Mookie Betts

threecy

threecy

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Savin Hillbilly said:
 
That would be a valid argument if we needed a 2B now. But we don't, and unless things go very wrong very fast, we won't need one until it's been a pretty long time since Betts played 2B.
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Pedroia is 32 and hasn't been healthy this decade.  He's my favorite player, but I think the Red Sox need to have a plan in place to reduce wear on his body.
 
From an earlier thread, here's Pedroia's MLB track record:
2007:  Broken hamate (surgery after season)
2008:  No surgery or DL
2009:  No surgery or DL
2010:  Broken bone in foot (surgery during season); DL
2011:  Foot continued (surgery at end of season)
2012:  Broken finger (surgery after season); DL
2013:  Torn UCL (surgery after season)
2014:  Hand/wrist (surgery after season)
2015:  Knee/hamstring; DL
 
If JBJ and Castillo can stick, LF is the likely open slot, which may not be the best use of Betts' defensive abilities 81 games a year.  Perhaps in seeing the bumps Xander encountered in his first full season, the Sox wanted to give Betts positional consistency in 2015.  With a new front office in place now, one has to wonder if they'll view Betts as an OFer of the future or plan to shift him back to the infield before he reaches his prime.
 
wade boggs chicken dinner

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Sickels asks people to vote on whether they would rather have Mookie or Xander for the next ten years.

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2015/10/20/9577009/mookie-betts-or-xander-bogaerts
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The better question would have been, which one should the Sox lock up first? Currently, X is four years out from FA; Mookie five.

It would probably be smarter to lock up X given positional scarcity but I would guess that it would take more.

I'd lock up X. I know it would be something around 6 years, $60M or 7 years, $80M but it's only going to cost more the longer the Red Sox wait.

Here are some the comps for X and M: https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/10/01/would-red-sox-make-effort-extend-young-stars/dDFHmCSC39gmmoxJCDXyXP/story.html
 
NDame616

NDame616

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nvalvo said:
 
Is this an argument to keep Betts fresh at 2B by giving him, e.g. 10-20 starts a year at the position when Pedroia is resting or injured?
 
I know Pedroia doesn't like to take games off, but now that he's turning 32, it might make sense to shoot for 145 games. 
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A number he's hit twice in the past 6 years....
 
Montana Fan

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threecy said:
Pedroia is 32 and hasn't been healthy this decade.  He's my favorite player, but I think the Red Sox need to have a plan in place to reduce wear on his body.
 
From an earlier thread, here's Pedroia's MLB track record:
2007:  Broken hamate (surgery after season)
2008:  No surgery or DL
2009:  No surgery or DL
2010:  Broken bone in foot (surgery during season); DL
2011:  Foot continued (surgery at end of season)
2012:  Broken finger (surgery after season); DL
2013:  Torn UCL (surgery after season)
2014:  Hand/wrist (surgery after season)
2015:  Knee/hamstring; DL
 
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That was the night after he went 5-5 with 3 HR and a 2b in a 13-11 win.  He was so f'n hot when that happened.
 
benhogan

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threecy said:
JBJ and Castillo can stick, LF is the likely open slot, which may not be the best use of Betts' defensive abilities 81 games a year.  
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I believe the concept of sticking a statue in LF at Fenway has been dispelled after this season.  
 
An athlete, like Mookie, that can play shallow and aggressive while properly putting in the necessary practice time to learn the intricacies of the Wall can be a weapon.  
 
Wall balls by opponents can become long singles with an accurate arm out there.
 
Defensively this is what our OF should look like: JBJ in CF, Mookie in LF, Castillo/Holt RF
 
Needless to say, but Holt is our back-up 2nd basemen.
 
soxhop411

soxhop411

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JUPITER, Fla.—Worlds away from Fenway Park, nowhere near playoff baseball, Mookie Betts steps onto a Marlins practice field—silently, unassuming. He smiles to a couple of knowing fans as he passes home plate, jogging lightly, but he doesn’t break stride until he reaches the third base coach’s box.
This is Betts’ home for the next few days. Instead of the October postseason chill, he’s got the relentless rays of the Jupiter sun beating on him; instead of a Red Sox jersey, he’s wearing a Dulins Dodgers hat, pullover and matching cleats. He’s relaying signs to high schoolers, waving them around third, positioning them in the outfield, clapping and rooting them on. There isn’t much fanfare, nor does Betts expect it.
This isn’t Mookie Betts, 23-year-old phenom outfielder for the Boston Red Sox; this is Mookie Betts, 23-year-old youth coach.
Even more—this is fun.
“I’m just here for vacation,” Betts said, smiling, “and being around baseball as well—so win-win.”
Betts is lending a helping hand with the travel team he used to play for, the Dulins Dodgers, as they push through the World Wood Bat Association World Championship—the last major event of the high school showcase season. Betts served as the team’s third-base coach on the first day of the event Thursday and has stuck with the team throughout.
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http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/mookie-goes-jupiter/
 
more at the link
 
dbn

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wade boggs chicken dinner said:
The better question would have been, which one should the Sox lock up first? Currently, X is four years out from FA; Mookie five.

It would probably be smarter to lock up X given positional scarcity but I would guess that it would take more.

I'd lock up X. I know it would be something around 6 years, $60M or 7 years, $80M but it's only going to cost more the longer the Red Sox wait.

Here are some the comps for X and M: https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/10/01/would-red-sox-make-effort-extend-young-stars/dDFHmCSC39gmmoxJCDXyXP/story.html
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It's only one year of difference, but they are so close that I think I agree with you. To the original question about the next 10 years, I voted Betts. It's very, very close to me, but the über elite defense in CF makes the difference to me.
 
SoxFanForsyth

SoxFanForsyth

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Steamer loves Mook. Projects to hit .300/.361/.474, 18 HR, 25 SB, 4.9 WAR.

Then again, that's virtually what he did this year (projecting for a tick more OBP and avg, which is very reasonable given his age)
 
JokersWildJIMED

JokersWildJIMED

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I live in Nashville, and Mookie sponsored a local tournament for charity this past Saturday. He was quoted in a local paper that while practicing for that tournament he bowled another 300 game, which I believe was his 7th.
 
Bowlerman9

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I almost like Mookie Betts more than I do John Burkett. Almost.
 
czar

czar

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adam42381 said:
This started yesterday. I wonder how he did on day one?
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JokersWildJIMED said:
I live in Nashville, and Mookie sponsored a local tournament for charity this past Saturday. He was quoted in a local paper that while practicing for that tournament he bowled another 300 game, which I believe was his 7th.
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Yesterday was practice. There are now four days of qualifying (today-Friday) where he'll bowl 9 games/day. If he bowls well, he'll move on to match play/casher's rounds which begin Saturday and run sporadically through next week.
 
JimD

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Nice story for now, but I cringe a little bit - 'injured while bowling' just sounds like one of those only-in-baseball injuries waiting to happen.
 
joe dokes

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JimD said:
Nice story for now, but I cringe a little bit - 'injured while bowling' just sounds like one of those only-in-baseball injuries waiting to happen.
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My foot once stopped short on some liquid (probably beer) that had spilled on the approach. I fell forward and braced myself with the ball I was holding. Hilarity ensued, but my right shoulder was never the same.
 
Y Kant Jody Reed

Y Kant Jody Reed

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Cursory googling reveals that professional bowlers frequently battle repetitive-stress injuries, with tendons in the bowling hand and forearm particularly vulnerable, along with joints:

http://www.nj.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/02/pba_bowlers_face_the_danger_of.html
http://www.bowlingdigital.com/bowl/node/9214

The clause in Roger Clemens's early-90s contract prohibiting him from playing jai alai almost certainly saved the Rocket from premature death or at least catastrophic injury by high-speed pelota; let's hope heavy front-office turnover hasn't eroded institutional memory entirely.
 
Papelbon's Poutine

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joe dokes said:
My foot once stopped short on some liquid (probably beer) that had spilled on the approach. I fell forward and braced myself with the ball I was holding. Hilarity ensued, but my right shoulder was never the same.
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Somehow Im inclined to believe that this might be a bit different than your Wednesday night beer league.
 
czar

czar

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My guess is Betts has a lower injury risk bowling over the next four days than he would have if he was in the weight room instead.
 
shaggydog2000

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czar said:
Yesterday was practice. There are now four days of qualifying (today-Friday) where he'll bowl 9 games/day. If he bowls well, he'll move on to match play/casher's rounds which begin Saturday and run sporadically through next week.
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Wait, they're going to make him roll on the Shabbos?

Not cool, dude.
 
S. H. Frog

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He averaged 193 in nine games and hes 196th on the day? On pro wax patterns? With the field still bowling? Those are some sick bowlers.
 
DanoooME

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He's got nice form. I'll bet if he devoted some time to it, he could be competitive on the pro tour.

At least he isn't one of those new school, no thumb, two hands, crank the shit out of the ball players. I used to throw like that as a teenager goofing around on the lanes bored out of my skull.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about.

 
nothumb

nothumb

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DanoooME said:
He's got nice form. I'll bet if he devoted some time to it, he could be competitive on the pro tour.

At least he isn't one of those new school, no thumb, two hands, crank the shit out of the ball players. I used to throw like that as a teenager goofing around on the lanes bored out of my skull.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about.

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That's just, like, your opinion, man.
 
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