Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

  1. You have chosen to ignore posts from bosox4. Show bosox4's posts

    Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 11:17 AM EDT

    One would think that the Sox would not want to sit one of their two hottest hitters for nin straight games agains NL teams when they hit the road later this week. Drew has been a waste so far and it would take a lot of pop out of us for him to be in games rather than papi. Of course, ortiz is not gonzo at first and he could probably not be put in the outfield. gonzalez might be another matter
     

  2. You have chosen to ignore posts from fivekatz. Show fivekatz's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 11:24 AM EDT

    Nope, not gonna happen. Adrian probably gets a day off in the string but Papi is going to be doing a lot of pinch hitting.
     

  3. You have chosen to ignore posts from JB-3. Show JB-3's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 11:29 AM EDT

    In Response to Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?:
    Nope, not gonna happen. Adrian probably gets a day off in the string but Papi is going to be doing a lot of pinch hitting.
    Posted by fivekatz


    Exactly.
     

  4. You have chosen to ignore posts from Beantowne. Show Beantowne's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 11:48 AM EDT

    My guess Ortiz will dust off his 1st basemans mitt and play first at least once in each series, and pinch hit early and often...

     

  5. You have chosen to ignore posts from LloydDobler. Show LloydDobler's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 11:53 AM EDT

    Afraid there's no other option. Though somebody suggested putting Gonzalez at third base. Given he's never played it to my knowledge and throws with his left hand, I don't see that as very realistic.

     

  6. You have chosen to ignore posts from SpacemanEephus. Show SpacemanEephus's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 11:58 AM EDT

    Gonzo has the best hands I have ever seen from a first baseman.  Soft as butter.  I say have him catch Wake in Pittsburgh.  Laughing
     

  7. You have chosen to ignore posts from william93063. Show william93063's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 12:02 PM EDT

    He has incredibly slow foot speed as well, he would be a huge liability in the outfield.  Not worth the risk AT ALL!
     

  8. You have chosen to ignore posts from soxmeister. Show soxmeister's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 12:09 PM EDT

    Taking Gonzo out is suicide, I say leave him in every game, Ortiz just pinch hits when the opportunity arrises.  IMO, you never take your MVP out of a game ... especially if he is a gold glover.  

     

  9. You have chosen to ignore posts from fivekatz. Show fivekatz's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 12:09 PM EDT

    In Response to Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?:
    My guess Ortiz will dust off his 1st basemans mitt and play first at least once in each series, and pinch hit early and often...
    Posted by Beantowne
    That' s more PT than I think Papi will get but we will see...

    Gonzalez hasn't had a day off so it will be a good time to get him at least one day off but more than that? It is hard to trade the slightly better bat and way better glove work too often.
     

  10. You have chosen to ignore posts from LloydDobler. Show LloydDobler's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 12:11 PM EDT

    Hey, why not let Gonzalez start on the mound as another LHP so he could still bat? That way, Ortiz could play first and we have both sticks in the lineup.



     

  11. You have chosen to ignore posts from Beantowne. Show Beantowne's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 12:41 PM EDT

    In Response to Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?:
    In Response to Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams? : That' s more PT than I think Papi will get but we will see... Gonzalez hasn't had a day off so it will be a good time to get him at least one day off but more than that? It is hard to trade the slightly better bat and way better glove work too often.
    Posted by fivekatz


    I get that in a perfect world there's no way you'd start Ortiz over Gonzalez...Interleague isn't a perfect world for a team with a fulltime DH like Papi...Something to keep in mind is that it Francona has always tried to get Ortiz some consistant at bats in NL parks and platooned him with Youk & Lowell...A luxary we don't have now with Gonzales...Not sure that 9 at bats in the next 12 days is enough (pinch hitting once a game) to keep Papi locked in...So I'd expect a minimum of one and a maximum of three starts at first for Papi (once in each series)...
     

  12. You have chosen to ignore posts from royf19. Show royf19's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 1:02 PM EDT

    Offensively, there's hardly a dropoff between A-Gon and Ortiz this year so far.

    A-Gon: 24 2B, 3 3B, 15 HR, 64 RBI, .348 BA, .403 OBP, .607 SLG, 1.010 OPS
    Ortiz:   19 2B, 1 3B, 17 HR, 46 RBI, .320 BA, .399 OBP, .602 SLG, 1.000 OPS

    So while you don't want to sit A-Gon, it's not a ludicrous notion to want to have Ortiz play too. The big difference is defense at 1B, but Ortiz has never embarrassed himself at 1B. He doesn't have a lot of range, but he does a good job fielding stuff hit to him and scooping throws. He's actually has been surprisingly good at scooping low throws. And I still remember that play in the World Series when he charged a ball and threw out a runner at 3B.

    There are three three-game series. Unless the pitching matchup isn't good, I say you start him the middle game each series. Give him three or four at-bats. Use A-Gon to PH for someone late then put him in at 1B for the last two innings. If the game is a blowout, heck, just give A-Gon the day off. If all three games are blowouts, that still will give A-Gon 159 games played this year. It might do him good in the long run.

    In the other six games, you let Ortiz PH. That will give Ortiz about 15 AB give or take in those nine games.

    If this was the last two years, then fine, it's no issue. You PH Ortiz. But Ortiz has earned the starts. 
     

  13. You have chosen to ignore posts from ZILLAGOD. Show ZILLAGOD's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 1:19 PM EDT

    Possibly in blowout games Ortiz will be given a few innings at firstbase.

    In games that are not blowouts putting Ortiz in the field is just plain stupid. A. He is a horrible fielder and will cost the team runs, B. He may hurt himself and then we will be without our DH for awhile.

    With pitchers batting , there will be opportunities galore for Ortiz to pinch hit, at least this way he doesn't get rusty or stale. Expect Ortiz to pinch hit in practically every game....don't expect him to wear his glove unless the game is a huge blowout, even then, I doubt you'll see it.
     

  14. You have chosen to ignore posts from Alibiike. Show Alibiike's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 1:43 PM EDT

    Gonzalez could play LF but I doubt Francona would take a chance on him getting hurt out there. We'll just have to suck it up. Give him a couple of starts at 1B with Gonzo a day off or two and hope for the best.
    Hey, we'll have the same situation if the Sox make it to the WS!
     

  15. You have chosen to ignore posts from mrmojo1120. Show mrmojo1120's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 1:55 PM EDT

     I'm not sure why everyone says ortiz is a horrible fielder.Over the course of his career,he has a .989 fielding percentage according to baseball-reference.com :
                PosGGSCGInnCh PO   AE DPFld%

    13 Seasons1B2482361551951.01957178215421 154  .989
     

  16. You have chosen to ignore posts from susan250. Show susan250's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 2:09 PM EDT

    In Response to Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?:
    My guess Ortiz will dust off his 1st basemans mitt and play first at least once in each series, and pinch hit early and often...
    Posted by Beantowne


    I agree with you.  I don't see Gonzalez playing an outfield position.  Has he ever been an outfielder?  
     

  17. You have chosen to ignore posts from jete02fan. Show jete02fan's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 2:12 PM EDT

    even if AG doesn't start i wouldn't want to see him walking towards the bat rack late in the game...
     

  18. You have chosen to ignore posts from moonslav59. Show moonslav59's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 2:51 PM EDT

    I think Papi plays 1B in 2 games, maybe 3 if there are some pitchers that AGon struggles against (not likely).
     

  19. You have chosen to ignore posts from PapiFan. Show PapiFan's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 2:55 PM EDT

    In Response to Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?:
    In Response to Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams? : That' s more PT than I think Papi will get but we will see... Gonzalez hasn't had a day off so it will be a good time to get him at least one day off but more than that? It is hard to trade the slightly better bat and way better glove work too often.
    Posted by fivekatz


    I think they should get Ortiz some starts at first base.  Then Adrian can come in after a double switch is done.  For the nine games, I would give David 2 or 3 starts and pinch hit in the other games.  Adrian will eventually play in all of the games, for defensive purposes late in the game.

    To me this makes sense, because it:

    1.  Keeps the rust off of Ortiz.
    2.  Gives Adrian some time off.
    3.  Gives them a strategic advantage in a close game by implementing the double switch and having Adrian hit in a crucial situation in a close game as a pinch hitter, which you cannot do with Ortiz, because of the large gap in their defensive skills.
     

  20. You have chosen to ignore posts from DaffyDan. Show DaffyDan's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 2:55 PM EDT

    I have no idea about this one. I'll be interested to hear Tito's explanation when he does play, though. 
     

  21. You have chosen to ignore posts from ADG. Show ADG's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 2:58 PM EDT

    In Response to Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?:
    One would think that the Sox would not want to sit one of their two hottest hitters for nin straight games agains NL teams when they hit the road later this week. Drew has been a waste so far and it would take a lot of pop out of us for him to be in games rather than papi. Of course, ortiz is not gonzo at first and he could probably not be put in the outfield. gonzalez might be another matter
    Posted by bosox4


    You're joking right? Gonzo played one game in the outfield in 2005. Ortiz plays 1-2 games and pinch hits the rest.
     

  22. You have chosen to ignore posts from ADG. Show ADG's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 3:03 PM EDT

    Given the numbers this year, assuming the Red Sox face some lefties, Ortiz will play in those games against a maximum of 3 of them.

    His numbers this year are far superior to Gonzo's. Gonzo is only hitting about .270 against lefties with a slugging average of .351 versus Ortiz' slugging average of .550 this year.
     

  23. You have chosen to ignore posts from Sully1965. Show Sully1965's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 3:06 PM EDT

    Gonzo at best will take one day off. He will not switch position and Ortiz will just have to PH until the Sox get back to AL play.
     

  24. You have chosen to ignore posts from Alibiike. Show Alibiike's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 3:41 PM EDT

    In Response to Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?:
    In Response to Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams? : You're joking right? Gonzo played one game in the outfield in 2005. Ortiz plays 1-2 games and pinch hits the rest.
    Posted by ADG


    Playing LF at Fenway is hardly rocket science. These are professional ballplayers who could probably play any position adequately.
     

  25. You have chosen to ignore posts from royf19. Show royf19's posts

    Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?

    posted at 6/20/2011 3:44 PM EDT

    In Response to Re: Will the sox move Gonzo to left or right field to get Ortiz's bat in the 9 road games with NL teams?:
    I have no idea about this one. I'll be interested to hear Tito's explanation when he does play, though. 
    Posted by DaffyDan


    No secret to what Tito will say. It will be simple.

    He'll just say the truth. A-Gon has played every game, and it's a long season so it's not a bad idea to find a chance to ease up on him a bit. And the way Ortiz has been going, it's not a good idea to limit him to PH for nine games. All of this is the truth.

    That's why I see Ortiz getting the middle start of each series and playing about seven innings. Give or take. If he bats in the seventh, then Gonzo can come in to play the bottom of the seventh and be in for three innings.

    Barring blowouts -- and there very well could be a few -- but in nine games, I could see both players playing in nine games.

    And of the 81 innings, I figure Ortiz will play about 27 innings (21 in three starts and six as PH). That will be about 15 to 18 at-bats in starts plus six as PH, depending on if he gets three or four at-bats (or plate appearances).

    A-Gon will play in 63 IP. (Nine innings in six starts for 54, plus three -- 7-8-9 -- in three games coming off the bench for nine innings).

    So I don't see it as a big deal by reducing A-Gon's work load by 18 innings and 15 to 18 at-bats over a nine-game stretch.