Tag Archives: Yankees

Giancarlo Stanton Can’t Handle the Pressure of New York

It wasn’t long ago that Red Sox Nation was collectively brought to its hands and knees, begging for Giancarlo Stanton. He has the power that the Sox need, and one can only imagine the damage he’d do at Fenway Park. He hit 59 home runs last season in Miami, which could translate to 70+ in Boston. It could’ve been a great fit, but this selling point wasn’t enough. Following in the footsteps of Alex Rodriguez, Stanton is now a New York Yankee. Missing out on Stanton is tough, but he isn’t looking like the $25,000,000 man he’s made out to be.

DISSECTING THE NUMBERS

Through 20 games and 91 plate appearances, Stanton has racked up a grand total of 15 hits. This accumulates to a .185 batting average, and his home run production doesn’t made him look any better. He has four home runs on the season, which puts him on pace for 32 by year’s end. This would be a 46% decrease from his total a year ago. It’s not a good look for the reigning home run champion. He has the potential to tear the cover off the ball, but it isn’t happening yet in New York. Hitting for power is his forte, so this is surely frustrating for the Yankees.

Stanton’s stats at home are particularly atrocious. As if things could get even worse, he has a dismal .100 average in front of his home fans. This is the last thing that the Yankees envisioned, but going 0 for 5 and 0 for 7 in the same week isn’t going to help the numbers. The strikeouts are also an issue. He’s currently averaging 1.6 strikeouts per game with a total of 32 K’s. This is way up from his 1.05 strikeouts per game through eight years in Miami. He really just seems out of sync from the player he’s been his whole career.

These aren’t numbers you’d expect out of Stanton, but he just seems uncomfortable all around. Striking out five times is in two separate games is unprecedented for a player of this caliber. This just goes to show how much he’s in his own head. His confidence is at rock bottom, and this isn’t helping anything.

ADAPTING TO THE CULTURE

If Stanton were to continue on this trajectory, he would finish his first season in New York hitting .185 with 32 home runs, 97 RBI’s, and 259 strikeouts. This isn’t what the Yankees are paying him to do. He is yet to earn a dime of his $25,000,000 salary, and the fans are letting him hear it. He’s been consistently showered with boos and as a result his production has declined even more. This is all part of playing in a New York, and Stanton needs to learn how to block out the noise.

The Yankees have a passionate fan base and Stanton needs to produce to get on their good side. If you don’t play up to your capabilities, the fans will be tough on you. It’s that simple. The same thing applies to Boston and the other major sports cities around the country. Nobody gets a free pass because of who they once were. You’re only as good as your last game, and Stanton is starting to figure that out. Things might be different once he gives the fans a real reason to cheer. Until then, he just has to roll with the punches.

He’ll snap out of it eventually, but Stanton has yet to prove than he can handle playing in a bigger market.

The Pursuit of Renewing the Rivalry

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On a cold Wednesday night in April, the Red Sox faced off against the Yankees in what seemed to have the hallmarks of an epic clash. Both teams have a long history of mutual hate and a few years of idle feelings. However, things boiled over in Fenway Park, and thus the pursuit of a rekindled rivalry was not hard to find. Rob Manfred wants to push the evolution of baseball further? Not if these two teams have anything to say about it.

The Yankees and Red Sox rivalry has been quite “cold war-ish” for the last few years. The last incident that I can remember off the top of my head that included these two teams in a heated way was when Ryan Dempster plunked Alex Rodriguez in 2013, after MLB announced their 2014 season long suspension for Rodriguez. Dempster had a reason, I suppose, to hit Alex. But the latter is the one who got the last laugh when he belted a home run later in that game and lead his team to a 9-6 win. After that, the two teams seemed to go their separate ways, but always keeping each other in the back of their minds.

Wednesday night in Fenway proved to be something in the works for a while now. And frankly, nobody is surprised. The Yankees seemed to be seeking revenge after losing the night before to a massive score of 14-1. What really started the fire, however, was a less than textbook slide by Tyler Austin, a 6’2″ first baseman from Georgia.

The Rivalry Renewed

There is speculation between many people as to the intentions of Austin, but it really does not matter his intention. The fact is that he slid into second base with his cleats up, not aiming for the base, and endangered Brock Holt, who was on the receiving end of the first part of a potential double play. Holt shared his displeasure and Austin, (for whatever reason) took exception. An Umpire got between them and all of a sudden everybody lost their minds. Bullpens clear, dugouts clear, people on Twitter are going nuts over something that two ball players were taking care of themselves.

Things Heat Up

On to the top of the seventh inning and Tyler Austin is up to bat. Guess what? Austin gets hit by a fastball square in the back by Joe Kelly for obvious reasons. This was a necessary move by someone on the Sox. Kelly decided that he would be the one to carry on the unwritten rules of the game. To make it short: if you do something wrong to a player on the opposing team, you will be hit by a pitch at your next at bat. That’s just how things go in baseball. The fact that Austin decided that Kelly was out of bounds by doing so is just asinine.

As an example dating back to about 39 years ago when Wayne Gross hit a home run off of reliever Ed Farmer. Gross took his time rounding the bases. Consequently, Farmer was furious and never had the chance for redemption. Four years later he got him back, when they were on the same team. During a batting practice session, Farmer beaned Gross with a fastball in the back with the first pitch.

“What was that for!” Gross screamed.

“That was for four years ago!” Farmer screamed back.

“OK,” Gross said. “We’re even!”

Gross took his lump and life continued. Austin was in the wrong twice on Wednesday night for sliding incorrectly (regardless of intention or not), and charging the mound after what everybody knew what was coming. Except for himself, apparently.

Alas, we have finally reached the point to where baseball can be baseball and boys can be boys again. The Red Sox and Yankees have bad blood towards each other, and the world seems to be normal again. But be forewarned fans of both teams: this is going to be a very long season. The hope for some baseball to break out in between these fights should be high. The sports world has been waiting for this rivalry to renew, and they are about to get their money’s worth.

Will the Yankees & Red Sox Rivalry Return?

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Will These Red Sox – Yankees Games Put People to Sleep?

Let’s take a look at the history of the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry. Honestly, after 2003-2004, the whole rivalry between the Red Sox and Yankees became boring. ESPN has every single Sunday Night Baseball game the Red Sox and Yankees play. They must think the rivalry is back because of the power hitters the Yankees have. Lately, though, Stanton has struck out more times in a weekend than any player has in a season. It’s still early though, and we can make excuses that he’s used to the warm weather from playing in Miami.

Via Cincinnati Enquirer

The feel of the 2003-2004 season may never happen again, or will it? As we head to another series between these two teams, we ask ourselves will these games live up to the hype. Will Stanton hit the ball over the wall a lot? Or will the pitching staff of the Red Sox shut down the powerhouse hitting Yankees? Nothing will ever compete to the 2003-2004 seasons when the Red Sox and Yankees would have bad blood every time. The Jeter, Posada, and Rivera moments were classic. For the Red Sox, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz coming up in clutch moments were the best.

Via FOX 61

The Rivalry Could Be Back on Tonight

Everyone wants to see that kind of fire going into this rivalry again. I remember one time on Sunday Night Baseball they literally showed a fan sleeping in the stands at a Yankees – Red Sox game. I want the rivalry to have that fire it used to have. Both teams are pretty much done rebuilding, and the power hitter J.D. Martinez could be the difference maker in the late innings of a close game. I’ll be disappointed if this series between these two teams is a dud. So starting tonight let’s hope the bad blood and rivalry is back.

On This Day in Red Sox History: April 6, 1973

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April 6, 1973, brought Opening Day to Boston. The Red Sox started their season at Fenway Park against the hated New York Yankees. The Red Sox were coming off a frustrating end to the previous season, finishing a half game behind the Detroit Tigers for the American League East. The Tigers were allowed to play one more game than the Sox, giving them the opportunity to win an extra game. Both teams lost 70 games, but the Tigers got to play in the postseason. The Yankees had finished in fourth for the second consecutive season, and their powerhouse days were currently a thing of the past.

Opening Day Lineups

This game is famous for being the start of the designated hitter. The American League had just adopted the designated hitter for the season, and Ron Blomberg of the Yankees was the first player to step into a batter’s box while playing the “position.” Newly signed Orlando Cepeda was the first designated hitter for the Red Sox and batted 5th. The Red Sox were headlined by mainstays Carl Yastrzemski and Reggie Smith, along with reigning Rookie of the Year Carlton Fisk. They pitted their ace on the mound, Luis Tiant, against the Yankees Mel Stottlemyre.

Baseball-reference.com

Rough First Inning

Luis Tiant got off to a shaky start to begin the season. After giving up a lead-off hit, the Sox got a strike em’ out, throw em’ out double play when Carlton Fisk cut Horace Clarke down attempting to steal second base. A double and two walks later though loaded the bases for the first designated hitter at-bat in baseball history. Ron Blomberg worked a bases loaded walk to score the game’s first run. Felipe Alou followed with a 2-run double, making two doubles for Alou brothers in the inning as Matty Alou had started the 2-out rally with a double. Tiant got out of the inning trailing 3-0.

The Sox half of the first saw only one hit; but that hit was a home run by Carl Yastrzemski. Yaz took a Mel Stottlemyre offering out to straightaway center field for the season’s first home run.

April 6, 1973: Ed Folger of Lancaster threw out the first ball on Opening Day. Folger, who had been a minor leaguer in the Red Sox system, had his leg amputated in a farm accident the previous September. (The Boston Globe)

Sox Take the Lead

Tiant enjoyed a 1-2-3 second inning, rebounding from a rough first. The Red Sox gave him some support in the bottom of the inning, taking a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Rico Petrocelli singled with 1 out, one of three hits on the afternoon for him. This brought up Carlton Fisk, who had batted .293 with 22 home runs and a league leading 9 triples the previous season when he won the Rookie of the Year Award. Fisk promptly tied the game by putting one up over the Green Monster in left field. This would be just the beginning of the damage he would do to the Yankees that afternoon. The Red Sox would add two unearned runs following a throwing error by Graig Nettles before the inning was over.

Nettles would gain a little bit of redemption the next half inning when he hit a 2-out home run to center field off Luis Tiant, pulling the Yankees back within a run. Mel Stottlemyre had nothing on the mound though and the Red Sox fortified their lead in the bottom of the third. A hit by Reggie Smith and a double by Carlton Fisk put two in scoring position for Doug Griffin. Griffin singled them both home, chasing Stottlemyre from the game. Griffin then scored on a hit by Dwight Evans and the Sox led 8-4 after three innings.

Red Sox Pull Away

With Lindy McDaniel on the mound for New York, the Red Sox did not let up in the fourth. A single by Yaz followed by a double for Reggie Smith put two in scoring position for the Sox with no one out. After striking out designated hitter Orlando Cepeda, McDaniel put Rico Petrocelli on intentionally; bad decision. Carlton Fisk had already homered and doubled on the day, and he wasn’t done yet. Fisk took a McDaniel offering deep to right-center field and over the wall for a grand slam. Fisk now had 10 total bases and six runs batted in and it was only the fourth inning. The Sox threatened with two more in scoring position before the inning finally ended; 12-4 Red Sox lead.

From there the Red Sox cruised to victory. The Yankees got one in the 5th, but Tiant shut them down over the final four innings for the complete game victory. This was Tiant’s first of 20 wins that season for the Red Sox. Meanwhile, the Red Sox offense tacked on three more runs in the 6th inning before calling it quits.

Red Sox 15 Yankees 5

Red Sox 1973 team photo (Bostonredsox.com)

A British Perspective: Sox and Yanks in London for 2019

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Reports from Bloomberg pointed to the Yankees and Red Sox finalizing a two game series that will be played in London for the 2019 season. This will not be the first time MLB takes a sample of games to other countries (Japan 2004/2008, Australia 2014, Mexico 1996/1999), and will also play some games this season in Puerto Rico and Monterrey, Mexico. However, what is the reception going to be like for baseball’s best rivalry when the Sox and Yanks battle each other in London Stadium? I had some questions, and John from the UK’s only baseball podcast had answers.

Justin: How well do you think the game of baseball in general will translate once many people from the UK will finally get to see a game or two in person?

John: Good question! I know there’s a view in the States that UK fans like ‘all action’ and ‘non stop’ games based on the dominance of soccer and rugby here, but I don’t buy it. Cricket, even in its livelier forms, is really sedate and the American sports that have a foothold here – especially NFL – are really stop start. It feels vital to me that the organizers aim to capture the ballpark environment, though. That’s the real point of difference that MLB has, like the tailgate in football. Two games isn’t enough to explain to people why you throw an outside fastball in a 3-1 count; MLB needs to be smart and think about their pitch (no pun intended). Everything we’ve heard from them so far has been positive – make it about the cultural experience as much as the game, but don’t ignore that as there’ll be seasoned fans tuning in too.

JG: Reports say that the two game series would be played at London stadium. In your opinion, is this the best venue for a professional baseball game in the area?

John: I’m not sure. I think ‘least worst’ is potentially a better way of putting it. Obviously cricket grounds have better dimensions, but they’re quite small (20-25k max) and England is hosting the Cricket World Cup around the same time as these games are billed, anyway. The London Stadium’s selling point is that it can be adapted for different events, and that feels important – there’s also plenty of space for events around it too, which is lacking at stadiums like Wembley or Arsenal’s home, Emirates Stadium. I’m a bit nervous about the atmosphere – on my one trip to the Stadium for a West Ham game it was pretty flat; they did lose 6-0 to Man City, though!

JG: How big has the sport of baseball become in recent years in the UK?

John: That’s a difficult question to give a straight answer. Arguably, it’s less popular than its peak in the early 2000s when it was on network TV and had a proper cult following. That said, there are plenty of die hards, and it feels (from our viewpoint at least) that it’s swelling. In the Opening Week of the season there are going to be ‘watch parties’ in five different UK cities, and the fact we are running a podcast with a growing, sustained listenership, didn’t seem likely when we started a couple of years ago. The sport is a popular, if niche, participatory activity too – along with softball the estimates are around 20,000 people playing regularly in the UK, which isn’t bad for a sport with little coverage and an ‘amateur’ domestic league.

JG: Rob Manfred has briefly touched up on a possibility for an expansion team in Mexico City. Do you think this could eventually lead to a possible expansion team for London?

John: It feels highly unlikely. I know the NFL trajectory feels like it’s going this way, but 8 games a year, with a week of rest, is different to managing a 162 game schedule across two continents with a minimum of 5 hours in time differences.

JG: Which player(s) between the Yankees Red Sox rivalry are you looking forward to see play in London the most?

John: There’s a difference between who I’m most looking forward to, and the consensus! As a Red Sox fan, I’m biased, but even I appreciate the idea of seeing Judge and Stanton in London would be a thrill. Personally, I’m a massive fan of Craig Kimbrel and Jackie Bradley Jr, so I’ll say those two. My fellow podcast hosts would tell you it’s Joe Kelly, who they think I have a soft spot for on account of being a fellow glasses wearer (they’re right).

JG: Any tips for Americans that will be making the trip over especially for their first time visiting London?

John: How long have you got? I don’t live in London now, having moved away just over a year ago but was there long enough to give some ideas!

I would say to travelling fans to consider staying near the venue if it is at the Olympic Park. There’ll be loads going on and that part of East London, and the couple of miles around it (especially Hackney, Dalston, Stoke Newington and Leyton), are some of the most interesting, creative and picturesque – think craft breweries, idyllic parks and cool music venues – which not many visitors see. Transport in London – especially the bus – is cheap and excellent, and none of the main tourist sights will take longer than an hour to get to if you must (though many of them are not worth bothering).

Eat at Dishoom for breakfast (there are a few sites) for their INCREDIBLE naan bread breakfast rolls, and Kiln in Soho in the evening; the best Thai food this side of Bangkok.

JG: If you could name a London expansion team, what would you name it and who would you want to manage it?

John: Given my previous answer, maybe the London Jetlaggers? Seriously, it’s a shame the Royals have gone isn’t it? Maybe the London Cavaliers, or the Red, White and Blue Sox?

In terms of management, I feel duty bound to give it to GB Baseball’s awesome coach, Liam Carroll. He’s a real spark plug for the game here, and has earned it! Pitching coach would be Trevor Hoffman, who helped Liam at last year’s WBC – his Mom’s English and he’s very proud of his British heritage.

John and the rest of the crew for the Batflips and Nerds podcast can be found here. These guys really do know what they’re talking about. Do NOT underestimate them!

As for me, I am super excited to see the great reception that one of the best rivalries in sports receives. For foreign fans, this is as big as El Clasico and should really put into perspective just how exciting baseball can be at its peak.

@ELJGON

Featured Image: Melissa Bell

The Yankees Became a Powerhouse

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Back in Time…

Remember in 2004 when Alex Rodriguez went to the Yankees? Everyone was saying the Red Sox would never win the World Series, but they did that year. The difference between the 2003 and 2018 Red Sox is they had power back then. The 2018 Red Sox have no power hitters and are now the Cleveland Browns of baseball. This Red Sox team just became the laughing stock of the American League East. An interesting stat: Stanton, Judge, and Sanchez had a combined 144 home runs last season. The entire Red Sox lineup hit 168 and got thrown out at the bases 70 times.

In Dave We Trust?

Dave Dombrowski now has to overspend on J.D. Martinez, who hit 45 home runs,104 RBI’s and had a .303 batting average last season. Derek Jeter gave his old team a discount to become a powerhouse while the Marlins are garbage and will have potentially give the Yankees control of the American League for years to come. Stanton wants to be on a winning team and the Red Sox didn’t want to give anyone up. New York makes sense for him, but the Red Sox really screwed themselves from being contenders in the American League East. They could’ve traded Bradley. You know that Dave wants to win in the short term, and they aren’t getting anywhere with this current Red Sox team.

Derek Jeter Just Made the Yankees a Powerhouse

The Yankees weren’t that much of a good team recently. But Derek Jeter just potentially made the Yankees a powerhouse for years to come, while Red Sox ownership just sits back and watches. I’ve been saying since Ortiz retired that the Red Sox need a bat. The Yankees have passed the Red Sox with this deal and it will show next season. Dombrowski had the chance to make something happen. With Abreu not coming to Boston, the only option is J.D. Martinez. Enjoy baseball, Red Sox nation, because the only thing people will be singing at Fenway Park is Sweet Caroline in the eighth inning.

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.

Strengths and Weaknesses of ALCS Teams

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2017 MLB Postseason

The playoffs are off to a thrilling start. We have already witnessed two ALDS series go the distance. Baseball fans have already been blessed with shocking upsets and dramatic comebacks. Perhaps the most shocking occurrence is the Yankees. Having knocked out the world series favorite Cleveland Indians, many are shocked to see the Yankees in the playoffs, let alone advancing the the ALCS. The Bronx Bombers will compete with the Astros to advance to the World Series. Over in the NL we have a great match up between the defending world champion Chicago Cubs and the best regular season team, the LA Dodgers.

New York Yankees

Strengths

As a long time Red Sox fan, it pains me to say the Yankees are onto the ALCS. Meanwhile, the Red Sox and their fans are forced to sit at home and watch. I must give credit where it is due, and the Yankees deserve a lot. They entered the season with low expectations. They have taken the league by storm this year, leaving their fans both surprised and ecstatic. This team has a great offense, solid starting rotation and a tremendously talented and deep bullpen. I think their greatest asset lies elsewhere– this team has collective mental toughness. They trailed the best team in baseball 2-0, and the game 2 loss was not pretty. It was impressive to see a young team come back to win 3 straight against a talented and well coached team. Props to the young guys of the Yankees for not hanging their heads and giving up after game 2.

Weaknesses

This team seems well-rounded, without any glaring weaknesses. I am still skeptical of their pitching staff. They lack a true ace. Tanaka has filled the role in previous years, but has been inconsistent this year. He was dominant in his lone start this postseason, throwing 7 innings and giving up just 3 hits and 0 runs. Sabathia has pitched well most of the year, but simply is not the guy he once was. Severino had a great year, but lacks playoff experience. He was knocked around in one of his two starts. Sonny Gray is clearly a talented pitcher, but has yet to string together multiple strong outings since becoming a Yankee. Luckily this rotation is backed by one of the strongest bullpens imaginable. The other weakness I see in this team is their ability to win on the road. The Yankees were 40-41 away from Yankee Stadium this year. It is going to be tough to win a best of seven series if they cannot win some road games.

Houston Astros

Strengths

This team is strong inevery relevant category. Their strength is simply winning baseball games with a dominant offense. There is not a flaw in this teams lineup. This team has top of the order hitters 1-9. Houston lead the MLB in batting average, runs scored, doubles, total bases, OBP, SLG, OPS and were second in home runs. This is one of the best offenses in the history of the MLB. It is not just the power numbers that are impressive for this team, Houston’s batters had the fewest strikeouts in the league this year and stole the eighth most bases. The Astros could very well ride their dynamic offense to a world series title. They have a very strong pitching staff lead by Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander. There is some serious depth to this pitching staff as well. After their top two, they have Brad Peacock, Lance McCullers and Charlie Morton, three very reliable guys. This team will be a daunting task for the Yankees.

Weaknesses

This team does not have any real weaknesses, save for one–their sub par bullpen. Houston’s pen ranked 17th in the MLB with a 4.27 ERA. However, Houston rarely has to rely on their bullpen thanks to their offense often giving them comfortable leads. The Astros played very well down the stretch, and continued their success into the ALDS series against the Red Sox. They do not a have a real weakness for the Yankees to expose. New York will simply have to out-slug Houston if they want to move onto the world series.

Panic At the Citgo

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2016/ 2017 parallel collapse?

In 2016 the Red Sox were one of the best teams in baseball down the stretch. From August 31st- September 25th, they put together an impressive stretch of winning going 19-5. Amidst this stretch was an 11-game win streak in which all the wins came against division rivals. However, the Sox fell off at the absolute worst time possible. They barely stumbled through the finish line, losing five of their last six, and had a hot date in the ALDS vs the Indians who won 10 of their last 15 games. The Sox were promptly swept by the Indians in three ugly games.

Well, here we are again. The Sox put together a terrific end to the season, going 18-9 from August 28th- September 24th. Unfortunately, the Red Sox have seem to lost all momentum in the first two games of the Blue Jays series. Boston has dropped back to back games 6-4 and 9-4. “…So what? they lost two games, what is the big deal?” Typically a short two-game skid is nothing to sweat over, but these two losses have been particularly concerning. Boston has been outscored by last- place Toronto 15-8 despite throwing their best pitching options (Sale and Pomeranz). Sale surrendered five earned runs, eight hits and four home runs in just five innings of work. Pomeranz was no better as he lasted just two innings while giving up five earned runs and seven hits. Certainly not what #RedSoxNation wants to see from their aces heading into the playoffs. It feels as though one can sense the fear lingering in Boston as fans are afraid this may be the beginning of a collapse similar to last year.

Panic Time?

No. It is too early to panic. It would be panic time if we were battling for a wildcard spot and our playoff hopes were in jeopardy. Fortunately, we still hold a three- game lead over the Yankees in the AL East. While it is possible that New York catches us, it is very unlikely. Three games is an enormous amount of ground to cover with just five games remaining on the season. Also, the Sox have responded very well to slumps this year.

Thinking back on the season, two significant slumps come to mind. The first was a stretch lasting from July 5th-July 30th in which Boston lost 14 of 22 games. They bounced back from this rough stretch in a dramatic way, winning 16 of their next 20 games. Then, In late August, Boston lost four straight, one game against Cleveland and a three-game sweep delivered by Baltimore. During this four game skid, the Red Sox were outscored 36-10. This was a tremendously concerning time. Yet again, the team responded positively to the situation, winning 18 of the next 25 games. *This hot stretch actually brought them to the start of the current series vs the Blue Jays* So yes, it has been a very ugly two games for Boston, but lets not overreact. This team has bounced back from slumps multiple times this season, and we can certainly do it again. As I close out this article, Bogaerts just hit a three-run home run to blow the game wide open. Big sigh of relief for Red Sox Nation. Prepare yourself, October. Here come the Sox.

*Follow me on twitter @MLBfromNH (Kevin Civiello)* *Stats up to date as of 9/27/17*P

“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