southsider2k5

Eloy DHing the rest of the season is actually a pretty solid idea.

Guys might have to go to other sticky substances s

I mean we all know that we have a a group of guys who have been thrust into a lot of at bats and are struggling, the problem is who do you replace them with? We have blown out three starters for long term injuries, of course the line up is going to have guys that suck in it.

Because the entire outfield is hitting awful right now.

Why? That is what this team should aspire to be. The defense alone is worth jerking off to. Plus their Manager seems to know the rules.

And getting longer.

You said they said Spring Training was too long. That is six weeks. That is not the same as a two week rehab stint after not playing baseball games for 4 months after a major injury.

He might have meant one GDIP...

The Sox won't win if there isn't embarrassing posting.

Cease too.

There is a gigantic difference between a week and six weeks, especially when coming off of major injury.

Um, spring training is six weeks of games preceded by at least 2 weeks of activity, without coming off of injury. Even Engel was was out just 2 months got more time than that.

He hasn't seen a live pitch in almost 3 months. If he does "baseball activity" for a month before rehab, it will mean he will have been away from baseball for almost 4 months. He needs more than a week to get back into the swing of things. There is a big difference between hitting in the cage against low minor leaguers or soft toss, versus actually seeing some game speed.

That is a whole lot of words to say that anything could happen after this year.

Say a month of "baseball activity" and a 2 to 3 week rehab stint? Maybe the first to second week of August?

I will be honest, I do think the Sox time of reckoning is coming with their pitching. A LOT of their innings are going to come from guys who are doing this for either the first time in their lives when you look at Cease/Kopech/Crochet, or have a history of not being able to pitch this long in Rodon. If they stay healthy? Yeah, they have a good chance. Do I see it happening that all of those guys make it through to the playoffs with availability and health? I wouldn't bet on it. Then we are also assuming that nothing bad happens to the rest of the big three, which is much safer, but you never know. Hopefully the rest of the core also stays healthy.

I don't know that there is any team I am "confident" in winning the World Series. I do think the lack of track record here is something that many other teams don't have.

We are seeing pitching injuries all over baseball from guys who have achieved these kinds of things, so it isn't just them being young and "stretched out". These guys just don't have the advantage of having actually done what they are being asked to do this year.

Unlike most years, I think my biggest worry isn't talent based, but physical limitations. We are going to ask a LOT of guys to put in a total number of innings that they have either never done before, or hasn't been able to do on a consistent basis in their lives. When it comes to Cease, Rodon, Kopech, and Crochet, we are asking guys who are conditioned to be sprinters to run the marathon this year, with no real training at going that distance. Maybe we do get lucky there, but I don't like those odds.

I am enjoying it. But that doesn't mean I can't be willing to face reality to where this team is, and will be in a few months. Honestly I think I am enjoying it more because I don't have expectations of this team winning a World Series to feel like they did something big this year.

Maybe its my line of work, but I wouldn't call anything that fails at best 6 out of 7 times, "confident".