IntenseDebate - ChipBuck

11 years ago @ Fire Brand of the Amer... - Playing the GM Part 4:... · 1 reply · +1 points

Well, this was about external options. Also, Gomez isn't really a great option. He'll be 28 next season, and he still has rookie eligibility. I'm not saying he couldn't be successful. He's not exactly someone I'd want to bet on. Napoli has proven he can hit in the majors consistently. Gomez hasn't.

11 years ago @ Fire Brand of the Amer... - A Look at Baseball Ame... · 0 replies · +1 points

I haven't heard the podcast. Luckily, Jim Callis agreed to do another interview for Fire Brand just last night. I hope to have it up in the next week or so.

11 years ago @ Fire Brand of the Amer... - Playing the GM Part 3:... · 1 reply · +1 points

I never said that Buchholz was good enough to be a #2 starter. I only predicted he would be the #2 on 2013 Red Sox. Those are huge differences. Nowhere within this article (or Part 2 on pitchers) did I evaluate Buchholz to even hint at that.

Also, one start doesn't negate the progress made in the previous 19. Sometimes a bad start is just that--a bad start. It's not really worth reading too much into it.

11 years ago @ Fire Brand of the Amer... - Should the Red Sox Giv... · 0 replies · +1 points

I don't think you caught the point of my article. Clearly, there are players who had great seasons after their age-36 season. I was looking at players with comparable careers and skill sets to help determine what might happen with Ortiz.

Also, I don't know you mean by "REAL Red Sox fan." It sounds like the same kind of logic Yankee fans use to determine who the "True Yankees" are. Fans are fans. Some are casual. Some are committed. Some are diehard. Regardless of their level of commitment, they're fans nonetheless. Furthermore, groupthink also isn't a characteristic of being a true fan.

11 years ago @ Fire Brand of the Amer... - Pillow Talk · 0 replies · +1 points

This was more about free agents rather than the overall rotation. To answer your question, I see Morales competing for a spot, but I'm not sure he gets one. A lot of it depends on what happens during the offseason. If the Red Sox either sign or trade for a pitcher, that would make it tough for him to secure a spot unless someone gets hurt.

11 years ago @ Fire Brand of the Amer... - Should the Red Sox Giv... · 0 replies · +2 points

That's a good point. I went with overall similarity score as opposed to similarity score at age-36. I wanted to look more at career trends as opposed to single year.

11 years ago @ Fire Brand of the Amer... - Should the Red Sox Giv... · 0 replies · +2 points

True about Hodges and Mize, but the other eight guys on that list were all current or very recent players. The injury questions and inconsistent year-to-year performance is what worries me. I'm still on board with re-signing him, but I realize he probably won't be the same player by the end of the contract.

11 years ago @ Fire Brand of the Amer... - Playing the GM Part 2:... · 0 replies · +1 points

Yeah, the Red Sox bullpen was pretty strange this year. It was awful at the start, and pretty mediocre at the end. From May-August, it was pretty solid. They were 19th in ERA with a 3.88, and 20th in FIP with a 3.91. Neither of those rankings are great, but I think they're a bit misleading. We had a ton of great arms in the pen. We certainly have the makings of a good bullpen next year. Bailey being healthy will be key, but the guy I'm really excited about is Tazawa. Pitchers with great K/BB ratios are my baseball fetish.

Thanks Danny!

11 years ago @ Fire Brand of the Amer... - First and Foremost · 0 replies · +1 points

Watching my mom play first base would be better than watching James Loney. :)

11 years ago @ Fire Brand of the Amer... - First and Foremost · 1 reply · +3 points

I'm starting the campaign now. Just say no to Darin Ruf. I just don't trust 26 year olds in AA even if they hit 38 home runs. I take that back--especially if they hit 38 home runs.

As for everyone else, LaRoche will probably be too expensive; Berkman may not be healthy enough; Pena is cooked; and Swisher, if signed, would probably play right field instead. The remainders. I would be fine with Salty splitting time at catcher, and Youk isn't a bad option either. I'm a little concerned about Sands's ability to hit at the MLB level considering his strikeout rate. That leaves Mike Napoli. If you'd asked me after 2011 if I'd want him, I would have screamed yes. Now, it really depends on teh price. Would anyone be shocked if he fell off a cliff next year? His old man skills scare me.

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