2013 Red Sox predictions.

[rorschach]

Honestly I'm expecting good things to come this year! However I do believe, if the club want to contend for the wild card I believe they are going to have to upgrade Salty by the second half. I really believe he's gonna be a huge liability behind the plate by then.

[seabeachfred]

Honestly I'm expecting good things to come this year! However I do believe, if the club want to contend for the wild card I believe they are going to have to upgrade Salty by the second half. I really believe he's gonna be a huge liability behind the plate by then.

 

Just before Opening Day I'm going to weigh in with a prediction of my own, but truth be told I still can't quite figure out our team. Their starting pitching was supposed to be their achilles heel but this Spring it has been awesome. They can revert back to their predicted ways but maybe they are going to be much better. The hitting? That has been rather weak this ST but we should hit better than we have---or will we? And when is Papi coming back....or is he? And that how tough will the AL East be? Questions and more questions. Still, I'll take a flying leap by late next week.:dunno::dunno::dunno::dunno::dunno:

[Palodios]

The two important things to note about this team is that it is much stronger against left handed pitchers than right handed ones, and that this division's best pitchers are left handed.

 

I also think that this group of players are going to be more effective in that they are more platoon-heavy than recent teams, which isn't something the coaching staff is nearly as concerned about in ST.

[rorschach]

Is this forum usually this dead? There's hardly any traffic going through here, and from what I can tell the daily posts this board does receive come from the same few people everyday. Is this the norm?

[jung]

It gets like this when the regular season has not quite started and when the board has sort of exhausted itself on the spring discussions. We end up hungry for the game threads and that sort of stifles some of the other discussion. At least I think so.

[Bellhorn04]

Is this forum usually this dead? There's hardly any traffic going through here, and from what I can tell the daily posts this board does receive come from the same few people everyday. Is this the norm?

 

Sometimes the traffic is lighter here than you would expect. It's an excellent forum though. I also post on the BDC forum. That place is completely insane.

[Dojji]

Is this forum usually this dead? There's hardly any traffic going through here, and from what I can tell the daily posts this board does receive come from the same few people everyday. Is this the norm?

 

If there's something to talk about there's talk. Not a lot of people go out of their way to manufacture topics to cover up the dry spells.

 

A lot of middle tier forums are like that.

[wyo-sox]

Is this forum usually this dead? There's hardly any traffic going through here, and from what I can tell the daily posts this board does receive come from the same few people everyday. Is this the norm?

 

Most here don't like New topics just for new topics sakes. I think right now is a little calm before the storm.

[mvp 78]

Most here don't like New topics just for new topics sakes. I think right now is a little calm before the storm.

 

There's never anything wrong with a newer topic. Just less to talk about right now. The end of ST is usually dull.

[rorschach]

Sometimes the traffic is lighter here than you would expect. It's an excellent forum though. I also post on the BDC forum. That place is completely insane.

 

Hey man, I registered over at BDC almost a week ago, and still haven't received a confirmation/activation e-mail, and I'm still not even allowed to view the forum. Does it normally take this long for admins too activate accounts over there?:dunno:

[Palodios]

There's never anything wrong with a newer topic. Just less to talk about right now. The end of ST is usually dull.

 

The problem with new topics is that people often create a thread just for attention's sake, even though there is a very similar one somewhere else. IE, "The Front Office sucks because...".

[seabeachfred]

Hey man, I registered over at BDC almost a week ago, and still haven't received a confirmation/activation e-mail, and I'm still not even allowed to view the forum. Does it normally take this long for admins too activate accounts over there?:dunno:

 

Rorsch----Try this number----617-929-7949 or 617-929-8617. Someone will take your call and get you straightened out. I sometimes post there and once that was my favorite board until they radically changed things in 2008.

[rorschach]

Rorsch----Try this number----617-929-7949 or 617-929-8617. Someone will take your call and get you straightened out. I sometimes post there and once that was my favorite board until they radically changed things in 2008.

 

Thanks seabeachfred.

[SoxSport]

I predict they will play 162 games--and win about half of them.

[a700hitter]

Okay, the season starts tomorrow. Here are my predictions:

 

First out of the box, this team will finish last for the second year in a row, possibly 4th place if one of the other teams blows up. You don't replace Josh Beckett with Ryan Dempster on a bottom 3 starting pitching staff on a last place team and your team will not improve appreciably.

 

Lester and Buccholz should rebound and pitch well.

 

Lackey, at best, will return to his 2010 performance level.

 

Dempster will pitch to a 4.50 ERA and a .500 record.

 

The starting staff will improve from a bottom 3 staff to a middle of the pack staff -- a little below the middle. I expect them to start well but an injury or 2 will hit and the lack of depth will cause the pitching to spiral downward and it will burn out the bullpen by the middle of August.

 

The end of game bullpen will be much improved from last year's terrible showing. It will finish in the top half of the league. It will be in the top 3 earlier in the year, but injuries to the starting staff and a lack of adequate depth will stress the pen and hurt their performance.

 

The staff will perform much worse pitching to Salty than our other catchers.

 

Ortiz will miss significant playing time and the offense will have trouble scoring runs.

 

Middlebrooks hits 25 HRs and knocks in 90 runs.

[seabeachfred]

Okay, the season starts tomorrow. Here are my predictions:

 

First out of the box, this team will finish last for the second year in a row, possibly 4th place if one of the other teams blows up. You don't replace Josh Beckett with Ryan Dempster on a bottom 3 starting pitching staff on a last place team and your team will not improve appreciably.

 

Lester and Buccholz should rebound and pitch well.

 

Lackey, at best, will return to his 2010 performance level.

 

Dempster will pitch to a 4.50 ERA and a .500 record.

 

The starting staff will improve from a bottom 3 staff to a middle of the pack staff -- a little below the middle. I expect them to start well but an injury or 2 will hit and the lack of depth will cause the pitching to spiral downward and it will burn out the bullpen by the middle of August.

 

The end of game bullpen will be much improved from last year's terrible showing. It will finish in the top half of the league. It will be in the top 3 earlier in the year, but injuries to the starting staff and a lack of adequate depth will stress the pen and hurt their performance.

 

The staff will perform much worse pitching to Salty than our other catchers.

 

Ortiz will miss significant playing time and the offense will have trouble scoring runs.

 

Middlebrooks hits 25 HRs and knocks in 90 runs.

 

Wow Ted, not much to get excited about with those predictions. Kuddos to you for being hard hitting and honest to a fault even though the Dragon Lady might put you on ignore too after reading your post. I think the team will do better than that. I kind of think they can make it to at least third place in the AL East and if they get off to a good start even better than that. Despite some of the crap you might have read from tweedle dee and tweedle dumb I'm really an optimist at heart.

 

Tried to call you tonight and got your voice mail. I couldn't find the ignore button here. Maybe you can tell me how to get to it on this board because there are two people here I cannot deal with anymore. They make me sick.

 

Have a happy Easter my friend.

[a700hitter]

Wow Ted, not much to get excited about with those predictions. Kuddos to you for being hard hitting and honest to a fault even though the Dragon Lady might put you on ignore too after reading your post. I think the team will do better than that. I kind of think they can make it to at least third place in the AL East and if they get off to a good start even better than that. Despite some of the crap you might have read from tweedle dee and tweedle dumb I'm really an optimist at heart.

 

Tried to call you tonight and got your voice mail. I couldn't find the ignore button here. Maybe you can tell me how to get to it on this board because there are two people here I cannot deal with anymore. They make me sick.

 

Have a happy Easter my friend.

Fred, as fans, we all want hope as the season starts. I have picked up on your optimism as the season has approached. I read your posts and don't read into them preconceived notions.

 

Last year, I let my hopes work their way into my predictions, even though I knew they were unrealistic. This year I didn't let hope cloud my predictions. I still have hope, and I did make some positive individual predictions. I am looking forward to opening day. Happy Easter!

[SCM33]

Okay, the season starts tomorrow. Here are my predictions:

 

First out of the box, this team will finish last for the second year in a row, possibly 4th place if one of the other teams blows up. You don't replace Josh Beckett with Ryan Dempster on a bottom 3 starting pitching staff on a last place team and your team will not improve appreciably.

 

Lester and Buccholz should rebound and pitch well.

 

Lackey, at best, will return to his 2010 performance level.

 

Dempster will pitch to a 4.50 ERA and a .500 record.

 

The starting staff will improve from a bottom 3 staff to a middle of the pack staff -- a little below the middle. I expect them to start well but an injury or 2 will hit and the lack of depth will cause the pitching to spiral downward and it will burn out the bullpen by the middle of August.

 

The end of game bullpen will be much improved from last year's terrible showing. It will finish in the top half of the league. It will be in the top 3 earlier in the year, but injuries to the starting staff and a lack of adequate depth will stress the pen and hurt their performance.

 

The staff will perform much worse pitching to Salty than our other catchers.

 

Ortiz will miss significant playing time and the offense will have trouble scoring runs.

 

Middlebrooks hits 25 HRs and knocks in 90 runs.

 

If Lester and Buccholz rebound, Lackey pitches like he did and 2010 and Dempster is at 4.50 .500 and the bullpen has a good season, the team will be fine.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

.500 record

[jung]

I don't want to make a prediction on this nor any other cold water prediction on the eve of the season opener. But I do wonder if the PED suspension rumors especially about the four guys that have been mentioned prominently are real (none are Sox) and if MLB is just waiting to get past the hoopla of opening day to drop that bomb.

[mvp 78]

Despite some of the crap you might have read from tweedle dee and tweedle dumb I'm really an optimist at heart.

 

Tried to call you tonight and got your voice mail. I couldn't find the ignore button here. Maybe you can tell me how to get to it on this board because there are two people here I cannot deal with anymore. They make me sick.

 

1. What? I don't think you know what optimism means. Please keep blasting others for being optimistic though.

 

2. Guess the truth hurts?

[Bellhorn04]

84-78 on paper.

 

90-72 if the baseball gods are our friends all year.

 

78-84 if we get hit by another shitstorm.

[BornToRun]

I say anywhere between 85-90 wins and fighting for a playoff spot or the division.

 

Clay and Jon return closer to their forum selves, putting up ERA's around the low to mid 3's

 

Napoli hits between around 30 bombs

 

Victorino OBP's around 330-340 with solid defense

 

Ells plays well but not at his 2011 MVP level, I'm thinking around 20 homers with an OPS in the low 800's or so

 

WMB hits 25-30 bombs with an OBP in the .330 range

[seabeachfred]

If Lester and Buccholz rebound, Lackey pitches like he did and 2010 and Dempster is at 4.50 .500 and the bullpen has a good season, the team will be fine.

 

That's the way I'm reading it SCM. I would hope our hitting is good enough so that we don't have to count on three or four guys to carry the load. Jacoby has to come back and have a big season while Victorino must show that 2012 was not the beginning of a long decline for him. My other hope is that this season the starters will go deeper in their starts so the bullpen isn't gassed out my August.

 

I like football, basketball and hockey, but I've had enough of that for awhile. I am looking forward to baseball, to me the greatest game of all. And a Red Sox comeback this year.

[seabeachfred]

I don't want to make a prediction on this nor any other cold water prediction on the eve of the season opener. But I do wonder if the PED suspension rumors especially about the four guys that have been mentioned prominently are real (none are Sox) and if MLB is just waiting to get past the hoopla of opening day to drop that bomb.

 

Jung, I'm very provincial, only care about the Red Sox and as long as our hands are clean let the fans of other teams sweat it out. You'd understand my point if you were living out here in the Los Angeles area and had to endure the bunch of propaganda BS I had to read about in the LA Times and Pasadena Star News this morning. All this talk about a Freeway World Series between the Angels and Dodgers. It is if I almost wish after reading your post that if the hammer comes down should the rumors prove true that those two teams in my neighborhood get it in the shorts. Talk about trying to buy a WS Title.

[DocHolliday]

Jung, I'm very provincial, only care about the Red Sox and as long as our hands are clean let the fans of other teams sweat it out. You'd understand my point if you were living out here in the Los Angeles area and had to endure the bunch of propaganda BS I had to read about in the LA Times and Pasadena Star News this morning. All this talk about a Freeway World Series between the Angels and Dodgers. It is if I almost wish after reading your post that if the hammer comes down should the rumors prove true that those two teams in my neighborhood get it in the shorts. Talk about trying to buy a WS Title.

 

Almost reminds me of 2011 and "The Best Team Ever" campaigning by the Herald, et al.

 

As far as I'm concerned, the Giants are still the team to beat in the NL west and Oakland/Texas look to be tough on the Angels- even Seattle has improved.

 

The Astros on the other hand, tonight's game aside, will inflate every other team's record in the AL West.

[SCM33]

That's the way I'm reading it SCM. I would hope our hitting is good enough so that we don't have to count on three or four guys to carry the load. Jacoby has to come back and have a big season while Victorino must show that 2012 was not the beginning of a long decline for him. My other hope is that this season the starters will go deeper in their starts so the bullpen isn't gassed out my August.

 

I like football, basketball and hockey, but I've had enough of that for awhile. I am looking forward to baseball, to me the greatest game of all. And a Red Sox comeback this year.

 

The pitching and defense may offset the offense.

 

If David Ross finds his way in to more games than Salty, we have a very good defensive team.

[Elktonnick]

AS the season begins I am slightly more optimistic than I was in January. Nevertheless this is a 500 ballclub. That being said the division is wide open. 88 wins could take the division title. I don't see any team running away with the ALE with the possible exception of the Jays. The Jays have a tendency to start fast then fade by July. My heart says 85 wins. My head says 81.

[Orange Juiced]

Okay, the season starts tomorrow. Here are my predictions:

 

First out of the box, this team will finish last for the second year in a row, possibly 4th place if one of the other teams blows up. You don't replace Josh Beckett with Ryan Dempster on a bottom 3 starting pitching staff on a last place team and your team will not improve appreciably.

 

Lester and Buccholz should rebound and pitch well.

 

Lackey, at best, will return to his 2010 performance level.

 

Dempster will pitch to a 4.50 ERA and a .500 record.

 

If these four things happen the staff will be *significantly* improved.

 

In other words, I really hope you're right about these things.

[rjortiz]

85-77. Ahead of the Yankees and Orioles, behind Rays and Jays.