Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 2:32 PM EST
Have you guys seen this article by Abraham ???
He says we have Mike Napoli (1B), Dustin Pedroia (2B), Stephen Drew (SS), Will Middlebrooks (3B).
and are in trouble if one gets injured.
Oritz and Mauro Gomez can play first and what about Ciriaco, Iglesias & Holt ??? Do we still need more ???
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 2:38 PM EST
Napoli, Drew, and WMB (just because he had season ending surgery for broken wrist last season) are injury concerns. And yes we are in trouble if our infield consists of Holt, Ciriaco, Pedey and Gomez.
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 2:48 PM EST
In response to seannybboi's comment:
Napoli, Drew, and WMB (just because he had season ending surgery for broken wrist last season) are injury concerns. And yes we are in trouble if our infield consists of Holt, Ciriaco, Pedey and Gomez.
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 3:04 PM EST
Wondering who the team is who has really good players as backup infielders ...
I am great with Ciriaco as our utility guy. Big upgrade from Punto.
And Gomez could be this year's WMB if Napoli's hip goes south.
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 4:22 PM EST
In response to moonslav59's comment:
In response to seannybboi's comment:
Napoli, Drew, and WMB (just because he had season ending surgery for broken wrist last season) are injury concerns. And yes we are in trouble if our infield consists of Holt, Ciriaco, Pedey and Gomez.
Those guys are not any worse than the average MLB team's IF depth.
???????? as regulars???? I was saying we are in trouble if Hold, Ciriaco, Pedey and Gomez are our regulars because Naps, Drew, and WMB are injury concerns... c'mon Pedey not a depth player...
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 4:44 PM EST
In response to seannybboi's comment:
In response to moonslav59's comment:
In response to seannybboi's comment:
Napoli, Drew, and WMB (just because he had season ending surgery for broken wrist last season) are injury concerns. And yes we are in trouble if our infield consists of Holt, Ciriaco, Pedey and Gomez.
Those guys are not any worse than the average MLB team's IF depth.
???????? as regulars???? I was saying we are in trouble if Hold, Ciriaco, Pedey and Gomez are our regulars because Naps, Drew, and WMB are injury concerns... c'mon Pedey not a depth player...
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 4:44 PM EST
In response to seannybboi's comment:
In response to moonslav59's comment:
In response to seannybboi's comment:
Napoli, Drew, and WMB (just because he had season ending surgery for broken wrist last season) are injury concerns. And yes we are in trouble if our infield consists of Holt, Ciriaco, Pedey and Gomez.
Those guys are not any worse than the average MLB team's IF depth.
???????? as regulars???? I was saying we are in trouble if Hold, Ciriaco, Pedey and Gomez are our regulars because Naps, Drew, and WMB are injury concerns... c'mon Pedey not a depth player...
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 4:50 PM EST
In response to Alibiike's comment:
In response to seannybboi's comment:
In response to moonslav59's comment:
In response to seannybboi's comment:
Napoli, Drew, and WMB (just because he had season ending surgery for broken wrist last season) are injury concerns. And yes we are in trouble if our infield consists of Holt, Ciriaco, Pedey and Gomez.
Those guys are not any worse than the average MLB team's IF depth.
???????? as regulars???? I was saying we are in trouble if Hold, Ciriaco, Pedey and Gomez are our regulars because Naps, Drew, and WMB are injury concerns... c'mon Pedey not a depth player...
Where is Bill Hall when u need him?
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 4:51 PM EST
In response to SFBostonFan's comment:
Have you guys seen this article by Abraham ???
He says we have Mike Napoli (1B), Dustin Pedroia (2B), Stephen Drew (SS), Will Middlebrooks (3B).
and are in trouble if one gets injured.
Oritz and Mauro Gomez can play first and what about Ciriaco, Iglesias & Holt ??? Do we still need more ???
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 5:05 PM EST
In response to SonicsMonksLyresVicars' comment:
In response to SFBostonFan's comment:
Have you guys seen this article by Abraham ???
He says we have Mike Napoli (1B), Dustin Pedroia (2B), Stephen Drew (SS), Will Middlebrooks (3B).
and are in trouble if one gets injured.
Oritz and Mauro Gomez can play first and what about Ciriaco, Iglesias & Holt ??? Do we still need more ???
Gomez and Ciriaco are AAAA players, the former a disaster at 3rd and not much better at 1st . Iggy has not proven he can hit well enough to be a full time player. Holt has 72 MLB PAs. That's pretty weak. It'd be nice to have a decent, veteran UIF.
Ciriaco is not Iggy. Ciriaco is no wizard on D, but also serviceable, and his bat is decent and "timely" too. Pedro "Yankee Killa" Ciriaco. I would personally rather have him as our UIF than "decent, veteran" Nick Punto.
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 5:22 PM EST
In response to SpacemanEephus' comment:
Gomez and Ciriaco are AAAA players, the former a disaster at 3rd and not much better at 1st . Iggy has not proven he can hit well enough to be a full time player. Holt has 72 MLB PAs. That's pretty weak. It'd be nice to have a decent, veteran UIF.
Gomez is serviceable at first and a potentially big bat.
Ciriaco is not Iggy. Ciriaco is no wizard on D, but also serviceable, and his bat is decent and "timely" too. Pedro "Yankee Killa" Ciriaco. I would personally rather have him as our UIF than "decent, veteran" Nick Punto.
BTW, Punto OPS for the Dodgers in 2012 was also .705.
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 5:34 PM EST
In response to SonicsMonksLyresVicars' comment:
In response to SpacemanEephus' comment:
Gomez and Ciriaco are AAAA players, the former a disaster at 3rd and not much better at 1st . Iggy has not proven he can hit well enough to be a full time player. Holt has 72 MLB PAs. That's pretty weak. It'd be nice to have a decent, veteran UIF.
Gomez is serviceable at first and a potentially big bat.
Ciriaco is not Iggy. Ciriaco is no wizard on D, but also serviceable, and his bat is decent and "timely" too. Pedro "Yankee Killa" Ciriaco. I would personally rather have him as our UIF than "decent, veteran" Nick Punto.
If you are referring to the 2012, 34-year old Nick Punto, I agree, though I don't think even Ciriaco's modest 2012 of .705 OPS will be sustained. Certainly the 2011 Punto and several other of his seasons far exceeded anything Ciriaco is likely to do.
BTW, Punto OPS for the Dodgers in 2012 was also .705.
_________________________________
No disrespect to Nick Punto Sonics. My point is that rare is the roster that has starter talent in backup infielders. The Sox had something like that maybe when they had Jed Lowrie in his fleeting moments of health. But generally you are going to get Punto or Ciriaco and their swollen .705 OPS's. Punto had some quality years, but the reason he signed with the Sox as a back-up is because hisbrief starter days were long behind him. Ciriaco hooked on with the Sox because the Pirates deemed him an easily expendable prospect who probably wasn't going to get a shot with the big club. More or less six of one and half dozen of another.
I understand if you mean that, of the mediocre pool you get for a UIF, you would rather have veteran presence. I like veteran presence. But i also like youthful energy (Ciriaco). But at the end of the day, there aren't really going to be options that make one go YEAHHH!!!! at UIF and backup 1B.
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 6:02 PM EST
In response to SpacemanEephus' comment:
_________________________________
No disrespect to Nick Punto Sonics. My point is that rare is the roster that has starter talent in backup infielders. The Sox had something like that maybe when they had Jed Lowrie in his fleeting moments of health. But generally you are going to get Punto or Ciriaco and their swollen .705 OPS's. Punto had some quality years, but the reason he signed with the Sox as a back-up is because hisbrief starter days were long behind him. Ciriaco hooked on with the Sox because the Pirates deemed him an easily expendable prospect who probably wasn't going to get a shot with the big club. More or less six of one and half dozen of another.
I understand if you mean that, of the mediocre pool you get for a UIF, you would rather have veteran presence. I like veteran presence. But i also like youthful energy (Ciriaco). But at the end of the day, there aren't really going to be options that make one go YEAHHH!!!! at UIF and backup 1B.
It's hard to find a good sub. Young with potential? Gotta play them at AAA and not rot on the bench. Old former starter? Possibly too pricey, still wants to start and losing their legs Middle aged sub? Never good enough to start so how good can they be?
I wish we could have kept Aviles and had him happy to go back to the bench. Ex-starter Punto was a really good sub for a few years, as was late bloomer Scutaro before he forced his way into starting lineups.
There's something I like about Ciriaco, lots of things actually....but I don't think he's a good enough fielder or hitter to add any value. I hope I'm wrong.
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 6:05 PM EST
In response to seannybboi's comment:
In response to moonslav59's comment:
In response to seannybboi's comment:
Napoli, Drew, and WMB (just because he had season ending surgery for broken wrist last season) are injury concerns. And yes we are in trouble if our infield consists of Holt, Ciriaco, Pedey and Gomez.
Those guys are not any worse than the average MLB team's IF depth.
???????? as regulars???? I was saying we are in trouble if Hold, Ciriaco, Pedey and Gomez are our regulars because Naps, Drew, and WMB are injury concerns... c'mon Pedey not a depth player...
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 6:07 PM EST
What were you expecting? Alex Cora?
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 6:08 PM EST
In response to SonicsMonksLyresVicars' comment:
In response to SpacemanEephus' comment:
_________________________________
No disrespect to Nick Punto Sonics. My point is that rare is the roster that has starter talent in backup infielders. The Sox had something like that maybe when they had Jed Lowrie in his fleeting moments of health. But generally you are going to get Punto or Ciriaco and their swollen .705 OPS's. Punto had some quality years, but the reason he signed with the Sox as a back-up is because hisbrief starter days were long behind him. Ciriaco hooked on with the Sox because the Pirates deemed him an easily expendable prospect who probably wasn't going to get a shot with the big club. More or less six of one and half dozen of another.
I understand if you mean that, of the mediocre pool you get for a UIF, you would rather have veteran presence. I like veteran presence. But i also like youthful energy (Ciriaco). But at the end of the day, there aren't really going to be options that make one go YEAHHH!!!! at UIF and backup 1B.
I think we're largely in agreement, Space....and the debates around here these days are generally are around 4th/5th OF and UIF so that makes me happy re 2013.
It's hard to find a good sub. Young with potential? Gotta play them at AAA and not rot on the bench. Old former starter? Possibly too pricey, still wants to start and losing their legs Middle aged sub? Never good enough to start so how good can they be?
I wish we could have kept Aviles and had him happy to go back to the bench. Ex-starter Punto was a really good sub for a few years, as was late bloomer Scutaro before he forced his way into starting lineups.
There's something I like about Ciriaco, lots of things actually....but I don't think he's a good enough fielder or hitter to add any value. I hope I'm wrong.
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 6:26 PM EST
If the Sox have injury problems, long term depth is not just the bench but also Pawtucket.
That said, giving a minor league deal to OBP machinAdrian Cardenas would certainly not hurt
.
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 6:30 PM EST
In response to SpacemanEephus' comment:
My hope is that we won't need to find out. Wouldn't it be nice to have a season in which the club was relatively healthy? I know I know. but, I can dream.
That's not a great starting point, especially as our bench is not a strength.
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 6:30 PM EST
In response to SpacemanEephus' comment:
Wondering who the team is who has really good players as backup infielders ...
I am great with Ciriaco as our utility guy. Big upgrade from Punto.
And Gomez could be this year's WMB if Napoli's hip goes south.
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 6:35 PM EST
In response to notin's comment:
In response to SpacemanEephus' comment:
Wondering who the team is who has really good players as backup infielders ...
I am great with Ciriaco as our utility guy. Big upgrade from Punto.
And Gomez could be this year's WMB if Napoli's hip goes south.
No Gomez could not be this years WMB.
Fair enough Notin. Full disclosure: I wrote that having been entranced by the repititive drone "Play the Kids/We don't need Napoli" zombies this winter. I saw nothing from Gomez last year that made me think he is major league-ready.
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 6:51 PM EST
In response to SpacemanEephus' comment:
In response to notin's comment:
In response to SpacemanEephus' comment:
Wondering who the team is who has really good players as backup infielders ...
I am great with Ciriaco as our utility guy. Big upgrade from Punto.
And Gomez could be this year's WMB if Napoli's hip goes south.
No Gomez could not be this years WMB.
Fair enough Notin. Full disclosure: I wrote that having been entranced by the repititive drone "Play the Kids/We don't need Napoli" zombies this winter. I saw nothing from Gomez last year that made me think he is major league-ready.
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 7:02 PM EST
the current starting infield wont even get you to .500...
pedey is coming off his worst full season
wmb is bound to get figured out in his second season 9and must stay healthy)
drew is a back up..and prone to injury
and 1B is a total question mark...
if this team is to finish above .500 it will be due to renewed pitching success...our front nine is pretty weak - especially in AL East terms
This post has been removed.
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 7:20 PM EST
In response to georom4's comment:
the current starting infield wont even get you to .500...
pedey is coming off his worst full season
wmb is bound to get figured out in his second season 9and must stay healthy)
drew is a back up..and prone to injury
and 1B is a total question mark...
if this team is to finish above .500 it will be due to renewed pitching success...our front nine is pretty weak - especially in AL East terms
The health issue is a huge question mark, I agree. But lets not confuse health question marks with ability to play the game at high level.
prone to injury implies a history of getting injured. drew has had one serious injury that took two years out of a career on the rise that was decidedly not 'back-up'. cant really say he is 'prone to injury' or 'back-up'. we will see if he can, for the first time fully healthy since his terrible injury, he can regain his form.
Healthy Napoli is a big bopper/big K guy in the classic mold. Period. And, the hip is a degenerative disease, so long term playing picture probably doesnt look rosy. But, by all reports and doctor guesses we have heard, he should be able to play without problem this year.
Pedey is coming off mediocre year ... because he was injured, not because his skills have suddenly eroded.
The pitchers in the A.L. may or may not figure out Middlebrooks. I don't think its a given. He went through that already last year. Went into a deep swoon because pitchers saw the holes and adjusted. But, then he adjusted back before going on shelf. granted there are always a few waves of this adjustement/readjustment, but he showed that he is able to adjust, so I don't think it is given that he struggles because of pitchers catching up to him. Solid hitter.
Yeah, health is question mark. Not a small one. But I think you are letting the injury risk inform your opinion of these guys' actual skills.
Re: Red Sox have lack of depth in the infield..
posted at 1/30/2013 7:49 PM EST
In response to SpacemanEephus' comment:
The pitchers in the A.L. may or may not figure out Middlebrooks. I don't think its a given. He went through that already last year. Went into a deep swoon because pitchers saw the holes and adjusted. But, then he adjusted back before going on shelf. granted there are always a few waves of this adjustement/readjustment, but he showed that he is able to adjust, so I don't think it is given that he struggles because of pitchers catching up to him. Solid hitter.
Yeah, health is question mark. Not a small one. But I think you are letting the injury risk inform your opinion of these guys' actual skills.
I assure you I am not. I only pointed out that there are few starters that are free and clear of injury concerns before ST has even started. I think the Sox have a very strong offensive lineup if they get even reasonable health in 2013.
