FoxForce2

I liked Pina at the early projected $2 - 2.5 mil/yr. I don't know what Hahn is thinking on this, but with Grandal's age and last year's injuries, I'm thinking that a #2 catcher (not so much a 'backup') is a high priority.

I liked Pina at catch and most FA evaluations had him at $2 - 2.5 mil/yr. The Braves signed him today at $8 mil/2yr. No mention of conditions or incentives. Early guess is that the market is going to revv more than most have been estimating.

Not even 'essentially'. The time he did at Schaumberg doesn't count as day-in day-out play in competition: on the road, differing ballparks, differing pitchers etc. He went from College to an extended training camp and then into major league ball and at a new position to boot. One giant step for anyone.

I missed him. Has Engel proven that he's going to be an everyday or even frequent player? There is a very real chance that Hahn is going to run a RF by committee next year and might even be thinking of Cespedes coming in after the AS break for some yo-yoing. I'd prefer something more stable at the position (with Engel spelling at all three OF spots) , but the $$$ are likely going elsewhere. Considering the budget, the Sox FO is thinking we can afford either the pricey RF or the 2b (in addition to addressing other needs), - not both. Of course there could be the option to compromise with a Cesar type and Avi. But then we have the LF/1B/DH knot again. The upshot being that having quality but somewhat one or two-dimensional players like Vaughn, Sheets and even Eloy might not be such a good problem to have after all. p.s. Reading Hendricks' comments about team improvement, he made a point of mentioning defense upgrades. These pitchers need to have confidence in the play behind them. Otherwise all this can affect pitch selection and a given thrower's entire approach to the game.

Barring injury (or lack of recovery therein), Conforto would likely be a head above anyone the Sox played in RF in 2021. I like me some Vaughn, but he's got a chance at becoming competent in LF - not RF. To rely on him on that side is unfair to everyone, esp. him.

Looking at Conforto's Fielding Bible page - he's inconsistent from one year to the next, scoring somewhat above to somewhat below league averages until 2021 in which his numbers were well below RF standards. His overall performance at the plate improved over the course of the 2021 season and supposing that those improvements were due to injury recovery and would likely reflect in his field play as well - but I haven't found a list of splits on his defense work.

How many here have seen Conforto play RF? While stat driven analysis has improved by leaps and bounds over the past ten years, defensive metrics remain less than high-resolution re: evaluating a player's performance in the field. The large number of variables present and differing measurement methods involved in this process make for a complex task. Even when applying a reasonably valid algorithm, the eyeball test is still valid at least as a component in any gauging system. That - assuming that the eyeballs themselves are well calibrated.

SIAP It's worth a thread of its own.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/11/10/mlb-scott-boras-gm-meetings/

A young guy going as a reliever will do that to him. As a starter he'll be using more pitches and have a different mindset about the game. It might take awhile to get into the flow.

Manny Pina could probably be had @ $2 - 2.5 mil. There are 2 or 3 other similar catchers on the market. Collins has been in the system for awhile now and his bat is worth something, but is there really a place for him on this roster? Or are the Sox going to keep yo-yoing him between AAA-ML hoping that he becomes a ML catcher?

Sox = Stroman and/or Matz. And I like this option - for '22-23 anyway.

And Pito improved his game significantly at 1st this year - which is a good thing? Or a bad thing (re: Vaughn?) I'm so confused.

From not having much instinct to play left field to not getting his mind wrapped around going as DH - a lot of Eloy's downside is mental. He could probably compensate for the lack of aptitude in the field with extensive practice/exercise,to a reasonable degree anyway. The lowered performance as a DH is likely a self-image issue. Not so much a matter of loss of confidence as a mismatch of expectations and view of his role in the game. Cognitive dissonance? Doctors Freud and Jung aside, his swing was something different in 2021 than what we've seen earlier. Very wide open where he was somewhat more compact mid-delivery previous to the injury. Someone mentioned earlier that he looked like he was over-guessing at pitches instead of reading and hitting the ball as pitched which seems more his style at this point in his career. Obviously, the injury is a major factor in all this but the injury has to have some affect on his mindset as well. Get him together with Grandal over chips and Cokes - for a week or two. I'm 180 out on Hahn's take re: Vaughn/Sheets in RF, but I've said that elsewhere.

Black cap dude's top isn't all that black either. There is/was a logo of some kind that has been darkened with an editing marker - the faded logo can still be made out - looks like a stain.

Not only was his GB number up, but his FB rate was up as well. Barrels, hard hit and HR's were above or near career highs. The fact that he's gone much more to his change in the past two years stands out. He's using the slider sparingly. Pitches in-zone was down. Velocities are pretty much unchanged over the past 5 years. Bottom line for 2021 is that all of his pitches were valued in the negative. My impression was that he was getting behind in the count and was often forced to come into the zone and usually TOO into the zone. I don't have numbers on that. Control problems - loss of precision. Simple aging? <------ shrugs. I dunno.

I saw a shopped studio image of Scarlett Johansson a while back. Too bad it wasn't genuine. Great pic though - very convincing. The newest tech on faking images is pretty impressive, until you start considering the implications - ref: a recent 60 Minutes story on the subject.

Well, that's the problem. Keuch is a ground ball pitcher - that's what he gets paid to do. But in 2021, he started giving up fly balls and fairly hard hit flies at that. Whether he can correct what went wrong is the question mark with him. He took a lot of flak for his comments on the positioning of fielders as if he were criticizing his team mates, when he was mostly critiquing the coaching that was calling the defensive positions. However, he dropped the ball in getting hit so hard and missing the zone so much that the alignments almost didn't matter. If Keuchel can get his true sinker and low stuff in order and the infield is set and adjusted to his game, he could still be effective. The first is anyone's guess as to how well he gets back on track - the second is reliant on the willingness of TLR and Co. to start playing smarter in the field re: pitcher/batter matchups.

So many going for Conforto, even with his required offer payout. I say S. Marte is, in all respects a better option. The Sox probably have too many holes to fill to bring either of them in, but even so it's Marte over Conforto. Cheaper and better. What's not to like?

Keuchel will have to go in a package AND the Sox will have to eat a big chunk of salary to move him. I guess it could be worked, but it's pretty much a rock/hard place deal on Keuch.

Even before the day of Chris Sale, the Sox have been running around in a field of lightning bolts trying to catch one or two. By definition, that's a once in a blue moon event. And uhhh errrrr a risky proposition at that. I'd greatly prefer the Sox just get an Energac and go some combo of solar and natural gas.

Healthy skepticism is a virtue.

I have to question the Sox handling of Rodon over his career. In the rush to turn him into a 'major league ready - lightning-in-a-bottle' next chapter Chris Sale from the day he was drafted; What damage was done in and to his longer term development?

I've always been a fan of Lynn, but he needs to burn some calories. As in 15+ lbs. worth of calories. Hard to do if your knee is in layup.

"In that sense, slimmed down Avi Garcia fits the mold. And Eaton had his best Sox season right as well due to outfield assists before being leveraged in trade." If they're going the economy route (again) in right, then Garcia might be a decent get. But is he the right choice in that he'd be returning to a previous team? That's not all that common in the leagues. Garcia played well in his contract year, is he going to sustain that motivation in coming back to the Sox for the next 2-3 years? Again, running Vaughn in right just doesn't sit well with me - left yes. I don't doubt Vaughn's motivation or the fact that he's a BASEBALL PLAYER, it's just that there are plays presented to a RF that he just isn't equipped to handle.