2024 Spring Training Stuff

LogansDad · Feb 23, 2024

BLAZE

I am really rooting for him this year and would love to see him take a big step forward.

YTF · Feb 24, 2024

JM3 said:
Pedey <3

View: https://twitter.com/bradfo/status/1759618885639090194

This is an extremely odd thing to offer up given the fan and media reaction to this off-season's free agency period.

LogansDad · Feb 27, 2024

Whoa, those iVB numbers on Kutter are silly season. That could be a really fun development.

LoLsapien · Feb 28, 2024

LogansDad said:
Whoa, those iVB numbers on Kutter are silly season. That could be a really fun development.

What is IVB?

Just a bit outside · Feb 28, 2024

LoLsapien said:
What is IVB?

Induced vertical break. Over 20 is considered elite.
https://carltonsalters.wordpress.com/2023/11/06/its-higher-than-you-think/#:~:text=IVB is described as the,perceive the ball to fall.
IVB (induced vertical break) is something that is more understood through the use of tech in pitching. IVB is described as the pitch is ‘breaking” upward from the average level a pitch falls from release to home plate. It removes gravity from the equation and looks how much a pitch moves up or down from a point of zero. It causes the ball to fall less than the hitters eyes or brain perceive the ball to fall.

LoLsapien · Feb 28, 2024

Just a bit outside said:
Induced vertical break. Over 20 is considered elite.
https://carltonsalters.wordpress.com/2023/11/06/its-higher-than-you-think/#:~:text=IVB is described as the,perceive the ball to fall.
IVB (induced vertical break) is something that is more understood through the use of tech in pitching. IVB is described as the pitch is ‘breaking” upward from the average level a pitch falls from release to home plate. It removes gravity from the equation and looks how much a pitch moves up or down from a point of zero. It causes the ball to fall less than the hitters eyes or brain perceive the ball to fall.

Thank you!!

Rovin Romine · Feb 28, 2024

JM3 said:
Running out a 5'8 1B is probably not a long-term solution.

I tend to view ST as having a finite number of actual competetive-pressure games, which means a finite number of those sort of at-bats and defensive innings. So ideally I'd like to see them used as possible development situations, with an eye towards winning the opener.

Consequently, I'd want to see:

1. Rafaela playing CF every day (defensive reps and ABs) - check.
2. Abreu playing often for the same reason and always against LHP - mostly check.
3. Identifying the primary IF and OF call-ups: Hamilton v. Dalbec. Conteras v. Conteras I suppose.

But on #3 it's weird. They know how these guys field, and they know how they hit. So development ABs for Hamilton make sense, as he'll see some ML pitchers, especially if he starts the game and is high in the lineup. Conteras also. Dalbec, I'm not so sure of. I mean, they're the same hitting coaches. . .so why give Dalbec ABs, unless he's the 26th man? And even so, it's just more of the same. But Dalbec would seem not to be if Rafaela is.

So, giving Pablo some game reps at 1B makes sense. . .especially if Dalbec does not make the team.

So all that I get. And maybe there's some trade showcasing stuff going on also that we don't know about.

But what I'm not seeing is:

Devers in at 3B for defensive reps. Perhaps he's defensively drilling his ass off on a dedicated field or something with Story. He better fucking be.

Story getting ABs against ML pitchers (he needs to get the rust off and his timing back for sure.)

Yoshida getting ABs against ML pitchers (he needs to get his April mindset on.)

Casas getting defensive reps (sick/injured).

Grissom getting defensive reps (injured).

Duran/O'Neill in the OF.

Overall, it seems that the major components of the team are not yet in ST, especially from a defensive POV:

Devers/Story/Grissom throwing to Casas.

Duran/Yoshida/O'Neill throwing to the IF/cutoff men.

Wong dealing with SB attempts - throwing to Story/Grissom.

Pitchers picking off with Casas/Grissom/Story/Devers.

***
Of course there's still time: 5 games down, including todays, with some 28 more games to come including split squads. And some of this is constrained by injury.

But all this assumes they want to be spun up to win games out of the gate on their road trip. As opposed to starting cold like they've done in recent seasons.

But Cora may end up running ST mostly the same way he's done before, and trying to search for the perfect 26th man while preaching that just going .500 on the first west-coast trip would be fine, because these guys are pros, and there's a whole season and they'll make it up later.

simplicio · Feb 28, 2024

Rovin Romine said:
I tend to view ST as having a finite number of actual competetive-pressure games, which means a finite number of those sort of at-bats and defensive innings. So ideally I'd like to see them used as possible development situations, with an eye towards winning the opener.

Consequently, I'd want to see:

1. Rafaela playing CF every day (defensive reps and ABs) - check.
2. Abreu playing often for the same reason and always against LHP - mostly check.
3. Identifying the primary IF and OF call-ups: Hamilton v. Dalbec. Conteras v. Conteras I suppose.

But on #3 it's weird. They know how these guys field, and they know how they hit. So development ABs for Hamilton make sense, as he'll see some ML pitchers, especially if he starts the game and is high in the lineup. Conteras also. Dalbec, I'm not so sure of. I mean, they're the same hitting coaches. . .so why give Dalbec ABs, unless he's the 26th man? And even so, it's just more of the same. But Dalbec would seem not to be if Rafaela is.

So, giving Pablo some game reps at 1B makes sense. . .especially if Dalbec does not make the team.

So all that I get. And maybe there's some trade showcasing stuff going on also that we don't know about.

But what I'm not seeing is:

Devers in at 3B for defensive reps. Perhaps he's defensively drilling his ass off on a dedicated field or something with Story. He better fucking be.
Story getting ABs against ML pitchers (he needs to get the rust off and his timing back for sure.)
Yoshida getting ABs against ML pitchers (he needs to get his April mindset on.)
Casas getting defensive reps (sick/injured).
Grissom getting defensive reps (injured).
Duran/O'Neill in the OF.

Overall, it seems that the major components of the team are not yet in ST, especially from a defensive POV:
Devers/Story/Grissom throwing to Casas.
Duran/Yoshida/O'Neill throwing to the IF/cutoff men.
Wong dealing with SB attempts - throwing to Story/Grissom.
Pitchers picking off with Casas/Grissom/Story/Devers.

***
Of course there's still time: 5 games down, including todays, with some 28 more games to come including split squads. And some of this is constrained by injury.

But all this assumes they want to be spun up to win games out of the gate on their road trip. As opposed to starting cold like they've done in recent seasons.

But Cora may end up running ST mostly the same way he's done before, and trying to search for the perfect 26th man while preaching that just going .500 on the first west-coast trip would be fine, because these guys are pros, and there's a whole season and they'll make it up later.

So far there have only been 2 home games vs MLB squads, and Devers + Story have played in both. That's typical of early ST; the lower level and fringe guys get shipped around to the away games and the veterans get to stay home and work. That's why we've been seeing more of Abreu and Rafaela so far.

Rovin Romine · Feb 28, 2024

simplicio said:
So far there have only been 2 home games vs MLB squads, and Devers + Story have played in both. That's typical of early ST; the lower level and fringe guys get shipped around to the away games and the veterans get to stay home and work. That's why we've been seeing more of Abreu and Rafaela so far.

Yeah, I know. But the club needs defensive reps and they started cold the past two years. So let's see how it goes.

Rovin Romine · Feb 28, 2024

B-squad getting it done.

The WSN feed is pretty awful. There's been a cliche-fest rambleview with some dude. PBP isn't really a concern for them.

InsideTheParker · Feb 28, 2024

JM3 said:
View: https://twitter.com/jcmccaffrey/status/1761023702290800932

Kelly is stinking up the joint today. Main job of pitching: FAIL.

JBJ_HOF · Feb 28, 2024

video will emerge soon enough, but miguel bleis has totally reworked his swing, changed his footwork and made his bat much quieter and shorter to the ball.

LogansDad · Feb 28, 2024

I have to imagine if he comes back healthy and starts raking he is going to absolutely fly up prospect charts. Same with Mayer, with the caveat that if Mayer is healthy and struggles I could see him falling pretty quickly. There's a non-zero chance they finish this season with 3 or 4 guys in the top 20 or 30 overall, if things go well.

nighthob · Feb 29, 2024

LogansDad said:
I have to imagine if he comes back healthy and starts raking he is going to absolutely fly up prospect charts. Same with Mayer, with the caveat that if Mayer is healthy and struggles I could see him falling pretty quickly. There's a non-zero chance they finish this season with 3 or 4 guys in the top 20 or 30 overall, if things go well.

If Bleis ascends into the same stratosphere as the ATM Machine they will be known as the BATMen.

Rovin Romine · Feb 29, 2024

nighthob said:
If Bleis ascends into the same stratosphere as the ATM Machine they will be known as the BATMen.

MBTA - seems like destiny to me.

Fishy1 · Feb 29, 2024

NIKOS

Halfway kidding

InsideTheParker · Feb 29, 2024

Too bad we can't see today's game. I'm glad that Wong is well enough to DH. I actually never knew why he was on the IL.

Sandy Leon Trotsky · Feb 29, 2024

The thought of a Bleis/Rafaela/Anthony outifeld gets me pretty excited.

Ale Xander · Feb 29, 2024

JM3 said:
Not a bad lineup today.

View: https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1763190930754896340

ROMAN

Other than 45679

chrisfont9 · Feb 29, 2024

JM3 said:
Doesn't really seem like 1 media outlet should just be able to post another's paywalled interview quotes, but here we are.

https://nesn.com/2024/02/high-ceiling-red-sox-prospect-set-up-for-very-good-comeback-after-injury/

They dropped in a link to the Herald story, that's minimal courtesy I think.

2024 Spring Training Stuff

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