Making the team or not

[Sea Dog 23]

With an opening MLB roster of 28, the Sox have 34 players still in camp after today's moves.

Red Sox announced the following.
Bazardo and  Darwinzon Hernandez were optioned to Triple-A Worcester.
Kaleb Ort, Stewart and Yolmar Sanchez (hitting .398 this spring) were assigned to minor leagues.
Another cut is  LHP Derek Holland.  He has an opt out, and may go that route instead of taking an assignment at AA or AAA..
Travis Shaw is on the bubble.  Cora said that Vazquez could be the backup 1B if needed.

[Sea Dog 23]

You could very well select JBJ/Arroyo/Refsnyder as your right-fielder.  Refsnyder you could say is on the bubble to make the roster in Boston.  JBJ starts in NY if Cole is the pitcher.  Arroyo would seem to play if there is a lefty in games 2 or 3.  Arroyo played 5 games in RF this spring and started 2 of those.  His bat and experience would seem to exclude Refsnyder or any other marginal trade that Bloom may have in mind.  But always the question, can Arroyo stay healthy?

“He’s taken to it really well,” Red Sox bench coach and outfield instructor Will Venable said here Saturday. “His attitude about it has been great. When we first mentioned it to him, he jumped at the opportunity and he has come to me every day wanting to do early work. He’s really responded to his training. He looks great. He’s a great athlete. We talk about doing the same things that he does to get ready for the pitch in the outfield as he does in the infield. ... He’s an athlete and he’s going to figure it out.

“I think he looks great,” Venable added. “The way he’s moving, it’s been nice to see.”

Arroyo succeeding in the outfield would solve a big area of need for the Red Sox. Boston needs a right-handed hitting outfielder to platoon with left-handed hitting Jackie Bradley Jr.

Arroyo had a .356 on-base percentage, .529 slugging percentage and .885 OPS in 74 plate appearances against lefties last season.

[Sea Dog 23]

One of the Boston writers has reported the Sox pitchers making the final roster,

Eovaldi, Pivetta, Houck, Wacha, Hill as starters
Bullpen consists of,
Barnes, Brasier, Whitlock, K.Crawford, Sawamura, Diekman, Strahm, Davis, Valdez, Robles

[Sea Dog 23]

The 15 pitchers noted above.  The tea leaves seem to say the 13 field players are Bogey, Devers, Story, Dalbec, Vaz, , Verdugo, KHernandez, JBJ, JDM.
Utility: Plawecki, Arroyo, (last two in are Shaw and Sanchez ( after Arauz dfa'd ???)).  Of course that could change in spots by Monday night.

[MongoLikeSox]

Darwinzon to start some games in AAA to get back into a comfortable routine. The hope is, is that he and the pitching coach down there get him going again, and he's never been comfy as a reliever. Anyone else think that he's going to TRY to resume his starting pitcher career path? I've always contended he is not comfy out in the pen. Lots of starters get their ticket to the bigs punched by starting in the 'pen, right? Or maybe they used to?

The only thing I would offer at this point, is IF the 'Sox are eying him to get back into their Bullpen, I would think that getting him comfortable again as a starter and then yanking him back out of that routine would not be an easy transition - again. I'm not sure I buy that entire spin Cora had spewed out.

He did almost admit mistake of them bringing Franchy up the way they did at the start of last season. In that vein, he mentioned a similar thing in sending Darwinzon to the pen in 2019 might have arrested his development. (my words, not his on both topics)  Imagine the big leaguers they could each be if they figured this stuff out? A pie-in-the-blue-sky whimsical statement, yes, but still...

[longgame]

Darwinzon to start some games in AAA to get back into a comfortable routine. The hope is, is that he and the pitching coach down there get him going again, and he's never been comfy as a reliever. Anyone else think that he's going to TRY to resume his starting pitcher career path? I've always contended he is not comfy out in the pen. Lots of starters get their ticket to the bigs punched by starting in the 'pen, right? Or maybe they used to?

The only thing I would offer at this point, is IF the 'Sox are eying him to get back into their Bullpen, I would think that getting him comfortable again as a starter and then yanking him back out of that routine would not be an easy transition - again. I'm not sure I buy that entire spin Cora had spewed out.

He did almost admit mistake of them bringing Franchy up the way they did at the start of last season. In that vein, he mentioned a similar thing in sending Darwinzon to the pen in 2019 might have arrested his development. (my words, not his on both topics)  Imagine the big leaguers they could each be if they figured this stuff out? A pie-in-the-blue-sky whimsical statement, yes, but still...

Two guys with some raw talents who need to corral it somehow and control their bad instincts.  From what I've watched, Sox pitchers (other than Pivetta early in his outing) are working fast and throwing strikes.  Guys may swing more freely in ST though too.  Still, I hope it's a good sign and that they can get Darwinzon to throw strikes and not think too much.  Franchy of course has raw power but needs to find a swing that works for him because when he came up last year he had no power at the MLB level.   They need to figure out how he can still produce power while getting the ball in play a bit more often. 

[Sea Dog 23]

The 15 pitchers noted above.  The tea leaves seem to say the 13 field players are Bogey, Devers, Story, Dalbec, Vaz, , Verdugo, KHernandez, JBJ, JDM.
Utility: Plawecki, Arroyo, (last two in are Shaw and Sanchez ( after Arauz dfa'd ???)).  Of course that could change in spots by Monday night.

The official roster looks like the above EXCEPT scratch Sanchez and add Arauz.  Even though Sanchez has a better glove and batted about .400 this spring.  Apparently Sox like Arauz as a switch hitter.

In the pitching corps above, scratch Robles and add Tyler Danish.  Robles had visa problems before finally arriving from the Dominican, got little work, and will start the season in Worcester.
Some caveats on the bullpen going to Boston.  Barnes, Brasier, and Diekman have lost velocity and now working on mechanics. 

On the upside Kutter Crawford has gone up the radar this spring to 97.  Robles is another high velocity guy, but he'll have to sort things out in AAA before a call up.

[MongoLikeSox]

You have to think the Sanchez to Worcester thing is all about the 40-man roster and the brass politics in play. Would Sanchez have made the team if there was a "spare" 40-man slot open?

Are RF and 1B pure platoons. Do we think Dalbec is going to get a couple weeks against Righties to prove himself?

It's hard to recall a time when there were so many potential arms in AAA, albeit not front liners. Between the young finishing development and the veterans trying to cling on to the big leagues.

Robles and Garza waiting in the wings as they are in their defacto spring training games. that alone sounds promising to me. DH trying to do whatever it is that he ends up becoming (or not). Schreiber, Feltman, Ort and Bazardo could be up this year if any of them put up a couple solid months.

The beginning of May will get might interesting as two more will have to go down or out. Might be some interesting back-roster trades going on come May 1st.

[SeaBeachFred]

The 15 pitchers noted above.  The tea leaves seem to say the 13 field players are Bogey, Devers, Story, Dalbec, Vaz, , Verdugo, KHernandez, JBJ, JDM.
Utility: Plawecki, Arroyo, (last two in are Shaw and Sanchez ( after Arauz dfa'd ???)).  Of course that could change in spots by Monday night.

The official roster looks like the above EXCEPT scratch Sanchez and add Arauz.  Even though Sanchez has a better glove and batted about .400 this spring.  Apparently Sox like Arauz as a switch hitter.

In the pitching corps above, scratch Robles and add Tyler Danish.  Robles had visa problems before finally arriving from the Dominican, got little work, and will start the season in Worcester.
Some caveats on the bullpen going to Boston.  Barnes, Brasier, and Diekman have lost velocity and now working on mechanics. 

On the upside Kutter Crawford has gone up the radar this spring to 97.  Robles is another high velocity guy, but he'll have to sort things out in AAA before a call up.

Arauz sold me on him last season.  He did everything asked of him and got some big hits to too and we know that ST stats are often very inflated  He has earned the job.  As for the relievers, Brazier, Diekman and Barnes have been piss poor. Seems to me we might need to trade for a quality one as well as trade for another starter.

[MongoLikeSox]

Robles and Shaw officially added to the 40-man. Garza DFA'd and already claimed by the Rays. I read somewhere that Bazardo had also been DFA'd, but I don't see that transaction anywhere.

One interesting thing. Duran was not in the lineup against Jacksonville tonight. Jacksonville started a RHP. Something brewing? A rest day?