Napoli

[Danzz]

Napoli is not Wade Boggs with 2 strikes so I can't understand how the guy can take 2 strikes before he decides to take the bat off his shoulder. Taking pitches early in the count is fine if you can hit with 2 strikes but he can't. It seems like a pretty dumb strategy to me.
Hats off to the Tigers pitchers tonight. They were beyond outstanding.

 

[mauconnfan]

Awful job by Leyland.........horrible! http://espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs/201...fs-phil-coke-detroit-tigers-added-alcs-roster

Why did you add him? When I saw Benoit coming in I felt the doom, he's not a 4 out closer anyway.......if you were to elect to stay with a righty then Albuquerque was the guy to stay with........great manager who had a real brain fart! That will be their undoing.........

 

[Danzz]

Awful job by Leyland.........horrible! http://espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs/201...fs-phil-coke-detroit-tigers-added-alcs-roster

Why did you add him? When I saw Benoit coming in I felt the doom, he's not a 4 out closer anyway.......if you were to elect to stay with a righty then Albuquerque was the guy to stay with........great manager who had a real brain fart! That will be their undoing.........

Thought I heard one of the announcers say that Coke hadn't pitched in a month so that may have been part of Leland's decision . Then you have to wonder why you have him on the roster if you aren't going to use him. Benoit had good numbers against Ortiz.

 

[Waquoit]

Why did you add him? When I saw Benoit coming in I felt the doom, he's not a 4 out closer anyway.

Papi never homered against the guy. It was a lefty-lefty match-up. Papi is in your head!

 

[60'sfan]

Napoli is not Wade Boggs with 2 strikes so I can't understand how the guy can take 2 strikes before he decides to take the bat off his shoulder. Taking pitches early in the count is fine if you can hit with 2 strikes but he can't. It seems like a pretty dumb strategy to me.
Hats off to the Tigers pitchers tonight. They were beyond outstanding.

Mike Napoli had a solid year with the Sox but he is and has always been a strike-out machine. I heard the announcers talking about what a great hitter he is in the post-season but he is a life time .248 then. He has made great strides as a first-baseman and I would say he is above average there. The Sox are going to have to think long and hard as to who they will bring back next year. I think it will be either Drew or Napoli but probably not both. He did have one great World Series and I am hoping he gets the opportunity to duplicate that.

 

[Husky25]

Papi never homered against the guy. It was a lefty-lefty match-up. Papi is in your head!

Benoit is righty, but tough on lefties.

 

[Husky25]

Mike Napoli had a solid year with the Sox but he is and has always been a strike-out machine. I heard the announcers talking about what a great hitter he is in the post-season but he is a life time .248 then. He has made great strides as a first-baseman and I would say he is above average there. The Sox are going to have to think long and hard as to who they will bring back next year. I think it will be either Drew or Napoli but probably not both. He did have one great World Series and I am hoping he gets the opportunity to duplicate that.

Sox have a (n internal) backup plan for Drew, not so much for Napoli. I see another 1 year deal, with a team option, for a base amount and a ton of incentives to get the deal up to $13 Mil. Just like this year.

 

[60'sfan]

Sox have a (n internal) backup plan for Drew, not so much for Napoli. I see another 1 year deal, with a team option, for a base amount and a ton of incentives to get the deal up to $13 Mil. Just like this year.

You could be right but judging by the comments that Farrell has made, he is really comfortable with Drew at short. The Sox could certainly move Middlebrooks to first and have Bogaerts play third next year. Unfortunately, both Drew and Napoli will be looking for multi-year deals and I don't think the Sox are willing to go beyond two or at most three years given the talent on the farm.

 

[Husky25]

You could be right but judging by the comments that Farrell has made, he is really comfortable with Drew at short. The Sox could certainly move Middlebrooks to first and have Bogaerts play third next year. Unfortunately, both Drew and Napoli will be looking for multi-year deals and I don't think the Sox are willing to go beyond two or at most three years given the talent on the farm.

This year's post season notwithstanding (And I'd rather enjoy them than focus on off season movement), but The Sox original deal was 3 yrs./$39 Mil. They saw the medical report and were in their right to retool it to 1 year/7 Mil. A new Napoli deal does not go beyond two years.

 

[Waquoit]

Benoit is righty, but tough on lefties.

I'm seeing things.

 

[mauconnfan]

Papi never homered against the guy. It was a lefty-lefty match-up. Papi is in your head!

Nice try - drink less when watching baseball..........I could care less about Papi he's not in my head!!! But what the hell do you know anyway if you think Benoit is a lefty??

 

[Waquoit]

Papi up and you "felt the doom". Nah, he's not in your head.

 

[Jerry1714]

Mike Napoli had a solid year with the Sox but he is and has always been a strike-out machine. I heard the announcers talking about what a great hitter he is in the post-season but he is a life time .248 then. He has made great strides as a first-baseman and I would say he is above average there. The Sox are going to have to think long and hard as to who they will bring back next year. I think it will be either Drew or Napoli but probably not both. He did have one great World Series and I am hoping he gets the opportunity to duplicate that.

I would be very surprised to see Drew back next year, this postseason isn't helping his cause either.

Bogearts is starting next year and I think it will be at short, I domt think they want to move middlebrooks to first and are willing to give Napoli a 2 year deal to play first.

Anyone surprised by Napoli stirking out constantly, shouldn't be, this what he has done all year and his entire career

 

[mauconnfan]

Papi up and you "felt the doom". Nah, he's not in your head.

He is Waq you're right...........I dream about him eating hot dogs while others are playing baseball on the field..........he's in my head!

 

[Waquoit]

He is Waq you're right...........I dream about him eating hot dogs while others are playing baseball on the field..........he's in my head!

You dream of Papi eating hot dogs. As George Carlin used to say, "you don't have to be Fellini to figure that one out."

 

[Danzz]

Mike Napoli had a solid year with the Sox but he is and has always been a strike-out machine. I heard the announcers talking about what a great hitter he is in the post-season but he is a life time .248 then. He has made great strides as a first-baseman and I would say he is above average there. The Sox are going to have to think long and hard as to who they will bring back next year. I think it will be either Drew or Napoli but probably not both. He did have one great World Series and I am hoping he gets the opportunity to duplicate that.

You are right, Napoli is a strike out machine and that is why he needs to be more aggressive early in the count. He needs all the swings he can get but too often he takes 2 strikes. He was a surprise defensively; much better than expected.
If the Sox don't sign Napoli they have to sign a RH hitter with power. Another option would be to sign Drew, move Mddlebrooks to 1B and Bogarts to 3B.

 

[mauconnfan]

CHEATERS

 

[Waquoit]

If the Sox don't sign Napoli they have to sign a RH hitter with power. Another option would be to sign Drew, move Mddlebrooks to 1B and Bogarts to 3B.

For you, it was too early to talk playoffs until the Sox clinched. Now after today's awesome game you are talking about next year? WTF?

 

[mauconnfan]

For you, it was too early to talk playoffs until the Sox clinched. Now after today's awesome game you are talking about next year? WTF?

Napoli sucks a**......it was a Verlander mistake......not a Napoli win

 

[Husky25]

Napoli sucks a* ......it was a Verlander mistake......not a Napoli win

It wasn't a mistake. It's not like it was a hanging curve or a slider that didnt break. Verlander had gotten more than a handful of Ks on that exact same high 96 MPH cheese. Napoli put good wood on the ball. Period.

 

[mauconnfan]

It wasn't a mistake. It's not like it was a hanging curve or a slider that didnt break. Verlander had gotten more than a handful of Ks on that exact same high 96 MPH cheese. Napoli put good wood on the ball. Period.

He did do that and they had just showed his last one as an Angel in the playoffs so it was excellent timing..........and he is all or nothing and has looked awful but this time ALL won on that swing!! Good for him.......I'll give him that!

 

[Waquoit]

It wasn't a mistake.

Correct, it was a choice. Throw a breaking pitch there and Napoli is dead meat. He didn't want to risk a walk and felt his fastball was unhittable.

 

[Waquoit]

CHEATERS

Says the fan of the team that considers ARod irreplacable.

 

[Husky25]

Correct, it was a choice. Throw a breaking pitch there and Napoli is dead meat. He didn't want to risk a walk and felt his fastball was unhittable.

It wasn't a bad choice. Verlander's fastball was all but unhittable all afternoon. If you want to place blame for the loss (rather than credit Napoli for getting the fat part of the bat squarely on the ball), then how about the Tiger offense? Yes, Verlander will keep the other team at bay, but you have to score at least a few runs to win. Apparently that was the 3rd time in the last 4 starts that Verlander lost 1-0. That's unbelievable.

 

[60'sfan]

It wasn't a bad choice. Verlander's fastball was all but unhittable all afternoon. If you want to place blame for the loss (rather than credit Napoli for getting the fat part of the bat squarely on the ball), then how about the Tiger offense? Yes, Verlander will keep the other team at bay, but you have to score at least a few runs to win. Apparently that was the 3rd time in the last 4 starts that Verlander lost 1-0. That's unbelievable.

If you don't score any runs, you usually don't win.