2024 Red Sox Spring Training

[Hendu Candu]

Not sure where to put this, but the Athletic had an interesting exercise where they ranked teams based on the number of players drafted in high stakes fantasy leagues.

https://theathletic.com/5368172/2024/03/26/vegas-mlb-win-totals-fantasy-baseball-2024/

The Red Sox fared second in the American League:

"The big surprise here, reflecting profound disagreement between fantasy baseball and the oddsmakers, is the Red Sox. The fantasy managers have the Red Sox as the fourth-best team in MLB, using the average ADP tiebreaker. Yet they are +6500 to win the World Series, which ranks 21st. That’s just crazy value if the high-stakes players are correct. The fourth-best team’s odds are +1100. The big reason the Red Sox grade well in fantasy? Starting pitching. The Red Sox have four starting pitchers ranked: Nick Pivetta (125), Kutter Crawford (184), Brayan Bello (192) and Garrett Whitlock (265). No AL East team has more. Granted no one is betting too highly on these BoSox hurlers, but picking pitchers at all is an indication the market believes they have some upside."

I am on the side of the Red Sox being undervalued heading into the season ...

 

[Heating up in the bullpen]

I didnt see the game, and I know Crawford gave up some runs, but I hope that not pulling the starter as soon as he gets knocked around a bit early becomes routine.

Sean Murphy got him twice. Other than that, one inning with a little trouble.

 

[Yo La Tengo]

Not sure where to put this, but the Athletic had an interesting exercise where they ranked teams based on the number of players drafted in high stakes fantasy leagues.

https://theathletic.com/5368172/2024/03/26/vegas-mlb-win-totals-fantasy-baseball-2024/

The Red Sox fared second in the American League:

"The big surprise here, reflecting profound disagreement between fantasy baseball and the oddsmakers, is the Red Sox. The fantasy managers have the Red Sox as the fourth-best team in MLB, using the average ADP tiebreaker. Yet they are +6500 to win the World Series, which ranks 21st. That’s just crazy value if the high-stakes players are correct. The fourth-best team’s odds are +1100. The big reason the Red Sox grade well in fantasy? Starting pitching. The Red Sox have four starting pitchers ranked: Nick Pivetta (125), Kutter Crawford (184), Brayan Bello (192) and Garrett Whitlock (265). No AL East team has more. Granted no one is betting too highly on these BoSox hurlers, but picking pitchers at all is an indication the market believes they have some upside."

I am on the side of the Red Sox being undervalued heading into the season ...

I agree that the Sox are undervalued. And I'd love to see how accurate the fantasy-draft-ranking has proven to be. Any results from prior year's predictions?

 

[Cassvt2023]

Today's Lineup in Texas. 2:05pm NESN

Duran LF
Devers 3B
Story SS
Yoshida DH
O'Neill RF
Valdez 2B
Rafaela CF
Wong C
Reyes 1B

Fitts to start a bullpen game

*NOTE: Does anyone else think it's strange that Casas isn't in the lineup for either of the last two games of ST? Anyone concerned?

 

[Stan Papi Was Framed]

Bob also left another contract year and a $1m salary on the table when he retired. He did so because his young son was going through life--threatening treatments at Dana Farber and he felt he needed to devote his time and focus the issues his son was having. Admirable and highly so, IMO.

Fortunately, there was a happy outcome. His son has been cancer free for years, went on to graduate from Providence College, and is doing very well. Guess who continues to work extensively with the Jimmy Fund and always did?

what a great story, so glad to know this about Stanley's son. also glad that Weissert will be part of the MLB bullpen. Very interested to see what he can do after what he's shown this spring.

 

[LogansDad]

Today's Lineup in Texas. 2:05pm NESN

Duran LF
Devers 3B
Story SS
Yoshida DH
O'Neill RF
Valdez 2B
Rafaela CF
Wong C
Reyes 1B

Fitts to start a bullpen game

*NOTE: Does anyone else think it's strange that Casas isn't in the lineup for either of the last two games of ST? Anyone concerned?

Wouldn't say "concerned" just yet, but it is curious. Hopefully just getting Reyes one last practice game at first.

 

[Al Zarilla]

I have good memories of my grandmother trying not to swear in front of the grandkids - "Bob Stanley, you, you. . .bum!"

I have good memories of my grandmother making fresh mozzarella or the best dinner rolls ever. Nonni, can I have some? A spetta un minuto. She spoke about five words of English.

I have the good memories of Stanley, and the bad. Gedman should have caught or at least corralled the wildly spinning slider to Mookie W and maybe Buckner would have been inspired to field Wilson's grounder for the last out and end it at 68 years.

 

[Cassvt2023]

Wouldn't say "concerned" just yet, but it is curious. Hopefully just getting Reyes one last practice game at first.

I'll amend it to extremely curious. Your starting 1B and middle of the order bat is the only position player to not be in the starting lineup for either of the games in Texas. Something doesn't add up.

 

[Hendu Candu]

I agree that the Sox are undervalued. And I'd love to see how accurate the fantasy-draft-ranking has proven to be. Any results from prior year's predictions?

I don't think they've done it before. No mention of previous results.

 

[BaseballJones]

I think it's pretty much set now that Leutge accepted a spot at AAA and Cron was released:

C Wong, McGuire
IF Casas, Devers, Story, Reyes, Valdez, Dalbec
OF Duran, Rafaela, O'Neill, Abreu, Yoshida

SP Bello, Pivetta, Crawford, Houck, Whitlock
RP Jansen, Martin, Bernadino, J Rodriguez, Winckowski, Anderson, Slaten, Campbell

Am I missing anything here?

That bullpen is rather uninspiring. It would have looked totally different if they had added Montgomery, Giolito had stayed healthy, and Houck and Whitlock were in the bullpen. Now, who here has confidence in Bernadino, Rodriguez, Anderson, Slaten, and Campbell? And Martin is going to come back to earth this year too - zero chance he has a repeat of last year. He may still be good, but he's not going to be otherworldly like he was last season. So that will be a downgrade too.

 

[YTF]

I'll amend it to extremely curious. Your starting 1B and middle of the order bat is the only position player to not be in the starting lineup for either of the games in Texas. Something doesn't add up.

Might be a bit stiff or sore from one of the diving gems from Sunday. Or it just might be that Cora wants to see both Reyes and Dalbec at 1st one last time and perhaps Casas comes in at DH for a couple of swings later in the game.

 

[Rovin Romine]

That bullpen is rather uninspiring. It would have looked totally different if they had added Montgomery, Giolito had stayed healthy, and Houck and Whitlock were in the bullpen. Now, who here has confidence in Bernadino, Rodriguez, Anderson, Slaten, and Campbell? And Martin is going to come back to earth this year too - zero chance he has a repeat of last year. He may still be good, but he's not going to be otherworldly like he was last season. So that will be a downgrade too.

I think it's serviceable if well handled, but like the rest of the team, depends on health. Jansen/Martin should work as the 8/9 guys in tight games, even if Martin is now mortal. Winckowski gives you multiple inning shut out potential. Slaten may be this year's Whitlock, and Campbell has ML success and a strong ST. Weissert/Boosier/Bernardino/Rodriguez should furnish a useful LHP. Anderson is depth/redundency, but had a good finish last year and a good spring (IIRC) so maybe they see something there.

However, I'm not convinced this is a good bullpen for Cora (unless Bailey has significant input). Each of these guys have pros and cons, and the margin this year looks to be thin in light of possible injury and all the younger/untested players. So I can see a world where Cora blows a game (like he did last year) by "showing confidence in Jansen, our Closer" and back-to-backing him. I can see him letting Rodrigues "figure things out" like his abysmal first half of 2023. So on, so forth.

(Of course, I'm writing from the perspective of them deploying the pen to actually win games, as opposed to auditioning someone like an Anderson for 2025.)

 

[Cassvt2023]

Fitts today: 3.1 IP 2 H, 1 BB, 3K. Raffy with a 1st inning bomb, #5 on the spring.

 

[nvalvo]

Yoshida heating up. If I’m seeing all the box scores, he’s 5 for his last 7, and has added ~70 points to his spring BA and about .200 to his spring OPS in his last three games.

 

[joe dokes]

That bullpen is rather uninspiring. It would have looked totally different if they had added Montgomery, Giolito had stayed healthy, and Houck and Whitlock were in the bullpen. Now, who here has confidence in Bernadino, Rodriguez, Anderson, Slaten, and Campbell? And Martin is going to come back to earth this year too - zero chance he has a repeat of last year. He may still be good, but he's not going to be otherworldly like he was last season. So that will be a downgrade too.

It seems that most of all successful relievers were no one special until they were. Who saw Winckowski or Bernardino arriving last year? Or Schreiber's Faustian 2021. Or Brasier. Or Whitlock.

 

[Cassvt2023]

Weissert threw 16 pitches in his inning, 13 for strikes. I'm pretty sure this is what B&B like about him.

 

[chrisfont9]

Rafaela hit a sac fly to deep left with the bases loaded that would have been at least a double if not HR in Fenway, off a RHP reliever brought in to face him.

 

[jacklamabe65]

Rafi with another gem in CF.

 

[Cassvt2023]

Rafi with another gem in CF.

Just saw it on the minor league thread. I can't wait to watch him out there this year. I'm glad they didn't play the service time manipulation game with him. The team is better with him on it, and much more exciting as well.

 

[BaseballJones]

Just saw it on the minor league thread. I can't wait to watch him out there this year. I'm glad they didn't play the service time manipulation game with him. The team is better with him on it, and much more exciting as well.

Is this team more athletic than previous teams?

Story is a great athlete.

Rafaela is a great athlete.

Duran is a great athlete.

O'Neill appears to be a really good athlete.

Casas isn't super athletic, and I don't know what to say about Devers. But it feels a little like this team has more athleticism than previous editions, which should mean more fun viewing at Fenway.

 

[Big Papi's Mango Salsa]

Just saw it on the minor league thread. I can't wait to watch him out there this year. I'm glad they didn't play the service time manipulation game with him. The team is better with him on it, and much more exciting as well.

Strong agreement.

Even though I'm not nearly as bullish on the pitching staff as I am on Rafaela, Grissom and (to a lesser extent, but I still like the player) Duran, I personally just find it far more fun to watch a team of kids go 80-82 and hope you're building for something vs watching the same team but with one year deals to Michael A Taylor, Jonathan Schoop, Adam Duvall, James Paxton and Zach Davies to go 82-80 and still have the same questions about most of the young players next year.

Honestly, I'd rather just have Abreu getting 600 AB in RF and not bother with O'Neill or Refsnyder and then having a certain back up (not platoon, back up) 4th outfielder, but I'll focus on the positive of Duran, Rafaela and (hopefully soon) Grissom.

 

[YTF]

Weissert threw 16 pitches in his inning, 13 for strikes. I'm pretty sure this is what B&B like about him.

Actually I thought I heard OB and Middlebrooks saying that his stuff has never been an issue but he needed to be able to control it. Fitts might have been the prize there and Weiserrt perhaps a guy they took a flyer on because of his stuff.

 

[YTF]

DalbeK

 

[Rovin Romine]

DalbeK

LOBobby.

Let's hope Cora's not afraid to pinch hit for him in key spots, rather than showing encouragement and support and all that jazz. That can happen after he shows he's controlled his K rate.

 

[YTF]

LOBobby.

Let's hope Cora's not afraid to pinch hit for him in key spots, rather than showing encouragement and support and all that jazz. That can happen after he shows he's controlled his K rate.

I originally had Bobby D as my pick in the predictions thread to be the guy that picks up the most miles on the WOOstah Express, but options or no I'm thinking not.

 

[chrisfont9]

Sweep!!

I guess we will see what spring results count for starting Thursday.

[Update] And now I have bought tickets for Thursday. Expect the worst.

 

[joe dokes]

Not sure where this goes, and not sure if its new, but FS1 has Ortiz: Legend of the Fall at 8; and The Game that Changed it All (about the 2004 ALCS) at 9.

 

[Cassvt2023]

Not sure where this goes, and not sure if its new, but FS1 has Ortiz: Legend of the Fall at 8; and The Game that Changed it All (about the 2004 ALCS) at 9.

good looking out @joe dokes. I just flipped it over to FS1

 

[Petagine in a Bottle]

Not sure where this goes, and not sure if its new, but FS1 has Ortiz: Legend of the Fall at 8; and The Game that Changed it All (about the 2004 ALCS) at 9.

Too much A-Rod, so far.