I wonder how many games this trade will end up costing the Red Sox in 2017. You can make a very conservative argument they'd be leading the division if not for this move... absolutely horrible in hindsight.
They are two games behind the Yankees. Each win is independently equal to a half-game in the standings. What you're suggesting is that Travis Shaw would have given the Red Sox five more wins
At this point, Travis Shaw is at a 1.4 WAR, and the Sox 3B are at a -0.9 WAR. So over a full season, a five win swing is not crazy based on that. But Shaw also put up 1.5 war in his rookie season in about as many at bats as he has so far. And then had 1.4 WAR the whole next season. So I'm not expecting him to keep this up.
I was responding to the idea that the poster wrote that he was worth five wins to this point in the season ... not over a full season
Yeah, it's a big stretch at it's most optimistic outcome. Not completely utterly insane, but a pretty big exaggeration of reality that would rely on the trickle down effect of passable 3B defense and a "deeper line-up" to be enormous.
Matt Harvey and Phil Hughes are pitching after having the surgery last year, but so far they're both a shadow of their former selves.
So far.
Right. I was speaking to immediate result. You can't predict season ending surgery, unless you're Stink Finger.
Great trade, Dave. Is this something that can just appear out of the blue? What is the point of having players undergo physicals after trades if you're not going to catch something like this.
He missed most of 2014 (June through the end of the season) with an elbow injury. He spent half a season in AAA in 2015 before converting full time to relieving for Milwaukee. Then he was healthy and damn good in 2016.
I remember hearing an interview where it was explained that the differences in off-season programs between the sox and brewers led to this injury. Tyler said that he was now using muscles that he never used in Milwaukee and ended up with a strain. I don't think there is any reason to blame the medical staff for missing something during his physical.
In retrospect, Thornburg was a converted starter. In 2016 his innings count was lower than 2015 (minors included) but he appeared in 67 games (67IP). I don't know if that work load change was significant.
Beginning with the assumption that pitchers are more or less maxed out in terms of "acceptable risk of injury" usage, I would think the Sox would want to be extra careful of pitchers they bring in, especially regarding changes in their already developed routines and musculatures.
I'm not an MD, but from what I understand TOS is a severe and chronic problem usually caused by traumatic injury or long term repetitive stress. It's kind of hard for me to fathom how a shoulder strengthening program used by every pitcher in the org would cause this in a few short weeks or months without there being some kind of underlying problem. It's understandable that Thornburg might blame the new regime, but he's hardly objective.
Also worth keeping in mind that the shoulder strengthening program story was from spring training when all that was suspected about Thornburg's injury was a muscle strain or impingement. Now that he's headed for the thoracic outlet procedure, everything has to be viewed in a new light. It could be now that the shoulder program's role in things was either that it sped up the process of his injury or it was purely coincidental and the shoulder thing would have cropped up regardless.
If you read the story, the headline is misleading. He doesn't really blame the program. He says it may have fatigued him, or maybe it revealed an existing weakness. So Thornburg is being completely reasonable and open-minded about what may have happened.
No, every win is also not a loss. If the Red Sox had two more wins, they'd be 39-27, tied for first in the AL East.
One bad game, isolated to two pitchers' performances (Barnes and Scott), isn't much cause for concern. Especially since it can be argued that Scott, a LOOGY, had no business pitching to Perez in that spot.
Perez doesn't have much of a split for his career and he's been horrible against lefties (70 wRC+) going back to 2014. With Moustakas on deck, you have to leave Scott in there. I'm the last one to give Farrell a pass but sometimes the pitchers just don't execute.
One bad game is OK. With all the good work the bullpen has done recently, probably was due.
If the average MLB starter is indeed going only 5.57 innings this year, the Red Sox bullpen is a real weapon. Can't wait for Smith to return as well, though I read on MLBTR that he had a setback.
The setback is some soreness from resumed throwing that is supposed to *crosses fingers* *knocks wood* *crosses self* just slow him down for a few days.
Last four games: 2.1 IP, 14 batters faced allowing 2 hits and 6 walks with 3 K, 11.57 ERA
Well, his actual reasoning was pretty awful. Using batting average and that a guy hits more home runs off righties than lefties? You don't say.
This is what I do not get. He has been effective (even if we think it was smoke and mirrors). He walks the leadoff guy in his inning and Farrell is supposed to pull him? Have someone warm up right away?
All games count the same in the standings and all that but yeah, you do not manage every game like it's Game 7 or you end up with arms flying out of their sockets.
