right. but was that due to some nefarious injury (physical or mental) from playing 1b defensively? or was it because he didn't have the offensive skillset and prowess to being with of someone like..oh...i don't know...JD?Originally Posted by notin
right. but was that due to some nefarious injury (physical or mental) from playing 1b defensively? or was it because he didn't have the offensive skillset and prowess to being with of someone like..oh...i don't know...JD?
other names i have posted under: none
It might also be noted that we had zero depth in the outfield, as was painfully highlighted by the recurring sight of Gorkys in the lineup.
Championships since purchase by John Henry group: Red Sox 4 Yankees 1
The Red Sox are 8-1 in their last 9 postseason games against the Yankees.
That's true, but saying that he was there because he's better than Gorkys is hardly a stirring recommendation.
I have never understood why he didn't get a look at 1B during ST.
Two things have been well established. The first is that he's NOT a good outfielder. He's "hidden" there only to keep his bat in the lineup.
The second is that he wants to be involved in the defense. I'm not sure why he's intent on being on the field for defense - it could be to improve his value (which is NOT working out well!) or it could be that he's simply not as good defensively as he thinks he is. But.. whatever. If he's not good enough to be going to be used in the OF he's sure as Hell not going to be at C, 3B, SS, or 2B so where does that leave??
I'm not saying that 1B should be his position to lose. I'm just saying that it's almost criminal to not see how he fares there. If he can't handle 1B then he can go back to being hidden in the outfield.
It's a mere moment in a man's life between the All-Star game and the Old Timer's game.
-Vin Scully
Agreed. What I'm really saying there is 'Thanks Dave!'
Championships since purchase by John Henry group: Red Sox 4 Yankees 1
The Red Sox are 8-1 in their last 9 postseason games against the Yankees.
Maybe JD said he does not want to play 1B.
Maybe Sox management doesn't view him as a possible capable 1Bman.
Maybe they fear risk of injury.
I think the Sox have had a bigger need with OF depth over 1B depth, so that alone could be the main reason.
(I'm not for giving him a 1Bman's mitt next spring- at all!)
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
would be interesting to see historically who gets injured more frequently in the MLB - Corner Outfielder or First Baseman?
other names i have posted under: none
It's not that simple. Placing and aged, sore-backed player in any new position is a gamble.
BTW, I'm not for playing him in the OF either. he should DH only with maybe a handful of games in the OF at NL parks.
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
and i want him to see if he can play those same handful of games at 1b.
also, waking up in the morning is a gamble for a sore-backed player.
jogging to first base and catching a throw > sprinting 35' towards a wall to run down a flyball, twisting and firing the ball 200'.....
first base is where old players go to die. if the board certified dumbest player on the Red Sox (christian vazquez) can play first base then i'm sure a smart guy like JD can figure out the footwork to play 10 games per season at the position.....
other names i have posted under: none
I'm sure he can figure it out.
The past two seasons the Red Sox had a 1B they liked, which was probably a big factor in why JD didn't play there. This offseason, maybe the want to see who will be at 1B before moving Martinez there.
Yes, but all those things are unavoidable. Playing 1B rather than DH is a choice made and a bigger gamble.
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
And putting him in the OF is an even bigger gamble.
It's a mere moment in a man's life between the All-Star game and the Old Timer's game.
-Vin Scully
who says to have him play 1b instead of DHing?
i am advocating 1b instead of OF.
other names i have posted under: none
I don't want JD playing in the field at all. I'm okay with a handful of games in the OF in NL parks, when needed.
I do think there is less risk of him getting hurt playing a position he's played for more than a decade and maybe has 2-4 plays a game hit his way. I think, for him, 1B would be more dangerous.
Plus, I don't want to do anything to distract him from his hitting, and that takes a lot of his time already.
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
Putting a SS/3Bman like HRam in the OF might be more dangerous than the 1B, but I don't think playing an OF'er in the OF 5 games a year is more dangerous than asking him to learn how to play 1B- a position that is involved in many more plays per game and is something very new to him.
Plus, if JD is taught to play 1B, my guess is the plan would be for more than 5 games.
Last edited by moonslav59; 11-18-2019 at 01:57 PM.
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
On the very low chance that Pedroia can DH a significant amount of games, we can worry about where to put JD.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote