Tony

Nothing was "convenient" about it. You made the claim Nick has been more successful than most of the players picked at 4 since 1990. That may be true, but what about the players picked at 5,6,7? I don't know I'd use the same phrasing of "Nick has been more successful than" when those names listed were picked in those slots. In terms of reaching the big leagues quickly....I'm not sure how important that really is to the discussion. Everyone knew Nick was a very "advanced" hitter when drafted and he was close to being ready based on his historically low strikeout rate. The issue with Nick has always been floor and celling. I'm simply saying two things: 1. Nick 100% has a target on his back because of where he was selected. The expectations are simply different for someone like him compared to a mid-round selection...as they should be 2. When selecting 4th, there is absolutely an argument to be made that ideally, you're looking to draft an "impact" player. Everyone has a slightly different definition of what that means. I've maintained that if Nick is plays as advertised when the Sox drafted him...I'll be OK with the pick. I don't feel like he has thus far. I also believe he has plenty of room for growth and improvement. I also understand some of the complaints or concerns from people who bring up valid arguments about his celling.

I've never really grasped this argument. Yes, he was the 4th overall pick. But the Sox also could have drafted the *5th* best player in the draft at 4 if they wanted. Lets look at some of the picks at No. 5 since 1990: Buster Posey Matt Wieters Ryan Braun Mark Teixeira JD Drew Vernon Wells 6th overall pick? Anthony Rendon Zach Wheeler Zack Greinke Derek Jeter 7th overall pick? Max Fried Clayton Kershaw Troy Tulowitski Nick Markakis Prince Fielder The point is there is plenty of talent at 4-5-6-7 of the MLB Draft. Maybe Nick is one of the best of the entire 2018 class. I'm rooting for that to happen. But when you are selected that high, expectations are also high.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If Nick was a 7th round pick and not the 4th overall selection but everything else stayed exactly the same.......95% of fans are OK with Nick. Might not be fair, but I believe it to be the truth.

TLR has been a very mixed bag for me thus far. He’s done some things I really liked and I don’t believe past managers would have done (I agree with you as well on this move, I like it.) He’s also done a few things that really frustrate me as a fan (the Matt Foster debacle, is he calling for Leury to bunt?!?, Grandal sitting what seems like every other day) but there is too much talent on this team for the manager to really get in the way. If these guys perform the way they are supposed to, I think TLR is probably fine for what a manager needs to do.

Holy shit, Vaughn

WHAT ARE WE DOING?! If Leury is doing that on his own, he shouldn't be playing, ever If Tony is calling it, WTF, man.

But this thought process is what leads people to not like Nick. It's 2021. You drafted a hitter with the 4th overall pick in the 2018 Draft, and you're saying OPS shouldn't have anything to do with his game. That's a big problem for many, and I understand why.

I really, really don't enjoy watching Leury Garcia play baseball

Alright, this is awesome lol

Sorry, left for a while to get some work done. I agree, fathom. I would hope the weird start time, some bad luck, and just some bad command were responsible for today and it's a blip, not a sign of things to come. Overall he's been very good this season. But, to your second point....this team only goes if Gio is an ace. It's just the way things are built. He needs to be a true No. 1 for them to have any realistic shot at doing something this year and beyond. Today was NOT that.

Without looking it up, it's got to be. We haven't seen him like this since he flipped the switch in 2019

Settle down, snowflake. I know you're mad, everything is going to be OK.

Learn to count

6-1, idiot.

Of course it is, lol. But people will do it anyway, because they don't know what they are watching.

Seriously, where the fuck is Katz?

Man, what an absolute disaster.

Sure they do, assclown.

Outstanding approach from the Red Sox as well

The amount of bad takes you post is quite stunning.

And zero command early it seems.

Yeah I'm not sure I can get behind all the Grandal shit I see in this thread.....Gio is all over the place right now.

I hate this dumb old shitbox

Dirt cheap is only valuable if you use those savings to improve other areas of your club. I'm not 100% convinced that would be the case here.

Luckily this really has been a trend for Jose. At some point he's going to fall off a cliff, but I'm hopeful for May/June Career BA by month: April: .263 May: . 271 June: .292 July: .289 August: .335 September: .299