We have a slumping player batting third in the order. He is 35 years old and by all means a good clubhouse presence. What I have noticed is that he is having more trouble getting around on the fastball these days. Cora can stay with him but maybe a better choice is to give him additional rest with Moreland playing well. If he is n the decline due to his age, regular extra rest may be what is needed to get him back to being a solid contributor when he does play.
What a strange season. We have a few players playing out of this world and carrying the team offensively and we have half the lineup either in a slump or having disappointing, in some cases disastrous, seasons. They need more balance, they need the last 4 spots to play up to expectations or this will start to fall apart because obviously Mookie and JD can't keep this pace up forever.
JBJ has almost always had a hot streak or tow that brings his season OPS to a respectable level. I see no reason to not expect it to happen again.
Of course, it may not, but the odds favor it happening vs it not happening.
Those who believe he will end up being below .600 on the season are being pessimists.
I think if you look at most seasons, you'll find a couple players carrying their team from month to month- not always the same two either.
I'm not sure why this season seems so different. Did anyone really expect every player to meet expectations over the first quarter of the season?
Yes, it seems a bit shocking that 2-3 players are way below expectations (JBJ, Vaz and Leon or Nunez), but with all of these guys, it's not really all that surprising.
I'm not really surprised by Betts or JD either. I know some posters were suggesting maybe 2016 was the best Betts would ever give us, but the kid hasn't even reached prime yet. I always felt we might see better or even much better.
Things will even out a little as the season goes on. Some different players will carry us for a while as HRam and Bogey did early on.
And, BTW, yes Betts and JD can come pretty close to keeping up this pace forever. They are really that good!
Will they? Who knows, but I do think someone else will take up the slack, if they decline.
I see it more optimistically. 32-15 is not strange, 32-15 is great. It indicates a lot of all-around strength.
There are some guys who need to get it going a bit, we know that.
But look at the box score from yesterday's game. Every single guy in the lineup reached base by hit or walk.
They play 51 games with 4 days off till All-Star break after today. This is a tough stretch of playing a lot of games with little time off till All-Star break. This is when injuries hurt. This is good time to see how Cora Manages the team, for days off for rest, and the Bullpen. Not to overwork them.
Pedey coming back will help a lot.
Last edited by OH FOY!; 05-21-2018 at 09:19 AM.
Meh. I see six good bats--Betts, Beni, Hanley, JD, Bogie, Devers, and Moreland--with just Hanley and Devers a little below where they should be and will be. The bottom third is a problem, but Pedey will help and Vazquez/Leon won't stay this bad. Heck, JBJ might even turn things around--a long shot, but possible.
And don't forget that pitching. I've griped about the rotation, but right now ERod, Porcello, Sale, and Price have all just had good starts if not "quality" starts (6 innings, 3 runs). Only Porcello worries me now. And the bullpen is looking better.
Not worried about Jackie at all. He's steaky, we all get that. If he's regressed, he's still a rock solid 4th OF and we can assemble a hell of an outfield without him. I don't see any reason to be all that alarmed.
Personally I think he catches fire in June and July and carries the team for a month and a half like he does every year, and the skeptics get to spend the middle of the season eating their words before the annual September slump
If history tells us anything, the path to redeption for any bad baseball team is marked with a deep rotation of durable starters, a world class defense in both infield and outfield, a lineup that can generate runs in more than one way, a bullpen that won't steal defeat from the jaws of victory, and a top end catcher to hold the whole package together. These are the conditions by which victory is achieved, anything that does not accomplish these objectives is a waste of resources.