Tag Archives: JD Martinez

Boston Sports Extra at the J.D. Martinez Pro Camp

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J.D. Martinez held his Pro Camp yesterday

J.D. Martinez held his Pro Camp yesterday in Woburn Ma. It was a hot day, but a lot of kids showed up to learn the fundamentals from the Red Sox great. Martinez loves giving back to the community and teaching kids the game. He took pictures, signed autographs, and had some time for media availability. The Sox had an off day yesterday after taking three out of four from New York over the weekend. They play Tampa at Fenway tonight. Martinez has 22 home runs and 61 RBI so far this season.

Martinez likes to be a role model for the youth

Martinez wants to be the role model for kids that want to be in the Majors like him. It takes a lot of work and determination, but it can be done. It is a great time to give kids the opportunity to learn baseball from a pro too. They learn the basics of holding a bat and throwing a ball. It is a bit pricey: $150 a person, while the Mookie Betts camp is $299 a person on August 15th. But if you want a chance to learn from the pros then it’s worth it.

The Sox have a tough few months ahead before the postseason

On the Red Sox side of things, they have an important series coming up with the Ray at Fenway. Martinez did say they want to win every series they are in and they’re right where they need to be to win every series. Also with the trade deadline coming up, it’ll be interesting to see what they do to improve the team. The Sox need to do something. The bullpen is worse than a year ago, no question about it. The Sox are currently nine games out of the division and a game out of the wild card. The season is a total opposite of last year, which is why they should be buyers at the deadline.

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RED SOX – ASTROS SERIES PREVIEW

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After sweeping Seattle and then splitting the series with the Rockies, the Red Sox are looking at .500 in the rear view mirror. However, now the Red Sox embark on a huge part of their schedule. In their next five series they face the Astros home and away, square off with Cleveland at Fenway, then head to New York. This series against the Astros could lay a marker for how the coming weeks might shape up.

5/18 Rick Porcello vs. Gerrit Cole (R) 7:10 pm NESN

5/19 Hector Velazquez vs. Corbin Martin (R) 7:15 pm NESN

5/20 Chris Sale vs. Brad Peacock (R) 1:05 pm NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

Pitchers

It is nice to be talking positively about Chris Sale again! In his last five starts, Sale has allowed just seven earned runs in 33 innings pitched. There is also the small matter of the incredibly number of strikeouts. In those last five starts he has 59 strikeouts. That is as incredible as it gets, and is nearly two strikeouts per innings! In fact the guys at Fangraphs took a deep dive into Sale’s 2019 season so far, which I highly recommend you read.

Corbin Martin was very impressive in his season debut for the Astros. In 5 1/3 innings he struck out nine and allowed just two earned runs. However, the Rangers and Red Sox are very different teams. The Rangers brand of baseball right now is essentially all or nothing. They are either going to batter you, or strikeout trying. The Red Sox have a little more nuance to their offense. It will be interesting to see how Martin fairs, but more than anything it will be good for the Red Sox to get a chance to face him. There is a good chance they could be seeing him again come playoff time.

Gerrit Cole is the ace in this series for the Astros. However, he has had some struggles in 2019, especially on the road. Away from Houston this season Cole has a 4.30 ERA, but has struck out 49 hitters in 29 1/3 innings. This should be a fascinating duel between a pitcher providing mixed results, and a lineup which is starting to hit its rhythm.

Hitters

The Red Sox face three right-handed pitchers in this series in the form of Cole, Martin and Peacock. This season the Red Sox hitters rank 15th in home runs, fifth in batting average, and eighth in runs scored against righties. However, they will need to be at their peak at the plate in this series against a potent Astros team.

The Astros offense is lighting up the stat sheet this season. Heading into this series they rank first in the majors in batting average, OBP, runs, home runs and slugging percentage. Their offense is a juggernaut. Either this team is going to have to pitch well, or the hitters are going to have to go toe-to-toe with them.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

The Rotation: The news that Sale is back close to his old self is a massive relief, but their are still question marks. Porcello is just meh, and the Red Sox are going to need him to be better come the end of the season and during the playoffs. Velazquez has been promising, but he has only gone five innings once this season, mostly serving in a relief role. Now would be a great time for Sale to show us he is right back at the height of his powers, and for Porcello to step up and demonstrate he can be a contributor in the playoffs this year.

Hitting: Now that J.D. Martinez is finally starting to find his power legs things feel a little more comfortable. Martinez already has five home runs this month, and his power being a factor means that this lineup can go head-to-head with anyone. On top of that Andrew Benintendi has three home runs this month, and suddenly this team is not being carried by the power of Mitch Moreland and Michael Chavis, which is a huge relief. Now it would be great if this lineup can take apart a good rotation and settle any remaining concerns.

EXPECTATIONS

The three game cushion over the .500 mark provides some consolation that if things go wrong here, the Red Sox are still above water. However, this series is about so much more than just this series. The way the Astros are playing there is a good chance that the Red Sox will meet them again in the Postseason. That series is also more likely to be on the road right now, so losing to them at home would be less than ideal.

This series is the first part of an Astros double, with a trip to the Blue Jays filling the sandwich. The Red Sox have a legitimate opportunity to stamp their authority back on the AL over the next week. If they can win series both at home and on the road against the Astros, everyone will be back to taking them seriously. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Right now getting out of Boston with a win in this series would be a major accomplishment.

RED SOX – DIAMONDBACKS SERIES PREVIEW

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With another tough series in the rear view mirror the Boston Red Sox head to Arizona. They have a three game slate scheduled to finish off their 11 game road trip.

PITCHING MATCHUPS/SCHEDULE (TV)

4/5 Rick Porcello vs. Zack Godley (R) 7:10pm NESN

4/6 David Price vs. Luke Weaver (R) 8:10pm NESN

4/7 Undecided vs. Merrill Kelly (R) 4:10pm NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

Rick Porcello comes into his second start of the season with a 13.5 ERA. Meanwhile, David Price has a 6.00 ERA after his first start. Porcello was unable to get out of the first innings against the Mariners. Price at least managed to go six innings, but gave up four earned runs, including three home runs in the process. The Red Sox desperately need two of their veteran pitchers to correct what has been a worrying opening week for the rotation.

The Arizona Diamondbacks offense is crushing it in 2019 so far. Prior to Wednesday’s games they ranked third in the majors in batting average, runs, home runs and slugging percentage. The 14 home runs the Diamondbacks have hit will be a particular concern for a Red Sox staff. The Sox pitchers have given up 17 home runs, which is last in the AL.

Offensively the Red Sox have been slow out of the gate, ranking 20th in on base percentage and 17th in both batting average and slugging percentage. So far they have relied on home runs to fuel their offense, hitting seven long balls to help them rank ninth in the majors in runs scored with 30.

J.D. Martinez returns to the face the team that helped propel him onto the national stage. In 62 games with the Diamondbacks in 2017, Martinez hit 29 home runs in 232 AB, with an incredible .741 slugging percentage. Hopefully he can find some form after a series in Oakland in which he has registered just three hits through his first three games.

The Red Sox will see a long time foe in Adam Jones in this series. Jones, who has three home runs for the Diamondbacks already this season, has a career .279 batting average with 28 home runs when facing the Red Sox. The only team he has hit more home runs against is the Toronto Blue Jays.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

The Rotation: There are a couple of fascinating rotation questions in this series. Firstly, who will the Red Sox choose to fill the final starting spot of the series? With Chris Sale likely to be saved for the home opener the Red Sox need a sixth starter to fill out their rotation for one start. They could call up someone from Triple-A, but there are no obvious candidates. The other option is that they could have a bullpen day to fill that spot. However, that depends on how much use the ‘pen gets in the opening two games.

The Red Sox will also be extremely keen to see the results when Price and Porcello take the mound this week. With Nathan Eovaldi struggling through two starts and Eduardo Rodriguez being shelled in his first start, at least one of these two needs to step up and provide some stability.

Hitting Depth: Xander Bogaerts returned to the lineup Wednesday, which will be a relief for the Sox. If Bogaerts had needed longer out of the lineup then there would have been some questions. Both Eduardo and Nunez and Brock Holt of struggled out of the gate, and the Red Sox may have considered activating Dustin Pedroia earlier than planned.

EXPECTATIONS

This has been an incredibly tough start for the Red Sox and frankly we just want to get them home now. Entering Wednesdays game they had a 2-5 record, and will enter the Diamondbacks series without a series win to their name. After 11 straight days they will also have Monday off to regroup, get home and prepare for the home opener. That doesn’t make winning this series any less important. However, if they can escape this series with even just a single win it is not the end of the world. 3-8 or 4-7 is not a disaster, especially with the Yankees also having stumbled out of the gate (2-4).

A series win would be great but if it doesn’t happen it is not the end of the world. This will be one of the toughest stretches of the season, and it is out of the way early. It may not have gone entirely to plan but the Red Sox can recover in the coming weeks.

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RED SOX – ATHLETICS SERIES PREVIEW

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After a mixed opening to the season in Seattle, the Red Sox head to Oakland to continue an 11 game road trip. Here is what to watch out for in this second of three opening road series.

PITCHING MATCHUPS/SCHEDULE (TV)

4/1 David Price vs Aaron Brooks (R) 10:07pm NESN

4/2 Chris Sale vs Mike Fiers (R) 10:07pm NESN

4/3 Nathan Eovaldi vs Marco Estrada (R) 10:07pm NESN

4/4 Eduardo Rodriguez vs Brett Anderson (L) 3:07pm NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

The biggest question mark in this series is going to be Chris Sale’s velocity. Thomas touched on it in his preview last week and his fears were somewhat realized. Sale’s fastball averaged 92.8 mph in Seattle on Opening Day. Last season he averaged below that just twice, the fourth game of the season (90.9) and the last (90.1). Last season on Opening Day his velocity was up at 94.9. If Sale’s velocity is low again in Oakland then serious question marks will start to be raised.

Due to the Opening Series in Japan, Mike Fiers and Marco Estrada will be making their third starts of the season. Fiers has struggled with a 5.00 ERA and a 5.71 FIP across nine innings. Estrada has fared better with a 2.45 ERA in his 11 innings. However, Estrada has managed just four strikeouts, compared to two home runs and has an alarming 5.49 FIP.

After a home run loaded Opening Series in Seattle, the Red Sox will not be pleased to see Khris Davis, who has already hit three home runs this season.

Eduardo Rodriguez will not be pleased to see a right-handed heavy Athletics lineup. He struck out just 24% of right-handed hitters he faced last season, and surrendered a 4.15 xFIP against them.

Expect to see J.D. Martinez have a strong series with three right-handed pitchers on the mound. In 2018, he had a 174 wRC+ against righties. Unusually for right-handed hitters, Martinez was stronger last season against righties than lefties.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

The Rotation: With the bullpen likely to remain a question mark until it has completely proven otherwise, a lot of pressure will fall on the rotation. Sale is obviously the biggest question mark but there are also questions surrounding Eovaldi and Rodriguez after their first starts.

Hitting Depth: There are no major worries around the hitters at this early stage. However, Nunez, Holt and Swihart had registered just one hit between them in the Sox first three games. With Dustin Pedroia on the injured list the Red Sox need their hitting depth to help them get off to a strong start.

EXPECTATIONS

Many people saw the Opening Series as a disadvantage to the Athletics and Mariners, due to the amount of travel. However, at this stage of the season it is actually an advantage. Those two teams had to ramp up their season preparation a week earlier than everyone else and are therefore slightly ahead of the rest of the league. Travelling to both of those teams in the first eight days of the season is a tough assignment for the Red Sox. The Sox also come into this game having gone 1-2 on the road in Oakland, and 2-4 overall against them last season.

A three series road trip to start the season is really tough for any team. The pros of it are that it gets some of the travelling out of the way early. However, the Red Sox would ideally want to come out of these first eight games around .500, meaning they will need to at least split this four game series in Oakland.

Jackie Bradley Prime for Breakout

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Jackie Bradley has shown up to spring training with a new swing. After an offseason working with swing guru Craig Wollenbrock, Bradley might be poised for a breakout season. Yes, it’s only spring training, but Bradley showed off his new swing with a home run in his first at-bat.

JD Martinez Helps Out

JD Martinez has been a godsend in more ways than one. Not only did he rake to the tune of a .330/.402/.629 batting line last year, but he has been helping other players with their swings. Multiple times last season he noticed something in a players swing and helped them work on it. Jackie Bradley was one of these players.

A couple months into the season, Martinez helped Bradley with his swing. Bradley was really struggling, hovering around a .200 batting average in the first half. Martinez then invited Bradley to work with his swing coach, Craig Wollenbrock, over the all-star break.

Bradley’s offense picked up over the second half of the season. He credited JD Martinez with his success for helping him tinker with his swing. In the second half, Bradley batted .269 with seven home runs and an .827 OPS. The numbers are solid, but compared to what they were they look great.

2019

Bradley made clear improvements last season after having his swing tinkered with. Now, with an entire offseason of working on that swing, the results have the potential to be even more dramatic. Bradley seems to have bought into the new approach, which former Red Sox prospect Lars Anderson said was necessary for success. Anderson himself had tried the program, but didn’t give it his all.

Bradley isn’t devoid of talent, he was after all a first round draft pick. He then batted over .300 in his first full professional season. Bradley rose through the system quickly, maybe too quickly for his own good. He did hit 26 home runs in 2016 while posting an .835 OPS, before tailing off these past two seasons.

I think with these new adjustments he can hit more like he did in 2016. I know right now that season is the anomaly, but Bradley showed some improvements in the second half and the postseason last year, and with his new swing things are looking up.

Photo Credit: www.nashuatelegraph.com

Mookie Betts Signing: Shades Of Lady Gaga

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The echoes of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face race through the memory banks. The Patriots are in the AFC Championship, 55% less likely, according to odds makers, than the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl. Almost as bad as the Patriots odds against the Falcons down 28-3. Gaga performed at halftime, and the rest was history. These were a fraction of the long odds the Red Sox were looking at resigning Mookie Betts a month ago. Then he signed with the Red Sox for $20 Million last week. Is this the turning point that Hightower’s sack of Matty Ice was?

Mookie Betts Contentious Arbitration Cases

It is well documented that Mookie has gone to the wall with the Red Sox in arbitration thus far. It has been trumpeted by Tony Massarotti, among many others, that the Sox have risked completely alienating Betts by going to arbitration after 2017.

In that case, Betts asked for $10.5 Million, and the Red Sox countered with $7.5 Million. Up to that point in history, only Kris Bryant and Ryan Howard had gotten more than $10 Million in their first year of eligibility for arbitration. They agreed before an arbitration hearing, and both had Rookie Of The Year and NL MVPs under their belts at the time. The Red Sox were most definitely looking at Mookie and saying to themselves “Hey, he hasn’t won any major awards, why give him $10.5 Million?”

Arbitration hearings can be contentious. The player is promoting themselves, while the team is tearing them down. A funny thing happened in this case. The Arbitrator sided with Betts, noting his Silver Slugger in 2016, his Gold Gloves in 2016 and 2017, and his MVP runner up in 2016. Hey, not everyone has to compete against Mike Trout.

A New Deal

But then the news came across the wire on January 11th of this year: Mookie Betts had agreed to one year contract with the Red Sox for $20 Million. This after an MVP season in 2018, when he put to bed all the worries that 2016 was a one year aberration. After a historic 105 win season and 11-3 postseason on the road to a World Series Championship.

The fact that the Red Sox have approached him with long term offers that he has rejected don’t seem so real now. His deal of $20 Million sets a record for players with only 4 years in the big leagues, but it’s still a bargain.

Mike Trout is simply the sickest player on the planet. He finished 2017 leading the majors in WAR for the 5th time. He’s played 7 years full years. If he retired tomorrow he would arguably sail into the Hall Of Fame on the first ballot. That’s the guy Mookie beat out for the 2018 AL MVP. Guess who beat Trout out for 2018 WAR lead? That’s right. Mookie Betts. In 2018 he lead the league in batting average at .346, hit 32 homers, stole 30 bases, and won another gold glove, among many other things. Yes, $20 million is a bargain.

The Future

The bars of Gaga’s A Million Reasons ring out:

” I’ve got a hundred million reasons to walk away
But baby, I just need one good one to stay “

Sox fans have a reason to feel good. Because the Sox gave Mookie $20 Million reasons to stay, and by agreeing without going to the wall in arbitration they’ve opened the door to perhaps $300 Million more after 2019.

Is it Alex Cora and a culture of togetherness and support? Maybe it’s JD Martinez and his other teammates that he loves. Could be the joy of working in Fenway Park with all of us screaming his name. Whatever the reason, Mookie has opened the door to a long term deal.

Don’t screw this up Red Sox. And go Pats!

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The Brewers Are After Xander Bogaerts

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There are rumors out of Milwaukee that the Brewers are after Xander Bogaerts. Why would the Red Sox trade him, and what could they expect in return?

Salary

The Red Sox have painful salary issues coming after 2019. The MLB Luxury Tax is a big deal. The Red Sox are already losing draft positions and paying out millions.

Along with Bogaerts, Chris Sale and Rick Porcello will be free agents. JD Martinez has an opt-out, and will use it if he approximates his performance from last year. Mookie Betts’ arbitration numbers are going to exponentially expand.

Furthermore, Scott Boras represents Bogaerts, who just had a career year. Boras does not take hometown discounts. As for Bogaerts production, he hit the ball harder in 2018 than any year other than his 44 game cup of coffee in 2013. And he’s never hit it farther.

Is his 2018 a career year, or the natural progression of a top talent? It’s hard to take one year, that is an outlier against his other five in the majors, as the new baseline.

What The Sox Could Expect In Trade

Recently, Paul Goldschmidt was traded from the Diamondbacks to the Cardinals. Goldschmidt, like Xander, was in the last year of his deal.

Goldschmidt is the Diamondbacks all time leader in OPS, SLG, Walks, and WAR. In short, his is Arizona’s Mookie Betts. For this perennial MVP candidate, the Cardinals gave up Luke Weaver, Carson Kelly, Andy Young, and a draft pick. Weaver has had a modicum of success in the majors, and Kelly was a highly rated catching prospect who had a poor showing in 2018, while Young is a middling prospect.

Because of that trade, and Xander’s impending free agency, the Red Sox can expect something less. Xander simply isn’t in the class of Paul Goldschmidt. Think 24 year old SS Orlando Arcia, a slick defensive player, but number 9 hitter. He had a .661 OPS last year in Milwaukee. Add to that perhaps Freddy Peralta, who is 22 and went 6-4 with a 4.25 ERA, including 11 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9, in 2018. Peralta also had a typically dominant and wild game in the playoffs against the Dodgers. He pitched 3 innings, walked 3, struck out 6, and did not allow a hit.

Could the Red Sox get someone like 21 year old Keston Hiura added to the haul? That might make it worth it. Hiura plays 2nd Base, and had a particularly impressive Arizona Fall League Performance: .320 batting average with a .911 OPS. He hit .272/.755 over High A and Double A ball last year. Dustin Pedroia isn’t getting any younger.

Who knows, the Brewers may feel they owe Dombrowski for that Tyler Thornburg/Travis ‘Mayor of Ding Dong City’ Shaw trade from 2016, and include more in a deal. Either way, trading Xander Bogaerts would be no easy deal. He hit 4th for the majority of the year one of the greatest Red Sox team of all time. However, the Luxury Tax bill is coming due. Something has to give, sooner or later.

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MLB Winter Meetings Wrap-Up

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The 2018 Baseball Winter Meetings have ended.  Here is a Red Sox focused roundup, and other related notes.

Rule Changes

Before the meetings, there was a lot of buzz about a pitch clock to speed up the game.  Once the meetings began it was all about The Shift.

https://twitter.com/megrowler/status/1073012029437296640

2018 resulted in a league wide .248 batting average, the lowest since 1972.  Singles are also in a five years decline.  Apparently, according to Jason Stark of the Athletic, the Commissioner, owners, batters, and pitchers are all for shift reform.

Of course there’s backlash.  People are decrying unintended consequences.  The debate rages on.

Eovaldi’s Back

The Red Sox led off the Winter Meetings by agreeing with Nathan Eovaldi for 4 years and $67.5 Million.  It seemed like a reasonable deal at the time.  Little did we know something like this would happen, seemingly within hours of the signing becoming official:

The Red Sox Crying Poor Mouth

https://twitter.com/SportsRaid365/status/1072984889681698817

Could this be true?

It seems incredible, with the Red Sox coming off a World Series title and raising ticket prices, that they need to clear salary space.  Dave Dombrowski threw some cold water on this story, but didn’t deny it.

A Red Sox Bullpen In Flux

Early this morning, new broke that Fightin’ Joe Kelly is going west.

Kelly was one of the stalwarts of a transformed bullpen, that turned into a bunch of vintage Ecks, in the 2018 playoffs.  With Kelly gone, could a reunion that seemed impossible happen?

It seems incredible, with reports of Kimbrel seeking a six-year deal for nine figures, that he could come back.  Apparently, the Red Sox are playing chicken and waiting for the price to come down.

Other than Kelly and Jeurys Familia, more on him in a minute, the reliever market has been quiet.  The Sox probably need two more relievers this off-season.

2019 Lineup Changes

Mookie has been known to resist moving out of the leadoff spot, and he can be stubborn, so Cora is planting the seed early.

It makes sense to move the more powerful Betts behind Benintendi.  More RBIs for Mookie, a two-three of Mookie and JD is pretty formidable.  This will lead to a right handed heavy 2-3-4, with Xander behind JD Martinez or vice versa.

Not every lineup can have Papi and Manny back to back.

Too Many Catchers

The Red Sox having one too many catchers has been an open question for some time.  Alex Cora spoke about the possibility of a trade at the Winter Meetings:

The Winter Meetings were anti-climatic in terms of moves being made by the Red Sox.  But there was one team that lead off the Meetings with a bang:

The Mets Making Moves

They started by acquiring Cano and Diaz from the Mariners.  They ended the meetings by bringing back Jeurys Familia.

https://twitter.com/TheCouchGMs/status/1073202870646923264

The Red Sox have the assets to almost perfectly match up with the Mets.  If the Red Sox are truly considering moving Jackie Bradley, would the Mets consider a left handed bat in the outfield?  The Red Sox have extra catchers.

Noah Syndergaard is rumored to be available.  Stay tuned.

 

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The Greatest Red Sox Legends by Uniform Number: 26-30

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The uniform numbers 26-30 bring two more Hall of Famers and retired numbers.  On top of that, we have a hero from the 2004 team that broke the curse.  Who are they and who joins them on this list?

Number 26 – Wade Boggs

Wade Boggs is a Hall of Famer and has his number 26 retired by the Red Sox. He built his Hall of Fame career with the Sox as the best hitter of the 1980’s, and is a top five third baseman of All-Time.  He led the league in batting average in five out of the first six seasons he was eligible, and would have won in 1982 had he accumulated enough at-bats. Boggs also led the league in on-base percentage in six of his first seven eligible seasons.

Boggs joined the Red Sox in 1982 and batted .349 over 104 games.  He then went on to eclipse 200 base hits in seven consecutive seasons, a Major League record.  From 1983-88, Boggs batted .356/.448/.489/.937.  He hit over .360 four times and .357 during his other batting title.  Between 1983 and 1991 he had over 40 doubles in eight of nine seasons, leading the league twice.

Boggs’ .338 average with the team is second best in franchise history to Ted Williams.  His on-base percentage is third and if you are a fan of WAR, he is third in that as well.  He is far and away the greatest number 26, no one else even gets a mention.

Number 27 – Carlton Fisk

Carlton Fisk also has his number retired by the team.  The Hall of Fame catcher hit one of the most memorable home runs in the history of baseball to win game six of the 1975 World Series.  He is the best catcher in team history and a true Red Sox legend.

Fisk joined the Red Sox full-time in 1972.  That season he made the All-Star Game, won Rookie of the Year, the Gold Glove, and placed fourth in the MVP vote.  Surprisingly, he led the American League with nine triples that season.

After hitting 48 home runs over his first two seasons, Fisk missed a lot of time in 1974 and 1975, but when he played, he was great.  Over 131 games and 450 at-bats those two seasons, Fisk hit .318 with 21 home runs and a .928 OPS.  He of course then hit that legendary home run.

Perhaps his best offensive season came in 1977.  That year, Fisk batted .315 with 26 home runs and drove in 102 runners.  His .922 OPS was his best for a full season of work.  One could still argue his rookie season was better.

Fisk was with the Red Sox for roughly a decade before the front office royally screwed up his contract, allowing him to sign elsewhere.  He batted .284 and hit 162 regular season home runs during that time. He was a seven-time All-Star before leaving for the south side of Chicago.

Honorable Mentions: Greg Harris, Bill Monbouquette

Number 28 – Sparky Lyle

This one might not stay Sparky Lyle for long, as J.D. Martinez just had a monster first season with the Red Sox.  In fact, I would suspect I will change this by the end of 2019.  But for now, I have to give the nod to five good seasons over one great one.

Lyle should have been a Red Sox pitcher longer than he was.  Traded for Danny Cater after the 1971 season in an ill-advised move, the trade has gone down in history as one of the franchise’s worst.  Before being dealt, Lyle had put together five good seasons as the Red Sox best relief pitcher.  Lyle was 22-17 with a 2.85 ERA and 69 saves during that time in Boston.  His ERA was only higher than 2.75 once.

After being traded for over-the-hill Danny Cater (and quite frankly the never very good Danny Cater), Lyle unfortunately went on to a stellar career with the Yankees.  He won a Cy Young Award, and placed third in the Cy Young vote his first season in New York.  He saved 141 games and pitched to a 2.41 ERA while with the Yankees.  Meanwhile, Danny Cater had a .685 OPS over three seasons as a part-time player for the Red Sox.

Honorable Mentions: JD Martinez, Doug Mirabelli, Adrian Gonzalez

Sparky Lyle #28 of the Boston Red Sox poses for a picture circa 1967-1971. (Photo by Louis Requena/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Number 29 – Keith Foulke

Keith Foulke is a Red Sox legend; a hero from the 2004 curse breaking team who should never have to pay for another beer in New England.  What Foulke did in 2004 is nothing short of remarkable.  Foulke pitched very well in the regular season, but it was during the ALCS and World Series that his name went down in history.

Signed to a contract in the offseason to become the Red Sox new closer, Foulke had an ERA under 2.00 for most of the season, finishing the year at 2.17 with 32 saves in 83 innings pitched.  Foulke would tack on 14 more innings in the Postseason, with many of them coming in consecutive games.

Foulke pitched three shutout innings against the Angels in the ALDS.  After appearing in Games 1 and 2, Foulke pitched 2.2 shutout innings in the 14-inning Game 4 against the Yankees.  His pitching prolonged the game and allowed the Red Sox the chance to keep their season alive.  Without that effort, his longest outing of the season, the Red Sox couldn’t have done what they did.  After throwing 50 pitches, Foulke came back the next day to get four outs in another extra-innings game.  He came back the very next day to close out the Yankees in game 6, despite having thrown over 70 pitches the previous two days.

After getting Game 7 to rest, Foulke pitched in all four games of the World Series, going more than an inning again in Game 1. In total he allowed one run in 14 innings of work, and the innings could not be higher leverage situations than they were.

Keith Foulke likely gave his career to those pitching performances, as he was never the same after. I’m guessing he would do it all again.

Honorable Mentions: Roger Moret, Adrian Beltre, Daniel Nava

Keith Foulke #29 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 to win game four of the World Series. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Number 30 – Jose Santiago

The number 30 certainly doesn’t offer some of the names these other numbers do.  Santiago had three good seasons with the Red Sox, before battling injuries and being forced out of the league.

Santiago joined the Red Sox in 1966, winning 12 games and posting a solid 3.66 ERA.  The next season, he was a key member of the bullpen while also making 11 starts for the “Impossible Dream” team.  He was 12-4 with a 3.59 ERA over 145.1 innings pitched.  He did not fare so well in the World Series, losing two of the games to the Cardinals.

1968 was his final effective season, and he made the All-Star Game. Over 18 starts before his injury to his elbow, Santiago was 9-4 with a stellar 2.25 ERA.  He threw seven complete games, two of them shutouts. He did battle back the next season and pitched reasonably well over 10 relief appearances, but he could no longer throw his signature pitch.  Santiago did not last long in 1970 and was out of baseball.  He did not wear the number 30 that final season though, going 33-21 with a 3.25 ERA while wearing this number with the Red Sox.

Honorable Mentions: John Tudor, Andrew Miller

Jose Santiago poses for a headshot.
(Photo by Boston Red Sox)

 

 

Featured picture taken from MLB.com

Red Sox Offseason Lacking Fireworks…And That’s Okay

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I was making the rounds on the Red Sox news circuit yesterday when I came to a sudden realization. This is going to be a boring offseason.

Granted, it’s still incredibly early on. The non-tender deadline for arbitration-eligible players (the first major offseason date) is later tonight at 8 pm ET. The Winter Meetings don’t kick off until December 9th. MLB’s hot stove has been relatively cool thus far, outside of a handful of moves ranging from “Indifferent Shrug” to “Okay, That’s Interesting”. Both New York teams have led the charge by shopping at the Great Seattle Mariners Fire Sale of 2018. The Yankees acquired lefty James Paxton on November 20. Meanwhile, the Mets traded for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. The Red Sox, for their part, haven’t really been involved in much of the early action. There haven’t been any rumors of that changing any time soon.

That makes total sense for a 108-win champion coming off of the best season in franchise history. Boston will likely be returning most of the core group that led 2018’s title run. It has already brought back World Series MVP Steve Pearce on a team friendly 1-year deal and restructured/extended Alex Cora’s current deal through 2021. Both moves were no-brainers, and the Sox moved quickly to tie up those loose ends. The Red Sox also took a flyer on 25-year-old reliever Colten Brewer. Beyond that, the only real questions with this roster involve Craig Kimbrel, Nathan Eovaldi, and which of their homegrown core they can lock up long-term.

It’s a change of pace from last year’s eons-long pursuit of JD Martinez. It’s also a far cry from splashy offseasons like 2014 and 2015. I didn’t hear any reports of Dave Dombrowski sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner with Madison Bumgarner like Theo Epstein did with Curt Schilling in 2003. Trying to decide which sub-70 OPS+ catcher to move on isn’t a fun conversation to have on sports talk radio. The minutiae of sussing out a 6th or 7th reliever don’t really move the needle for many fans. There is some intrigue around second base and Dustin Pedroia’s status moving forward. And, while I personally think first base is an area to upgrade, the team seems happy with their Peace/Mitch Moreland platoon.

Winter can be fickle, and Dombrowski has never been shy about making blockbusters happen. Standing pat after a season where nearly everything went right can be risky, too. However, should the Sox choose to mostly shuffle some minor pieces around while keeping most of a championship roster intact, it will be hard to complain. This team doesn’t feel quite as one-hit-wonder-y as 2013, and doesn’t have as many players set to depart as 2004. The best comparison is 2007. That offseason, a strong mix of young, homegrown talent and veteran stars made it easy to roll things over to 2008.

Besides, next offseason looms large. Some key players that are up for extensions in 2019: Moreland, Martinez (player option) Chris Sale, Rick Porcello, and Xander Bogaerts. Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley become unrestricted free agents the following year. It may be best for Boston to keep its books as clean as possible, with that in mind. That is unless they plan on acquiring a player with the intent to replace one of those guys over the long term.

As is always the case, we’ll have no choice to wait and see what happens. But if push comes to shove, I’m fine if the only offseason addition the Red Sox make is another World Series trophy to their display case.