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6/5-6/7 Red Sox vs. Athletics Series Thread
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Post by Oregon Norm on Jun 6, 2015 19:39:26 GMT -5
Something is wrong This sort of fits in with the Tee-shirts they had printed up to begin the season, doesn't it? I'm #1, no I'm #1, no... Besides, you're asking a lot of pop media. This isn't the "old days" when stuff that got published was actually vetted through an editor. Isn't that obsolete as a business practice?
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dd
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Post by dd on Jun 6, 2015 19:55:09 GMT -5
Funky games from the Umpires. That ball was easily 6" to 8" below Ortiz' knees. You'll have a hard time convincing me this isn't part of some master plan. Great consistency for the hitters when the rules morph from one year to the next, no? It seems like it's one umpire to the next, way worse. But a wide strike zone like this will do wonders for Kelly with his ridiculous movement. No stats here but watching it on TV today was ridiculous. The most ridiculous part of it was the inconsistency. OTOH, by that same eyeball metric, until today I can't really say I've noticed that more bad pitches have been called strikes this year than in previous years. In fact it seemed to me that on average the umps have been a bit more on top of things this year. I've been yelling (or laughing when the Sox were the beneficiaries of calls) at my TV less this year than in previous years. OTTH, I agree with the person (brainthetoast?) who said automating ball/strike calls should be a MLB priority. There's a way to get this stuff right, at least at the major league level, so let's just do it!
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Post by soxfan06 on Jun 6, 2015 20:34:59 GMT -5
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nomar
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Post by nomar on Jun 6, 2015 21:38:10 GMT -5
I really can't imagine him bumping Rodriguez or Kelly from the rotation
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Post by DesignatedForAssignment on Jun 6, 2015 23:11:59 GMT -5
where are the Farrell critics this weekend?
1. Hanley out 4-3 to end the 8th, then Castillo off bench to RF (Hanley out) 2. Why not Bianchi off the bench to 3B and Holt to RF or LF?
A. Holt a better OF than Castillo? B. Bianchi a better 3B than Holt?
Color me baffled.
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Post by youngbillrussell on Jun 6, 2015 23:18:22 GMT -5
Holt is great but he's not a better outfielder than Castillo.
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Post by DesignatedForAssignment on Jun 7, 2015 0:26:31 GMT -5
Holt is great but he's not a better outfielder than Castillo. all of the barking on here makes it sound like Castillo is a liability.
I will have to adjust my notes and filter out the rants.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Jun 7, 2015 0:40:18 GMT -5
Holt is great but he's not a better outfielder than Castillo. I think Holt is the practically perfect utility player. He could easily be a starter at 2B for a second division club but he's too valuable for the team to trade away given the bat and his ability to be slightly below to slightly above avg defensively at so many positions. He's marginal enough at 3B and SS that he'd be exposed with enough playing time at either. That said, he's more than adequate at the plate no matter where you play him. As for his unbounded drive to thrive, the BP annual put it well - "a grind-it-out attitude that makes high school coaches weak in the knees"... He's a keeper.
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Post by brianthetaoist on Jun 7, 2015 6:55:54 GMT -5
I think "Utility Player" should be upgraded a little bit in the collective mind of baseball fans ... it's almost worth making it an All-Star position, or at least an award like the Sixth Man award in basketball. With the big pitching staffs and small benches of today's game, a guy like Brock Holt is really, really valuable doing just what he's doing, backing up every position on the field and playing often. He's on pace for over 500 PAs for the season, and doing it at a near 800 OPS right now. I wish I could easily compare his stats with other utility guys, but my guess is that he's far better than the average.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Jun 7, 2015 8:15:06 GMT -5
Holt over Panda again today at 3b , DeAza over Rusney in rf. Manager is trying. Bless his little heart I don't think we have any possible lineup that would hit Chavez well at this point. Although we have shown signs of life lately. Not to target you, just to make a point. It's almost impossible to predict what will happen game-to-game. That was the most hits Chavez has given up all year, I believe. So the lineup hit him very well and there could easily have been more. Ramirez hit the ball on the screws every time up. Hitting it right at people doesn't change that, which makes the rally-killing rant that gets thrown around tiresome. You know what the difference is between Betts last year and Betts 2.0? It's 70 points of batting avg on balls he puts into play, a random variable that the player has very little control over. It's also one that will find its way back to .300 or so at some point. Chavez made mistakes, but balls found holes and came of the wall at funny angles too. That is baseball, and what baseball's do. On a day to day basis, you might as well try to predict a pinball machine.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jun 7, 2015 10:17:43 GMT -5
IMO Holt's sometimes remarkable defense at 7 positions, bis often above average bat (especially when not comcussed), his Speed on the bases and in the field, his baseball acumen and constant hustle make him among the more valuable impact players on the team.
As a still young veteran, if he is able tl grind through the entire 2015 season of all-out play without wearing down, he will make his case to be not just a keeper, but a core player on this team. He seems to be in the process of becoming a prototype of a rare and valuable asset, like Zobrist or that ambidexterous pitcher whose name fails me, as evidenced by the recent moves by Cecchini, Marrero, Shaw in AAA. Count me as being in awe of his skillset.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jun 7, 2015 10:21:46 GMT -5
Fully agree on a utilty All Star spot, like a DH.
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danr
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Post by danr on Jun 7, 2015 10:34:36 GMT -5
Scott Lauber @scottlauber 10m10 minutes ago Joe Kelly will remain in rotation and start Friday. Steven Wright to bullpen #RedSox
Scott Lauber @scottlauber 10m10 minutes ago Justin Masterson will make another rehab start Wednesday for Pawtucket #RedSox
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Post by DesignatedForAssignment on Jun 7, 2015 10:49:15 GMT -5
twitter 6/7 vs. OAK: Pedroia 2B, Holt RF, Ramirez LF, Ortiz DH, Napoli 1B, Sandoval 3B, Bogaerts SS, Leon C, Castillo CF, Buchholz RHP.
Betts, De Aza on bench.
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Post by fenwaythehardway on Jun 7, 2015 10:53:25 GMT -5
Bless his little heart I don't think we have any possible lineup that would hit Chavez well at this point. Although we have shown signs of life lately. Not to target you, just to make a point. It's almost impossible to predict what will happen game-to-game. That was the most hits Chavez has given up all year, I believe. So the lineup hit him very well and there could easily have been more. Ramirez hit the ball on the screws every time up. Hitting it right at people doesn't change that, which makes the rally-killing rant that gets thrown around tiresome. You know what the difference is between Betts last year and Betts 2.0? It's 70 points of batting avg on balls he puts into play, a random variable that the player has very little control over. It's also one that will find its way back to .300 or so at some point.
Chavez made mistakes, but balls found holes and came of the wall at funny angles too. That is baseball, and what baseball's do. On a day to day basis, you might as well try to predict a pinball machine. Not that Mookie's BABIP is going to stay at .255, but BABIP isn't totally random and I'm starting to think Mookie may actually be a low BABIP guy. He hits a lot of fly balls which have a lower expected BABIP, and worse, for his career, 11.8% of his batted balls have been infield flies. He's going to end up with a lower batting average than his high contact rates would suggest because a lot of that contact is fly balls (low BABIP) and popup (BABIP rounds to zero). If you look at his entire major league career to this point, it's a .263/.330/.406 hitter with a .287 BABIP, and I think that's probably representative of his actual talent at this point. For what it's worth, that's pretty much how ZiPS and Steamer see him at this point. It'll be interesting to see how he develops from this point. I know there's been some excitement about his power potential, but I wonder if trying to be that type of hitter isn't doing more harm than good. Are all these balls in the air that rarely leave the park worth it for a player who can beat out grounders and steal bases?
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Post by jmei on Jun 7, 2015 11:05:10 GMT -5
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Post by jimed14 on Jun 7, 2015 12:36:57 GMT -5
Too many fly balls are a problem? I thought that's what they wanted, especially in Fenway.
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Post by jimed14 on Jun 7, 2015 12:38:22 GMT -5
Forgot to post this. Worst of the year, I bet.
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Post by Guidas on Jun 7, 2015 12:43:56 GMT -5
Anyone know how to use Brooks or another tool to show us if the zone has gotten wider from last year, or even over the last 3 years. The league is complaining about reduced offense and yet if it has let the zone get deeper and wider, well, um, that'll do it.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Jun 7, 2015 12:44:37 GMT -5
Here are his BABIP numbers from his time in the Sox system: A- | .298 | A | .322 | A+ | .346 | AA | .366 | AAA | .380 | BOS | .327 | BOS | .255 |
One of those is not quite like the others. Now, it could be that since these are primarily from the minors, the outfield talent he was up against was so bad that lazy fly balls were an absolute mystery to them. You'll understand if I'm not going to buy that just yet. Instead, let me offer up my own analysis. He mentioned at the beginning of the year that he was going to be more aggressive. That has him swinging harder at more pitches, instead of doing what we watched last year as he rifled low liners down the line in right on balls away. Incidentally, he did just that yesterday in one of his at bats, so he may be cuing in to the drift. Pitchers keep books. Only the most obtuse ones haven't figured out that this guy is death to hard stuff inside. His early stated approach countermands that, it plays into he hands of the pitching class. I've also watched many of the games he's played in this year. He's hit shot after shot that had him shaking his head. That he hit them at people is part of what's going on, I believe. I also think the process of adjustment may just take him back to a more selective approach, one that will come with an understanding of what pitchers are trying to do to him since he does kill that inside stuff. He's no dummy, so I think we'll see that BABIP number get right back up to where it's been for just about his entire career. In other words, very much like Xander Bogaerts, it's a process of adjusting to the adjustments. Stay tuned.
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Post by GyIantosca on Jun 7, 2015 12:49:02 GMT -5
Awesome. Would of been second and third.
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Post by mgoetze on Jun 7, 2015 12:49:13 GMT -5
Nice double. Coulda scored someone from first, I bet.
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Post by mgoetze on Jun 7, 2015 12:51:19 GMT -5
Anyone know how to use Brooks or another tool to show us if the zone has gotten wider from last year, or even over the last 3 years. The league is complaining about reduced offense and yet if it has let the zone get deeper and wider, well, um, that'll do it. www.hardballtimes.com/the-expanded-strike-zone-its-baaaack/
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Post by mgoetze on Jun 7, 2015 12:55:08 GMT -5
Instead, let me offer up my own analysis. He mentioned at the beginning of the year that he was going to be more aggressive. That has him swinging harder at more pitches, instead of doing what we watched last year as he rifled low liners down the line in right on balls away. Betts 2014 Swing%: 35.9 Betts 2015 Swing%: 39.2 It may be possible to exaggerate the magnitude of this change.
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Post by Guidas on Jun 7, 2015 12:55:44 GMT -5
Anyone know how to use Brooks or another tool to show us if the zone has gotten wider from last year, or even over the last 3 years. The league is complaining about reduced offense and yet if it has let the zone get deeper and wider, well, um, that'll do it. www.hardballtimes.com/the-expanded-strike-zone-its-baaaack/Thanks. Even more evidence for Robo Umps Now.
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