@ClearTheBases
#RedSox announce: Dana LeVangie as the new pitching coach.
I think Cora will be a better communicator with the players (Already reached out to Price) and have only heard good things about him. I think this is a good move.
...and he should tell the other players to hit, pitch, field and run better.
LOL.
kiss principle has always worked even when people get in the way and try to over complicate things!
https://www.overthemonster.com/2017/...ander-bogaerts
Yooooooooooooooooo... Alex Cora is saying that the Sox are going to have a different offensive approach this year. They were too "passive" last year taking too many pitches down the middle early in the count. "We're going to talk to them and tell them to look for a pitch in the middle of the strike zone and do some damage with it."
Be still my heart!
"Hating the Yankees like it's a religion since 94'" RIP Mike.
"It's also a simple and indisputable fact that WAR isn't the be-all end-all in valuations, especially in real life. Wanna know why? Because an ace in run-prevention for 120 innings means more often than not, a sub-standard pitcher covering for the rest of the IP that pitcher fails to provide. You can't see value in a vacuum when a player does not provide full-time production."
"Hating the Yankees like it's a religion since 94'" RIP Mike.
"It's also a simple and indisputable fact that WAR isn't the be-all end-all in valuations, especially in real life. Wanna know why? Because an ace in run-prevention for 120 innings means more often than not, a sub-standard pitcher covering for the rest of the IP that pitcher fails to provide. You can't see value in a vacuum when a player does not provide full-time production."
I like the common sense approach that Tim Hyers seems to take. It isn't about just moving in and retooling someone's swing. it is about working with the hitter and what tools he may already have and refine them. Basically the approach he sells really isn't complicated but it is a little different than what we have seen in Fenway for quite some time. Good luck to him - He sounds enthusiastic. By the way - staying on top of the ball worked for me because if it got on the ground I was in pretty good shape. It didn't work as well for some of my powerful teammates!
I think that it is also interesting to note that Hyers previously worked with our budding young superstars (as some have called them) before in the minors. He knows them - they know him- what he will ask them to do might become very complicated to the prevailing think tankers and others who like to talk about the game as opposed to playing it but my guess would it be that any changes he asks our guys to make should be fairly simple -KISS.
As much as I was impressed with those aggressive Houston bats in the playoffs, I still think there's no answer to this conundrum. By taking pitches, you give your own starter some rest, and dispense of the other starter into the bargain.
If I were a manager I would game plan this. If we're playing the Yankees, and most of their great relievers are rested, I'd tell my players to be aggressive tonight. In contrast, if I'm up against a terrific starter, who has is backed up by average relievers, I would say "let's run the counts" tonight. To me there's nothing more impressive than to see a hitter see double figure pitches in one at bat, when up against a lights out starter.