2007 Post Season Roster

[TheKilo]

Now that The Red Sox have made the playoffs, it would be prudent to see who makes the 25 man and who doesn't.

 

THE LOCKS

PITCHERS:

1. Josh Beckett

2. Curt Schilling

3. Daisuke Matsuzaka

4. Jonathan Papelbon

5. Mike Timlin

6. Hideki Okajima

7. Manny Delcarmen

8. Eric Gagne

 

POSITION PLAYERS

9. Jason Varitek

10. Kevin Youkilis

11. Dustin Pedroia

12. Julio Lugo

13. Mike Lowell

14. Manny Ramirez

15. Coco Crisp

16. JD Drew

17. David Ortiz

18. Jacoby Ellsbury

19. Doug Mirabelli

 

"QUESTIONABLES"

20. Tim Wakefield

21. Jon Lester

22. Julian Tavarez

23. Clay Buchholz

24. Javier Lopez

25. Eric Hinske

26. Alex Cora

27. Bobby Kielty

 

"LONG SHOTS"

28. Kevin Cash

29. Brandon Moss

30. Royce Clayton

31. Bryan Corey

32. Kyle Snyder

33. Devern Hansack

 

 

Basically, I think there are 19 locks for the postseason roster, and everyone else has some question marks surrounding them.

 

If I had to fill the remaining 6 spots, I would take:

 

Jon Lester

Clay Buchholz

Julian Tavarez

Bobby Kielty

Eric Hinske

Alex Cora

 

I think 11 pitchers are more than enough.

 

I don't think Wakefield should be on the team, as he has been awful lately and I don't think is fully healthy.

 

I don't think Javier Lopez should be on the team because he can't get lefties out. I'd much rather see Delcarmen or Timlin in the 7th.

[das11209]

I don't think I like that Gagne is a lock. I think he will be - but I don't like it one bit.

[Thumper]

I don't think I like that Gagne is a lock. I think he will be - but I don't like it one bit.

 

Time to believe some postseason mojo.

 

Who I think is really gonna hurt us is Drew. We get in a close game and he's up for clutch, I doubt he'd pull it off, yet alone any other at-bat.

[redsoxrules]

 

Who I think is really gonna hurt us is Drew. We get in a close game and he's up for clutch, I doubt he'd pull it off, yet alone any other at-bat.

 

[KeepTheFaith1229]

Eh, Wakefield's going to make it pretty much regardless if he deserves it or not.

[DUSTINMOHR4LIFE]

I don't think that Cora is questionable. He's a lock.

[MANNYHOF24]

Wakefield is a lock, whether he should be a lock is questionable but regardless he is a lock. He could be vaulable out of the pen as he was in 04. Let's remember Wake wasn't exactly on a roll heading into the 04 postseason. Buchholz will be on the roster as well IMO, he has a lot of value in relief. So basically Kilo I agree with everyone of your picks except it will be Wake over Lester. Which could benefit us because even Wake has sucked recently I would rather have Wake go instead of Lester in a big game. I don't trust either of them but given the choice I narrowly take wake. Although to be perfecty honest how much better has DiceK been than Wake recently. It's pretty close which is a scary thing for us.

[example1]

Cora is a lock. Wakefield is a lock. I would rather have Lester in a big game than Wakefield because if he steps up he can be spectacular, he's good at working out of jams, teams have seen him less and you can still have Wake come out of the pen if he gets in trouble early.

[TheKilo]

Time to believe some postseason mojo.

 

Who I think is really gonna hurt us is Drew. We get in a close game and he's up for clutch, I doubt he'd pull it off, yet alone any other at-bat.

 

Words cannot describe how much of a moron I think you are.

 

To those saying Wakefield is a lock, why do we need a 10.70 ERA pitcher on our team (Wake's since Sept).

 

And I did say I'd take Cora, however, his offensive suckitude certainly is enough to question leaving him off the roster.

[elsrbueno]

Words cannot describe how much of a moron I think you are.

 

To those saying Wakefield is a lock, why do we need a 10.70 ERA pitcher on our team (Wake's since Sept).

 

And I did say I'd take Cora, however, his offensive suckitude certainly is enough to question leaving him off the roster.

 

Kilo,

Your logic makes sense as to why Wakefield isn't a lock, but I think the fact that he's been with the team so long and has done it in the playoffs in the past (03 and 04 against the Yankees) gives him the edge over Lester.

 

I also think Cora's a lock because he's the only guy on the roster able to backup the middle infield.

 

I also don't think Delcarmen's a lock. Don't get me wrong, I'd take him in a hearbeat and I think he deserves meaningful innings more than Gagne does, but Francona doesn't seem to have a ton of faith in him. He's given him a few games lately in meaningful spots and he's done well, so hopefully that's a sign of things to come, but Terry tends to go to the vets in those spots.

 

Narrowing down to the final 25 is pretty difficult because there are quite a few arms I'd like to bring to postseason play. As a matter of fact, Bryan Corey has impressed me of late. One guy who I don't think deserves to go (after looking up the numbers) is Julian Tavarez. Sure, he's got a rubber arm, and can go anytime, but he's very simply not that effective. Opponents are hitting .280 against him as a starter, and .275 against him as a reliever. He doesn't strike people out-- he'd be a mopup arm at best. In fact, I'd rather take Kyle Snyder who's got a better ERA, better K rate, better WHIP, better batting average against. Another thing I'll throw out there is that Clay Buchholz, who's been highly touted as a bigtime contributer out of the bullpen in the playoffs this year, has had exactly 1 relief appearance in the major leagues. 1. I know this will draw comparisons to K-Rod for some, but K-Rod was a reliever for the entire 2002 season and pitched in 5 games for the Angels in 2002. I think it's a different animal. This kid is special but I'd think twice about throwing him out there in a role he's never filled in the most pressure packed environments. Another thing to consider is that he was dominant against Baltimore, decent against Toronto (on a pitch count), and merely OK against the Angels. The Red Sox are right to protect his arm and that's why I'd lean towards leaving him off the postseason roster. It'd be a nice story to bring him on and for him to have a K-Rodesque impact, but isn't it more important that he's available and healthy for 2008 and beyond?

 

Here's who I take, in addition to your 19 stated "locks":

 

Alex Cora (backup middle infield)

Eric Hinske (backup corner, lefty bat)

Bobby Kielty (backup outfielder)

Tim Wakefield (all the reasons I just said)

Kyle Snyder (a better option than Tavarez IMO)

John Lester (a potential longman/starter lefties hitting .228 against him if we needed that out of the bullpen)

 

EDIT: Another thing we need to keep an eye on is the health of Manny and Youkilis. If neither one of them come back healthy before the postseason, you've got to consider leaving them off the roster. Roster spots are valuable in the playoffs and I don't think the Sox could afford to carry around an injured player. I hope like heck that they both come back healthy, but I'm just sayin'

[ANiMAL]

 

PITCHERS:

SP Josh Beckett

SP Curt Schilling

SP Daisuke Matsuzaka

SP/LR Tim Wakefeild

SP/LR Jon Lester

CL Jonathan Papelbon

SU Hideki Okajima

MR Manny Delcarmen

MR Clay Buchholz

MR Javier Lopez

 

POSITION PLAYERS

C Jason Varitek

1B Kevin Youkilis

2B Dustin Pedroia

SS Julio Lugo

3B Mike Lowell

OF Manny Ramirez

OF Coco Crisp

OF JD Drew

DH David Ortiz

 

BENCH

OF Jacoby Ellsbury

C Doug Mirabelli

1B/3B/OF Eric Hinske

IF Alex Cora

OF Bobby Kielty

 

 

 

[YAZMAN]

EDIT: Another thing we need to keep an eye on is the health of Manny and Youkilis. If neither one of them come back healthy before the postseason' date=' you've got to consider leaving them off the roster. Roster spots are valuable in the playoffs and I don't think the Sox could afford to carry around an injured player. I hope like heck that they both come back healthy, but I'm just sayin'[/quote']

 

WHISKEY, TANGO, FOXTROT.....

 

OVER?

[TheKilo]

Kilo,

Your logic makes sense as to why Wakefield isn't a lock, but I think the fact that he's been with the team so long and has done it in the playoffs in the past (03 and 04 against the Yankees) gives him the edge over Lester.

 

I understand this, but Wakefield hasn't beaten the Yanks in a meaningful game since '03. When he can no longer win inside domes (Toronto last week and TB this week), it should raise a huge red flag for his health. For the same reasons you caution that Manny and Youkilis be held off the playoff roster, I think we have to look at for Wakefield.

 

An ineffective Wakefield is useless for this team in the postseason, I'd rather see Lester (who beat the Guardians earlier in the year) or Buchholz (ditto with the Angels).

 

 

I also think Cora's a lock because he's the only guy on the roster able to backup the middle infield.

 

True. I hope he never sees the field.

 

I also don't think Delcarmen's a lock. Don't get me wrong, I'd take him in a hearbeat and I think he deserves meaningful innings more than Gagne does, but Francona doesn't seem to have a ton of faith in him. He's given him a few games lately in meaningful spots and he's done well, so hopefully that's a sign of things to come, but Terry tends to go to the vets in those spots.

 

I don't think this will be a choice of Delcarmen vs. Gagne....I think it's safe to assume if Gagne's healthy, he's in.

 

I really think it becomes a question of Delcarmen v. Javier Lopez. I know Tito loves his LOOGYs, but Lopez has a reverse split this year against them.

 

Just because he throws lefty and has a funny delivery does not make him automatically effective, and I hope Tito leaves him off the roster.

 

Narrowing down to the final 25 is pretty difficult because there are quite a few arms I'd like to bring to postseason play. As a matter of fact, Bryan Corey has impressed me of late.

 

Agreed again, I just can't see this team using a pitcher who was a September call-up in the postseason. If Corey was in their serious plans he would have taken Snyder's place a long time ago...

 

One guy who I don't think deserves to go (after looking up the numbers) is Julian Tavarez. Sure, he's got a rubber arm, and can go anytime, but he's very simply not that effective. Opponents are hitting .280 against him as a starter, and .275 against him as a reliever. He doesn't strike people out-- he'd be a mopup arm at best. In fact, I'd rather take Kyle Snyder who's got a better ERA, better K rate, better WHIP, better batting average against.

 

I don't think Snyder sniffs the playoff roster. he's the last guy out of the pen, and Tavarez would be the one to serve as the longman out of the bullpen.

 

How miuch of Tavarez's numbers are inflated due to his starts...when we all know he's better the first time through the lineup?

 

Another thing I'll throw out there is that Clay Buchholz, who's been highly touted as a bigtime contributer out of the bullpen in the playoffs this year, has had exactly 1 relief appearance in the major leagues. 1. I know this will draw comparisons to K-Rod for some, but K-Rod was a reliever for the entire 2002 season and pitched in 5 games for the Angels in 2002. I think it's a different animal. This kid is special but I'd think twice about throwing him out there in a role he's never filled in the most pressure packed environments. Another thing to consider is that he was dominant against Baltimore, decent against Toronto (on a pitch count), and merely OK against the Angels. The Red Sox are right to protect his arm and that's why I'd lean towards leaving him off the postseason roster. It'd be a nice story to bring him on and for him to have a K-Rodesque impact, but isn't it more important that he's available and healthy for 2008 and beyond?

 

As I understand it he still has over 10 innings until he hits his limit, correct?

 

I see your concerns, but I'd rather have the best pitchers out there in the postseason as opposed to re-treads like Snyder and Lopez.

 

Here's who I take, in addition to your 19 stated "locks":

 

Alex Cora (backup middle infield)

Eric Hinske (backup corner, lefty bat)

Bobby Kielty (backup outfielder)

Tim Wakefield (all the reasons I just said)

Kyle Snyder (a better option than Tavarez IMO)

John Lester (a potential longman/starter lefties hitting .228 against him if we needed that out of the bullpen)

 

EDIT: Another thing we need to keep an eye on is the health of Manny and Youkilis. If neither one of them come back healthy before the postseason, you've got to consider leaving them off the roster. Roster spots are valuable in the playoffs and I don't think the Sox could afford to carry around an injured player. I hope like heck that they both come back healthy, but I'm just sayin'

 

Agreed....another concern to worry about is the amount of rust Manny will have...it will be interesting to see him against Lackey/Escobar/Carmona/Sabathia without playing for a month.

[Paradisecity]

Wake being a lock for the playoffs has nothing to do with performance- it has to do with our manager's willingness to suck a veteran off on national tv if the guy asks him to. Tito has ALWAYS been a veteran's manager and the proof is in the pudding with Schilling, Timlin, Wakefield, Schilling (twice for emphasis) and the notion that Jason Varitek is a pinch hitter/should not be pinch hit for.

 

He's Joe Torre without the bullpen abuse.

 

The only way Wake isn't on the roster is if the higher ups demand that he be sat down.

[TheKilo]

Wake being a lock for the playoffs has nothing to do with performance- it has to do with our manager's willingness to suck a veteran off on national tv if the guy asks him to. Tito has ALWAYS been a veteran's manager and the proof is in the pudding with Schilling, Timlin, Wakefield, Schilling (twice for emphasis) and the notion that Jason Varitek is a pinch hitter/should not be pinch hit for.

 

He's Joe Torre without the bullpen abuse.

 

The only way Wake isn't on the roster is if the higher ups demand that he be sat down.

 

I completely agree with you, but I personally find that wya of managing to be total BS.

 

I expect Wakefield to be on the roster. If I was making the decisions, he wouldn't be, because I'd try to field the best team.

[Paradisecity]

Its absolutely BS. It doesn't put the best team in the field. The only positive side is the feeling of ease it allows the vets in slumps. Even that is a two sided coin- Coco didn't hit a thing for over a year until they had someone up to play his position. Sometimes a little pressure is a good thing.

 

Tito will say "You go with who got you there" even though Delcarmen sure as hell got us there a lot more that Gagne and the 4 games he's directly responsible for losing. We would have clinched the division yesterday without him.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if Okajima is sat down for at least the first series, and if we see pitchers swapping out from series to series.

[example1]

Words cannot describe how much of a moron I think you are.

 

To those saying Wakefield is a lock, why do we need a 10.70 ERA pitcher on our team (Wake's since Sept).

 

And I did say I'd take Cora, however, his offensive suckitude certainly is enough to question leaving him off the roster.

 

Kilo, you know I'm not Wakefield's biggest fan. I've been talking intermittent amounts of s*** and praise in his direction all season. He's impossible to figure out, when he pitches well he's as good as your average #2 starter is every day and he comes with a weak hitting catcher accessory. That said, there is simply no way that Tito is going to leave Wakefield off the post season roster. He's the longest tenured Sox and is still an active member of the starting 5. Unless there is some injury or something I'm saying Wake is a lock. I don't love it, but it is likely true.

[TheKilo]

Kilo' date=' you know I'm not Wakefield's biggest fan. I've been talking intermittent amounts of s*** and praise in his direction all season. He's impossible to figure out, when he pitches well he's as good as your average #2 starter is every day and he comes with a weak hitting catcher accessory. That said, there is simply no way that Tito is going to leave Wakefield off the post season roster. He's the longest tenured Sox and is still an active member of the starting 5. Unless there is some injury or something I'm saying Wake is a lock. I don't love it, but it is likely true.[/quote']

 

While I agree with this premise, I have to think his back injury is still nagging him.

 

If that's the case, the Sox need to bite the bullet and leave him off the roster. At this point, both Buchholz and Lester look like better options to start.

 

It needs to be questioned. Wakefield's tenure should have no bearing on his status for the postseason, his performance should.

[redsoxrules]

I was reading an article on MLB.com and apparently OKI is injured?

 

"Lefty reliever Hideki Okajima has also been out of the mix since Sept. 15 because of some physical issues the team has not been specific about. Okajima is expected to pitch again on Thursday night, when the Red Sox open a four-game series against the Twins"

[TheKilo]

I was reading an article on MLB.com and apparently OKI is injured?

 

"Lefty reliever Hideki Okajima has also been out of the mix since Sept. 15 because of some physical issues the team has not been specific about. Okajima is expected to pitch again on Thursday night, when the Red Sox open a four-game series against the Twins"

 

Dead arm, they also used the chance to get him some rest.

[YAZMAN]

Agreed....another concern to worry about is the amount of rust Manny will have...it will be interesting to see him against Lackey/Escobar/Carmona/Sabathia without playing for a month.

 

I'd rather have Manny with a strained oblique, a broken arm, and a hemorrhoid that resembled Mt. Krakatau than go with anyone we'll wind up leaving off the roster.

[example1]

While I agree with this premise, I have to think his back injury is still nagging him.

 

If that's the case, the Sox need to bite the bullet and leave him off the roster. At this point, both Buchholz and Lester look like better options to start.

 

It needs to be questioned. Wakefield's tenure should have no bearing on his status for the postseason, his performance should.

 

Personally, I would start Buchholz before Wakefield 10 times out of 10 in the playoffs this season. Lester, maybe 50/50. In either case, my guess is that he will be on the roster and perhaps get one start if the Sox have a significant series lead or something... I'm all for not letting loyalty cloud vision, but Tito believes in Wake's 'presence' as a leader and role model. Lord knows Wake will mop up bad losses or big wins just as well as Kyle Snyder.

[redsoxrules]

id like the 4 starters to be beckett,schilling,dice k and buchholz , but thats probly not gona happen. I dont want lester to start in the post season , he's always in jams , allows to many baserunners

[TheKilo]

id like the 4 starters to be beckett' date='schilling,dice k and buchholz , but thats probly not gona happen. I dont want lester to start in the post season , he's always in jams , allows to many baserunners[/quote']

 

 

 

Lester, entering tonight, had a 2.70 ERA in September. Buchholz has pitched in two games since his no-hitter.

 

Lester would be the choice over Wakefield, but it looks like Wake.

[redsoxrules]

Lester, entering tonight, had a 2.70 ERA in September. Buchholz has pitched in two games since his no-hitter.

 

Lester would be the choice over Wakefield, but it looks like Wake.

 

yeah his ERA is 2.70 BUT his WHIP is 1.50 ... eventually allowing too many baserunners will get to you ,and today is a good example

[TheKilo]

Pitchers

 

* Josh Beckett

* Daisuke Matsuzaka

* Curt Schilling

* Jonathan Papelbon

* Eric Gagne

* Hideki Okajima

* Mike Timlin

* Manny Delcarmen

* Javier Lopez

* Jon Lester

 

Position players

 

* Jason Varitek

* David Ortiz

* Kevin Youkilis

* Dustin Pedroia

* Mike Lowell

* Julio Lugo

* Manny Ramirez

* Coco Crisp

* J.D. Drew

 

Bench

 

* Jacoby Ellsbury

* Eric Hinske

* Alex Cora

* Bobby Kielty

* Doug Mirabelli

* Kevin Cash

 

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/red_sox/?p=1575

[castigs850]

Pitchers

 

* Josh Beckett

* Daisuke Matsuzaka

* Curt Schilling

* Jonathan Papelbon

* Eric Gagne

* Hideki Okajima

* Mike Timlin

* Manny Delcarmen

* Javier Lopez

* Jon Lester

 

Position players

 

* Jason Varitek

* David Ortiz

* Kevin Youkilis

* Dustin Pedroia

* Mike Lowell

* Julio Lugo

* Manny Ramirez

* Coco Crisp

* J.D. Drew

 

Bench

 

* Jacoby Ellsbury

* Eric Hinske

* Alex Cora

* Bobby Kielty

* Doug Mirabelli

* Kevin Cash

 

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/red_sox/?p=1575

 

two backup catchers and no tim wakefield??? you just forgot him right?

[TheKilo]

two backup catchers and no tim wakefield??? you just forgot him right?

 

No, Wake was a late scratch due to his back hurting him.

[castigs850]

then why two backup catchers, if neither of them have to catch wake? that just doesnt make sense

[TheKilo]

then why two backup catchers' date=' if neither of them have to catch wake? that just doesnt make sense[/quote']

 

I would assume for late inning pinch run moves, which explains the presence of guys like Ellsbury and Cora.