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Post by Canseco on Aug 1, 2023 10:08:53 GMT -5
He also didn't mention that Rafaela is faster than Kiermaier. Do you have data to back that up? Kiermaier is still in the 91st percentile in sprint speed as a 33-year-old. Pretty tough bar to clear. But he’s white, brah! He can’t be fast!
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shagworthy
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My neckbeard game is on point.
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Post by shagworthy on Aug 1, 2023 10:33:07 GMT -5
Do you have data to back that up? Kiermaier is still in the 91st percentile in sprint speed as a 33-year-old. Pretty tough bar to clear. But he’s white, brah! He can’t be fast! Have you ever seen the espn video of that white kid in Texas running like the 100 meter dash and he is so far ahead of everyone else it’s comical?
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Post by ishkabibble on Aug 1, 2023 16:38:30 GMT -5
LOL. Matthew Boling, now running track at Georgia. He graduated high school (Houston) with my nephew.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Aug 1, 2023 17:11:44 GMT -5
Keep the thread "on track" so to speak. Thanks.
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Post by brendan98 on Aug 1, 2023 19:20:49 GMT -5
Rafaela doesn't seem to have a whole lot more to prove in AAA, I didn't say he doesn't have anything to work on (his approach), but I would love to see the Sox call up Rafaela and see what he can do? Maybe he's talented enough both defensively and offensively to come up and make a difference right now. If we get Story back soon, how much of an upgrade would a Story/Rafaela double play combo be? Bat him 9th, tell him he's up for his glove and anything he does with the bat is gravy, and see what happens.
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Post by incandenza on Aug 1, 2023 19:27:06 GMT -5
Worcester is in such a hitter's league - and it's a hitter's park. Rafaela's .966 OPS is "only" good for a 133 wRC+.
Conversely, this is also worth noting when guys with underwhelming AAA numbers like Murphy and Walter come up and are actually able to hold their own in MLB.
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Post by brendan98 on Aug 1, 2023 19:30:01 GMT -5
Worcester is in such a hitter's league - and it's a hitter's park. Rafaela's .966 OPS is "only" good for a 133 wRC+. Conversely, this is also worth noting when guys with underwhelming AAA numbers like Murphy and Walter come up and are actually able to hold their own in MLB. Not to nitpick but his AAA OPS is now at 1.004 with a HR and single in 3 ab's today.
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Post by ematz1423 on Aug 1, 2023 19:30:54 GMT -5
Worcester is in such a hitter's league - and it's a hitter's park. Rafaela's .966 OPS is "only" good for a 133 wRC+. Conversely, this is also worth noting when guys with underwhelming AAA numbers like Murphy and Walter come up and are actually able to hold their own in MLB. Not Rafaela related but Worcester being a hitters park and the league overall being a hitters league is why it doesn't necessarily surprise me that Murphy and Walter have handled their own in the ML while struggling in AAA. Different roles obviously and maybe their stuff is just playing up in the bullpen but still. I'm also not souring on Drohan completely either due to the same thought.
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jimoh
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Post by jimoh on Aug 2, 2023 8:10:25 GMT -5
Worcester is in such a hitter's league - and it's a hitter's park. Rafaela's .966 OPS is "only" good for a 133 wRC+. Conversely, this is also worth noting when guys with underwhelming AAA numbers like Murphy and Walter come up and are actually able to hold their own in MLB. Can they do something in Worcester to fix this? Like when they added scoreboard in Fenway in about 1976 and it changed the wind patterns?
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cdj
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Post by cdj on Aug 3, 2023 7:30:15 GMT -5
Kids doing his best to force the issue
Idk if we have room this season without an injury. I want him playing every day in CF if called up.
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pd
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Post by pd on Aug 3, 2023 8:42:43 GMT -5
My favorite Rafaela stat: He's yet to strike out looking in his last 3 seasons. Guy gets his swings in.
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Post by carmenfanzone on Aug 3, 2023 9:49:55 GMT -5
Given Story will probably be back soon and he wants to play shortstop, I would give Rafaela a few starts at second to see how he looks there. Not sure Arroyo is the answer there.
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Post by bosoxnation on Aug 3, 2023 10:49:21 GMT -5
Kids doing his best to force the issue Idk if we have room this season without an injury. I want him playing every day in CF if called up. It might be good for him to play sparingly and be able to sit and learn from the guys though. I’ve always felt should bring up the kids for a week or 2 to get adjusted and learn some stuff before playing them.
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Post by terriblehondo on Aug 3, 2023 11:16:41 GMT -5
Is his uptick since being promoted to AAA all from an easier park to hit in or is he just on a hot streak?
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Post by scottysmalls on Aug 3, 2023 11:20:28 GMT -5
Is his uptick since being promoted to AAA all from an easier park to hit in or is he just on a hot streak? It's definitely not just the park, wRC+ takes into account park effects and he's gone from 108 in AA to 154 in AAA.
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radiohix
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'At the end of the day, we bang. We bang. We're going to swing.' Alex Verdugo
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Post by radiohix on Aug 3, 2023 11:22:10 GMT -5
His brother definitely read this thread lmao
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Post by notstarboard on Aug 3, 2023 11:23:51 GMT -5
Given Story will probably be back soon and he wants to play shortstop, I would give Rafaela a few starts at second to see how he looks there. Not sure Arroyo is the answer there. Rafaela looks like an elite defensive CF and a plus defensive SS with his bat being the only question mark. He should be playing CF, not 2B; just pencil him in as the Opening Day starter in 2024. I don't think Arroyo is the answer at 2B, but neither is Rafaela.
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nomar
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Post by nomar on Aug 3, 2023 11:26:21 GMT -5
Is his uptick since being promoted to AAA all from an easier park to hit in or is he just on a hot streak? It's definitely not just the park, wRC+ takes into account park effects and he's gone from 108 in AA to 154 in AAA. Full year: 123 wRC+, 5.4% BB, 21.2% K, .202 ISO.
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Post by theburn on Aug 3, 2023 12:05:56 GMT -5
Given Story will probably be back soon and he wants to play shortstop, I would give Rafaela a few starts at second to see how he looks there. Not sure Arroyo is the answer there. Rafaela looks like an elite defensive CF and a plus defensive SS with his bat being the only question mark. He should be playing CF, not 2B; just pencil him in as the Opening Day starter in 2024. I don't think Arroyo is the answer at 2B, but neither is Rafaela. So why not (and this is a legit question) bring him up now to plug the SS hole, at least until Story comes back? If memory serves they did something similar with Mookie and I don't remember that being much of an issue.
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Post by Legion of Bloom on Aug 3, 2023 12:10:51 GMT -5
Given Story will probably be back soon and he wants to play shortstop, I would give Rafaela a few starts at second to see how he looks there. Not sure Arroyo is the answer there. Rafaela looks like an elite defensive CF and a plus defensive SS with his bat being the only question mark. He should be playing CF, not 2B; just pencil him in as the Opening Day starter in 2024. I don't think Arroyo is the answer at 2B, but neither is Rafaela. To me, the clear answer is to play Story at 2B. Heâs a plus defender at the position and less strain on the arm (protect the investment). Rafaela would get the nod for me at SS next year. When Masa slides to DH he can head over to CF. Basically, you treat Rafaela like you treated Kiké this year, except Rafaela is actually elite at both.
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Post by carmenfanzone on Aug 3, 2023 12:12:35 GMT -5
Rafaela looks like an elite defensive CF and a plus defensive SS with his bat being the only question mark. He should be playing CF, not 2B; just pencil him in as the Opening Day starter in 2024. I don't think Arroyo is the answer at 2B, but neither is Rafaela. So why not (and this is a legit question) bring him up now to plug the SS hole, at least until Story comes back? If memory serves they did something similar with Mookie and I don't remember that being much of an issue. Or when Story comes back use him to plug the hole at 2nd base THIS YEAR. Doing that does not prevent him from starting in centerfield next year. Try him for a few games at 2nd in AAA and if he does well (as I suspect he would), he could take Arroyo's spot for the rest of this year.
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Post by notstarboard on Aug 3, 2023 12:17:54 GMT -5
So why not (and this is a legit question) bring him up now to plug the SS hole, at least until Story comes back? If memory serves they did something similar with Mookie and I don't remember that being much of an issue. Or when Story comes back use him to plug the hole at 2nd base THIS YEAR. Doing that does not prevent him from starting in centerfield next year. Try him for a few games at 2nd in AAA and if he does well (as I suspect he would), he could take Arroyo's spot for the rest of this year. Because he is not likely to be a major upgrade at 2B or play there long term, and because he could still benefit from some more ABs at AAA.
And @ theburn, Story will probably be back in like a matter of days. If we were going to bring up Rafaela before he was ready to plug that hole, why wait until now?
If the goal is to replace Arroyo, I would much rather just call up Urias or play Reyes there more for now.
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radiohix
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'At the end of the day, we bang. We bang. We're going to swing.' Alex Verdugo
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Post by radiohix on Aug 3, 2023 12:20:30 GMT -5
He has a 193 1/3 defensive innings at 2nd base in the minors. He didn't play there in a while but it's not a totally new position to him.
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Post by notstarboard on Aug 3, 2023 12:24:21 GMT -5
Rafaela looks like an elite defensive CF and a plus defensive SS with his bat being the only question mark. He should be playing CF, not 2B; just pencil him in as the Opening Day starter in 2024. I don't think Arroyo is the answer at 2B, but neither is Rafaela. To me, the clear answer is to play Story at 2B. Heâs a plus defender at the position and less strain on the arm (protect the investment). Rafaela would get the nod for me at SS next year. When Masa slides to DH he can head over to CF. Basically, you treat Rafaela like you treated Kiké this year, except Rafaela is actually elite at both. I don't understand moving a defender of Rafaela's caliber off of his best position, even if he can handle SS. I want to see him get an extended chance to start at his best position rather than pushing him into the super utility bucket. His ceiling is still an impact starter.
All signs point to Story being able to handle SS. If the team had doubts they would be planning on him playing 2B already, and if Story had doubts I don't see why he wouldn't have gotten TJ.
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Post by carmenfanzone on Aug 3, 2023 12:40:19 GMT -5
Or when Story comes back use him to plug the hole at 2nd base THIS YEAR. Doing that does not prevent him from starting in centerfield next year. Try him for a few games at 2nd in AAA and if he does well (as I suspect he would), he could take Arroyo's spot for the rest of this year. Because he is not likely to be a major upgrade at 2B or play there long term, and because he could still benefit from some more ABs at AAA.
And @ theburn, Story will probably be back in like a matter of days. If we were going to bring up Rafaela before he was ready to plug that hole, why wait until now?
If the goal is to replace Arroyo, I would much rather just call up Urias or play Reyes there more for now.
You must be watching a different Arroyo than the one I have been watching to think Rafeala couldn't be a major upgrade. The Arroyo I have been watching has been so bad the Red Sox are playing a 38 year old First baseman at 2nd once a week to get Arroyo off the field. And I am still hoping to make the playoffs this year. If playing Rafeala at 2nd for a month could help even a little with that they should do it. I seem to recall Bogaerts playing 3rd base during a playoff drive one year. He moved back to short the next year with no noticeable problems.At least play him at 2nd in AAA a few games to see if he can do it.
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