Author Archives: kyle porch

About kyle porch

I'm a 19 year old college student from New Hampshire just chasing my dream of being a journalist/analyst for the Boston Red Sox! I am a die hard fan since day 1. Bringing you the most reliable coverage on the most reliable website! follow me on twitter: @porchie16

Mookie

Red Sox Beat New York In Round One

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The battle of David vs. Goliath was more of a thrashing, as Mookie, and Chris Sale lead the charge and beat the Yankees 14-1 .

While both teams sent their aces out in the first match up of the year, Luis Severino didn’t have a shot. Chris sale mowed down 8 while lasting 6 innings in a monstrous 14-1 win. This brings their season record to 9-1 while New York is sitting at 5-6 ( 4.5 games back.)

Mookie Betts went 4-4 while hitting a grand slam and collecting 4 rbis and drawing a walk. Hanley extended his hit streak to 8 games with a pair of hits and grabbing 3 rbis. To round off the top three hitters Andrew Benintendi went 2-3 with a triple and 3 rbis.

Luis Severino (2-1) now posts a 3.50 era with 20 strikeouts on the season. He had a rough night from the jump, his command was never well placed, and he never had the Red Sox hitters second guessing. His opponent, Chris Sale (1-0) now sports a 1.06 era while tallying 23 strike outs on the season. Sale had a polar opposite night than Luis, with great command and sending multiple Yankee fans home depressed.

Aaron Judge hit the Yankees only run in a 444 foot home run over center field. Giancarlo Stanton went 2-4 while striking out twice and notching a double out by the Green Monster. With Xander Bogaerts slated for the 10 day dl, Brock Holt and Tsu-Wei-Lin stepped in for the shortstop. Both infielders  providing great defense in tonight’s win.

Wednesday’s match-up is slated for 7:10 pm with the Sox sending David Price ( 1-0) 0.00 era, against New York’s Masahiro Tanaka (1-1) 2.92 era in what should be a good match up.  With Alex Cora keeping his powerful lineup well rested, it’s only a matter of time until we see which line up is sent out to the field tomorrow night. It’s Boston vs. New York round 2, with only 18 more meetings on the season, every game counts towards first place.

Why the American League Needs to Fear Xander Bogaerts

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How removing the pressure and high expectations for Xander Bogaerts will make him a dangerous threat in 2018:

In the hopes of a career season, Xander Bogaerts is looking like the touted prospect four years ago. With all this power and offensive production one has to wonder: did we lose faith in our shortstop?

While collecting 6 RBIs, including a monstrous grand slam in a 10-3 hammering over the Tampa Bay Rays, it felt like a coming out party. This season alone he sports a .371 average with 2 homers and  9 RBIs throughout the first eight games. The offseason training has certainly paid off. During an interview with the Boston Globe, the 25 year old said: “I know the best is yet to come. I don’t think — I know.”

In the same article, 78% of voters wanted to trade him for a Manny Machado blockbuster. While Machado is making the transition to full time shortstop, the fit doesn’t seem realistic. Machado is entering a free agency year, and is expected to land a deal worth $200 million or more. And also considering the Dustin Pedroia incident as well.

X Man is the X Factor

The two time Silver Slugger winner is part of a championship contender. The Sox have been heavily overlooked as one of baseball’s premier teams. With the first series of the season against New York scheduled for next week, all eyes tune in on Fenway Park. This is a heavily anticipated look into the postseason.

Will the Red Sox defy the noise and the opinion of the sports world and prove their dominance against baseball’s latest super team? Or will New York shut the door on the doubts that have opened since their rough stretch of play? With the huge home stand still ahead, Xander Bogaerts and the entire Boston Red Sox roster aims to keep their lean in the AL East standings!

Can We Get Chris Sale a Win?

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One of the most dominating pitcher in the American League has two no decisions. When will the cards fall for Chris Sale?

With his second start of the season on Tuesday against the Marlins, Chris Sale did Chris Sale things. He went five innings, allowing one run and five hits. He also struck out six. Just like last season, he had a no decision to start the season. But after this start can we please get him into the win column?

The dominant left hander made a huge run towards AL Cy Young Award last year, finishing second to Corey Kluber. While some consider that a questionable call one thing is for certain, he needs support. Against the Rays, he had the run support, yet the bullpen lacked the electricity it had last season. On Tuesday, it took 13 innings for someone to score more than one run. He needs stability in order to sign an extension.

A Chris Sale extension could very well look like a Clayton Kershaw type deal. While he might not get a seven year/ $215 million deal, he could easily command that or a deal in similar to teammate David Price. Price, who is 1-0 on the season, takes the mound on the home opener Thursday afternoon. While most signs point at an easy victory, the Rays will hope to have another Opening Day win versus the defending AL East champs.

While his next projected start might very well be against the New York Yankees, all sights are set to see two teams fight fire with fire. Electric power featuring Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge against the unhittable prowess of Chris Sale, David Price, and potentially Eduardo Rodriguez.

The David vs. Goliath match up is just around the corner, follow that series as well as the entire push for October glory at bostonsportsextra.com.

Dustin Pedroia Needs to Be Traded

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The injuries, inconsistencies, and offensive struggles can’t justify his elite defense anymore. It’s time to cash in on the former AL MVP Dustin Pedroia.

Although it pains me to say this, trading Pedroia something that needs to happen. Can he really come back from surgery, ready to put all of the DL stints behind him? The former All-Star has missed 134 games within the last three seasons. Until the 2021 season, the Boston Red Sox owe him $56,500,000. That’s crazy for a 34 year old infielder.

While never expected to hit for a lot of power (140 career homers), Pedroia is expected to get hits. He has a combined 431 hits in the regular season since 2015. Compared to 38 year old Adrian Beltre, the stats differ. Both are well-respected to the game, and are huge stars to this day. Beltre since 2015 has missed only 96 games, while collecting 444 hits. While offensive numbers are near equivalent, Pedroia has superior defense compared to Beltre, but he’s four years older. They both play different positions, so they are relied upon differently. So overall this is open to interpretation.

As he showed last season, Pedroia is not going to be the leader Big Papi was. With guys like Mookie Betts, Chris Sale, and David Price with the team, there’s no need to fill that role. That void will be filled by Ortiz as he is a player consultant for the team. His visits at Fenway South have already shown he is eager to share his wisdom.

Dustin Pedroia has had many great moments that will forever make him a Red Sox legend. His defensive percentage alone should make him a first ballot Hall of Famer one day. With guys on the team like Eduardo Nunez, the Red Sox have a reliable replacement. Plus, there could be a sizable return in a potential move.

Potential Trade Suitor: The Atlanta Braves

A team like the Braves could offer a good starter like Mike Foltynewicz, and a decent prospect or two. A good chunk of Red Sox talent are slated for extensions or free agency. The team needs to look ahead. With Dustin Pedroia likely out after the end of the contract, now would be the time to take a look. I could sleep well at night knowing that if the team traded him, the reward outweighs the risk.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/red_sox/2017/08/red_sox_reward_sam_kennedy_with_extension_and_promotion

The Red Sox Are in Win Now Mode

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With free agents and extensions not being a huge priority by Dombrowski and company, this roster has officially entered win now mode. But can they win?

Guys like Chris Sale, Craig Kimbrel, Mookie Betts, and Xander Bogaerts are the core of this Red Sox lineup. One has to ask- will they all remain on the roster? With only a handful of years and options combined, who’s getting paid, and who’s getting the boot? With a depleted farm system, and only so much cash to go around, the time to win a championship is now.

They have one of the best lineups and rotation around. With a talented manager and coaching staff to back it all up. The best part, we finally have a manager who can deal with David Price! With other powerhouses such as the Astros, Indians, and Yankees all fighting to play in October, this postseason will prove to be a heavyweight bout.

The Roster Is Here to Play

Having dominant pitching can help any team win at Fenway, the smallest ballpark in the league. Porcello and Price need a bounce back season. The continued success of Sale and Pomeranz can set the tone of the bullpen. After being bounced out of the first round the last two seasons, the motivation, drive, and identity of the team has significantly changed.

It took two months of waiting for J.D Martinez to officially sign with the club. His boast of confidence was felt through not only Red Sox Nation, but throughout the entire spring training clubhouse. As he wants to win multiple titles with the organization.

As long as their infield defense, pitching, and especially offensive power comes to play this season, there are no doubts that they can bring it to the postseason. With 162 games still to go, there are a lot of pieces still involved before postseason talks are even considered. With that being said, all we can do as fans is observe, and hope that this is the year.

2018: The Year of Bogaerts

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After an offensive dive last season, 2018 is primed to be they breakout year we’ve all been waiting for when it comes to Xander Bogaerts.

After a season in which he suffered a hand injury, Bogaerts’s numbers hurt as well. In 2017, Xander hit .273 with 10 homers and 62 RBIs. Those numbers are surprisingly low following his amazing 2016 season, when he hit 21 homers and 89 RBIs to go along with a .294 batting average. With new manager Alex Cora in the mix, Xander Bogaerts is primed to have a career year.

Although spring training to me doesn’t evaluate much besides the prospects, X man is showing signs of prosperity. The starting shortstop is locating the pitches and shows flashes of the power that got his signed when he was 16. The Aruba native will only make $7,500,000 this season, and will become an unrestricted free agent after 2019. With super agent Scott Boras handling negotiations, odds are there will be no talks of an extension anytime soon.

Over the years his defense has improved. It can only get better from here. While being able to cover most of the left side of the field, he covers the middle as well. Compared to shortstops such as Correa, Lindor, and Simmons, Bogaerts is the cheaper option. What he makes up for in savings won’t deteriorate his value. He can slap the ball anywhere on the field with great precision.

While he could easily command a six year, $125 million deal, the potential is there with room for improvement. No fan of the sport has seen his ceiling. This could be the year he stays consistent throughout the entirety of the season.

Stat line Prediction for 2018:  

.313 BA, 26 home runs, 97 RBIs 

This prediction relies heavily on his health and consistency. These numbers could be achievable with having a clubhouse factor such as David Ortiz popping in as a player consultant this season. With all eyes pointed on New York, look out for Boston to defend their AL East crown?

 

Is Sandy Leon a Viable Option?

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Is Sandy Leon Really Any Good for the Sox?

There are a plentiful amount of MLB ready catchers within the Red Sox organization. Christian Vazquez, Blake Swihart, and Jake Romanski are just a few. So with all the depth, why is Sandy Leon still on the major league roster? Granted, he has a cannon that can throw out a lot of runners. However, the offensive and defensive production just isn’t there.

In his 2017 campaign, Leon was hitting .225 in 271 at bats this season. His seven homers and 39 RBIs are not something to brag about either. It doesn’t look like he can bounce back either. He has a strikeout rate of 23.1% through his first 221 at bats. If a player is under preforming his salary (a mere $1.5 million), then why is he still on the roster?

September call ups will prevent him from going back to the minors, but giving Swihart the opportunity to get a spot as the back up catcher next season would be wise. Vazquez deserves to be the starter in 2018, as he’s hot at the plate and defensively. While hitting .296 in 277 at bats, the four homers and 30 RBIs are lower than Leon’s, he’s getting more base hits and scoring due to his keen eye at the plate.

Swihart playing backup gives the Sox more depth in the outfield as well. It would also give the team a speedy boost from the catcher slot that hasn’t been seen in years. Last season, he hit an inside the park home run. That hasn’t happened since J.T Reinaldo did it back in 2013!

With every positive aspect of Leon’s game easily replaceable to the better extent, the team can make up for his absence should the organization let him go as a free agent after this season. While he has fond memories and some clutch performances, the team can truly be better off without Sandy Leon.

Free Agency

Red Sox Resign Eduardo Nunez

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The former utility man will resign a one year contract, with an option for 2019. Pending a physical, Red Sox Nation will welcome back Eduardo Nunez!

According to Ian Brown of MLB.com and Buster Olney of ESPN, the utility man will resign a one year contract pending a physical. There has been talks from both sides since the offseason began, but it was safe for him to say that his home is in Boston. Between 114 games with the Red Sox and Giants, the infielder hit .313 with 12 home runs and 58 rbis.  

The deal also contains an option for 2019, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. While rumors spun around this offseason with the Braves, Yankees, Blue Jays, and Twins contacting him for his services, it was the Sox who won the “bidding war”.

He gives the team exceptional depth with Dustin Pedroia likely out to start the season. In addition to the shaky defense of Rafael Devers at third. This move likely makes utility man Brock Holt the odd man out. With Deven Marrero the more team friendly contract, the former All-Star might be headed on the trade block.

Adding a talented righty back into the lineup helps even a left-dominant roster. Even once Pedroia becomes stable and healthy, his versatility that was shown last year can be deemed helpful. Last season, he played games at second,third,shortstop,and left field.

More details are soon to come. Make sure you check out @bostonsportsextra on Twitter for all the latest rumors, news, and highlights!

Why Logan Morrison is the Better Option

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The free agent first baseman isn’t the only power hitter waiting on a lucrative contract. But as he’s shown us before he can work on a small contract.

While Red Sox nation is still waiting on Dave Dombrowski to sign J.D. Martinez, there are other options available. One option that shouldn’t be overlooked is Logan Morrison. Last season with the Rays, he hit .246 with 38 homers and 85 RBIs. 

Even though the Red Sox have first base depth with Moreland, Travis, and Hanley, they need a power hitting righty to supplement Ramirez. He only needs 497 plate appearances for his $22 million vesting option for 2019. If healthy, that should be easily obtainable. Even though there’s a good chance the team could resign on a cheaper deal due to his lack of production and age.

Morrison would help provide in the home run department, as well as a leader the team has lacked. While veterans Dustin Pedroia and David Price didn’t step up as expected, both are committed for the long haul and willing to take charge. Morrison can also provide an above average glove at the position.

Last season, he had eight errors with a .993 fielding percentage with 1077.2 innings manning first base. Giving Moreland and Ramirez some well needed days off down the stretch. Which could be a key factor come playoff time due to the duration of the season. Time and time again depth has proven vital towards success of teams.

With the lackluster free agency movement this year, It wouldn’t take much to ink him on a one or two year deal. He is willing to DH (unlike Martinez) and wouldn’t command top dollar. This would help in the recruitment of Bryce Harper, Manny Machado sweepstakes next offseason. Boston can be rest assured a playoff contending team, without the Scott Boras haste until next year.

 

Cover image courtesy of MLB- NBC Sports.

Why the BBWAA Shouldn’t Be Voters for the Hall of Fame

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With future Hall of Famers such as Curt Schilling, Mike Mussina, Edgar Martinez, and Jeff Kent not receiving entry after multiple years, one can only wonder when the MLB will look into changes for its yearly celebration of the greatest who ever lived.

Another year, another article about notable snubs from the Cooperstown Hall of Fame. With all of the notable errors the BBWAA has had over the last couple of years, there should be discussion over a new template. A board of non bias, but knowledgeable people in and around the sport: the elected players themselves.

Imagine all the living members of the Hall of Fame, the ones who know what it takes to make it. They gather around and introduce each year’s class on MLB Network. It makes total sense. Who knows more about the Hall besides the museum curators? The players who have had the honor of being inducted.

It would also provide a bigger audience to the announcement show. Who wouldn’t want to see Frank Thomas, Ken Griffey Jr, and many other players from their age? It tunes more people in because, let’s face it- a monotonous person just reading names off note cards isn’t entertaining, it’s lulling.

That’s not even the worst of it. Who remembers they years without a single member being enshrined? I remember watching the election show back in 2013. It was supposed to be “one of the biggest classes we’ve seen in decades” but no one was “good enough” for election. There is simply just too much bias to have that power. Ken Griffey Jr deserved 100% of the votes his first year. He won ten straight gold gloves, hit 630 home runs, and who players look up to even today. Even Phil Rogers of mlb.com can’t believe it.

While until free agency heats up, this debate will be put under the bed until this time next year. Unless there’s enough pressure to the commissioner, this hassle won’t be going away any time soon.