Timmy U

KC struggled all year. Depending on health, their line up was like 2.5 guys.

I thought it was interesting that Baldwin was the first current player they listed. Maybe it's alphabetical. But as the #1 Baldwin stan on this board, I hope it's because they really like the player and think he's going to be a key contributor this year.

The interesting thing with Vaughn is how long his slumps last and how deep they are. Every year he's a pretty good player for 4/5 months, but his bad month(s) are so bad that it drags down his value. Usually it's September. Last year it was April/May. If he could shorten his slumps or hit .200 instead of .150 during them, he could become a 120 WRC+ type of guy. That would be league average for a starter at that position and make his contract a bargain. Maybe Fuller can help him with that.

Meidroth's reputation with Boston is that he is quite good defensively even though physically he may not look the part. OTOH, I am leery of MiLB players that are extremely passive with low exit velocities who build stats on taking walks. MLB pitchers generally go after guys who can't hurt them. So I am skeptical that Meidroth is really better than Badwin or Sosa or Gonzalez or Nishida or whoever. But my fear is not the glove.

My understanding is if Vaughn went to arbitration, the contract could be voided and he could be released. But, if you agree to a contract with him to avoid arbitration, that contract is guaranteed. Am I mistaken?

No.

Loved the interview. Thanks for posting. I run a smallish organization and how he talks about delegating, getting info, process, etc. is spot on. Very impressive.

The Sox were like 29th in team defense last year so Lopez and DeJong were not the answer. I believe better coaching, preparation, and positioning is going to make a big difference no matter who they run out there. Amaya got a fairly long run last year and does not appear to be an mlb player. I think between Baldwin, Sosa, Meidroth, and Montgomery they will fill their middle infield. Had no hopes for Amaya anyway.

Called. It.

Excellent! He did a nice job at Birmingham.

Nice pull on the two Jordans! Sadly, Spencer Adams had hype when drafted, but never had plus stuff. The other two names from back then were Jimmy Lambert and future big leaguer (briefly) Bernardo Flores. A lot of those guys (esp. Stephen’s, Flores and Lambert) were seen as relievers. Low draft picks who struggled some in college that the Sox were trying to reclaim. I seem to remember Stephen’s was overused in college and never did much after being drafted.

Nope. Just went through a Top 30 prospect list from back then and the only starters listed other than Kopech, Cease et al are Alec Hansen and Konnor Pilkington. I'll admit there was 1 year of Hansen hype, but Pilkington didn't rise to the level of even a Gowens, let alone Iriarte, Nastrini, Bush, Batista, etc etc etc. Sox development may still suck, but they've got more depth than they did back then.

I disagree. When Giolito, Kopech, Cease, Lopez, and Dunning were traded for, the rest of the Sox pitching in the minors was pretty thin. The prospect pedigree on Giolito, Cease, and Kopech may be slightly > Schultz, Smith, and Taylor, but, by the time the Sox got them, both Giolito's and Cease's stock were down considerably. That's why they were available. Schultz is currently one of the top 3 pitching prospects in the minors (alongside Jobe and Painter). Smith is coming off one of the most dominant college seasons in history. Taylor may be more of a stretch, but having seen him pitch, I think he's a very bad man. After that, there's like 10 guys fighting for spots. John Ely says "don't sleep on Carela" and I personally love Batista. Even their super young guys like Larsen, Oppor, Reyes, LaCombe, etc have upside. I think the pitching depth in their system is waaaaaay better than it was 6/7 years ago.

I thought, didn't we have this guy last year? Of course, I was thinking of another near-miss Boston 3b prospect Michael Chavis. Man, trying to make a living hitting a baseball is a brutal business.

I would call it good, not great. I think you could slap a 50 on it. His strength at every position defensively is baseball smarts. Son of a coach. Always in the right position. Good footwork, so he maximizes his tools. He played mostly 3b in Kanny and his arm was fine over there. At short, it might be a tick light on plays in the whole, but so was Ozzie's. In the outfield, he gets rid of it in a hurry and he hits the cutoff man. He's not Fletcher or Colas or Zavala or Braden Montgomery, but he's fine in any outfield position. I wouldn't make him an everyday CF, but he can play the position. I bet he'd score average or better at 6 or 7 positions defensively.

The answer to this hypothetical is currently unknowable. If Smith and Schultz are just okay, sure preserve the roster spots. If they dominate in a way that announces their arrival as future core rotation pieces, you may have to be flexible. The Pirates certainly don’t begrudge Skenes’ roster spot. See what the season brings. The good ones tend to come quickly. I hope Smith and Schultz make it hard on them.

Yeah, and Bobby Witt Jr. put up 10.4 fWar. Develop 1 guy like that, then spend all you want on FA.

Bannister likes to give starters some exposure to mlb out of the bullpen when they have basically reached their innings limit a la Iriarte last year. They are not putting Schultz and Smith on the Sale/Crochet plan.

The logic isn't terrible, but does a guy like Kim really move the needle enough to make the risk worth it?

Interesting. Thanks for this. I think you may be light on Dumesnil. He’s got the kind of tools that, if he performs, he could be a top 5 guy. But that’s why they play the games.

Morton has had a great career. That said, they are really rolling the bones by bringing the fences in and not getting higher level pitching. They better hope Rodriguez develops into a true ace or they’re gonna waste a window of some of the finest young talent in the last 20 years.

Baldwin has solid tools across the board. His ceiling is big league regular. Will he reach it? Who knows? But he definitely has the talent to start sometime in his career. He absolutely dominated a great pitcher’s league in AA.

Let me play Devil’s Advocate and it is about development. Ramos is a decent defender who has lapses throwing the ball. Sosa is pretty bad at 3b and a knucklehead at 2b. Vargas is brutal wherever he plays. The Sox have like 15 young pitchers they are gonna try and develop over the next 2 years. What if you have a plus defender at 3b to take platoon at bats and some late inning defensive replacement innings? Might that not help the pitchers develop? Ramos, in particular has massive platoon splits. Is it so bad to ease him into mlb at bats? I think this is a decent signing that may reflect a desire to have some of the Sox B/B+ prospects earn their time rather than just handing it to them. Plus, I would love to see Vargas DH/1b only. He is a hazard with a glove in his hand.

Sosa is out of options and Meidroth isn’t on the 40 man. I think there’s a solid chance Meidroth and Ramos begin the year in Charlotte.

Sox are gonna be like the Padres, except instead of shortstops, every position is going to be manned by a second baseman. It is a fine buy-low attempt. I wonder who gets DFA’d to make room? My guess is Scholtens or Amaya, but players they don’t like, e.g. Colas, are suddenly in the picture.