danr
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Post by danr on Apr 24, 2016 16:13:43 GMT -5
There is some amazing pitching going on so far this season. The Nats have a team ERA of 2.18 and a WHIP of 1.05. The ChiSox have a 2.35 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP and the Cubs have a team ERA of 2.65 and a WHIP of .99.
By contrast the Sox have a team ERA of 4.83 and a a WHIP of 1.40
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 24, 2016 1:46:41 GMT -5
My choice for the rotation going forward is: 1. Steven Wright 2. David Price 3. Rick Porcello 4. Clay Buchholz 5. Eduardo Rodriguez (Henry Owens in the meantime) In all seriousness though, I think it should be the above 5 in some order once E-Rod is back. Joe Kelly then gets optioned to AAA as depth or moves to the BP as the long man. Then you still have Brian Johnson/Roenis Elias/Joe Kelly as depth and injury fillers. The Sox need pitchers and if Owens doesn't do well, Johnson will be next. If he doesn't do well, they will make a trade. I think it is reasonable to assume that Buchholz will be replaced in the rotation at some point during the season either because he suffers an injury or because of ineffectiveness.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 24, 2016 1:41:51 GMT -5
It appears to me that Sox mgt has decided to audition as many pitchers as possible as fast as possible. A great opportunity for someone to step up, but if no one does, almost certainly some trades to come. Gotta love what Wright has done so far. I never have been a Wright fan but I may have been wrong. It wouldn't be the first time and I hope I am this time. I like the way he is pitching.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 24, 2016 1:39:11 GMT -5
He doesn't have a swing and miss fastball anymore. To be effective his command has to be superb and no pitcher has superb command all the time. When he has it he is terrific but he seems to be having it less frequently. He is one of the most interesting, and frustrating, pitchers to watch. I think this will be his last season with the Sox.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 24, 2016 1:33:43 GMT -5
Doesn't it seem a bit odd that they just have figured out that he can't hit breaking balls? If that really is the case, he isn't suddenly going to acquire that skill.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 22, 2016 18:19:36 GMT -5
It appears to me that Sox mgt has decided to audition as many pitchers as possible as fast as possible. A great opportunity for someone to step up, but if no one does, almost certainly some trades to come.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 22, 2016 18:16:15 GMT -5
Clever. He's in RF for the Sox now. Can it happen again?
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Post by danr on Apr 21, 2016 18:39:52 GMT -5
I only saw part of the game after Price was gone and not the part when the Rays scored the four runs at the end. However, I cannot believe that Farrell let Cuevas pitch more than two innings. That was dumb. Then to bring in Ramirez was even dumber. I agree with all of you who believe Farrell should go. This was a game the Sox could have won despite Price's horrible performance. A good manager wins games like this. A bad manager puts in minor league pitchers when the game is on the line.
It is easy to forget that Pedro had some bad games as well. He famously said "pitchers give up hits." Unless there is something physically wrong, I think Price will be fine.
This is a much better hitting team than last year's and if the pitching can be straightened out - and I think it can - this is going to be a fun season.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 21, 2016 11:08:50 GMT -5
If Sam Travis keeps hitting like he has so far, he could step into the starting 1B position with the Sox next year if Shaw is kept at 3B. Then there will be a jam in the OF with Moncada and Benintendi getting close.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 21, 2016 11:03:12 GMT -5
I gained a lot of weight over several years prior to last year. Last year I lost 50 pounds through a combination of a low carb diet (but only because I am super-sensitive to carbs and can gain weight rapidly if I don't control them) and regular exercise. I used to have regular pain in my knees and hips. Now I have very little. I've always been physically strong with good stamina, but now it doesn't take as much effort. I am old but I don't feel it and I look much younger than I am - and did before I lost the weight.
I don't think there is any doubt that there is enormous benefit to an overweight person to lose weight. Much depends, however, on how it is done. It should not be done suddenly but over time. It is much more likely to stay off that way. There has to be good nutrition and exercise to make sure the weight that is lost is fat, not muscle.
The Panda would be much better off losing weight if he does it right. He would not be as injury prone and he would have more stamina. That doesn't necessarily mean he will hit or field better, but his reflexes probably will improve some, i.e. he could react faster and his body would have greater motion.
Given his body type, it would be unrealistic to think he could ever be thin. Ortiz isn't thin, either, but he is in good shape. Panda could be as well if he wants to be and sticks to a program.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 21, 2016 10:44:44 GMT -5
Unless he gets hurt or doesn't hit at all, Vazquez is the starting catcher for the Sox. He truly is a generational talent behind the plate, certainly among the very best in baseball.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 21, 2016 0:46:59 GMT -5
They have one sitting on the bench. It's just a matter of time.
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Post by danr on Apr 19, 2016 10:34:37 GMT -5
But if Kimbrel is a key component of a post-season team this year, then it was a great trade regardless of how those prospects work out. I also thought that Margot was over-rated and that Guerra's brief burst of power - combined with his obvious defensive skill - made him appear to be a better prospect that he actually was.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 17, 2016 16:07:20 GMT -5
I guess Young getting that at bat was more important than trying to win the game. The guy is hitting .083. He isn't going to hit RHPs no matter how many ABs he gets.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 17, 2016 15:54:44 GMT -5
Farrell isn't the only manager who does this, but why is it that he picks a game every so often to rest more than one player? No Pedroia, Holt or Vazquez today. And of course, two of the substitutes came up to bat in the 9th without any pinch hitter. He'll pinch hit in the 6th but not in the 9th?
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 16, 2016 8:58:09 GMT -5
The Sox looked like a different team last night with Vazquez behind the plate. While it is nice to have a good-hitting catcher, it is better to have a great defensive catcher. And it seems reasonably possible that in Vazquez the Sox might have both. If that is the case then Swihart is expendable. And if this becomes the case, the Sox will be in a great position to acquire a really good SP, or OF, depending on the need, at the trade deadline.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 14, 2016 17:18:06 GMT -5
Hazelbaker has twice been a minor free agent and is 28 years old. When a player with that profile breaks out, it's not really about patience with player development in the classical sense, it's about picking the right player off the scrap heap with an eye towards making a mechanical tweak or two and hoping that makes a difference. Think Carlos Marmol or Rich Hill or Andrew Miller. Hazelbaker was not bad in the Sox system. He had three years of just over .800 OPS, 21 HRs one season and then one down year and the Sox let him go. He didn't really fit the profile of a Sox OF but he was not a flame-out by any means.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 14, 2016 13:47:38 GMT -5
I think you guys who say it will be a RP are probably right. The pen is getting used a lot, which is not unusual at the beginning of the season. The team ERA is 5.40, almost entirely due to the SPs. Another good arm is the team's greatest need right now.
The team BA is.280 and they are scoring 5.5 runs per game. There isn't any obvious problem there. The lowest BA for a regular is .250 for Bradley and if that is what he hits for the season it probably would be looked as reasonably successful, assuming his D is back to previous form.
I am a bit mystified by their handling of Castillo. He got in one game and had two hits, including a double, in four ABs. Did he run over Farrell's dog?
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 13, 2016 15:34:51 GMT -5
Except in the 6th inning, when it's time to bring in Young to pinch hit for Shaw. Because, you know, Shaw was "good" vs. lefties last year, but Young was "outstanding". Platoon splits are entirely different from individual batter versus individual pitcher splits. The former is very real in terms of predicting future performance, while the latter is almost always small-sample noise. In fact, I'm happy Farrell isn't putting undue weight on Shaw's 2015 observed platoon split in the majors (which consisted of all of 82 PAs vs. LHP) and pinch-hitting for him with Young. I disagree. I think to pinch hit for Shaw is exactly the wrong thing to do at this point in the season. If Shaw is going to be a regular he must hit reasonably against both LH and RH pitchers and so far in his brief career, and in admittedly SSS, he has. Why not see how he does for a while before limiting him this way? This is not a good way to build a player's confidence and skills. It also just doesn't make sense to be pinch hitting in the 6th inning at this point in the season.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 12, 2016 8:58:56 GMT -5
Dante Bichette raking at Trenton. That brings back memories of long ago. You mean to a time when Dante Bichette Jr. was actually considered a prospect? I didn't know he still was playing until I saw that box score. He hasn't exactly been a clone of his father, who may have single-handedly been responsible for Denver having to do something to its baseballs. He also somehow fooled the Reds and the Red Sox into thinking he could duplicate his performance at sea level - although by today's standards he wasn't bad.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 11, 2016 23:35:23 GMT -5
Dante Bichette raking at Trenton. That brings back memories of long ago.
The Salem boys keep showing off. It appears Moncada was picked off twice. They were scored as CS but both throws were from pitchers.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 11, 2016 23:17:00 GMT -5
Price had one bad inning. Kimbrel had a bad inning. They probably will have other bad innings during the course of the season. Nothing else can be concluded about them from today.
I wasn't enthusiastic about the Young acquisition and now I know why.
I signed up for MLB TV this year and have been able to watch most of every game so far. I like the looks of the team on the field. I was dubious about the starting pitching before the season began and still am.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 11, 2016 1:38:56 GMT -5
I've never been a fan of Wright but I have to concede that he pitched extremely well today.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 6, 2016 18:31:12 GMT -5
Buchholz looks terrible today.
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Post by danr on Apr 6, 2016 14:15:45 GMT -5
Last year I was one of the strongest supporters of Pablo on the board. But when I saw that photo of him this spring, I gave up. His physical condition is not defensible. Shaw earned the chance and I sure hope he succeeds.
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