(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amazing_Criswell)
The Amazing Criswell?
- Thread starter InsideTheParker
- Start date
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amazing_Criswell)
Going into spring training, Criswell was not exactly Plan A for the rotation. There were about 8 other guys ahead of him, so he was more like Plan 9.
Good song for that original Criswell guy:
“And out comes a man from Mars
And you try to run but he's got a gun
And he shoots you dead and he eats your head…”
View: https://youtu.be/pHCdS7O248g?si=k6nDurgXmPWyjyaE
“And out comes a man from Mars
And you try to run but he's got a gun
And he shoots you dead and he eats your head…”
View: https://youtu.be/pHCdS7O248g?si=k6nDurgXmPWyjyaE
Was Criswell really the 9th option back in Spring Training?
Assuming the Sox were never interested in anyone after they got Giolito (and generally seems they were correct at this point.... in a way.....
The projected rotation was Giolito, Bello, Pivetta, Crawford, Houck (?) with Whitlock as the 6th? Maybe Winckowksi the 7th? I'm not sure who the 8th would be here... Anderson? But if he was the 9th guy I think you have to say that the "depth" is actually looking pretty solid. I don't know what people expect out of depth starters but they normally aren't as good as your no. 5 starter.
Assuming the Sox were never interested in anyone after they got Giolito (and generally seems they were correct at this point.... in a way.....
The projected rotation was Giolito, Bello, Pivetta, Crawford, Houck (?) with Whitlock as the 6th? Maybe Winckowksi the 7th? I'm not sure who the 8th would be here... Anderson? But if he was the 9th guy I think you have to say that the "depth" is actually looking pretty solid. I don't know what people expect out of depth starters but they normally aren't as good as your no. 5 starter.
You wanna see a great option? Jordan Montgomery, pitching for the D'backs right now on mlbn. Guy looks so sturdy. I guess he could fall apart the way so many other pitchers have, but he looks so strong out there. I don't assume the Sox didn't try for him, but his then-agent Boras told him to wait. We'll never know, of course.
As for Criswell being No. 9, I think that @The Gray Eagle was going for the Plan 9 joke, rather than making a serious point.
Don't get me wrong.... I'd rather have Montgomery starting and Whitlock would, I'd bet, still be throwing pitches from the bullpen. So far though, the trust that Bailey/Breslow has shown towards the "young" pitchers is paying off. The two guys who are injured were considered work horses and unlikely to get injured. I suspect that Whitlock was, in fact, expected to be in the pen. So.... that makes him the defacto no. 6. And again.... what "number 5" starter WAS pitching better? And what number 5 starter is pitching better than Criswell. I just don't think we should be stomping around the house right now pounding walls because of poor depth. Things are generally working pretty damned well so far on the rotation. A lot of people here think it's all about to collapse. I don't. I don't think THIS level is sustainable, but yeah... I think the top 4 guys after Pivetta returns can hold their ERA's to around a collective 3.5 ERA which would just be phenomenal!
Oh and now Bello! WTF?!!?!?!
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Ergo, they should have signed a horse like Montgomery. Oh well, he's "out of the barn" now.
- Jarren Duran (L) CF
- Rafael Devers (L) DH
- Tyler O'Neill (R) LF
- Wilyer Abreu (L) RF
- Enmanuel Valdez (L) 2B
- Connor Wong (R) C
- Pablo Reyes (R) 3B
- Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B
- Ceddanne Rafaela (R) SS
Well... again, Giolito and Pivetta were considered "horses". Not disagreeing with you but maybe Bailey would have broken Montgomery's shoulder too?
And now I just want to chime in that I'm sick AF seeing Dalbec. Put F'in Refsnyder at 1B. Why the fuck is Yoshida still in his now 5th day off after finally getting hot. (The answer is Devers on this... just frustrating)
Masataka is Japanese for Rusney ... only without the ability to stash him in AAA
View: https://twitter.com/redsoxstats/status/1783204098273054940
They really decided Yoshida is unplayable defensively. (Or they want Duran & Abreu playing everyday, on a rebuilding year, which is defensible logic. As for O'Neill you need to evalulate him to keep or a deadline trade, too.)
They really decided Yoshida is unplayable defensively. (Or they want Duran & Abreu playing everyday, on a rebuilding year, which is defensible logic. As for O'Neill you need to evalulate him to keep or a deadline trade, too.)
I see the "paralyze the living" part but am waiting anxiously for them to "resurrect the dead."
Yeah, this seems like it. Is Devers situation likely to change, though? Seems like he’s going to need a lot of time off, at least in the field, which makes Yoshida a difficult fit on the roster. Eventually they may have to suck it up and play him in LF.
At whose expense though? Pretty much all the offense of late is coming from the outfielders, and that's not even counting O'Neill. Duran was drafted as an infielder, maybe he can play 2B for a while? /s
Masa, O'Neill, Abreu in the outfield
Wong, Rafaela, Duran, Refsnyder around the infield
McGuire behind the plate
Devers at DH
Is that the best offensive lineup they could field right now?
Yeah, I guess you are right. I don’t really want Yoshida playing instead of Abreu, Duran, or O’Neill. Duran at 2b seems unlikely, with Grissom back soon and probably increases Duran’s risk of injury. Don’t see any obvious OF who could play 1B (besides Refsnyder). A LH backup OF / DH just isn’t a great fit for this team, even worse when Devers needs to DH.
Ultimately, though, not sure what can be done- who knows how long Devers remains active. If he needs all this time off, seems like a difficult situation for the mid to long term.
Maybe Ron Washington was right, but I'm surprised more guys don't grab a first baseman's mitt. I know that O'Neill is a good outfielder, but it would be kind of nice to have him play some games at first while Casas is out.
I think you're all fucked in the head. We're two hours from the fuckin' ballgame and you want to bail out! Well I'll tell you something, this is no longer a baseball game. It's a quest. It's a quest for fun! I'm gonna have fun, and you're gonna have fun. We're all gonna have so much fuckin' fun we'll need plastic surgery to remove our goddamn smiles! You'll be whistling 'Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah' out of your assholes! Hahaha. I gotta be crazy, I'm on a pilgrimage to see this Red Sox team win!
YES!!!!I think you're all fucked in the head. We're two hours from the fuckin' ballgame and you want to bail out! Well I'll tell you something, this is no longer a baseball game. It's a quest. It's a quest for fun! I'm gonna have fun, and you're gonna have fun. We're all gonna have so much fuckin' fun we'll need plastic surgery to remove our goddamn smiles! You'll be whistling 'Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah' out of your assholes! Hahaha. I gotta be crazy, I'm on a pilgrimage to see this Red Sox team win!
Thanks for this. Our Criswell may not be actually good, but no way he's as bad as that Criswell. Oh, my.
Let Plan Nine Commence. I am Ready!
Wilyer!
I wonder if Raffy being banged up will possibly help him from swinging out of his shoes every time.
I wonder if Raffy being banged up will possibly help him from swinging out of his shoes every time.
That's really bad. The only Sox tickets I've ever passed on were for A's games, because no matter how good or bad they are the games always sucked when I was there.
