General Team Thoughts

[RickeO31]

This is my first post so i want to hit on a few things.

 

1st- John Lackey sucks and he has since we signed him. Terrible addition.

 

2nd- Dice-k blows unless he pitches against mediocre teams just like old wakefield (who should go ahead and hang up the cleats and give the sox that much needed roster spot back)

 

3rd- Why the hell did we let Adrian Beltre go when he was one of, if not our best player, last year? o and he's doing pretty good for the rangers right now.

 

4th- I love pedroia but his production has been steadily declining since his '08 MVP.

 

5th- Jed Lowrie is the future of the Red Sox. Second in batting average on the team right now just behind gonzo. hitting .109 percent higher than Crawford.

 

6th- We spent all this money getting good bats when we really needed some good pitching.

Our pitching sucks. Beckett has been good this year despite being horrible last year (over a 5 ERA) Drew is not getting any better in his age and mike cam sure the hell isn't. David ortiz is looking pretty good considering most people wanted to drop him last season. the additions of jenks (whos career we should have known was about over) and wheeler have been busts.

 

7th- We NEED as strong catcher! I don't even understand why we traded for salty? he wasn't that good in texas. varitek is old and has been struggling for 6 years as he hasn't hit over .255 since '05. maybe he should retire and just be our catcher's coach or a bullpen catcher. The additions of russell martin for the yanks and mike napoli for the rangers have been good catcher additions for their teams.

 

lastly- i hope we don't deside to make another eric gagne trade mid season this year.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

/end rant

[iortiz]

taking away #3 (i prefer A-GON 1B, and Youk 3B ), all true (a lot already commented here) and welcome.

[RickeO31]

i do like gonzo and youk good point

[boston22407]

:thumbdown

[SoxFanForsyth]

1st- John Lackey sucks and he has since we signed him. Terrible addition.

 

- Agree. Everyone agrees with this. He needs to get his head together because that's his problem right now, and it was as clear as it gets in his presser. If the Sox don't DL him or skip his next start, they're doing a disservice to the team. He needs a mental break.

 

 

2nd- Dice-k blows unless he pitches against mediocre teams just like old wakefield (who should go ahead and hang up the cleats and give the sox that much needed roster spot back)

 

- Wakefield I agree with, but DiceK has thrown the ball really well this year. He had one bad outing in which he blew up. Take out that Tampa start and he's thrown 30 IP with a 2.40 ERA as a starter. One bad outing.

 

3rd- Why the hell did we let Adrian Beltre go when he was one of, if not our best player, last year? o and he's doing pretty good for the rangers right now.

 

- Adrian Beltre is the absolute last person I'm upset about not getting. Gonzo is a much better player than Beltre, especially going forward. Beltre signed for crazy money, and if we're going to complain about letting someone go, Victor should be the guy we complain about. He would be a huge boost to this offense.

 

4th- I love pedroia but his production has been steadily declining since his '08 MVP.

 

- Huh?? His 2010 numbers were on track to have a career year. He was raking in 2010 before his injury.

 

5th- Jed Lowrie is the future of the Red Sox. Second in batting average on the team right now just behind gonzo. hitting .109 percent higher than Crawford.

 

- My guess is that Lowrie is trade bait this offseason. With Iglesias coming up and Navarro or Sutton as solid back up utility IF, Lowrie will be dished.

 

6th- We spent all this money getting good bats when we really needed some good pitching.

Our pitching sucks. Beckett has been good this year despite being horrible last year (over a 5 ERA) Drew is not getting any better in his age and mike cam sure the hell isn't. David ortiz is looking pretty good considering most people wanted to drop him last season. the additions of jenks (whos career we should have known was about over) and wheeler have been busts.

 

- Our pitching looks good on paper. If we get career norms from our pitchers, we've got a solid staff. It would be nice to have that extra guy, but who would have projected that Lackey would have an 8.01 ERA in mid-May?

 

7th- We NEED as strong catcher! I don't even understand why we traded for salty? he wasn't that good in texas. varitek is old and has been struggling for 6 years as he hasn't hit over .255 since '05. maybe he should retire and just be our catcher's coach or a bullpen catcher. The additions of russell martin for the yanks and mike napoli for the rangers have been good catcher additions for their teams.

 

- There are no strong catchers available, so you need to get used to seeing Salty behind the dish. If he can harness some of his power potential, he could be a huge addition. But that's a big "if".

[jacksonianmarch]

Beckett and Lester have been money thus far. DiceK is as expected. Lackey has completely imploded and Buchholz has still gotten lucky. His 4.19ERA with a 1.63WHIP is still pretty good. Most guys who approach the 1.6WHIP area have ERA's in the mid 5's. Although, like I said in the pre-season, Buchholz was due for a regression. His K/9 is down by 1, his BB/9IP is up by 1, he's given up 6HR already, and his BAA is up 63 points. And his BABIP is right around league average at .302, so this isnt being unlucky here.

 

The big problem is the pen and the fact that Tito cannot seem to figure out when he's gotten a bit lucky in leaving a pitcher out there past their effectiveness. You bring in 2 guys to be the bridge who have imploded in Wheeler and Jenks and now get to try out new guys like Albers, Aceves and Hill. Regardless, the sox offense has started hitting, and the pitching will sort itself out. They are still a 90+ win team in my book

[Dojji]

There is no way you trade an excellent offensive shortstop in order to play a guy with no stick unless he's a total butcher defensively -- which Lowrie isn't. We have NO guarantee Iglesias will hit at the big league level. Absent that, Lowrie is the answer at shortstop and IGLESIAS is the trade bait.

 

Navarro is the ideal fit for a infield reserve at the moment -- or will be once he gets healthy. Lowrie is your starting shortstop until he proves he shouldn't be -- he's earned at least that much with his play so far this year. Where is the room for Iglesias? Honestly I'd trade him. Any of a number of National League teams would be extremely pleased to have him.

[Palodios]

- My guess is that Lowrie is trade bait this offseason. With Iglesias coming up and Navarro or Sutton as solid back up utility IF' date=' Lowrie will be dished. [/quote']

 

I go on record: If Lowrie continues to perform at a high level, and they still trade him for anything besides an elite catcher, whatever team he gets traded to becomes my new baseball team.

[SoxFanForsyth]

There is no way you trade an excellent offensive shortstop in order to play a guy with no stick unless he's a total butcher defensively -- which Lowrie isn't. We have NO guarantee Iglesias will hit at the big league level. Absent that' date=' [b']Lowrie is the answer at shortstop and IGLESIAS is the trade bait. [/b]

 

Navarro is the ideal fit for a infield reserve at the moment -- or will be once he gets healthy. Lowrie is your starting shortstop until he proves he shouldn't be -- he's earned at least that much with his play so far this year. Where is the room for Iglesias? Honestly I'd trade him. Any of a number of National League teams would be extremely pleased to have him.

 

I think you are undervaluing Iggy's defense. I know his offense isn't going to be explosive, but if we can get a good hitting catcher that can play solid defense, then we can hide Iggy in the line up. And lets not forget, Iggy is a quick guy, so he can bunt for hits and beat out some grounders. Steal bases, etc. He won't be a .300 hitter with 15-20 HR, but he'll be a .260 hitter and he will take away a ton of hits. I would be absolutely shocked if we trade Iggy over Lowrie.

 

Look. I love Lowrie, and I wouldn't be surprised if he transitioned to 3rd base and Youk became our DH, although I think that would devalue Lowrie significantly. Either way, I think the team is set on Iggy becoming our SS as long as he can put up average numbers at the dish.

[Palodios]

if we can get a good hitting catcher that can play solid defense

 

And I want a pony:lol:

[SoxSport]

Epstein has gotten himself into a real pickle upsetting the balance of this club by dropping VMart and Beltre, and replacing them with AdGon and Crawford. Tito is no rocket scientist, and still hasn't figured out how to get some chemistry with this team. Batting Crawford 8th is a clue to his dilemma.

 

The other thing Theo did was fall in love with Salty--before Salty had proven anything to anybody.

He passed on opportunities to fortify the catcher position, and now it will be much harder. He did not distribute his eggs properly in his catching basket.

 

That's aside from the bad signings of Lackey (he has never pitched well in Fenway--they should have known)

and Dice-K (the guy pitches like he wants to be in Japan--with the money, too).

 

I think, also, he should ask himself why he has to replace most of his bullpen every year. Maybe overuse?

Why half the pitching staff has to be used in every game--win or lose-- is beyond me. To do that, you need 15 pitchers.

 

It's interesting that none of the media fingers have been pointed at Theo or Tito--yet.

[SoxSport]

There is no way you trade an excellent offensive shortstop in order to play a guy with no stick unless he's a total butcher defensively -- which Lowrie isn't. We have NO guarantee Iglesias will hit at the big league level. Absent that, Lowrie is the answer at shortstop and IGLESIAS is the trade bait.

 

Navarro is the ideal fit for a infield reserve at the moment -- or will be once he gets healthy. Lowrie is your starting shortstop until he proves he shouldn't be -- he's earned at least that much with his play so far this year. Where is the room for Iglesias? Honestly I'd trade him. Any of a number of National League teams would be extremely pleased to have him.

 

They won't trade Iglesias. They might trade Lowrie, since he's still cheap and one of the cheap teams like the Marlins might like him. They should think about trading Youkilis, since his salary is moderate, he's probably out of position at this point in his career at 3B , and he would bring more. But that makes their lineup imbalance worse--as does trading Lowrie.

 

What would work best is if they traded Crawford for Werth. Or maybe have the team play their home games in Yankee stadium.

 

Can't understand what Epstein was thinking when he dropped two RHd power hitters and replaced then with two LHd hitters.

[Dojji]

And Iglesias isn't cheap?

 

You think I'm underrating Iglesias, I think you guys are seriously OVERrating the prospect. Sure, Iglesias looks slick defensively, but until the jury is in on his bat, Lowrie's vastly superior offense is at least a balance to Iglesias' defense.

 

You can't have a just-a-glove guy out there in the modern AL East. Not going to happen in Boston. Even Alex Gonzalez was good for the occasional dinger. Unless Iglesias at least starts to hit a little in the minors, he needs to go to the NL or else out west, where you can stand to have that kind of offensive production shortfall and still win.

 

I'd still throw them both into a deal that brought home Jose Reyes (Mets might take it too, Iglesias at SS and Lowrie at 2B and Reyes' contract off the books would be a step forward for them). Short of that though, it's Lowrie. Unless Lowrie is simply unacceptable defensively you need to go with a guy who can hit.

[SoxFanForsyth]

I'd still throw them both into a deal that brought home Jose Reyes (Mets might take it too, Iglesias at SS and Lowrie at 2B would be a step forward for them). Short of that though, it's Lowrie. Unless Lowrie is simply unacceptable defensively you need to go with a guy who can hit.

 

This would get Theo fired faster than anything he could possibly do. Lowrie + Iggy for 1/2 of a year of Reyes??

 

Not even close.

[Dojji]

I don't think predicating the deal on an extension is all that crazy. It's unlikely that the Mets can extend him, but we certainly could. We practically did the same thing for one year of Adgon, and then followed it up with a contract extension. Adjusted for position, Reyes is about as special as Adgon, even with the injury troubles of the last couple years factored in.

[SoxFanForsyth]

I don't think predicating the deal on an extension is all that crazy. It's unlikely that the Mets can extend him' date=' but we certainly could. We practically did the same thing for one year of Adgon, and then followed it up with a contract extension. Adjusted for position, Reyes is about as special as Adgon, even with the injury troubles of the last couple years factored in.[/quote']

 

And he's also making $11mm this year. Why would we go throw $11mm at a SS when we have one making $500k who is doing just fine right now, and one in the minors whom scouts have compared to Ozzie Smith?

 

We've already got to absorb Gonzo contract next year (+18mm), the increase in Crawford's annual salary (+6mm) along with arbitration raises, and we've got two pitchers in DiceK and Lackey who will make $30mm next year and will struggle to win a combined 20 games.

 

There are much, much, much better resources to shell out $11mm toward. Starting Pitching, Relief Pitching, and Catching are all positions that need substantial upgrades.

[Dojji]

And he's also making $11mm this year. Why would we go throw $11mm at a SS when we have one making $500k who is doing just fine right now, and one in the minors whom scouts have compared to Ozzie Smith?

 

Because the Red Sox aren't in a position where they can "do just fine" and miss the playoffs this year. If you can't get a Reyes I'm fine with sticking with Lowrie, but Reyes is both a defensive and an offensive upgrade at short, and adds a speed dimension we don't have access to from either Iglesias, Lowrie or Navarro.

 

I doubt Iglesias will ever be the Plan A starter in Boston unless he can at least hit something like .280/.330/.420. A guy with Ozzie Smith defense can't hack it in Boston if it comes with Ozzie Smith offense.

[SoxFanForsyth]

So, in order to make the playoffs this year, you want to upgrade at our SS?

 

Let's be clear here, on our team, Lowrie is 2nd in Avg (.327) and 2nd in OPS (.864).

 

In the AL, Lowrie ranks 2nd of all SS in average (1 point behind Maicer Izturis), and 2nd in OPS (2 points behind Izturis).

 

If we are going to upgrade, why the hell would we upgrade at a position where our guy is top 3 in the AL at that position??

 

You want to get a 5th starter? Great, lets do it. Want a catcher? Absolutely, I'm in if there is one available. But a SS?? That's been a strength!!

[SoxFanForsyth]

You want a .750 OPS from your SS?

 

You realize that only 3 SS this year in the AL have a .750 OPS. Only 7 SS in the MLB have a .750+ OPS.

 

Last year, FOUR shortstops in the MLB had a .750 OPS in 2010. That's outrageous to require a guy with hands like Iggy's to have a .750 OPS to play.

[VA Sox Fan]

The good, the bad and the expected

 

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe

 

Staff May 13, 2011 10:30 AM

 

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff

 

As the Red Sox prepare to take on the Yankees this weekend, let's take a look at where the players stand through the early part of the season.

 

OVERACHIEVERS

 

Alfredo Aceves: For a no-risk, low-cost signing, he has been solid. Screwball personality needs to be dialed back a touch.

 

Matt Albers: An under-the-radar signing, the reliever has a 1.88 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP in 10 appearances. His sinker has been deadly.

 

Josh Beckett: He has bounced back from the worst season of his career to go 2-1 with a 1.99 ERA in seven starts. The No. 4 starter? Not any more.

 

Jacoby Ellsbury: It was hard to know what to expect after he played 18 games last season. A .292/.342/.451 start bodes well for the future.

 

Jed Lowrie: The utility man has become the starting shortstop, hitting a surprising .327 so far with a 137 OPS+.

 

David Ortiz: After poor starts in 2009 and 2010, Ortiz is hitting .291 and showing some power. He's also going the other way consistently.

 

Jonathan Papelbon: An inconsistent 2010 season followed by a rocky spring training raised questions. But the closer has been dominant again, striking out 19 in 14.2 innings.

 

AS EXPECTED

 

Daniel Bard: His ERA (2.89) is a little high because a few rough outings. But the strikeouts are there and he's hard to hit.

 

Adrian Gonzalez: Expectations were through the roof and he has largely met them, hitting .328 with seven homers and 29 RBI. Gonzo is an MVP-level player.

 

Jon Lester: He was expected to be the ace and at 4-1, 2.96, he has been. The lefty wanted to cut down on his walks and hasn't done that yet, however.

 

Daisuke Matsuzaka: Expectations were in the basement to start the season. He's 3-3 with a 4.64 ERA. Sometimes, good, sometimes bad. Never trustworthy.

 

Hideki Okajima: He returned from the minors and has been used in low-leverage situations for a most part. His stats so far have been a little better than last year.

 

Tim Wakefield: He has a 5.40 ERA, a little high but pretty much what you expect to get from a mop-up man and occasional starter.

 

UNDERACHIEVERS

 

Clay Buchholz: He's trending upward. But 3-3 with a 4.19 ERA is not indicative of his talent.

 

Mike Cameron: The expectation was he would have a big role. But the veteran has only 37 at-bats and hasn't done much (.162) with those. Might as well trade him.

 

Carl Crawford: He has been himself in May. But a historically bad April hasn't been erased. That will take a while.

 

J.D. Drew: He still has a good eye (18 walks and a .364 OPB). But he has just seven extra-base hits and eight RBIs.

 

Bobby Jenks: In March, some fans wanted him installed in closer. Now he's being stashed on the disabled list after giving up 13 hits and 9 walks in 8.2 innings. So far, a disaster.

 

John Lackey: He seems to hate playing in Boston and his performance (2-5, 8.01) reflects that. Personal issues are at least partly to blame.

 

Darnell McDonald: His two most notable plays this season are base-running mistakes. Not good.

 

Dustin Pedroia: His lack of power (seven extra-base hits) is troubling as are the 28 strikeouts in 139 at-bats.

 

Jarrod Saltalamacchia: He looked lost at times early in the season, which isn't the case any more. But the idea that he was ready to be an everyday catcher proved premature, if not incorrect.

 

Marco Scutaro: He lost his job to Lowrie then landed on the disabled list.

 

Dan Wheeler: A shockingly poor start (11.32 ERA in 11 appearances) led to a stint on the disabled list.

 

Jason Varitek: He's a 40-year-old old backup catcher, so a low batting average isn't exactly a shock. But the hope was he would hit lefties better.

 

Kevin Youkilis: His low batting average has been offset by good power and 26 walks. He's been pretty decent and Youkilis is usually much better than that.

 

What's your take on these ratings? Any that you would change?

[boston22407]

I can agree with all of those VA

[MJantomaso]

I am certainly not heart broken that we did not go after Beltre. Beltre is one of the biggest under-achievers in the game until it comes to a contract year (which is why, i think, Theo signed him to a 1 year deal). The guy absolutely falls off the map after he signs a big contract.

[VA Sox Fan]

I can agree with all of those VA

 

Yeah, me too pretty much.

[SoxFanForsyth]

I am certainly not heart broken that we did not go after Beltre. Beltre is one of the biggest under-achievers in the game until it comes to a contract year (which is why' date=' i think, Theo signed him to a 1 year deal). The guy absolutely falls off the map after he signs a big contract.[/quote']

 

This is one of the most overly used and untrue arguments in the world. I hate it when people bring this up.

 

From 1999 - 2004 (with LAD), Beltre hit .278 /.335/.468, and averaged 23 HR and 81 RBI

 

Then SEA signs him. Given, he had a big year in 2004, but regardless, those were his career averages. Any GM that is halfway smart looks at career norms over 1 year aberrations.

 

Beltre was hurt in 2009, so from 2005-2008, Beltre hit .266/.319/.454, averaging 24 HR and 88 RBI. Clearly his decrease in BA and OPS were a factor of moving to a terrible hitters park.

 

Then BOS signs him for a 1 year deal. He moves to one of the most hitter friendly parks in the MLB, especially for pull happy RH hitters, and played in a hitters paradise of parks in the AL East. And what happens is precisely what should have happened. A huge boost in offensive production.

 

He hits .321/.365/.553 with 28 HR and 102 RBI. Sure he over performed, but not nearly as much as you would think just looking at the stats sheets. The majority of his increase was due because of the parks he played in.

 

I know he's slumping right now, but I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see him at .305 with 25 HR and 95 RBI this year.

[Cocos Disciples]

Beltre was awesome. Gonzalez is better. Can't have them both.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

I'll take A-Gon and Youk over Beltre and Youk any day. If we needed to resign somebody V-Mart was your man.

 

That analysis VA posted is right on point.

[BigPapiEnFuego]

I'd honestly take Beltre and Gonzalez over Youk and Gonzalez. I like Youk but I would rather see Beltre at 3rd. If they somehow had done that and kept V-Mart then my god this team would just destroy everything.

[Hawkguy]

Just watched Friday nights game. I am a simple man and sometimes I miss stuff. But, for the love of God, does Bard know how to throw a change-up????