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Post by p23w on Sept 30, 2015 9:22:12 GMT -5
I really liked the match ups originally projected for this series.... even with the NYY's not listing a game 4 starter. Now we have the bait and switch in game 3, Tannaka replaces Sabbathia. Lord please let Miley throw a gem. I really would like to see the Yanks go into the playoffs getting swept at home by the Sox.
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Post by p23w on Sept 30, 2015 9:02:18 GMT -5
Not taking anything away from JBJ but this is not an uncommon phenomena. Stephen Drew used to "lean" a lot which accounted for his range factors. Pedey does this too. Anticipation is part and parcel for infielders, less common but still prevalent among top shelf outfield defenders. One reason I can't stand TV broadcasts is that they never focus on defenders who anticipate the ball coming their way and rarely have the footage to capture a defender who anticipates correctly and makes a seemingly phenomenal play. Best to enter the fan frozen zone and anticipate this in person at the game. This is what makes the game so very much enjoyable to observe in person than on some broadcast. I am really looking forward to having this experience at a game with JBJ patrolling the outfield.
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Post by p23w on Sept 29, 2015 18:35:48 GMT -5
Well you've ruined Luvollo for me now. Thanks.
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Post by p23w on Sept 29, 2015 12:21:34 GMT -5
The Royals will probably not tender Greg Holland due to a combination of cost, injury, and alternatives. Would you take a flyer on him on an incentive laden contract? He's getting TJS, isn't he? Holland has Serious UCL tear. Storen is virtually the same pitcher. Drew is about 2 years younger, healthy (as far as his arm goes) pissed off in his current situation He has filled both the set up and closer roles. He is also cheaper, not that that means anything. Storen will pitch in 2016. Doubtful Holland will.
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Post by p23w on Sept 28, 2015 14:12:51 GMT -5
There is obviously no downside to a minor league deal. Issue is whether he has pitched well enough to get an MLB deal. Doubt Hill would sign a minor league deal. Why should he? Given his versatility (start or relieve) I am pretty sure Hill will get a MLB contract offer. IMO, a guy who throws a 116 pitch CG shut out is going to get more than just one offer. Question is from whom and for how much. If he wants to stay, I am all in favor of signing him.
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Post by p23w on Sept 26, 2015 11:07:10 GMT -5
Just replacing Breslow with Hill, this team is better on two fronts. A long reliever you won't be nervous about when asked to throw a spot start. Odds are that Hill would be serviceable for more IP than Breslow has been. Possible too that Hill could have a mentor type relationship with the other young LHSP's. I think 75 IP from Hill is reasonable. Anything over 100 IP and either Hill is en fuego or Sox are in the playoffs, or both.
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Post by p23w on Sept 25, 2015 21:46:08 GMT -5
Sign Drew Storen. That's all you need to do Mr. Dombrowski.
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Post by p23w on Sept 21, 2015 23:22:04 GMT -5
Pitching is what is needed. Sox have it in house. What IS needed is reliable IP from the starters. 950 IP would be good. Should be doable from 5 regular starters and 2 bullpen arms with the ability to spot start, or step into the rotation for a month (5 starts) or so at a time (to cover a 30 day DL stint). If this combination can produce 1100-1150 IP, then the remaining 5 bullpen arms should be able to account for an average of about 70IP each. This would permit potential SP in the minors to stay in place and not be called upon prematurely. Minor league RP could be brought up as need be and used primarily, in only low leverage situations. A minor inconvenience to the field manager, but a reasonable probability if one is to believe in the resurgence of the offense. Who are these 5 starters and 2 bullpen/starters? As with the bullpen that is for the front office and field management to determine. My contribution will be to insist that Hill replace Breslow coming out of ST in 2016. A marquee SP is not needed. A front line closer? Perhaps. Preferably one with a rubber arm and team first ego. I really think dombrowski is going all out for a #1 starter this offseason. But he can not ignore the bullpen like he did in Detroit. I'm not a big DD fan, based on his track record. I'm hoping he works (mostly) with what he has in place already. I'd rather he splurge (contract or trade) for a closer rather than a starter. If he wants to groom Kelly for that position (shared with Uehara) I would not object. I had hoped that Barnes could share that roll with Koigi, but I'm not so sure now.It's all about IP. We have enough quality arms to get to the playoffs, what is needed (IMHO) is to improve the probability that our best arms are healthy, come October. I'd rather see guys busting to make a playoff roster than have the team put too much dependence on one guy a-la Kershaw. Does one build a team around a concept of what it takes to win, or does one shape the team with the talent at hand and trust that they will find a way to win. I believe the talent is present win. Certainly with respect to the position players. Not sure the pitchers have the right proven veteran leadership. Hoping that comes about evolves with future successes.
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Post by p23w on Sept 21, 2015 17:12:21 GMT -5
Pitching is what is needed. Sox have it in house. What IS needed is reliable IP from the starters. 950 IP would be good. Should be doable from 5 regular starters and 2 bullpen arms with the ability to spot start, or step into the rotation for a month (5 starts) or so at a time (to cover a 30 day DL stint). If this combination can produce 1100-1150 IP, then the remaining 5 bullpen arms should be able to account for an average of about 70IP each. This would permit potential SP in the minors to stay in place and not be called upon prematurely. Minor league RP could be brought up as need be and used primarily, in only low leverage situations. A minor inconvenience to the field manager, but a reasonable probability if one is to believe in the resurgence of the offense.
Who are these 5 starters and 2 bullpen/starters? As with the bullpen that is for the front office and field management to determine. My contribution will be to insist that Hill replace Breslow coming out of ST in 2016.
A marquee SP is not needed. A front line closer? Perhaps. Preferably one with a rubber arm and team first ego.
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Post by p23w on Sept 21, 2015 15:56:52 GMT -5
I saw Hurst recently at a baseball banquet and I can't remember the exact reason but it was more about leaving the Sox (can't remember why and that bothers me that I can't remember) than going to San Diego, and I do recall that he regretted leaving and wished he had stayed with the Sox.
Two words. Wade Boggs.
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Post by p23w on Sept 20, 2015 9:13:06 GMT -5
Brewers and phils are the only teams competing for the draft pick slot. Sox are playing in an elimination game.
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Post by p23w on Sept 20, 2015 9:10:03 GMT -5
Only teams making a real draft pick run are the Brewers and the Phils. Sox have a must win game to avoid elimination.
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Post by p23w on Sept 16, 2015 17:53:08 GMT -5
Gotta' feel sorry for Owens. He get to start in a bandbox with some serious hitters and without the benefit of his two best hitters, not to mention 2 above average defenders.
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Post by p23w on Sept 16, 2015 8:40:47 GMT -5
Moncada is still growing. Good time for light reps and muscle memory development. Not such a good time for heavy reps and an intense playing schedule. He will progress as far as AA (my hope) in 2016. Important that he remain injury free, if he is to maximize his development. At AA and above we should be able to get a more clear view of Yoan's baseball acumen. Hopefully language is not an issue. I have visions of Gold dust twins Andrew and Yoan a-la Freedy and Jim. The near term future is very bright indeed.
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Post by p23w on Sept 13, 2015 20:29:25 GMT -5
I talked with someone who saw a lot of Moncada and he said he was reminded of a young Hanley.
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Post by p23w on Sept 13, 2015 14:41:40 GMT -5
Where was Ortiz?
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Post by p23w on Sept 13, 2015 9:35:36 GMT -5
Your'e going back 18 years. The "rookie" got lucky. A seasoned Dombrowski with Time,Talent and Money failed to build a first rate bullpen in 10 years while at Detroit. Yeah, he got to the WS twice but his bullpens cost the team 2 more appearances. The Tigers should have had 4 WS appearances, which should have yielded at least one World Championship. This Red Sox team is already starting to look like thoseTiger teams under Dombrowski. I can only hope that he learns from his mistakes and concentrates on building a knock down bullpen, a-la the Royals and Giants. If past performance is a guarantee of future results, I'll take the chance of making the playoffs so often. But it's not, and there's no reason to believe Dombrowski can't do it. Building a great bullpen is not some great mystery that is impossible for a guy who traded for Miguel Cabrera and Max Scherzer to figure out. I would disagree. "Stealing" Cabrera from a low budget Marlin team (for whom you previously worked for) was a no brainer. Scherzer was a good deal. Letting Scherzer go, betting the farm on Verlander and not keeping Price remain to be seen. I have some serious doubts. Building a bullpen is akin to the corporate culture of a team. Yes, you "can" get lucky on the cheap (somehow the Rays always seem to do this). The Giants, Yankees and more recently the Royals have bullpen development in their DNA. I've always thought that an elite bullpen is a mix of homegrown talent who get tagged early on (Pabelpon comes to mind) with a blend of fearless free agents (Timlin comes to mind). I had thought that Barnes has homegrown potential to be an end of game (8th-9th) stalwart. Not so sure now. I can say with conviction that Breslow should not have been a fixture on the 25 man roster this year. Going forward will prove interesting. Assuming that Dombrowski will do a better job in 2016 than Cherrington did in putting together the 2015 bullpen if only because the Cherrington version was so hopelessly flawed is a logical expectation. Given that Dombrowski failed to build good bullpens in Detroit, for ten years doesn't indicate to me that he knows how to do this. Will Dombrowski's 2016 bullpen be superior to Sherrington's 2015 bullpen, damn well better be. Will it be championship caliber? We shall have to wait and see.
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Post by p23w on Sept 13, 2015 9:07:30 GMT -5
Your'e going back 18 years. The "rookie" got lucky. A seasoned Dombrowski with Time,Talent and Money failed to build a first rate bullpen in 10 years while at Detroit. Yeah, he got to the WS twice but his bullpens cost the team 2 more appearances. The Tigers should have had 4 WS appearances, which should have yielded at least one World Championship. This Red Sox team is already starting to look like thoseTiger teams under Dombrowski. I can only hope that he learns from his mistakes and concentrates on building a knock down bullpen, a-la the Royals and Giants. If past performance is a guarantee of future results, I'll take the chance of making the playoffs so often. I have greater expectations than you, then. Two WS appearances (and no championships) over 10 years just doesn't do it for me when the team has Betts, Bogaaerts, Pedroia, Swihart (and soon Benentindi and Moenada)
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Post by p23w on Sept 13, 2015 9:02:46 GMT -5
And we need a bullpen, and Dombrowski has Never built a good one. Even if true baseball has evolved and so do each of us. The bullpens today are viewed as much more important, especially with the advent of power arms, then they were 10 years ago. Dombroski impresses me with his intellect and presence. I'll give you odds that no more than one or two of our current guys are here next year and that our pen is a helluva lot better. Dombrowski's tenure as a front office executive has been entirely under the "power arm' bullpen era. He had power arms (Rodney). He had money and passed on Chapman (whom I considered to be the missing piece to the Tiger puzzle) . I will be very curious to see if Dombrowski carries on the recent RED SOX "tradition" of building bullpens on the cheap or if he makes a serious investment for a proven bullpen arm(s). I'm also curious to see who stays and who goes from this years crop of bullpen arms. I hope Dombrowski is smart. I'm just not convinced, given his track record with Detroit, that he "gets" it. Hope
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Post by p23w on Sept 13, 2015 8:48:35 GMT -5
And we need a bullpen, and Dombrowski has Never built a good one. Was the 1997 Marlins bullpen a major issue? Certainly didn't stop them from winning the Series. Your'e going back 18 years. The "rookie" got lucky. A seasoned Dombrowski with Time,Talent and Money failed to build a first rate bullpen in 10 years while at Detroit. Yeah, he got to the WS twice but his bullpens cost the team 2 more appearances. The Tigers should have had 4 WS appearances, which should have yielded at least one World Championship. This Red Sox team is already starting to look like thoseTiger teams under Dombrowski. I can only hope that he learns from his mistakes and concentrates on building a knock down bullpen, a-la the Royals and Giants.
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Post by p23w on Sept 12, 2015 17:14:13 GMT -5
If Ben was still the gm I could see him sticking to that plan but Dumbrowski is in charge now. He will make the prospect trades that Ben would of protected. I have no doubt in my mind Dumbrowski will be after both Sale and Gray with an eye to getting one of those players. If he can get price to come here, then even better. Everyone is out of their minds if they think Dumbrowski isn't going to just that and go hard after Gray or Sale, especially if he doesn't get price. I'd lose your cutesy nickname for Dombrowski. May have sounded funny at recess. Won't go over well here. After all, he has traded for Miguel Cabrera and Max Scherzer. Gave up peanuts for David Price last year. Not so dumb, eh? And we need a bullpen, and Dombrowski has Never built a good one.
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Post by p23w on Sept 11, 2015 21:22:07 GMT -5
Shoulda' been Miller Time.
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Post by p23w on Sept 10, 2015 8:50:45 GMT -5
I believe the desire to trade for an "ace" is misplaced. I have grave misgivings about Dombrowski ESPCIALLY due to his track record. The mistake was in not resigning Lester (or Miller for that matter). Trading Swihart is plain crazy.
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Post by p23w on Sept 8, 2015 19:47:20 GMT -5
Damn. Whew!
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Post by p23w on Aug 31, 2015 21:51:55 GMT -5
26 pitches.... 16 balls
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