Wherefore art thou, Blake?
- Thread starter Sandy Leon Trotsky
- Start date
The only pseudo need Swihart could maybe get for the roster is a right handed 4th outfielder. Preferably one who can also field.
Swihart isn't going to fetch an elite bullpen arm, and I'm not sure he'd get a teams top 5 prospect either.
Even if they got someone 25 man worthy, then they have another roster crunch to deal with unless they move Johnson or Wright as well.
I wouldn't be shocked if they got a few C prospects and cash given they have backed themselves into a corner.
Swihart isn't going to fetch an elite bullpen arm, and I'm not sure he'd get a teams top 5 prospect either.
Even if they got someone 25 man worthy, then they have another roster crunch to deal with unless they move Johnson or Wright as well.
I wouldn't be shocked if they got a few C prospects and cash given they have backed themselves into a corner.
Agreed -- if Swihart yields more than lottery tickets at this juncture it'll be a coup for DD.
Cora, during his weekly interview on WEEI, said Blake will catch during the weekend. It'll be interesting to see if he gets Sale, Price or Porcello as his battery mate.
At a guess, assuming Swihart is starting and not coming off the bench, I'll say Price. If only because Leon, despite suggestions by Cora that it wouldn't happen, appears to be stapled to Porcello (Vazquez hasn't caught a pitch from him all year). And Sale is a guy who famously throws whatever the catcher calls for without ever shaking off. I don't know what Swihart's rep is as a game caller, but Leon was Sale's caddy last year and after a brief dalliance with throwing exclusively to Vazquez in April, he's back throwing almost exclusively to Leon (last four games and five of the last six). Price seems like the most flexible of the bunch (though he's only worked with Leon once this year), and he is also maybe the type who can and perhaps prefers to call his own game. A good fit with a rusty catcher.
So, now that we have a meaningful 2018 sample of Swihart's catching, can we pick it apart and predict future performance?
In all seriousness, does anyone have any thoughts or observations on his defense last night?
In all seriousness, does anyone have any thoughts or observations on his defense last night?
He made a helluva nice stop on a ball in the dirt in the first inning, as I recall.
Seemed like an odd time to throe him in there. Would have thought one of pitcher whisperers would have been behind the plate.
He self admitted post-game that he was late to adjust to the pitch selection and should have called for off-speed in the first. That seemed odd to me for a few reasons. I get that you want to hold back a pitch or two for the second time through the order, but when things go south early, you have to adjust. Second, I'm surprised Blake had full reign and that the dugout wasn't involved in making adjustments sooner. Obviously the pitcher can shake off Blake when he puts down 1 too often, but that take seemed odd to me.