What do you think the Sox chances are in 2013

[SCM33]

 

Here is my AL East prediction for 2013:

1) Baltimore

2) Toronto

3) Tampa

4) New York

5) Boston

 

Boston has MORE talent than all of those teams.

 

They just need to play to their capabilities.

 

1. Tampa

2. Boston

3. Toronto

4. New York

5. Baltimore

[Lucienbel]

And in Yankee Stadium. He's an FA at season's end and a guy I expect to leave NY for Cali as he is a Cali kid. If he signs on in a place like SD, he will end up being a Cy Young candidate.

 

That's pretty high regards, but I won't disagree entirely. I think going out to the West Coast would really benefit him. Big ball parks play well for pitchers like him. I think going out West would give him a lot of big ball parks to pitch in and he'd start putting up numbers more reflective of the pitcher he is.

[BSN07]

Not sure if this had been discussed yet or not but here's my view of what the Sox have done this off season. With or without Napoli the roster is pretty good. If somethings in the rotation fall their way they will be competitive.

 

If things don't work out they have loaded themselves with pieces that will be sought after at the TDL. Pedroia, Middlebrooks, and maybe Papi are the only guys they probably don't want to move. Victorino would probably involve adding $ but he is probably a guy they want to keep around for positive influence on a young team. Everyone else could be considered fair game. They could absolutely stack themselves with young talent and either go with that talent or use some of it for high end proven MLB players next winter.

[SoxSport]

Can't see TB improving after trading 2 of their top 5 starting pitchers. Pitching is what they are all about.

[TutGadol]

Boston has MORE talent than all of those teams.

 

They just need to play to their capabilities.

 

1. Tampa

2. Boston

3. Toronto

4. New York

5. Baltimore

 

How?

 

Let's go team by team.

 

BJs- They got better lineup, better rotation, we both have crappy 'pens. Jays win.

 

Rays- I'd say we have the better lineup, they obviously have the better rotation and D, their 'pen is a question mark but I think they have it better then us with all the young starters. At 2013 I'm not sure who's better.

 

Yanks- Honestly they have a better lineup, much better bullpen and probably a better rotation too. Advantage *sob* Yanks.

 

We're better then the O's, I don't see how their going to repeat.

 

Overall I see it as either 3rd or 4th for us. And with the tough teams in the west we'll be lucky to get into the lower WC.

[Lucienbel]

How?

 

Let's go team by team.

 

BJs- They got better lineup, better rotation, we both have crappy 'pens. Jays win.

 

Rays- I'd say we have the better lineup, they obviously have the better rotation and D, their 'pen is a question mark but I think they have it better then us with all the young starters. At 2013 I'm not sure who's better.

 

Yanks- Honestly they have a better lineup, much better bullpen and probably a better rotation too. Advantage *sob* Yanks.

 

We're better then the O's, I don't see how their going to repeat.

 

Overall I see it as either 3rd or 4th for us. And with the tough teams in the west we'll be lucky to get into the lower WC.

 

I have a difficult time saying the Sox have a bad pen right now. They have done some good stuff to shore up the pen and I don't think they'll be a weak point of this years team.

[Meh]

I saw the Red Sox will have a 175/180 million payroll, assuming the Napoli deal gets done, but I look at them and say where did they spend their money? Same thing with the Yankees and their 205 million payroll, it really makes me appreciate what lower market teams can do. anyways I think they have a shot at one of the wild cards. I believe the Yankees, Rangers, A's, and Red Sox will battle it out for those two spots and I like the Yankees and Rangers chances at grabbing those two spots.

[Meh]

Here is my AL East prediction for 2013:

1) Baltimore

2) Toronto

3) Tampa

4) New York

5) Boston

Is that you Buck?! Not hating on the O's but I think they won't make the playoffs this year, but I do respect what they have done this year.

[willyssox]

I am impressed with how many well written, intelligent posts there are on how well the Sox will do... On other sites I am known for my mile long responses but all I have to say on this subject is WE WILL GO NO FURTHER THAN OUR STARTING ROTATION WILL TAKE US. What better example than S.F. that Pitching is what wins Championships.

With that said IMO we wont go far. For some reason and for 3 seasons in a row now Ben C. has wished, hoped... that Lester & Buchholz ( Beckett too before being traded) will be the clear leaders and get us to the Promised land and for 2 of those seasons they havent got it done, period, so what on Earth leads him or anyone else to think they will suddenly lead this team? Just adding Dempster ( who in limited time has stunk in the AL), clearly isnt enough. I dont understand why they didnt make a bigger push ( maybe Lester & Ellsbury) for Cliff Lee. I also dont understand why they wouldnt give up a supplemental draft pick to sign Lohse. If I had my way the Red Sox starting rotation would have been 1. Lee, 2. Lohse, 3. Buchholz, 4. Marcum, 5. Doubront.

 

Lee- 6-9, 3.16ERA, 1.11WHIP

Lohse- 16-3, 2.86ERA, 1.09WHIP

Marcum- 7-4, 3.70ERA, 1.27WHIP

 

We have a nice bullpen now but what good will they be when Lester and company routinely give up 4,5,6... runs a game? Which was the norm last year, I mean just look at how few "Quality Starts" those guys had last year. Perhaps someone can explain, in detail and with real proof how or why Lester (or anyone else for that matter) is going to turn it around and really make the difference.

[Bellhorn04]

We have a nice bullpen now but what good will they be when Lester and company routinely give up 4,5,6... runs a game? Which was the norm last year, I mean just look at how few "Quality Starts" those guys had last year. Perhaps someone can explain, in detail and with real proof how or why Lester (or anyone else for that matter) is going to turn it around and really make the difference.

 

Nobody can say for sure that Lester will turn it around and nobody can provide any proof. There are, however, many, many examples of pitchers turning it around after a season like Lester just had. Keep in mind how young he is and how good he was for several years. He appears to have lost a bit of velocity, which is a concern, but he still throws reasonably hard. He may just need some 'tweaking' of his mechanics and now he will have his old pitching coach (Farrell) looking at him and a brand new pitching coach (Nieves) as well.

 

And others here are better at tackling these technical questions than I am.

[User Name]

I am impressed with how many well written, intelligent posts there are on how well the Sox will do... On other sites I am known for my mile long responses but all I have to say on this subject is WE WILL GO NO FURTHER THAN OUR STARTING ROTATION WILL TAKE US. What better example than S.F. that Pitching is what wins Championships.

With that said IMO we wont go far. For some reason and for 3 seasons in a row now Ben C. has wished, hoped... that Lester & Buchholz ( Beckett too before being traded) will be the clear leaders and get us to the Promised land and for 2 of those seasons they havent got it done, period, so what on Earth leads him or anyone else to think they will suddenly lead this team? Just adding Dempster ( who in limited time has stunk in the AL), clearly isnt enough. I dont understand why they didnt make a bigger push ( maybe Lester & Ellsbury) for Cliff Lee. I also dont understand why they wouldnt give up a supplemental draft pick to sign Lohse. If I had my way the Red Sox starting rotation would have been 1. Lee, 2. Lohse, 3. Buchholz, 4. Marcum, 5. Doubront.

 

Lee- 6-9, 3.16ERA, 1.11WHIP

Lohse- 16-3, 2.86ERA, 1.09WHIP

Marcum- 7-4, 3.70ERA, 1.27WHIP

 

We have a nice bullpen now but what good will they be when Lester and company routinely give up 4,5,6... runs a game? Which was the norm last year, I mean just look at how few "Quality Starts" those guys had last year. Perhaps someone can explain, in detail and with real proof how or why Lester (or anyone else for that matter) is going to turn it around and really make the difference.

 

Philadelphia has made it clear they won't trade Lee. Can't get him if they won't trade him. You criticize the Dempster sining then ask for Lohse, who is less consistent but with worse peripherals. Marcum is still possible, but I think they want to give Felix/Morales a chance, which makes sense on many levels, but I don't agree with.

[User Name]

Nobody can say for sure that Lester will turn it around and nobody can provide any proof. There are, however, many, many examples of pitchers turning it around after a season like Lester just had. Keep in mind how young he is and how good he was for several years. He appears to have lost a bit of velocity, which is a concern, but he still throws reasonably hard. He may just need some 'tweaking' of his mechanics and now he will have his old pitching coach (Farrell) looking at him and a brand new pitching coach (Nieves) as well.

 

And others here are better at tackling these technical questions than I am.

 

His velocity last year was right at career averages, and you have to account for the mess his mechanics admittedly were.

[Behindenemylines]

Sox will only compete in the AL East if they get consistent SP in 2013. Lester and Buchholtz have to be top of the rotation starters that are more consistent. Doubront has to make the next step, and Lackey needs to be the Lackey of the Angel years. An Dempster needs to eat innings and have success in the AL. There are a lot of ifs here . . . but the Sox will only be as good as these guys.

[cbbosox]

Sox will only compete in the AL East if they get consistent SP in 2013. Lester and Buchholtz have to be top of the rotation starters that are more consistent. Doubront has to make the next step, and Lackey needs to be the Lackey of the Angel years. An Dempster needs to eat innings and have success in the AL. There are a lot of ifs here . . . but the Sox will only be as good as these guys.

 

Agree 100% the sox could be good if these guys do their job

The. Orioles almost won the division last year.who has more talent the 2012 L's or the 2013 sox?

[mvp 78]

Lohse on an ALE team would be a nightmare. I'd pass on him. He wants too much $$$ and too many years.

[iortiz]

Feel like last year. Tons of ?s in our rotation. We haven't improved that department since last 3 yrs and I do not why. Dempster is not the answer. Lackey? Makes me throw up when I see his name in the rotation. I like Douby but you just can't rest our hopes in his shoulders. Buch? Can he stay healthy?. Lester needs to bounce back otherwise we're last place again.

 

I don't like the scenario at all but hopefully these guys at least post their career numbers or something around in order to compete next yr.

 

Our chances? As I said before, at very best we could compete for the 2nd WC spot.

 

Realistically, we are a 4th place team in the ALE as assembled which is a shame for a big market/high payroll team like the Red Sox.

[jung]

Absolutely agree on the SP. That is why the strength of the bullpen is simply not an argument I have the stomach for. The bullpen was the bedrock anchor of the team last year. That and a quarter gets you a cup of coffee.

 

I just don't see this rotation "emerging" as competitive in 2013. As I have said before while there are those with a more optimistic view, I think Felix upper reaches are a rotation 3. Morales has more upside but is more likely to crash and burn. I am torn on Lackey. As a number of pitchers proved last year, plate discipline appears to have become a lost art, particularly in the AL East where our post season representatives turned out to be an utter embarrassment to ML generally and the AL East most particularly. In reality that was a trend we saw developing all season as pitchers who could locate even with little in the way of stuff just cut through some of these AL East lineups like hot knives through butter. All you needed was a slider to be on your way to Cy Young consideration pitching against these guys. So who knows.....However if things were per normal I would be decidedly negative on Lackey's 2013 chances.

 

I think Lester will recover and I think Buch will be Buch. But I don't expect Lester to climb all the way back to the top of the mountain in one off season. As for Mr Dempster I think the scouting reports will prove out. He will excel against the dregs and get his clock cleaned against the better teams. My concern in that regard is that there are a few more "better" teams in the AL than there has been recently.

[User Name]

Feel like last year. Tons of ?s in our rotation. We haven't improved that department since last 3 yrs and I do not why. Dempster is not the answer. Lackey? Makes me throw up when I see his name in the rotation. I like Douby but you just can't rest our hopes in his shoulders. Buch? Can he stay healthy?. Lester needs to bounce back otherwise we're last place again.

 

I don't like the scenario at all but hopefully these guys at least post their career numbers or something around in order to compete next yr.

 

Our chances? As I said before, at very best we could compete for the 2nd WC spot.

 

Realistically, we are a 4th place team in the ALE as assembled which is a shame for a big market/high payroll team like the Red Sox.

 

Yet with a guy like Marcum and finalizing the Napoli signing, the Sox could very much position themselves as much more than "2nd WC contenders".

 

Also, the payroll argument is inconsequential. How much money you spend is not an indicator of how well a team will/should do. That is a lesson the Red Sox are learning very painfully. It's not how much money you spend, it's how you spend the amount of money you have.

[iortiz]

Yet with a guy like Marcum and finalizing the Napoli signing, the Sox could very much position themselves as much more than "2nd WC contenders".

 

Also, the payroll argument is inconsequential. How much money you spend is not an indicator of how well a team will/should do. That is a lesson the Red Sox are learning very painfully. It's not how much money you spend, it's how you spend the amount of money you have.

 

As I said, IMO (in my realistic glasses) we are a 4th place team next year, but even with the team as assembled (very unlikely IMO) we could fight for the 2nd WC spot at very best. On the other hand, If you bring a guy like Marcum and sign Napoli (and stays healthy) you have better chances/more arguments to get that WC spot.

 

Yup, they haven't used the budget properly, say the last 4 yrs, reason why I've been blaming the FO last years.

[User Name]

As I said, IMO (in my realistic glasses) we are a 4th place team next year, but even with the team as assembled (very unlikely IMO) we could fight for the 2nd WC spot at very best. On the other hand, If you bring a guy like Marcum and sign Napoli (and stays healthy) you have better chances/more arguments to get that WC spot.

 

Yup, they haven't used the budget properly, say the last 4 yrs, reason why I've been blaming the FO last years.

 

The problem is that they succumbed to fan pressure for big splashes. The only reason i've always defended the team's Front Office is because i feel that we, as fans, are partly to blame for the team's conversion into what it currently is. People clamored for the big-ticket FA's and drove Epstein out of what made him a successful team architect. Lucchino caved in to the pressure to make more money and the results have been disastrous.

 

No more Billy Muellers or Kevin Millar etc. People wanted a big-ticket signing to keep team "buzz" and look at where it's taken the team. Every time they failed to sign a big-ticket FA they were interested in the resorted to getting the next best option and that's what netted us Lackey. Afterwards, the need to create media "buzz" around the team netted us Crawford. Both disasters.

 

For these reasons i am content with the job Cherington has done thus far although there is room for improvement. You can't pine for them to spend their money wisely on one hand then complain when they start doing so on the other. Not saying you do this, but it's the general conondrum i've seen amongst Red Sox fans in general.

[SoxSport]

The important thing with a rotation is to get the proper coaching, to insure the pitchers pitch to their potential. The past few years, the Red Sox coaching went to pot--and last year they made it worse--showing Lucchino/Henry didn't understand the problem. They had an organization that had been around for awhile, felt entitled after winning two championships, and probably hadn't had enough new blood, especially in the front office which lost a couple of their top people plus all the consultants (James, etc) which were let go a few years back. This year, I think they'll be much improved. The manager is attuned to the pitching as the former pitching coach, and the front office has been reinforced with James and a few others. In particular, I'm looking for the starters to be properly prepared with scouting reports, to avoid early inning blowouts. I understand that wasn't always the case last year.

 

The pitching should be much improved, as long as Ben doesn't get any bright ideas about converting Hanrahan to a starter.

[Lucienbel]

As I said, IMO (in my realistic glasses) we are a 4th place team next year, but even with the team as assembled (very unlikely IMO) we could fight for the 2nd WC spot at very best. On the other hand, If you bring a guy like Marcum and sign Napoli (and stays healthy) you have better chances/more arguments to get that WC spot.

 

Yup, they haven't used the budget properly, say the last 4 yrs, reason why I've been blaming the FO last years.

 

I'm also riding on the Marcum train. Granted he had some health stuff last year, when he's going good he's shown he's at least capable of pitching in a solid rotation in a competitive division. Still a little baffled as to why he hasn't drawn more interest from teams.

 

I think this team has some potential to surprise some people. Not blow people away, but I think they could end up being surprising. To me, they seem to be building in the right direction. Not sure why they leave the rotation alone so much, but maybe that's something their holding out for the future for better options. I really don't think they're out there with a goal of going to the playoffs this year. As others have said, if things work out good they'll have an outside chance still.

[mvp 78]

If you're feeling poopy about 2015, enjoy reading how down we all were about 2013.

[Bellhorn04]

Also, too bad about the demise of Shaun Marcum. SoxSport, not so much.

[User Name]

^LOL. Well said.

[vjcsmoke]

I think they are around an 80-85 win team right now. Which means we will be mediocre and likely finish just outside the playoffs.

 

If they sign/trade for an ace I can see them jumping to a 90+ win team. And that should be enough to make the playoffs.

[User Name]

You didn''t read the thread title brah.

[Palodios]

Feel like last year. Tons of ?s in our rotation. We haven't improved that department since last 3 yrs and I do not why. Dempster is not the answer. Lackey? Makes me throw up when I see his name in the rotation. I like Douby but you just can't rest our hopes in his shoulders. Buch? Can he stay healthy?. Lester needs to bounce back otherwise we're last place again.

 

I don't like the scenario at all but hopefully these guys at least post their career numbers or something around in order to compete next yr.

 

Our chances? As I said before, at very best we could compete for the 2nd WC spot.

 

Realistically, we are a 4th place team in the ALE as assembled which is a shame for a big market/high payroll team like the Red Sox.

 

iortiz, please read this and gain some humility. You were calling the 2013 Red Sox a 4th place team because of the pitching, just as you are now. Trust in Ben.

 

And as always, I am willing to eat the humble pie myself. Many of those posts are about Shaun Marcum, a guy I thought would be a key signing in 2013. D'oh!

[a700hitter]

iortiz, please read this and gain some humility. You were calling the 2013 Red Sox a 4th place team because of the pitching, just as you are now. Trust in Ben.

 

And as always, I am willing to eat the humble pie myself. Many of those posts are about Shaun Marcum, a guy I thought would be a key signing in 2013. D'oh!

Trust in Ben? He finished last in 2 of his 3 seasons at the helm. The team is 8 games under .500 in his tenure. I can't remember the last time a Red Sox GM had a sub .500 record over a 3 year period. Seriously, why should we "trust him"? Because he got extremely fortunate in that Lester rebounded to ace status and Buch came out of the gates at 11-0. That is what catpulted the 2013 team. That plus Lackey having a great season after coming off surgery, and dodging a bullett that when Lackey left his 2013 opener cradling his arm that he missed no starts over the course of the season. I don't trust in Ben. I am thankful for the Championship, but I am not convinced that this guy is a top executive. After 2013, it was premature to be singing his praises. He hadn't hit on any model for cost-contained success. It is pretty obvious that he is still striving to figure out how to have consistent success. This year cost-containment is out the window. They are blowing away the luxury cap. If they don't take a big step forward in 2015, he will be a big money flop.

[Palodios]

I am thankful for the Championship, but

 

It certainly doesn't sound like it.

 

In 2012, he was given a pile of huge contracts for underachieving players, Bobby Valentine, and an empty farm system. He hasn't been perfect by any means, but every year he has retooled the team for the future. Let's see April --and the full roster -- before calling it complete junk.