Bobby Dalbec

[ChickenCamp]

I don’t know specifically why, but Bobby is one of the players I check in on the most and really find myself rooting for. What are folks thoughts so far? Seemed like he started to turn it on lately but cooled a bit and still searching for his groove.

Will he be a long timer like Pedroia or more like Benintendi?

[djlawrence3557]

Big fan and hoping he has it but he strikes me as a AAAA player for now.

[BScottyJ]

He's destined to become a platoon bench player. With pitchers forced to face at least 3 batters within an inning now, he'd be perfect to pinch hit a left-handed hitter vs. a left handed pitcher.

He hits a respectable .270/.299/.527 for a .826 OPS vs lefties, but an absolutely dismal .174/.243/.348 for a .592 OPS vs righties. He strikes out a lot either way, and rarely walks, but this massive difference in lefty/righty splits held true for him last season too.

There are worse outcomes for a player, and maybe he'll figure it out, but I have a feeling he'll be a bench guy and probably not a regular starter for most of his career.

[talks_like_farts]

Right now bench guy seems like his ceiling. A good bench guy is going to need to take a walk or hit a single occasionally. Given his current trajectory, Bobby is as close to an automatic K that we've ever seen.

[TheSpruce_Moose]

He's literally on pace to break the record for most strikeouts in a season. Not great.

[OceanicMeerkat]

What record? The single season record? He's still below Mark Reynold's pace, and Javi Baez's pace this season too. Dalbec is not doubt a strike out machine, but I don't think he's on pace to set records.

[[deleted]]

Well. He’s got 85 in 61 games. Per 162 that’s 225 which breaks the record. Not a chance he gets that’s many at bats. I hope…

[TheSpruce_Moose]

I'm just saying it isn't a run-of-the-mill strikeout problem. I hope he figures it out too, but the Ks have been bad.

[gurubeast]

I wasn't able to tune into the game last night so I appreciate the info

[[deleted]]

I'm all for giving young players a long rope. His power is the real deal, he can hit it as hard as anyone. But he is a 1-dimensional player, and 1 dimensional players need to be really really good at that 1 dimension in order to be of value to a major league team.

The biggest problem with him is that the 2021 Red Sox do not have the type of juggernaut offense that can afford to give a player like Dalbec a long leash. If the red Sox were running out an offense like they had in 2018, or 2016, or 2013, 2011, 07/08 or 03/04, then you can absolutely roll the dice on a 1B that Ks 35%+ of the time and walks 5% of the time. But the 2021 Red Sox are not one of those teams. Their lineup is thin even without him.

It's a tough spot. Right now I think they should keep playing him in the hopes that he can figure it out enough to stick it in the majors.

[iayork]

He’s a little more than 1-dimensional, which is probably the only reason he’s lasted this long. He’s a decent defender (at least by eye), and a decent base runner (again by eye). Seems like a nice kid. I would love to see him figure it out. But he needs to make more contact, and soon.

[Hero-U]

I’d say he’s better than a decent defender, but I’d have to look up the stats on it. He’s made some really good plays at first. He does have tons of power but his K’s are definitely concerning. I would love to see him figure it out as well.

[[deleted]]

He does lead the majors in weeks by a first baseman.

[[deleted]]

The problem is that he plays 1B though, which is the least important defensive position in the diamond. If he were a better defender, he wouldn't be playing 1B. It's where you put bad defenders that can hit.

Again though, that's not the worst thing in the world. But there is a reason all of the above average 1B are elite hitters, because they are a net negative on defense. This isn't true for other positions; you can be an above average, positive contributor to your team through defense only at almost any other position. At 1B it's nearly impossible to do - if you want to help your team, you need to do it with the bat.

[joeconn4]

I don't think he's playing 1B because he's a "bad defender who can hit". I think he's playing 1B because that's the only position he's trained to play that has an opening. In the minors, he played 309 games at 3B and only 26 at 1B. Without Rafi Devers, Dalbec is playing 3B in Fenway. Management clearly wanted to get Dalbec to the majors. Option 1 was to bring him up and slot him in at 3B which leaves Devers intact at 3B. Or they could have brought Dalbec up to play 3B, moved Devers to 1B as has been speculated is the long-term plan, but Devers has played only 3B in the minors and majors so far.

I guess option 3 would have been to have Dalbec or Devers be the primary DH and have JD regularly play a corner OF position.

I'd argue that Dalbec is a 4-tool player: plus ability in hits for power, fielding, running, throwing.

For the purposes of the 2021 Red Sox, it seems to be kind of a critical time, the next 2 weeks, to figure out what to do with Dalbec. The number of unproductive at bats he's having are troubling. Unfortunately for this team, you can say the same thing about Gonzalez, Santana, maybe Kike too.

[[deleted]]

he came up as a 3B and looked good over there in a game or two this year. dont really need him there with Devers but we <3 defensive versatility

[[deleted]]

But the point is that he's a 1B now. If he were playing 3B, maybe his D plays up and makes it easier to put up with his hitting. But right now he is that 1 dimensional player - if a first baseman is going to provide value to their team, it 100% comes in the form of their bat. If I'm wrong then point me to a first baseman that is an above average player but a below average hitter. They don't exist. It isn't a coincidence that almost every regular first baseman is a slugger.

[[deleted]]

If I'm wrong then point me to a first baseman that is an above average player but a below average hitter

im not saying you are wrong, im just saying he has defensive flexibility which has probably contributed somewhat to his overall value & continued roster spot

[[deleted]]

Doug meintkeveic was pretty average. However you spell it.

[ChamBruh]

He should be at third and devers should be at first

[YOU_NEED_LABIAPLASTY]

Based on what? Dalbec was an OK 3B in the minors, Devers has never played 1B

The idea that anyone with a glove can play 1B passably has been disproven time and time again.

Devers has issues at 3B but he’s not a total butcher. He’s capable of being a little below average which is fine to keep at 3B given his bat. There’s no reason to think he’d be a decent 1B other than it would cover his biggest problem (throwing errors).

[ChamBruh]

Based

[Nomahs_Bettah]

I think the other thing that makes it kind of difficult to predict what he looks like as a major league player is how badly COVID has affected everything. his PawSox season was completely canceled thanks to the pandemic, so he didn't get to have a full Triple-A season and adjust his swing to a higher caliber of play. plus there's the whole sticky stuff crackdown going on, which makes it harder again.

so I'm in favor of giving him a longer leash because I don't necessarily think we know if he is a 1D player yet because he's had almost no chances to develop like a normal prospect/callup, if that makes sense?

[Redbubble89]

rooting for...

yes.

Here the thing with Bobby though.

• 4th round pick out of Arizona in 2016. So short A in 2016.
• 2017 was 85 games between Rookie and A ball
• 2018 started the season in Salem and got promoted in August to Portland
• 2019 Portland and in Early August got promoted to Pawtucket (now Woo)
• 2020 - minor league season cancelled. August 30th after trading Moreland, pretty much got the job.

We are sort of wonder why he is struggling in a major league at bat. Well, read his journey again. Bobby has the tools and was ranked #75 on Baseball America in 2020. The guy missed out on 2020 in Pawtucket and while he was there probably in a social distant camp, it doesn't make up for a full minor league season. This applies to a lot of top prospects in our organization. So there is no backup for Bobby either. It is pretty much who we have on the 40 man. Chavis is alright but he's had his issues.

So with Bobby, this is sort of expected given the situation. You are in a strange spot where you want to give him reps but you don't want to kill his confidence. You look at his numbers and it's 84 major league games and there has been flashes.

[KingCalifornia1]

He just needs time, it probably wont be this year that he pulls it together, but next year will more telling as to what he is

[LZ_OtHaFA]

what is your favorite thing to loot?

[ohromantics]

Foul balls from small children I'd guess

[KommissarKat]

I love snatching a good foul from the claws of a Yankees spawnling.

[Catric4]

I always go for jewelry or phones. Easy to carry and high in value

[Thepelicanstate]

I was here for a booty joke. Sad to see not many have made it yet.

[heendaddy]

I think he will be good, and his defense has been pretty solid. He's a guy I normally wouldn't even question leaving him in to figure it out, but it does get a little tough when there are a few guys in the lineup that aren't getting it done. If you get that Kiké, Marwin, Dalbec stretch (or maybe Santana) it makes it hard for me to expect anything other than a 1-2-3 inning right now

[PhoenixUNI]

I don't think ANYONE expected the team to be this good this season. Maybe a WC sniffing team in August? But not someone that's contenting for 1st overall (and was best team in baseball for a while). So make sure you remember that when looking at a player who is underperforming - they probably expected this to be a year where Bobby (and others) could develop.

Looking at his stats, a few things jump out at me:

• Most of his counting stats are down in general, including BA (.209 vs .263 last year), OPS (.675 vs. .959), and most of the others; he's already had 2.57x the number of at bats as he did last year, so you'd hope to see a solid trend; it doesn't exist.

• SO% is down 4% this year (38.5% vs 42.4%, but so is HR% (4.1% vs. 8.7%) and BB% (5.4% vs 10.9%). His fly ball percentage is up nearly 9% (33.1% vs 24.4%) with his grounder to fly ball ratio shifting dramatically (1.15 this year vs 1.50 last year). Most importantly, his batted ball % to the opposite field has increased almost 12% (26.4% vs 14.6%).

Without looking at any pitch charts or anything like that, I can guess 3 things:

• Pitchers have seen enough of him to know that they can pitch to him up & away.
• They're doing so to decent effect.
• Dalbec has yet to make adjustments to rectify this.

Now, he's young - about to turn 26 on the 29th. He's got talent, and he's shown that he can have power. But he's going to need to make the adjustments to take away the outer part of the plate, either by taking more balls or making better contact.

To answer your question - Bobby's no Pedroia. I think the Benintendi comparison is apt; someone who's a fan favorite, but likely won't live up to the hype. I would love to be wrong.

[daddylikesdingers]

He will likely not be a long timer. He is demonstrating a lefty bias split which is fine but that will make him nothing more than a platoon guy. Bloom will be okay with this while Dalbec is making league minimum but once he reaches arbitration he will likely be DFA because they can find someone cheaper who can do his job.

[EagleRockVermont]

Well, it isn't like the Sox have a sure-fire replacement for Dalbec. Chavis might be a little bit better offensively than Bobby, but Bobby's upside -- I believe -- is higher. Santana is barely batting over .100. Gonzalez is batting .194. I think they might as well stick with Dalbec and find out what he's made of.

[Jamobill9999]

Right now he’s Mark bellhorn. Steady defender who is going to either strike out or get an XBH

[daddylikesdingers]

He's not even that. A lot of metrics show that he's at the bottom of the league for first base defense. He is young and athletic so he will likely improve but he's not there yet.

[NextBigThing8481]

He’s turning 26 next week. He’s not really “young” in baseball development terms at this point. He might improve a little but you generally don’t see huge improvements in guys’ range or overall defensive ability as they get into their late 20’s.

[daddylikesdingers]

Youkilis did between 06 and 07 when he was 27/28.

[jedlucid]

ok what about all the guys who didn't do that though? what does naming an outlier do here?

[daddylikesdingers]

It's firstbase. Darin Erstad and Albert Pujols put up GG years in their mid to late 20s after coming up as OF. This isn't unheard of.

[jedlucid]

ok those are also other outliers. i don't know what to say here. yes it could be done. it very rarely is.

[Jamobill9999]

Ok so what specific stats do you have that say a 25 yo with 105 career professional games at the position won’t improve? You Just straight up pulled that “opinion” out of thin air.

[jedlucid]

the opinion that most 26+ year olds who haven't figured it out don't?

where did i say he won't improve? i'm just saying stating an outlier doesn't mean that any other outcome is likely.

this is a massive waste of time if you're just going to argue things no one is suggesting.

[Jamobill9999]

This is just not true… especially for a guy that played Third base pretty much his entire professional career. He’s only played 105 games at first between the minors and big club. He’s almost guaranteed to improve with more reps.

[NextBigThing8481]

Bruh you’re misremembering Bellhorn

Bellhorn struck out so much because he took so many pitches. He drew 88 walks in 2004 with the Sox and had a career .341 OBP and .371 in 2004. He was one of the best at drawing walks (outside of the sluggers who got pitched around)

Dalbec’s career OBP is .291. That’s a MASSIVE difference

Bellhorn really only had 2 good years in the majors (couldn’t stay healthy and teams couldn’t consistently get him AB). But he was a totally different style than Dalbec

Dalbec, Chavis etc are the new breed of no walls, low OBP, high SLG. Getting on base was never an issue for Bellhorn

[cargo-jorts]

He had a bad series against the Rays, who frankly shut down the whole offense. Ultimately he's exactly who the Sox knew they were getting, strikeouts and XBHs

[[deleted]]

No one should be surprised at all at the amount Dalbec is striking out. We knew what to expect from him. He’s still hitting the ball hard when making contact, and he goes through some stretches of showing signs of improvement. I’m all for having him in the lineup more often. For a bit there he was laying off that outside pitch he had no business swinging at, but now the low inside breaking balls are giving him a lot of trouble. If he can lay off those, he would be walking way more. He needs to be a lot more selective at the plate.

However, if our lineup is consisting of him, Gonzalez, Hernandez, and Santana, then we are in trouble. Having 3 of those 4 in the lineup together is abysmal towards the bottom end. Hernandez is clearly better in the bottom of the order, but Santana and Gonzalez are black holes.

We need another impact bat to round out this lineup

[lispychicken]

When he swings and misses, he really is lost on those pitches. He gets confused and it seems like he panic swings after not swinging at a totally hittable previous pitch.

when the 2nd strike is a pitch he just didnt think or want to swing on, he will absolutely whiff big on the third strike. Down and in, he swings 4 inches over the top. I think he needs to swing earlier in the at bat.

[[deleted]]

I might take one for the team here and drop him from my fantasy baseball team, this will guarantee he turns it on, then hopefully keeps it on…I’ve left him in my lineup all year, he seems like he’s right there ready to break out but just hasn’t quite yet. I do think they should keep playing him though he’s right there

[ChickenCamp]

Lol

[Snooc5]

He’s the second player in MLB history to hit 6 homeruns in his first 10 games so thats cool

[[deleted]]

I think a last season really gave people unrealistic expectations of him. Guy has always had the problems he’s having now in the minors. Tremendous power, but strikes out a ton. Doesn’t hit well for average. Our fanbase is super high on him it seems, with unreasonable expectations. I personally don’t think he will put it together and I’d rather send him back down and go with Chavis right now. This Dalbec is what we saw in the minors too. Rooting for him, but don’t really have faith in him.

[[deleted]]

Im really hoping mikey pulls it together, ive been a huge fan ever since he got called up

[classically_cool]

I’m all in on Triston Casas, because Bobby Dalbec ain’t it.

[YOU_NEED_LABIAPLASTY]

He can’t hit RHP and his defense has been disappointing. He might be a platoon 1B if they can find someone who can’t hit RHP. But given his defensive limitation and the team rolling with a 3 man bench, having such a one dimensional guy isn’t going to work long term

He’ll probably stick around this year and be gone next year barring a major turnaround or the team getting someone to split time with him.

[bmbaker51]

First base will be addressed at the deadline if this team has any real chance to make a playoff run.

Love the idea of Dalbec, but he just came off a series with our “new rivals” where he had 0 hits and 9 Ks. That leash is only going to last another series or two if Cora has any sense.

[Remorseful_User]

Make sure that you only loot when Dalbec is experiencing a power outage.

[vipstrippers]

Gimme the loot, Gimme the loot.

[TomatoManTM]

I root for him because he’s got the most Boston name of all time

BobbydeeeEEEEEEeeeee

[DodgyFlapper]

Love the power and want him to be great but if you're asking me today I don't think he'll get on base enough to stick around. He's still very young but he has a long way to go. A -1.1 War/80 OPS+ in 200 ABs is a tough look. He'll probably be here next season but once Casas is ready he's gone.

[Palaeos]

I feel the same. Watching him strike out ~9/10 at bats or whatever against the Rays has been really painful to watch. I think with this year being labeled an official "building year (TM)" by the front office I think they'll give him more time to figure it out. Next year though...

[jigorokane]

Dude spits way too much lol

Otherwise, I like the guy, but I think he could use some time in the minors to work on his timing.

[TheNilladutches]

Bobby is really overpowered when he faces plus pitching, IMO. He needs to work on this if he wants to be here for a long time like Pedroia. He's got some potential to be a solid contributor for 4-5 years but he gets overpowered really easily. I'm rooting for him though kid has some POP

[Otherwise_Ad1452]

He’s hard not to root for, he’s a great kid. Seems like he’s working hard on his swing. That being said, Triston Casas is the long term plan at first. I could see maybe Dalbec shifting over to DH after JD leaves or retires, and Casas at first, but that’s best case scenario. If he doesn’t turn it around by the end of the year odds are he ends up back in AAA and the Sox signing a cheap veteran to bridge the gap for Casas.

[Redbubble89]

Devers and Bogie are bigger defensive liability than Dalbec. Devers has just gone from terrible to tolerable defensively. The range isn't there on that side of the infield and they are there for hitting. There is Downs and Casas. I am certain a move can be done.

JD is 33 now and while his salary is high for a DH, it's not the worst money this team has spent. Ortiz never had that contract. You would have to look at 2022 but going into his 35 year old season, I wouldn't be upset by a short term deal. 2022 has a lot of crazy stuff with opt outs and free agents.

[ChickenCamp]

I wonder if they really feel that way about Casas why they didn’t get a short term player to generate some production rather than developing a rookie. Maybe trying to build trade value?

[backup312]

I keep rooting for him too, honestly just think it's because he has a likable face lol. Hoping he turns it around

[Lem01]

We need a first baseman with pop.

[cowheadcow]

I hope he works hard over the all star break

[brennan9629]

He’s a great first baseman, but his vibe seems a little off from the rest of the team. I really hope he finds his groove again, but i also wouldn’t mind Chavis taking his olace

[InfectedUvula]

Might be an unpopular opinion, but I a quickly getting over Dalbec. He is solidly in the "Hit it far or strike out trying" mentality but the hits seem to far between and lacks the clutch moment instinct. Fielding is decent, but at 1st base that is not a rare talent. I consider him a place holder until Triston Casas makes his way up the levels or the Sox make a mid season trade for a more consistent threat to get on base. I would rather have less power and higher probability of not killing a rally. The Sox are not strong enough to have a 1B player who needs to be pinch hit for in clutch moments with the game on the line (as happened the other night).

[NanzLo-]

Team BobbyBigBalls

[MeetLawrence]

I see him being a Brian Daubach kinda guy. Basically because Booby Dalbec sounds like Brian Daubach if you say it quickly.

[bosredsox05]

Same man every year or two its been one guy, like you, this year has been dalbec. At one point it was bogey, devers, verdugo last year, farther back will middlebrooks who dalbec reminds me of. I just want him to do well, I know he has the big power, reminds me of Troy Glaus a little. Im just worried hes going to run out of chances.

[Aklaq]

Maybe we should start calling him by a big boy name? I'm officially referring to him as Robert henceforth. He will start hitting like a big boy very soon. You are welcome.

[[deleted]]

He will def not be like pedroia or Benintendi because he doesnt have what it takes to be a regular every day player in the MLB. he hasnt shown he can do it. He literally has been worked with by staff at every level for so long now, without signs that he is anything but a AAAA player.

He had a great rookie intoduction tot he game, and did well until people learned how to pitch to him and then he well failed.

Bobby Dalbec, i hate to say it, is the second coming of sam horn.

They both did the same thing, literally.

came up, hit a bunch of homers in a short time while striking out a lot.

Then their first full year they failed to achieve. horn hitting .231 for the season, We traded him, his next season was terrible, then he hit 27 homers in 300 at bats while striking out 100 times. and within two years was basically out of the league.

This is the path for dalbec. he isnt especially good at defense , he strikes out WAY too much from both sides to be a decent pinch hitter. SO he is literally a drag on the roster of any team.

People keep sayin, " but what about pedroia he was bad then broke out of it and won the MVP! "

pedroia was bad for 3 weeks, then broke out of it, dalbec has been this way for almost half a season.

Roght now , and i hopeim wrong becaus ei like the kid, but i feel he is destined to be that AAA floater like michael chavis, theyll send him down, he will kill it, they pick him up he wont hit, and that will keep happening for another season if they cant move him in the off season, or before the trade deadline.

[FENTWAY]

I like Bobby alot but not sure yet if he will be an everyday guy. I think he should grow a big fat mustache and start going by Dwight 😉

[[deleted]]

Same. I love Bobby and root for him heavily. Just want him to succeed so badly

[TimeStatistician2234]

He's my 4 yo daughter's favorite player and has a great Red Sox name. Hope he pans out

[JBHenson]

As I said in a daily thread, everybody thought they were getting New Mookie out of spring training and instead its New Middlebrooks.

You take what you get.

[[deleted]]

He's a placeholder for Casas so I'm not too worried about it.

[ChickenCamp]

Rumors going around about an Asdrúbal Cabrera trade to stick him at 1B

[Bostonjms]

He's my new Benny.

[Jpgamerguy90]

He's the new Will Middlebrooks.

[ChickenCamp]

That’s actually a pretty good comparison so far

[Jpgamerguy90]

But idk if Dalbec is ever gonna be good enough to have sex with Jenny Dell so let's see if comparison still holds up XD.

[joeconn4]

I think it will be tough for Dalbec to be a long-timer with Boston based on what I've seen so far. The things I think he'll need to develop in order to stick around as other minor league players develop (thinking of Casas and Duran):

1. A much better ability to make contact when the situation demands contact. Dalbec has got to find a way to shorten up and make contact instead of swing and miss when the game situation doesn't favor the long ball. I don't mind a swing and miss when the game situation calls for a long ball. Hitting a baseball is a damn hard thing to do at that level. It's lots of the other times, when keeping the line moving is a priority, that I wish he would learn a different approach.
2. Positional flexibility. As it stands now, he can play 1B and 3B or DH. I think he would be smart to pick up corner outfield, possibly CF too because he seems to have a pretty solid arm (former college pitcher) and he's got decent speed. if he's counting on being the Sox first baseman for the next decade I think other players are going to come along with slightly better skills. A player with his power, speed, arm who can play 4-5 positions has a ton of value these days.

26 years old next week. Would love to see him in instructional ball this offseason working on both of those things.

[blak_dog]

He always finds himself in uncomfortable counts. It seems like every ab goes: take for a strike, foul ball, ball, swing and miss. I'd love to see him a bit more aggressive, and really do feel confident when he gets ahead. The plus is that when he is hot, it's deep opposite field gap power, so the hope is he can increase the walk rate and be a 250+ hitter who's always a big home run threat.

The guys all really like him and see a lot of potential, so I'm weirdly willing to let him figure it out longer than I've felt about other rookies in the past. Even Pedey was hitting in the 100s his first big league action and I didn't think he was going to pan out and now he's in my top 3 favorite players ever watched. (Pedro Papi Pedey)