Jason Bay

[xmuscularghandix]

watched the press conference today, very well spoken, said all the right things, but didn't say all the "right things". i like him we'll see how he does tonight but im excited.

[MattG12]

I predicted to my dad before the game that Bay would go 1 for 3 with a homer and a walk. I'll take 1 for 3 with a triple a walk and 2 runs. Well he had quite a good game, I had read somewhere that he wasn't as disciplined at the plate as Manny and that would hurt us.(86 strikeouts doesn't help change that accusation) After seeing him work a walk in his first at bat when you know he was tremendously nervous, I changed my mind on that. He made a great catch later in the game to save a run, hustled for a triple off the wall(You never see Manny do that) and then hustled home on an infield grounder(Need I say what Manny would have done?) I'm not saying Jason Bay is better than Manny by any means, but he should bring a lot more heart to this team. I did say before we got him that he would abuse the Green Monster because of his swing style. He has an uppercut swing and is a pull ball hitter. Who knows, he could flourish at Fenway and end up being better than Manny some day, we can only hope for the best.

On a side note, I was very happy to see Manny show his love for the fans of Boston during his press conference, I thank him for his years in Boston and helping us win two world series'. He will be missed, his attitude, not so much.

[hwangjini_1]

i just moved to pittsburgh a few months ago, and i asked folks here what they thought of jason bay as a baseball player.

i learned that...

1. pittsburgh is NOT a baseball city.

2. universally, anyone who knew about bay thought he was a great person. known to be friendly, civil, not self-absorbed.

3. folks think he was a big time hitter when the game is on the line.

this website by baseball prospectus seems to support #3 at least. he was rated #16 in all of baseball for "clutch hitters" in 2006. (ortiz was rated  #3!)

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=5917

[ChampKind]

i just moved to pittsburgh a few months ago, and i asked folks here what they thought of jason bay as a baseball player.

i learned that...

1. pittsburgh is NOT a baseball city.

2. universally, anyone who knew about bay thought he was a great person. known to be friendly, civil, not self-absorbed.

3. folks think he was a big time hitter when the game is on the line.

this website by baseball prospectus seems to support #3 at least. he was rated #16 in all of baseball for "clutch hitters" in 2006. (ortiz was rated  #3!)

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=5917

Where in Pittsburgh are you living?  I lived in Shadyside and Bloomfield for a few years.  I loved PNC Park and became a Pirates fan from watching about 20 games/year (total cost, about $100).  I love the city, but yeah, no one cares about the Pirates. 

I think Bay will out-perform Manny with the Sox.  He never had any protection in the lineup with Pittsburgh, and is a legit five tool player.  As long as he can deal with the pressure of playing at Fenway, I think the Sox will be better off with him.

[hwangjini_1]

i just moved to pittsburgh a few months ago, and i asked folks here what they thought of jason bay as a baseball player.

i learned that...

1. pittsburgh is NOT a baseball city.

2. universally, anyone who knew about bay thought he was a great person. known to be friendly, civil, not self-absorbed.

3. folks think he was a big time hitter when the game is on the line.

this website by baseball prospectus seems to support #3 at least. he was rated #16 in all of baseball for "clutch hitters" in 2006. (ortiz was rated  #3!)

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=5917

Where in Pittsburgh are you living?  I lived in Shadyside and Bloomfield for a few years.  I loved PNC Park and became a Pirates fan from watching about 20 games/year (total cost, about $100).  I love the city, but yeah, no one cares about the Pirates. 

I think Bay will out-perform Manny with the Sox.  He never had any protection in the lineup with Pittsburgh, and is a legit five tool player.  As long as he can deal with the pressure of playing at Fenway, I think the Sox will be better off with him.

not far from those places...but then, not much is far from anyplace else in pittsburgh. which i like. pittsburgh has surprised me and is pretty city.

i'm in a little borough called swisshelm park, 5 minute drive from squirrel hill.

when you say bay will out-perform manny, do you mean this season? well, defensively bay will look a LOT better than manny did. and manny will have some real problems playing credible defense in LA with its BIG left field. no green monster to let manny play in close. i expect to see a lot of baseballs whiz by manny and rattle around the left field area there.

with the bat, doubtful bay will surpass manny on a steady basis. SOSH did a pretty analysis of bay's hitting tendencies, and projected his hitting onto fenway.

a fair amount of his homers will become doubles. but, bay did have a tendency to hit a lot of balls directly down the left field line, which in fenway means more hits and less outs.

so, not as many homers by bay compared to manny, but he will be a good hitter for the sox.

the big advantage is that he saves the sox womthing like $13million over this year and next, which may let theo get a catcher to backup/replace tek. (who currently has been seen running around with a fork extruding him.)

[cavman]

3 runs and 3 RBI in less than 2 games.  A good start for Bay.  I think he'll do well.

[TripleOT]

The Old Town Team has a fresh new look, and Bay has come up with two great games in his first two outings at Fenway.  I think he's going to be a key cog in their line up, and I think his productivity will increase now that he's surrounded by good offensive players. 

[Triboy16]

magnificant beginning for bay. He won't be able to replace manny no doubt but still boston replaced a 30hr and 100 rbi player with another.(manny was never going to reach the 40 hr and 120 rbi milestone again)

So with ortiz, lowell, drew, bay and don't forget youk we have almost 5 guys who can come close to the 30 hr and 100 rbi mark . I'm loving that, we are still dangerous on offense