Rafael Devers hit an inside the park home run in the 9th inning tonight to cut the lead to one. He doesn't shy away from big moments, he thrives in them. Papi's replacement is here:
(Can't embed that gif, sorry)
And that's after he put the Sox ahead in game 3 with a home run that made it into the stands, making him one of 6 players to homer in the postseason before turning 21.
That's the company he keeps.
Oh, and here's the greatest bat flip in the history of bat flips:
Andrew Benintendi hit a 2 run homer to put the team ahead in the 5th today and had a season that would probably have won him a rookie of the year award in most other years.
Mookie Betts had, by all accounts, a down year and was still worth 5.3 fWAR and 6.4 rWAR. Seriously, his floor is still 5-6 wins. That's awesome.
Chris Sale is a beast. If they treat him like Pedro for the next couple years, he should be fresher in the playoffs. Give him a break around the All Star break to recharge his batteries and enjoy the ride the rest of the way. Poor finish or not, he's the most talented pitcher to don a Red Sox uni since Pedro.
Christian Vazquez is a league average hitter. We'd have killed for that when he first came up. A league average bat with his glove, framing, game calling and that 1000 yard stare makes for one of the better catchers in the game.
Drew Pomeranz faded down the stretch again but stretched his effectiveness out a bit further than last year. Give him a break mid-season too, and he might continue to be an excellent 5ish inning pitcher through the playoffs next year.
Eduardo Nunez was a fantastic find for Fenway and should make for an excellent Brock Holt replacement at a moderate FA contract.
Craig Kimbrel gave it up today but had an incredible season and is still one of the best relievers in the game. The pen will actually be pretty good with some decent length next year. Carson Smith, Tyler Thornburg, Brandon Workman and Joe Kelly make up a solid mix for the 6th - 8th innings. And that's assuming they don't bring Reed back.
JBJ's inconsistency is maddening, but his glove is as steady as it gets and provides a nice floor for his overall production.
Same with Pedey at this point. If Nunez is on the roster, using him to pinch hit for Pedroia late might be a good way to make the best of the back end of that contract.
This is a really good team that isn't too many moves away from being on the same level as Cleveland, Houston, Cubs and LA (and maybe the Yankees). Sign JD Martinez if you can, and the lineup is basically set for next year (we're not getting rid of Hanley before the 2018-2019 winter, sorry... it can't be ALL good news in the optimism thread). Maybe they get lucky and convince Otani that Boston is the place for him. If not, and they decide they are going hard at the FA class, Yu Darvish doesn't cost any draft picks.
Without any additions, this is still a playoff caliber team. Adding a few names could keep them as the division favorite. And we all know Dealin' Dave doesn't like sitting on his hands during the winter.
The future is bright. Very very bright. And as depressing as it is when any season ends, if nothing else, I'm fucking stoked to see what Rafael Devers does with a full season next year. The kid is fucking special.
(Can't embed that gif, sorry)
And that's after he put the Sox ahead in game 3 with a home run that made it into the stands, making him one of 6 players to homer in the postseason before turning 21.
That's the company he keeps.
Oh, and here's the greatest bat flip in the history of bat flips:
Andrew Benintendi hit a 2 run homer to put the team ahead in the 5th today and had a season that would probably have won him a rookie of the year award in most other years.
Mookie Betts had, by all accounts, a down year and was still worth 5.3 fWAR and 6.4 rWAR. Seriously, his floor is still 5-6 wins. That's awesome.
Chris Sale is a beast. If they treat him like Pedro for the next couple years, he should be fresher in the playoffs. Give him a break around the All Star break to recharge his batteries and enjoy the ride the rest of the way. Poor finish or not, he's the most talented pitcher to don a Red Sox uni since Pedro.
Christian Vazquez is a league average hitter. We'd have killed for that when he first came up. A league average bat with his glove, framing, game calling and that 1000 yard stare makes for one of the better catchers in the game.
Drew Pomeranz faded down the stretch again but stretched his effectiveness out a bit further than last year. Give him a break mid-season too, and he might continue to be an excellent 5ish inning pitcher through the playoffs next year.
Eduardo Nunez was a fantastic find for Fenway and should make for an excellent Brock Holt replacement at a moderate FA contract.
Craig Kimbrel gave it up today but had an incredible season and is still one of the best relievers in the game. The pen will actually be pretty good with some decent length next year. Carson Smith, Tyler Thornburg, Brandon Workman and Joe Kelly make up a solid mix for the 6th - 8th innings. And that's assuming they don't bring Reed back.
JBJ's inconsistency is maddening, but his glove is as steady as it gets and provides a nice floor for his overall production.
Same with Pedey at this point. If Nunez is on the roster, using him to pinch hit for Pedroia late might be a good way to make the best of the back end of that contract.
This is a really good team that isn't too many moves away from being on the same level as Cleveland, Houston, Cubs and LA (and maybe the Yankees). Sign JD Martinez if you can, and the lineup is basically set for next year (we're not getting rid of Hanley before the 2018-2019 winter, sorry... it can't be ALL good news in the optimism thread). Maybe they get lucky and convince Otani that Boston is the place for him. If not, and they decide they are going hard at the FA class, Yu Darvish doesn't cost any draft picks.
Without any additions, this is still a playoff caliber team. Adding a few names could keep them as the division favorite. And we all know Dealin' Dave doesn't like sitting on his hands during the winter.
The future is bright. Very very bright. And as depressing as it is when any season ends, if nothing else, I'm fucking stoked to see what Rafael Devers does with a full season next year. The kid is fucking special.
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