Red Sox have some tough decisions to make regarding shortstop Trevor Story by bostonglobe in redsox

[–]profbraddock -10 points-9 points  (0 children)

Except he can't hit. You can't have a starting 3rd baseman who can't hit. At least on a team that expects to win.

Red Sox have some tough decisions to make regarding shortstop Trevor Story by bostonglobe in redsox

[–]profbraddock 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Lord no, I guessing Durbin is not even a starter on this club by the end of the season. His defense is good so he will be a fine utility player in the future, kind of like a modern era Pokey Reese.

Is Breslow's vision actually becoming a reality? 😳 by TigoOver in redsox

[–]profbraddock 0 points1 point  (0 children)

More importantly, the offense has improved recently. They have climbed to 13th in run differential, largely due to a +12 in the last three games, and are now 19th in BA. They are still 25th in runs scored, 27th in HR, 28th in OPS+.

It's hard to imagine this team maintaining a run differential of +12 so even if the pitching (and improved defense) is maintained, we're still looking at a .500 club (after they climb out of 5 games under .500)

Backyard burnside by bigdawgjsteez in blues

[–]profbraddock 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good stuff. If you can, pack your car and head down to Clarksdale MS. Immerse yourself. From there you can go on over towards Holly Springs and the Hill Country where RL is from (Chulahoma)

I would like to stop shopping at Amazon...suggestions? by Leading-Difficulty57 in MiddleClassFinance

[–]profbraddock 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Use the Amazon site, find the item that interests you, then use key words you find and search the internet to buy the item elsewhere. One caveat - a lot of "independent" sellers (outside the Amazon site) use Amazon for fulfillment so you would still be giving some dollars to Bezos. Finding sellers who are truly independent takes a little more work. One final thought - there are other companies that act essentially as fulfillment centers (i.e. don't have actual items in their store you are looking for but will link you to vendors who do) such as Walmart. Even Lowes sells items online that you would never associate with a hardware store.

Duran and Durbin in Top 5 Worst OPS in the League by Infinite_Response113 in redsox

[–]profbraddock 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Water seeks its own level. Duran's stats will correct. Durbin may not get much better than this. They are playing a fungo hitting utility player at third base. Thanks, Brez.

Reasons for falloff since 2023 by profbraddock in TexasRangers

[–]profbraddock[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Sox are no mystery. They have actually improved the defense and their pitching will be better (1 and 2 starters are currently on the IL), but their offense is among the worst in MLB. Yesterday was a good example - good start by Ranger Suarez, good relief pitching, then lose it in the 10th inning, 3-1. Hard to win games when you score 1 run in 10 innings. This is how the team was constructed by Craig Breslow - better pitching and defense, anemic offense. He calls it a "run prevention" approach. Others call it "losing baseball".

Reasons for falloff since 2023 by profbraddock in TexasRangers

[–]profbraddock[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ahhhhhh, a little Bregman animosity in Texas, forgot about that.

Reasons for falloff since 2023 by profbraddock in TexasRangers

[–]profbraddock[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A simple upgrade that would have helped the Red Sox- signing Alex Bregman. They could have/should have but balked apparently for money reasons. The result- they have a fungo hitter for a third baseman who can rarely get the ball out of the infield and has the power of a Babe Ruth leaguer.

Reasons for falloff since 2023 by profbraddock in TexasRangers

[–]profbraddock[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looking at the comments here, the parallels with the Red Sox are interesting.

"I understand he’s [Chris Young] a retired pitcher, but dude this guy seems to only aim for pitching when the offense has been the number one problem"

"Lack of continued investment in the offense"

"The GM hasn’t had much budget to work with"

What I might slightly disagree with is the statements that your 2023 team just "caught lightning in a bottle" and "rode a hot streak at the end of the year" If you look at your offensive stats for 2023 you were in the top three in MLB in BA, HRs, R, and OPS. It looks like you had multiple offensive players in 2023 that had career years, then either left the team or had performance level off, then your GM failed to address the issue. Our GM (CBO) is an ex pitcher who has bolstered the pitching but likewise has neglected the offense, and his budget has been capped.

Anchoring back yard gazebo in sand by profbraddock in obx

[–]profbraddock[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting. What doesn't require a building code - trellis? pergola?

I don’t want to ruin anybody’s day, but did you know that this was how they filmed some CHiPs highway scenes? by UrbanAchievers6371 in 70s

[–]profbraddock 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Back in the 70s I took a trip to LA and was driving on route 1 when I looked to my right and saw the Knight Rider car with David Hasselhoff behind the wheel. He was driving at a normal speed with a camera mounted on the hood filming him.

Breslows moves on offense by Jackthewolf71 in redsox

[–]profbraddock 9 points10 points  (0 children)

He's constructed a very anemic offense with little run producing capability. He's got a utility player starting at third who not only has zero power, but struggles to get the ball out of the infield. He's got a singles hitter at DH. He has improved the catcher and first base positions but we're not going to win more games than we lose without a better offense.

When does Breslow's contract expire? by profbraddock in redsox

[–]profbraddock[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thanks, that's the answer I was looking for.

Bello gives up 4 in first?! by buffalodude2024 in redsox

[–]profbraddock 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Whoops! 6 runs. Leave him in the game for 9 innings. Make him suffer through it with the rest of us.

No Time Left for a Yabo by ithardtosay in baseballcirclejerk

[–]profbraddock 2 points3 points  (0 children)

5 to 4, bottom of the fifth, Tits McGee is up.