The Crimson Sox are heading into the house stretch, and with roughly six weeks to play within the common season it ought to be an thrilling race to the end.
How are followers feeling main into the playoff chase, and what issues do individuals nonetheless have? We reply your questions in at present’s Crimson Sox mailbag.
With Abraham Toro’s manufacturing falling off currently, who within the farm system would you most prefer to see turn into the fitting handed facet of the platoon with Romy Gonzalez? — CJ D.
This gained’t be a really satisfying response, however the reply is no person. Undergo the WooSox roster and also you’ll see why.
Kristian Campbell? Bats right-handed. Jhostynxon Garcia? Bats right-handed. Vaughn Grissom? Bats right-handed.
Of the left-handed hitters on the WooSox who might step in in opposition to large league righties, the one viable choices for a call-up are David Hamilton and Nick Sogard. Hamilton most likely ought to be on the large league membership as a bench piece, however offensively he hasn’t been almost as productive as Toro, even accounting for Toro’s latest struggles. Possibly you could possibly make a case for Sogard — he’s additionally a switch-hitter, so he has that going for him — however he wouldn’t be a big improve.
The most effective answer could be getting Marcelo Mayer again from harm, however in any other case sticking with the established order is perhaps the best way to go. The opposite factor to think about is that even when Gonzalez hasn’t been a monster in opposition to righties the best way he’s been in opposition to lefties, he’s nonetheless been respectable. As of this writing he’s batting .255 with a .709 OPS in opposition to righties. You’ll take that.
Possibly the strategy then shouldn’t be to platoon Gonzalez, however to make use of him as an on a regular basis participant and transfer him round the best way the membership has with Ceddanne Rafaela. A technique to do this is perhaps to go along with an outfield of Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu, Rafaela at second and Gonzalez at first in opposition to righties, and in opposition to lefties go along with Anthony, Rafaela and Rob Refsnyder within the outfield, use Gonzalez at second after which have a right-handed hitter play first base.
Maybe that’s how the membership might get Campbell or Garcia into the fold? It’ll be attention-grabbing to see if the Crimson Sox go for that route as soon as the calendar turns to September.
Is The Password going to get known as as much as Boston earlier than Kristian Campbell will get known as again up for a second time? — @backtofoulke
So that is an attention-grabbing query. If the Crimson Sox needed to name up both Campbell or Garcia, who’d get the nod first?
Placing apart roster-construction questions, each have been hitting the ball effectively currently.
Campbell took a short while to get going after his demotion, however in his first 23 video games out of the All-Star break he batted .349 with 5 residence runs, 15 RBI and a .998 OPS. He’s additionally began 14 of these video games at first base, greater than some other participant on the WooSox over that stretch.
Garcia, in the meantime, has been a monster since he was promoted to the WooSox from Double-A. In his first 62 video games because the call-up, he batted .300 with 17 residence runs, 50 RBI and a .941 OPS, and over the identical 23-game span because the All-Star break he’s batted .312 with eight homers, 24 RBI and a .999 OPS. Garcia hasn’t appeared in a sport at first base but, however he has gotten some work on the place pregame.
There’s a giant hole between Triple-A and the majors so individuals ought to take these numbers with a grain of salt, however clearly their latest efficiency has been extremely encouraging.
When it comes to different elements, each are already on the 40-man roster so the Crimson Sox wouldn’t have to fret about designating anybody for project to clear area for them. The membership additionally doesn’t want to fret about service time. Campbell already has a long-term extension and we’re late sufficient within the season that Garcia would nonetheless qualify as a rookie subsequent yr even when he had been known as up now.
So who has the sting? My instinct is Garcia, the reason is that once I requested Alex Cora on Friday what sort of reviews he’s been getting on Campbell, his response was fairly muted.
“He’s producing, however there’s nonetheless work to do down there,” Cora mentioned.
Not precisely a ringing endorsement.
Ought to we count on any extra bullpen assist from the farm? Particularly gamers who haven’t appeared but this season for Boston? — @finleycordain
I believe there’s a nice likelihood we’ll see right-hander David Sandlin sooner or later in September. Boston’s No. 10 ranked prospect in response to MLB Pipeline was not too long ago promoted to Triple-A and after one profitable begin was shifted from the rotation to the bullpen in preparation for a attainable large league call-up.
Fellow pitching prospects and left-handers Payton Tolle (ranked No. 2 by MLB Pipeline) and Connelly Early (No. 6) had been additionally not too long ago promoted to Triple-A and will doubtlessly issue into the equation as effectively.
Sandlin is uniquely effectively suited to the position as a result of whereas he’s been efficient as a starter, his high-90s fastball and arduous slider combo might actually play out of the bullpen. He’s additionally a lock to be added to the 40-man roster this winter forward of the Rule 5 Draft, so there wouldn’t be any hurt in including him two months early.
Early and Tolle, by comparability, are usually not Rule 5 eligible but so the membership may want to carry off on including them to the 40-man till subsequent yr.
If Sandlin had been to make his debut in September or later and make an affect within the playoffs, it will be a outstanding flip of occasions, but additionally one which has turn into extra frequent in recent times. Simply final yr the Tigers known as up prime pitching prospect Jackson Jobe through the closing week of the season to assist the membership full its inconceivable late-season run, and in 2020 future Tampa Bay Rays ace Shane McClanahan turn into one among a small handful of gamers to make their MLB debut through the playoffs.
Crimson Sox followers of a sure age may also keep in mind one other notable instance of a promising participant arising and making an affect within the playoffs. David Worth, who earlier than profitable a championship with the Crimson Sox was chosen No. 1 general by the Rays within the 2007 MLB Draft, debuted barely a yr later in September 2008. He wound up being the distinction when he recorded the save within the Rays’ Sport 7 ALCS win over the Crimson Sox that October.
Do you assume Roman Anthony’s contract is justified regardless of him solely enjoying 50 video games? And is he a sucker for not going yr to yr and ready till he will get to arbitration age? Mookie Betts was an ideal instance, have a look at him now. — Terry C.
I believe Anthony’s eight-year, $130 million deal is a large win for each side. The Crimson Sox clearly get to lock up their newest homegrown star for primarily the following decade, and Anthony will make considerably extra money within the early years of his profession than he would have in any other case and is assured long-term job and monetary safety.
Is Anthony doubtlessly leaving cash on the desk by not betting on himself and making an attempt to achieve free company sooner? That’s a chance. Clearly it labored out effectively for Betts, and Juan Soto turned down a greater than $400 million supply and wound up touchdown almost double that. However Anthony can also be uniquely positioned to profit from a deal like this, as a result of since he’s nonetheless solely 21 he can signal an eight-year extension and nonetheless hit free company at age 30, when most gamers sometimes hit the open market.
So if Anthony develops into the kind of famous person everybody expects, he’s going to receives a commission. However the excellent news for him, the Crimson Sox and everybody in New England, no person has to fret about that for an extended, very long time.
Any likelihood the Crimson Sox may look to signal Nathaniel Lowe to play first base? — Davis S.
Nathaniel Lowe being designated for project by the Nationals this week instantly raised eyebrows, as a result of on paper he would appear an apparent match.
Lowe is a left-handed hitting first baseman who has gained a Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger and a World Sequence championship. When it comes to the roster match he might seamlessly slot into Abraham Toro’s spot and kind a primary base platoon with Gonzalez, primarily making him one other attainable reply to the above reader’s query.
However whereas the thought of Lowe sounds nice, the truth is he was lower free by the Nationals for a cause.
Lowe has had a horrible season, batting .216 with 16 residence runs, 68 RBI and a .668 OPS. His strikeout fee is up, his stroll fee is down and his -0.4 wins above alternative mark is way beneath his typical degree of manufacturing. He’s additionally unplayable in opposition to lefties, and whereas he’s hit 14 homers in opposition to righties this season, his batting common (.235) and OPS (.732) in opposition to righties aren’t meaningfully higher than Gonzalez or Toro, each of whom additionally present extra positional versatility.
I suppose something is feasible, however at this stage within the season I’d lean in the direction of no.
The Braves and Reds performed at a racetrack this yr. What could be an attention-grabbing novel place for the Sox to play? — Shawn H.
This might be a logistical nightmare to tug off, however I’ve at all times thought it will be superior if MLB performed a Midnight Solar sport in Alaska.
For many who aren’t acquainted, the Midnight Solar sport is a convention that dates again a long time the place native novice groups will make the most of the 24 hours of daylight Alaska will get across the summer season solstice and begin a sport near midnight. The sport is historically performed on or round June 21 at Growden Memorial Park in Fairbanks and can begin at 10:30 p.m., final till somewhat after 1 a.m., and be performed fully in daylight with no synthetic lighting.
Increasing the idea to MLB clearly would have numerous issues, and provided that Fairbanks is 4 hours behind Jap Normal Time there’s most likely no possible method the Crimson Sox might take part. Any MLB model of the sport would want to start out at round 10:30 p.m. Pacific Time (9:30 p.m. native) and have a pair of west coast groups, most likely the Mariners and Dodgers. In any other case followers must keep up all evening to observe.
But when the league might pull it off, the visible could be wonderful.
So far as New England-based areas go, I keep in mind after the NHL performed their out of doors video games on Lake Tahoe through the pandemic pondering it will be cool in the event that they did one thing related with the Bruins and Canadiens on the Mount Washington Lodge in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. So why not the Crimson Sox then? Think about that backdrop of the Presidential Vary looming within the distance past the outfield wall?
I don’t assume there’s a greater view on the east coast, so if we’re speaking wildly inconceivable sport areas, that may be my dream.
