Reminding me of last year

[Lake Shore Drive]

Seems the Sox are playing pretty much like they did a year ago......sucking for much of the season before showing definitive signs of progress late in the year. It's one of the reasons I pegged them to win 72 games this year and even placed a bet for them to cover the 'over' (70). Neither is going to happen due to that particularly horrific stretch from May thru July.

I don't think it's rocket science as to analyzing why they have shown such improvement this month. The starting pitching has really stepped up in quality and consistency. The pen has shown improvement as well, altho game 2 in this series with the Yanks confirms we still have a ways to go before we can say our pen is a strength. Hell, even our defense appears to have notched it up.

But are we really taking the next step or will '19 be yet another repeat of the previous year, kind of a Ground Hog Day on steroids? It's getting a bit old with us playing like bottom dwellers for 75% of the season, then looking like we're ready for the playoffs the other 25%.

 

[richig07]

Rodon/Kopech are inspiring confidence as our potential #1/#2 starters next year. Lopez looks like he could be a solid 4th/5th starter or so down the line, IMO. The big wild card is Giolito. If he's what he looked like last season and the 2nd half this year. There's potential to be respectable. Cease, Hansen, Dunning... etc... obviously fill-in the rest at some point. I would also assume that we make a play for a free agent or trade for a top level free agent. This is all probably in 2020. Cease may be a mid-late season call-up next year, though.

Next year, I expect us to be a respectable team. Any type of legitimate contention late into the season for the division or wild card is asking a bit much. That'd be a 30 win jump or so.

The off-season will be interesting. We were making a play for Machado last winter and some believe we will do so again. Arenado and other big names are out there as well.

Where is Moncada next year? Does Anderson repeat with another 3 WAR 25/25 type season and continue to get better with K's? Are we trotting out Adam F'n Engel in CF every day? What is the Avi situation?

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

I'm hoping, but not expecting, the Sox next year to play somewhere in the .500 ball neighborhood, with all signs point up thereafter. I agree with all the questions you posed, lots still to be answered. As to Engel, I'm of the firm belief that there is always a place on the roster for a guy with his defensive abilities and raw speed. Just not as a starter. He is the perfect definition of a bench/role player.

 

[idseer]

LSD, exactly why i also picked an above .500 season. didn't know rodon was going to be gone half a season, expected improvement from moncada and got nada, didn't think avi would be injured so long and hitting so .... avi-ish, didn't know gio was going to get worse instead of better ... etc. ( i DID know that jones was going to suck again cause .... he's always sucked! )
i'm disappointed my prediction wasn't more accurate but not terribly surprised either.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

And yet again the pen fails to hold up a good effort by a starting pitcher. That should have been a big fat W for Giolito last night.