Alex Cora's first season

Sampo Gida

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Surprised nobody bumped this. Not going to throw Cora under the bus after 1 game but I am not happy with Kimbrel not being being sent in with the bases loaded and 2 outs in a 4-3 game with with Span having a platoon advantage. The highest leverage spot in the game was evolving at a snails pace.

Plenty of time to get him warmed up.
Still could have limited his pitches if the abbreviated ST was a concern. Just get out of the inning with a lead and then go with whomever you need to if you don't want to overtax Kimbrel or if he fails to hold the lead.

Also not happy with Hanley in the number 3 spot. He needs to prove he should be there. Had a unimpressive ST. JD should hit 3rd.

As I said, Not judging Cora after 1 game. But not a good start.

Its imperative the Red Sox get off to a great start. Sadly, the Yankees are for real. The schedule makes a great start possible, dont blow it Alex.
 

lexrageorge

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Surprised nobody bumped this. Not going to throw Cora under the bus after 1 game but I am not happy with Kimbrel not being being sent in with the bases loaded and 2 outs in a 4-3 game with with Span having a platoon advantage. The highest leverage spot in the game was evolving at a snails pace.

Plenty of time to get him warmed up.
Still could have limited his pitches if the abbreviated ST was a concern. Just get out of the inning with a lead and then go with whomever you need to if you don't want to overtax Kimbrel or if he fails to hold the lead.

Also not happy with Hanley in the number 3 spot. He needs to prove he should be there. Had a unimpressive ST. JD should hit 3rd.

As I said, Not judging Cora after 1 game. But not a good start.

Its imperative the Red Sox get off to a great start. Sadly, the Yankees are for real. The schedule makes a great start possible, dont blow it Alex.
Yesterday was the pitchers fault, not Cora's. The roster is built to expect better from Kelly and Smith. And Hanley at the #3 spot is NOT the reason they lost the game they should have won.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Yesterday was the pitchers fault, not Cora's. The roster is built to expect better from Kelly and Smith. And Hanley at the #3 spot is NOT the reason they lost the game they should have won.
Yesterday the team ran into 2 outs on the basepaths (a notorious problem under Farrell and one that Cora is expected to fix). Cora refused to use his best relief pitcher in the highest leveraged situation of the game in the 8th, which is something we've known about for 15+ years now and which we ripped Grady Fucking Little for day in and day out. And here we are, 15 years later, and Cora's doing the same thing as little.

There was no reason not to have Kimbrel in the game yesterday in the 8th. None. After the game Cora admitted he was happy playing the game with one arm tied behind his managerial back as he said he wouldn't bring Kimbrel into the game in the middle of an inning under any circumstances. This is criminally incompetent.

Cora's off to a very, very bad start. I expected much better from him. Instead we got Gump 2.0 yesterday.
 

Rovin Romine

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Yeah. The issue is whether and how quickly Cora can learn. If he continues to do things like stay with Kelly or Carson after they lose their feel for the zone, he's not the right fit for this club.

It's the usual sprint/marathon analysis, but he shouldn't have coughed up a loss with a fully rested bullpen. The pitchers didn't execute but this is 100% on Cora for not getting an executing pitcher into the game.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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It's about expectations, definitely. That was just mind-blowing yesterday. Why save Kimbrel? Today could be an 8-0 game.

Win the game in front of you. Worry about tomorrow tomorrow. Use your best pitcher in the highest-leveraged situation. Don't let Kelly and Smith blow the game when Kimbrel is sitting RIGHT THERE.

It's honestly not that difficult.
 

bosockboy

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It's about expectations, definitely. That was just mind-blowing yesterday. Why save Kimbrel? Today could be an 8-0 game.

Win the game in front of you. Worry about tomorrow tomorrow. Use your best pitcher in the highest-leveraged situation. Don't let Kelly and Smith blow the game when Kimbrel is sitting RIGHT THERE.

It's honestly not that difficult.
Baseball wise it’s a reasonable thing to do but I don’t think any manager in baseball would go to their closer for 4+ outs on Opening Day. Not saying it’s right but it just wouldn’t happen.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Baseball wise it’s a reasonable thing to do but I don’t think any manager in baseball would go to their closer for 4+ outs on Opening Day. Not saying it’s right but it just wouldn’t happen.
Why not? What good reason would there be?

Today might be a blowout. The Yankees won yesterday, and are going to win a lot this season. Haven't we learned by now that every game is important, that every chance for a win must be taken with all extreme measures? This fucking team got caught dicking around with Apple watches last year in some infinitesimal search for an edge; don't you think using a weapon like Kimbrel to lock down a win is a better use of time and resources?

Again, this isn't difficult.
 

twibnotes

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I know it didn’t cost them the game, but I do think it’s fair to question Hanley in the 3-hole. He really hasn’t done anything to earn that spot, and if/when he’s not up to task, they’ll have to drop him...which may not go over well. Seems much better to allow him to earn his way up the order (or stay lower down if he doesn’t hit).
 

canderson

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Baseball wise it’s a reasonable thing to do but I don’t think any manager in baseball would go to their closer for 4+ outs on Opening Day. Not saying it’s right but it just wouldn’t happen.
Especially one who has had very little ST work, has publicly stated how much he hates pitching outside the 9th, and one that would be pissed to high heaven if he came in, got an out, and then had someone else close and get that stat. That's not a knock on Kimbrel, but it is what it is with star closers.
 

sodenj5

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I know it didn’t cost them the game, but I do think it’s fair to question Hanley in the 3-hole. He really hasn’t done anything to earn that spot, and if/when he’s not up to task, they’ll have to drop him...which may not go over well. Seems much better to allow him to earn his way up the order (or stay lower down if he doesn’t hit).
I think he and Bogaerts will swap if Bogaerts hits anything like he has so far for an extended period.
 

In my lifetime

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It doesn't matter what the Yankees did on OD.
It shouldn't matter what teams traditionally do with their closer.
In this age of analytics with a new manager that supposedly embraces analytics, it is frustrating to watch the same old limitations of strategy based on traditions. In
the 1st game of the year, with a closer who has rested for days, it is disheartening to lose a game when a decisive move based on using just the basics of analytics would have significantly increased the odds to win the game.
Let's hope Cora learns from yesterday, but this is not an auspicious debut.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Especially one who has had very little ST work, has publicly stated how much he hates pitching outside the 9th, and one that would be pissed to high heaven if he came in, got an out, and then had someone else close and get that stat. That's not a knock on Kimbrel, but it is what it is with star closers.
Fuck stats and fuck saves. They have ruined the game as far as I'm concerned.

I want to find the bright boy who invented the save statistic and beat them to death with a frozen haddock.
 

joe dokes

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It doesn't matter what the Yankees did on OD.
It shouldn't matter what teams traditionally do with their closer.
In this age of analytics with a new manager that supposedly embraces analytics, it is frustrating to watch the same old limitations of strategy based on traditions. In
the 1st game of the year, with a closer who has rested for days, it is disheartening to lose a game when a decisive move based on using just the basics of analytics would have significantly increased the odds to win the game.
Let's hope Cora learns from yesterday, but this is not an auspicious debut.

Its also a closer who hadn't really pitched much in ST, and I think Cora himself said after the game (paraphrasing) that he didn't want to get 8th inning him right out of the gate. Disagree if you want, but I think one should step back from the ledge and consider his explanation before declaring Cora to be the second coming of whoever your least favorite manager is.
 

joe dokes

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Fuck stats and fuck saves. They have ruined the game as far as I'm concerned.

I want to find the bright boy who invented the save statistic and beat them to death with a frozen haddock.

I think Jerome Holtzman gets the credit. Already dead, so you'll just have to keep punching the Grady bobblehead.
 

charlieoscar

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Joe Dokes beat me to it but, yes, it was Jerome Holtzman in the 1960s, who was a sportswriter for the Chicago Sun-Times and The Sporting News. He felt that traditional stats did not give relievers their due in saving leads, so he devised the forerunner of today's save. TSN began publishing that stat before it was official recognized by MLB and it has undergone a few changes since.

Am I the only one who expects an over-reaction from Cora the next time a similar episode starts to occur?
 

Monbonthbump

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Cora certainly showed no skill in managing pitchers in his debut. No reason not to let Sale pitch the 7th until someone got on base. No reason to not pull Kelly after two walks. No reason not to bring Poyner in to face Denard or see if Kimbrel couldn't rack up a K at that point. Basically he managed the pitchers timidly yesterday. Let's hope it was first day jitters and he is a quick learner on how to proceed boldly in handling the pitching staff without worrying about bruising egos. Crappy way to start the year, but today is another day.
 

In my lifetime

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Its also a closer who hadn't really pitched much in ST, and I think Cora himself said after the game (paraphrasing) that he didn't want to get 8th inning him right out of the gate. Disagree if you want, but I think one should step back from the ledge and consider his explanation before declaring Cora to be the second coming of whoever your least favorite manager is.
I never stated that Cora is anything close to a least favorite manager. I explained that it is disheartening to watch the same old methods unfold. And I am very hopeful that Cora is open enough to look at the results and adjust closer useage to best win games. The season is a marathon and running the 1st 10 yards in the front is indicative of absolutely nothing.
 

CoffeeNerdness

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No reason not to let Sale pitch the 7th until someone got on base.
Disagree with this. He's coming off of taking a line drive off his hip in ST. At one point Remy pointed out that on the TB broadcast they were showing him stretching during the late innings in the dugout. It's reasonable to assume there was some fatigue or residual effects from taking the line drive off of his hip.

Aces and their pitch counts yesterday:

Sale: 92
Kershaw: 91
Lester: 71
Thor: 85
Severino: 91
Verlander: 90
Gray: 86

Completely reasonable to take him out at 92 pitches in the opening game of the season.
 

lexrageorge

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Yesterday the team ran into 2 outs on the basepaths (a notorious problem under Farrell and one that Cora is expected to fix). Cora refused to use his best relief pitcher in the highest leveraged situation of the game in the 8th, which is something we've known about for 15+ years now and which we ripped Grady Fucking Little for day in and day out. And here we are, 15 years later, and Cora's doing the same thing as little.

There was no reason not to have Kimbrel in the game yesterday in the 8th. None. After the game Cora admitted he was happy playing the game with one arm tied behind his managerial back as he said he wouldn't bring Kimbrel into the game in the middle of an inning under any circumstances. This is criminally incompetent.

Cora's off to a very, very bad start. I expected much better from him. Instead we got Gump 2.0 yesterday.
I would agree with nearly everything you just said had this been a playoff game. But, it's not, and no manager is going to manage every game like it is. The team's best reliever had all of 2 appearances in spring training and may or may not be 100% ready. And if Kelly/Smith cannot get outs during high leverage situations during the season, this team is totally screwed no matter how good Cora is at managing the pitching changes. I suspect if Kimbrel was brought in and gave up the lead everyone would be screaming at why he was used instead of Smith, who looked quite strong in Fort Myers.

Also, one of those 2 outs on the basepaths (the Betts pickoff) was just a really, really good play by the Tampa catcher. That happens.

EDIT: Those blaming Cora for pulling Sale after 92 pitches obviously never got the memo that one of the team's top priorities this season was going to be the limiting of his workload early in the season.
 

BaseballJones

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I never stated that Cora is anything close to a least favorite manager. I explained that it is disheartening to watch the same old methods unfold. And I am very hopeful that Cora is open enough to look at the results and adjust closer useage to best win games. The season is a marathon and running the 1st 10 yards in the front is indicative of absolutely nothing.
Kimbrel barely pitched in spring training. I've got no problem holding him for the 9th. Sale was great. Barnes did his job. They just needed one freaking inning out of Kelly and Smith, who last year had ERAs of 2.79 and 1.35, respectively. It's simply not too much to ask these two to get three combined outs against a crappy lineup without giving up four runs. As it turned out, they gave up SIX runs before getting that third out.

Horrible relief pitching makes managers look bad. Always. If Span's liner is hit right at Betts (don't forget Betts' bomb in the first that was caught in spectacular fashion) they get out of it with the lead, Kimbrel closes the door in the 9th and we're all happy. It wasn't, and so Cora looks terrible.

That's baseball.
 

williams_482

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That's not a knock on Kimbrel, but it is what it is with star closers.
That is absolutely a knock on Kimbrel. If he is going to be "pissed to high heaven" coming into a crucial situation in the 8th inning, then he is far less valuable than I'm sure he believes. The dropoff between Kimbrel and Smith/Kelly/Barnes et all is massive, so we really need him to be able to come in when the game is on the line.

None of us can know for sure if Kimbrel was "ready" or of this was a special "ease into opening day" decision to leave him in the pen for a set of absurdly high leverage plate appearances. This isn't enough to information cast decisive judgement on Cora's bullpen management just yet. That said, if Kimbrel sitting cold in the bullpen while leads unravel in front of him becomes a regular occurence, that will be a major problem for this ballclub and a clear example of failure by it's manager.
 

flymrfreakjar

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It’s just unfortunate that this was the first game of the season really, in a situation a few days down the road it sounds like Cora would have absolutely been willing to go to Kimbrel. That being said, Smith looked good at the end of last year, in spring training and I assume in the tons of bullpens Cora’s watched and we haven’t. He was also one of the most elite arms when he was healthy. He’s one of the best bets to get a grounder with that hard sinker and at the time, seemed like the obvious choice to go to. Nobody expected him to immediately walk in a run and then give up a bases clearing hit. Cora made the right calls and his pitchers sucked. It happens all the time, it’s just under the spotlight of opening day.
 

The Gray Eagle

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Do some of you guys not know that Kimbrel's baby daughter had a serious heart issue that was only resolved like a week ago and he has barely pitched at all this spring? He probably hasn't slept much recently either. I doubt he is laser focused on baseball right now. We're lucky he is active at all, and given the context, it makes perfect sense to not push him too much in the first game of the season. Cora said he wasn't going to put Kimbrel into the game unless he had a clean inning to start with.

I guess he could have started the 8th, and then Kelly and Barnes would have gacked up the game in the 9th instead.

Unbelievable that some of you are irate that despite what he has been dealing with Kimbrel wasn't put into a jam in the 8th inning on opening day, and that Sale wasn't pushed over 100 pitches in his first start, coming off a line drive to the hip in his last start where he barely pitched, and that Cora didn't manage a game in March like it was a playoff game. Wow.

Yesterday was an absolute textbook case of the players blowing a game, not the manager. Our two setup men couldn't get 3 outs without giving up 6 runs. That is totally on them.
 

Lose Remerswaal

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And remember, with the reduction in mound visits and meetings, it's going to be much harder this year to drag things out until a reliever gets loose and gets ready.

That is until they stop enforcing those rules
 

CoffeeNerdness

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Cora said he wasn't going to put Kimbrel into the game unless he had a clean inning to start with.
Correct me if I'm wrong here, but isn't Kimbrel's track record coming into a men on base scenario abysmal?

That is until they stop enforcing those rules
I saw stadiums with mound visit counters on their scoreboard. I doubt these rules will just be ignored like strike zone emphasis or batters leaving the box mid AB.
 

streeter88

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Do some of you guys not know that Kimbrel's baby daughter had a serious heart issue that was only resolved like a week ago and he has barely pitched at all this spring? He probably hasn't slept much recently either. I doubt he is laser focused on baseball right now. We're lucky he is active at all, and given the context, it makes perfect sense to not push him too much in the first game of the season. Cora said he wasn't going to put Kimbrel into the game unless he had a clean inning to start with.

I guess he could have started the 8th, and then Kelly and Barnes would have gacked up the game in the 9th instead.

Unbelievable that some of you are irate that despite what he has been dealing with Kimbrel wasn't put into a jam in the 8th inning on opening day, and that Sale wasn't pushed over 100 pitches in his first start, coming off a line drive to the hip in his last start where he barely pitched, and that Cora didn't manage a game in March like it was a playoff game. Wow.

Yesterday was an absolute textbook case of the players blowing a game, not the manager. Our two setup men couldn't get 3 outs without giving up 6 runs. That is totally on them.
This. Smith and Kelly screwed the pooch. End of story.

It is game 1 after all. 161 more to go.
 

j44thor

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The biggest issue I had was the slow, slow hook on JoKe.
Everyone knows he has a tendency to lose the zone for brief periods and when he does he rarely if ever finds it during a game.
OD, Sale pitched another masterpiece and you have a 4-0 lead. No reason not to have multiple relievers up to start the 8th. If Kelly is bad Kelly (which was very obvious) then you give him two batters and get him out of there instead of having to bring in someone else with bases loaded and game on the line.

Then when Carson Smith gives up two more walks/hits you can bring in another reliever before the game is already lost.

Red Sox don't have the Yankees bullpen no matter how rosy your glasses look. No one besides Kimbrel should be guaranteed a role in the pen, that has to be earned. If you don't like the quick hook, don't suck.
 

joe dokes

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I never stated that Cora is anything close to a least favorite manager. I explained that it is disheartening to watch the same old methods unfold. And I am very hopeful that Cora is open enough to look at the results and adjust closer useage to best win games. The season is a marathon and running the 1st 10 yards in the front is indicative of absolutely nothing.
You say "same old methods." it was one game. Cora has already said, multiple times, that he open to using relievers that way. And he has already said, after yesterday's game, that he didn't do it yesterday due to Kimbrel's peculiar circumstances.

No reason not to have multiple relievers up to start the 8th.
I dont think having multiple guys up just because one might suck (as opposed to some L-R-L plan) is an optimal way to avoid killing the bullpen. If you think Smith should have gotten up sooner, so be it. But "multiple guys" to start the inning?
 

richgedman'sghost

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Yesterday the team ran into 2 outs on the basepaths (a notorious problem under Farrell and one that Cora is expected to fix). Cora refused to use his best relief pitcher in the highest leveraged situation of the game in the 8th, which is something we've known about for 15+ years now and which we ripped Grady Fucking Little for day in and day out. And here we are, 15 years later, and Cora's doing the same thing as little.

There was no reason not to have Kimbrel in the game yesterday in the 8th. None. After the game Cora admitted he was happy playing the game with one arm tied behind his managerial back as he said he wouldn't bring Kimbrel into the game in the middle of an inning under any circumstances. This is criminally incompetent.

Cora's off to a very, very bad start. I expected much better from him. Instead we got Gump 2.0 yesterday.
Yeah this was just as bad as Grady Little or Bobby V. We have a chump as a manager with no feel for the game. Once again Cashman and the Yankees chose right. I have a freeling Boone will turn out to be s genius hire while Cora will be lucky to make it to his second year..Thanx..J.H..
 

Mighty Joe Young

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My only real issue with Cora yesterday was not giving Smith the 8th to begin with. If this bullpen is going to be good, he really needs to emerge as the primary setup guy. Give him the clean inning as opposed to the mess.
I would tend to agree with this. However, given Kimbrell's lack of work in ST , the plan may have been Kelly for the 8th and Smith for the 9th - with a cameo for Kimbrell if possible.

One of the things about new managers is they (IMO) have a tendency to want to have a clean slate. So Kelly has to prove to Cora that he's not a hi-lev guy. I mean, he can look great - and had a really good ST.

Kelly's past inconsistency in this regard would probably be less of a factor with a new manager.

But .. it's ludicrous to make any conclusions after one freaking game.
Kelly and Smith shat the bed. Move on.
 

Dogman

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Fuck stats and fuck saves. They have ruined the game as far as I'm concerned.

I want to find the bright boy who invented the save statistic and beat them to death with a frozen haddock.
I think a Swordfish or Manta, or StingRay would work too. But, I get it, because it hurts more.

SJH teeing off on Cora after one game is awesome. I've missed you.
 

Pozo the Clown

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Did anyone else find JBJ's bunt attempts in the top of the 7th curious in light of the alleged sabermetrics-informed mindset of Cora?
 

joe dokes

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Did anyone else find JBJ's bunt attempts in the top of the 7th curious in light of the alleged sabermetrics-informed mindset of Cora?
Up 1-0, 7th inning none out, 1st &2nd, LvL, *might* not be crime against nature. (haven't looked at the numbers though).

My gripe is more that JBJ has never shown the ability to bunt too well. Maybe there's some behind the scenes stuff that tells Cora he's OK.
 

tims4wins

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I think that is actually a pretty decent bunt situation. Like joe dokes said lefty vs. lefty. At that point in the game the incremental value of one or two runs means more than putting a crooked number on the board (opening day bullpen meltdown not withstanding).
 

Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
According to Tango's run expectancy tables for 2010-2015 (I couldn't find newer ones), 32_ with 1 out has only slightly lower overall run expectancy than _21 with 0 out (1.376 vs 1.437), and slightly higher expectancy of scoring at least one run (.676 vs. .610), which was relevant in that situation, as tims4wins points out. Also, JBJ is an extreme groundball hitter vs. LHP (career 54.5%, 2017 63.3%).

So as bunt calls go, not a bad one.
 

Pozo the Clown

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According to Tango's run expectancy tables for 2010-2015 (I couldn't find newer ones), 32_ with 1 out has only slightly lower overall run expectancy than _21 with 0 out (1.376 vs 1.437), and slightly higher expectancy of scoring at least one run (.676 vs. .610), which was relevant in that situation, as tims4wins points out. Also, JBJ is an extreme groundball hitter vs. LHP (career 54.5%, 2017 63.3%).

So as bunt calls go, not a bad one.
Thank you for the data, Savin.
 

Martin and Woods

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1st and 2nd, no out, up by a run in the 7th, lefty on lefty in the bottom third of the order, perfectly good time to bunt to move two runners into scoring position, one of the few situations I ever like to see them drop one down. I love JBJ, but that attempt was horrible, and only became more infuriating after he hit into the double play, which was not unexpected given his groundball tendency. He's got to completely square around, put his bat at the top of the zone and work down, not stab at it like he's trying to sneak a base hit. You could hear the frustration in Remy's voice describing it. This is basic stuff that a major leaguer who typically hits near the bottom of the order should be able to do even if he's not asked to do it all that often. Good call by Cora, horrible execution by JBJ. Thankfully it didn't end up hurting them, but it could/will at some point.
 

joe dokes

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1st and 2nd, no out, up by a run in the 7th, lefty on lefty in the bottom third of the order, perfectly good time to bunt to move two runners into scoring position, one of the few situations I ever like to see them drop one down. I love JBJ, but that attempt was horrible, and only became more infuriating after he hit into the double play, which was not unexpected given his groundball tendency. He's got to completely square around, put his bat at the top of the zone and work down, not stab at it like he's trying to sneak a base hit. You could hear the frustration in Remy's voice describing it. This is basic stuff that a major leaguer who typically hits near the bottom of the order should be able to do even if he's not asked to do it all that often. Good call by Cora, horrible execution by JBJ. Thankfully it didn't end up hurting them, but it could/will at some point.
He's only had 7 attempts in his MLB career. Besdies that ,bunting is a skill. And like any other baseball skill, some guys suck at it, even if they do work at it, and even if they "should" be good at it. Sandy Leon is a good bunter, but he's never going to be a good center fielder. JDM is a good hitter, but is an apparent danger with the glove.
 

Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
He's only had 7 attempts in his MLB career. Besdies that ,bunting is a skill. And like any other baseball skill, some guys suck at it, even if they do work at it, and even if they "should" be good at it. Sandy Leon is a good bunter, but he's never going to be a good center fielder. JDM is a good hitter, but is an apparent danger with the glove.
Interesting point. There seems to be a widespread assumption that bunting is a skill anyone can master with a modicum of effort, so if a hitter is bad at it, that means they haven't bothered to put the effort in. Maybe that assumption needs questioning.
 

PaulinMyrBch

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Everyone can master squaring around properly to sac bunt in contrast to squaring late to bunt for a hit. There is no ideal body type or level of skill required to be in a proper sac bunting position. Square early, get bat up in zone and out front. You can argue how well you handle in the bat becomes another level of skill, but that’s not the point Martin and Woods is making. It was a sac, and everyone on the roster knows that means square early. Jackie knows and just didn’t do it. That’s why Remy was frustrated.
 

joe dokes

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Jul 18, 2005
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Everyone can master squaring around properly to sac bunt in contrast to squaring late to bunt for a hit. There is no ideal body type or level of skill required to be in a proper sac bunting position. Square early, get bat up in zone and out front. You can argue how well you handle in the bat becomes another level of skill, but that’s not the point Martin and Woods is making. It was a sac, and everyone on the roster knows that means square early. Jackie knows and just didn’t do it. That’s why Remy was frustrated.
Fair point. At least do it right. You may still suck at it, but if you don't do it right you have no chance.

But, as Savin suggests, I think there is an assumption that any major leaguer should be able to do it. I don't believe that. Just as I think that "baserunning" (not speed) is a skill that some players just don't have.
This is a discussion for another thread, I suppose, except for the idea that I hope Cora doesn't put Leon in CF.
 

PaulinMyrBch

Don't touch his dog food
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 10, 2003
8,316
MYRTLE BEACH!!!!
Agreed.

I don’t believe that every major leaguer has the skill to be a good bunter and proficient at getting down all types of bunts (sac’s, suicide, safety squeezes, bunting for hits). But I do think that learning to square properly to drop a sac is within the skill set of every major leaguer. Now, there is a laundry list of guys that if asked to drop a sac would have me screaming at my TV. Rice, Ortiz, Manny, etc.. But even Papi executed an occasional bunt against a shift.

JBJ squared twice (both late), he pulled back on first pitch, then the foul tip on 1-0 count. It’s possible, Cora pulled the sac bunt call when it was clear he wasn’t squaring properly.