So, casual Red Sox fan, do you like Jason Bay yet?
by Randy Booth on May 6, 2009 3:59 PM EDT
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PrintSo Jason Bay is kinda good. Like, seven home run, .322 average, .487 OBP good. Combined with Kevin Youkilis, they are a two-headed monster that could potentially rival the mashing duos of the Red Sox past.
But the question is: do you like him yet?
Sure, he's winning games for the Red Sox but don't you remember? He's the guy that took over for Manny Ramirez. You remember Manny, right? Bay had the audacity to take over for a Red Sox legend. ManRam. Manny Being Manny. "Being." Bay took over for that guy and, well, he's doing a pretty good job.
Am I calling out all the people who said, "The Sox can't win without Manny"? Yes, I am. And while you might define "win" as a World Series title, I define this win as "being competitive." The Red Sox are, no doubt, competetive at this point in the season. And if it wasn't for Bay in the middle of the lineup, who knows where the Sox would be.
The Red Sox, just a game back of the Blue Jays for first place in the East, have been helped greatly by Bay's bat this season. Bay leads the team with seven home runs and is hitting .310 with runners in scoring position. In "late and close" situations, according to Baseball-Reference.com, Bay is hitting .571 with five home runs.
I could use the word "clutch" here, but I know I'd get lambasted in the comments. So let's just stick with him being "good" so far.
He also knows how to get on base. His 27 walks lead the American League, making his OBP a nifty .487. That means he's on base almost half the times he gets to the plate. Suh-weet.
If you thought Bay was good when the Sox traded for him last season, his numbers have already almost surpassed what he did with the Sox last season. In 49 games after the trade, Bay hit 9 home runs, knocked in 37 and batted .293/.370/.527 with 22 walks. And now, in just 27 games, he's hit his 7 home runs, knocked in 25 with a .644 slugging percentage.
It's still early in the season, but Bay, with his current numbers, is projected to hit 42 home runs, plate 150 runners, steal 24 bases and walk 168 times. Not too shabby for a Manny replacement, huh?
But here's your mandatory Manny update:
Sure, his numbers look good too (an OPS that is .001 better than Bay, mind you), but let's all remember the most important fact: he would not be putting up these numbers if he was still in Boston. You all can admit to that, right?
Here's the moral to the story: Bay is keeping Boston going in the right direction. His name isn't Manny, but he carries a similar bat and that's all we need.
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I’ve said it before and il say it again. My beef with that trade has never been about bay. And all about giving up craig hansen, moss, paying mannys salary, aaand giving up one of the best hitters of all time. The sox paid too much in that trade and as far as im concerned that will never change.
That said….it couldnt be working out any better right now. Hansen/Moss arent doing great currently, and bay is the player that keeps this offense ticking.
by spinz on May 6, 2009 4:24 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
and lets not forget, it wont be long before bay goes to the highest bidder.
but until then, lets enjoy it.
If Bay continues to produce
He’ll get a contract before the end of the year.
Also, he may be willing to take a Lowell-like deal to stay in Boston. (It seems he really, really likes it here.)
I think the situation was really bad for the trade to take place...
I didn’t want to trade Manny, I thought the Sox should had sucked it up until the end of season, but I guess they knew Manny would decline his option, and they would have a hole in left. Craig Hansen was okay, but he was more in the same level as Aardsma than MDC. Pirates got four good level low salaried prospects . I think they needed to traded Manny because he was becoming a big distraction. If he wasn’t Manny, the Sox would had waived him as the Mariners waived Richie Sexson, for his attitude and refusing to get on the team bus.
The one who good part of the deal were the Dodgers, Manny made an okay team, to an NLCS contender. However the Dodgers know have to deal with the Idiot Savant, and some of his antics like how he wants to play in Cleveland again. As I tell Dodgers fan who are still in Mannymania, just wait, soon he will act up.
Another reason why I didn’t want Manny traded was how he helped Ortiz in the lineup. No matter how I think Theo made the right move, Manny’s bat and his plate presence can’t be replicated. Bay isn’t Manny, but Bay has his own distinct style. Anyone that can hit a Rivera cutter 420 into centerfield, gets some praise.
So you worried about:
giving up a AAAA outfielder and a talented and replaceable bullpen arm, but were not worried about giving up one of the all time greatest hitters? Wierd.
That is not what I wrote...
i stated no matter how bad the trade was for the Sox, and it cost the Sox alot for Bay, the trade had to happened because Manny was being such a distraction. I thought Manny was going through one of his pouting phases like he had in 2005 before the trade deadline.
I love Bay
but boy does he look shaky in the field. Total professional at the plate.
Another player I really respect
is Lowell. It appears Lowell, Papi and Varitek run the team. I also wouldn’t be surprise that all three will be gone by 2010..
Exactly
Yeah, Bay is a little shaky in the field, but he’s still better than Manny.
I guess
but not much. And he has a much worse arm.
Manny vs Bay Defense
Manny UZR/150 career avg. in LF = -11.7
Bay UZR/150 career avg. in LF = -7.0
That means Bay is nearly 5 runs better then Manny which is worth half a win over the season. That is much bigger then not much.
I hate to break it to you too Manny’s arm isn’t that great. He had the benefit of playing the green monster for a long time and knowing how the ball bounced off of it and throwing quickly to second base which was 40 ft. away. Remember how shallow he used to play? He practically played SS.
it is hard to gauge
that as it is known that Fenway has weird effects on UZR. What was Bay’s in Boston last year in the small sample? If I recall correctly, it was horrible and far worse than Manny’s average numbers. So far this year Bay is -13.4 and his aggregate last year was -18.2. That is horrible. This year for LA away from Fenway Manny is -3. That is decent. I don’t think Manny’s arm is great. Bay has one of the weakest outfield arms this side of Damon.
Conclusion, if Bay is better it is not by much.
Fangraph leaders in Arm:
http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=fld&lg=all&qual=y&type=0&season=2009&month=0
Jason Bay’s fielding stats: http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=1717&position=OF#fielding
I guess he’s got a weak arm.
i disagree
no worse in the field than manny, and hes not too bad with the glove.
Had to do it
Given all the stuff that came out after Manny left, would it really have been possible for all those guys (Paps, Youk to name two) to stay down if they’d exercised the option? (Actually, Youk didn’t stay down anyway.) Given the circumstances, you give up some prospects who may/may not have worked out, ditch Manny and the salary/headaches, take maybe a hit on the bat, but not much, and at least equal on the field, plus the major upgrade in the clubhouse.
Bay defense is slightly better than Manny
and Bay is one of the smartest guys in the Majors to run on the base path!! The only thing that I’m founding disconfort with is his incapacity to hit the off-speed stuff! other than that I,m a Bay fan! Sign him Theo!!!
The only Red Sox fan in a country where nobody cares about basball!
He's a Canadian Cerano.
“Straightball I hit it very much. Curveball [and changeup, slider, etc.], bats are afraid.”
I would never joke about that. Yes DO came on and said it @ the start. I’m heart broken.
by matzushocka45 on May 6, 2009 7:22 PM EDT up reply actions
I love Manny
But Bay has been great, will continue to be great, and why wouldn’t he like playing in Boston? Here’s the sales pitch from the team to any player…."we will pay you what is fair, not too much, not too less. We will do everything in our power to produce a 95 win team. Our goal each year is to win the series; not to just make the playoffs. Recent results speak for themselves. We do not rebuild, retool, reload, we simply try to get better every year. We have a beautiful city and some of the best restaraunts, clubs, hangouts you could ever want. Oh, you are a family man? We have some of the best educational facilities available for primary, senior and tertiary requirements. You like big city living? We have it. You want to be on some land with space in a big house, hey 40 minutes out of town we have that too.
So what is your agent’s name and where would you like to finalise this contract?
Yes, it’s a presumptive close, but seriously, if I were a player there are only really 4-5 places I’d want to play, Boston being one of them. Since I’m a warm weather guy, the others are all pretty much in California.
all the other places you’d want to live and play ball, Boston, the Red Sox and its organisation
I said Manny Who? from Day One.
Manny wanting to play in Boston? Manny produced. That said, when Manny needed a Nanny ‘cuz his boo-boo face was on? Puhleeze – those who ranted about what Buckner cost the team, never really looked at Manny in clutch situations. Billy Buck made an error – while trying to make a play. Manny? If the stars weren’t aligned?
Wouldn’t put out.
How many times have you see Bay leg-out a single into a double? How many times has Bay gone face-down in the turf – holding onto that out? How many times have you seen Bay STEAL this season? Look at the G00se eggs Manny has up for SBs.
As far as Jason’s being happy to be here and not in Pittsburgh? DUH.
His Dad’s a member of RSN, and everyone knows Boston’s the southern limit of Greater Quebec & The Maritimes. If we paid him in Loonies and Twonies he might notice the difference, Eh? Otherwise this IS home.
Sign him. If for no other reason than with the current line-up there’s very little holiday for pitchers.
Off topic: Someone give Lugo a swift kick-start, or Tito a dope-slap.
How many times has Bay legged a single into a double? I dunno, once? Bay has stolen four times. How many extra runs does this produce? Less than one. Manny refused to play at times, that is why we traded him. Inside of the diamond he is a better player than Bay, no question about it.
Doubt it
There have been many times over the games I’ve seen Bay play with the Sox where I watch him beat a throw to first and think ‘There is no way Manny would have ever made that.’ He hustles and that is the one thing Manny would not do. Eveything was at his pace. Bay may not have a better arm than Manny did but he covers much more of the field , there are always plays he is making that Manny would not or could not make.
I'm sure there are times when Bay's hustle helps the Sox.
My question is how many times? How many outs does he turn into singles? My guess is that there are only a few per year. Not nearly enough to make up for Manny’s dominance with the bat.
In the field, it is unclear who is better. Bay looks bad out there and so did Manny. By UZR/150, Bay in Fenway has been just as bad as Manny was (if not worse). LF in Fenway is always going to be hard to measure because of the bizarre dimensions, but I just don’t think Bay is that much better than Manny in the field.
I love the way Bay has been playing. He is a great player. But lets not forget that Manny was one of the best hitters of all time when he was in Boston (whether natural or not).
Manny? hmmm. Manny? nope sorry this is the BAY state!
So far, I love the guy! He may not be all that “personality” as whatshisname in LA but his actions on the field are Terrific!
I'm confused.....
Bay is awesome and I bought his T-Shirt as soon as we signed him because I knew he was going to be a masher.
What I am confused about is, who is this Manny guy you are all talking about?
Well, Manny violated MLB drug policy and chases money
So he must be some sort of Yankee…
"It's just a tiny little nick, but it hurts when I get champagne in there."
- Jason Bay, on getting spiked scoring the winning run in ALDS Game Four.
Bay over manny any day
I would take bay over that steriod using manny remeroid. he was selfish and was a cancer. Redsox fans kill A-fraud we should be doing the same to manny. no excuses he is just as bad as A-fraud only one date’s madonna and wears lipstick
Comparison
I look forward to comparing Bay’s numbers over the next 50 games to Manny’s. =)
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