something happen here!!
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 11, 2021 20:15:36 GMT -5
Let's answer back right now. Hoping the Sox hitters stay within themselves and don't expand the zone. Like CV just did.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 11, 2021 20:05:52 GMT -5
Time for the bats to come back alive.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 11, 2021 20:03:59 GMT -5
Love Houck but wasn't a fan of bringing him in on 2 days rest, let's get out of this inning.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 11, 2021 19:57:37 GMT -5
That ball fell in no mans land.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 11, 2021 19:56:31 GMT -5
We all called it.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 11, 2021 19:52:30 GMT -5
Erod starts the 6th with an ultra quick hook after Kiermair, he has done his job. Don't give the Rays top of the order a chance to do any damage.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 11, 2021 19:38:51 GMT -5
Man, if I was the Rays fan I'd have gone ballistic about bringing in McClanahan. What could the thinking have been there? Game 5 was going to be must-win as well... Like I said, it was an all in for tonight move. Have to win tonight to get to game 5.
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 11, 2021 19:12:46 GMT -5
The McClanahan move was an all in for this game move and it has backfired spectacularly. Go Sox!!!
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Post by voiceofreason on Oct 11, 2021 18:35:30 GMT -5
Ump has been inconsistent and ERod is dealing. Time for the bats to get going!!
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