2013 Spring Training

[a700hitter]

I wish we had a pennant for every season that I heard that some player at the end of his career came into camp in the best shape of his life. It's meaningless. Let's see if his elbow holds up and whether his pitches have any life. Washboard abs and a smaller waist don't mean a thing.

[SoxFanForsyth]

I wish we had a pennant for every season that I heard that some player at the end of his career came into camp in the best shape of his life. It's meaningless. Let's see if his elbow holds up and whether his pitches have any life. Washboard abs and a smaller waist don't mean a thing.

 

I said it as a joke because it's so incredibly overused.

 

Though I must admit, he is certainly skinnier than I've ever seen him.

[NYlove4BoSox]

Nava is the only non-pitcher/catcher. He's our Rudy.

[mvp 78]

 

^ Daniel Nava

[wyo-sox]

The sun is actually shinning here today and snow is melting. My fantasy league was reactivated for 2013 today. I've been using the gym at our Church for a couple weeks now to work on some pre season basics with my son's. All this talk I'm reading about with Sox at Florida......... I am so so ready for baseball!!!!!!!!I know it is still early but I am genuinely anxious.

[SoxSport]

Salty is well-liked, and for good reason. He is one of those Red Sox who tries hard and has improved his game. It's a question of how much more he can improve--especially defensively. ST may be a telling time.

Lav will have to show some hitting in Florida to stick. If he does, they might trade Salty. Ross is a fixture for defensive purposes--and game-calling.

 

Lackey deserves a chance. He pitched at least one full season with a bad elbow without complaining.

I wonder if he knew about his elbow as a FA. He's a good bet to win more than 10 games. Maybe more than the fragile Buchholz. The kid needs a weight gain--some fried chicken--the opposite of Lackey.

[seabeachfred]

Salty is well-liked, and for good reason. He is one of those Red Sox who tries hard and has improved his game. It's a question of how much more he can improve--especially defensively. ST may be a telling time.

Lav will have to show some hitting in Florida to stick. If he does, they might trade Salty. Ross is a fixture for defensive purposes--and game-calling.

 

Lackey deserves a chance. He pitched at least one full season with a bad elbow without complaining.

I wonder if he knew about his elbow as a FA. He's a good bet to win more than 10 games. Maybe more than the fragile Buchholz. The kid needs a weight gain--some fried chicken--the opposite of Lackey.

 

Lavarnay also deserves a chance and someone ought to tell the friggin meddler Lucchino that we aren't going to win either the AL or the WS this year and this would be a great time to break a young player into our starting lineup. Give the guy a chance; he is now 25 years old. We can't keep sending him down for "more God damn seasoning". It is time to turn the job over to him and let him play. Salty hits home runs, he does not hit for average, does not get on base worth a damn, calls a poor game, has a very weak arm, and the opposition always seems to score more when he catches. We didn't give Youkilis a steady job until he was 27 and that type of holding a guy down on the farm is ********.

[SoxFanForsyth]

For anyone who is interested, Boston.com has a Spring Training Live Blog (Click here for Link)

 

They've got photos, videos, and reports from Fort Myers. Looks like Lackey, Lester, Bard, and Bailey all threw off the mound.

 

From the short clip of Bard throwing, it looks like he's getting after it.

[wyo-sox]

For anyone who is interested, Boston.com has a Spring Training Live Blog (Click here for Link)

 

They've got photos, videos, and reports from Fort Myers. Looks like Lackey, Lester, Bard, and Bailey all threw off the mound.

 

From the short clip of Bard throwing, it looks like he's getting after it.

 

Man that is great,thanks for the link!

[NYlove4BoSox]

“I’m not completely recovered, but I’m going to be ready to go for Opening Day,” Ortiz told WEEI.com early Wednesday morning.

 

He then added when asked if he would have to somewhat ease into spring training, “Yeah, but it all depends what the doctors say. They say I’m going to have my days I’m not going to feel that well. I haven’t had those yet, but I haven’t started the hard stuff. But the one thing I can tell you is I’m able to do the agility drills without any pain, which I wasn’t able to do before, so that’s a good thing. When I was injured those used to cause me a lot of pain, and I don’t have any pain when I do them now.”

 

Not a surprise. I can't even say if this is good or bad, but it's an update.

Here's to hopin' for plenty of dingers and lettin' Papi reign as the slowest home-run-trotter in baseball.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

I say Ortiz puts up decent numbers but misses a good amount of time on the DL.

[Bellhorn04]

Our two major power threats, Ortiz and Naps, have major health concerns. Oh well, that's gonna be our 2013 Sox, watch and hope and pray guys don't fall apart.

[a700hitter]

I say Ortiz puts up decent numbers but misses a good amount of time on the DL.

If Ortiz misses substantial time, this team will be in big trouble.

[SoxFanForsyth]

If Ortiz misses substantial time, this team will be in big trouble.

 

Stop traffic. We agree on something

[a700hitter]

Stop traffic. We agree on something

So we agree that Nava is not a good depth option if Ortiz goes down?

[SoxFanForsyth]

So we agree that Nava is not a good depth option if Ortiz goes down?

 

Yes.

 

But today on EEI, Merloni projected the Sox to win 90. So I'm not 1. crazy or 2. the only one.

[redsoxfan3]

Just out of curiosity, is anyone making the trip to Fort Myers this year? I will be at JetBlue almost everyday for practice and will make the games on nights I do not work. I am fortunate enough to live only a mile away from JetBlue. I will also be working at JetBlue some this Spring Training.

[a700hitter]

Just out of curiosity, is anyone making the trip to Fort Myers this year? I will be at JetBlue almost everyday for practice and will make the games on nights I do not work. I am fortunate enough to live only a mile away from JetBlue. I will also be working at JetBlue some this Spring Training.

I'll be there for my annual trip-- March 5th - 12th.

[SoxFanForsyth]

I'll be there for my annual trip-- March 5th - 12th.

 

Hey you never answered my question.

 

How did the Sox go from a 90 win team to a 69 win team from 2011 - 2012?

[redsoxfan3]

I'll be there for my annual trip-- March 5th - 12th.

 

Are you going to the Puerto Rico game? I know I will be at JetBlue on the 5th for that game and at JetBlue on the 8th for the game against Minnesota.

[a700hitter]

Yes.

 

But today on EEI, Merloni projected the Sox to win 90. So I'm not 1. crazy or 2. the only one.

I have never accused you of being crazy-- just very optimisitic.

 

I am not the only one that thinks 6 AL teams are better than us. Here are the Vegas odds as of today:

 

Here is the full list of odds to win the 2013 World Series, along with odds to win the NL and AL pennants.

 

2013 WORLD SERIES

 

ANGELS 7-1

DODGERS 7-1

TIGERS 7-1

NATIONALS 8-1

BLUE JAYS 10-1

REDS 12-1

YANKEES 14-1

BRAVES 14-1

PHILLIES 14-1

GIANTS 14-1

CARDINALS 14-1

RAYS 16-1

RANGERS 18-1

A'S 30-1

RED SOX 30-1

WHITE SOX 40-1

ROYALS 40-1

DIAMONDBACKS 50-1

ORIOLES 50-1

PIRATES 50-1

CUBS 50-1

BREWERS 60-1

MARINERS 80-1

Guardians 80-1

METS 100-1

PADRES 100-1

TWINS 100-1

ROCKIES 100-1

MARLINS 300-1

ASTROS 300-1

[a700hitter]

Are you going to the Puerto Rico game? I know I will be at JetBlue on the 5th for that game and at JetBlue on the 8th for the game against Minnesota.

I believe that my tickets are for the 6th,7th and 9th, but I'd have to check. I may also go to a Sox game at Hammond stadium against the twinkies.

[a700hitter]

Hey you never answered my question.

 

How did the Sox go from a 90 win team to a 69 win team from 2011 - 2012?

By blowing up the 2011 bull pen taking it from the top late inning pen to one of the worst. That cost about 10-12 games. The starting pitching was thin evidenced by two rookie starters in the rotation. One blew up spectacularly. The other performed admirably. The hole in the rotation was never filled--- that cost about 5 games or more. Lester's under performance cost about 5 games.

[jacksonianmarch]

By blowing up the 2011 bull pen taking it from the top late inning pen to one of the worst. That cost about 10-12 games. The starting pitching was thin evidenced by two rookie starters in the rotation. One blew up spectacularly. The other performed admirably. The hole in the rotation was never filled--- that cost about 5 games or more. Lester's under performance cost about 5 games.

 

They were an 80 win team before the trade. After the trade, they were a 50 win team in terms of who was taking the field. When you consider the fact that WMB and Ortiz are going to be on the field for opening day, presumably, then you're looking at a 60 win team before their transactions. The question is, can improvements by guys on the roster, improvements by acquisitions, improved health and rebounding statistics make the sox a 90win team. I dont even think it's close in that the answer is a resounding no

[SoxFanForsyth]

By blowing up the 2011 bull pen taking it from the top late inning pen to one of the worst. That cost about 10-12 games. The starting pitching was thin evidenced by two rookie starters in the rotation. One blew up spectacularly. The other performed admirably. The hole in the rotation was never filled--- that cost about 5 games or more. Lester's under performance cost about 5 games.

 

Ok, so now you're filling that slot that you originally lost (Lackey) right back with the same guy.

 

You've completely revamped the bullpen and it looks even better now than it was in 2012.

 

And my projection is that Lester returns to his talent level.

 

So how are they not a 90 win team? If those are the reasons that they dropped, then they've just corrected those problems.

[SoxFanForsyth]

They were an 80 win team before the trade. After the trade, they were a 50 win team in terms of who was taking the field. When you consider the fact that WMB and Ortiz are going to be on the field for opening day, presumably, then you're looking at a 60 win team before their transactions. The question is, can improvements by guys on the roster, improvements by acquisitions, improved health and rebounding statistics make the sox a 90win team. I dont even think it's close in that the answer is a resounding no

 

The 60 win team is completely arbitrary, especially considering it was largely due to underperformance of SP, and thus a 30 game gap doesn't have ot be made up via the acquisitions.

 

The majority of the gap is going to be made up via a return to form by the SP and the health of guys like Ellsbury.

 

If the SP can return to form, not a tall order, then with the largely improved bullpen, it can easily be a 90 win team. Last year's team would have been a 86 win team with the 2011 SP staff. And you've virtually replaced or upgraded the offensive production at every position, including 1B and tremendously upgraded the bullpen. That would equate to a 90 win team.

[Bellhorn04]

And my projection is that Lester returns to his talent level.

 

This is the shakiest part IMO. As I said we're not just talking about a bad season. It started in September/11 and continued through 2012. It's hard for an average fan like myself to comprehend how some mechanical tweaking is going to return Lester to where he was.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm hopeful that you're right about this. But I see no reason why we should be confident about this.

[a700hitter]

Ok, so now you're filling that slot that you originally lost (Lackey) right back with the same guy.

 

You've completely revamped the bullpen and it looks even better now than it was in 2012.

 

And my projection is that Lester returns to his talent level.

 

So how are they not a 90 win team? If those are the reasons that they dropped, then they've just corrected those problems.

None of these numbers are precise. There are no direct correlations. If Lester returns to form, one or two of the other pitchers will under perform or get injured. Here's what I see as the difference in the 2013 team over the 2012 team and I have said this before. This is also not precise or a guarantee:

 

The improved bullpen will add 10 wins

Improved performance from Lester will add 5 wins at most

Lackey adds nothing as he is replacing Beckett-- a wash.

 

I see them topping out at 84 wins with a range from 79-84 wins. No talent has been added except in the pen, so the results will b pretty much the same except for the late inning pen. Guys who under performed last year may perform this year, but other guys will offset that with under performance. Everyone will not meet performance expectations. It just doesn't happen that way.

[a700hitter]

I have never accused you of being crazy-- just very optimisitic.

 

I am not the only one that thinks 6 AL teams are better than us. Here are the Vegas odds as of today:

 

Here is the full list of odds to win the 2013 World Series, along with odds to win the NL and AL pennants.

 

2013 WORLD SERIES

 

ANGELS 7-1

DODGERS 7-1

TIGERS 7-1

NATIONALS 8-1

BLUE JAYS 10-1

REDS 12-1

YANKEES 14-1

BRAVES 14-1

PHILLIES 14-1

GIANTS 14-1

CARDINALS 14-1

RAYS 16-1

RANGERS 18-1

A'S 30-1

RED SOX 30-1

WHITE SOX 40-1

ROYALS 40-1

DIAMONDBACKS 50-1

ORIOLES 50-1

PIRATES 50-1

CUBS 50-1

BREWERS 60-1

MARINERS 80-1

Guardians 80-1

METS 100-1

PADRES 100-1

TWINS 100-1

ROCKIES 100-1

MARLINS 300-1

ASTROS 300-1

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1467880-predicting-the-final-2013-mlb-standings/page/2

 

The Bleacher Report predicts that the Sox will finish last. Objective authorities do not think this is a 90 win team. Cafardo is calling it a Bridge Year in his column today.

[SoxFanForsyth]

None of these numbers are precise. There are no direct correlations. If Lester returns to form, one or two of the other pitchers will under perform or get injured. Here's what I see as the difference in the 2013 team over the 2012 team and I have said this before. This is also not precise or a guarantee:

 

The improved bullpen will add 10 wins

Improved performance from Lester will add 5 wins at most

Lackey adds nothing as he is replacing Beckett-- a wash.

 

I see them topping out at 84 wins with a range from 79-84 wins. No talent has been added except in the pen, so the results will b pretty much the same except for the late inning pen. Guys who under performed last year may perform this year, but other guys will offset that with under performance. Everyone will not meet performance expectations. It just doesn't happen that way.

 

So, I just want to be 100% clear here.

 

You think 69 wins + 10 wins for BP + 5 wins for Lester = 84 Wins. Lackey is a wash with Beckett, so that's no improvement. You award 5 wins for Lester, who would likely go from a 9-14, 4.82 ERA to a 14-8, 3.50 ERA, correct?

 

Yet, you award zero wins for Dempster, who is replacing Cook/Dice/Stewart, who went 5-20 in 31 starts and had a combined 7.12 ERA.

 

I see zero logic in that last part. Dempster over that garbage is worth at least 6 wins.