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Post by runner on Jan 16, 2023 18:58:33 GMT -5
Pretty notable minor league signing.
Better platoon splits versus LHP with Alfaro. Deal probably comes with opt outs I'm sure.
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cdj
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Post by cdj on Jan 16, 2023 20:14:24 GMT -5
Alfaro is borderline threadworthy, he’ll likely make the team out of camp
Dude can sting it. Zero plate discipline though
Surprised he had to take a MiLB deal. Good vibes guy for the dugout
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Post by Soxfansince1971 on Jan 16, 2023 20:31:16 GMT -5
Pretty notable minor league signing. Better platoon splits versus LHP with Alfaro. Deal probably comes with opt outs I'm sure. Yes, June 1 and July 1.
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Post by Soxfansince1971 on Jan 16, 2023 20:34:30 GMT -5
Alfaro is borderline threadworthy, he’ll likely make the team out of camp Dude can sting it. Zero plate discipline though Surprised he had to take a MiLB deal. Good vibes guy for the dugout If the Red Sox wait until Spring Training and Story goes to the 60 day-DL, then Alfaro can step into Story’s spot without needing to DFA another player.
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jimoh
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Post by jimoh on Jan 16, 2023 21:06:32 GMT -5
Let’s Admire Some of the Strongest Arms in Baseball: Catchers Edition by Esteban Rivera November 7, 2022 "Jorge Alfaro (no. 2 overall, 88.2 mph) [[with vid of a CS]] I identify as a Jorge Alfaro super fan; I’m not sure there can be more of a fan of a catcher than I am of him. Ever since this play in 2018, I convinced myself he was the next coming of Ivan Rodriguez. That highlight and this hose of Nolan Arenado perfectly display how incredibly strong Alfaro’s arm is. Arenado’s attempt to steal this base is borderline offensive. I don’t care how big his jump was; he is too slow to make up for how fast the Padres’ backstop can sling a ball to second base. Alfaro’s fundamentals are traditional and sound. Because he has such a strong arm, all he has to do is align his feet with second base and let the arm do the rest. On a fastball in and off the plate, he lets the ball travel as deep as he can so he can have a seamless transfer. His delivery was right over the bag, with Robinson Canó providing one of his smooth-as-can-be tags." blogs.fangraphs.com/lets-admire-some-of-the-strongest-arms-in-baseball-catchers-edition/
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Post by Soxfansince1971 on Jan 16, 2023 21:14:33 GMT -5
Let’s Admire Some of the Strongest Arms in Baseball: Catchers Edition by Esteban Rivera November 7, 2022 "Jorge Alfaro (no. 2 overall, 88.2 mph) [[with vid of a CS]] I identify as a Jorge Alfaro super fan; I’m not sure there can be more of a fan of a catcher than I am of him. Ever since this play in 2018, I convinced myself he was the next coming of Ivan Rodriguez. That highlight and this hose of Nolan Arenado perfectly display how incredibly strong Alfaro’s arm is. Arenado’s attempt to steal this base is borderline offensive. I don’t care how big his jump was; he is too slow to make up for how fast the Padres’ backstop can sling a ball to second base. Alfaro’s fundamentals are traditional and sound. Because he has such a strong arm, all he has to do is align his feet with second base and let the arm do the rest. On a fastball in and off the plate, he lets the ball travel as deep as he can so he can have a seamless transfer. His delivery was right over the bag, with Robinson Canó providing one of his smooth-as-can-be tags." blogs.fangraphs.com/lets-admire-some-of-the-strongest-arms-in-baseball-catchers-edition/ If all three (McGuire, Wong, and Alfaro) catchers are healthy, Wong maybe starting the season in Worcester…
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redsox04071318champs
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jan 16, 2023 21:55:12 GMT -5
Alfaro has got some extreme BB/K ratios. It's amazing he can hit .240 - .250 with an OPS in the upper .600s/low .700s walking as infrequently and striking out at th alarming rate he does.
Wong is probably a similar type hitter. Can't say his addition excites me.
I guess Alfaro starts at AAA as Wong auditions for the backup gig and if he struggles them Alfaro gets called up and Wong sent down. Of course they'll have to make those decisions based on the opt outs Alfaro has.
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Post by Soxfansince1971 on Jan 16, 2023 23:15:34 GMT -5
Alfaro has got some extreme BB/K ratios. It's amazing he can hit .240 - .250 with an OPS in the upper .600s/low .700s walking as infrequently and striking out at th alarming rate he does. Wong is probably a similar type hitter. Can't say his addition excites me. I guess Alfaro starts at AAA as Wong auditions for the backup gig and if he struggles them Alfaro gets called up and Wong sent down. Of course they'll have to make those decisions based on the opt outs Alfaro has. I would prefer Wong get the first look to see what he can do, with Alfaro waiting in AAA. I would love to see Wong succeed!
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redsox04071318champs
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jan 16, 2023 23:16:45 GMT -5
Alfaro has got some extreme BB/K ratios. It's amazing he can hit .240 - .250 with an OPS in the upper .600s/low .700s walking as infrequently and striking out at th alarming rate he does. Wong is probably a similar type hitter. Can't say his addition excites me. I guess Alfaro starts at AAA as Wong auditions for the backup gig and if he struggles them Alfaro gets called up and Wong sent down. Of course they'll have to make those decisions based on the opt outs Alfaro has. I would prefer Wong get the first look to see what he can do, with Alfaro waiting in AAA. I would love to see Wong succeed! I suspect that's what will happen.
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ericmvan
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Post by ericmvan on Jan 17, 2023 1:25:05 GMT -5
Alfaro career. Top line is expected and next line is actual. After the = is wOBA.
Bases Empty, 915 PA .243 / .280 / .405 = .296 .257 / .294 / .378 = .291
Runner just on first, 333 PA
.209 / .259 / .367 = .273 .228 / .276 / .375 = .282
RISP, 401 PA (excluding 9 IBB) .263 / .325 / .477 = .345 .278 / .337 / .458 = .339
(I hope everyone notices that the expected /actual splits for the the first and third entries are more or less the same, which suggests the actual splits are for real.)
That RISP success, plus his weak numbers in blowouts (see below) adds 1.7 WAR to his official 5.5.
Whenever I see a catcher with a split like that I figure he's guessing correctly more often than the average player. After all, figuring out what pitch to throw is his job. The runner just on first split suggests someone who is trying to move the runner over, which as a primary goal is a terrible idea.
The extra 1.7 situational WAR is despite subpar performance late and close, an 82 OPS+ relative to his own overall numbers, where the league last year was 93. Definitely a guy you pinch-hit for in that situation, and in most of the of games against LHP they'll have Casas or Verdugo available because they put Refsnyder in the OF (and maybe moved Yoshida to DH). In blowouts he was 89 relative to self, versus 103 for the league.
This is actually the second mlfa in a row they signed that has a real good shot at the MLB roster, the other being Greg Allen in place of Duran (which I think is a clearer upgrade and a better player-development move than this one, which is already solid.) See my post if you haven't already.
The Sox will be factoring in the $3.4M they get if both make the team out of ST, when they do the internal tax audit. The resulting 40-man crunch does make it less likely that Brasier survives, but it's unclear whether you can count on that right now.
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Post by dirtywaterinla on Jan 17, 2023 1:43:24 GMT -5
I would prefer Wong get the first look to see what he can do, with Alfaro waiting in AAA. I would love to see Wong succeed! I suspect that's what will happen. I’m intensely curious now if they might try starting Wong at 2B if Alfaro wows in spring training. He has played there for 200+ innings in the minors and did so as recently as last season.
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Post by soxfanatic on Jan 17, 2023 5:06:56 GMT -5
If this was a 'win-now' kinda year, I think I would prefer Alfaro over Wong for 2nd catcher. But for this year, Wong deserves a long leash IMO.
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redsox04071318champs
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jan 17, 2023 7:11:08 GMT -5
I suspect that's what will happen. I’m intensely curious now if they might try starting Wong at 2B if Alfaro wows in spring training. He has played there for 200+ innings in the minors and did so as recently as last season. If Arroyo is healthy they certainly wouldn't start Wong over him. I really think Wong just catches.
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Post by jmei on Jan 17, 2023 10:17:27 GMT -5
A lot of deals like the one that Alfaro signed have an opt-out at the end of spring training, but the fact that Alfaro doesn't have an opt-out until June 1 means that the Red Sox can make it a genuine competition rather than just promoting the guy with an early opt-out to maximize depth. In other words, I don't know that they've made a decision yet on who the backup catcher is coming out of spring training and I think it will be a genuine competition between Wong and Alfaro.
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Post by scottysmalls on Jan 17, 2023 10:46:12 GMT -5
A lot of deals like the one that Alfaro signed have an opt-out at the end of spring training, but the fact that Alfaro doesn't have an opt-out until June 1 means that the Red Sox can make it a genuine competition rather than just promoting the guy with an early opt-out to maximize depth. In other words, I don't know that they've made a decision yet on who the backup catcher is coming out of spring training and I think it will be a genuine competition between Wong and Alfaro. Would also think because of the 40-man spot Wong has a decent advantage to win the first shot.
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Post by alexcorahomevideo on Jan 17, 2023 10:50:27 GMT -5
Alfaro is a big upgrade over Wong. Let's call it what it is. Yeah, his plate discipline is slightly better than Randall Simon, but he's great defensively and has some pop. If he doesn't take a walk and still hits 240 with pop and plays good defense I can live with it.
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Post by jmei on Jan 17, 2023 11:18:12 GMT -5
Alfaro is a big upgrade over Wong. Let's call it what it is. Yeah, his plate discipline is slightly better than Randall Simon, but he's great defensively and has some pop. If he doesn't take a walk and still hits 240 with pop and plays good defense I can live with it. Eh, there's more to catcher defense than just arm. Alfaro has a cannon arm but has received below-average marks in catcher framing and blocking pitches, and I'd give the Wong the advantage on those fronts. Pitch calling is another area where Wong has generally gotten positive marks while Alfaro is an unknown.
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cdj
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Post by cdj on Jan 17, 2023 11:45:35 GMT -5
He’s led the league in PB’s the last two years while only catching ~60 games, that’s downright impressive
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Post by julyanmorley on Jan 17, 2023 11:52:17 GMT -5
I've always had the impression that they like Wong more than the box scores would suggest you should, and now the box scores are saying Wong is a solid back up. I'm thinking Alfaro is going to need an injury to win a job out of ST.
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Post by seamus on Jan 17, 2023 12:02:41 GMT -5
He makes a ton of sense as either injury insurance or to allow flexibility for a trade opportunity. I like both McGuire and Wong, but if one of them could be part of larger trade for an impact player (both surely would have decent value as complementary pieces to Houck or another headliner), suddenly the Sox can at least think about it given that they have a third MLB-caliber catcher ready to go. Mind you, I suspect it's simply a depth move they jumped on because he could be had at an unexpectedly reasonable price point, but it's fun to speculate.
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Post by Soxfansince1971 on Jan 17, 2023 12:17:14 GMT -5
I've always had the impression that they like Wong more than the box scores would suggest you should, and now the box scores are saying Wong is a solid back up. I'm thinking Alfaro is going to need an injury to win a job out of ST. Completely agree! Wong has impressed the FO, and I believe it is his job unless he performs badly. Wong’s defense has always been written about very highly.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2023 12:21:57 GMT -5
Per The Athletic's Melissa Lockard, the Red Sox have signed Edwin Diaz.
(The uh, infielder.)
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Post by vermontsox1 on Jan 17, 2023 12:43:50 GMT -5
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Post by vermontsox1 on Jan 18, 2023 23:53:52 GMT -5
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Post by levi on Jan 18, 2023 23:59:35 GMT -5
Duran, Refsnyder, Abreu, and Rafaela are all OF depth on the 40 man roster and Allen/Crook are NRIs. Now add Tapia to the mix and it’s getting pretty crowded.
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