I agree, but I'm hoping the plan is to get a middle of the order bat in addition to fixing third base. Bruce? Duda? That way, we can sit the fetid corpse of Mitch Moreland, use Hanley at 1st, and still have better production at third then what we've been getting.
Texas. I'm fine with Devers being called up. I think he'll hit. It's his glove that we'll bemoan.
I didn't realize he doesn't have to go on the 40 man if returned. In that case, yeah, Colorado will want him.
If the move will be for a 1B, why not recall Lin, who was quite decent in a platoon role with Marrero in the 9th spot as table-setters for Mookie?
What is the bold based on? He's consistently had strikeout rates in the 16-17% range in the minors, and for walk rates, last year in Salem he was at 7.3% and this year in Portland he got that up to 9.7%. That's trending in the right direction. I don't see any evidence that he's had trouble with discipline since 2015 when he posted a 4.7% walk rate in Greenville over 508 PAs. Am I missing a report from this year that suggests his increase in walk rate is due to something other than an improvement in discipline, like him being passive at the plate (doesn't jive with the increase in HRs) or pitchers staying much further away from the plate against him this year making it easier to lay off non-strikes?
Re:Bogaerts he wasn't rushed in that it was good he was on the team in 2013 and helped them win a title. The issue was in 2014 in that, yes, given how poorly he hit AND that the team finished last AND that there was/is a 0.01% chance of an extension, it is too bad they chose to not send him down for awhile and instead they burned control of Xander's 2020 season for essentially nothing.
He's also seen a steady increase in that number over the last three years as he's moved up from level to level, as they've been aggressively pushing him through the system.
Things you might not be considering: (a) Devers won't provide the power the Sox are need as he'll be platooned and hitting in the bottom of the lineup; (b) Marrero is actually improving at the plate as he gets more at bats and is being used in a platoon role more often; or (c) there will be a book out soon on Devers, too.
Are you arguing that his power is negated because of his placement in the lineup?
He will have less overall impact than adding Mike Trout too. Fortunately the bar isn't quite that high for him to have a positive impact on the offensive output of the team.
It doesn't have to make the difference in order to be a good move. It just has to make a difference (and the difference has to be positive).
Assuming this is all true, how does bringing up Devers make it worse, or make it harder to address?
I get your point, it's not like they're trading him, and I'm not one of those people who thinks prospects should be cased in glass to avoid spoiling their development. But I do think it's likely he could use a bit more seasoning, and in the long run, rushing him means you replace a low-cost season (or half season, or whatever) of presumably prime production down the road with a half season of hopefully a bit better than a Marrero / Lin platoon now. And there is the possibility that it negatively affects him - I don't want to overstate that because it's not my primary concern, but it's a factor.
I think they just have to make sure the laundry staff warshed all the squirrel out of all the number 11s.
OTOH, if 3B can be upgraded even a little at no cost, that would allow other resources to be allocated to upgrading the other areas in need of improvement, be that 1B, bench, or bullpen.
Well, Devers was playing cards yesterday in the clubhouse with Bogaerts, Rodriguez and Vazquez.
That would have been out of every MLB park, except possibly Houston's. But that is debatable because of where exactly it landed. It was definitely not a cheapy.
Devers' toe pivot and ankle turn seem unusually smooth, coherent and well-timed in launching his swing. I'm no keen observer of hitting, but it reminds me of pre-injury Adrian Gonzalez. Toe to ankle to hip to torso to over the centerfield fence.
I'm going to steal your 'controlled violence' as it explains Dever's swing perfectly. I showed the HR to my buddy who made it to A+ with the Angels and he literally jumped backwards when he saw the swing. His first comment was "how can a kid that young swing that hard with that bat speed and still control the barrel of the bat?"
