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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Jul 25, 2018 16:49:08 GMT -5
I hope you're angry about something in the future as well. /facepalm I'm never really angry, I think the snark is unnecessary. The only thing I bring up is list of concerns on the Sox. I hate to say it, but the Sox needed a starter. They couldn't keep doing what they're doing with Pomeranz this year. I don’t think you’re ever angry. I tend to disagree with many of your arguments, but I appreciate hearing differing opinions. But my respectful — not at all meant as a criticism— observation is that you’re prone towards excessive, somewhat dogmatic pessimism. And I get it: we’re talking about the Red Sox after all. After all the kick in the balls we’ve suffered collectively as a fan base it’s understandable. However, this tendency can at times obfuscate some of your more thoughtful, constructive points.
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Jul 24, 2018 13:00:25 GMT -5
"Goodnight Jim, wherever you are." Was that for me? haha Haha I heard that too and thought the same thing!
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Jul 20, 2018 1:54:18 GMT -5
He still is throwing the fourseam fastball too, although not regularly now. The experimental did nothing but add pitches and options for Houck, which is a good thing. He threw no four-seams at the game I was at recently, or at least didn't seem to - Potomac has a brutal viewing angle for evaluating pitches. In the Spring, you could tell because the velo was up another 2-3 mph. His FBs were all in the same velo band here. Hmmmm. Are you sure, Chris? I was at the game too (I live in NoVa; first baseball game I ever saw was at that park so I’ll always have a soft spot for it— even if it’s a lousy stadium). I could have sworn he threw several 4-seamers. Yes, all his fastballs had similar velocities but some had lots of bite and movement (which were clearly his two-steamers). While some had less polish and movement but were clearly being thrown up in the zone (I think these were his four-seamers... either that or they were really awful two-seamers. You’re right the stadium has awful views to gauge pitches but they looked so different to me they almost have to be two different pitches... uhhh I think... I hope). I could be completely wrong though. 🤷🏻♂️
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Jul 17, 2018 23:45:35 GMT -5
Why JA Happ over Kimbrel?? I think the plan was to stay away from using him unless an emergency due to how much he has pitched recently.
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Jul 17, 2018 20:32:53 GMT -5
Carpenter & Norris would be nice additions Agreed. Norris for JBJ straight up. Dare to dream!
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Jul 12, 2018 19:45:08 GMT -5
Ohhh myyyy gaaaawd! Mookieeee!
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Jul 7, 2018 22:46:24 GMT -5
To me, the Pomeranz issue is exactly the fastball. Because it's a high spin rate fastball (so called rising FB), he throws it up in the zone not at curve level. Slower means hitters can catch up to it. DP has never been a high velocity fastball guy. He’s made his living off that curve. If he can’t command it... trouble. If his fastball is 90-92, as it was tonight, that’s doable. But command of his curve and a few cutters is key to his performance.
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Jun 27, 2018 15:53:24 GMT -5
Hate to break the news to you, but if JBJ hits the Sox are keeping him. A JBJ who hits and is elite defensively is a very valuable player. If he doesn't hit, then the Sox will likely try to get a guy who can play some CF at the deadline. If he doesn't hit it doesn't exactly help his trade value. I have no idea if he's going to hit consistently enough over the remainder of the season. I don't like waiting thru 5 months of non-hitting just for that one hot scorching month, but if his mechanics are allowing him to hit the ball hard as he has been doing that's a good sign, but to me it only really means something if he can sustain most of it for an extended period of time. And if he can, then it makes no sense to waste bullets to try to get another CF, especially when Pedroia's status is in doubt, they just lost a starter in Wright and Pomeranz doesn't look great, and the bench needs help and the bullpen needs a high leverage reliever. In other words a JBJ who is actually hitting some or better is not a guy needing to be replaced. With limited funds and prospects to deal you don't replace JBJ when he's actually contributing on both sides of the ball. Its been a year. Since last June 24th he has had 110 hits in 513 abs (a 214 avg) with 143 Ks & 43 BBs & he's barely hit 200 since the all star break last year (.201avg, 451abs 91h 132Ks 39bb) Hey, how’s Steve Selsky doing? You know, the guy you suggested we should replace JBJ with. Great idea! Oh wait....
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Jun 25, 2018 20:37:00 GMT -5
Chris Sale, officially a bad dude. Someone with photoshop... go Haha! That image brings back memories. I even remember the names of the two bad dudes: blade (dude with white pants) and striker. A fair question is why on earth I remember that? 🤷🏻♂️
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Jun 13, 2018 17:48:22 GMT -5
Sale is officially my least favorite player to watch in all of baseball. It's torture watching a guy that good not able to throw the ball over the plate. And he isn't even wild. It's like Dice-k all over. Yes, it’s the exact same thing. 🙄
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Jun 3, 2018 21:52:39 GMT -5
Looks like a back issue for JDM. And I can't believe no one is looking at Xander. I think it’s his foot... from that foul ball in the first?
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on May 25, 2018 21:03:28 GMT -5
I like how Cora had Kelly, his second best bullpen arm, pitch in the seventh against the top of the Braves’ lineup. Somewhere JF is going “wait, you can do that?!”
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on May 23, 2018 20:40:37 GMT -5
At least the Yanks are losing.
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on May 23, 2018 13:58:05 GMT -5
Jerry and Dave were talking about this during last night's game. TB started the same reliever to pitch just the 1st inning 2 days in a row. I believe the thinking is that would give the "starting" pitcher a better chance to go deeper into games if they don't have to face the best hitters 3rd time through the lineup until after 24 outs (versus 18 if they actually start the game). Exactly, and apparently some modeling supports this, at least according to the Wharton guys. It’s certainly interesting, and I love Tampa trying new things out. The logic of getting your number four or five starter deeper in games by allowing them to avoid the best hitters as much as possible makes sense. I’m not sure I think having your set-up man “start” is the greatest of ideas though. While it is true that more runs are scored in the first inning than any other inning and there is a very high correlation between scoring first and winning, the first inning is also one of the lowest leverage situations in baseball for a pitcher. So to use one of your best bullpen guys in a low leverage situation... well it’ll take some more empirical evidence for me. What Tampa did is put Romo in there who is great against righties (and terrible against lefties) against a very righty dominant Angels lineup. In essence, they exploited a weakness of the Angels that I don’t think can be replicated quite so similarly against a better team without using one of your top bullpen guys. And that again may not be a great idea either.
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Apr 18, 2018 12:37:51 GMT -5
I hate to be the Debbie Downer here, but it IS in my DNA. Just remember that a team is never as good as it looks when it is going good, and never as bad as it looks when it is going bad. Dude, you’re the Swiss Army knife of debbie downers! —Jonny Gomes
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Apr 2, 2018 22:51:27 GMT -5
The other interesting aspect of the Johnson versus Wright debate is that if Johnson goes to bullpen, then he has to stay in the bullpen. He couldn't be turned back into a starter if he was put in the bullpen. You can't option him down to build his innings back up. Wright on the other hand could probably easily go from the bullpen to the rotation within the snap of a finger. The lack of stress on a knucklballer's arm allows him to do that. So it's a interesting debate and question either way. Injuries might force the issue and it doesn't become a problem however. I just don’t see this being a major issue at all. And absent a really sweet trade offer, I wouldn’t trade anyone. I see Wright and Johnson as much more than long relievers. I see them both as bulllen guys that can go multiple innings per outing, which saves the arms of the rest of the bullpen. So if we have two bullpen guys that can go 2 plus innings per outing, that’s a tremendous asset. As far as keeping their arms stretched for possible return to the rotation, I remember Wright saying it’s not a big deal for him to throw 80 plus pitches— even when he’s in the bullpen. Plus we’d have Velazquez in AAA if we wanted to go that route. It’s a great “problem” to have.
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Feb 21, 2018 0:47:49 GMT -5
How is Hanley redundant? He has the ability to be one of their best hitters and also one of their best homerun hitters. If he's healthy I don't see why he couldn't replicate his 2016 season. There's certainly enough room for a DH that hit .300 with 35 homers and a 1b who's capable of hitting .280 with 30 homers. I don't see how that's a replication. Oh I'm not saying Hanley is a fantastic 1b - I get why he's thought of as a DH, but he can be serviceable at 1b. He's not great there, but he's not Dick Stuart either, and they have the luxury of bringing in Moreland for defense late in games and if Hanley breaks down they can bring in Moreland. If somebody in the OF gets hurt, they can stick JDM in LF and play Hanley at DH with Moreland at 1b or against lefties once Pedroia is back, they could stick Nunez as a DH. If JDM needs time off, then Hanley reverts back to DH/1b with Moreland at 1b or Nunez DHing. Hanley isn't redundant and I don't understand why a roster with 3 centerfielders needs a 10 million dollar backup CF. I do believe Rusney Castillo can be a major league CF, but it's not something the Red Sox absolutely need to do, given the composition of their roster. Did you read any positive news on his shoulder ? Last year, he couldn't play in the field and against lefties, something he was historically good at, his OPS was .679, and wRC+ was 65. What's the basis for optimism ? He had shoulder surgery during the offseason. He says he’s feeling great. He’s been taking grounders and throwing without pain for weeks, something he wasn’t about to do at the beginning of the season last year. That doesn’t mean he’s going to hit, but those aren’t reasons to be optimistic?
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Feb 3, 2018 1:05:01 GMT -5
Jose Abreu stats 2014 36hr 107rbi 317ba 383obp 964ops 994fld% 2015 30hr 101rbi 290ba 347obp 850ops 989fld% 2016 25hr 100rbi 293ba 353ops 802ops 993fld% 2017 33hr 102rbi 304ba 354onp 906ops 993fld% Xander Bogaerts stats 2013 1hr 5rbi 250ba 320obp 684ops 1.000fld% 2014 12hr 46rbi 240ba 297obp 660ops Shortstop 975fld% 3b 910fld% 2015 7hr 81rbi 320ba 355obp 776ops 984fld% 2016 21hr 89rbi 294ba 356obp 802ops 979fld% 2017 10hr 62rbi 273ba 343obp 746ops 969fld% The numbers speak for themselves. People can say we already have a first baseman Abreu can be a part-time first baseman against left-handers we're signing JDM basically to be a DH. People can say the White Sox aren't going to trade him .What I'm saying is Abreu is a better value than 6 years of JDM 2 years of Abreu is more valuable than Bogaerts 2 years. These numbers say one thing and one thing only: Abreu hits more home runs than X. Not exactly breaking news. But baseball (in this case player value) is more than number of home runs hit— positional value, defense, contract status (years and money owed), resources (prospects, etc) required to acquire “better” player, etc. As jimed already noted X is more valuable than Abreu, plus you want to move Abreu to half- time DH which will reduce his value even more. One subset of numbers rarely speak for themselves. Context matters.
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Jose Abreu
Jan 28, 2018 18:51:29 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Jan 28, 2018 18:51:29 GMT -5
The Red Sox simply cannot afford to make any more big trades. You absolutely need Groome and Chavis in case something disastrous happens like Xander tearing his ACL in July while they're in first place. I agree I wouldn't want to give up any of the top four prospects in the Red Sox system.And for the reason you give can definitely happen and you need Blue Chip prospects for the prices are higher at that time. June and July brings the draft and the international signing. The Sox could replace lower level players like Hernandez Raudes Thompson Castellanos and Suarez. The Red Sox need a player like Abreu Yes, the Red Sox could potentially replace lower level players like Hernandez Raudes Thompson etc through the draft and international free agency.... which tells you all you need to know about their quality. Why would the White Sox want players that they could easily get in the draft, etc? Your logic seems to be this: we don’t need these players, so let’s give them to the White Sox for a really good player because the White Sox really need our bottom (medium) tier players more than we do. And very rarely does that logic ever hold up, although Miami is doing everything in their power to disprove that. Simply put, if you want abreu you have to willing to give up one or two of our top-three prospects, which I’m not willing to do.
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Jan 3, 2018 17:43:28 GMT -5
It seemed that he was fan favorite when he was traded to Philadelphia. I read his major league career started with a no hitter and looked like he was on his way to a bright future. But a story of his child falling asleep on his pitching arm led to a long DL stint and never really rebounded. But if he could find the focus and desire. Maybe If he could find a massive quantity of adamantium and inject himself with it. Maybe.
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Jan 3, 2018 15:22:06 GMT -5
There are some questionable numbers being thrown around by Jeter in this article... - A spike in attendance from 820,000 in 2017 to 1.1 million in 2018, 1.2 million in 2019, 1.35 million in 2020, 1.5 million in 2021, and 1.65 million in 2022.
- Revenue from a new TV deal from $17-20M to $50-55M, which doesn't even kick in until 2021
- Increase in corporate sponsorship revenue
So, he wants to strip all the talent from this team, and he expects more people to come to the park and sponsors to be so excited that they pay more. Seems legit.
Who would be surprised if he came out of retirement and paid himself $20 million a year to play SS? AND then traded himself to another team for pennies on the dollar.
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Jan 3, 2018 0:13:04 GMT -5
Heard Bowden talk on the radio a hour ago. His sources said the Sox offer was Jason Groome + Position player (Xander or JBJ) for Machado. Remember Jim Bowden's sources = Good. Jim Bowden speculation = Bad. Still no deal, so the Orioles haven't taken it yet, but that's what they reportedly offered. Bowden didn't like talking about it because he doesn't like giving away his sources. Yeesh. What's the philosophy? Draft Groome so now Espinoza can be dealt? Draft Houck so now Groome can be dealt? Hard to develop top notch starting pitching that way. If I were the Orioles I'd jump on Xander and Groome for 1 year of Machado in a heartbeat. But the Orioles do things.....very differently. I have to believe this is a rumor that we're using to get boras to blink. If we really offered groome + for manny, the Os should have jumped at it. The fact they haven't accepted leads me to believe it's bs.... I hope.
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Dec 28, 2017 22:31:14 GMT -5
Fair enough. What I was expecting was: "that package would not bring back Yelich and Realmuto." Which, I think, is also fair. At any rate, doubt its happening. My comment was designed to think of alternate routes other than JD should he not work out. Personally I'm fine with him (in a reasonable contract). I don't think Miami would do it either. Miami's current projected payroll is 94 million and they want to drop down to approx 85-90ish million. So they are already not that far off from meeting their desired payroll number. There's easier and more creative ways they can do that then to trade away their two best players. Plus considering all the negative backlash the Miami front office has taken, they'd need some top-tier talent in exchange in order to make that trade. They're not in as bad of a negotiating position now than they were a few months ago.
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Dec 24, 2017 14:31:39 GMT -5
The scenario is that the Pirates want to give him away because the Red Sox are the only team interested in trading for him. So now you also know the scenario I was thinking of... you sure do know it all, I should take you to Vegas with me. On a serious note, I could see the Sox missing out on Martinez and valuing McCutchen as the next guy who best fits the Sox needs and also fitting financially. Let me ask you, if Martinez is gone, do you think we should stand pat? Don't you think we would then value McCutchen as much as another team? DH makes sense for him too... Another problem with DHing McCutch is whether he'd accept that role. He didn't like moving from center field last season. So I can see him not being thrilled being a DH. Do we really want another potentially unhappy player on the team? I'd rather stay put than go with McCutch. Even without JD, we're re a good team.
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Post by jackiebradleyjrjr on Dec 21, 2017 13:24:18 GMT -5
I’m probably in the minority here but I think the best move would be to sign JDM to play LF, move AB to RF, and move Mookie to 2B. This would allow Brentz to become 4rth OF and Pedey not to be rushed back. When he does come back he can DH or even become trade bait. Probably?!!! 🙄
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