Brian MacPherson @brianmacp
John Farrell names Rick Porcello his Opening Day starter. Farrell said he told Porcello he'd get that start the first day of camp.
Brian MacPherson @brianmacp
John Farrell names Rick Porcello his Opening Day starter. Farrell said he told Porcello he'd get that start the first day of camp.
What is the reasoning behind breaking up lefty starters? I'm not being snarky, I've seen it for years but do not think I've ever really seen, read or heard a solid reasoning.Rewarding him for his Cy Young Award? Or is there a strategy here? Because I would think you would want to break up the lefties more.
Of course it's a reward for the CY, because there's little other meaning to Opening Day starter other than the honor. There's not much strategy behind it (unlike say, a Game 1 postseason starter). There will be 2 righties and 3 lefties in the rotation to start the year. No matter how they do it, they're going to have two lefties back to back somewhere. Unless they're giving Wright the game 2 start, balancing the rotation seems like the last criteria to worry about.Rewarding him for his Cy Young Award? Or is there a strategy here? Because I would think you would want to break up the lefties more.
The only advantage to breaking up lefties is so that no team can just "sit" on a single (right handed) lineup for an entire series.What is the reasoning behind breaking up lefty starters? I'm not being snarky, I've seen it for years but do not think I've ever really seen, read or heard a solid reasoning.
We're going to have at least three lefties in the rotation (Price, Sale, one of EdRo/Pomeranz) and potentially four. So going L-R-L-R-L still has one L-L start pairing (#5-#1) whereas going R-L-L-R-L is effectively the exact same number of L-L starts (#2-#3).Rewarding him for his Cy Young Award? Or is there a strategy here? Because I would think you would want to break up the lefties more.
Price's replacement is also a lefty.Isn't Price starting on the DL already breaking up the lefty's? He can be slotted anywhere when healthy (hopefully)
No, you want your best pitcher getting no fewer starts than your second-best.Don't you want the better pitcher (Sale) pitching first?
Ah thanks. I was thinking first just for that reason but if you're saying because of schedule vagaries then that's good.No, you want your best pitcher getting no fewer starts than your second-best.
But I'm sure there's at least a rough draft of a plan plotted out for the first three weeks or so. Through the MFY series ending 4/27, there's no reasonable way that Porcello can make even one more start than Sale. The off days 4/13 and 4/24 make it basically impossible, without considering the option of short rest.
This is fine. Reward the guy who just won the CYA, and lose nothing.
What is the reasoning behind breaking up lefty starters? I'm not being snarky, I've seen it for years but do not think I've ever really seen, read or heard a solid reasoning.
Yeah, my thought was that you wouldn't want to run into a team like Toronto, whose best hitters are all right-handed, and give them the platoon advantage 3 straight games.The only advantage to breaking up lefties is so that no team can just "sit" on a single (right handed) lineup for an entire series.
But to answer your question more directly, there is no advantage other than forcing some platoons and making fans think that the team is giving their opponents a "different look."
Some guy named Sale would have a pretty good argument that it isn't quite a no-brainer. And you might have made an argument for Price if he was healthy because both of those guys have a better long term portfolio than Porcello.John Farrell isn't managing a rotisserie team. Giving Porcello the Opening Day nod was a no-brainer.
With 4 LH starters you're going to have to run all 4 in a row at some point; it can't be avoided without a spot start or some other change. If it was my team, I'd like to have my best guy first, and IMO that's Sale.We're going to have at least three lefties in the rotation (Price, Sale, one of EdRo/Pomeranz) and potentially four. So going L-R-L-R-L still has one L-L start pairing (#5-#1) whereas going R-L-L-R-L is effectively the exact same number of L-L starts (#2-#3).
The later of those is probably Farrell's idealized Porcello - Price - Sale - Wright - EdRo/Pomeranz (assuming Wright wins out over EdRo and Drew). It is also one of two likely rotations without Price (Porcello, Sale, EdRo/Pomeranz, Wright, Pomeranz/EdRo) versus R-L-R-L-L or R-L-L-L-R, all depending on how the back three sort out.
Porcello won the Cy Young Award last season, pitching for the Red Sox. You can't expect him to be OK with being pushed aside in favor of a guy who has never pitched an inning for the team, or for a guy who joined the team a year ago and wasn't as good last season as Porcello. Sale and Price both will understand that.Some guy named Sale would have a pretty good argument that it isn't quite a no-brainer. And you might have made an argument for Price if he was healthy because both of those guys have a better long term portfolio than Porcello.
Most people aren't going to judge him by 18 ST IP as opposed to an extremely mediocre career.I'm a little surprised no one thinks Kendrick can start the season as the #5 starter over Pomeranz. Kendrick has been awesome over 18 IP so far, while Drew made his debut yesterday with 2 IP.
100% team politics and management, nothing to do with L/R staging. You cannot bump your CY winner for a guy you traded for. Sale will first have to prove he can upstage Porcello in Boston.
I think it's just as likely that Sale wouldn't want to be put in the awkward position of being named Opening Day starter over the reigning Cy Young award winner.Porcello won the Cy Young Award last season, pitching for the Red Sox. You can't expect him to be OK with being pushed aside in favor of a guy who has never pitched an inning for the team, or for a guy who joined the team a year ago and wasn't as good last season as Porcello. Sale and Price both will understand that.
As I said above, once you think of these players as living, breathing humans rather than cogs on a rotisserie team, the decision is a no-brainer. If either Price or Sale had pitched his entire career here, then yes, it would be a closer call.
If Kendrick had a place on the 25/40-man roster already, there might be conversations about him making the club. As it stands though, the only way he makes this team out of spring training is if another starter joins Price on the DL between now and Opening Day. Otherwise, Kendrick sits tight in Pawtucket through at least Memorial Day waiting for an opportunity no matter what he does on the mound in the meantime.I'm a little surprised no one thinks Kendrick can start the season as the #5 starter over Pomeranz. Kendrick has been awesome over 18 IP so far, while Drew made his debut yesterday with 2 IP.
I'm a little surprised no one thinks Kendrick can start the season as the #5 starter over Pomeranz. Kendrick has been awesome over 18 IP so far, while Drew made his debut yesterday with 2 IP.
Fortunately today is March 15 and there are 19 days until Opening Day, so we'll get to see both of these guys 3 or 4 more times each.Most people aren't going to judge him by 18 ST IP as opposed to an extremely mediocre career.
As long as the Red Sox are carrying Bruce Brentz on the 40-man (and yes, they still are), there's no roster crunch so tight that one more potentially-useful MLB player couldn't be added to it.If Kendrick had a place on the 25/40-man roster already, there might be conversations about him making the club. As it stands though, the only way he makes this team out of spring training is if another starter joins Price on the DL between now and Opening Day. Otherwise, Kendrick sits tight in Pawtucket through at least Memorial Day waiting for an opportunity no matter what he does on the mound in the meantime.
I think your troll meter needs recalibration, Lose. There's literally nothing correct about that post.It's a "Division", not a "Conference" but it's nice to have a new voice here. Could you provide some analysis (numbers, thoughts, or both) to add to your comment?
Papi wore 34,I think your troll meter needs recalibration, Lose. There's literally nothing correct about that post.
Except the World Series contender part.
If it helps, he wasn't great at the beginning of last year, either -- gave up 5 homers in his first three starts. Also, in a vanishingly small sample, his HR/FB rate is 20.8% -- far higher than at any point in his career, including in 2015, when it was a career-high 14.5%. And his BABIP is .385.I could use one of those pitch f/x guys to assure me that things are fine. Two posts prior to this one helped but....
I figured he would regress somewhat from last season but the pickup of Sale, improvement by Price and Rodriguez would more than make up for it. Still a little worried that a regression could be closer to a complete drop back to his '15 year version