The 2017 Lineup

TonyPenaNeverJuiced

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We're done, right, aside from a Buch/Drew trade?

What the heck is the lineup next year? Where do you put X now? Not gonna start a new thread over this, but man - lot of ???'s

1. Pedroia
2. X
3. Betts
4. Hanley
5. Pablo
6. JBJ
7. Moreland
8. Catcher of the Day
9. Benintendi
 

Plympton91

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I think Benintendi is hitting second in that lineup. Put X at cleanup.

That does look a little thin.
 

BoSoxFink

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Looks way too thin to me, given that Bradley and Bogaerts sucked in the second half of last year and that pedroia and Hanley are a year older and Sandoval is a giant question mark.
 

shaggydog2000

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Looks like they're pretty well set.

Bench:
Holt
Young
backup catcher (Vazquez or Swihart)
*Marco Hernandez (or equivalent)

*They need somebody capable of playing SS even if X almost never sits.

Starters:
Sale
Price
Porcello
Edro
Pomeranz
-Wright as depth

Bullpen:
Kimbrel
Thornburg
Kelly
Ross
Barnes
Wright for multiple innings (He's out of options and worth more to us as insurance than in a trade I'd think)
**One out of the Hembree/Abad/Kyle Martin/Workman pile

**Eventually replaced by Carson Smith

Just have to find a home for Clay. Someplace nice for him with lots of new friends to make, places to run around, sniff, and dig, and lots of belly rubs.
 

shaggydog2000

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Looks way too thin to me, given that Bradley and Bogaerts sucked in the second half of last year and that pedroia and Hanley are a year older and Sandoval is a giant question mark.
The darkest possible outcome is not going to be good, no. But if you look at it as Bogaerts, Betts and Bradley still on the upswing over all, Panda possibly bouncing back (not because skinny Panda = good Panda, but because of serious shoulder issue hampering him before), full season of Benintendi and possibly Swihart, Hanley thriving as a full time DH, and Pedroia not dropping off in play, you've got a pretty high upside there as well. It's going to end up in between, it almost always does. But there is more than enough positive improvement that is likely in that lineup that it is more likely to be very good than crappy.
 

Georgy Zhukov

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Even our good lineup completely fizzled heading into the Cleveland series. With our strength in pitching and defense, this offense should be more than adequate.
 

SouthernBoSox

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Any lineup without Ortiz is going to look "thin" to us. They guy was locked in for over a decade.

It's going to take a while to adjust. It's the new normal.
 

Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
Agree with P91 about Benintendi in the 2 hole.

Pedroia
Benintendi
Betts
Ramirez
Bradley
Bogaerts
Sandoval
Moreland/Young
[c of the day]

I wouldn't call that "thin" so much as "pleasingly plump." Good hitters pretty much everywhere, if Sandoval can come at least partway back.
 

shaggydog2000

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Any lineup without Ortiz is going to look "thin" to us. They guy was locked in for over a decade.

It's going to take a while to adjust. It's the new normal.
Nobody has the offense the early 2000's Red Sox had. Last year our Sox were the closest. Expect them to score 100 runs less and they would still be one of the top 5 offenses in baseball next year.
 

nvalvo

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2016 wOBA (PA) v LHP and v RHP, except where noted

R Betts, .341 (139), .388 (591)
L Benintendi, .202 (33), .416 (85) | much smaller split in the minors.
R Bogaerts, .378 (145), .340 (574)
L Bradley, .294 (182), .378 (454)
L Hernandez, .467 (9), .296 (47)
L Holt, .183 (46), .329 (278)
S Leon, .445 (81), .329 (202)
L Moreland, .295 (592), .334 (1904) | career numbers
R Pedroia, .360 (136), .358 (562)
R Ramirez, .453 (143), .342 (477)
S Sandoval, .295 (1033), .357 (2658) | career numbers
S Swihart, .305 (98), .316 (285) | career numbers
R Vazquez, .350 (40), .233 (144)
R Young, .422 (83), .286 (144)
 

nvalvo

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Agree with P91 about Benintendi in the 2 hole.

Pedroia
Benintendi
Betts
Ramirez
Bradley
Bogaerts
Sandoval
Moreland/Young
[c of the day]

I wouldn't call that "thin" so much as "pleasingly plump." Good hitters pretty much everywhere, if Sandoval can come at least partway back.
This is basically what I came up with. I might drop Bradley to 9th against LHP, and bring Young up to 5th or 6th — or just leave well enough alone.
 

MikeM

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Agree with P91 about Benintendi in the 2 hole.

Pedroia
Benintendi
Betts
Ramirez
Bradley
Bogaerts
Sandoval
Moreland/Young
[c of the day]
Same here too.

Probably left a little more pessimistic then some about how that all plays out individually in 2017 (Panda/Leon both bomb, and Bradley/X end up being closer to their 2016 second halves), but I am trying to convince myself that the real key to the Moreland signing isn't in the attempt to better min/max the offense. Focusing instead on the higher probability that Hanley stays healthy/productive, which really needs to happen in making this all work post-Ortiz.
 

Tyrone Biggums

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Agree with P91 about Benintendi in the 2 hole.

Pedroia
Benintendi
Betts
Ramirez
Bradley
Bogaerts
Sandoval
Moreland/Young
[c of the day]

I wouldn't call that "thin" so much as "pleasingly plump." Good hitters pretty much everywhere, if Sandoval can come at least partway back.
Benetendi should be the #2 hitter. Might even try him leadoff since Pedey openly hates hitting in that spot. Either way this should be the lineup.

One thing that I was thinking about earlier. EdRo might not be a sure thing to start the season in Boston. He has options and is 23. Wouldn't it make more sense to let him figure it out a bit more in Pawtucket and let Buchholz be the #5? I mean then you have Wright who was fantastic last year as well. Really good problems to have either way. Sox have maybe the best rotation in baseball.
 

PapaSox

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Agree with P91 about Benintendi in the 2 hole.

Pedroia
Benintendi
Betts
Ramirez
Bradley
Bogaerts
Sandoval
Moreland/Young
[c of the day]

I wouldn't call that "thin" so much as "pleasingly plump." Good hitters pretty much everywhere, if Sandoval can come at least partway back.
I actually like this lineup ... speed is also present ... solid defensive group ... "pleasingly plump" it is.
 

PapaSox

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Looks like they're pretty well set.

Bench:
Holt
Young
backup catcher (Vazquez or Swihart)
*Marco Hernandez (or equivalent)

*They need somebody capable of playing SS even if X almost never sits.

Starters:
Sale
Price
Porcello
Edro
Pomeranz
-Wright as depth

Bullpen:
Kimbrel
Thornburg
Kelly
Ross
Barnes
Wright for multiple innings (He's out of options and worth more to us as insurance than in a trade I'd think)
**One out of the Hembree/Abad/Kyle Martin/Workman pile

**Eventually replaced by Carson Smith

Just have to find a home for Clay. Someplace nice for him with lots of new friends to make, places to run around, sniff, and dig, and lots of belly rubs.
Clay is either your long-man or middle relief with occasional short outings ... he fills out the pen. Does spot starts to throw a right-hander into the mix .
 

jimbobim

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Benetendi should be the #2 hitter. Might even try him leadoff since Pedey openly hates hitting in that spot. Either way this should be the lineup.
Pedey may hate leading off but I hated his constant DP's from the 2 hole. I think Benny is perfect there with Betts in the 3 spot for the whole year. The offensive production will really rely on JBJ and X not being so hot and cold. I would be surprised if DD moves the SP immediately only to be screwed by an Ed Rod type injury in spring training. Let things settle down. Note the prices of Hammel and Nova and let someone give you a substantial offer.

Getting some more hope and dream for the Prospect Industrial Complex should help and be objectively useful in case of injury. Given the extreme youth of the ML roster but the "win now" ages of Porcello and Price I'm finding it harder to distinguish between the price DD paid for Sale/Price and the CHC going in on Lester and Chapman. Moncada is more hyped and closer than Torres but they are similar and of course Price was more expensive but the similarities are interesting I would say.
 

shaggydog2000

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Clay is either your long-man or middle relief with occasional short outings ... he fills out the pen. Does spot starts to throw a right-hander into the mix .
If he's in the pen he won't be stretched out enough to be a spot starter.
 

TonyPenaNeverJuiced

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Pedey may hate leading off but I hated his constant DP's from the 2 hole. I think Benny is perfect there with Betts in the 3 spot for the whole year. The offensive production will really rely on JBJ and X not being so hot and cold. I would be surprised if DD moves the SP immediately only to be screwed by an Ed Rod type injury in spring training. Let things settle down. Note the prices of Hammel and Nova and let someone give you a substantial offer.
Here is my concern with Benintendi in the leadoff: it sure seems like he's a very capable hitter. Maybe he's like Betts and could be a leadoff hitter - but do you limit/pigeonhole his potential production by putting him at the top of the lineup/batting after the bottom half? I don't know if we have enough of a read on him - yes his speed seems to say he could be a "leadoff" guy - but I would think he could be a more impactful bat further down the order. But maybe his handedness comes into play a bit more.
 
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Ale Xander

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I am expecting:

Pedroia
Beni
Bogaerts
Betts
Ramirez
Panda
LeonSwihart
Moreland
Bradley
 

PaulinMyrBch

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I don't know where you put Beni to break it up, but DD was saying they didn't want to righty heavy in the 3, 4, 5 part of the order and susceptible to a righty specialist. So does Beni bat 3rd so we go RRLRR or do you have Moreland in there on days he plays? Can JBJ or Pablo help solve this problem? I don't know, but Moreland is here because he hits from the left side, so I don't see him batting 8th or 9th for that reason.
 

MikeM

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Early and somewhat vague comments out of Farrell aside, I'm not currently sold that Moreland is actually coming in to be a straight platoon with Hanley. Barring another acquisition I see him getting a lot more ab's versus LHP then people are currently thinking.

A big part of the "replace Ortiz" plan could easily end up being an effort to keep Hanely off the field as much possible, where as a side note he's actually put up better offensive #'s since he's been here (granted SSS). Keeping him healthy and productive is just too important now, and while last year was great it's worth not forgetting that he hasn't exactly been a model of durability throughout his career. Not sure how much you really want to tempt fate there in the name of min/max'ing, especially if it's no longer being done as an everyday routine type thing.

Plus there is the whole underlying vibe you get from his last few interviews that he'd prefer to full time DH anyway.
 

Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
Early and somewhat vague comments out of Farrell aside, I'm not currently sold that Moreland is actually coming in to be a straight platoon with Hanley.
Is anybody suggesting Moreland would platoon with Hanley? I've been assuming the plan is for him to platoon with Young, with Hanley switching back and forth between 1B and DH accordingly:

vs. RHP
Moreland 1B
Hanley DH

vs. LHP
Hanley 1B
Young DH

This would mean pretty limited 1B duty for Hanley given the scarcity of LHP in the AL East, which would probably suit him fine. Or we could ask Young to learn 1B.
 

Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
I don't know where you put Beni to break it up, but DD was saying they didn't want to righty heavy in the 3, 4, 5 part of the order and susceptible to a righty specialist. So does Beni bat 3rd so we go RRLRR or do you have Moreland in there on days he plays? Can JBJ or Pablo help solve this problem? I don't know, but Moreland is here because he hits from the left side, so I don't see him batting 8th or 9th for that reason.
Come to think of it, putting Benintendi in the 3 hole to break up the RRRR thing makes a ton of sense--especially if you buy the sabermetric wisdom that the 3 spot is actually the least important of the first 5 (not that I'm bearish on Benintendi, quite the contrary, but if you want to hedge your bets on a high-ceiling rookie's uncertain production, that might be the right spot for it). In that case, maybe:

Pedroia
Bogaerts
Benintendi
Betts
Ramirez
Bradley
Moreland/Young
Sandoval
C
 

PaulinMyrBch

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Come to think of it, putting Benintendi in the 3 hole to break up the RRRR thing makes a ton of sense--especially if you buy the sabermetric wisdom that the 3 spot is actually the least important of the first 5 (not that I'm bearish on Benintendi, quite the contrary, but if you want to hedge your bets on a high-ceiling rookie's uncertain production, that might be the right spot for it). In that case, maybe:

Pedroia
Bogaerts
Benintendi
Betts
Ramirez
Bradley
Moreland/Young
Sandoval
C
I'm with you on that. Top 6 makes a ton of sense and the other three slots will be fluid to some degree as we go into the season. The only thing that concerns me there is we might see is them giving Beni a bit less pressure to start the season and batting him lower, but I think the goal would be to get him in the 3 hole once they are comfortable he can handle it. Based on what we've seen I'm confident, but they may want to ease him into that spot.
 

Buzzkill Pauley

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Is anybody suggesting Moreland would platoon with Hanley? I've been assuming the plan is for him to platoon with Young, with Hanley switching back and forth between 1B and DH accordingly:

vs. RHP
Moreland 1B
Hanley DH

vs. LHP
Hanley 1B
Young DH

This would mean pretty limited 1B duty for Hanley given the scarcity of LHP in the AL East, which would probably suit him fine.
This is what I think as well, and Young will also get some starts in LF against RHP at home, in order to shift Benintendi around the OF so that JBJ and Mookie can each get a few days off at home.

Holt will be primarily a 4-5-6 infield sub, and hopefully won't have to play OF much at all.
 

BJBossman

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2016 wOBA (PA) v LHP and v RHP, except where noted

R Betts, .341 (139), .388 (591)
L Benintendi, .202 (33), .416 (85) | much smaller split in the minors.
R Bogaerts, .378 (145), .340 (574)
L Bradley, .294 (182), .378 (454)
L Hernandez, .467 (9), .296 (47)
L Holt, .183 (46), .329 (278)
S Leon, .445 (81), .329 (202)
L Moreland, .295 (592), .334 (1904) | career numbers
R Pedroia, .360 (136), .358 (562)
R Ramirez, .453 (143), .342 (477)
S Sandoval, .295 (1033), .357 (2658) | career numbers
S Swihart, .305 (98), .316 (285) | career numbers
R Vazquez, .350 (40), .233 (144)
R Young, .422 (83), .286 (144)
I'd love to get a couple of RHH guys on the bench for guys like Moreland and Sandoval.

A guy like Trevor Plouffe immediately comes to mind.
 

NDame616

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Pedroia may hate batting leadoff, but he's a company guy and hit .362 there last year. It makes the most sense. Leadoff isn't for everyone, and he proved last year he can d it and do it well.

Barring injury, I'd be SHOCKED if he wasn't our leadoff hitter this season
 

Saints Rest

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Is anybody suggesting Moreland would platoon with Hanley? I've been assuming the plan is for him to platoon with Young, with Hanley switching back and forth between 1B and DH accordingly:

vs. RHP
Moreland 1B
Hanley DH

vs. LHP
Hanley 1B
Young DH

This would mean pretty limited 1B duty for Hanley given the scarcity of LHP in the AL East, which would probably suit him fine. Or we could ask Young to learn 1B.
Since there should also be a decent number of OF starts for Young, with the days off shifting around among the Killer B's, sometimes with them getting a full day, sometimes a day as DH, there will be days with Young and Moreland in the lineup at once.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Just to offer a different option at leadoff, why not Xander? He seems like he'd be a decent fit for the role.
 

Al Zarilla

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Just to offer a different option at leadoff, why not Xander? He seems like he'd be a decent fit for the role.
Get to see him flail at breaking balls diving out of the zone even more often? Actually, Chili is going to fix him with regard to that (hope) but I don't think Farrell would see him as a leadoff hitter. Mookie did his best hitting last year at leadoff. Move him back there? No, Pedroia was really good there too. Savin's lineup looks good except I wouldn't put Benintendi third because of the traditional pressure of that was where Ted and Yaz hit. Beni second, Bogey third.
 

Mugsy's Jock

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vs. RHP
Moreland 1B
Hanley DH

vs. LHP
Hanley 1B
Young DH
First off, I think SH's suggested 1B/DH rotation is right.
Secondly, I think Chris Young offers a lot more than Moreland, and LH Panda is a lot better than RH Panda, so the LHP/RHP line-ups might look a little different:

VS RHP
Pedroia
Benintendi
Betts
Hanley
Panda
Bogaerts
Moreland
Catcher
JBJ

VS LHP
Pedroia
Benintendi
Betts
Hanley
Bogaerts
Young
Panda (or Holt?)
Catcher
JBJ
 

nothumb

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I think we probably see Rutledge over Panda at 3b a lot against LHP unless Panda is really raking, but it makes me kind of depressed to think too hard about it.

Depending on who is sitting vs. LHP and where he's playing, what about sometimes batting Young higher up, like 2nd? The logic being you stack the lineup with righties, but also can break up the string of RHB when you PH for Young in the event of a pitching change. Something like Pedey - Young - Betts - Hanley - X - JBJ - Rutledge - AB, for instance.
 

SoxFanForsyth

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Problem is, all the good hitters are RH, so you want to stack them at the top (plus Beni), which leaves you with Moreland, Bradley, Sandoval, Swihart/Leon at the bottom, all of which struggle vs LHP. Trying to integrate one of those lefties into the top 6 should be a priority to at least balance at out a little. Otherwise you're going Sandoval Moreland JBJ in at least 3 out of 4 straight slots and is a white flag against a LH RP.

Vs RHP
Pedroia
Benintendi
Betts
Hanley
Sandoval
Bogaerts
Moreland
Swihart (I refuse to accept that Leon is the starting C)
JBJ

Vs LHP:
Pedroia
Benintendi
Betts
Hanley
Bogaerts
Young (DH)
Holt/Rutlege (3B)
Swihart
JBJ
 

MikeM

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Is anybody suggesting Moreland would platoon with Hanley? I've been assuming the plan is for him to platoon with Young, with Hanley switching back and forth between 1B and DH accordingly:

vs. RHP
Moreland 1B
Hanley DH

vs. LHP
Hanley 1B
Young DH

This would mean pretty limited 1B duty for Hanley given the scarcity of LHP in the AL East, which would probably suit him fine. Or we could ask Young to learn 1B.
By platoon I was referring to the concept that Hanley is going to replace Moreland at first everytime we face a LHP.

I get the min/max logic involved, I just question whether this all actually plays out like that in extended reality. Barring an injury to Moreland, I wouldn't be surprised if a mostly healthy Hanley's games played by position split ends up looking a lot like a complete flip from last season's (which was 133 at 1B/ 11 at DH). Interleague play and a few select games here and there..that's it. Which I'm guessing is notably less then the amount of times your scenario calls for a Moreland replacement.

Leaving a setting where Moreland is getting a lot more at bats against LHP under the current setup. Unless Young does indeed learn and put in some time at first. Even that is pretty questionable though imo. I see it more likely that we spend ST hearing Farrell praise Moreland's defense and intangible value as an everyday player.
 

nvalvo

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A few things.

One: the whole point of fixing Sandoval's shoulder was so that he could swing RH against LHP again.

Two: with Ortiz retired, Bradley may be the second best hitter on the team against RHP. (Benintendi had a higher wOBA, but in a small sample. Betts was also a bit higher.) It may be time to reconsider hitting JBJ 9th, at least against RHSP.
 

foulkehampshire

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A few things.

One: the whole point of fixing Sandoval's shoulder was so that he could swing RH against LHP again.

.
Do you have any sources on that? Can't seem to find anything.

I mean, even before the injury he was pretty horrific vs LHP most years.
 

chrisfont9

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Looks way too thin to me, given that Bradley and Bogaerts sucked in the second half of last year and that pedroia and Hanley are a year older and Sandoval is a giant question mark.
Xander is a two-time silver slugger. You might like more from him, but relative to what pretty much every other team outside of Cleveland and Houston offer from the shortstop position, I'd hardly say we are thin because of him.

Also, I love Bradley in the 9-hole. SSS and all, but for whatever reason he put up MVP numbers (.986 OPS) from that slot (147 PAs), was very good in the 6-hole (.868 in 236 PAs) and was bad in any other spot.
 
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nvalvo

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Do you have any sources on that? Can't seem to find anything.

I mean, even before the injury he was pretty horrific vs LHP most years.
Sandoval first sustained an injury to his left shoulder in August 2011, which prevented him from swinging right handed for a time at the end of that season. Lo and behold, his lefty splits by month for 2011, wRC+: 114, 145, 119, 19, 90, 108. I've bolded August, but it stands out on its own, I'd say.

He rehabbed it in the offseason and declared himself 100%. He had a rough couple of months against lefties in both of 2012 and 2013, but he really wasn't horrific against them until 2014/2015.
 

Rovin Romine

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By platoon I was referring to the concept that Hanley is going to replace Moreland at first everytime we face a LHP.

I get the min/max logic involved, I just question whether this all actually plays out like that in extended reality. Barring an injury to Moreland, I wouldn't be surprised if a mostly healthy Hanley's games played by position split ends up looking a lot like a complete flip from last season's (which was 133 at 1B/ 11 at DH). Interleague play and a few select games here and there..that's it. Which I'm guessing is notably less then the amount of times your scenario calls for a Moreland replacement.

Leaving a setting where Moreland is getting a lot more at bats against LHP under the current setup. Unless Young does indeed learn and put in some time at first. Even that is pretty questionable though imo. I see it more likely that we spend ST hearing Farrell praise Moreland's defense and intangible value as an everyday player.
I'm with you. We've seen how Farrell manages, including when he had Chris Young on the roster. He picks his starters. He does not sub people out based primarily on platoon advantages. So let's do it backwards:

OF - He'll play JBJ/Betts/10D, as his first line OF starters. He'll work Chris Young in there somewhat randomly, regardless of the handedness of the opposing SP, to keep Young fresh. Maybe Holt/Swihart now and then, also somewhat randomly, or to cover injury.
2B - Pedroia, and SS - Xander, are locked.
3B - Sandoval's to lose. But if so, Holt/Rutledge? Maybe Sandoval with Rutledge in a platoon role against LHP? This is the one platoon I can see Farrell formally adopting. Although it wouldn't surprise me if Sandoval was given a bunch of starts to "prove himself" against LHP before an official platoon was set up.
C - Leon/Swihart. Vazquez as needed? Farrell may "caddy" a catcher, but he won't routinely allow the handedness of the opposing pitching dictate who he plays.

I think the following dynamic dictates (or cements) what will happen in terms of subbing everywhere:

1B - Moreland. Was a starting MLB 1B last year for 130 games. Farrell will absolutely give him the spot. It will be Moreland's to lose. He'll be spelled (lightly, randomly) by Hanley/Holt. (Perhaps Hanley only for interleague games.)

DH - Hanley. He prefers to DH. Again, Farrell will just give him the DH spot and he'll get the lion's share of ABs there. I don't see Farrell subbing out Hanley much, since a) we don't have any sort of better PH bat off the bench, and b) there's not as great a need to PR for Hanley as there was with Ortiz.

Conversely, Hanley can only cover 1B, which he can do adequately. So, in reality, if Moreland was sucking, they could have Hanley play 1B, and use any better bat than Moreland's at DH. Granted, in reality, Swihart or Young may be the bats to outhit Moreland, regardless. But I don't see this happening unless there's a complete Moreland implosion. And even then they may trade for a 1B.
 

nothumb

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I'm with you. We've seen how Farrell manages, including when he had Chris Young on the roster. He picks his starters. He does not sub people out based primarily on platoon advantages. So let's do it backwards:

OF - He'll play JBJ/Betts/10D, as his first line OF starters. He'll work Chris Young in there somewhat randomly, regardless of the handedness of the opposing SP, to keep Young fresh. Maybe Holt/Swihart now and then, also somewhat randomly, or to cover injury.
2B - Pedroia, and SS - Xander, are locked.
3B - Sandoval's to lose. But if so, Holt/Rutledge? Maybe Sandoval with Rutledge in a platoon role against LHP? This is the one platoon I can see Farrell formally adopting. Although it wouldn't surprise me if Sandoval was given a bunch of starts to "prove himself" against LHP before an official platoon was set up.
C - Leon/Swihart. Vazquez as needed? Farrell may "caddy" a catcher, but he won't routinely allow the handedness of the opposing pitching dictate who he plays.

I think the following dynamic dictates (or cements) what will happen in terms of subbing everywhere:

1B - Moreland. Was a starting MLB 1B last year for 130 games. Farrell will absolutely give him the spot. It will be Moreland's to lose. He'll be spelled (lightly, randomly) by Hanley/Holt. (Perhaps Hanley only for interleague games.)

DH - Hanley. He prefers to DH. Again, Farrell will just give him the DH spot and he'll get the lion's share of ABs there. I don't see Farrell subbing out Hanley much, since a) we don't have any sort of better PH bat off the bench, and b) there's not as great a need to PR for Hanley as there was with Ortiz.

Conversely, Hanley can only cover 1B, which he can do adequately. So, in reality, if Moreland was sucking, they could have Hanley play 1B, and use any better bat than Moreland's at DH. Granted, in reality, Swihart or Young may be the bats to outhit Moreland, regardless. But I don't see this happening unless there's a complete Moreland implosion. And even then they may trade for a 1B.
Before Pablo went down, the Sox had publicly embraced a pretty strict platoon / PH rotation at 3b early in the season, with Young pinch hitting for Pablo any time the other team brought in a LhRP. They also played Young consistently against LHSP before he got hurt, and there are other examples where the Sox have used pretty strict platoons (e.g. LF in 2013) when they felt it was to their advantage. I think Farrell prefers not to platoon his catchers or his "everyday" guys, but there is no reason to think that anyone in the LF / 1B / 3B rotation is in that category right now.

They may give Pablo a chance vs LHP given the surgery, but I don't think they would hesitate to platoon him again if that seemed like the best option. A more or less straight platoon at those three spots & DH, at least barring injury, makes way more sense and is more likely IMO.
 

Papelbon's Poutine

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He played in 3 games and had 7 PAs, while being outplayed by Shaw and presumably nursing a long term injury. I'm having trouble seeing how they established a strict routine of platooning at 3B. He was only even active for five games.
 

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He played in 3 games and had 7 PAs, while being outplayed by Shaw and presumably nursing a long term injury. I'm having trouble seeing how they established a strict routine of platooning at 3B. He was only even active for five games.
My recollection is that Farrell publicly announced the plan before the season started, it involved Holt moving from LF to 3B when Young PH for Shaw or Panda. At work so not gonna check box scores but I recall several games early in season where they PH Young and then PH again with Panda or Shaw against a RHRP next time thru.

I mean yeah it didn't last long but I think that was mostly because everybody got hurt. Point being, Farrell will platoon guys he sees as role players, and I don't see why Pablo, Mitch Moreland or Young wouldn't be in that category until proven otherwise.
 

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My recollection is that Farrell publicly announced the plan before the season started, it involved Holt moving from LF to 3B when Young PH for Shaw or Panda. At work so not gonna check box scores but I recall several games early in season where they PH Young and then PH again with Panda or Shaw against a RHRP next time thru.
April 6. Young pinch hit for Shaw, Holt moved from LF to 3B. Later, Panda hit for Young, Holt moved back to LF.
April 8. Young pinch hit for Shaw, Holt moved from LF to 3B.
Panda to DL on April 11.
April 11. Young pinch hit for Shaw, Holt moved from LF to 3B.
April 12. Young pinch hit for Shaw, Holt moved from LF to 3B.

After that, with Shaw hitting fairly well, the pinch hitting pretty much stopped...at least as a seemingly regular thing.
 

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April 6. Young pinch hit for Shaw, Holt moved from LF to 3B. Later, Panda hit for Young, Holt moved back to LF.
April 8. Young pinch hit for Shaw, Holt moved from LF to 3B.
Panda to DL on April 11.
April 11. Young pinch hit for Shaw, Holt moved from LF to 3B.
April 12. Young pinch hit for Shaw, Holt moved from LF to 3B.

After that, with Shaw hitting fairly well, the pinch hitting pretty much stopped...at least as a seemingly regular thing.
...and then when he regressed against LHP they platooned him with the corpse of Aaron Hill.

Looking at 2017, if they are building this roster in this manner and don't intend to maximize some pretty big splits, then it just doesn't make sense.