Perfect Vision

Everyone is upset that Vaughn is sitting today, and here I'm upset that Nick Williams isn't hitting clean up, which would have set up the greatest reveal of all time when TLR pulls a mask off mid game to show he was really Rick Renteria this whole time.

This is very well said. Also, whatever the political issue happens to be, I find individuals in leadership positions in companies pushing their personal beliefs out through their professional offices to be absolutely despicable (i.e. Manfred saying "MLB supports or opposes..." rather than "I, Rob Manfred, support or oppose..."). Many people make up MLB, all with differing views, so don't say MLB the entity supports or opposes anything.

Cease finishes the season top 15 in MLB in strikeouts Madrigal has 200 hits and finishes the year hitting at the top of the lineup Sox win the Central by 10+ games

As much as this sucks, I'm trying to put things in perspective. If Vaughn hits the ground running and Moncada is closer to his 2019 self, there's no reason this offense can't be as good this year as it was last, even without Eloy. And to me the overall success of this year's team was always going to have much more to do with the effectiveness of the rotation (and those guys staying healthy) than the position players. Anderson, Moncada, Abreu, Grandal, Vaughn, Robert....the lineup will score plenty of runs. And if Engel or Hamilton end up taking the bulk of the playing time that just opened up, the overall outfield defense just got A LOT better.

Obviously collisions are a concern. But just with the general running/sprinting/turning that all outfielders must do every day, a hamstring strain or other muscle pull is just as likely if not more so. And for a player who has spent his career at 1B/DH, these types of injuries would seem unavoidable.

Let's put that scenario at about 5%. Here are the others: He's absolutely terrible because he's never played the position before: 30% He gets injured in the field...because he's never played the position before: 65%

Haven't read the whole thread so don't know if this has been said but.... Asking a player to learn a new position less than a week before he's to make his MLB debut is absolutely insane IMO.

There are dozens of rule changes they could experiment with to shorten the game, but if they're serious about it, I hope they understand the actual root cause of why games are longer now: A generation of hitters has been taught to "be selective," to only swing at "good" pitches, and to take a lot of pitches in general and work deep into counts, with a walk being seen as a very good outcome for an at bat. These days, the worst thing you can do as a hitter isn't strike out, it's swing at the first pitch and make an out. There's an emphasis on getting the pitch count up. Meanwhile, a generation of pitchers has been taught that a "power arm" is the best thing you can be. So pitchers train and develop with a focus on increasing velocity, even if it means sacrificing control. Which in turn leads to a generation of MLB pitchers who throw really hard and have spotty control, which means more balls, which means more total pitches thrown. The interplay of these two things is the root cause of longer games, not all the tangential stuff (like pitchers throwing over to first base or mound visits).

Shifting is smart baseball. It also makes the game worse (by, for one, encouraging power hitters to bunt). No one wants to see that. I am fine with the elimination of the shift. There is something unnatural when seeing a sharp grounder up the middle or line drive to right becoming outs because they are hit right at a fielder. The rise of analytics has helped smart teams win more baseball games. The rise of analytics has also made the game less fun and less attractive to viewers. When Manfred and others talk about shortening the game time to help make baseball more popular, they are completely missing the point. Baseball isn't unpopular because games have become 3+ hours instead of 2 1/2, it's because analytics has changed the way the game is played to be more boring.

HIPAA only applies to health care providers, health care plans, and health care clearinghouses. Any disclosure of health information by anyone outside of one of those three categories or their agents does not constitute a HIPAA violation (but could other privacy law).

We're officially at the point of spring training when I start hating spring training. The initial excitement of pitchers and catchers reporting has long worn off, the excitement of the start of actual games has worn off, and now it's just a countdown to April 1st and hoping for no injuries.

There's a world of difference between a player saying he thinks he's going to have a great career and saying he thinks he's the best player on the team (or "just throw me the damn ball" as T.O. used to say). It sounds like what you were probably saying or implying to your teammates back in the day was a lot closer to the latter than the former.

They're obviously busting his balls, but I highly doubt Madrigal having a ton of confidence in himself rubs vets the wrong way. He's not showing anyone up with that comment and they all have a ton of confidence (hell, Eloy just said he thinks he's going to win MVP soon). Madrigal rubs you the wrong way, that's all.

Probably 2 or 3 of those guys will be traded over the next couple years.

Actually, Collins stats in the minors are exactly why people want to see him get a legitimate chance. With his elite walk rate, he always seemed like someone who could OBP around .350 even with a very low batting average, and hit at least an average number of homeruns for a catcher. The problem is his short sample sizes against MLB pitching have not been good and we still haven't gotten an indication that his catching is even at an adequate level for MLB.

Don Cooper while reading the newspaper shouts over his shoulder "remember to stay closed"

I think people will be SHOCKED at how good Vaughn is from day 1. In another thread I made a bold prediction that Vaughn will be the best overall hitter on the Sox this year. I think they'll start him lowish in the order (around 7) and after a couple weeks people will be complaining he's not hitting 3rd or 4th. The only player likely to have at bats consistently as good as Vaughn is Moncada.

This is what I think as well. Cruz will re-sign with the Twins on like a 2/16 type deal, and half of SoxTalk will lose their minds that the Sox didn't beat the offer (despite the fact that the Sox will have accomplished pretty much exactly what they wanted -- forcing the Twins to give him a 2nd year).

Honestly, those tweets from Gomez and Heyman make me think the Sox aren't that interested, and Cruz' agent is working through those guys to try to generate interest. The chances the Sox offer Cruz a guaranteed 2 years is close to 0.

Sheets is SLOW. Maybe the drop in weight will help. Without notable improvement in his speed there's no chance he can play the outfield.

If Cruz is going to wait to sign until the NL DH thing gets sorted out, and La Stella is going to try to get in the neighborhood of what Profar just got, then the Sox would be better off just taking whatever money is left in the budget and getting the best SP they can (my preference right now would be Richards). I think Vaughn will be a good DH, and if he struggles, they can trade for someone at the deadline to be the DH (for probably not much prospect capital). And between Engel, Leury, and Mendick, I think the Sox already have good utility players. In other words, I think Cruz and La Stella are both luxuries, not needs.

Route B

I disagree. I'd be content with the Sox rolling with Vaughn as the primary DH, Collins as the back up C, and Mendick, Engel, and Leury as the utility guys. The only true need IMO is a back end starter, and there are a lot of options still out there. If the Sox aren't ready to make Collins the back up catcher by now, I don't know why the hell he's still in the organization.

I'm extremely bullish on Vaughn. Not only do I think he would be a solid DH, but I think he could be the best overall hitter in the Sox lineup this year. How's that for a bold prediction.

Yep. Regarding Vaughn, it's important to remember that he's a slow, short, right-handed, 1B-only player, and was still a consensus top 3 pick in the draft. Someone like that isn't a consensus top 3 pick if scouts and talent evaluators believe he needs a couple years in the minors to develop. It's really not hyperbole to say that Vaughn's bat was MLB-ready before he left college.