I don't see him as a long term solution, but I'd rather see him out there than Napoli right now.Buzzkill Pauley said:
Fix This Team: A Speculative Alternative to the Roster Shakeup Thread
- Thread starter koufax32
- Start date
Hagios said:
I think he's looked awful on defense as well (why did they build a groundball staff when the left side of the infield defense was projected to be average at best?) But, UZR is a counting stat and the park adjustments are inadequate. So, one reason to expect a decline in so-called "advanced" fielding metrics is that with less foul territory at Fenway, Pablo doesn't catch as many foul popups. Thus, his UZR is lower.
Maybe try to hack into the Jays' and Rays' computer systems? I dunno, just throwing ideas out here.
Holt as a full time 1B without Napoli would necessitate adding another utility infielder. Not the most difficult thing in the world to do, but also no greater a guarantee of production than effectively using Napoli (even the current shitty Napoli) in the same role via moving Holt to where ever he's needed and inserting Nap at 1B.
true, good point. perhaps trying Travis Shaw is worth a shot. again, likely not much upside there, but if Napoli is really done, would be useful to see what if anything Shaw offersRed(s)HawksFan said:
Stan Papi Was Framed said:
I'll quote a Lou Merloni tweet from earlier today answering that exact question regarding Shaw. "You've got to hit your way out of AAA first."
he's (sort of) starting to do so, but I admit he is not exactly banging down the door.Red(s)HawksFan said:
There's no point in benching Napoli. The team is finished and there is nobody interesting below him on the depth chart. Best bet is to try and let him recover enough that he can be traded or maybe even given the QO.
I wouldn't change Holts role either. He's the rare utility player who actually adds value, and is worth far less playing the same position every day, especially something like 1b.
It seems like we obsess over versatility and "Zobrist types" every offseason and now the team actually has someone playing that role successfully. Let it be.
I wouldn't change Holts role either. He's the rare utility player who actually adds value, and is worth far less playing the same position every day, especially something like 1b.
It seems like we obsess over versatility and "Zobrist types" every offseason and now the team actually has someone playing that role successfully. Let it be.
fair point. I guess I wish there was someone to try in Napoli's place, but it's true that Travis Shaw is not exactly knocking down the door.Pilgrim said:
I would be shocked, however, if Napoli gets a QO--but am fine with being shocked
Napoli would have to make a huge turnaround to warrant a Qualifying Offer in November. An epic, might as well extend him 2-3 years kind of turnaround. The Sox don't want to be paying ~$16M next year for more ~.700 OPS at 1B.
Red(s)HawksFan said:
Stan Papi Was Framed said:
He's 11 for his last 25, 20 for his last 51, and 29 for his last 80 with 9 BB and 13 K. That's a .427 OBP in his last 89 PA; Merloni probably looked at year to date stats and played to the low information crowd.
Embarrassing a respected veteran like Mike Napoli by making him a de facto scapegoat would be a feel-good move for the fans and media that could likely hurt the team in the eyes of future free agents. Better to publicly shame a guy like Wade Miley who doesn't have a long track record of success and may not even be well-liked by his peers for his dugout antics.
Pilgrim said:
I was thinking that an OF of LF Betts, CF Bradley Jr. and RF Castillo would be an upgrade over Napoli. JBJ can't hit that much worse than Nap, can he?
Shift Hanley to 1B. Its the best long term position for him.
If one of the few team strengths might be a superb defensive OF like that, use it and get the kids more ML experience in the process. Removing one bad wheel at this point is a lot better than driving on it.
At some point, they have to figure out whether Hanley can become a passable 1B. If he can't, that's a huge hole on the 2016 team that they're going to have to fill. It's a really important question in terms of our off-season strategy. And if this team isn't going anywhere, they should start to answer it before the off-season begins. Simple as that.
Do we have any evidence that Hanley is a "loafer who doesn't concentrate"? I mean actual examples of him "loafing" that can't also be excused as "lumbering" (due to the bulk) or simple hesitancy from a guy still trying to get comfortable at a position?
Something to bear in mind is that while he may not have been the best defensive SS to play the game, he presumably had been playing that position since he first started playing the game. I'm sure 20 years at a position does even the most awkward defensive player favors.
Something to bear in mind is that while he may not have been the best defensive SS to play the game, he presumably had been playing that position since he first started playing the game. I'm sure 20 years at a position does even the most awkward defensive player favors.
The Red Sox benching Mike Napoli would be a deterrent for future free agents? He's a first baseman who was mediocre last year and is a zero this year. Come on.JimD said:
And Travis Shaw getting hot in Pawtucket is nice and all, but a .725 ops is a .725 ops. He's still only slugging .370 against righties. He's had to be that red hot to have a below average overall line as a 25 year old AAA 1B. i don't mind him filling in on a DL stint, but wouldn't move someone to make room for him.
Bringing Shaw up to play 1b now makes no sense to me. Neither does bringing up Bradley so he can sit on the bench. The whole point of moving on from Napoli is to give a full-time OF gig to Bradley and finding out if Hanley can play first or learn to do so. If you want to play Napoli vs LHPers in a platoon with Bradley for a few more months fine.
Hanley to 1b sooner rather than later is coming close enough to obvious that we should be expecting some explanation for why it isn't happening.
And re the related de Aza topic, if Farrell sits Castillo to play him more than once every 2 weeks, he should be fired for that alone.
As for Holt, even tho he has been one of our best players, I still don't see him as a FT starter in the OF, really anywhere other than 2b, which is spoken for. We should not be afraid to let Brock return to his bench role in order to try to get Castillo, Betts and Bradley set as the 2016 OF.
Hanley to 1b sooner rather than later is coming close enough to obvious that we should be expecting some explanation for why it isn't happening.
And re the related de Aza topic, if Farrell sits Castillo to play him more than once every 2 weeks, he should be fired for that alone.
As for Holt, even tho he has been one of our best players, I still don't see him as a FT starter in the OF, really anywhere other than 2b, which is spoken for. We should not be afraid to let Brock return to his bench role in order to try to get Castillo, Betts and Bradley set as the 2016 OF.