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.
5/24-5/26 Red Sox vs. Rockies Series Thread
|
Post by bookiemetts on May 26, 2016 10:09:06 GMT -5
So I don't know if people are interested, but I made a highlight video of the 22 game home run streak that recently ended. If you just want to see the swings back to back that starts at about 7:13. Enjoy!
|
|
|
Post by jmei on May 26, 2016 10:12:44 GMT -5
He hasn't been overworked lately, but earlier this season, he went through a stretch of being used five times in seven days, and Farrell has shown a tendency of overusing him to the team's detriment in years past. Farrell will get plenty of opportunities to use him. He's their most trusted reliever who isn't tied to a strict role, so he'll be the guy they warm up a lot when a starter is tiring or when the game is tied or they're down a run or two.
Even if he needs work, the time to give it to him is in the seventh inning when it's "only" a four-run lead rather than when they're up seven runs in the ninth. It's just a fundamental misunderstanding of leverage. It's not going to make a huge difference in the long run, but it's still a mistake, and good organizations recognize and correct mistakes, even small ones.
|
|
|
Post by jrffam05 on May 26, 2016 10:15:59 GMT -5
So I don't know if people are interested, but I made a highlight video of the 22 game home run streak that recently ended. If you just want to see the swings back to back that starts at about 7:13. Enjoy! Nice, Thanks for this. Sometime in July you will need to make a video of JBJ's hit streak
|
|
|
Post by sibbysisti on May 26, 2016 10:20:50 GMT -5
No he's not. There are 90 relief pitchers who have thrown more innings than he has, and he's pitched in back to back games once this year, and 3 games in a row once as well. I wouldn't have used him last night, but there is nothing wrong with using him. People just can't distinguish hate for Farrel from regular themes in baseball. You got that right. He gets no credit all for things that go right and all the blame if something fails. The Tazawa thing is an example. Taking Pedroia and Bogaerts out in a game with a comfortable lead is good game management. Where's the "attaboy" for that? Managing the bullpen with our Carson Smith is also to his credit. Handling the Swihart situation while dealing with the Holt "concussion" are all plusses.
|
|
radiohix
Veteran
'At the end of the day, we bang. We bang. We're going to swing.' Alex Verdugo
Posts: 6,298
|
Post by radiohix on May 26, 2016 10:28:45 GMT -5
So I don't know if people are interested, but I made a highlight video of the 22 game home run streak that recently ended. If you just want to see the swings back to back that starts at about 7:13. Enjoy! I, for one, am always interested in your youtubing work buddy! Keep 'em coming.
|
|
ericmvan
Veteran
Supposed to be working on something more important
Posts: 8,925
|
Post by ericmvan on May 26, 2016 10:38:49 GMT -5
So have the Sox found their LHH (and RHH when needed)LF option at the cost of..........nothing?! Ah the days of yore when people complained like crazy about Swihart moving to LF, I'm already getting nostalgic! I argued violently against the notion of keeping Swihart long-term as a combination regular at another position and backup catcher, and argued just as strongly against those who disliked the LF trial he got in Pawtucket. Swihart in LF is a very good idea with our current roster construction and a terrible idea long-term. Swihart has a 105 wRC+ and looks like he's set to go on a tear. If he does, he can stay in LF and Holt can go back to the bench. Having a third catcher on the roster gives you flexibility to pinch-hit for whoever starts that day, which is nice. You'd even give him the occasional start back there to keep him from getting rusty. But all of this only makes sense in the short term. Because if he establishes himself as the sort of hitter we think he can be, he will have tremendous value as a catcher. You could trade him even-up for a much better left fielder.
To illustrate this, imagine a best-case scenario, where Swihart rocks a 115 or 120 wRC+. That makes him the second-best hitting catcher in baseball after Buster Posey. One with average defense but a consensus for improvement into a very good defender. And this is entirely credible and not actually a surprise, because it was universally regarded as what he was capable of when he was named BA's #17 prospect (and their top-20 catching prospects have a great track record; most have become All-Stars). It's the Blake version of what we've seen the last two years with Xander -- promise fulfilled. Imagine, too, that Benintendi has recovered from his slow start and is killing it in AA. Devers, ditto in high-A, and is on everyone's top 10 prospect list. (And, yes, we've reduced the probability here to a very low one, but bear with me.) Well, those three guys -- three guys with "wow, we got X?" clout in the minds of rival executives and fans -- can get you a phone conversation with Angels' GM Billy Eppler rather than derisive laughter. (See the trade forum for more on this idea.) Who would you rather have in LF? Does the difference between that other guy and Benintendi going forward more than offset not being comfortable pinch-hitting for the catcher?
|
|
|
Post by mgoetze on May 26, 2016 11:10:12 GMT -5
You got that right. He gets no credit all for things that go right and all the blame if something fails. The Tazawa thing is an example. Taking Pedroia and Bogaerts out in a game with a comfortable lead is good game management. Where's the "attaboy" for that? Managing the bullpen with our Carson Smith is also to his credit. Handling the Swihart situation while dealing with the Holt "concussion" are all plusses. These in-game decisions are not hard and you could train an 8-year old to make them correctly on a more consistent basis than Farrell. Farrell is getting paid several million dollars per year, don't you think it's reasonable to have higher expectations than that he occasionally gets an easy decision right?
|
|
|
Post by station13 on May 26, 2016 11:15:26 GMT -5
No he's not. There are 90 relief pitchers who have thrown more innings than he has, and he's pitched in back to back games once this year, and 3 games in a row once as well. I wouldn't have used him last night, but there is nothing wrong with using him. People just can't distinguish hate for Farrel from regular themes in baseball. With the way they been scoring runs, our go-to backend arms are going to get lots of rest.
|
|
|
Post by jimed14 on May 26, 2016 11:27:58 GMT -5
No he's not. There are 90 relief pitchers who have thrown more innings than he has, and he's pitched in back to back games once this year, and 3 games in a row once as well. I wouldn't have used him last night, but there is nothing wrong with using him. People just can't distinguish hate for Farrel from regular themes in baseball. You got that right. He gets no credit all for things that go right and all the blame if something fails. The Tazawa thing is an example. Taking Pedroia and Bogaerts out in a game with a comfortable lead is good game management. Where's the "attaboy" for that? Managing the bullpen with our Carson Smith is also to his credit. Handling the Swihart situation while dealing with the Holt "concussion" are all plusses. Taking Pedroia and Bogaerts out of that game is about as difficult of a decision as remembering to put 9 players in the lineup.
|
|
|
Post by jrffam05 on May 26, 2016 11:28:24 GMT -5
Swihart has a 105 wRC+ and looks like he's set to go on a tear. If he does, he can stay in LF and Holt can go back to the bench. Having a third catcher on the roster gives you flexibility to pinch-hit for whoever starts that day, which is nice. You'd even give him the occasional start back there to keep him from getting rusty. I don't know where all this enthusiasm about Swiharts bat is coming from (not just you Eric), He hit two triples in a game (off Chad Bettis and Qualls) to raise his wRC+ to 105 in 38 PA. That's ignoring his 122 AAA PA where he hit 243/344/311, and his 309 MLB PA in 2015 where he his 274/319/392 The underlined is what I'm really hung up on. When I sit back and try not to be reactionary, I see that Swihart in LF right now isn't the worst thing ever (I think he should be able to catch MLB games in this stint as well, although the Sox said otherwise), but it's the underlined in that quote that I can't get over. This guy needs to be working on his catching, because as a left field option his is probably no better than a 4th outfielder.
|
|
|
Post by Oregon Norm on May 26, 2016 12:59:47 GMT -5
Maybe it comes from watching the day-to-day exploits of the wrecking crew the Sox have assembled, but the bar for LF isn't all that high these days. Believe it or don't, Swihart's numbers (admittedly a very small sample) already place him in the middle of the AL pack, and he's just started to heat up. I'm not sure why many are so down on the flexibility this brings to a team which will need it with Ortiz gone. Hanigan will at some point be traded, I believe. So it's easy to imagine that he could play 2-3 games a week as catcher, spend much of the rest of the time at another position, and then get his turn at DH to give him a break every once in a while. I can see Vazquez only playing in 120-130 games in that scenario, and that's not a bad idea with someone who squat's for a living. While I understand that it doesn't maximize Swihart's trade value to do that, I can't believe there wouldn't be any number o teams eager to have him included in a package. Let me suggest that, regardless of that possibility, in the end he may simply be too valuable given his skill set and athleticism, for the team to consider doing that in the near future.
The idea of reserving he DH spot for the plethora of average to well above average bats the team has promoted onto the roster, guys who play multiple positions and who could use a day off once in a while, may just feed the real moneyball going forward.
|
|
|
Post by redsox04071318champs on May 26, 2016 13:01:17 GMT -5
Has this ever happened before? Every single player on the field was home grown. That's really something. Yeah, it's happened before for the Red Sox. The 1967 Red Sox featured home grown Russ Gibson or Mike Ryan behind the plate, Scott/Andrews/Petrocelli/Foy in the infield and Yaz/Smith/Tony C in the outfield and Jim Lonborg was home grown. The 1978 Red Sox were close to being all home grown but their local 2b was not home grown. Jerry Remy was the outsider as the rest of the team with Rice at DH, Fisk behind the plate, the other three infielders of Scott (who was reacquired kind of like Hanley, but home grown), Burleson and Hobson were home grown as was the outfield of Yaz, Lynn, and Evans. Bill Lee was the home grown starter, although 5th starter Jim Wright would qualify as well. Likewise the 1975 Red Sox were usually a 2b away from being all home grown, too (which included Cooper at DH/1b, too). The 1988 Red Sox also had every single player on the field home grown at times too. When Gedman would catch, and the infield was Benzinger/Barrett/Reed/Boggs and the outfield was Greenwell/Burks/Benzinger with their DH Jim Rice as also being homegrown, and of course there was a lot of starts from Clemens, Hurst, Boyd, and even Jeff Sellers as well. This year's team can put a home grown product on the field, although the guy not taking the field, their DH, isn't home grown - but he's our anyways, via the Tom Kelly school of rejection
|
|
|
Post by mandelbro on May 26, 2016 13:06:27 GMT -5
My favorite baseball team tries really hard to make me hate them.
|
|
|
Post by FenwayFanatic on May 26, 2016 13:16:23 GMT -5
Yeah whoever is running that twitter account is annoying. Stop trying to make "Ya Betts Believe" happen.
|
|
ericmvan
Veteran
Supposed to be working on something more important
Posts: 8,925
|
Post by ericmvan on May 26, 2016 13:49:04 GMT -5
I've never obssesed over a prospect through his whole way through the minors like I did with Xander. It's great seeing him be the super star he was pegged to be. I declared him the best Sox prospect since Tony C. And I've actually been following them since Tony C.! (Does the name Gage Naudain mean anything to anyone else here? Just curious as to how old I should feel.) So here he is, he's 23, and he's on a pace for an 8.8 bWAR season. That would be Yaz's 4th best season, and the best he managed before 1967 was 6.6 (also at age 23, in 1963). The usual name used in the phrase "best Sox prospect since ...", Jim Rice, peaked at 7.5 in his epic 1978. Dwight Evans, who in retrospect was probably a better prospect in addition to being the better player, had the equivalent of 10.0 in 1981, prorated for the strike. But he was 29. And a thought literally for today: 8.8 would be Wade Boggs' second best year, but he was in AAA at age 23.
|
|
ericmvan
Veteran
Supposed to be working on something more important
Posts: 8,925
|
Post by ericmvan on May 26, 2016 14:01:36 GMT -5
Maybe it comes from watching the day-to-day exploits of the wrecking crew the Sox have assembled, but the bar for LF isn't all that high these days. Believe it or don't, Swihart's numbers (admittedly a very small sample) already place him in the middle of the AL pack, and he's just started to heat up. I'm not sure why many are so down on the flexibility this brings to a team which will need it with Ortiz gone. Hanigan will at some point be traded, I believe. So it's easy to imagine that he could play 2-3 games a week as catcher, spend much of the rest of the time at another position, and then get his turn at DH to give him a break every once in a while. I can see Vazquez only playing in 120-130 games in that scenario, and that's not a bad idea with someone who squat's for a living. While I understand that it doesn't maximize Swihart's trade value to do that, I can't believe there wouldn't be any number o teams eager to have him included in a package. Let me suggest that, regardless of that possibility, in the end he may simply be too valuable given his skill set and athleticism, for the team to consider doing that in the near future. The idea of reserving he DH spot for the plethora of average to well above average bats the team has promoted onto the roster, guys who play multiple positions and who could use a day off once in a while, may just feed the real moneyball going forward. It's absolutely true that there's a shortage of corner outfielders. LF has become a catch-all, dumping ground position. That the Sox have just Swihart, Holt, and Young is very typical. I think that if we did not have Benintendi in the pipeline, your Swihart scenario would actually be very viable. Because there is a chance that only on paper could you maximize Swihart's value by trading him for a better left fielder. You would have to find the rare team that already had two first-rate corner OFers and had another top prospect on the way. Corner OF prospects who appear to be blocked, or really good corner OFers who are expendable because a great prospect is ready to take their job -- they're rare birds. Maybe ivory-billed woodpecker rare. And then that team has to need a catcher, or you need to structure a 3-team trade. But if Benintendi is who we think he is, then the Swihart scenario makes no sense, because there's nowhere else to play him where he's not a downgrade. Meanwhile, there are 10 teams who would love to have him as their starting catcher. There may well be an argument here for your scenario next year. What this move does is take about half the pressure off the rush to get Benny to the show.
|
|
|
Post by brianthetaoist on May 26, 2016 14:15:31 GMT -5
He hasn't been overworked lately, but earlier this season, he went through a stretch of being used five times in seven days, and Farrell has shown a tendency of overusing him to the team's detriment in years past. Farrell will get plenty of opportunities to use him. He's their most trusted reliever who isn't tied to a strict role, so he'll be the guy they warm up a lot when a starter is tiring or when the game is tied or they're down a run or two. Even if he needs work, the time to give it to him is in the seventh inning when it's "only" a four-run lead rather than when they're up seven runs in the ninth. It's just a fundamental misunderstanding of leverage. It's not going to make a huge difference in the long run, but it's still a mistake, and good organizations recognize and correct mistakes, even small ones. A little bit of hindsight there, though. There's no way of knowing in the 7th that the 9th (or 8th) would be so low leverage. I just don't see a big problem in using Tazawa there, and I can completely believe that there are reasons to keep relievers arms from resting too long, a need to keep them in a rhythm of being used regularly to avoid problems later in the season. I'm not much of a fan of Farrell's bullpen management, but criticizing Tazawa's usage last night just seems like, at best, a non-issue and is possibly just wrong.
|
|
|
Post by sox fan in nc on May 26, 2016 14:20:29 GMT -5
I don't or haven't ever lived in New England. How is Wade Boggs perceived as he crossed over to the NYY?...It appears some players get boo'd more than others. Is Ellsbury boo'd & Beltre not when they comes to the plate? Is it just a matter of contractual decisions (Player offered a fair deal from Boston, but decided to take more from NY). I mean we can't really piss and moan if Lester takes 25 mil more than we offered.
|
|
|
Post by brianthetaoist on May 26, 2016 14:24:41 GMT -5
OK, earlier I posted the triple slash line of the 2003 Sox compared to this year ... updated to now is even cooler:
2003: 289/360/491 OPS 851 2016: 298/362/489 OPS 851
Zowee!
|
|
ericmvan
Veteran
Supposed to be working on something more important
Posts: 8,925
|
Post by ericmvan on May 26, 2016 14:35:10 GMT -5
I've never obssesed over a prospect through his whole way through the minors like I did with Xander. It's great seeing him be the super star he was pegged to be. I declared him the best Sox prospect since Tony C. And I've actually been following them since Tony C.! (Does the name Gage Naudain mean anything to anyone else here? Just curious as to how old I should feel.) So here he is, he's 23, and he's on a pace for an 8.8 bWAR season. That would be Yaz's 4th best season, and the best he managed before 1967 was 6.6 (also at age 23, in 1963). The usual name used in the phrase "best Sox prospect since ...", Jim Rice, peaked at 7.5 in his epic 1978. Dwight Evans, who in retrospect was probably a better prospect in addition to being the better player, had the equivalent of 10.0 in 1981, prorated for the strike. But he was 29. And a thought literally for today: 8.8 would be Wade Boggs' second best year, but he was in AAA at age 23. Guys who had their first 8.5 WAR or better season at age ... 20: Trout, Rodriguez 21: Hornsby, Henderson 22: Williams, Harper, Cobb, Eddie Collins, Musial, Dick Allen 23: Mays, Ripken, Mantle, Reggie Jackson, Arky Vaughan, Joe Jackson, Griffey, Pujols
|
|
|
Post by FenwayFanatic on May 26, 2016 14:38:06 GMT -5
I don't or haven't ever lived in New England. How is Wade Boggs perceived as he crossed over to the NYY?...It appears some players get boo'd more than others. Is Ellsbury boo'd & Beltre not when they comes to the plate? Is it just a matter of contractual decisions (Player offered a fair deal from Boston, but decided to take more from NY). I mean we can't really piss and moan if Lester takes 25 mil more than we offered. I live and work in Boston and honestly I think part of it is a generation thing. The younger guys, including Gen Xers I talk to at work and maybe some of the more intense fans I think aren't a fan of it while some in the older generations don't have a problem with him wearing his Yankee ring to a ceremony honoring the 86 Sox or retiring his number or even actively want it to be retired. Ive also noticed that the booing and bat flips, and the heckling is a big generational thing. Ive noticed in the older generations they're not as big on it but some of the younger fans will have fun with the booing and will do stuff like heckle Chris Archer. I get that there is a line people cross with heckling but I also don't think its necessary for people to scold or look down on the "Arrrrrrcheeeeer.... Arrrrrcheeeeer" chants. Its part of the fun of it for younger/college aged fans. Obviously the Yankee players are booed more frequently but it would'nt surprise me if Lester got a few boos after leaving town and just going to the team that offered him the most money. Also the environment is very different during the week vs weekend. The weekend has more families and older fans and its more locals and college kids during the week.
|
|
|
Post by Guidas on May 26, 2016 14:59:16 GMT -5
Ah the days of yore when people complained like crazy about Swihart moving to LF, I'm already getting nostalgic! I argued violently against the notion of keeping Swihart long-term as a combination regular at another position and backup catcher, and argued just as strongly against those who disliked the LF trial he got in Pawtucket. Swihart in LF is a very good idea with our current roster construction and a terrible idea long-term.Swihart has a 105 wRC+ and looks like he's set to go on a tear. If he does, he can stay in LF and Holt can go back to the bench. Having a third catcher on the roster gives you flexibility to pinch-hit for whoever starts that day, which is nice. You'd even give him the occasional start back there to keep him from getting rusty. But all of this only makes sense in the short term. Because if he establishes himself as the sort of hitter we think he can be, he will have tremendous value as a catcher. You could trade him even-up for a much better left fielder.
To illustrate this, imagine a best-case scenario, where Swihart rocks a 115 or 120 wRC+. That makes him the second-best hitting catcher in baseball after Buster Posey. One with average defense but a consensus for improvement into a very good defender. And this is entirely credible and not actually a surprise, because it was universally regarded as what he was capable of when he was named BA's #17 prospect (and their top-20 catching prospects have a great track record; most have become All-Stars). It's the Blake version of what we've seen the last two years with Xander -- promise fulfilled. Imagine, too, that Benintendi has recovered from his slow start and is killing it in AA. Devers, ditto in high-A, and is on everyone's top 10 prospect list. (And, yes, we've reduced the probability here to a very low one, but bear with me.) Well, those three guys -- three guys with "wow, we got X?" clout in the minds of rival executives and fans -- can get you a phone conversation with Angels' GM Billy Eppler rather than derisive laughter. (See the trade forum for more on this idea.) Who would you rather have in LF? Does the difference between that other guy and Benintendi going forward more than offset not being comfortable pinch-hitting for the catcher? Endorse. And for all the reasons Eric articulates. Swihart is a good athlete but he's special as a catcher.
|
|
|
Post by kingofthetrill on May 26, 2016 15:02:56 GMT -5
So I don't know if people are interested, but I made a highlight video of the 22 game home run streak that recently ended. If you just want to see the swings back to back that starts at about 7:13. Enjoy! Travis Shaw (3:46) and Chris Young (6:17) sound like they are using golf clubs. I guess it brings new meaning to "teeing off" at the plate.
|
|
|
Post by bosox89 on May 26, 2016 15:13:41 GMT -5
Mookie out tonight, JBJ hitting lead off.
|
|
|
Post by bookiemetts on May 26, 2016 15:15:58 GMT -5
Nice, Thanks for this. Sometime in July you will need to make a video of JBJ's hit streak Haha thanks! Yeah I've got it in mind but hopefully I won't have to make it for a long time. Does anyone know where if I can legally get access to like condensed games or all the plate appearances? I'd like to get every hit but I'm not sure where to get the source video. I know the NBA has a thing where you can click on the box score and see all the shots a player took/steals/blocks... but I don't think MLB has this
|
|
|