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AL Notes: Yankees, Astros, Red Sox

By Dylan A. Chase | October 12, 2019 at 8:47pm CDT

Ken Davidoff of The New York Post spoke with a Rays official in the wake of the team’s close-but-not-quite battle with the mighty Houston Astros, and the Tampa employee believes his team’s ALDS strategy could end up changing the shape of the postseason. “We gave the Yankees a blueprint for how to pitch them,” the official told Davidoff (link).

There’s certainly some merit to that takeaway. Although the Astros have been expected to steamroll their way to the Fall Classic for most of the year (Fangraphs’ playoff odds have tabbed Houston with a 30 percent-or-better chance to win the championship for much of the season), the Rays came awfully close to taking them down within the first round of the playoffs, in part via a bullpen-heavy mix-and-match pitching strategy. As Davidoff points out, just one Rays pitcher–starter Charlie Morton–threw long enough to qualify for a decision in the ALDS, with manager Kevin Cash calling on 11 separate pitchers to tame the wild Astros offense. Houston’s offense mustered just a .700 OPS in the divisional round against this all-hands-on-deck approach, and will now square off with a Yankees team that, for what it’s worth, notched a competent 4.08 collective bullpen ERA in 2019 (good for 9th in MLB). However, Tampa’s approach, it should be noted, may have had something to do with the fact that Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell, two of their frontline starters, were forced to work in limited capacity; the Yankees should be able to sport a more traditional look with their James Paxton/Luis Severino/Masahiro Tanaka starting triumvirate, although Severino’s own 2019 injury considerations could preclude an early dip into the pen by manager Aaron Boone.

  • After reassigning Dana LeVangie to their scouting department, the Red Sox are in search of a new pitching coach. As Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe opines, that’s a search that could have great import for the club moving forward, as the Sox will be on to their fourth pitching coach in the last six seasons in 2020 (link). It’s also a hiring search that carries far more nuance than it might have in previous eras, as modern pitching coaches are expected to blend data and biomechanical considerations with the more traditional soft skills involved with instruction–and that’s before accounting for a coach’s personal baseball-playing background. As Abraham notes, the Twins hired Wes Johnson to be their main source of pitching instruction in 2018, despite Johnson’s complete lack of professional playing experience. The club’s ultimate selection should give some indication of the philosophical leanings of Boston’s current, interim leadership group, which includes assistant GM Eddie Romero; the new coach’s ability to reign in the talents of David Price and Chris Sale should go a long way toward finally bringing some stability to the Boston pitching post.
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Boston Red Sox New York Yankees Notes Tampa Bay Rays

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Post a Comment

41 Comments

  1. pasha2k

    6 years ago

    The drama with the coaches marches on. Perhaps they should spend some time making sure Sale is healthy n Price too. Hopefully in their spare time they look into resigning the Brockstar.

    1
    Reply
    • Fever Pitch Guy

      6 years ago

      What I want to know is how much the two ex-pitching coaches were responsible for the horrific physical mismanagement of the pitching staff.

      Having the starters pitch in just two ST games and then holding them back in March/April to “stay fresh and rested” for September/October was the main reason for the team’s demise, as they were clearly unprepared to start the regular season.

      Was it primarily Cora’s decision, and the two coaches are now the fall guys?

      Reply
  2. bobtillman

    6 years ago

    Can we stop falling over ourselves complimenting the “Rays strategy” and start realizing their success is a function of their pitching talent. I’m sure the Orioles would have different results if they used the same system. The Rays have excellent pitching; hard stop. Granted, they use them well, but as (to flip a sport) offensive co-ordinator Tom Moore used to say, “The ‘Peyton Manning’ offense works….because of Peyton Manning”.

    3
    Reply
    • Aaron Sapoznik

      6 years ago

      Everything you say here is accurate. That said, I still hate how the game has changed in this new era of advanced analytics that has spawned countless pitching changes and this new notion of an opener. I feel like I am watching a spring training game too often during the regular season and even more so now that were in the postseason.

      Hopefully the new rule change affecting relievers in 2020 will start a trend to eliminate some of this stuff and help get the game back to the more traditional version that I enjoyed dating back to the early 1960’s. Frankly, I am tired of a game that emphasises HR’s, SO’s, shifts and excessive pitching changes and miss the balance of hit-and-runs, stolen bases, sac bunts and complete games. We all dig the long ball but I also happen to enjoy small ball as well.

      2
      Reply
      • Aaron Sapoznik

        6 years ago

        I’d also like to point out that despite my hope for a return to a more traditional version of the game I am hardly a dinosaur. I love the DH and feel that it should be adopted by the NL with perhaps a tweak that might allow for good hitting pitchers to bat without penalizing his team later in the game. I have also been OK with interleague play, the advent of extra divisions and the resulting increase in postseason opportunities for clubs including wild card teams.

        I would favor additional expansion to 32 teams that would include 4-four team divisions in each league based on geography that still maintains long standing rivalries. This concept could also allow for the elimination of a one-and-done wild card game since the new balance of teams could see all postseason teams play in the first round, hopefully with a best-of seven format throughout the playoffs.

        Most importantly I am a strong proponent of an automated strike zone that would make MLB the only professional team sport that is 99% free of judgement calls, a game where the players would truly determine the outcome of each contest, not umpires, refs or officials.

        1
        Reply
        • lowtalker1

          6 years ago

          The dh should be outlawed

          Reply
        • ottoc 2

          6 years ago

          Four 8-team leagues would let the regular season be cut to 154 games.

          Reply
        • jorge78

          6 years ago

          NO!

          1
          Reply
        • deweybelongsinthehall

          6 years ago

          Aaron. You had my support at the beginning but the time for the DH has come and gone IMHO. I know it’s not changing but it was a gimmick to increase offense which certainly is not needed today. MLB has found other ways to artificially change the game with small parks, a loaded ball, ignoring PED use until congress got involved, etc. Does the NBA allow for a designated free throw shooter? Of course not and Hack-a-Shaw was developed because he never wanted to learn how to make free throws. Limit staff size to 11 and force pitchers to learn how to hit and pitch. Get rid of the DH and strategy again matters.

          Reply
        • morgannyy 2

          6 years ago

          Expand the DH! Watching pitchers hit, for the sake of so called “strategy” is boring and so overrated. With the money being paid pitchers today, yes, the injury factor is relevant.

          And a strike zone defined by computer graphics is way overdue.

          Reply
      • southbeachbully

        6 years ago

        @AaronSapoznik

        I feel you. We can’t ignore advanced metrics but there’s a certain nuance to the game that the next generation may never see . Considering how managers are lowering the bar for starting pitchers by being overly by-the-numbers when it comes to exposing them a 3rd time though a line-up. I get it. The numbers might get progressively worse each time you turn a line-up over but that’s not challenging a pitcher.

        Today’s game with Tanaka is a perfect example. He faced the minimum and got a double play out of the one lone baseman he allowed on base . With a 5 run lead and a pitch count around 68, why not let him start the inning and see how long he could keep it going? Considering it’s ALCS maybe one can say the game was managed from a numbers based risk aversion discipline but it happens in the regular season too. I can see it for a somewhat fragile vet like CC but I think a lot of pitchers come into a game hoping to get their team into the 6th inning. Some of it is also the inability or unwillingness to pitch to contact which can help limit the pitch count.

        I think the byproduct is , I doubt well ever see another 300 game winner or 4,000 IP guys. I’m old enough to see guys like Maddux, Clemens, Glavine and Seaver do it. I also am one of the few people to know who Tommy John was without googling it.

        It also reminds me of how incredible a career Nolan Ryan, and to an extent , Phil Neikro had. About 5,400 innings each!!! 32 seasons of 200 IP + combined.

        Yanks 1-0 vs Astros.

        1
        Reply
        • gorav114

          6 years ago

          No manager in his right mind would ask Ryan, Maddux, Glavine, etc. to go one at bat or one inning. Guys like Scherzer they would never hold back. An ideal team now has two of those types of studs but then everyone else on the pitching side is a reliever.

          Reply
        • deweybelongsinthehall

          6 years ago

          It’s also the money being paid and teams baby players thinking overuse will lead to injuries. Reality is there seems to be more shoulder and elbow injuries the last thirty – forty years. Also, I would not go to 32 teams. More players weakens the talent level and if there aren’t enough quality pitchers now, it will be even worse with more jobs to fill.

          Reply
    • BostonDave

      6 years ago

      Totally agree. This ownership keeps taking these extreme shifts in philosophies in short periods of time. Either these guys can pitch effectively or not. They are veterans with loads of experience. Some good, some bad. And it doesn’t help that the baseball is a super ball by whamo. Pitching is getting slaughtered everywhere.

      Reply
    • RockyMountainOyster

      6 years ago

      Could not disagree with you more. Yes, the Rays have talent, but their ability to coach that talent out of players is unparalleled. Consider the Archer/Glasnow trade. Glasnow couldn’t do squat with the Pirates, Archer was looking like a top tier ace. Switch teams, and Archer looks like a broken bum, and Glasgow is giving Snell a run for his (very small) money. Put the Rays coaching staff on any team, and that team wins more games.

      1
      Reply
      • downeysoft420

        6 years ago

        I think the biggest change I would find fascinating would be if MLB went to a salary cap like other sports, and would really put more emphasis on youth flying through the minors though imo. And would love to find a way for the rays and athletics and pirates etc to be able to spend more or put a minimum cap as well to help that.

        1
        Reply
        • alexmiller6677

          6 years ago

          No thank you on the cap. I’m tired of small market teams yelling competitive balance while not investing in the product on their field and pocketing the profit. Teams that are run that way need to go the way of the dodo.

          If it were me, I would contract the majors and create a separate league for these small market teams that can’t play with the big boys, a sort of major league Light so to speak. Salary floor for a MLB team should start at $150 million, if you can’t pony it up, you are a 4a team.

          Reply
      • jorge78

        6 years ago

        Archer was not too tier…..

        Reply
  3. spinach

    6 years ago

    “although Severino’s own 2019 injury considerations could preclude an early dip into the pen by manager Aaron Boone.”

    Does Dylan know what “preclude” means?

    2
    Reply
    • Travis M. Nelson

      6 years ago

      I thought the same thing. I think he means “presage”.

      Reply
    • richt

      6 years ago

      Plus he ended his second paragraph with the world’s longest sentence…

      1
      Reply
  4. hozie007

    6 years ago

    Don’t know why the Red Sox are looking for a pitching coach, they have Zack Scott calling all the pitches from his computer….

    Reply
  5. hawkny11

    6 years ago

    Sign former Pirate pitching coach Ray Searage before someone else does….

    Reply
  6. GarryHarris

    6 years ago

    HOU is in a slump. NYY in 5.

    2
    Reply
    • texas_slim85

      6 years ago

      LMAO

      Reply
  7. DarkSide830

    6 years ago

    oh good, what the Yankees really need is pointers…as much as this Yankees team is a better story, its still the Yankees. them winning is just more of the same.

    Reply
  8. shortytallz

    6 years ago

    The Yankees already knew how to pitch the Astros. Thanks for trying to take credit for our success, though, Rays. Classy as always.

    1
    Reply
    • TrillionaireTeamOperator

      6 years ago

      I also follow the lowbrow news of pop culture and this Rays article reminded me of Aaron Carter recently giving himself credit for Justin Bieber’s success. This feels like that. A D-list one hit wonder who had a moment taking credit for a perennial hit maker’s success.

      Reply
  9. SG

    6 years ago

    This shouldn’t be rocket science.
    There are plenty of good pitching coaches available.
    The Red Sox need to focus on pitching coaches and pitching coach development.
    So it shouldn’t be just at the MLB level that they add pitching coach talent.
    Why not develop these coaches internally?
    Why do we have to always look outside the organization?
    Can’t we pay people like Eckersley or Pedro or Tek to provide input?

    Reply
    • User 4245925809

      6 years ago

      That would be great, but a problem is that every guy you mentioned, except for maybe Eckersley made 10’s of millions playing the game and are financially secure for the rest of their lives. It would have to be someone who REALLY wants to go thru the grind of an 8 month season for what those you mentioned is peanuts compared to what they used to make.

      It’d have to be a very strong desire to go thru it. martinez and Varitek both are employed by the Sox as it is. I forget the exact titles they have, same with Wakefield. All 3 are at spring training each year to help. Dwight Evans is as well and ex Sox catcher Richie Gedman is a manager in the farm system and can help on a daily basis.

      There was a story in the Globe.. Yesterday believe it was where Curt Schilling wanted his name thrown in. His views on non baseball may be irritating to some, but he’s 1 of the smartest cookies around.

      2
      Reply
      • g8752

        6 years ago

        I’m not suggesting Eckersley Pedro or Tek get deeply involved in the details. I’m suggesting that they periodically take a look at weather these pitching coaches are doing their job and they probably know people in the profession who are good and hard looking for work as a pitching coach and can do a good job. Where there is a strong connection with a former great picture or catcher in Boston history that still loves the Red Sox that’s where I would look for input and I would pay it as a consultant not as a pitching coach.

        Reply
  10. bigwestbaseball

    6 years ago

    Tyler Skaggs was a drug addict. His family knew it, the players knew it and the team knew it. Everyone had such ceremony around his death, the Angels and MLB played it like such a horrible event. This country is in an opioid crisis and people die every day, he just happened to be a MLB pitcher and a junkie.

    1
    Reply
  11. Eightball611

    6 years ago

    Redsox will be be a mess 3 seasons

    1
    Reply
    • butch779988

      6 years ago

      Nope, not with the resources they have.

      Reply
  12. Scott Kliesen

    6 years ago

    How about Dennis Eckersley for Red Sox Pitching Coach? Seems like the perfect ex-player with the level of success a player like David Price can respect. Right?

    Reply
    • g8752

      6 years ago

      How about getting rid of Price and having Eckersley make a comeback? Lol

      Reply
  13. miltpappas

    6 years ago

    With Boston’s pitching the way it is, they should interview Mike Timlin and Bronson Arroyo, They have little to lose.

    Reply
  14. TrillionaireTeamOperator

    6 years ago

    *Sigh* “we gave them a blueprint on how to pitch them” no you didn’t. You lost the series. Charlie Morton was your best pitcher. He’s a very good pitcher but he’s not the staff ace on other clubs- like the Yankees. The Rays are a smart, creative organization, but that was some serious mental gymnastics, equivocating and cognitive dissonance: We lost but if you want to win, employ our strategy and give us the credit….

    C’mon buddy. C’mon pal.

    1
    Reply
  15. goldenmisfit

    6 years ago

    You could do what Tampa Bay did or you could just do what the Yankees did last night with Tanaka and their lineup with timely hits with runners in scoring position.

    2
    Reply
  16. bobtillman

    6 years ago

    A lot of all this so-called “strategy” came in with, and will go out with, the ‘superball”. Once MLB realizes that nobody wants to watch 3-outcome driven results, with its companion 13 pitching changes a game, they’ll change the ball and you’ll see a whole new bunch of analytics. “Launch Angle”? We hardly knew ya.

    Attendance is hemorrhaging, TV ratings are down (and streaming data is inconclusive). It’s time to bring back 2 1/2 hour games with stealing bases, triples, and fighting with the guy sitting next to you about the manager bunting on THAT play.

    It’s not that the games are too long; it’s that they’re BORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRING!!!!!!!

    And oh ya, a pitch clock, expansion to 32 teams, and a universal DH or not; either way is fine. Shorter season, more playoffs, and Heidi Whatley everywhere!!!

    Reply
  17. g8752

    6 years ago

    It seems logical that Tampa can be a source for Boston to draw on for a pitching coach.

    Reply

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