Have the Red Sox improved or regressed?

[Dipre]

Since some interesting folks here at TalkSox (not directed at anyone in particular) have an interesting habit of bashing every move the Red Sox ever make, and are treating this off-season's moves as some sort of "regression" when it pertains to the team, it would be good to engage on an in-depth look on what the Sox have lost and gained heading into 2010 and try to come to a conclusion as to where the team stands heading into next season.

 

 

2009 Red Sox:

 

Offense:

872 runs scored (3rd AL)

 

.352 OBP (2nd AL)

 

.454 SLG (2nd AL)

 

 

Pitching:

 

736 runs allowed (3rd AL)

 

1230 SO (2nd AL)

 

4.63 starter's ERA (19th MLB )

 

515 starter's runs allowed (20th MLB )

 

3.80 reliever's ERA (8th MLB )

 

221 reliever's runs allowed (5th MLB )

 

 

Defense:

UZR by position:

 

P: 29th (MLB )

 

C: CS 23 (29th MLB ) SB 151 (30th MLB )

 

1B: 2nd (MLB )

 

2B: 7th (MLB )

 

SS: 12th (MLB )

 

3B: 29th (MLB )

 

RF: 8th (MLB )

 

CF: 30th (MLB )

 

LF: 25th (MLB )

 

 

The things that immediately jump out as negative about the 2009 ball-club are the starters and the defense at 3B, LF, CF and C, with the offense being the bright spot.

 

 

Substractions:

 

Jason Bay: 151 G .384/.537/.921 OPS, 36 HR, 29 2B, 119 RBI 134 OPS+, -13.0 UZR

 

Rocco Baldelli: 62 G, 311/433/744 OPS, 7 HR, 4 2B, 23 RBI, 89 OPS+, -0.8 UZR

 

Nick Green: 103 G .303/.366/ 669 OPS, 71 OPS+, 6 HR, 18 2B, 35 RBI, 8.3 UZR (At SS)

 

Alex Gonzales: 44 G, .316/.453/.769 OPS,95 OPS+ 3 HR, 12 2B, 15 RBI, 4.3 UZR

 

Mike Lowell (pending): 119 G, .337/.447/.811 OPS, 106 OPS+, 17 HR, 29 2B, -10.4 UZR

 

Brad Penny: 131.2 IP, 5.61 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 4.68 xFIP

 

John Smotlz: 40 IP,8.32 ERA, 1.7 WHIP,4.19 xFIP

 

Billy Wagner: 13.2 IP, 1.98 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 3.03 xFIP

 

Takashi Saito: 55.2 IP, 2.43 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 4.86 xFIP

 

 

Additions:

 

 

Victor Martinez (mid-season): 56 G, .405/.507/.912 OPS, 8HR, 12 2B, 41 RBI, 133 OPS+.

 

Adrian Beltre: (Injured shoulder/testicle) Career averages: 152 G, .325/.453/.779 OPS, 24 HR, 34 2B,87 RBI, 105 OPS +, 13.9 UZR/150.

 

Mike Cameron: 149 G, .342/.452/.795 OPS, 24 HR, 32 2B,70 RBI, 111 OPS+, 10.0 UZR

 

Marco Scutaro: (Career 162 G Averages): .337/.384/.721 OPS, 92 OPS+, 10 HR, 29 2B, 57 RBI, -2.1 UZR/150.

 

Bill Hall: (Career 162 G Averages): .309/.441/.750 OPS, 93 OPS+, 19 HR, 35 2B, 71 RBI, Average UZR/150 by position: 2B (-1.9), SS (1.6), 3B (5.7), LF (-2.3), (CF 6.3), RF (-0.1).

 

Jeremy Hermida: 129 G .348/.392/.740 OPS, 94 OPS+, 13 HR, 14 2B, 47 RBI, -7.7 UZR.

 

John Lackey: 176.1 IP, 3.83 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 3.92 xFIP.

 

Continues......

[Dipre]

Area-to-area comparison of the 2009-2010 (Projected) Boston Red Sox:

 

Offense: We'll use OPS ranks from last year, with the exception of Scutaro, who will be adjusted to his career averages:

 

2009:

CF: .755(17th)

2B: .818(7th)

c: .754(9th

1B: .874(11th)

DH: .780(7th AL)

LF: .916(1st)

RF: .912(1st)

3B: .841(5th)

SS: .653(21st)

 

There are some variables created by last year's roster turmoil, namely in the 1B/3B conondrum with Youkilis shifting between them, but they pretty much even each other out.

 

2010:

 

CF:.780

2B:.803

C: .822

1B:.945

DH:.765

LF:.740

RF:.897

3B:.765

SS:.705

 

There are two caveats, number one is not including the whole 162 game sample as in 2009 for 2010, which is impossible, because it's hard to predict how backups will behave, however, upon further research, i noticed that the actual input of backups has little bearing on the positional outcome unless for outside factors (injuries), and Catcher, which i played it by V-Mart's .837 career average instead of his .861 number from last year, since i assume he will get days off against some lefties in favor of Varitek, who can still swing the stick against them, but is still a drop-off from Martinez. I also substracted .015 OPS points per position to make up for inevitable "backup" appearances, which i believe evens it out as much as possible.

 

Now let's see if you actually lose or gain OPS by simply averaging out the nine positions (This is not based on AB's, but rather a simple mathematical equation to show a point).

 

2009: .811 (806 actual, other factors like pitcher AB's factor into the equation).

 

2010: .802

 

The actual outcome is obviously not as simple as this, since the 2009 second-half lineup was obviously more potent. But what this looks to point out is that even though a lot of offense was lost from Bay, a lot of it is going to be regained from a full season of V-Mart and not having a black hole at SS.

 

This is an attempt to show how the lineup, while not superior to last year's final product, it's still superior to what some characters would lead you to believe. It's a good lineup. It's going to get on base and hit for power, although not up to 2009 standards, however, simple logic would lead you to believe that the difference, while significant, is not "massive", and further non-biased analysis further reinforces that notion.

 

 

Defense:

 

(Note: I will rank catcher dead last in both seasons)

 

Postion-by-position UZR/150 numbers for the 2009 Boston Red Sox:

 

1B: 8.3

 

2B: 9.1

 

SS: 3.1

 

3B:-10.7

 

LF:-9.4

 

CF:-19.6

 

RF: 9.1

 

 

Position-by-position starter's UZR/150 for 2010 (Career Averages):

 

1B (Youk): 6.5

 

2B (Pedroia): 7.4

 

SS (Scutaro): -2.9

 

3B (Beltre): 13.9

 

LF (Ellsbury): 21.8 (SSS)

 

CF (Cameron): 5.7

 

RF (Drew): 7.4

 

 

Except for SS, where Scutaro is below average in his career, this is a completely superior defensive alignment to last year's, where there are no extremely weak links except for Catcher, and all other positions where the defense was absolutely inept in 2009 have been upgraded.

 

 

Pitching:

 

 

I'm going to focus on the starters, and quite simply bump the bullpen ERA to an even 4.00, from last year's 3.80 mark.

 

The main problem with the Boston Red Sox' 2009 squad was inconsistency, and it reflected the in the starting corps, who posted a 4.63 ERA (19th in MLB ), and allowed 515 runs, (20th in MLB ).

 

I'm not going to go very in-depth in this one, because quite simply:

 

Lester,Beckett,Lackey,Matsuzaka,Wakefield>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Lester,Beckett,Wakefield,Penny,Smoltz,Tazawa,Byrd.

 

The 2010 model should simply be better in every aspect than the 2009 version.

 

Just take out Penny/Smoltz and their 171.2 innings of 6.25 ERA ball (119 earned runs allowed) as well as Byrd/Tazawa's 59.1 innings of 6.54 ERA (43 earned runs allowed) and add to that John Lackey's 176 innings of 3.83 ball, as well as a healthy Dice-K and a full year of Bucholz (who, at worst, should provide around league average innings) with Wakefield as injury/inefectiveness insurance.

 

You can easily expect that horrible 4.63 ERA to go into a much more respectable range, quite possibly into the low 4's.

 

 

So all in all it's easy to see that while some offensive regression is to be expected, the club has over all made very significant improvements to the roster, which, in my opinion, is a much stronger one than the 2009 version of the Red Sox, and that one won 95 games.

[Palodios]

Very indepth analysis. One thing you didn't mention was that the bullpen took a bit of a hit, losing Saito and the spot taken by Masterson/Wagner. I'm assuming they won't pick up another quality reliever unless they can get rid of Lowell, but I'd be a bit afraid seeing Richardson or Bonser coming in the 6th/7th innings.

[Dipre]

Very indepth analysis. One thing you didn't mention was that the bullpen took a bit of a hit' date=' losing Saito and the spot taken by Masterson/Wagner. I'm assuming they won't pick up another quality reliever unless they can get rid of Lowell, but I'd be a bit afraid seeing Richardson or Bonser coming in the 6th/7th innings.[/quote']

 

That's why i bumped the bullpen ERA up .020. Saito's spot will be taken by Bonser, but remember that Wake also moves to the bullpen for the time being. I also mentioned Wagner and Saito as substractions in its respective segment.

[Emmz]

Yeah, great analysis, I love this, and to me it seems a lot like the Sox have most definitely made a huge overall improvement. In reality, when it comes right down to it, the most important thing is run differential. While the offense may have taken a slight hit, our rotation has definitely improved, and the bullpen is definitely still well above average.

 

Defensively, we were pretty horrible, but we've gone from amongst the worst, if not THE worst, to elite.

 

I like our chances this year, I see this as optimism.

[Cocos Disciples]

Good post. I'll add on and probably end up repeating a bit of what you said. You forgot Buchholz in your rotation, who I think will improve upon last year. Matsuzaka cannot be any worse than 2009, though I don't think he'll approach his 18 win, sub 3 ERA of 2008. A rotation of:

Lester

Beckett

Lackey

Buchholz

Matsuzaka

 

is a clear improvement over last year.

 

The bullpen will definitely take a hit this year. Last year we had a full year of Saito, who didn't have a prominent role but did have a sub 3 ERA. Masterson and Wagner also both contributed portions of the season and will not this year. There have been no bullpen acquisitions this year, but Wakefield and one more (Richardson or an acquisition) will be added. I imagine Wakefield will take a long relief/spot start role, similar to Masterson. In Masterson's time last year he posted a 4.5 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. I think that's fair to assume for Wakefield out of the bullpen, so that loss is made up for. The Sox will also get a full season of Daniel Bard. It remains to be seen if another relieer, preferably a LHP, will be added. But for now, the bullpen is:

Papelbon

Okajima

Ramirez

Bard

Delcarmen

Wakefield

TBA

 

Again, I'll call this a moderate downgrade from last year.

 

Now for the lineup. The lineup as currently (and probably on Opening Day) constructed is:

 

Ellsbury

Pedroia

Martinez

Youkilis

Ortiz

Cameron

Drew

Beltre

Scutaro

 

So the Sox lose Bay, Lowell, the every day version of Jason Varitek, and the array of s*** that played SS last year (Lugo, Green, Gonzalez). They gain Cameron, Beltre, Scutaro and four more months of Victor Martinez. One thing Dipre didn't look at was WAR, so I will, position by position. These are the WARs of the starters at each position (Catcher has Varitek and Martinez's two months on the team). Remember, WAR takes hitting and fielding into account and is adjusted for position.

[table]

Position

|

2009 WAR

|

Projected 2010 WAR

|

Change

 

C|3.4|4.9|+1.5

1B|5.6|5.6|Even

2B|5.2|5.2|Even

3B|1.2|2.4|+1.2

SS|1.3|4.5|+3.2

LF|3.5|1.9|−1.6

CF|1.9|4.3|+2.4

RF|4.7|4.7|Even

DH|0.7|0.7|Even

|27.5|34.2|+6.7[/table]

 

Of course these are imperfect. For the 2010 projections I just replicated the player's 2009 WAR. It's not ideal and likely inaccurate in the long run, but I couldn't find a reliable projection source; CHONE doesn't do WAR projections and PECOTA is not out yet. Some players will improve upon 2009 and some will regress (for example, Scutaro will likely regress and Beltre will likely improve), so I think it's within reason to use 2009.

 

My interpretation of the table:

 

The most notable differences in the table come at SS and CF. Marco Scutaro's WAR of course comes from his career year in 2009. It's unfair to expect him to replicate this, but it is fair to expect him to be better than Gonzalez/Green/Lugo (all of whom were accounted for in the 2009 cell). In centerfield, the 2009 cell is Jacoby Ellsbury's 1.9 WAR, and the 2010 is of course Mike Cameron. I think a big factor in these figures is defense. Despite the flashy plays, Ellsbury was not a good defensive player. Cameron is much better. Jacko likes to harp on the fact that LF defense at Fenway is not very important. He's partially right. However, it is important when you're taking away Ellsbury from CF, where defense is important, and moving him to LF. Cameron is also a better offensive player than Ellsbury.

 

The only negative difference in the table is LF, which should come as a surprise to nobody. Jason Bay was a very good offensive player and a poor defender. Ellsbury is a major downgrade offensively, of course, but a moderate defensive upgrade.

 

So to answer the original question, the Red Sox have improved. Expect them to make the playoffs, be it Wild Card or AL East.

[Dipre]

Well i did mention "full year of Bucholz" for one. And i didn't try WAR because it also accounts for defense, and i wanted to look at each area individually.

 

Otherwise, agree with you 100%.

[Cocos Disciples]

Whoops, I missed that. I was referencing this:

Lester,Beckett,Lackey,Matsuzaka,Wakefield>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Lester,Beckett,Wakefield,Penny,Smo ltz,Tazawa,Byrd.

[Dipre]

The bench will also be very much upgraded.

 

Hermida, Hall, Varitek, and Lowell/Signee is a pretty good bench with Lowrie waiting in the wings.

[Emmz]

Hermida and Hall have some good stats against righties, and lefties, respectively.

 

And yeah, 'Tek and Lowell too.

 

Bench is definitely upgraded, the pitching as a whole is upgraded, the offense is upgraded a several spots, but overall, is probably moderately downgraded.

 

The defense is upgraded immensely, though.

[Imperial59]

C|3.4|4.9|+1.5

1B|5.6|5.6|Even

2B|5.2|5.2|Even

3B|1.2|2.4|+1.2

SS|1.3|4.5|+3.2

LF|3.5|1.9|−1.6

CF|1.9|4.3|+2.4

RF|4.7|4.7|Even

DH|0.7|0.7|Even

|27.5|34.2|+6.7[/table]

 

This. The Sox clearly improved their rotation, and even though we lost Jason Bay, we significantly improved our position players.

 

The one question mark of the team for me is the bullpen. But I don't think it's anything to worry about. They have one of the best closers in baseball. Okajima has been one of the most solid set up guys in baseball since he came to Boston. And a supporting cast of Bard, Ramirez and Delcarmen is better than most guys have in middle relief. If it's that much of a problem, we can always make a trade. The bullpen has the smallest win values of any aspect of a team and it's fairly easy to fix if a team already has a closer and a set up guy.

[BSN07]

Nice post Dipre. Very informative.

 

Hopefully this constipates the verbal diarrhea that rhet and his legions of "RBI troops".

[jacksonianmarch]

The other question is, should the sox hang onto Lowell and platoon him with Ortiz. Ortiz' OPS vs lefties was .716. Lowell's was .866. Ortiz' OPS vs righties was .850.

[Lester82]

Some words about the improvement the Red Sox made...

 

"For Boston last year at third base, for example, Mike Lowell, who was unable to move well because of injury, cost them 20 runs, and now they have Adrian Beltre, and he added about 20 runs," Dewan explains. "Right there, the Red Sox have added four wins. Plus they've added three wins at short with Marco Scutaro and a couple more in the outfield with Mike Cameron. It's a huge improvement."

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100110&content_id=7897834&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[Imperial59]

Defense wins games. It's not as sexy as home runs or strikeouts, but it's highly effective.

 

"Seattle traded for outfielders Franklin Gutierrez and Endy Chavez and ended up improving their overall defense so much that they went from an American League-worst 61-101 record in 2008 to an 85-77 campaign last year, the biggest improvement in the Majors, despite scoring fewer runs than they did in '08."

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100110&content_id=7897834&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[Dipre]

Some words about the improvement the Red Sox made...

 

"For Boston last year at third base, for example, Mike Lowell, who was unable to move well because of injury, cost them 20 runs, and now they have Adrian Beltre, and he added about 20 runs," Dewan explains. "Right there, the Red Sox have added four wins. Plus they've added three wins at short with Marco Scutaro and a couple more in the outfield with Mike Cameron. It's a huge improvement."

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100110&content_id=7897834&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

 

Nice find.

 

Kudos.

[Mr Crunchy]

I dont know much about WAR or SARS or VORP or H1N1 but I do know the reason they tanked 2 years in a row in October was due to their lack of hitting and Josh Beckett acting human when it mattered most.

If Becks pitched like he did in the 03@07 playoffs then we beat Tampa in 08 and we're not so anxious.

So in essence what do we have here now?

The Sox let go their best power guy and replaced him with Mike Cameron.

The Sox replaced Lowell with a guy who hit 8hrs last year and has a career OBP of .325

So we get Cameron Lackey and Beltre for what amounts to be Jason Bay...

When put in this context its easier to swallow.

Beltre played in 111 games last year down from 143 which was down from 149 which was down from 156....Is this a trend? The boy reeks of roid abuse and the stats back it up

49HRS in Chavez Ravine in 2004 then Seattle signs him and he drops to 19 and then back up to 26 a couple of times, thats a tuff place to hit HRS in but not that much tuffer than LA is.

Did Brady Anderson shanghai his body for that 1 season?

I dont understand the urgency in getting rid of Lowell, we're going to pay for him no matter where he is playing, why not keep his ass on our bench?

the guy can still hit and he did outperform Beltre in every offensive category that matters.

i wouldnt have a problem with Lowell staying here to DH from time to time, pinch hit and fill in at 3rd when Beltre isnt playing...

Overall Boston is better this year than last.

with John Lackey,Mike Cameron and Beltre coming to town and Jason Bay leaving I like the team better than last year but I still dont see the offensive worries being settled and that was our downfall 2 Octobers in a row..

[Dipre]

I dont know much about WAR or SARS or VORP or H1N1 but I do know the reason they tanked 2 years in a row in October was due to their lack of hitting and Josh Beckett acting human when it mattered most.

If Becks pitched like he did in the 03@07 playoffs then we beat Tampa in 08 and we're not so anxious.

So in essence what do we have here now?

The Sox let go their best power guy and replaced him with Mike Cameron.

The Sox replaced Lowell with a guy who hit 8hrs last year and has a career OBP of .325

So we get Cameron Lackey and Beltre for what amounts to be Jason Bay...

When put in this context its easier to swallow.

Beltre played in 111 games last year down from 143 which was down from 149 which was down from 156....Is this a trend? The boy reeks of roid abuse and the stats back it up

49HRS in Chavez Ravine in 2004 then Seattle signs him and he drops to 19 and then back up to 26 a couple of times, thats a tuff place to hit HRS in but not that much tuffer than LA is.

Did Brady Anderson shanghai his body for that 1 season?

I dont understand the urgency in getting rid of Lowell, we're going to pay for him no matter where he is playing, why not keep his ass on our bench?

the guy can still hit and he did outperform Beltre in every offensive category that matters.

i wouldnt have a problem with Lowell staying here to DH from time to time, pinch hit and fill in at 3rd when Beltre isnt playing...

Overall Boston is better this year than last.

with John Lackey,Mike Cameron and Beltre coming to town and Jason Bay leaving I like the team better than last year but I still dont see the offensive worries being settled and that was our downfall 2 Octobers in a row..

 

The 2009 playoffs offense sample size was three games. Bay didn't help with a .489 OPS (1 for 8 with three walks, the one being a single)

 

As for Beltre, how about mentioning that before he had shoulder and testicle issues last year, he hit at least 25 homers three years in a row in one of the most righty-power suppressing stadiums in MLB, the diminishing games played year-to-year were a direct result of the shoulder injury that ended up requiring surgery to remove bone spurs. Also, if you use OPS+ (which accounts for stadium factors) Beltre and Lowell have been virtually the same performer over the last four years, and you also forgot about Scutaro, who's an upgrade all things being said.

 

About Lowell:

 

Spot for Lowell will emerge.

 

Epstein says he might stay with the ballclub depending on what happens.

 

"We'll probably be able to put Mike in a situation either here or elsewhere where he can make an impact on a team. If he's a little bit slower rehabbing or hasn't quite gotten back to the position where he can play regularly, then I think Mike feels like if he's going to have a complementary type role, he'd rather have it here, better in Boston than anywhere else, the way he feels about the Red Sox and the way we feel about him. I know it might look awkward from the outside, but it's a situation that will probably take care of itself as long as we stay on the same page, and we certainly are right now."

[yankees228]

Excellent analysis Dipre. I don't have too much to add, except that, once again, I'll credit the flexibility of the Red Sox approach.

 

Without the Ortiz/Ramirez combination, and with the Yankees now having a similar 3-4, they've realized that they need a different philosophy to compete for a championship.

 

For much of this decade, both the Yankees and the Red Sox approached each season with similar philosophies; power and OBP. With the Red Sox, at least in the middle of the lineup, having the edge over the Yankees for awhile, maybe the Yankees should have considered going about things a bit differently in an effort to compete. Now, with the Yankees having the clear advantage in the power department and the middle of the order, the Red Sox have adjusted their approach. It should be a fun and interesting season, and I can't wait for it to get started.

[Lester82]

It should be a fun and interesting season, and I can't wait for it to get started.

 

Amen. The northeast is cold and bleak and I need baseball. Can't wait, I love the team the Sox have assembled. This is gonna be f-u-n in 2010. Watching this monster pitching staff/defense Theo has assembled will be pretty bleeping cool...

[rhet]

Nice post Dipre. Very informative.

 

Hopefully this constipates the verbal diarrhea that rhet and his legions of "RBI troops".

 

Well, we do know they're projected to score fewer runs. And that means fewer RBIs.

[example1]

I dont understand the urgency in getting rid of Lowell, we're going to pay for him no matter where he is playing, why not keep his ass on our bench?

the guy can still hit and he did outperform Beltre in every offensive category that matters.

i wouldnt have a problem with Lowell staying here to DH from time to time, pinch hit and fill in at 3rd when Beltre isnt playing...

 

Lowell needs to go because he can't field his position well any more. He can't attack the ball coming in, he doesn't react/dive well to prevent doubles down the line, and he even mishandled or threw-away routine GBs this year. I like Lowell as much as the next guy, but I think this rotation will be best served to know that they have the best defense money can buy behind them. I think there will be a trickle-down effect of having great defense.

 

That's not to say I would endorse a "defense first" approach. I like the Slugging-Gold Glover approach best.

 

They don't need or expect Beltre to replicate his best seasons. They just need him to hit for some power and play gold glove defense.

[BSN07]

Well' date=' we do know they're projected to score fewer runs. And that means fewer RBIs. [/quote']

 

Nice to see you know how to take a joke

[BSN07]

As far as the thread topic is concerned,

 

I think the Sox will have overall similar success to last season. Whether that means WC or the division(if Yankees regress) I don't know. I think they make the playoffs, and I believe that is where the difference will be seen. I think this team is much better suited for the playoffs then last years team was. That's the big difference between this year's and last year's teams IMO.

[rhet]

Seriously, I think the pitching staff has a chance to be spectacular. Bringing in Lackey was an excellent move. Their 1-5 if healthy can dominate.

 

On offense, if age doesn't catch up with Cameron, I think he'll be a good hitter in Fenway. Not so optimistic about Beltre. Scutaro will provide stability to that position and can produce runs. The big question is Ortiz. If he learns to bunt, he could hit .450.

 

The bench is much better with Hermida, Hall and Tek.

[Dojji]

Unfortunately, I'm forced to agree with Jacko. Daisuke is not to be counted upon.

 

It's not the current injuries so much as the fact that Daisuke WILL not trust the team, or let it protect its investments properly. I just think that if he doesn't trust the team, there's NFW the team can rely on him.

[rhet]

Gammons on EEI this morning said he talked with the API people and Dice is in outstanding shape. He might come back with a vengeance.

[Imperial59]

Gammons on EEI this morning said he talked with the API people and Dice is in outstanding shape. He might come back with a vengeance.

 

I'm excited to see what he can do. They're the same people to turned one of the worst defensive SS into one of the rangiest last year.

[a700hitter]

Have the Sox improved or regressed? It's telling that we are even discussing this issue in a Red Sox forum. It certainly indicates that the Sox moves have not clearly improved the team's competitive position for a World Championship. I think the Yankees largely have stayed in the same place as last year, but they didn't need to improve. The onus was on the Sox to improve, and there is no clear consensus that they have significantly improved.

[Palodios]

I'm hoping that the whole national pride thing works both way. I've read some things about how he was incredibly ashamed of his pitching stats (Not about the team cooperation fiasco however), and by the sound of it, he's been working very hard to make sure that doesn't happen again.

 

I don't like the guy very much, but when he was in shape this year (for the small sample size of 4 games) he pitched to a 2.2 ERA. Don't expect him to do anything out of character, like learn English or be a team player, but I wouldn't be surprised if he could get averages of 5 to 6 innings a game with sub 3 era and 1.5 whip.