Why Not JBJ?

[Drek717]

 

I just find it hard to believe JBJ is not going to hit well enough to justify being in the lineup everyday at CF given his defense.  Have him hit 9th and play him  everyday.  They should go to an OF next year with Betts in LF, JBJ in CF and Castillo RF.  Bit short on power there, but the defense will be ok, and you look elsewhere for power. 

 

 
Where and who though?

Why not utilize the fact that Betts, Bradley, and Castillo can all play all three OF positions with quality defense, and make them and the LF into a four men, three spots rotation?
 
Even in his good AAA samples Bradley has a big drop against LHP, so he's quite possibly going to be a platoon player at the ML level until he proves otherwise.  Betts plays all out and could use a day off or two to help reduce the wear over a full season.  Castillo is still something of an unknown, but at both the ML level and the AAA level the last two years he's had a significant split himself.  Treat Bradley/Castillo as a 50/50 platoon with Castillo getting pretty much all the LH ABs and they each relieve Mookie and the LF during the week.  Something like 7/10 games started for each of them, 8.5/10 games started for the LF and Betts.
 
Getting offense could be something like moving Hanley to 1B and signing Ben Zobrist on a short years, high dollars deal to play LF as well as a few spot starts at his usual eclectic mix of positions, most notably as the 1B when Hanley relieves Ortiz at DH against LHP.  Add a free agent flier with high power potential, like say Kyle Blanks, to be the 4th/5th OF and the club would have a nice little collection of upside bets and broad positional coverage, using Zobrist and Holt to cover all the bases in case of injury.
 
Or they could bet on Hanley improving in LF and buy into the Chris Davis 2015 revitalization if the market for him doesn't go insane.  Then Hanley could spell Ortiz and maybe Sandoval against LHP while getting a little time off himself from the three other OFs.  Given how Owens and EdRod have looked the Porcello deal is what's really hamstringing them financially.  Panda is at least the best of a bad 3B market and Hanley is a good bet to bounce back offensively next season.  Even if Porcello was repeating his 2014 season his contract would look bad simply by how replaceable he is.  Buchholz, Miley, EdRod, Owens, Wright, and Johnson in AAA isn't a pathetically bad SP crew.  Decline the option on Buccholz and add Cueto/Zimmerman/etc. and instead it looks like a solid group with some real upside.  Porcello is sitting on the money needed to really make that plus a Zobrist/Davis signing work.

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

One day we'll look back on today as the day JBJ turned the corner.

More like the day before half of the main board posters had to replace their keyboards because the keys are all sticky. But I sincerely hope its for the reason you've outlined. 

 

[rembrat]

Pete Abraham ‏@PeteAbe  25m25 minutes ago
Of note: Farrell left open the idea of Betts playing a corner OF spot. So Bradley could play some more in CF. Under discussion.

 
Farrell never mentions something the club isn't seriously considering so this is great news. 

 

[scotian1]

Interesting tweet from JBJ referencing Eck. 
Jackie Bradley Jr. ‏@JackieBradleyJr 37s38 seconds ago
Huge thanks to @Eck43 for saying all the things I "can't"do these past few days. People like you is what drives me

 

[InsideTheParker]

Interesting tweet from JBJ referencing Eck. 
Jackie Bradley Jr. ‏@JackieBradleyJr 37s38 seconds ago
Huge thanks to @Eck43 for saying all the things I "can't"do these past few days. People like you is what drives me

Wow, that seems kind of cheeky. He's addressing the HOF'er? 
Still, I'm happy for him (and us).

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

Wow, that seems kind of cheeky. He's addressing the HOF'er? 
Still, I'm happy for him (and us).

 
How often have we seen/heard similar things out of Dustin Pedroia? His whole career is based on proving people wrong.  Good to see out of JBJ.

 

[Al Zarilla]

 
Farrell never mentions something the club isn't seriously considering so this is great news. 

Oh noes, it will screw up Mookie's hitting! No it won't. Actually, if Bradley really can hit MLB pitching, I'd want him in center (duh). Mookie doesn't have the arm for right, so give him a whole bunch of games in left this year in the event we could go into 2016 with Betts, Bradley and Castillo left to right. Whither Hanley though? I don't think they wanted him to start playing first base w/o working on it in ST, a lot. And, we're stuck with the Panda at third, and kind of the same, Hanley would need ST work at third also if they'd want to consider him there. Damn, I hate the Sox having to work around those two clowns when planning and developing the good young team. 

 

[E5 Yaz]

Wow, that seems kind of cheeky. He's addressing the HOF'er? 
Still, I'm happy for him (and us).

 
If you look at his Twitter page, this tweet is there with a pic of JBJ and Eck smiling together. 
 
I suspect it's done in the spirit of good-natured fun ... and that Eck would know that

 

[Buster Olney the Lonely]

More like the day before half of the main board posters had to replace their keyboards because the keys are all sticky. But I sincerely hope its for the reason you've outlined. 

I'm a Clemson fan, like you. And an unabashed Jackie fan. My favorite Gamecock. Easily.

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

I'm a Clemson fan, like you. And an unabashed Jackie fan. My favorite Gamecock. Easily.

Didn't know that. We agree on JBJ. Hope you're as pissed as I am that we chose Marrero over Shaffer. Richie had a nice day today as well.

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

One day we'll look back on today as the day JBJ turned the corner.

 
Or many of us will never remember it, because it's one day. 
 
Which do you think is more likely? 

 

[Savin Hillbilly]

Just to show how small a sample he has still had this year, today's game raised his wRC+ from 23 to 56. Which is obviously still godawful, but it's also easy to see how a couple of hot weeks could lift it into respectable territory.

 

[soxhop411]

 
If you look at his Twitter page, this tweet is there with a pic of JBJ and Eck smiling together. 
 
I suspect it's done in the spirit of good-natured fun ... and that Eck would know that

Bradford just wrote something about it while completely ignoring the photo

 

[E5 Yaz]

I could be wrong, of course. I just didn't hear Eck say anything particularly bad about JBJ today

 

[Byrdbrain]

Seems to me he said what everyone is saying, "man if he could just hit a little bit".

 

[soxhop411]

“@JackieBradleyJr: I was in no way trying to make it seem like I was ”calling out“ anyone. It was suppose to be motivational but got taken out of context.”

I hate the Boston media.

 

[Green Monster]

I could be wrong, of course. I just didn't hear Eck say anything particularly bad about JBJ today

I recall things like........."He could really use a hit"....."Can't buy a hit".........and of course "If he wants to get his Iron, he will need a bit more cheese off the bat so he can go Bridge a few times"

 

[Van Everyman]

I hate the Boston media.

One thing I felt about JBJ last year was how well he handled the Boston media – he was poised but also pretty funny and willing to actually say stuff. He seemed mature way beyond his years. Think another year of struggles may have taken a little off that but he definitely has the mental makeup to survive in Boston.

 

[scotian1]

I posted the original tweet on here but thought just like JBJ said, he used the criticism as motivation. I didn't take it as criticism of Eckersley whatsoever.

 

[geoduck no quahog]

I'm not a tweet guy, but doesn't a smiley face at the end of the statement kind of indicate he was joking?

 

[mwonow]

I actually think it was the Napoli trade - that JBJ's bat and Napoli couldn't coexist in the same dugout.
 
Regardless, we're over the hump. JBJ in 16 and beyond!

 

[The X Man Cometh]

over the past two seasons Jackie is 310th out of 310 batters in wRC+ with 400 PA or more. Average is all he really has to be- but it is a long ways to go. Godspeed and maybe today is the beginning.

 

[Wake's knuckle]

Humprf... maybe Hanley to 3rd and Panda to 1st? He can't be worse at third than he has been in LF this year... and Panda hasn't been good at 3rd anyway.