Yeah Scott is really starting to intrigue me. There has to be a place for him in the big leagues, if not with the Sox than someone else. He just keeps hitting. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see C-Note get a cup of coffee next month.I continue to be astonished by what Rafaela and Scott are doing in AAA. 11 home runs in 139 PA for Scott, 12 in 166 for Rafaela. Neither of them appear to be cooling down, either.
Yup. The high walk rate and the low K rate always made him interesting, but the pop has become insane. He's hit a ton of home runs this year on top of being a 12-15% BB rate guy with less than 20% strikeouts. Those things scream big-league hitter to me. He's crushing Casas's numbers/peripherals from last year.Yeah Scott is really starting to intrigue me. There has to be a place for him in the big leagues, if not with the Sox than someone else. He just keeps hitting. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see C-Note get a cup of coffee next month.
My one concern with Scott's offense, & it may be a silly one, is that almost all of his home run highlights look identical & usually seem to involve mistakes down & in, which he would obviously see less of in the Majors.Yup. The high walk rate and the low K rate always made him interesting, but the pop has become insane. He's hit a ton of home runs this year on top of being a 12-15% BB rate guy with less than 20% strikeouts. Those things scream big-league hitter to me. He's crushing Casas's numbers/peripherals from last year.
Yeah, it's tough because the fact that he's LHH actually makes him more available as a hitter? I still wonder if they're gonna move on from McGuire - he's only caught 4 people stealing against 25 SB. Scott platooning with Wong is a possibility... although that's true of Hernandez too, who I still think has been better than his numbers.It's a shame Scott isn't a RHH otherwise he would look REALLY interesting as the weak-side platoon guy across 1B/DH/maybe OF. That said, and this is a big if, IF he can work up to being a credible catcher, that changes the math on his path over the next couple pre-Teel seasons. But at a certain point you have to wonder if the guy just flat rakes you have to find a spot for him. Seems pretty advanced, and as I've said before I love his compact swing.
Rafaela has a much clearer path as a ++ defender and RHH.
I get the age stuff, but at the same time, it shouldn't a knock against Scott. A hitter is a hitter is a hitter.My one concern with Scott's offense, & it may be a silly one, is that almost all of his home run highlights look identical & usually seem to involve mistakes down & in, which he would obviously see less of in the Majors.
It's also not really a fair comparison to Casas as he's relatively 4 years older.
But yeah, agree with Jed regarding being able to catch being a huge part of his usefulness to the Red Sox based on their current roster configuration.
I guess it depends on how you look at it... whether you're "knocking" the older guy or hyping the younger guy, but in the hypothetical world where 2 players are doing the exact same thing, but one is 4 years younger than the other, the guy who is 4 years younger is much more valuable.I get the age stuff, but at the same time, it shouldn't a knock against Scott. A hitter is a hitter is a hitter.
They're not doing the same thing, though. Stephen Scott is blowing Casas's AAA numbers out of the water. Obviously it's in a smaller sample, but like, he's been on a mammoth tear. His slugging percentage is well north of .600 while his OBP is nearly .400. All while posting a BABIP that's sub .300. It's hugely impressive.I guess it depends on how you look at it... whether you're "knocking" the older guy or hyping the younger guy, but in the hypothetical world where 2 players are doing the exact same thing, but one is 4 years younger than the other, the guy who is 4 years younger is much more valuable.
Is it also possible there's a lot of good hitters?I am having a really hard time deciding if we should take anything from the International League hitters seriously. The league is just plain weird this year.
League wide (based on data in excel taken from Fangraphs, calculations are mine and I am usually pretty good about this stuff but am only have a coffee in, numbers are 2022 to 2023):
Batting Average is up 12 points, from .251 to .263
OBP is up 22 (!!!) points from .336 to .358
SLG is up 30 (!!!!!!!) points from .414 to .444
OPS is up 52 points from .750 to .802
BB% is up by 1.8% from 10.12% to 11.8%
K% is down by about .8% from 23.27% to 22.44%
I really, really don't know what to make of this, but I do think it is a reason to temper expectations for the hitters. I don't know if it is weird weather patterns, or teams focusing more on their AAA pitchers working harder on their weaknesses, or just plain bad pitching, or stadium walls being moved in or what. This is just an enormous difference from what was going on in the league last year.
I never said they were. But you said Scott's age 26 season is better than Casas's age 22 season. So I'm just pointing out the age difference.They're not doing the same thing, though. Stephen Scott is blowing Casas's AAA numbers out of the water. Obviously it's in a smaller sample, but like, he's been on a mammoth tear. His slugging percentage is well north of .600 while his OBP is nearly .400. All while posting a BABIP that's sub .300. It's hugely impressive.
Wilyer Abreu is doing approximately what Casas did, though.
Not saying you are Just trying to make a case for taking him seriously as a hitter.I never said they were. But you said Scott's age 26 season is better than Casas's age 22 season. So I'm just pointing out the age difference.
I'm curious, & don't watch enough of the actual games, to know how much of the lower BABIP is due to making weaker contact on pitches that are not in his wheelhouse.
I also don't think I'm some sort of Scott hater. I have him 28 compared to SoxProspects having him 41.
How much are these increases HR-fueled? Cause we've certainly been breaking lots of temperature records this year.I am having a really hard time deciding if we should take anything from the International League hitters seriously. The league is just plain weird this year.
League wide (based on data in excel taken from Fangraphs, calculations are mine and I am usually pretty good about this stuff but am only have a coffee in, numbers are 2022 to 2023):
Batting Average is up 12 points, from .251 to .263
OBP is up 22 (!!!) points from .336 to .358
SLG is up 30 (!!!!!!!) points from .414 to .444
OPS is up 52 points from .750 to .802
BB% is up by 1.8% from 10.12% to 11.8%
K% is down by about .8% from 23.27% to 22.44%
I really, really don't know what to make of this, but I do think it is a reason to temper expectations for the hitters. I don't know if it is weird weather patterns, or teams focusing more on their AAA pitchers working harder on their weaknesses, or just plain bad pitching, or stadium walls being moved in or what. This is just an enormous difference from what was going on in the league last year.