Red Sox 2012 Season Overview

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Last year the Guardians were the hottest team in baseball for how long? What happened during the end of the season?

 

How can you fall for the O's hot start in April? The O's aren't going anywhere. Please stop acting like they're the team to fear.

[iortiz]

I'm not debating the fact that the Orioles have had good pitching. I'm debating the inconsistencies encountered in using it to criticize the Sox pitching staff given the size of the sample, and the inconsistencies in the argument. You can't criticize the sample (Rays pitching looks bad because of they got beat up a couple days by the Sox) then on the same sentence defend the current Orioles standing (You are what the record says you are). Consistency.

 

No offense, but if you don't understand what's being argued, why comment?

 

No offense, but do you really want me to explain again what I just wrote? Isn't it clear enough?

[Bellhorn04]

What's really bothering me is that numbers-wise, and game score-wise, this team is much too reminiscent of the team we saw last September. The team ERA was over 5.5 in September and now again in April. We're scoring 5+ runs a game on average, but so much of that is coming in blowouts. It's weird, really. I was expecting this team to play a different style of baseball or something.

[User Name]

No offense' date=' but do you really want me to explain again what I just wrote? Isn't it clear enough?[/quote']

 

What you wrote has absolutely nothing to do with the point i'm trying to make.

[Bellhorn04]

Is Saltalamacchia the real problem with the team? We have an ongoing habit of losing games when he starts. Going into tonight's game the team is 53-62 in his starts. That's 0-5 in 2010, 47-49 in 2011 and 6-8 in 2012. Is he the unluckiest player in baseball?

[User Name]

Is Saltalamacchia the real problem with the team? We have an ongoing habit of losing games when he starts. Going into tonight's game the team is 53-62 in his starts. That's 0-5 in 2010' date=' 47-49 in 2011 and 6-8 in 2012. Is he the unluckiest player in baseball?[/quote']

 

Salty is a very bad target for his pitchers, and not a very good defensive catcher. I don't usually agree with a700, but his point about Salty and his problems giving a good low target is probably spot on.

[iortiz]

What you wrote has absolutely nothing to do with the point i'm trying to make.

 

That's the point. IMO he is talking about one thing (right now) and you other (the future). I want to hear Pumpsie's opinion.

[User Name]

That's the point. IMO he is talking about one thing (right now) and you other (the future). I want to hear Pumpsie's opinion.

 

Then why tell me what you think i do or don't understand? Ask him, because i know exactly what he's saying, and what i'm trying to say too.

[Bellhorn04]

I think they have to trade Salty and bring up Lavarnway and see what happens. They should be able to get a reliever or something for Salty. He's a decent hitter and he would make a functional backup but he's not a starter. This might not be the best time to trade him as far as matching up with another team, I don't know.

[Bellhorn04]

It'd also be nice if they could hire Varitek in some capacity and have him work with Lavarnway.

[jacksonianmarch]

Salty is a very bad target for his pitchers' date=' and not a very good defensive catcher. I don't usually agree with a700, but his point about Salty and his problems giving a good low target is probably spot on.[/quote']

 

Bad catchers make shaky staffs look worse. Good catchers take shaky staffs and make them look solid. What they gain on defense far outweighs what they offer offensively. For many, many years I watched the Yankees win with a superior offensive catcher who was challenged defensively. Thing is, most of those teams were composed of veteran pitchers who didnt need their catcher to be a stone wall back there. Then, when the rotation started falling apart the ERA plummeted and it was obvious that our offense needed to carry us. I had no idea how big an impact a defensive catcher could have until I watched Martin all yr last yr. Nova, Garcia, and Colon emerged as viable SP candidates and solidified a rotation that had nothing of substance beyond their ace. A good catcher can guide young starters through the ropes, can lock down a veteran pitcher's focus and can prevent runs from scoring. I never thought I would say this, but I actually dont care about offense from the C position from here on out. They need to be good defender's first

[User Name]

Bad catchers make shaky staffs look worse. Good catchers take shaky staffs and make them look solid. What they gain on defense far outweighs what they offer offensively. For many' date=' many years I watched the Yankees win with a superior offensive catcher who was challenged defensively. Thing is, most of those teams were composed of veteran pitchers who didnt need their catcher to be a stone wall back there. Then, when the rotation started falling apart the ERA plummeted and it was obvious that our offense needed to carry us. I had no idea how big an impact a defensive catcher could have until I watched Martin all yr last yr. Nova, Garcia, and Colon emerged as viable SP candidates and solidified a rotation that had nothing of substance beyond their ace. A good catcher can guide young starters through the ropes, can lock down a veteran pitcher's focus and can prevent runs from scoring. I never thought I would say this, but I actually dont care about offense from the C position from here on out. They need to be good defender's first[/quote']

 

The Sox need to hand Shoppach the keys to the C position until Lavarnway is ready IMO.

[RedSoxNC84]

The Sox need to hand Shoppach the keys to the C position until Lavarnway is ready IMO.

 

Not to mention Shop is not only better defensively than Salty, he's also better offensively.

[jung]

I would trade Salty. We have seen what he has and it is what it is. We are lucky enough to have Shoppach and if Lavarnway's development will not be stilted by bringing him up I would bring him up and trade Salty. Catchers are much coveted in baseball if they can get in a crouch without falling over. So somebody will want Salty and we may likely be able to package a deal that helps us shore up our weaknesses without hurting us a bit. That sounds like a trade to me.

[RedSoxNC84]

I would trade Salty. We have seen what he has and it is what it is. We are lucky enough to have Shoppach and if Lavarnway's development will not be stilted by bringing him up I would bring him up and trade Salty. Catchers are much coveted in baseball if they can get in a crouch without falling over. So somebody will want Salty and we may likely be able to package a deal that helps us shore up our weaknesses without hurting us a bit. That sounds like a trade to me.

 

Lets hope the FO catches on to this and pulls off a decent move.

[SCM33]

Everybody.....jump on board of the Salty train.....

 

There is plenty of room since only myself, E1 and a700 were critical of him last year.

[FredLynn]

That's the point. IMO he is talking about one thing (right now) and you other (the future). I want to hear Pumpsie's opinion.

 

Just read this Ortiz. Thanks.

And don't worry: you will get my opinion until you are tired of getting my opinion.

[User Name]

Just read this Ortiz. Thanks.

And don't worry:you will get my opinion until you are tired of getting my opinion.

 

If this is your intended goal on this site, you are working very diligently towards it. I have no other choice but to admit you're definitely a go-getter.

[FredLynn]

If this is your intended goal on this site' date=' you are working very diligently towards it. I have no other choice but to admit you're definitely a go-getter.[/quote']

 

I saw a poster one time that said:

 

EVERYBODY HAS THE RIGHT TO MY OPINION.

 

Nuff said.

[iortiz]

Just read this Ortiz. Thanks.

And don't worry: you will get my opinion until you are tired of getting my opinion.

 

Do not worry, I concur several times with your opinion.

[FredLynn]

In more relevant baseball news, here is today's Mazz column in which he agrees that this is a "rebuilding year, Red Sox style". He calls it a "bridge year".

 

By Tony Massarotti, Boston.com Columnist

In retrospect, going all the way back to the beginning of the offseason, maybe the Red Sox were just biding their time. Maybe the Red Sox had their eyes on 2013 far more than they ever did on 2012, and maybe the goal was to make them just interesting enough to draw your ire.

If it looks like a bridge year and feels like a bridge year ... it's a bridge year.

 

So here's question for you: given the way last year ended, would you be OK with that? Would you be OK with the highest average ticket prices in baseball and absurd parking rates to watch Will Middlebrooks and perhaps Ryan Kalish in lieu of Kevin Youkilis and Ryan Sweeney? The bet here is that you would. The bet is that Red Sox fans still angry over the conclusion of the 2011 would be tolerant of this season with the knowledge that there is a light at the end of the tunnel - in this case an infusion of youth and energy into a Red Sox clubhouse and core that feels stale and spoiled.

 

One of the biggest problems with these Red Sox, after all, is that they have remained unlikeable. Youkilis is already on the disabled list again. Josh Beckett is missing a turn over the weekend. The Red Sox felt like a team that needed a major shakeup over the winter and team administrators did not provide it. Instead, Sox officials patched together an offseason with low-cost and stopgap alternatives, from the bullpen to the starting rotation to shortstop and the manager's office.

 

Think about it: is Cody Ross here for the long term? Mike Aviles? Even Youkilis or Bobby Valentine? In some way, shape or form, all of them are keeping the seat warm for the next guy, just as Ryan Sweeney (who would be a good fourth outfielder) is keeping right field warm for Kalish, whenever he is ready.

 

And then there is the matter of Daniel Bard, whose greatest value to the Red Sox, right now, is indisputably in the bullpen. If the Red Sox were hell-bent on winning a World Series this year as they have been in the past, they would have Bard setting up or closing. Instead, the Sox have resisted multiple urges to shift Bard in the relief corps, all with the idea of making him a more viable and reliable starter in future years.

 

See a pattern here? Kevin Youkilis could be gone at season's end, the Sox holding a $13 million contract option on him for 2013. Daisuke Matsuzaka will be a free agent. David Ortiz will be up (again) and so will Ross and Kelly Shoppach. Additionally, the Sox will have decisions to make on players like Sweeney and Mike Aviles, arbitration-eligible players who may (or may not) price themselves out of backup jobs.

 

More importantly, by the start of next season, Middlebrooks, Kalish, Iglesias and Ryan Lavarnway all could be on the big league roster with full-time jobs. (Middlebrooks at third base, Kalish in right field, Iglesias at shortstop and, perhaps, Lavarnway at any combination of catcher, designated hitter and first base.) If the Sox get lucky, maybe even Lars Anderson and Felix Doubront will thrust themselves into the mix.

 

If all of this sounds premature with regard to 2012, it isn't. When the Red Sox made their decisions last fall, they did so with knowledge of the above. On some level, they expected Middlebrooks, Kalish, Iglesias and Lavarnway to make some transition to the major league level, so they traded lesser assets (Jed Lowrie, Josh Reddick, Kyle Weiland) to make whatever marginal deals they could. They weren't about to sacrifice 2013 for 2012, particularly after the way 2011 ended.

 

As a fan, here's the one question that really matters: could they have started the process earlier and cut ties with someone like Beckett? How much would that have hurt their chances in 2012? The Red Sox don't look anything like a championship contender as things stand, and something suggests that the Boston fan base would be far more content with a relatively mediocre team of enthusiastic, energetic younger player than players than overpaid, underachieving veteran ones.

 

The only real reason to keep some of the veteran pieces on this team is because, in theory, they are more established and have a better chance to win now, a belief that goes out the window so long as the Sox play .500 baseball.

 

Obviously, there is still a great deal of baseball to be played this season. If things go right, given the relative absence of a middle class in the American League this year, the Red Sox could make the playoffs. If and when they get Andrew Bailey, Jacoby Ellsbury, Youkilis, Matsuzaka and others back, they could be a far better team in the second half than in the first. But if the Sox have more series like the one they just had, losing 2 of 3 to the Oakland A's of the world, they may find themselves in an interesting position approaching July 31.

 

For the first time in a long time, at the July 31 trading deadline, the Sox could be sellers instead of buyers.

 

As for Valentine, he is easily the most expendable of all "commodities," a 62-year-old manager on a two-year contract who had been out of the game for 10 years. Barring some sort of dramatic and unforeseen turnaround, is there any reason the Red Sox would bring him back next year? The Red Sox could have hired (potentially) a longer-term replacement in Dale Sveum, who at least would have fit the profile of what the organization was under the height of the Terry Francona era. Instead, they opted for a stopgap. Valentine subsequently feels like just another piece of rental furniture of a house full of them, which cannot help but make you wonder:

 

Maybe the Sox have a far bigger renovation in mind in the very near future.

[User Name]

I just don't understand why someone would accept Mazz's sensationalist dribble as gospel. It's his schtick. Then again, he unsurprisingly agrees with most of the stuff you come up with, pumpsie, so whatever.

[FredLynn]

I just don't understand why someone would accept Mazz's sensationalist dribble as gospel. It's his schtick. Then again' date=' he unsurprisingly agrees with most of the stuff you come up with, pumpsie, so whatever.[/quote']

 

He steals it from me User. And frankly, I am getting tired of my material being plagiarized for free in the Boston media. Shaughnessy, Cafardo...they all do it. They all say what I am posting here AFTER I post it. I gotta get me a good lawyer.

[User Name]

And Felger, don't forget Felger.

[FredLynn]

And Felger' date=' don't forget Felger.[/quote']

 

I could not possibly provide a full list of these THIEVES here or it would bore everyone to tears. Trust me, they will be hearing from my attorney shortly.

What's Tony Serra doing nowadays, anyway?

[SoxFanForsyth]

I just don't understand why someone would accept Mazz's sensationalist dribble as gospel. It's his schtick. Then again' date=' he unsurprisingly agrees with most of the stuff you come up with, pumpsie, so whatever.[/quote']

 

I agree, Mazz generally dips his pen in s*** when he writes.

 

But, he does make some fair points in that article. I think the FO put this team, when healthy, in a place to win. I think they set aside some money for some bullpen help once there was enough of a sample size to determine what pieces needed to be gathered.

 

But, this team got hurt. Bailey, Ellsbury, and Crawford all got hurt. And rather than putting Bard to the pen to sure it up, they left him in the rotation. It's good for a FO to be focused on the future, which is what that indicates to me, but at the same time, it does sacrifice some "win now" mentality.

 

I know people say that Bard is more valuable in the rotation, and that's fine. But if Bard can help this rotation by throwing in high leverage situations in 2-3 games of each rotation, then I would argue that, considering this team's needs, he helps out more there than he does by keeping this team in 1 game of every 5 games.

 

Then you tack on that they are leaving a guy like Lavarnway down in AAA to mature just a little bit more, rather than having him come up and catch every game up for the Sox and getting his bat in the lineup (I know, he's not hitting well now. SSS). They made small moves during the offseason. I mean, it's true. It all smells like the 09-10 offseason, small moves, clear money, then go all in during the following offseason.

 

And next year, it won't even be necessary to go all in because you'll already have some very good chips.

 

Hell. Maybe the send a few guys like Bogaerts, Swihart, Ranaudo, and one more in a package for Felix and sign Cole Hamels. Bard to the bullpen as the closer. Bailey as the 8th inning guy. Eat Lackey's contract and send him out.

 

Who knows. You just know they're going to make a big splash. I know that getting Felix and Hamels sounds crazy, but so did getting Crawford and Gonzo last offseason.

[Palodios]

I just don't understand why someone would accept Mazz's sensationalist dribble as gospel. It's his schtick. Then again' date=' he unsurprisingly agrees with most of the stuff you come up with, pumpsie, so whatever.[/quote']

 

Personally, I think Mazz has a point. The team has 30 million worth of dead weight that is being cut off at the end of the year in Dice-K/Youk/Jenks, 40 more tied up paying for Lackey/Crawford/Bailey to sit on the bench, all while the team has 3 quality bats and one quality glove in the minors who all should be starters in 2013.

 

THAT BEING SAID, the Rays and Yankees have seen a considerable amount of injuries too. Rivera, Pineda, Chamberlain, Longoria, Farnsworth are all hurt, and neither team is really unbeatable. The biggest competition for the Red Sox for the second wildcard-- the Angels-- have started just as slowly. Besides the Rangers, none of the other teams in the AL really have things figured out yet.

[User Name]

The Yankees barely spent money this offseason, electing to go for the trade route to shore up their problems, just like the Sox did. Are the Yankees in rebuilding mode too?

[SoxFanForsyth]

The Yankees barely spent money this offseason' date=' electing to go for the trade route to shore up their problems, just like the Sox did. Are the Yankees in rebuilding mode too?[/quote']

 

You chose exactly 1 thing that I said. And it was a complimentary piece to the entire argument. You just ignore the Bard aspect. You ignore the Lavarnway aspect too. You ignore that I said they are in a position to win, but are looking toward 2013. I didn't ever say "rebuilding". I said that a healthy team would be in a place to win.

[User Name]

You chose exactly 1 thing that I said. And it was a complimentary piece to the entire argument. You just ignore the Bard aspect. You ignore the Lavarnway aspect too. You ignore that I said they are in a position to win' date=' but are looking toward 2013. I didn't ever say "rebuilding". I said that a healthy team would be in a place to win.[/quote']

 

What i am arguing about Mazz's article is his assertion that the Red Sox are rebuilding. Don't you think that if they were, they would have had Lavarnway and WMB up to start the season after jettisoning the expensive Youkilis and Salty?

 

About the Bard point, i just don't think it makes sense in general. Bard becoming a starter was initially a request by Bard, and sacrificing the project so early makes no sense.

 

Also, i don't know if you noticed, but i wasn't directly replying to your post, but rather making a general comment. That's what the quote function is for. I'm not ignoring anything. Read things in context.