Jose Iglesias signs with Red Sox
- Thread starter RedOctober3829
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As noted in the former Sox thread, Iglesias's defense has fallen off a cliff according to the stats: -21 DRS (which makes him the worst fielder in baseball in terms of DRS). Maybe being in his old environs will help with that.
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Fangraphs has X at -6 DRS this year, just about his career average/year. Where do you get the 21?
The Fielding Bible site linked in my post. To be clear, I'm talking about Jose Iglesias, the subject of the thread, not X. I've clarified my post.
Iglesias is a -21 this year, not Bogaerts.
If Iglesias is in town, it's only because of COVID decimating the middle infield depth over the last week. Can't keep running Arauz and Lopez out there every day.
Hopefully he can kiss away the pain of our recent MIF struggles
I have missed his potential and defense these years. It’s been a long time
I have missed his potential and defense these years. It’s been a long time
His defensive numbers oddly cratered in 2020 and 2021. There must be some thought within our FO that something there can be turned around.
Or maybe the team has a deep need for a short term gap filler, and he's available and open to that?
More likely, he's a veteran big leaguer who they hope can be better than Jack Lopez to bridge the COVID gap until Bogaerts and Arroyo and Kike are all back. Based on Lopez being the guy shipped out, I suspect they like Arauz at second better than at SS. Iglesias probably won't last the month provided guys come back healthy in short order.
I never feel comfortable putting much stock in defensive metrics, but if you do value DRS, for the most part Iglesias hasn't been a significant plus defender over the last several years: +5 in 2019 with the Reds, +10 in 2016 with the Tigers, but that's it. And not much of a hitter outside of a .956 OPS w/Baltimore last year in only 150 PA's. I took a glance at an Angels' fan blog that claimed he's struggled with routine plays this season. So this really just seems like a depth move to get a veteran middle infielder on the roster given the extraordinary circumstances around the covid IL to get through the next few weeks. Got to do what you've got to do.
Yeah, Iglesias is an actual major-league middle infielder. I get that he hasn’t been great but it’s an easy choice between that vs. a bunch of career minor-leaguers who in normal circumstances would never sniff the big leagues.
I'm fine with it for the reasons you mentioned, but there is a real chance Iglesias is not really a major league infielder anymore.
His defense has fallen off a cliff as mentioned above, and he is at -1.2 WAR on the season.
He also slashed .193/.261/.313/.574 in 92 August PAs.
There are no good options and he could have a decent month, but he has been bad this year. Very bad.
The good news is they shouldn't need him to have a decent month. If he gives them a decent week until Bogaerts comes back, it's a plus.
Not that I follow non-Red Sox baseball much anymore but I am shocked that Jose has such bad analytics.
However, poking around it seems that he has 10 throwing errors. This article - https://blogs.fangraphs.com/jose-iglesias-defensive-metrics-and-the-value-of-going-right/ - from 2016 notes that he has problems going right and his lack of comparative arm strength might be the cause of some of his fielding problems.
Really holding this thing together with duct tape lately. What's next, luring Pedroia out of retirement?
Whatever works. I wonder if we can get Koji to walk away from some high school gym in Japan
Getting psyched for the first time in a game thread where Iglesias fails to make a tough play for the flood of "Iggy would've had it" posts.
In a post-game interview, Renfroe says he lost the ball in the sun and didn't know where it went initially so he got a late jump. He was right next to Iglesias when he threw it so he wasn't that far off the play, so it seems plausible. Doesn't excuse it entirely, but I suspect at best he holds Meadows at third. He probably would have airmailed the throw just like Iglesias did, though maybe without the initial bobble. The bulk of the blame on that play belongs to Verdugo, IMO.
Leg injuries. Last year he barely played the field for the Os due to a quad injury. This year, he was out for a while with a hamstring injury. He also posted his lowest Fielding % ever this year, at .958 (his baseline is >.980). My guess is that's also related to the leg injuries.
Arauz is a prospect. Not a great prospect, but a prospect.
I appreciate the professionalism and competence Jack López has shown as he's been pressed into service, but he is not a prospect. He was probably sixth or seventh on our middle infield depth chart, behind Xander, Kiké, Arroyo, Jeter Downs, Jonathan Arauz, and Ryan Fitzgerald, and only Arauz and Fitzgerald are healthy.
Obviously, even if he weren't injured, I doubt they want to spend one of Downs' options for a few games before Kiké (sounds like he's closest) gets back; we all get that. But I would interpret the fact that López got the call over Fitzgerald as a sign that they now think Fitzgerald is a real prospect, too, in the way that the smart teams are now betting on guys in their late 20s (Yastrzemski the Younger and Patrick Wisdom are probably the poster boys) as a good bet to give you a year or three of good values during their pre-arb years, and they don't want to start his clock for a handful of games, either.
But yeah, that's why Iglesias is here — the Angels are paying the bulk of his check, and he's a legitimate big leaguer and borderline starting SS, which are two things that López is not. And he got a big hit in extras today!
But hell, López even got a hit! Not bad.
What I don't get about the signing is that Lopez' best tools are his fielding and arm (https://soxprospects.com/players/lopez-jack.htm). Not tools as in "he's still a prospect tools", but the part of his game that plays in the majors. Plus he's versatile.
As a stop gap they just need someone who can make the plays and plenty of career minor leaguer leaguers can competently field their positions.
I don't understand adding Iglesias when he is just making their biggest weakness worst.
As a stop gap they just need someone who can make the plays and plenty of career minor leaguer leaguers can competently field their positions.
I don't understand adding Iglesias when he is just making their biggest weakness worst.
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Very good summary. Just one little nit to pick. You don't expend options to bring a guy up. You expend options to have a guy in the minors while he's on the 40-man roster. But the COVID IL rule allows non-40-man players to be added and then removed without need of DFA (or use of options), which is what opened the door for Lopez (and Crawford and Feliz and Schreiber and Gonsalves and Espinal) in the first place. A healthy Downs may indeed have been brought up as well.
Iglesias is a veteran big leaguer. That's the only reason he's here. And odds are he's not going to be here when the season ends, provided all the COVID IL guys recover and return. Even with the slightly expanded September rosters, there's no room for Iglesias if Bogaerts, Arroyo, and Kike are healthy.
Iglesias's upside is elite defender, bat that can get hot in an average way for a spell. If not cooked, he's going to be more of an asset than a "competent minor leaguer" unless that minor leaguer is also a plus defender or has a potential plus bat (that's ready to show something this week.)
He's clearly here because he's available and the Sox don't have a lot of options. That said, they must also think he's not broken.
As far as the last goes, the Sox talent evaluation has recently been pretty much throwing darts at the wall. It wouldn't surprise me to find out he's cooked.
No doubt- Verdugo wasn't catching that ball, so back off. Best case scenario was, as you said, a triple w/no outs.
I agree with all of this. That is a good point about the COVID-specific roster rules, which only strengthens my conviction that Downs definitely would have been up over López if healthy. At least he has power.
But now I'm left puzzling over why Fitzgerald would have been passed over. He has .100 points of AA/AAA OPS on López and plays more positions.
I suspect it has to do with COVID protocols. I believe players in Worcester are subject to all the same testing and protocols as the big league team (they're all lumped together for that magic 85% thing that this franchise hasn't achieved). Whereas Portland players are a separate deal. So calling up Fitzgerald or anyone from AA or below involves a longer intake process. In other words, it isn't as simple as calling the SeaDogs and telling them to send him to Boston immediately.
Eleven games since he's been here. He's hitting .407, OPS'ing 1.059, and most importantly, he's solidified the 2B spot, which had been a carousel of mediocre players, out of position players, and sometimes even Kíkè.
Is there any way we can have Arroyo stay on the Covid list and keep Iggy for the playoffs?
Is there any way we can have Arroyo stay on the Covid list and keep Iggy for the playoffs?
Who keeps a high school blanket on their bed as a grown ass man? Maybe if you went to Belmont Hill, then would be OK
Can't happen, since they got him after August 31. Too bad. I know his D stats aren't great this year, but to the eye test, he seems to have brought some stability to the right side of the infield. The team has felt more balanced with Iglesias out there, but it's been a SSS.
I think it was Romine who pointed out the bigger question: If Arroyo is going to play second if the Sox get to the post season, do you want to be giving him the starts once he returns (likely next series) so he can get up to speed? That might mean, essentially, fixing a thing that ain't broke, when you still gotta win those games just to get in ....
I'm anticipating Arroyo getting some starts and Iglesias coming in as a defensive sub in close games. And I agree, the whole infield has looked better with him at 2B. It is unfortunate that he isn't eligible for the post-season roster.
Also really impressive considering prior to this stretch, his time at second consisted of 3 games back in 2013.
Weren’t there some playoff roster shenanigans available if you have a guy on the IL on 8/31? Somebody could get swapped for them? Or does that somebody need to be in the organization on 8/31? Or am I making this up?
Arroyo is probably the only infield guy who doesn't need a defensive sub. He's been rock solid The signing couldn't have worked out better, but I'm not sure where he'll fit in other than giving Arroyo a little extra time the first few games he's back.
Arroyo has barely played in the last two months. He’s unvaccinated, so it seems like he must have been hit by covid pretty hard. Who knows what can be expected of him. The alternative is Kiki at 2b, Verdugo in center, and Schwarber / JD splitting Lf and DH.