Tag Archives: Boston Red Sox

Red Sox Playoff Pitching Rotation

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With The Regular Season Ending, The Red Sox Get Their Rotation Ready

The Major League Baseball season is almost over, believe it or not which means teams will be getting ready for the playoffs. While others will be making plans for their off season.  The Red Sox have 11 regular season games left before the playoffs get underway. The starting rotation all year has been in question. With David Price now coming out of the bullpen, Chris Sale having a few rocky starts lately, the true ace on the team right now is Drew Pomeranz.   Pomeranz is 16-5 with a 3.28 ERA for this season.

Chris Sale Gets The Ball For Game One Of ALDS

there is know doubt Chris Sale will get the start in game one of the ALDS. Chris Sale has never pitched in the playoffs, so this will be the true test to see how he does in a bigger stage. Sale is 16-7 with a 2.86 ERA so far this season. LDavid Price who’s making $31M should be a playoff starter.  I know his two wins in the playoffs have come while pitching out of the bullpen. But he could prove everyone wrong and earn his contract by pitching well in the playoffs.

Drew Pomeranz, Doug Fister, Rick Porcello: Are The Bottom Three Of The Rotation

Drew Pomeranz would likely be third on the playoff rotation.  He’s had a pretty good season, but in the ALDS last season against Cleveland he only pitched 3.2 innings, gave up two runs, and two hits.

CLEVELAND, OH – AUGUST 22: Starting pitcher Doug Fister #38 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during the first inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on August 22, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio

My  fourth starter would be Doug Fister who’s 4-2 in the postseason, with a 2.60 ERA according to Baseball Reference.

BOSTON, MA – AUGUST 15: Rick Porcello #22 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates after a triple play during the fourth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park on August 15, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

My fifth starter would have to be Rick Porcello Even though he has 17 losses this season I’d rather have him pitch in a playoff game because I trust him more in the playoffs and who has the experience too. Eduardo Rodriguez is an average pitcher but I don’t think is ready to start a playoff game.

  1. Chris Sale
  2. David Price
  3. Drew Pomeranz
  4. Doug Fister
  5. Rick Porcello

 

Red Sox sign Tibetan-born Prospect

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Sox sign another talented catcher

On July 13th 2017 the Red Sox became the first MLB team to sign a Tibetan-born baseball player when they signed sixteen year-old Qiang Ba Ren Zeng. The versatile youngster’s primary position is catcher, but he is also experienced at both shortstop and pitcher. Zeng currently stands at six feet tall and weighs 185 pounds, certainly a sizeable frame for a young kid. His best attribute seems to be his strong and accurate throwing arm, obviously a vital skill for an aspiring catcher.

Zeng’s transition to the MLB

While there are currently no stats available for Zeng, he began playing for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox in August. He seems to be tremendously talented defensively but there are questions about his offense. Some scouts are skeptical about his abilities at the plate, but ultimately it is too early to jump to conclusions. His large frame is an indication of at least some potential for power.

MLB’s absence of catchers

I love this move by the Red Sox. They may not know everything about this kid, but it is a good gamble. Modern baseball seems to lack both depth and talent at the catcher position, which is arguably the most important position on the diamond. It is very unlike the depth at a position like shortstop, which is absolutely loaded with talent. Among the top 100  players in the game today, about four of them are catchers (Yadier Molina, Gary Sanchez, Buster Posey and Salvador Perez) The game seriously lacks talent at a key position. Due to the scarcity at the position, I think many teams in the league are undervaluing the importance of loading up on young catching prospects.

Surplus of catching options for the Sox

The Red Sox seem to be one of the better organizations at scouting catchers. Currently, we have two of the very best defensive catchers in the MLB in Christian Vazquez and Sandy Leon. Also, the Sox are developing yet another brilliant defensive catcher in Daniel Flores. Flores is currently the fifth-ranked prospect in the organization. Impressively, he has drawn comparisons to Austin Hedges. Scouts say he has Gold Glove potential.

 

Zeng signing is underrated

Having a plethora of talented catchers has two major benefits. One,  they can be used by the team to help them win. Another benefit, they contain high value because of scarcity. All teams are looking for a solid catcher and many are willing to pay a hefty price for one. If the Red Sox are smart they will be able to use one of their many catchers as “trade bait” and receive a substantial reward in return. #RedSoxNation should be excited about this signing, even if it takes a few years to pay off.

Red Sox Potential Playoff Scenarios

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As the season winds down playoff contenders are beginning to game-plan for their potential first round opponents. More than likely, the Sox will encounter either Houston or Cleveland in the ALDS. For the majority of the season, the Astros were the heavy favorite to win the AL due to their remarkable offense and above-average pitching staff. However, thanks to a historic run, the Indians have emerged as the clear AL favorite and possibly World Series favorite as well. The Tribe is currently sitting on a a 21-game win streak, an all time American League record. Meanwhile, Houston is just 18-21 since the beginning of August.  Safe to say that Red Sox Nation hopes to face Houston in the ALDS.

Houston is a favorable match-up for Boston

The Red Sox have no reason to think twice about playing the Astros in the first round. Houston is actually a sub .500 team since the All-Star break with a record of just 27-28. Sure, Correa, Springer and Keuchel have all spent time on the DL.  But a sub .500 performance doesn’t approach playoff-caliber baseball, despite any injuries a team undergoes.

On the other hand, the Red Sox have gone 32-23 since the All-Star break. Keuchel and Verlander hold down the front of Houston’s rotation.  An intimidating duo at first glance, but further speculation exposes their true identity. Keuchel has not pitched well lately. He owns an ERA of 5.59 over his last three starts. Verlander boasts an exceptional 2.20 ERA over the last month.  But baseball fans know he has become rather inconsistent in recent years. Due to Keuchel’s struggles and Verlander’s inconsistency, Houston’s rotation becomes a serious concern for Astros fans. As a staff, Houston’s pitchers own an ERA of 4.35 over the last month, which does not compare favorably to the Red Sox ERA of 3.87 over the same stretch. Also, the Astros offense has struggled down the stretch.  As a team they are batting a modest .244 over the past 28 days. With Houston’s mediocre second-half pitching, hitting and overall play they have fallen as a legitimate world series contender.  The Red Sox should be confident in their chances of beating them.

 

Why Cleveland is road block for the Sox

The Red Sox will likely have to play Cleveland at some point in the playoffs. This could be a potential problem.  But, remember that anyone can win come playoff time. As I mentioned earlier, the Indians are in the middle of a record-breaking win streak which currently stands at 21. Tito and company have certainly been playing phenomenal baseball as of late. During the streak they have outscored opponents 139-35 and have trailed in just five innings. Dominant starting pitching has led their success as they claimed 19 of the 21 wins during the streak.  In total, the Indians pitchers boast a 1.79 ERA during this incredible stretch.

Their spectacular offense has batted .284 and slugged 50 home runs since the start of the streak. The Red Sox will certainly have their hands full if they encounter the Tribe. Chris Sale’s poor career numbers against Cleveland remain a central concern for the Sox.  In his career he is 5-8 with a 4.78 ERA, certainly not Sale-like numbers. Despite Sale’s struggles against the Indians, I personally trust him on the mound in any situation. He has established himself as a true ace and an elite pitcher in the middle of a historic season. At the end of the day Chris Sale is Chris Sale and he should be trusted no matter the opponent.

American League Title is up for grabs

The postseason is going to be here before we know it. It appears that that the Red Sox will have to face Cleveland in order to make it to the World Series. Let us not forget that the city of Boston in underdog scenarios. With a big 11-1 thrashing over Oakland last night,  the Red Sox may be heating up just in time. This team has shown flashes of brilliance over the course of the season and I am sensing a joyfully dramatic playoff run for this group. When Boston plays their own brand of aggressive, tenacious and determined baseball, they can beat anyone. Red Sox Nation, I ask you to please remember this; Boston has already beaten Cleveland four times in seven tries this year.  They can do it again. Lets go Sox!  Win. Dance. Repeat.

 

 

*Statistics accurate as of 9/13/17* Follow me on twitter @MLBfromNH (Kevin Civiello)

 

 

“Judging” Rafael Devers

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Let’s jump to conclusions. For one minute, let’s be Yankee fans and make ridiculous assertions about how every player who dons our uniform will one have a plaque in Cooperstown.

Rafael Devers is that guy. His electric start, along with the addition of a scalding-hot Eduardo Nunez, injected energy and offense into the struggling Sox in July and vaulted them back into first place in the East. Even after a recent dip, his .300/8/18 start to his big league career is more than just promising, it’s exhilarating. Let’s face it, if he played in the Bronx they’d already be thinking about retiring his number and ordering his plaque for Monument Valley. God knows they’re already measuring Aaron Judge for a HoF jacket.

But we’re not Yankee fans. Thank the Lord.

We’re smart enough to know that as good as Devers was on the farm, and what he displayed with his hot start, he will level out – in fact he may already have. But when he does, what can we expect? From an offensive standpoint, the answer looks pretty damn good.

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

Bill James didn’t reinvent the game with his Baseball Abstract in 1977, but he did start a revolution in how we think about, analyze, and project player value. Johan Hill showed Brad Pitt the power of data analytics in Moneyball, and if he could figure it out between adopting half the world’s orphans and murdering zombies then most of us can too.

Many believers in sabermetrics will tell you that the number-one predictor of hitting potential in the big leagues over time is best summed up as the relationship between power, average, and strike-outs. Intuitively, when we think about the greatest hitters who ever played the game, we think about guys who drove the ball with power and seldom swung and missed. Williams, Ruth, Mays, and Aaron come to mind.

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It’s not enough to simply crush the ball. Nobody in their right minds considers Dave Kingman one of the all-time great hitters – though he did hit 442 HRs in the pre-steroid era. Kingman’s problem? He was a career .236 hitter with more than 1,800 Ks. So, the greatest hitters who ever lived are those with high slugging percentages, high batting averages, and low strike-outs. Not exactly rocket science. If you isolate hitting for power (slugging avg – batting avg) and divide by Ks per 9-innings, you can begin to see quantitatively why the people you think were great hitters were, and why we hate Carl Crawford .

Name Level Games Slugging Average ISO-Power SOs SO per 9 Inning ISO-P/K
Ted Williams MLB 2292 0.634 0.344 0.290 709 0.309 0.937
Rogers Hornsby MLB 2259 0.577 0.358 0.219 679 0.301 0.729
Babe Ruth MLB 2503 0.690 0.342 0.348 1330 0.531 0.655
Hank Aaron MLB 3298 0.555 0.305 0.250 1383 0.419 0.596
George Brett MLB 2707 0.487 0.305 0.182 908 0.335 0.543
Willie Mays MLB 2992 0.557 0.302 0.255 1526 0.510 0.500
Gary Sheffield MLB 2576 0.514 0.292 0.222 1171 0.455 0.488
Wade Boggs MLB 2440 0.443 0.328 0.115 745 0.305 0.377
David Ortiz MLB 2408 0.552 0.286 0.266 1750 0.727 0.366
Manny Ramirez MLB 2302 0.585 0.312 0.273 1813 0.788 0.347
Mark Texiera MLB 1862 0.509 0.268 0.241 1441 0.774 0.311
Dwight Evans MLB 2606 0.470 0.272 0.198 1697 0.651 0.304
Jack Clark MLB 1994 0.476 0.267 0.209 1441 0.723 0.289
Jim Thome MLB 2543 0.554 0.276 0.278 2548 1.002 0.277
Dave Kingman MLB 1941 0.478 0.236 0.242 1816 0.936 0.259
Reggie Jackson MLB 2820 0.490 0.262 0.228 2597 0.921 0.248
Carl Crawford MLB 1716 0.435 0.290 0.145 1067 0.622 0.233
Wily Mo Pena MLB 599 0.445 0.250 0.195 559 0.933 0.209

Of the players who belong to the Hall of Fame (bold), Reggie Jackson was an outlier. Objectively speaking, from a quantitative standpoint, he was a painfully average ballplayer. For perspective, in more than 1,000 fewer at bats, he struck out 1,071 more times than Willie Mays. Reggie just happened to excel on the big stage – winning four World Series and winning MVP in two of them.

Boston’s Future

Rafael Devers hasn’t had enough MLB at-bats to generate a sufficiently large statistical sample yet. But if we compare his minor league numbers to Betts, Bogaerts, and Bradley – and knowing how those players have leveled out after over 450-MLB games each – we can begin to see where he might level out himself.

Name Level Games Slugging Average ISO-Power SOs SO per 9 Inning ISO-P/K
Mookie Betts Minors 313 0.442 0.307 0.135 147 0.470 0.287
Rafael Devers Minors 399 0.482 0.296 0.186 291 0.729 0.255
Rafael Devers MLB 40 0.513 0.300 0.213 39 0.975 0.218
Xander Bogaerts Minors 315 0.503 0.288 0.215 272 0.863 0.249
Jackie Bradley Minors 277 0.474 0.298 0.176 208 0.751 0.234

We should note that currently, through 493 MLB games, Mookie’s ISO-P/K is .355 – placing him squarely between Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. I hope we can agree that he’s leveled out quite nicely. It would be premature, with such a small sample at the big-league level, to project Devers will be in Betts’ class as a pro (he’s at .218 now.  But with good coaching, line-up protection, and patience at the plate,. we can expect him to be more productive than either Bogaerts or Bradley – and that’s not too shabby.

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And just for perspective – NY’s newest hero, Aaron Judge, had a .182 in 348 minor league games.  And despite all the tape measure HRs and Sportscenter fawning, he’s sitting at .202 through 152 big-league games. Dave Kingman? He’s not even Carl Crawford.

 

Note: all statistics thank to the tome of wisdom at www.baseball-reference.com

 

Happy Anniversary Wake

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Aaron Bleepin’ Boone

I was somewhere over the Mediterranean when Aaron Boone hit his home run off Wake to win the 2003 ALCS and send the Red Sox home early from the post season. Another year of what might have been. Truth be told I wouldn’t have been watching anyway. I was redeploying from Iraq that day, and after watching Pedro strike out Alfonso Soriano to end the seventh inning with the Sox still up 4-2, I went to check on my flight home.

Ortiz added a home run off of David Wells in the top of the eighth to make it 5-2. We were in great shape. Between Timlin and Embree the ’03 Sox bullpen was lights out. This was going to be THE YEAR. Enter Grady Little.

When I returned from getting my flight update, Pedro was inexplicably still on the mound for the bottom of the eighth and Jeter was on second base after a one-out double. Bernie Williams singled. Jeter scored. I dropped a number of f-bombs and left. Not because my plane was leaving. I left because I knew, deep down we all knew, how this game was going to end.

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For those too young to remember a time before Aaron Boone was ruining baseball games in the ESPN broadcast booth, I’ll summarize. New York scored three in the bottom of the eighthnn to tie it and Aaron Bleepin’ Boone sent a Tim Wakefield knuckler into the second deck in left field to send NY back to the World Series.

He’s no Bill Buckner

Walking off the mound at Yankee Stadium, having surrendered the series losing home run, Wake admitted that he was terrified that he would no longer be welcome in Boston. After all, the last Red Sox goat – Bill Buckner – had been run out of town after contributing to the collapse in the 1986 World Series against the Mets. But Wake was no Billy Buck.

Wakefield had been with the Sox for nine seasons and won 102 games for Boston by then. He’d thrown 14 great innings of relief and won two games in that ALCS. He was a legitimate candidate for series MVP. Had they won.

Boston forgave Wake. We had Grady Little to hate.

Our Ironman

Wakefield pitched 17 seasons in Boston, winning 186 games for the hometown team and 200 for his career. He did everything anyone could have asked. He averaged 200 innings a season for his 19-year career. He started. He did long relief. He closed. Sometimes all in the same season.

In 1999, the Red Sox used Wakefield, a knuckleballer who’s every pitch was an adventure for the catcher and a home run waiting to happen for the hitter, to close. In addition to staring 17 games that year, he saved 15.

Wake was selfless. In game three of the 2004 ALCS, when Boston was getting pummeled by New York and on the verge of going down 0-3 in the series, Wake asked for the ball so Franconia could save the bullpen. He entered the game in the third inning, already down 10-0. He took his lumps for 3.1 innings and gave the Sox a chance in game four.

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He came out of the bullpen in game five and threw three innings of one-hit ball in extra innings in an elimination game. And won. For those who didn’t live through the 2004 ALCS, it is difficult to describe the intensity. For Wake, who walked off the mound a loser last year, to pitch so many clutch innings in against the same opponent in the same elimination situation the following year, his performance was nothing short of incredible.

Happy Anniversary Timmy

Today, September 13th, marks the sixth anniversary since Wake won his 200th career game. It’s not a major sports event, in fact I only remembered this morning when Facebook reminded me that I was there. I’m glad I was. Tim Wakefield really represents the great unsung Red Sox that are too often overlooked. He won’t ever be enshrined in Cooperstown, but he is exactly the kind of player that this franchise should celebrate.

Baltimore: America’s Sports Armpit

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Worse than New York

Though I now live outside Washington, DC and spent most of my adult life a nomad, I will always consider myself Bostonian to the core. There is only one kind of chowda, and only one way to say it.   Dunkin Donuts kicks Krispy Crème’s ass. And, of course, New York sucks.

I hate everything about New York – from the filth in the streets to the noise pollution that is their accent. I hate the Yankees, the Giants, and all their fans – certainly in part because much of my childhood misery came at their hands. However, like most rationale Massholes, as much as we hate our neighbor to the south, we have to respect them. New York is a strong, important city with character and the Yankees and Giants have great traditions of winning.

The same cannot be said for the landfill three hours further south. Baltimore has not one redeeming quality. I’d rather live in Baghdad, again, than spend more than an hour in that cesspool.

Baseless Arrogance

Baltimore, a city that burned itself to the ground in a race riot two years ago and needed the National Guard and 1,000 police officers to restore order, still somehow presumes to lecture Boston on racism. I get it, the Red Sox were the last team in baseball to integrate. Yeah, it was almost six decades ago. Progress has been made.

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Maybe they haven’t heard that Red Sox principle owner John Henry is so overwhelmed with guilt that he doesn’t sleep well? The sport’s most aloof owner is “haunted” by the ghost of Tom Yawkey, who – like Scrooge’s Marley – apparently walks the concourses of Fenway Park in the dark of night howling racial epithets.

Perhaps it was Yawkey’s ghost who threw racial slurs at Adam Jones on that fateful night in May. That’s the only plausible explanation how in 2017, in a crowd of a thousand cellphone cameras, nobody caught the incident on video, nobody saw who said it, and not a single witness has been found. I’ve seen enough Discovery Channel to know you can’t see ghosts. It couldn’t possibly be that Adam Jones wasn’t telling the truth or just hates a divisional rival. Of course not.

Besides Jones, of course, my least favorite bird has to be Manny Mochado. Mochado spiked Pedroia on a dirty slide back in April and Pedroia hasn’t really been healthy since. If there were any justice in baseball he’d take a heater in the ribs every at bat in Fenway for the rest of his career.

The O’s are led by an equally unbearable ass. Buck Showalter once managed the Yankees, but since landing in “Charm City” has found the nerve to complain about baseball’s uneven financial playing field. Even more than the fact that he’s a hypocritical ass, I hate that he absolutely owns the Red Sox. Since taking over in 2011 the Orioles lead the head-to-head matchup with Boston 72-56. Thankfully, he’s simply awful in the post season, having one exactly one post season series in 19 years and posting a 9-14 record.

Showalter and his team love to talk about “playing the game the right way” and the unwritten rules of baseball. Save it. You haven’t even been to a World Series since 1983. Please stop talking until you do.

Whiney Losers

The truly sad thing is that the Orioles are actually Baltimore’s likeable team. Led by the whiniest coach this side of the University of Michigan, the Ravens may be the most disgusting franchise in all major North American sports.

I get the whole Edger Allen Poe thing, but let’s face it, only reason they chose the Raven as their mascot is that the NFL wouldn’t let them put the image of a battered spouse on their helmets. The greatest players in the history of the franchise are a murder and two spousal abusers. By the way, brave stance there with Ray Rice – once the video leaked anyway. Terrell Suggs? Oh, he’s still productive on the field so let’s not discuss his domestic abuse history.

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The Ravens aren’t just bad, they’re stupid. Baltimore once made Joe Flacco the highest paid player in league history – the self-appointed “elite” QB with a career QBR lower than Rich Gannon. Rich Gannon. Take a moment and let that sink in.  And, of course, who can forget the 2015 AFC Divisional playoff game when New England twice took advantage of the same innovative, but fully-legal, formation to conceal eligible receivers to get critical first downs on scoring drives against Baltimore.

Harbaugh, of course, lost his mind – first on the field with the officials, then in the post-game press conference, and finally in the off season when Baltimore joined other teams to petition the league to change the rules. To this day, Harbaugh cries foul, despite the fact that the league has confirmed time and again that the formations were legal.

The Ravens didn’t make the playoffs last year.  They probably won’t this year either.  Neither of those facts will stop Harbaugh from being a whiney sideline diva.

One Good Thing

We are a week away from the final Red Sox – Orioles series of the year.  Baltimore will most likely miss the post season again – for the fifth time in Showalter’s eight years as manager. With any luck they will finish below .500.  But, as we head into this final series, we should recognize that Baltimore has in fact given us one thing for which we should be thankful: the HBO series The Wire. It’s saying something that this city’s greatest contribution is a cable drama about their crime and political corruption.  As we assess the Orioles and Ravens, their contemptible players, their unlikeable leaders, and their seemingly unending jealousies of the Red Sox and Patriots, I offer this final thought, from The Wire’s great warrior poet Omar Little: “you come at the king, you best not miss.”

 

Watchgate: A Brand New Boston Sports Scandal

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In 2015, it was Deflategate that swept the New England sports family. Now, it’s another “Scandal” that is sweeping the nation- Watchgate.

A New York Times article reports that the Yankees have evidence of the Red Sox stealing signs from them. The report also says that the Red Sox, “admitted that their trainers had received signals from video replay personnel and then relayed that information to Red Sox players — an operation that had been in place for at least several weeks.”

I know what you’re saying: “But Jon, stealing signs is perfectly legal in the MLB!” Well, it turns out, it is legal. The stealing of signs from second base to the batter is commonplace in baseball. On the other hand, using any electronics- even binoculars- is illegal. Stealing signs has been around as long as baseball itself has- it’s part of the game. What hasn’t always been part of it, though, is stealing signs using an Apple smartwatch.

In a recent interview about this issue, Red Sox manager John Farrell clearly stated that he had no idea that this was occurring in the dugout and on the field. Fingers pointed to one of the Red Sox not in the dugout, maybe someone in center field, or in another spectral position.

There’s no hacking in baseball

The question is: What will the consequences be for the Red Sox? Will they be big or small? Five days ago, it was reported that the Sox would receive a “slap on the wrist” for their actions. This reminds me of another issue involving a St. Louis Cardinals staff member hacking into the Astros’ system and stealing information. Following the scandal, the Cardinals were forced to surrender their first two draft picks of the 2017 draft, and pay a $2M fine.  (One of the largest fines ever surrendered by a team.)

The punishment for the Red Sox certainly won’t be of that magnitude, but there will be one. John Farrell could be suspended a couple games, or another staff member. Along with the punishment, I would not be surprised if Major League Baseball banned Apple Watches – or all non-league administered electronic devices. If they’re not allowed in the dugouts, why not enforce this rule further? Whatever happens, don’t worry Red Sox fans. This won’t affect our drive to the postseason. Major League Baseball is expected to make a decision on a punishment for the Sox by early this week.

Scandal or dust-up?

The final question is: What should we make of this “scandal” as Red Sox fans? Admittedly, when I first saw this unwind, I was annoyed. On the other hand, I progressively got less and less annoyed with it. For one thing, obviously using the Apple Watch did not benefit their offense in that series against the Yanks. Secondly, the Sox are being very upfront about the whole issue. They weren’t trying to hide any of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Red Sox weren’t the only team using technology to boost their performance.

Apple : Press Day In Paris

PARIS, FRANCE – DECEMBER 01: A signage for Apple Watch is displayed inside the new Apple store Saint Germain during the press day on December 01, 2016 in Paris, France. On December 3, Apple will inaugurate and open its new Apple store to the public at the ‘Marche Saint-Germain’ (Saint Germain market). (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)

World Series - Cleveland Indians v Chicago Cubs - Game Three

CHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 28: MLB commissioner Rob Manfred speaks to the media before Game Three of the 2016 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians at Wrigley Field on October 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Pittsburgh Pirates v Boston Red Sox

FORT MYERS, FL – MARCH 16: Manager John Farrell #53 of the Boston Red Sox talks to the media prior to the spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at JetBlue Park on March 16, 2017 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

Farrell Falls Short as Sox Biggest Flaw

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The 2017 Red Sox aren’t a World Series caliber team. This much should be obvious by this point in the season. That doesn’t mean they can’t win the World Series, it just means they’ll have to get hot and play above themselves for a few critical weeks. We’ve seen that before – I hope we can all agree that the 2013 Red Sox weren’t a great team either.

This year’s squad can’t hit for power, a critical ingredient to October baseball, and they run the bases like little leaguers hopped up on Mountain Dew. We can blame Farrell for the almost nightly disaster on the base paths, as well as for a litany of line-up and pitching decisions.  But we can’t pin the team’s structural flaws on him.

Mismanagement

John Farrell didn’t sign Panda; that was Ben Cherington. He didn’t spike Pedroia at second base; that was Manny Machado. He didn’t trade Travis Shaw for an injured Tyler Thornburg and he didn’t not sign Edwin Encarnacion or any other suitable replacement for David Ortiz; those are on Dave Dombrowski.

Sure, Dombrowski landed Kimbrel, but he also invested $217 million over seven years in David Price. How’s that working out? We knew long before his classless meltdown with Eckersley that Price was a spoiled, over-paid number two starter, incapable of performing under pressure, and unwilling to accept criticism. That was the book on him. Red Sox ownership was so worried about coddling his sensitive ego that their mouthpiece Boston Globe took time out of their busy schedule slandering Tom Brady to publish one article after the other about.   What a great guy, he how works so hard, and how we should all treat him better. Dombrowski and John Henry have been poor David’s helicopter parents since the moment he arrived.

Price and Sandoval are the most obvious examples. But there are so many other bad player decisions in recent years that have shaped this ball club. The 2017 Red Sox are poorly assembled. That’s not John Farrell’s fault.

Plateaued Performance

What we can, and indeed should, ascribe to Farrell and his coaching staff is the poor on-field performance of so many talented players. Forget entirely about the lunacy on the base paths that has resulted in Boston running into more outs that any other team in the league.  What’s most disturbing this year is the regression of players like Bogaerts, Bradley, and Betts.

Xander is hitting 25 points below last year’s batting average, 74 points lower in OPS, has 13 fewer home runs, and 17 fewer runs batted in. He’s also committed more errors this season to date than all of last year (in 100 fewer total chances).

Bradley’s averages are comparable to last year but his power in significantly down. His 12 home runs are just over half last season’s 26 and he has driven in 33 fewer runs.

Most troubling is Mookie Betts’ decline at the plate. His .259 BA and .769 OPS are nearly 60 and 130 points below last season respectively. Last season Betts was second only to Ortiz in HRs and RBI with 31 and 113. This year he will be lucky to break the 20/90 threshold.

Bogaerts, Bradley, and Betts represent the future of the franchise. Yes, Benintendi and Devers look promising, but Betts could easily have been AL MVP last year and we once spoke of Xander and Jackie as untradeable perennial All Stars. Does anyone still feel that way? More to the point, does anyone have a ton of confidence when either of them come up in a big spot in an important game?

It’s frustrating to try and discern why Mitch Moreland isn’t in the line-up all the time.  Or why a starting pitcher goes out to start the eighth inning already having thrown 100 pitches.   John Farrell isn’t our biggest problem. Poor team construction is our biggest problem. John Farrell just isn’t helping.

 

Red Sox Have a Rough Weekend

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The Red Sox entered the series with the Baltimore Orioles sitting on a 4.5 game division lead on Friday.  But the starting pitchers took a beating all weekend, barely getting an out. The schedule won’t get any easier, with the Blue Jays Monday through Wednesday, then off to New York for a four-game series beginning Thursday.

Mauled on the mound

Friday night Rick Porcello pitched only 4.2 innings, gaving up nine hits, four runs, and four strikeouts in the 16-3 loss. Saturday, Eduardo Rodriguez pitched, showing no improvement as they fell behind early, again. Eduardo Rodriguez pitched a five-run second inning, with 40 pitches. They lost 7-0. Sunday, Doug Fister had a slightly better outing,  but they still earned an ‘L’ 2-1. Fister pitched a total of seven innings, gave up five hits, two runs, and seven strikeouts.

Listen Sox fans — The pitching isn’t the only problem.  What about the hitting?  Hanley Ramirez stands zero for his last 14 at-bats with 9Ks, according to Boston Sports Info on Twitter.  Since July 4, Mookie Betts had 184 at bats, three home-runs, 26 RBI’s, and 32 strikeouts, according to Boston Sports Info.

The young guys have stepped up, which is good.   But what about the rumblings of an September collapse? It has happened before.  My answer for right now is – no. This team has too much talent to screw themselves out of the division.

Chris Sale had a tough start against Cleveland but he’ll bounce back. We still have to see if David Price can pitch without pain. Nunez has been a great call-up so far along with Rafael Devers. Hopefully injuries won’t factor into the final stretch of the season which begins now.

 

Can Mookie Betts Turn Around His Down Season?

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In the second half of the abysmal 2014 season, the Boston Red Sox called up second baseman Markus Lynn “Mookie” Betts. The 21-year old was one of very few bright spots of that forgettable season. The kid raised many eyebrows as he batted .291, drove in 18 runs and stole seven bases in just 52 games. But the Sox already had a quality second baseman in veteran Dustin Pedroia,  a former MVP and Rookie of the Year.

Red Sox management had a simple solution to this dilemma.  Move Mookie to the outfield.  The kid had great speed, a strong and accurate throwing arm and great defensive instincts. The move turned out to be a good one as he very quickly became a fine outfielder.

 

 

In the 2015 season, Mookie began to make a name for himself.  He put together a very solid full season ending with a .291 average, 18 home runs, 42 doubles, 77 RBI and 21 steals. In 2016, Mookie took another huge stride towards greatness, truly one of the very best players in the entire league as a 23-year-old kid. In only his second full MLB season, he batted .318, scored 122 runs (2nd in MLB), recorded 214 hits (2nd in MLB), smacked 42 doubles, 31 home runs, drove in 113 runs (5th in MLB) and stole 26 bases. He finished 2nd in WAR ( 9.6) only behind Mike Trout’s 10.6 mark.

This incredible season landed him second in the MVP race behind the aforementioned Mike Trout. He started for the 2016 AL All Star team and won both the Golden Glove and Silver Slugger award. This impressive season launched him into elite player status. His name began to be mentioned with Mike Trout, Manny Machado, Nolan Arenado and Kris Bryant in conversation about the elite young players in the MLB.  Some talked about him as the new face of baseball.

From elite to beat?  Not so fast…

The 2017 season arrived and expectations for Mookie were through the roof.  The mouths of Red Sox fans watered in anticipation and excitement. The city eagerly waited for the start of the season to watch Mookie put together another MVP-level season. However, here we are in mid/late August and Mookie is batting just .265 with 18 home runs and his OPS (.787) is down .110 points from last year.  With no love lost for Mookie from his fans, many are concerned that he may have peaked last year, considering this to be a down year.

I would like to help those concerned individuals feel a little better about this so-called down year and show you why Red Sox Nation is so blessed to have this guy. Mookie needs just three more steals and two more home runs to become a 20/20 guy this year.  He leads the AL batting average with runners in scoring position at a .382 clip. he has 76 RBI (while predominantly batting lead-off).  To put into perspective that’s only four fewer than Aaron Judge. Not only is Mookie well above average in many offensive statistics this year, but he has also been phenomenal defensively as his Defensive Wins Above Replacement rating is at 2.54,   2nd in the MLB behind only Andrelton Simmons.

Betting on Mookie

Yes, Mookie may not be putting together another MVP type season like last year.   But he is certainly an extremely valuable asset to say the least.  His numbers are so far off his capabilities but he still ranks towards the top of the league in a wide variety of categories,  proof that he is an exceptional player. I am nothing but excited to see what kind of bounce-back season this young man can put together.  Fear not, Red Sox Nation.   We are fortunate to have this guy,  an All Star starter even with a ‘down year.’  While the kid’s numbers may be down,  the quick hands, blazing speed, relentless attitude and patented snarl are here to stay.