Red Sox in season discussion

GB5

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Aug 26, 2013
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Some random overall thoughts and my apologies if a few of these should be in a different thread.

There was a few references to “does anyone think the fan base is going accept, or be happy with the Sox losing homegrown X and Raffy a few years after the same with Mookie?” My thought is I hope Chaim is not considering the fan base for 1 second when constructing this baseball team. If it’s his call, then he should only be worried about putting the best team he can on the field within the budget he is allowed. I do understand we have owners with very thin skin and who are very p.r. conscious, so if it’s their call that changes the equation.

As for JD, he has looked miserable. My uninformed opinion is that Chaim was intending to trade him but seemed to get such a poor reaction from the clubhouse with the Vaz trade, especially from X, that he couldn’t unload another veteran like JD who seems well liked, without having a complete mutiny amongst the other veterans. I think the reaction to the fallout from the Vaz trade surprised him, enough that it caused him to go have to meet with X and I believe Raffy, which doesn’t seem his style.

This season has been an unmitigated disaster to the point that if it were me, I would suggest that Chaim’s job is on the line next year. His overall record here, assuming this year continues to bottom out, would likely be cause for removal in other big markets.

Is there any harm to the organization and its future in completely bottoming out the rest of the season rather than playing something close to .500 ball. For instance if they go say 15-35 overall in the last 50 instead of 25-25, it might help them to get inside the top 10 of the draft instead of say 14-15. Maybe that is not a big enough jump, but would the continued horrid play and losing have any long term effect on the organization?

If Evoladi doesn’t regain the 2-3 mph on his fastball by the end of the season, how do the Sox approach his free agency. He seems to like it here, and is a beloved guy in and outside of the clubhouse.

One guy who has pitched well kind of under the radar is Sawamura. I think he has a club option for 3 or 3.5 million next year. Does that make good financial sense for the Sox to pick up this winter?
 

Daniel_Son

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Some random overall thoughts and my apologies if a few of these should be in a different thread.

There was a few references to “does anyone think the fan base is going accept, or be happy with the Sox losing homegrown X and Raffy a few years after the same with Mookie?” My thought is I hope Chaim is not considering the fan base for 1 second when constructing this baseball team. If it’s his call, then he should only be worried about putting the best team he can on the field within the budget he is allowed. I do understand we have owners with very thin skin and who are very p.r. conscious, so if it’s their call that changes the equation.

As for JD, he has looked miserable. My uninformed opinion is that Chaim was intending to trade him but seemed to get such a poor reaction from the clubhouse with the Vaz trade, especially from X, that he couldn’t unload another veteran like JD who seems well liked, without having a complete mutiny amongst the other veterans. I think the reaction to the fallout from the Vaz trade surprised him, enough that it caused him to go have to meet with X and I believe Raffy, which doesn’t seem his style.

This season has been an unmitigated disaster to the point that if it were me, I would suggest that Chaim’s job is on the line next year. His overall record here, assuming this year continues to bottom out, would likely be cause for removal in other big markets.

Is there any harm to the organization and its future in completely bottoming out the rest of the season rather than playing something close to .500 ball. For instance if they go say 15-35 overall in the last 50 instead of 25-25, it might help them to get inside the top 10 of the draft instead of say 14-15. Maybe that is not a big enough jump, but would the continued horrid play and losing have any long term effect on the organization?

If Evoladi doesn’t regain the 2-3 mph on his fastball by the end of the season, how do the Sox approach his free agency. He seems to like it here, and is a beloved guy in and outside of the clubhouse.

One guy who has pitched well kind of under the radar is Sawamura. I think he has a club option for 3 or 3.5 million next year. Does that make good financial sense for the Sox to pick up this winter?
Or the more likely scenario is that he shopped JD, didn't like any of the returns, and didn't pull the trigger. I don't buy Bloom worrying about losing the clubhouse over a JD trade - these guys are professionals. They've seen players come and go. They know the business.

I'm fine with hanging onto JD, Xander, Eovaldi, or whoever if they were only getting offered middling returns. We're going to have to make some hard decisions this offseason in regards to the Rule 5 players anyway - adding a couple more lower/mid-level prospects just to potentially lose them in a few months doesn't make sense.
 

DeadlySplitter

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But to get under the tax it would have made sense to move one of them. Their return on qualifying offers will be severely hampered if they finish over the tax.
 

moondog80

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But to get under the tax it would have made sense to move one of them. Their return on qualifying offers will be severely hampered if they finish over the tax.
They valued the shot at the playoffs more than the marginal change in tax penalties.
 

soxin6

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Some random overall thoughts and my apologies if a few of these should be in a different thread.

There was a few references to “does anyone think the fan base is going accept, or be happy with the Sox losing homegrown X and Raffy a few years after the same with Mookie?” My thought is I hope Chaim is not considering the fan base for 1 second when constructing this baseball team. If it’s his call, then he should only be worried about putting the best team he can on the field within the budget he is allowed. I do understand we have owners with very thin skin and who are very p.r. conscious, so if it’s their call that changes the equation.

As for JD, he has looked miserable. My uninformed opinion is that Chaim was intending to trade him but seemed to get such a poor reaction from the clubhouse with the Vaz trade, especially from X, that he couldn’t unload another veteran like JD who seems well liked, without having a complete mutiny amongst the other veterans. I think the reaction to the fallout from the Vaz trade surprised him, enough that it caused him to go have to meet with X and I believe Raffy, which doesn’t seem his style.

This season has been an unmitigated disaster to the point that if it were me, I would suggest that Chaim’s job is on the line next year. His overall record here, assuming this year continues to bottom out, would likely be cause for removal in other big markets.

Is there any harm to the organization and its future in completely bottoming out the rest of the season rather than playing something close to .500 ball. For instance if they go say 15-35 overall in the last 50 instead of 25-25, it might help them to get inside the top 10 of the draft instead of say 14-15. Maybe that is not a big enough jump, but would the continued horrid play and losing have any long term effect on the organization?

If Evoladi doesn’t regain the 2-3 mph on his fastball by the end of the season, how do the Sox approach his free agency. He seems to like it here, and is a beloved guy in and outside of the clubhouse.

One guy who has pitched well kind of under the radar is Sawamura. I think he has a club option for 3 or 3.5 million next year. Does that make good financial sense for the Sox to pick up this winter?
I don't view X and Devers in the same way. X has already gotten his first real contract and now he wants to test the market. He hasn't looked great lately and I don't know that fans will lose their mind if he leaves. If Bloom decides to get rid of Devers and gets the kind of package he got for Betts, then he should be fired immediately. It made perfect sense to trade Mookie, but all they really ended up with was an average/slightly above average outfielder and some salary relief for a MVP level talent they developed. If they trade Devers and get a haul back, the fans can be pissed but the team may be better for it. It isn't about keeping the players, it is about winning and two of the three years under Bloom have been trash.
 

Captaincoop

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Some random overall thoughts and my apologies if a few of these should be in a different thread.

There was a few references to “does anyone think the fan base is going accept, or be happy with the Sox losing homegrown X and Raffy a few years after the same with Mookie?” My thought is I hope Chaim is not considering the fan base for 1 second when constructing this baseball team. If it’s his call, then he should only be worried about putting the best team he can on the field within the budget he is allowed. I do understand we have owners with very thin skin and who are very p.r. conscious, so if it’s their call that changes the equation.

As for JD, he has looked miserable. My uninformed opinion is that Chaim was intending to trade him but seemed to get such a poor reaction from the clubhouse with the Vaz trade, especially from X, that he couldn’t unload another veteran like JD who seems well liked, without having a complete mutiny amongst the other veterans. I think the reaction to the fallout from the Vaz trade surprised him, enough that it caused him to go have to meet with X and I believe Raffy, which doesn’t seem his style.

This season has been an unmitigated disaster to the point that if it were me, I would suggest that Chaim’s job is on the line next year. His overall record here, assuming this year continues to bottom out, would likely be cause for removal in other big markets.

Is there any harm to the organization and its future in completely bottoming out the rest of the season rather than playing something close to .500 ball. For instance if they go say 15-35 overall in the last 50 instead of 25-25, it might help them to get inside the top 10 of the draft instead of say 14-15. Maybe that is not a big enough jump, but would the continued horrid play and losing have any long term effect on the organization?

If Evoladi doesn’t regain the 2-3 mph on his fastball by the end of the season, how do the Sox approach his free agency. He seems to like it here, and is a beloved guy in and outside of the clubhouse.

One guy who has pitched well kind of under the radar is Sawamura. I think he has a club option for 3 or 3.5 million next year. Does that make good financial sense for the Sox to pick up this winter?
Bloom's job is absolutely on the line next year. If a team with this this payroll finishes in last place 3 times in his first 4 seasons he should and will be gone, IMO. I don't think it's make the playoffs or else, but there must be signs of life by this time next year.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Bloom's job is absolutely on the line next year. If a team with this this payroll finishes in last place 3 times in his first 4 seasons he should and will be gone, IMO. I don't think it's make the playoffs or else, but there must be signs of life by this time next year.
I don't necessarily agree with the last place reasoning, but yeah. His job is definitely on the line next season. As it should be. The farm either has to start producing major league players (or be traded for MLB players). It's not playoffs or busts but if it's a 78-84 record and the best cost controlled player we have are the current versions of Bobby Dalbec and Jarren Duran, bye Bloom. If we have a 78-84 record and some of the pitching works out, Casas is playing well, Rafaela got a handful of PA and excelled, Valdez is raking, Mayer and Jordan are looking like 2024 ETA, etc. he stays.

A big component of building from the farm is evaluation. If none of the players he's made evaluations on and decided to acquire in trade, draft or keep work out, it's hard to build through the farm. Hopefully that isn't the case and I don't think it will be. I think the farm starts to pay off in a big way in 2023 and a bigger way in 2024. I don't know if that will equal a winning season next year but I'm guessing it will lead to 90+ win seasons from 2024 and on.
 

Papo The Snow Tiger

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I don't necessarily agree with the last place reasoning, but yeah. His job is definitely on the line next season. As it should be. The farm either has to start producing major league players (or be traded for MLB players). It's not playoffs or busts but if it's a 78-84 record and the best cost controlled player we have are the current versions of Bobby Dalbec and Jarren Duran, bye Bloom. If we have a 78-84 record and some of the pitching works out, Casas is playing well, Rafaela got a handful of PA and excelled, Valdez is raking, Mayer and Jordan are looking like 2024 ETA, etc. he stays.

A big component of building from the farm is evaluation. If none of the players he's made evaluations on and decided to acquire in trade, draft or keep work out, it's hard to build through the farm. Hopefully that isn't the case and I don't think it will be. I think the farm starts to pay off in a big way in 2023 and a bigger way in 2024. I don't know if that will equal a winning season next year but I'm guessing it will lead to 90+ win seasons from 2024 and on.
Something I've been wondering about lately when it comes to the farm system is how much a minor leaguer's development depends upon nature vs. nurture. Natural ability obviously plays a huge role in a player making it to and being successful in the major leagues, and some players will have a superior set of skills naturally and a first-round draft pick should be easily distinguishable from a 12th rounder, but does the talent drop off that dramatically from round to round? What I'm wondering is if teams like the Dodgers are that much better at identifying talent, or do they have better coaching and instruction in the low minors and are better at developing players to their full potential?
 

Mueller's Twin Grannies

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They valued the shot at the playoffs more than the marginal change in tax penalties.
Penny wise and pound foolish, I believe the saying goes.

And I'm with @GB5 - if Bloom doesn't have this team in a position to contend heading into 2024, it should be curtains for him here. If JWH isn't the one telling him to do all this stuff, which is possible, then I hope he has the proverbial "come to Jesus" talk with his president of baseball ops.
 

jon abbey

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Something I've been wondering about lately when it comes to the farm system is how much a minor leaguer's development depends upon nature vs. nurture. Natural ability obviously plays a huge role in a player making it to and being successful in the major leagues, and some players will have a superior set of skills naturally and a first-round draft pick should be easily distinguishable from a 12th rounder, but does the talent drop off that dramatically from round to round? What I'm wondering is if teams like the Dodgers are that much better at identifying talent, or do they have better coaching and instruction in the low minors and are better at developing players to their full potential?
I think it’s both at this point, the Yankees 15th round pick from this year hit two HRs in his low A (not FCL) debut yesterday, which is crazy to me. I think the top few teams have thrown a ton of money into scouting and coaching and I’m not sure how many others have followed.
 

BaseballJones

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I was pretty poorly just saying that Verdugo has been playing pretty well the last two months while JDM has been pretty terrible. Trends.
To your point...

Last 66 games (May 26-present) for Verdugo: 278 PA, 261 AB, .307/.349/.429/.778, with 20 doubles

I'd still like to see more power but those are solid numbers. He's had three chunks to his season:

His first 14 games (Apr 8-22): 55 PA, .313/.364/.542/.905
Next 26 games (Apr 23-May 25): 108 PA, .168/.204/.218/.422
Last 66 games (May 26-present): 278 PA, .307/.349/.429/.778

So kind of like the anti Dalbec (2021 version). Dalbec was mostly bad last year but for one really good stretch. Verdugo's 2022 has been mostly good but that one month stretch from Apr 23 through May 25 was just godawful.
 

joe dokes

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To your point...

Last 66 games (May 26-present) for Verdugo: 278 PA, 261 AB, .307/.349/.429/.778, with 20 doubles

I'd still like to see more power but those are solid numbers. He's had three chunks to his season:

His first 14 games (Apr 8-22): 55 PA, .313/.364/.542/.905
Next 26 games (Apr 23-May 25): 108 PA, .168/.204/.218/.422
Last 66 games (May 26-present): 278 PA, .307/.349/.429/.778

So kind of like the anti Dalbec (2021 version). Dalbec was mostly bad last year but for one really good stretch. Verdugo's 2022 has been mostly good but that one month stretch from Apr 23 through May 25 was just godawful.
Verdugo's just not a power guy. Ceiling like Greenwell?
 

Daniel_Son

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This series certainly feels like something of a turning point. Took 2 out of 3 from one of the best teams in baseball, a divisional rival no less. Pham looks like a legitimately good pickup. Exceptional pitching throughout, including a huge comeback start from Wacha.

Is it enough to turn the season around? I don't know, but it's encouraging, and it's the best I've felt watching this team in a while.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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Sure felt good. Next up is 3 against the Pirates and 3 against the Orioles. Orioles get the Jays first. Win the series against the Pirates and hope the O’s lose to the Jays and things get more interesting. Still an uphill battle, but something…
 

gattman

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No idea what will happen from here on out, but it makes Bloom’s deadline deals more explicable. Pham upgrades the OF (& brings a certain intensity), Hosmer is a significant upgrade over Franchy and McGuire isn’t Vazquez but he’s a damn good defensive C.
 

AB in DC

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This series certainly feels like something of a turning point. Took 2 out of 3 from one of the best teams in baseball, a divisional rival no less. Pham looks like a legitimately good pickup. Exceptional pitching throughout, including a huge comeback start from Wacha.

Is it enough to turn the season around? I don't know, but it's encouraging, and it's the best I've felt watching this team in a while.
It's amazing how much different a team they are when they're not trotting out Jaylin Davis, Yolmer Sanchez, Brayan Bello, Jake Diekman, Kaleb Ort, Darwinzon Hernandez, etc. etc.
 

Heating up in the bullpen

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This series certainly feels like something of a turning point. Took 2 out of 3 from one of the best teams in baseball, a divisional rival no less. Pham looks like a legitimately good pickup. Exceptional pitching throughout, including a huge comeback start from Wacha.

Is it enough to turn the season around? I don't know, but it's encouraging, and it's the best I've felt watching this team in a while.
Took two out of three from a very good Astros team just two weeks ago at the trade deadline. That felt like a turning point, but was followed immediately by crapping the bed in KC. Hopefully they don’t follow that pattern this week in Pittsburgh.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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This series certainly feels like something of a turning point. Took 2 out of 3 from one of the best teams in baseball, a divisional rival no less. Pham looks like a legitimately good pickup. Exceptional pitching throughout, including a huge comeback start from Wacha.

Is it enough to turn the season around? I don't know, but it's encouraging, and it's the best I've felt watching this team in a while.
I like to be optimistic and I hope it's the start of a turn around. However, the Yankees are struggling significantly of late, so a series win now isn't quite the same as it would have been a month ago. Like others have said, if they can make hay this week against the Pirates and O's, things will definitely look much better.

Frankly, all I want to see over the next six weeks is for everyone to get relatively healthy and play good solid baseball. If that gets them to the post-season, great. If they fall a bit short, at least they will have a better idea of exactly what they have to build on for 2023.
 

Lose Remerswaal

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This series certainly feels like something of a turning point. Took 2 out of 3 from one of the best teams in baseball, a divisional rival no less. Pham looks like a legitimately good pickup. Exceptional pitching throughout, including a huge comeback start from Wacha.

Is it enough to turn the season around? I don't know, but it's encouraging, and it's the best I've felt watching this team in a while.
The Yankees have sucked since the All Star break. I am as much of a BELIEVER as there is, but this isn’t even getting me started.

edit: get out of my head, RHF
 

Sandy Leon Trotsky

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The Yankees have sucked since the All Star break. I am as much of a BELIEVER as there is, but this isn’t even getting me started.

edit: get out of my head, RHF
Well that’s all kinda unfair…. Posters here were saying the same about the Sox- that we can’t trust their team because of X,Y, Z but we could when half the team was injured and now we can’t again because the other team is t feeling good.
It’s baseball and this is what happens over a 162 game season and it’s why the playoffs are a crapshoot! Maybe the Yankees were playing way over their heads —— I mean…. Matt Carpenter suddenly was possessed by Barry Bonds FFS!!! Maybe the Yankees are actually just as good as they played this past weekend?
 

8slim

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No idea what will happen from here on out, but it makes Bloom’s deadline deals more explicable. Pham upgrades the OF (& brings a certain intensity), Hosmer is a significant upgrade over Franchy and McGuire isn’t Vazquez but he’s a damn good defensive C.
I don't see how Bloom's deadline deals were inexplicable. He tried to walk and chew gum at the same time: make deals that bolster the farm *and* make deals that improve the major league club. He wasn't going to hold a fire sale, and he wasn't going to leap into GFIN mode. It hasn't been some stunning revelation that Pham and Hosmer are upgrades over the black holes they replaced.
 

Rovin Romine

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I like to be optimistic and I hope it's the start of a turn around. However, the Yankees are struggling significantly of late, so a series win now isn't quite the same as it would have been a month ago. Like others have said, if they can make hay this week against the Pirates and O's, things will definitely look much better.
We're allowed some good timing/luck to balance out the crap timing/bad luck we've had thusfar.

More reinforcements coming this week: Kiké, Refsnyder, Danish all finished with rehab assignments. Strahm close to ready. Story maybe not far off.
Yeaaaaaahhh. . .I don't know.

Hernandez should be a defensive upgrade over Duran if he's healthy. But he's actually been worse than Duran at the plate thusfar, and his rehab of 4 games in AA didn't look like a ML hitter going to town. So, possibly a wash, possibly and upgrade. But I think Cora plays Hernandez for a bit no matter how terrible he is at first.

Refsnyder had a much better year than Hernandez, and isn't as rusty, and hit in his brief rehab assignment, but I think he'll be the second choice after Hernandez.

Story (AFAIK) hasn't started a rehab assignment, nor has Strahm.

Whose spot does Danish take? Barnes? Brasier? Familia?
 

E5 Yaz

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For all the good feelings coming out of the weekend, the Red Sox remain 6 games out in the loss column from the third WC spot (now the Rays, who have three games in hand).
What they need, as @Red(s)HawksFan said, is not just a good week against the Pirates/Orioles, but a great week ... a 5-1 week ... and have the teams about them go 3-3 or worse, because they need to trim that gap in the loss column.
 

joe dokes

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For all the good feelings coming out of the weekend, the Red Sox remain 6 games out in the loss column from the third WC spot (now the Rays, who have three games in hand).
What they need, as @Red(s)HawksFan said, is not just a good week against the Pirates/Orioles, but a great week ... a 5-1 week ... and have the teams about them go 3-3 or worse, because they need to trim that gap in the loss column.
I think this is right. We often think of things like "just gain a game a week," but it seems as though moves happen more often with a hottish streak -- 4 of 5 or 8 of 10, combined with other teams playing .500 -- to gain chunks at a time. Just not a lot of "easy" (relatively) games left to do it.
 

Rovin Romine

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For all the good feelings coming out of the weekend, the Red Sox remain 6 games out in the loss column from the third WC spot (now the Rays, who have three games in hand).
What they need, as @Red(s)HawksFan said, is not just a good week against the Pirates/Orioles, but a great week ... a 5-1 week ... and have the teams about them go 3-3 or worse, because they need to trim that gap in the loss column.
I've kicked this around a few times. If they go 5-1 or 6-0 they'll certainly pick up some needed games toward a "fighting chance" target of 86-88 wins. But that path still requires them to play good ball against difficult teams in the final stretch. The real difference will be that they should have better health toward the end of the year - getting Paxton, Story, and Strahm at some point.

I'm just surprised they've been playing as well as they have - along with the actual wins. We're seeing some real effort to make the post-season.
 
Last edited:

Sandy Leon Trotsky

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I've kicked this around a few times. If they go 5-6 or 6-0 they'll certainly pick up some needed games toward a "fighting chance" target of 86-88 wins. But that path still requires them to play good ball against difficult teams in the final stretch. The real difference will be that they should have better health toward the end of the year - getting Paxton, Story, and Strahm at some point.

I'm just surprised they've been playing as well as they have - along with the actual wins. We're seeing some real effort to make the post-season.
That stretch against KC and Atlanta really was it for the post-season for me. I know they're still in it and blah yada blah but I just don't see this team making up the ground against the teams in front of them. I had them as getting in and then bumped out in a WC match but I think they'll now miss the playoffs by 2,3 games and there'll be a few head scratcher lineups for unnecessary rest and bullpen moves that blew games in hand that will haunt me. At this point I'd rather just see the team bring up Casas and keep Duran out in CF. Move Whitlock back to the rotation.
Go Seattle!!!
 

Rovin Romine

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That stretch against KC and Atlanta really was it for the post-season for me. I know they're still in it and blah yada blah but I just don't see this team making up the ground against the teams in front of them. I had them as getting in and then bumped out in a WC match but I think they'll now miss the playoffs by 2,3 games and there'll be a few head scratcher lineups for unnecessary rest and bullpen moves that blew games in hand that will haunt me. At this point I'd rather just see the team bring up Casas and keep Duran out in CF. Move Whitlock back to the rotation.
Go Seattle!!!
Yeah, it's hugely unlikely they contend. But they have pulled off some good games lately. Couple that with a 6-0 stretch and "mathematically in it" looks a bit different.
 

staz

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We're allowed some good timing/luck to balance out the crap timing/bad luck we've had thusfar.



Yeaaaaaahhh. . .I don't know.

Hernandez should be a defensive upgrade over Duran if he's healthy. But he's actually been worse than Duran at the plate thusfar, and his rehab of 4 games in AA didn't look like a ML hitter going to town. So, possibly a wash, possibly and upgrade. But I think Cora plays Hernandez for a bit no matter how terrible he is at first.

Refsnyder had a much better year than Hernandez, and isn't as rusty, and hit in his brief rehab assignment, but I think he'll be the second choice after Hernandez.

Story (AFAIK) hasn't started a rehab assignment, nor has Strahm.

Whose spot does Danish take? Barnes? Brasier? Familia?
Per CBS, Story with team heading to PIT, has been swinging bat over the last week and will take BP in PIT with activation possible there or in BAL. With Kiké, things may look a lot more interesting in a week. #notdeadyet #merelyafleshwound
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Per CBS, Story with team heading to PIT, has been swinging bat over the last week and will take BP in PIT with activation possible there or in BAL. With Kiké, things may look a lot more interesting in a week. #notdeadyet #merelyafleshwound
Supposedly, Kike and Refsnyder are going to be activated as soon as tomorrow (PeteAbe tweeted as much last night). And I don't think Story is going to be activated this week regardless of how BP goes in Pittsburgh. He's going to need a rehab assignment before he returns to the roster.
 

Daniel_Son

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I mean yeah, the Yankees have been scuffling since the All-Star Break. I don't think anyone realistically expected them to keep winning at a .786 clip like they were in June.

They're still a damn good ballclub, though. It feels good to take 2 out of 3 against them - especially after our best pitcher came back after a month-long absence and absolutely dominated one of the league's most potent offenses. And yeah, ultimately it's just one series. What they do this week against the Pirates and the O's will reveal if a turnaround is legit. But with Wacha back at the front of the rotation and reinforcements on the way (I'd rather see Refsnyder getting ABs over Duran - who wouldn't?), a turnaround feels more possible than it did a week ago. Improbable, sure. But not impossible.
 

AlNipper49

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I think it’s both at this point, the Yankees 15th round pick from this year hit two HRs in his low A (not FCL) debut yesterday, which is crazy to me. I think the top few teams have thrown a ton of money into scouting and coaching and I’m not sure how many others have followed.
He’s four years older than a lot of the players he’s playing against. This doesn’t seem weird to me and also why low minors is so hard to gauge.
 

AlNipper49

Huge Member
Dope
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Apr 3, 2001
44,851
Mtigawi
I mean yeah, the Yankees have been scuffling since the All-Star Break. I don't think anyone realistically expected them to keep winning at a .786 clip like they were in June.

They're still a damn good ballclub, though. It feels good to take 2 out of 3 against them - especially after our best pitcher came back after a month-long absence and absolutely dominated one of the league's most potent offenses. And yeah, ultimately it's just one series. What they do this week against the Pirates and the O's will reveal if a turnaround is legit. But with Wacha back at the front of the rotation and reinforcements on the way (I'd rather see Refsnyder getting ABs over Duran - who wouldn't?), a turnaround feels more possible than it did a week ago. Improbable, sure. But not impossible.
The Improbable Dream
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
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SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,713
He’s four years older than a lot of the players he’s playing against. This doesn’t seem weird to me and also why low minors is so hard to gauge.
Taylor Aguilar turned 22 today, maybe a year or two older but not four. The point is valid though.