But Can He Pitch?
Good morning! One thing the sabermetric revolution has taught us is that batting order doesn’t matter all that much. At least, not in the traditional sense of putting a speedy runner at the the top, someone who can handle the bat and move him over second, and power hitters in the middle. The general consensus […]
In the 18th round of the 2017 MLB draft the New York Yankees drafted a pitcher out of the University of Alabama named Garret Whitlock. He would almost immediately make his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Yankees. In 2018, Whitlock would appear in three levels for New York: A, A+, and AA. Overall […]
Down a rabbit hole of things that didn’t happen, the Red Sox apparently made several attempts to acquire Zach Neto from the Angels before pivoting and trading with the Brewers for Caleb Durbin. This was confirmed by Sean McAdam earlier this week, and from there, Tyler Milliken was asking the right question. Neto is one […]
The ZiPS projections are out, and they’re not impressed with the thump — or lack thereof — in the Red Sox lineup. If you visit Fangraphs and sort these individual player projections by home runs, you have to go all the way down to a tie for 127th to find the first name in a […]
Good morning! MLB Network’s ongoing project to determine the 10 best players at each position continued yesterday, as they finally made it to the bullpen. And if you’re a Red Sox fan, this is what you want to see: Two Sox relievers on the list, with Aroldis Chapman taking the top spot. Not too shabby. […]
On Friday night, just a few days before the New England Patriots attempt to assume their rightful position as the class of the NFL (narrator: they did not), I was doing what any 28-year-old man does on a Friday night: talking about relief pitching. As I was scrolling Twitter, I ran into a tweet from […]
Good morning and welcome to one of the best days of the year. Say it with me: pitchers and catchers. Red Sox spring training officially opens today and, with yesterday’s Caleb Durbin trade, Craig Breslow is probably done making any significant transactions. So with the offseason essentially closed, let’s take a look at how the […]
Who is he and where did he come from? Caleb Durbin is an infielder who played college baseball at D-3 Washington University (in St. Louis) and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 14th round of the 2021 draft. He was traded from Atlanta to the Yankees after the 2022 season for Lucas Luetge, […]
Never say never, but with the Caleb Durbin deal, it looks like the Red Sox are done tinkering in the infield. The timing of the deal is interesting because, just this morning, Alex Speier gave us this report about the Red Sox efforts to acquire All-Star Ketel Marte: According to multiple league sources, the Sox […]
Ladies and gentlemen, the Boston Red Sox have a third baseman! As first reported by Jeff Passan (who else?) the Red Sox have acquired 25-year-old Caleb Durbin in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. Heading the other way are Kyle Harrison, David Hamilton, and Shane Drohan. We’ll have more on Durbin soon, but the quick […]
There is a lot to like about the Red Sox this season. A full year of Roman Anthony. What could be the best starting rotation in baseball. And swag as you scan your ticket. Boston hasn’t always had the strongest lineup of giveaways, and “first 7500 fans” is rather stingy for an organization that nearly […]
Hello and happy Monday, folks. Today really should be a national holiday. Maybe when the NFL moves to an 18 game schedule, then the Super Bowl will fall of Presidents Day weekend. What a game that was, huh? All the, uh, points. And the plays, wow. It was nuts. (I’m writing this at 3:45 Sunday […]
Let’s start by stipulating that this signing, player, and scenario are not necessarily what we would’ve chosen for ourselves. But this is where we are now. Certainly this isn’t the bat we wanted, but let’s lay that aside for the moment. Let’s think about defense, which is something the Red Sox themselves have pledged to […]
The sixth iteration of the World Baseball Classic will begin soon, continuing one HELL of a sports stretch over the next few weeks. I mean, we’ve got the Olympics, Super Bowl, and Grapefruit League action–the holy trinity, if you ask me–coming right up. WBC rosters were released Thursday night, exactly a month before the action […]
In 2025, the Boston Red Sox led all of baseball in errors, a statistical category they’ve been near the top of for several years now. And yet, most defensive metrics don’t think the Sox are that bad, and some think they are elite. By Statcast’s Fielding Run Value as presented by Baseball Savant, the Red […]
Wednesday was a busy one for the Red Sox: the 40-man roster is full once more (IKF and Mickey Gasper) and the team is, presumably, set. There are question marks remaining, like where Marcelo Mayer will play or what level Triston Casas begins the season at, or if, at this late stage, they trade an […]
Let me preface this by saying there’s still a little bit of offseason left. The Red Sox could turn around at any moment, make a stunning trade for a big stick, and instantly shift the narrative. But for now, the offseason is beginning to solidify, and it doesn’t look good for anybody hoping the front […]
Good morning! The Red Sox have a new infielder. And, uh, he’s not exactly one to get all that excited about. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is a perfectly good backup to have on your team. He plays three positions in the infield and plays them all well — possibly better than anyone else currently on the Red […]
Last week, Red Sox fans Damon Campagna, Lily Rose Smith and Patrick Spaulding filed a class-action lawsuit against the team in U.S. District Court, alleging that it charged illegal junk fees from at least 2022 through 2024 and used “drip pricing” to inflate the stated costs for tickets. I believe them. To be clear, I […]
Who is he and where did he come from? He’s Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The former Ranger also spent time with the Yankees before signing a 2-year, $15 million deal with the Blue Jays in 2024, who then traded him to the Pirates at that year’s trade deadline, only to take him back a year later after […]
If the Red Sox really are exploring adding a right-handed outfield bat, who would that be? Here’s a list of unsigned free agent outfielders who hit from the right side of the plate: By the way, that list is ordered by 2025 fWAR, and the only players who posted more than 0.0 wins last year […]
Yesterday, I wrote that I’m starting to accept the increasingly likely possibility that the Red Sox are not going to add an infielder before opening day, leaving second base to be covered by a platoon of Romy Gonzalez and David Hamilton. It seems to me to be a clear case of roster mismanagement to enter […]
Good morning! Yet another infield option is off the board, as the Seattle Mariners acquired All-Star Brendan Donavan in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals yesterday. Perhaps you’re still holding out hope for an Isaac Paredes deal, but it’s looking increasingly likely that the Red Sox will head into Opening Day with Marcelo Mayer […]
It’s been three months since any action took place on the baseball field, and we’re still one month away from meaningful baseball (the world classic variety) kicking off. If you’re like me, you’ve had enough of the contract talk, trade speculation, and the word “control” and want to get back to the on-field action. I […]
Errors and strikeouts. If you’re a Red Sox fan you’re probably sick of seeing both of those things. The 2025 Red Sox led all of baseball in errors last year, after committing the second-most errors in 2024 and the fourth-most in 2023. The strikeout numbers don’t look much better, as Red Sox hitters finished with […]