The Greatest Shortstops in Red Sox History

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The Red Sox have had a rich history at the shortstop position. On this list are five Red Sox Hall of Famers and some worthy candidates in the honorable mention category. Placement of the players after the top couple was difficult, but one thing is for sure; I had no trouble finding five qualified candidates at this position.

Nomar Garciaparra

Nomah was the greatest shortstop to ever play at Fenway Pahk! Going to a Sox game in the late nineties and early 2000s one could hear “Nomaaahhhh” yelled all over the ballpark. The 12th overall pick in 1994, Nomar had no trouble climbing through the minors before debuting in 1996. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1997, then placed 2nd in the MVP vote in 1998. He proceeded to win the batting title in each of the next two seasons, batting .357 and .372. Nomar was getting better and better, spraying line drives all over the yard.

Then Al Reyes happened. A Reyes pitch hit Nomar on the wrist and would later require surgery. When Nomar returned he was still a good player, but wasn’t the same. He popped the ball up more, hitting a few less line drives. Hard to complain with a .310 average, 24 home runs and 56 doubles in 2002 followed by 28 home runs in 2003 though. For his Red Sox career Nomar batted .323 with 178 home runs and a .923 OPS. He was something else in his prime.

Year Tm AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA OBP SLG OPS Awards
1996 BOS 87 11 21 2 3 4 16 5 .241 .272 .471 .743
1997 BOS 684 122 209 44 11 30 98 22 .306 .342 .534 .875 AS,MVP-8,RoY-1,SS
1998 BOS 604 111 195 37 8 35 122 12 .323 .362 .584 .946 MVP-2
1999 BOS 532 103 190 42 4 27 104 14 .357 .418 .603 1.022 AS,MVP-7
2000 BOS 529 104 197 51 3 21 96 5 .372 .434 .599 1.033 AS,MVP-9
2001 BOS 83 13 24 3 0 4 8 0 .289 .352 .470 .822
2002 BOS 635 101 197 56 5 24 120 5 .310 .352 .528 .880 AS,MVP-11
2003 BOS 658 120 198 37 13 28 105 19 .301 .345 .524 .870 AS,MVP-7
2004 BOS 156 24 50 7 3 5 21 2 .321 .367 .500 .867
BOS BOS 3968 709 1281 279 50 178 690 84 .323 .370 .553 .923

Joe Cronin

Joe Cronin was an extremely influential person in both Red Sox history and Major League Baseball history. He not only played for the Red Sox, he managed them and later became the General Manager. After his term as General Manager ended, Cronin became the President of the American League in 1959, a position he held for 15 years.

Cronin was a Hall of Fame ballplayer, and could have put up even bigger numbers had he not been managing. By 1942 he was a little used utility player while managing, despite the fact he was coming off a season during which he batted .311 with 16 homers and 95 RBI. He’d bat over .300 each of the next two seasons as well in limited playing time. For his Red Sox career Cronin was a .300 hitter, hitting 119 home runs and 1168 base hits. He had a beautiful slash line of .394/.484/.878. All three of those numbers rank second among Red Sox shortstops. Cronin made five All-Star Games while with the Red Sox.

Johnny Pesky

I think a lot of people remember Pesky as the lovable old man always hanging around the Red Sox dugout and don’t realize just how good of a player he was. Pesky led the league in hits during each of his first three seasons in the majors. He batted .331 during his rookie season, placing 3rd in the MVP vote. Following that, Pesky went to fight in the war and missed the next three seasons. When he came back he batted .335 and placed 4th in the MVP vote. The following year he again led the league in hits and batted .324. He was a great hitter and would have over 600 hits likely added to his career total had the war not occurred.

He was one of many guys who lost stats due to this time period that the Hall of Fame doesn’t seem to have taken into consideration. Had the war not happened, Pesky would be a shortstop who hit well over .300 with somewhere over 2000 career hits. Laughably, as an illustration to New York bias, Phil Rizzuto is in the Hall of Fame. Rizzuto batted .273 with a .351/.355/.706 triple slash playing the same position and during the exact same era as Pesky. Pesky batted .307 with a .394/.386/.780 slash line. Focusing on just his Red Sox career, Pesky batted .313 with 1277 hits and a .401 on base percentage. He twice finished in the top five for MVP voting.

Rico Petrocelli

Rico gets the nod fourth thanks to his counting numbers. He leads all Red Sox shortstop with 210 home runs and 1352 base hits. Of course, he moved to third base in the seventies so as just a shortstop he doesn’t rank first. While playing short, Petrocelli batted .259 while hitting 127 of his home runs. Rico made his first All-Star Game during the “Impossible Dream” season of 1967. He really broke out in 1969 though when he made his 2nd all-star team. That season Rico batted .297 with 40 home runs and a .992 OPS! Those 40 home runs stood as an American League shortstop record until 1998, when it took some foreign substances to likely surpass it.

Rico’s newfound power extended into the early seventies, hitting 29 home runs in 1970 and 28 in 1971. That gave him a three-year total of 97 home runs. His 39.1 career WAR places him second out of guys on this list behind only Nomar. He was also a part of two Red Sox pennant winning teams.

John Valentin

John Valentin was an excellent and underrated player prior to knee injuries that hobbled him and shortened his career after he turned 30. Valentin hit 121 home runs and collected 1042 base hits as a member of the Red Sox. He was their shortstop from 1992-96 before Nomar arrived. After a brief move to second base, he became their third baseman after Tim Naehring’s injury and remained there for a few years. As just a shortstop, Valentin batted .292 with a .375/.470/.845 triple slash line. He had an 11.8 dWAR with the Sox, 2nd among the guys on this list.

In 1995 Valentin really busted out, batting .298 with 27 home runs, 102 RBI and 20 stolen bases. He led all American Leaguers in WAR that season. From 1994-97 he averaged a season of .303 with 17 home runs, 35 doubles and an .876 OPS. He still hit 23 home runs in 1998 but his average dropped as his knees started causing him discomfort. Despite a mediocre season in 1999, Valentin had a huge postseason. A clutch player, Valentin batted .347 with 5 home runs and a 1.046 OPS during his postseason career. He drove in 12 runners in the 5 game ALDS versus Cleveland in 1999 and was one of the few Red Sox players to hit in the ALCS that year. His clutch play is one reason he slots into the top five.

John Valentin of the Boston Red Sox watches his two-run home run in the first inning against the Yankees during game three of the ALCS at Fenway Park. The Yankees have a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.  AFP PHOTO/Jeff HAYNES

Honorable Mentions

Vern Stephens, Rick Burleson, Heinie Wagner, Everett Scott

What’s up with Mike Gillislee?

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Fans have been seeing a lot less of running back Mike Gillislee in the last few weeks.

The man we saw taking the majority of snaps in the early games of the regular season has been inactive for three straight weeks. All three have been healthy scratches from the active list. Gillislee joins the inactive list with Marcus Cannon, David Andrews, and Chris Hogan, who were ruled out on Friday. Cornerback Eric Rowe will miss his seventh consecutive game, and Matthew Slater will miss his second. Martellus Bennett will miss his first game as a Patriot with an ailing shoulder.

Where Has Mike Been?

Mike Gillislee started his stint with the Patriots with a boom, racking up three touchdowns in the team’s home opener. His rushing numbers have not been nothing too impressive as he has not surpassed 69 yards all season. This was to be expected however since he shares the backfield with Dion Lewis, Rex Burkhead, and James White. In recent games Lewis has controlled the rushing game while Burkhead has been the recipient of most check-down passes. James White has been a viable backup for either role.

A four halfback committee isn’t necessary to have every game. The Patriots’ offense prepares for one game at a time, and each defense that they face calls for different play-calling. The Lewis-Burkhead duo has been the fit as of late.

With two backs on a hot streak, the question after that is how Gillislee has performed on special teams. He has been in a battle for an active spot on special teams with tight end Jacob Hollister. Who would you rather take: another return man like Gillislee or a big guy to play the front lines like Hollister? The answer for Coach Belichick has been the latter.

The Future for Gillislee

The Patriots’ backfield is composed of guys who have the ability to start any given week. Rex Burkhead has proved his worth as more of a receiving back on passing downs. Dion Lewis has demonstrated in the past and this season that he is a viable runner and returner now that he is healthy. James White is a combination of the two with his versatility being showcased in the playoffs last year. Gillislee is a one-cut back who can make a splash in any team’s running game. The only problem with that is that the Patriots have an abysmal rushing presence. Are they in need of one? With Tom Brady at the helm it isn’t essential.

Mike Gillislee might be in jeopardy of his job with the Patriots. His contract is too much for him to just glide in and out of the inactive list. This doesn’t mean that his playing ability has not been up to the team’s standards. This is more of a “it’s not you, it’s me” type situation. The Patriots have realized they don’t need a workhorse runner like Gillislee every game. Whatever happens there is reason to believe that there will not be bad blood between the Patriots and Gillislee.

Should Roger Clemens Make the Hall of Fame?

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Scott’s Argument Supporting Clemens

Clemens clearly used after leaving the Red Sox so his stats and awards are greatly inflated by the help of foreign substances. Over his final four seasons with the Red Sox he had a 3.77 ERA and 8.7 k/9. In the next two seasons he had a 2.33 ERA and 10.2 k/9. He was 34 years old in 1997 and struck out a career high in batters. I mean, come on. There is no argument about what he did. The argument comes over what to do with him and the others. Honestly, there is no wrong answer, and that is the problem. It is an individual’s opinion over how to treat steroid users, and many people have differing opinions. As a result, guys like Clemens and Barry Bonds have been stuck in ballot purgatory.

Steroids

Steroids very clearly affect statistics in a huge way. Two people have ever hit 60 home runs in a season, and then it happened six times in four years during the height of the steroid era. It hasn’t been done since. The record book was left in shambles. It’s a shame. All of these players have better stats due to using, but some of them were Hall of Famers anyways, and that’s where my argument for Clemens (and some others) comes into play. I could care less about the character clause quite frankly. The Hall of Fame should be a place to celebrate the greatest players to play the game, everyone has faults.

Pre-Steroid Accomplishments

With 192 wins after 1996, Clemens’ win total wouldn’t have screamed Hall of Fame. At 34 he would have still pitched for a couple more seasons and gotten to maybe 220-230 wins? But that’s not the case for him. Clemens was already a three time Cy Young Award winner and an MVP winner by this time. Three Cy Young’s and an MVP get you in the Hall. He had led the league in wins twice, ERA four times, and strike outs three times. He also had two different games during which he had struck out 20 batters. No one else had ever accomplished this at the time. His career strikeout total still would have eclipsed 3000 and placed him in the top 15 of all-time in that category. If he had never touched anything and just played out what was left of his career naturally, he’d be enshrined. That is why I would vote for him.

 

Mike’s Argument Against Clemens

Roger Clemens is the greatest pitcher in Red Sox history. He should not, however, be in the Hall of Fame. Clemens is, as much as Mark McGwire or Barry Bonds, the poster child for the steroid era of baseball.

It is commonly accepted that the Rocket began taking steroids after leaving the Red Sox following the 1996 season. He was so offended by then-GM Dan Duquette’s “twilight of his career” speech that he committed himself to proving everyone wrong.

Like Bonds, many people will argue that the Rocket was a hall of fame pitcher before he left Boston. His 13 seasons with the Sox were indeed excellent and at least borderline for the hall. He finished with 192 wins, an ERA of 3.06, 2,590 Ks, three Cy Young awards and a league MVP.

In 11 seasons after leaving Boston, between the ages of 34 and 44, Roger compiled 162 wins, 73 losses, a 2.91 ERA, 2,082 Ks, and four more Cy Young Awards. A 2.91 ERA. Most telling about the immediate positive impact that steroids had on Clemens is the fact that in his final year in Boston he was 10-13 with a 3.63 ERA and 257 Ks. In his two seasons in Toronto, he went 41-13 with an ERA of 2.33 and averaged 281 Ks. He won the Cy Young both years.

Great Pitcher, Bad Guy

Source for the picture: https://sportanalyst.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/gal_front_12_14-745624.jpg

Clemens was more than just a juicer. He was a bad guy who in the second half of his career folded like a lawn chair in some of the biggest moments. In The Yankee Years, Joe Torre explained in detail Roger’s diva nature, his feigning of injuries when he was getting shelled in games, and his relationship with Brian McNamee.

Clemens not only took steroids for the better half of his career, he lied to Congress about it. The Rocket’s defenders argue that Clemens was found not guilty of perjury and that McNamee was a slime-ball witness trying to become famous. But nobody with any intellectual integrity believes that Clemens competed clean.

Roger Clemens was a great pitcher. He was a better science experiment. Everyone recognizes that this rocket was fueled by HGH, Winstrol, and litany of chemicals to extend and enhance his career. The question for Cooperstown voters is simply: do you care?

I believe that they do not. Clemens will eventually be elected to the Hall of Fame. That said, you cannot allow Roger Clemens and others like him in the Hall without opening the doors to guys like McGwire, Manny, A-Rod, and others. Voters cannot hide behind the façade of the Hall’s “character clause” to exclude players they don’t like while inducting cheaters like Roger Clemens.

Anyone interested in the real Roger Clemens, beyond the impressive stat line, should read American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America’s Pastime. This well-documented book by the New York Daily News Sports Investigative Team, published in 2009, puts his career and the entire steroid era into the proper perspective.

BSE Week in Review

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Welcome to a special Turkey Bowl edition of the Week in Review. While all enjoyed a few extra days with our families and our sports teams, the BSE family was working on fantastic articles for your enjoyment. Take another look and support our special writers.

Thanksgiving Specials News

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-celtics/2017/11/celtics-reign-begin

Patriots News

https://bostonsportsextra.com/nfl/2017/11/week-11-winners-losers

https://bostonsportsextra.com/nfl/2017/11/end-legion-boom

https://bostonsportsextra.com/new-england-patriots/2017/11/marquis-flowers-blooming-patriots-injured-linebacker-corps

Bruins News

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-bruins/2017/11/bruins-defense-zone-needs-improve-quickly

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-bruins/2017/11/bruins-slowly-getting-healthy

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-bruins/2017/11/anton-khudobin-carrying-boston-bruins

 

Red Sox News

https://bostonsportsextra.com/mlb/2017/11/2018-baseball-hof-ballot-hitters

https://bostonsportsextra.com/mlb/2017/11/2018-baseball-hof-ballot-pitchers

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/11/red-sox-hot-stove-whose-job-safe

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/11/red-sox-greatest-third-basemen-time

Kyrie Irving

Celtics’ Offense Catches Fire in Blowout Win over Orlando

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Despite the recently ended 16-game winning streak, the Celtics have not been a good offensive team. Their defense is the talk of the town, while their offense has been just good enough to get by. But last night, the Celtics fixed some of the problems that had been ailing them over the past few games. Boston got off to a fast start, got back to moving the ball, and were able to get open shots that actually dropped. It also didn’t hurt that they played the Magic, a team they have dominated at home in recent times.

Celtics Explode out of the Gates

Toward the end of the winning streak, the Celtics were getting off to horrible offensive starts. They had to dig themselves out of giant deficits, mainly because they weren’t playing efficient offense and weren’t knocking down shots. Back on the TD Garden floor against Orlando, the Celtics had no trouble getting the offense going. The C’s shot 68.2 percent from the field in the first quarter and hit 7-of-12 threes. The shooting barely cooled off in the second quarter and the Celtics hung 73 points on Orlando, a season-high for any half. The game was over at halftime, and this time it was because of a high powered offense, not a stifling defense.

Al Horford

Brad Stevens has always preached ball movement on the offensive end. The Celtics have always been near the top of the league in assists and passes per game. In the past, Boston needed that ball movement to be put the ball in the hoop. Even then, their lack of top-tier talent lead to some ugly offensive basketball. With offensive experts like Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum, the Celtics can sometimes get away with less ball movement and just rely on the isolation games of such advanced scorers. But that doesn’t lead to an efficient offense. We got a glimpse against Orlando of what the Celtics can be when they move the ball and get back to the style of play in which a Brad Stevens’ coached team excels.

Al Horford, a Key to the Offense

Stevens may have found something in the way they played in the first quarter against the Magic. The offense ran through Al Horford to start the game, and that generated open looks and ball movement. Horford had seven (SEVEN!!!) assists in the first quarter and really got everyone in a groove early on. Horford finished with just five points, but his 10 assists were a team-high by a mile. Horford is a smart, capable passer. He makes the correct reads more often than not and finds the scorer. It may behoove Stevens to make more of an effort to allow the offense to run through Horford early in games to increase ball movement and avoid offensive droughts.

Terry Rozier

Terry Rozier Leads an Energized Celtics Bench

As the old NBA idiom goes, role players and rookies always play better at home. Tatum has proved that he plays well anywhere, but the Celtics bench had been a problem on the recent road trip. The Celtics’ bench ranks 22nd in scoring (29.7pts/game) on some pretty horrendous shooting. They got just 22.3 points per game over the last three away games. Boston needs production from their bench, and Rozier stepped up against Orlando. A career-high 23 points on 8-11 shooting led the Celtics bench. You can’t expect 20+ points off the bench from players like Rozier and Marcus Smart, but they will need to be able to bridge the gap and give the starters a break without giving away leads or losing ground.

Jaylen Brown Is Playing like a Man Possessed

The night after losing his best friend, Jaylen Brown had a career night against the Golden State Warriors. Since that game, Brown has been the second best player on the Celtics and has taken his offensive game to another level. Since the passing of his friend, Brown is averaging 19.6 points on 53 percent shooting from the field and 52 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The shooting numbers aren’t sustainable, but Brown is playing with a different level of focus and a high level of confidence. This Celtics team needs a confident Jaylen Brown, and they have been getting it.

Eastern Conference Winner betting odds at William Hill

For the latest odds on the NBA and more.

celtics

The Celtics’ Reign is About to Begin

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Nov 3, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; The Boston Celtics celebrate after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Celtics’ 16-3 start is perhaps one of the biggest shocks of the NBA season, and they’ve done it all without Gordon Hayward. With a roster that is built to win now and in the future, the Celtics have no plans of slowing down. Thanks to the talented youth Danny Ainge has stockpiled, this team is set to dominate the eastern conference for years.

Kyrie’s Leadership

Kyrie’s arrival to the Boston Celtics was met with questions from skeptics who were unconvinced about seemingly every aspect of his game except offense. They didn’t think his style of play would hold up under Brad Stevens’ system. The Boston Celtics are a defensive minded team that like to move the ball around on offense. Kyrie Irving was none of those things with the Cavaliers. However, in his short time with the Celtics, Irving has rushed to answer these questions. He has been able to facilitate the offense while still scoring at will. His defense has been stellar, a far cry from his reputation with the Cavaliers.

But the main concern coming from skeptics around the league was if he could win without LeBron James. It is still early, but so far it seems Kyrie Irving does not need LeBron James to win games. The Kyrie-led Celtics are 16-3; the league’s best record. Their three signature wins came against the Spurs, the Thunder, and the Warriors. The LeBron-led Cavaliers are just 11-7. Despite all of the skeptics, it is clear Kyrie is able to be the face of a franchise.

Soon, Kyrie Irving will dethrone LeBron James and become the new king of the eastern conference.

Celtics’ Youth

Waltham-06/30/2017- The Boston Celtics held a summer league at their practice facility. Jayson Tatum(left) and Jaylen Brown chat during a drill. John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe(sports)

This year, the best team in the league is also one of the youngest. The average age of the Boston Celtics is an intriguingly low 24 years old. Only four teams in the league have teams that are younger than the Celtics. Typically, young teams tend to struggle in the NBA. However, the Celtics have been able to win games with one of the youngest rosters in the league. Their conference rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers, are polar opposites.

Their average age is 30, and they are not getting any younger. As teams get older, they become fragile. Their star point guard, Isaiah Thomas, will be out until January with a hip injury. Dwayne Wade and Derrick Rose have also had injuries this season. The age of the Cavaliers means they are running out of time. Most of their star players are on the backsides of career. The Boston Celtics, however, are outfitted with a roster that is filled with potential. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are already showing signs that they will be stars in this league. Kyrie Irving is already an NBA champion and is only 25 years old. These players are going to be the core of this team for years to come.

In less than three years, the Celtics will begin their run of dominance in the east that could last for up to a decade.

Young Athletes’ Relationships

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Young Athletes in Relationships

Young athletes who are in their 20’s are very popular sometimes in the public eye. Sometimes girls that are in their late teens crush on a athlete who is in their early 20’s. For example Kobe Bryant was 23 when he met his future wife. She was a senior in high school at the time they met. Yes, he made some bad choices, but they are still married to this day. Even with the cheating scandals on Kobe’s part. Reports said it was cheaper for Kobe to stay married with Vanessa.

Mark Sanchez’s Friendship with Eliza

In 2011 Mark Sanchez went to a bar and met a seventeen-year-old high school girl. Her name was Eliza Kruger. Sanchez was a quarterback for the New York Jets at the time and was 25 years-old. The age of consent is 17 in the state of New York. All that happened though was she went to his house for dinner. He lives on a golf course and she took pictures of his bedroom. She bragged about meeting him on Facebook and he wouldn’t date her because she was too young.

What’s the Right Time?

Even though the age of consent is 16 in New York, Mark would still be on the friendship level with Eliza. He just liked her company. Today Mark is 31 and Eliza is 23. If they wanted to be more than friends at this point they could. She’s older and more mature. But back when she was 17 it wasn’t going to be anymore than friendship. Not only the age but the maturity and she probably had a lot going on.

This Goes for the Average Person, Not Just an Athlete

There’s nothing wrong with a young athlete or an young guy liking a younger girl. As long as the girl is at the age of consent. The same principle goes when genders are flopped. But the most important thing about any relationship is respect. If the average guy, say 25, was friends with a 17 year old girl like Mark Sanchez and Eliza and they got along well. As long as he respects her then there’s no problem with it. Like I said nothing more than a friendship at the point because of the gap and maturity but now who knows. But the average person is obviously different from a NFL quarterback or a young athlete, but the point is if they have respect for one another.

2018 Baseball HOF Ballot: The Hitters

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The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) released their Hall of Fame ballot yesterday. Over the next few weeks, Boston Sports Extra will make our case for who should and who shouldn’t, as well as who will and who won’t get elected. This is a follow up to the article covering the pitchers.

A Messy Situation

The Hall of Fame process has become a messy situation in recent years. Thanks to the steroid era, the ballots have been overloaded with quality players. There is a disagreement on how known steroid users should be treated in the voting process. This trickles down to other players who played during the steroid era. Just being a power hitter during the 90’s is cause for a little scrutiny, fair or not. To those who were clean during this era, their numbers have been overshadowed by those who were juicing. Some writers will vote for steroid users or ones under suspicion, others will not. Thus, those players are stuck in purgatory, too many votes to fall off the ballot, not enough to gain election. This has an unfortunate side effect on other players.

Some very good players have been victims to this crowded ballot and failed to gain the 5% necessary vote to remain on the ballot. Kenny Lofton and Jim Edmonds are two names that come immediately to mind. They may not be Hall of Fame players, but they put up some very nice numbers, ones that deserved more consideration and argument. Due to the high number of players on the ballot and the Hall of Fame’s refusal to up the limit a writer can vote for from 10, these players fell off the ballot. There will be more ballot casualties in the future unless something is done to rectify the situation.

2018 Class of Hitters

Vladimir Guerrero of the Montreal Expos. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport

This year’s ballot features 19 hitters. Nine of these are holdovers from previous ballots after surpassing the necessary 5% of the vote. Vladimir Guerrero is the one most likely to join the Hall of Fame ranks this year after receiving 71.7% of the vote last year. Edgar Martinez, entering his final year on the ballot, might be the most interesting case this year. Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, Larry Walker, Fred McGriff, Jeff Kent, Gary Sheffield and Sammy Sosa also will appear on the ballot again.

The 10 newcomers are headlined by Chipper Jones and Jim Thome, who are likely headed for enshrinement. They are joined by Scott Rolen, Andruw Jones, Johnny Damon, Omar Vizquel, Orlando Hudson, Carlos Lee, Aubrey Huff, and Hideki Matsui.

Rk Name YoB % of Ballots Yrs R H HR RBI SB BA OBP SLG OPS
2 Vladimir Guerrero 2nd 71.7% 16 1328 2590 449 1496 181 .318 .379 .553 .931
3 Edgar Martinez 9th 58.6% 18 1219 2247 309 1261 49 .312 .418 .515 .933
5 Barry Bonds 6th 53.8% 22 2227 2935 762 1996 514 .298 .444 .607 1.051
8 Manny Ramirez 2nd 23.8% 19 1544 2574 555 1831 38 .312 .411 .585 .996
9 Larry Walker 8th 21.9% 17 1355 2160 383 1311 230 .313 .400 .565 .965
10 Fred McGriff 9th 21.7% 19 1349 2490 493 1550 72 .284 .377 .509 .886
11 Jeff Kent 5th 16.7% 17 1320 2461 377 1518 94 .290 .356 .500 .855
12 Gary Sheffield 4th 13.3% 22 1636 2689 509 1676 253 .292 .393 .514 .907
14 Sammy Sosa 6th 8.6% 18 1475 2408 609 1667 234 .273 .344 .534 .878
15 Chipper Jones 1st 19 1619 2726 468 1623 150 .303 .401 .529 .930
16 Jim Thome 1st 22 1583 2328 612 1699 19 .276 .402 .554 .956
17 Scott Rolen 1st 17 1211 2077 316 1287 118 .281 .364 .490 .855
18 Andruw Jones 1st 17 1204 1933 434 1289 152 .254 .337 .486 .823
20 Johnny Damon 1st 18 1668 2769 235 1139 408 .284 .352 .433 .785
23 Omar Vizquel 1st 24 1445 2877 80 951 404 .272 .336 .352 .688
26 Orlando Hudson 1st 11 648 1319 93 542 85 .273 .341 .412 .752
29 Carlos Lee 1st 14 1125 2273 358 1363 125 .285 .339 .483 .821
30 Aubrey Huff 1st 13 806 1699 242 904 37 .278 .342 .464 .806
31 Hideki Matsui 1st 10 656 1253 175 760 13 .282 .360 .462 .822

The Holdovers

Edgar Martinez hit the ball so hard his bats caught on fire.

With Vlad likely to make the Hall of Fame this year, will any other holdovers join him? Edgar Martinez is getting some strong support entering his final season on the ballot. But can he make up 17% of the vote with several strong newcomers joining the ballot? There are a lot of worthy names to vote for. How much more support will known steroid users receive? Barry Bonds’ vote totals have been creeping up, while Manny Ramirez is receiving less than one quarter of the vote. Sammy Sosa looks to be in danger of fading off the ballot after garnering less than 10% of the vote last year.

Joining them are players being overshadowed by their era and pushed out by a crowded ballot. Fred McGriff, who I plan on covering more extensively later, is a long ways off from enshrinement. Jeff Kent fits in the same boat, the all-time home run leader as a second baseman finished with less than 20% of the vote last year. Meanwhile, Larry Walker’s big numbers have been tainted by “The Coors Effect” as much as steroid users numbers have been tainted. Worthy or not, none of them look like they will be joining the ranks anytime soon.

The Newcomers

Chipper had a swing of beauty.

As mentioned earlier, Chipper Jones and Jim Thome will almost certainly be voted in. Who else can we expect to see join them among the newcomers? My guess would be no one this year. I have already covered three likely to be voted in this year. With Edgar Martinez garnering a strong push, he seems to be the most likely to make it if a fourth joins the group. That doesn’t leave room for anyone else. But, that doesn’t mean some of these names won’t make it at a later date.

Scott Rolen will gather some support. However, he fought injuries for a lot of his career, leaving his enshrinement with a lot of question marks. Andruw Jones looked like a sure thing after a decade in the league. Jones was the best defensive center fielder in the league for a stretch and was hitting 30+ homers a season. Then he decided he liked food a little more than being a great ballplayer. The new age “statistics” do not favor Omar Vizquel, but he was the best defender of his generation at a premium position. Not only that, he only fell 123 hits shy of 3000. Vizquel should have a case down the road.

The others first appearing on the ballot don’t seem to have any shot. Johnny Damon is the only other name who might attract a few votes after piling up over 2700 career hits. Orlando Hudson, Carlos Lee, Aubrey Huff and Hideki Matsui, although fine players, fall well short of Hall of Fame consideration.

Bruins Defense in Their Own Zone Needs to Improve Quickly

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The Bruins have been a bit of a roller-coaster as of late. From losing four games in a row, then winning two out of three games on their California road trip. They have been hit hard by injuries all over the roster but no position has taken a bigger hit then the center position. Bergeron, Backes, Spooner, and Krejci have all missed time at one point or another this season. Along with the rotating players on the back end with McQuaid out for a long stretch, and Krug now is missing time. The defense in their own zone has been sub-par to say the least. But even with the Bruins beginning to get players back from injuries the team defense continues to be repulsive at times.

Youth

This is the easiest route to go down considering that the Bruins have been throwing out an AHL lineup the past month.  But being young does not provide an excuse for frankly being lazy at points. The Bruins’ young defense man have been lackadaisical at times this year, allowing easy tip-ins or one timers from the slot/high slot on a simple man coverage scheme. Cassidy has not instituted a complex defensive system at all. Most of it is a simple zone keeping the puck rotating along the boards and out of the danger areas, or a man to man coverage. Yet somehow the Bruins’ defensemen continue to lose track of their responsibility and have allowed some retched goals through the first quarter of this season.

When the Bruins’ youth has been able to execute the scheme properly, they are still getting beat to the spot and allowing wide open shots on net. Maybe it’s because they played against AHL talent only a couple weeks ago, or that they lack the physical talent to deal with big talented NHL forwards. Either way The lack of grit on the back-end has been a problem all year and continues to haunt the Bruins in tight games. While the last two games have shown improvement, the Bruins the youth on the back-end to develop some grit real quick. After all the first quarter of the NHL season is the easiest, as the games begin to rack up all the sudden the hits come harder and your feet feel heavier. Let’s see if the youth on this team is ready to handle that.

Veterans

Defensive errors have been to common on this Bruins team. It seems like every game a player is making a wild pass through the center of the ice, or a bad timed pinch up the board that have led to breakaways and odd man rushes going the other way. Even the inability to clear the puck when the Bruins have plenty of open ice in front of them, rather they get overwhelmed in their own zones way to often making for grinding shifts on the players, and a lot of high quality scoring chances for the opponent. The inability to make the simple plays that NHL teams should do in their sleep fall on the veterans.

Chara mainly on the back-end should be telling the young kids make the simple play and get back on defense. Someone needs to take control of the game and slow it down, and Chara needs to be that guy. Do not let the veteran forwards off the hook either. They need to realize that when you have a bunch of young kids on defense do not get caught behind the net. Too many times in the past month the Bruins’ forwards had a tendency to migrate toward the puck rather than playing zones. While it makes for a less entertaining game playing conservative is what the Bruins need to learn to do and quick.

Now with Thanksgiving right around the corner it’s go time. This is when the playoff teams separate themselves. Let’s see what the Bruins got.

Week 11 Winners and Losers

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As I was writing this article I realized that this week’s winners and losers are oddly similar to last week’s. Quite interesting if you ask me, it seems that many teams across the league are trending rapidly up or down. Down the stretch it will be interesting to see which struggling teams can turn it around and which contenders will turn into pretenders. Let’s get to it.

WEEK 11 WINNERS

ATLANTA FALCONS, 34-31 WIN AT SEATTLE

Don’t look now but it looks like Atlanta is turning into Hotlanta. With back-to-back impressive wins, the Falcons have found themselves back in the NFC playoff picture. Their win over Seattle moved them up to the sixth seed in the NFC. The key to Atlanta’s recent resurgence? Their relentless pass rush. Adrian Clayborn and Grady Jarrett were chasing Russell Wilson out of the pocket all night, not allowing him to get comfortable. Also, Matt Ryan was efficient as he completed over 70% of his passes for 195 yards and two TD’s. Well done Atlanta, welcome back to NFC-relevancy. five of Atlanta’s last six games are against division opponents, including four home games. Up next: a very winnable game at home vs Tampa Bay.

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NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, 34-31 OT WIN VS WASHINGTON

Beginning to wonder if anyone can beat this team. They just won their eighth straight game in a dramatic fourth quarter comeback lead by two perfect drives from Brees. It was vintage Drew, which is something we have not seen much this year because Mark Ingram, Alvin Kamara and the defense have been so good. How perfect was Brees on the last two comeback drives? 11-11 for 164 yards, two TD’s and a two-point conversion. Yup, he can still carry the team when necessary. The Saints are the first team in the modern era to start a season 0-2 and then win eight straight. Also, can we start acknowledging that Alvin Kamara is the best rookie running back in the league? He had another 116 scrimmage yards and a TD on just 14 touches.

Side note: I really feel for the Redskins. They might be the most injured team in the league and have had an absolutely brutal schedule. So far the ‘Skins have faced the Eagles twice, the Rams, Saints, Vikings, 49ers, Raiders, Cowboys, Seahawks and Chiefs. Washington is one of the best 4-6 teams I have ever seen, along with this years Chargers.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS, 24-7 WIN VS LA RAMS

Dominant win versus the red-hot Rams. The Vikings are legit and another impressive win has them in my “Winners” column for consecutive weeks. Did anyone think Minnesota would be 8-2 considering their injuries to key players and relatively tough schedule? I sure didn’t. I feel like I owe these guys an apology for picking them to lose almost every week. They have proved me wrong week in and week out and it is time I accept the fact that this team is for real. Holding the NFL’s highest scoring offense to a measly seven points was very impressive. Equally impressive is their 11th ranked offense in terms of point per game, sans Bradford, Bridgewater and Dalvin Cook. Who would have thought that Case Keenum would carry this offense so well. Up next: At Lions then at Falcons, two more tough tests.

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 WEEK 11 LOSERS

BUFFALO BILLS, 54-24 LOSS AT LA CHARGERS

Oh man, just when it could not have gotten uglier, it did. Another blow out loss for Buffalo makes it three straight losses. They have lost their last two games by a total of 67 points *cringe*. I am going to be conservative here and throw 90% of the blame on Head Coach Sean McDermott. “Mr. McDermott, if you don’t mind me asking, what the hell are you doing?”. My brain short fuses every time I try to understand why he benched Tyrod Taylor for rookie Nathan Peterman. Sure, they had lost two games straight, so what? It happens. The correct way to respond to back to back losses is to practice hard, get back to the basics, study your opponent and show up to play. Not bench your starting QB, who was absolutely not the problem.

Tyrod is no Tom Brady but he has proven to be a viable starting QB. Also, this bonehead move sends a message to the players from the coach saying “Well we have lost two straight games, I think I am going to give up on my 5-4 team and start thinking about next year”. Let’s see how Nathan Peterman fared in his first NFL start, shall we? He completed 11 passes, unfortunately five of them were completed to the wrong team. Peterman’s stat line was: 6-14, 5 interceptions for 66 yards. Tyrod came in for the second half and went 15-25 for 158 yards, four carries for 38 yards and 2 total TD’s. Yeah, I wonder who the better QB is? Smooth move Mr. McDermott.

Luckily for Buffalo, the AFC wildcard race is wide open. The Bills have two very winnable games vs the Dolphins and a home game vs Indy remaining. If they can win those three as well as steal one of their two remaining games against the Pats or win in Kansas City then I like their chances of getting a wildcard spot.

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KANSAS CITY CHIEFS, 12-9 LOSS AT NY GIANTS

Uh oh, the team that seemed like it was on top of the NFL after five weeks has now lost four of its last five. That’s right, the Chiefs are now just 6-4 after starting 5-0. Their previous three losses were not so concerning considering they came against quality teams (Pittsburgh, Oakland and Dallas). However, this loss is very concerning considering that the Giants entered the contest with a record of 1-8. Also, the Chiefs’ offense that has been a powerhouse almost all season only managed nine points against a team that is allowing 24.7 points per game. That kind of effort is not going to cut it. Luckily for Kansas City, the entire AFC West is underachieving and they lead both the Raiders and Chargers by two games. Up next: A home game vs the ailing Bills.

DALLAS COWBOYS, 37-9 LOSS VS PHILADELPHIA

Congratulations Dallas, you have earned yourself a spot under in the losers column for the second consecutive week. Back-to-back blowout losses for the ‘Boys. Two weeks ago they lost 27-7 at Atlanta and then they got embarrassed in a prime time game at home against a division rival. Yes, I agree that they were out-matched and I did not expect them to win this one. However, I expected it to be close, but they could not even keep it a three possession game.

The main concern for Dallas is how bad their offense is without Zeke. Dak looks like a different player out there sans his best weapon. Dallas is averaging just eight points without their superstar RB and boy do they need him back. Unfortunately for the Cowboys there are a surplus of playoff-caliber teams in the NFC and at 5-5, it may be time for Dallas to start thinking about next year. Up next: LA Chargers in big D.

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*Follow me on Twitter: @MLBfromNH (Kevin Civiello)*