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Post by telson13 on Mar 7, 2019 1:19:11 GMT -5
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Post by rjp313jr on Mar 7, 2019 7:34:14 GMT -5
Idk if anyone has espn Insider, and has any snippets to share on this, but Raffy Devers seems to be opening some eyes this spring. Certainly has gotten the notice of Cora, and some media folks. www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/26141417/expect-monster-year-red-sox-third-baseman-rafael-deverswww.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2019/03/06/rafael-devers-good-place-according-alex-cora/afZ08oGB7nvVutIIasg0SK/story.htmlIt seems like Devers got a little complacent last off-season, which isn’t remotely surprising for a just-21 y/o. To his great credit, he seems to have learned from that mistake right away. Consensus opinions on his last year from prospect hounds seemed to temper early assessments significantly. My hope (and belief) is, he comes back with a vengeance. Expect better range in the field and improved pitch selection. I think Carita is capable of throwing up a .300/30/100 line and inserting himself into the 3 spot. And if not him this year, maybe JBJ does it (wouldn’t THAT be a treat to watch?!). FWIW, I know we all expect some regression from Mookie and JDM, but I don’t think it’s a given it’ll be all that much. And both are certainly capable of even *more*. But even if they DO slip back a bit, Beni, Raffy, Bogey, and JBJ with his new swing (and even new bat/approach “Brock Holt!”) all seem like they could take *significant* leaps forward. Lots to be excited about with this offense, especially with Pedey getting in there at 2b this week. I appreciate your rose colored glasses. “You get a career year - you get a career year - everyone gets a career year” Btw, am I the only one who hears he news that Devers got a personal trainer and a nutritionist this offseason and get more mad than excited? How is this not just a given for EVERY major leaguer and honestly top prospect?
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 7, 2019 7:51:08 GMT -5
Idk if anyone has espn Insider, and has any snippets to share on this, but Raffy Devers seems to be opening some eyes this spring. Certainly has gotten the notice of Cora, and some media folks. www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/26141417/expect-monster-year-red-sox-third-baseman-rafael-deverswww.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2019/03/06/rafael-devers-good-place-according-alex-cora/afZ08oGB7nvVutIIasg0SK/story.htmlIt seems like Devers got a little complacent last off-season, which isn’t remotely surprising for a just-21 y/o. To his great credit, he seems to have learned from that mistake right away. Consensus opinions on his last year from prospect hounds seemed to temper early assessments significantly. My hope (and belief) is, he comes back with a vengeance. Expect better range in the field and improved pitch selection. I think Carita is capable of throwing up a .300/30/100 line and inserting himself into the 3 spot. And if not him this year, maybe JBJ does it (wouldn’t THAT be a treat to watch?!). FWIW, I know we all expect some regression from Mookie and JDM, but I don’t think it’s a given it’ll be all that much. And both are certainly capable of even *more*. But even if they DO slip back a bit, Beni, Raffy, Bogey, and JBJ with his new swing (and even new bat/approach “Brock Holt!”) all seem like they could take *significant* leaps forward. Lots to be excited about with this offense, especially with Pedey getting in there at 2b this week. I appreciate your rose colored glasses. “You get a career year - you get a career year - everyone gets a career year” Btw, am I the only one who hears he news that Devers got a personal trainer and a nutritionist this offseason and get more mad than excited? How is this not just a given for EVERY major leaguer and honestly top prospect? You'd think! One thing that concerns me is that Devers appears to swing with such great effort...and the swing appears long. Goodness I can hear the grunts thru the TV. In my mind that injects a level of inconsistency unnecessarily. He's bigger than Mookie, JBJ, Benny etc. He doesn't need to hit 500' homers. 425' is just fine. To me, a shorter, less all-out swing would generate better bat to ball damage.
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Post by James Dunne on Mar 7, 2019 9:03:20 GMT -5
I agree 100% that Devers has a high-effort swing, but... I think I disagree that it's long. And that's why I'd be hesitant to try to fix it. That violence (for lack of the better word) is throughout his whole body, so it's not something I see as a problem - it's not like he's all arms or he's slow to the ball. He just... unloads his whole massive self onto the ball, but with the bat control to be able to do that effectively. His hands are really calm, but he's got this very notable, violent-looking hip rotation, followed by an upper-cut follow through. There's a lot of Bryce Harper in his swing, with 10-20 pounds of baby fat to overemphasize everything.
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Post by soxfansince67 on Mar 7, 2019 10:33:02 GMT -5
It's starting to look alot more like April! Today...Pedey! I suspect we will see Eovaldi, Price, Porcello, Sale, Barnes at some point soon.
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Mookie Betts, RF
Rafael Devers, 3B
J.D. Martinez, DH
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Mitch Moreland, 1B
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Brock Holt, LF
Blake Swihart, C
Brian Johnson, LHP
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Post by iakovos11 on Mar 7, 2019 10:38:43 GMT -5
I agree 100% that Devers has a high-effort swing, but... I think I disagree that it's long. And that's why I'd be hesitant to try to fix it. That violence (for lack of the better word) is throughout his whole body, so it's not something I see as a problem - it's not like he's all arms or he's slow to the ball. He just... unloads his whole massive self onto the ball, but with the bat control to be able to do that effectively. His hands are really calm, but he's got this very notable, violent-looking hip rotation, followed by an upper-cut follow through. There's a lot of Bryce Harper in his swing, with 10-20 pounds of baby fat to overemphasize everything. I agree, there's a lot of Rafael Devers in Bryce Harper's swing
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Post by fenwaythehardway on Mar 7, 2019 13:03:54 GMT -5
Idk if anyone has espn Insider, and has any snippets to share on this, but Raffy Devers seems to be opening some eyes this spring. Certainly has gotten the notice of Cora, and some media folks. www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/26141417/expect-monster-year-red-sox-third-baseman-rafael-deverswww.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2019/03/06/rafael-devers-good-place-according-alex-cora/afZ08oGB7nvVutIIasg0SK/story.htmlIt seems like Devers got a little complacent last off-season, which isn’t remotely surprising for a just-21 y/o. To his great credit, he seems to have learned from that mistake right away. Consensus opinions on his last year from prospect hounds seemed to temper early assessments significantly. My hope (and belief) is, he comes back with a vengeance. Expect better range in the field and improved pitch selection. I think Carita is capable of throwing up a .300/30/100 line and inserting himself into the 3 spot. And if not him this year, maybe JBJ does it (wouldn’t THAT be a treat to watch?!). FWIW, I know we all expect some regression from Mookie and JDM, but I don’t think it’s a given it’ll be all that much. And both are certainly capable of even *more*. But even if they DO slip back a bit, Beni, Raffy, Bogey, and JBJ with his new swing (and even new bat/approach “Brock Holt!”) all seem like they could take *significant* leaps forward. Lots to be excited about with this offense, especially with Pedey getting in there at 2b this week. The 30/100 is probably coming sooner or later, but I don't see a .300 hitter with the contact rates he's shown in the big leagues so far. I expect to see some power growth and maybe a better approach, but it's very rare to see players make big jumps in contact rate.
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Post by cotuitfan on Mar 7, 2019 13:39:40 GMT -5
Mic'd up Mookie in outfield was priceless ... more to come from others.
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nomar
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Post by nomar on Mar 7, 2019 14:10:20 GMT -5
Idk if anyone has espn Insider, and has any snippets to share on this, but Raffy Devers seems to be opening some eyes this spring. Certainly has gotten the notice of Cora, and some media folks. www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/26141417/expect-monster-year-red-sox-third-baseman-rafael-deverswww.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2019/03/06/rafael-devers-good-place-according-alex-cora/afZ08oGB7nvVutIIasg0SK/story.htmlIt seems like Devers got a little complacent last off-season, which isn’t remotely surprising for a just-21 y/o. To his great credit, he seems to have learned from that mistake right away. Consensus opinions on his last year from prospect hounds seemed to temper early assessments significantly. My hope (and belief) is, he comes back with a vengeance. Expect better range in the field and improved pitch selection. I think Carita is capable of throwing up a .300/30/100 line and inserting himself into the 3 spot. And if not him this year, maybe JBJ does it (wouldn’t THAT be a treat to watch?!). FWIW, I know we all expect some regression from Mookie and JDM, but I don’t think it’s a given it’ll be all that much. And both are certainly capable of even *more*. But even if they DO slip back a bit, Beni, Raffy, Bogey, and JBJ with his new swing (and even new bat/approach “Brock Holt!”) all seem like they could take *significant* leaps forward. Lots to be excited about with this offense, especially with Pedey getting in there at 2b this week. The 30/100 is probably coming sooner or later, but I don't see a .300 hitter with the contact rates he's shown in the big leagues so far. I expect to see some power growth and maybe a better approach, but it's very rare to see players make big jumps in contact rate. He always hovered in the 16-18% K range in the minors and he is still very age advanced, so maybe we see a larger variance in contact rate than most players, but I agree it's hard to actually project that to happen based on what we've seen so far.
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Post by James Dunne on Mar 7, 2019 15:56:07 GMT -5
As I look over the rosters, I am wondering if they will keep Velazquez in Triple-A to keep him stretched out rather than have him break camp with the major league club. I know they're more liberal than they were under previous regimes with moving a guy between the bullpen and rotation, but he didn't end up using an option last year, and with Johnson as the long reliever it may make more sense to keep someone who profiles better as a short reliever. If Brewer continues to impress I could easily see them breaking camp with him, and he might fit the roster a tad better. Shawaryn's really the only guy in Triple-A I'd be comfortable handing a spot start to, and he's probably a half-season away as it is.
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Post by ancientsoxfogey on Mar 7, 2019 16:00:29 GMT -5
As I look over the rosters, I am wondering if they will keep Velazquez in Triple-A to keep him stretched out rather than have him break camp with the major league club. I know they're more liberal than they were under previous regimes with moving a guy between the bullpen and rotation, but he didn't end up using an option last year, and with Johnson as the long reliever it may make more sense to keep someone who profiles better as a short reliever. If Brewer continues to impress I could easily see them breaking camp with him, and he might fit the roster a tad better. Shawaryn's really the only guy in Triple-A I'd be comfortable handing a spot start to, and he's probably a half-season away as it is. Given the Kid gloves with which they are handling all the starters except ERod in ST, I suspect that they are going to have to make bullpen decisions at the start of the season with an eye toward having 12 pitchers on the roster, and somebody/ies who can eat innings in relief, because it seems they aren't going to be getting a lot from their starters early on. Wright's misfortune may be Velazquez's opportunity.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Mar 7, 2019 16:31:51 GMT -5
I could be wrong, but I think Velazquez, unless he looks totally horrible for the remainder of the spring, will start the year on the major league roster. The Sox are going with a 6 man rotation to begin the season. They'll need a reliever who can go multiple innings. I don't think the Sox will see Brewer that way. As it is the Sox are about 1 injury away from having both Velazquez and Brewer just about guaranteed a spot in the major league roster.
I think that between Barnes, Brasier, Thornburg and Hembree the Sox have their short stint high leverage relievers they'll go with. Workman probably pitches earlier in the game and might get stretched out for 2 inning stints but I'm not convinced they do that, so they'll need somebody who can go early and Johnston might not be available for much more than an inning in relief as they wait for him to take his return in the rotation, so I don't see too many multi-inning relievers in the bunch but Velazquez.
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Post by bluechip on Mar 7, 2019 17:29:25 GMT -5
Trevor Kelly seems to be working the early innings a lot in these games. how has he looked?
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Post by telson13 on Mar 8, 2019 2:10:41 GMT -5
Idk if anyone has espn Insider, and has any snippets to share on this, but Raffy Devers seems to be opening some eyes this spring. Certainly has gotten the notice of Cora, and some media folks. www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/26141417/expect-monster-year-red-sox-third-baseman-rafael-deverswww.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2019/03/06/rafael-devers-good-place-according-alex-cora/afZ08oGB7nvVutIIasg0SK/story.htmlIt seems like Devers got a little complacent last off-season, which isn’t remotely surprising for a just-21 y/o. To his great credit, he seems to have learned from that mistake right away. Consensus opinions on his last year from prospect hounds seemed to temper early assessments significantly. My hope (and belief) is, he comes back with a vengeance. Expect better range in the field and improved pitch selection. I think Carita is capable of throwing up a .300/30/100 line and inserting himself into the 3 spot. And if not him this year, maybe JBJ does it (wouldn’t THAT be a treat to watch?!). FWIW, I know we all expect some regression from Mookie and JDM, but I don’t think it’s a given it’ll be all that much. And both are certainly capable of even *more*. But even if they DO slip back a bit, Beni, Raffy, Bogey, and JBJ with his new swing (and even new bat/approach “Brock Holt!”) all seem like they could take *significant* leaps forward. Lots to be excited about with this offense, especially with Pedey getting in there at 2b this week. The 30/100 is probably coming sooner or later, but I don't see a .300 hitter with the contact rates he's shown in the big leagues so far. I expect to see some power growth and maybe a better approach, but it's very rare to see players make big jumps in contact rate. Yeah, I’m not saying I’m “confident” he’ll do it this year, but I think it will come. He’s barely 22. The HOF rate for players who debut 20 or younger and qualify for ROY with his level of production at that age is something ridiculous like 20% (If forced I’ll search a ref but I think it was an Acuna article on fg). He’s basically at an age where high-A would be appropriate and AA quite good. And he’s already got over a season’s worth of PA in MLB. I think there’s a significant non-zero chance he hits that this year (idk, 20% maybe?) and a fairly high probability (60% maybe?) he does it within 3 years. Within a margin of error, I mean...Andujar’s line last year would essentially qualify *for me in the context of my assessment of him*. Obviously it’s a LOT tougher to actualize EACH of those milestones. But a guy hitting .297/27/92 is, real productionwise, essentially that hitter. To reach and exceed .300/30/100 and/or hit .300/.370/.530 (900 OPS) Is say is probably half or a third as likely. I still think he ends up hit over (or equal to) power, when as people have noted, the violence in his swing needs more control. I think my bullishness on his contact rate improving is largely tied to his youth. I think,with the aggressiveness of his swing, that his first 1000-1500 PA in MLB are going to be a LOT about learning how pitchers attack him and catching up to the dramatic difference in breaker/offspeed quality/command versus what he saw in the low minors and AA. I think that’s a big part of why sites/evaluators backed up on his hit tool last year. But I think that’s a mistake. His minors-level K rate was consistently mid-uppers teens, and I think that’s where he’ll ultimately settle if (when) he learns to be more selective with his ferocity. I see a little New Britain-Pawtucket-early career Mo Vaughn in him. I think Devers will be a lot better conditioned, and his defense at 3rd marginally above-average. But he should soon learn to pepper and clear the wall with oppo shots and know he doesn’t have to fully unload to do so. The bat control and contact rate/quality should improve in concert. Look at Vaughn or Papi at a similar age and they were still in the minors. He’s doing basically exactly what they did in their first 700 PA, just 2-4 years younger. Fenway rewards LHH with all-fields power and I think in turn helps that type of hitter to develop.
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Post by telson13 on Mar 8, 2019 2:29:00 GMT -5
For example, Devers has a career 7.7% BB/24.4% K and 15/47/38 LD/GB/FB breakdown. He also posted a low .281 BABIP. He’s historically put up LD rates over 20% and BABIPs in the low-mid .300s in the minors. Ronald Acuna Jr had similar minor-league traits as a hitter (with even higher BABIPs, probably helped by his speed) with similar LD/GB/FB rates, and Acuna hit .293 last year with slightly higher K and BB rates (but not markedly so), and a very similar 18/42/39 breakdown...just a much higher BABIP and an extremely high HR/FB rate (as well as a significant edge in hard contact). To me, Devers last year reminds me of his slow start in Salem in 2016. I think he’ll turn a corner as he adjusts to the leap in stuff, and his contact quality will rise as he makes those adjustments. I think he’s probably a true-talent .320-.330 BABIP hitter, based on approach and what I think will ultimately be an all-fields LD approach.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Mar 8, 2019 12:37:07 GMT -5
So far, the list of potential 2B options that have been mentioned is as follows (in decreasing order of likelihood as ballparked by me): - Pedroia
- Holt
- Nunez
- Lin
- Hernandez
- Chavis
Pedroia is at the top because he wouldn't have it any other way. He'd find a way to destroy the SoxProspects server if I didn't have him there.
Did I miss anyone??
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Post by jimed14 on Mar 8, 2019 12:39:52 GMT -5
So far, the list of potential 2B options that have been mentioned is as follows (in decreasing order of likelihood as ballparked by me): - Pedroia
- Holt
- Nunez
- Lin
- Hernandez
- Chavis
Pedroia is at the top because he wouldn't have it any other way. He'd find a way to destroy the SoxProspects server if I didn't have him there.
Did I miss anyone?? I hope Lin is ahead of Nunez because I can't stomach any more of Nunez' defense at 2B. I think I'd use him there as often as I'd use Vazquez at 3B or 1B.
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Post by jimed14 on Mar 8, 2019 14:00:36 GMT -5
Lin is slashing .409/.458/.727 this spring.
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Post by cotuitfan on Mar 8, 2019 14:12:20 GMT -5
It's the Orioles, I know, but Hernandez looked great today (lone hit against by ex Cotuit fave Drew Jackson)
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Mar 8, 2019 14:48:09 GMT -5
As I look over the rosters, I am wondering if they will keep Velazquez in Triple-A to keep him stretched out rather than have him break camp with the major league club. I know they're more liberal than they were under previous regimes with moving a guy between the bullpen and rotation, but he didn't end up using an option last year, and with Johnson as the long reliever it may make more sense to keep someone who profiles better as a short reliever. If Brewer continues to impress I could easily see them breaking camp with him, and he might fit the roster a tad better. Shawaryn's really the only guy in Triple-A I'd be comfortable handing a spot start to, and he's probably a half-season away as it is. Given the Kid gloves with which they are handling all the starters except ERod in ST, I suspect that they are going to have to make bullpen decisions at the start of the season with an eye toward having 12 pitchers on the roster, and somebody/ies who can eat innings in relief, because it seems they aren't going to be getting a lot from their starters early on. Wright's misfortune may be Velazquez's opportunity. I think Velazquez is up for the first month until getting switched out for a true RP. In theory that could be Brewer, but I could also see him breaking camp with the club and then other guys compete for the spot.
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Post by kevfc89 on Mar 8, 2019 15:19:25 GMT -5
Darwinzon's second inning though : O
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mobaz
Veteran
Posts: 3,014
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Post by mobaz on Mar 8, 2019 15:36:53 GMT -5
Darwinzon's second inning though : O Closer on August 1st
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Post by fenwaythehardway on Mar 8, 2019 15:41:29 GMT -5
So far, the list of potential 2B options that have been mentioned is as follows (in decreasing order of likelihood as ballparked by me): - Pedroia
- Holt
- Nunez
- Lin
- Hernandez
- Chavis
Pedroia is at the top because he wouldn't have it any other way. He'd find a way to destroy the SoxProspects server if I didn't have him there. Did I miss anyone?? I hope Lin is ahead of Nunez because I can't stomach any more of Nunez' defense at 2B. I think I'd use him there as often as I'd use Vazquez at 3B or 1B. I was thinking the same thing. I also might put Chavis ahead of Hernandez, Chavis we at least know has a shoulder.
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Post by voiceofreason on Mar 8, 2019 16:03:21 GMT -5
Darwinzon's second inning though : O It would be a very nice surprise to have an unheralded prospect become a stud starter. Sox deserve some luck considering how many failures there have been in recent history.
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Post by jimed14 on Mar 8, 2019 16:08:55 GMT -5
Darwinzon's second inning though : O It would be a very nice surprise to have an unheralded prospect become a stud starter. Sox deserve some luck considering how many failures there have been in recent history. From what little I've seen of him in Spring Training, I'd call him the #1 prospect now. (not that that is saying a lot since there are so many that are close)
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