2013 Spring Training

[Big Guy]

^ he just isn't home grown like the rest of my list... but if he performs IDGAF! Let him play!

[mvp 78]

So Mike Napoli isn't a power-hitting 1B/DH? (I know he's on one-year deal, but if he produces they can keep him until his hips give out)

 

I can't wait to watch this guy for 120-140 games...

[User Name]

I think he'll rake big time, and the position switch and DH time should help him play more than 140 games.

[mvp 78]

I think he'll rake big time, and the position switch and DH time should help him play more than 140 games.

 

We shall see. The over/under for him is probably 135, especially once Ortiz comes back.

[User Name]

The funny part is that for all of the clamoring for Josh Hamilton at 25 per, his over/under is right about 135 too. And at Fenway, Napoli may offer similar production for less than half the money even if he hits all of his incentives, doesn't block a prospect, and doesn't need constant babysitting.

[mvp 78]

Hamilton was way too much money. He would have gotten villified in this town if the Sox missed the playoffs because of a dropped fly ball and he blamed his blue eyes...

[Palodios]

The funny part is that for all of the clamoring for Josh Hamilton at 25 per, his over/under is right about 135 too. And at Fenway, Napoli may offer similar production for less than half the money even if he hits all of his incentives, doesn't block a prospect, and doesn't need constant babysitting.

 

Its crazy how much people complained about certain deals the Red Sox made this offseason, when if you look at them next to comparable players, they look great.

 

Dempster for 26? Better than Lohse at 33 with a first rounder.

Victorino for 39? Better value than Upton and Bourn for insane amounts of money.

Gomes for 10? Better than Vernon Wells at 14.

[a700hitter]

Its crazy how much people complained about certain deals the Red Sox made this offseason, when if you look at them next to comparable players, they look great.

 

Dempster for 26? Better than Lohse at 33 with a first rounder.

Victorino for 39? Better value than Upton and Bourn for insane amounts of money.

Gomes for 10? Better than Vernon Wells at 14.

Just because Loshe is a worse contract than Dempster doesn't convince me that Dempster was a good or helpful acquisition.

[seabeachfred]

But my whole point was in this moment right now it sucks being a Yankee fan with the teams situation. Previous playoff appearances don't mean jack crap for this current season. It's March, it's a time for optimism for your team and the season coming up. Yankee fans have pretty much lost that and it's not even April.

 

Would you take the Yanks roster over the Sox right now just because the Yankees have made the playoffs the last 3 seasons and the Sox have not?

 

Right at this moment, yes, I would take our team by a nose or two, but that could change if we don't make amends during the opening series when we go to Yankee Stadium and play the New Yorkers. Remember, last year they opened at Fenway Park for our home opening series and they took us two for two with one rainout. We need to make amends and return the favor. If we are better as you say we should win that series.

 

I'm still worried about Salty behind the plate. The guy is a defensive liability and the only way he really becomes a plus is if he hits 30 or more homers and drives in about 90 runs. I don't think he is capable of doing it.

[jung]

The Sox will need a big middle of the order bat and pretty quickly. It is none of these young system guys that we are currently drooling over. It was not going to be Lavs even if he was hitting.

 

I just wish they had paid less for Victorino and even for Gomes for that matter. I know about the whole short contract thing but that is a lotta' money to have tossed at those two guys...Victornio especially.

 

I thought I saw why they did it at the time. Thy got a multi-position outfielder who could cover for Ells if he had another of his injury plagued years. But beyond this year, we really did not need Victorino to protect for Ells and JBJ would have to make a hard right turn directly into the gutter to not be next year's CF.

[SoxSport]

Can't believe there are still writers on twitter rationalizing why they should send Bradley down for 12 games. No thought about trying to win those first three games in Yankee stadium--which could be the beginning of the fight for last place in the AL east. Hopefully, the management is focussed on winning--and selling tickets.

[SoxSport]

Right at this moment, yes, I would take our team by a nose or two, but that could change if we don't make amends during the opening series when we go to Yankee Stadium and play the New Yorkers. Remember, last year they opened at Fenway Park for our home opening series and they took us two for two with one rainout. We need to make amends and return the favor. If we are better as you say we should win that series.

 

I'm still worried about Salty behind the plate. The guy is a defensive liability and the only way he really becomes a plus is if he hits 30 or more homers and drives in about 90 runs. I don't think he is capable of doing it.

 

The Red Sox have a lot to prove this year. The last two years they have been the most overpaid, underachieving team in MLB. And they literally quit as a team last year after the Dodger deal. If ever a team needed to redefine itself, this is the team. If they continue to count beans in the FO, it will indicate they still don't get it.

[SoxSport]

The Sox will need a big middle of the order bat and pretty quickly. It is none of these young system guys that we are currently drooling over. It was not going to be Lavs even if he was hitting.

 

I just wish they had paid less for Victorino and even for Gomes for that matter. I know about the whole short contract thing but that is a lotta' money to have tossed at those two guys...Victornio especially.

 

I thought I saw why they did it at the time. Thy got a multi-position outfielder who could cover for Ells if he had another of his injury plagued years. But beyond this year, we really did not need Victorino to protect for Ells and JBJ would have to make a hard right turn directly into the gutter to not be next year's CF.

 

The FO strategy was to be conservative and spend all the money they saved for 2-3 years. Not to rely on any prospects to suddenly blossom. It still has to play out. Bradley looks like a surprise, and allows them a top defensive OF with Ells and Vic, so the Vic signing is not so bad defensively. But expensive.

Iggy may stick at SS, so Drew may become expendable--they might be able to deal him.

Or maybe Iggy will need more AAA time to develop his hitting. But he has impressed so far.

Napoli looks like a good sign at $5mil to play 1B or DH. Gomes looks expendable. So does Dempster, whose spot could have been taken by Webster--but that was an unknown before ST. The worst sign may turn out to be Ortiz. They are stuck for two years and $26 mil? with a guy who says he can't play.

[User Name]

Webster is not ready for the show. A good spring showing =/= major league readiness.

[User Name]

The kid is unreal.

 

But beware: last year, Brandon Belt tore up ST, made the Giants, and then came down to earth in April. This year, he's torn up ST again. It's anybody's guess which direction he will take.

 

Interesting to read this post from earlier today. Oy Vey.

[DocHolliday]

The Red Sox have a lot to prove this year. The last two years they have been the most overpaid, underachieving team in MLB. And they literally quit as a team last year after the Dodger deal. If ever a team needed to redefine itself, this is the team. If they continue to count beans in the FO, it will indicate they still don't get it.

 

They do have a lot to prove - especially in the first 2 weeks of the season.

 

They've gotten off to some terrible starts the last 2 seasons that really set them back. This year, they begin the season with about 15 games against the AL East. Unlike the other 2 divisions, they won't have a divisional team to feast on throughout the season to boost their record. The AL East looks to be quite a competition, particularly with the Yankees injury situation this spring.

 

From a marketing/business standpoint, they are spinning the lack of interest and lowered ticket sales by temporarily lowering concession prices as a "thank you" for the glory years of the past decade. A slow start on the field will quickly refresh the scrutiny and negative feelings/preconceptions that many in the fan base seem to have about the organization, but have largely kept dormant in the offseason.

 

It's the time of the year where optimism springs eternal, but another slow start will bring back the negativity and scrutiny of the baseball and business operations.

 

That being said, I feel and hope that this year will be a step in the right direction and a respectful record by Patriot's Day isn't out of the realm of possibility.

[jung]

In the first place I don't think this particular team of players believes it has anything to prove relative to last year's team. It might want to prove itself to be a good team but no less or more than any other team.

 

In the second place, I think the reason so many fans yesterday were less than thrilled with the April concessions deal is twofold:

- it feels like it was conceived off of an actuarial table. This many beers in that many April games at this price vs that price will yield this many more tickets at the gate etc etc

- The Sox insisted on calling it a "fan appreciation" instigated effort when every fan with a brain knows it is not

 

I suspect they would have been better served announcing the discounts without tagging them with an official designation like "fan appreciation". If they were asked they could simply have said, we want to make it easier for people to decide to come visit us. End of story.

[a700hitter]

They need to come out of the gate fast this season. If they stumble at the start like they have done for the last few seasons, they will lose an opportunity to spark some interest in this otherwise non-compelling, boring group of mid-level players and below. We are getting the Yankees at a very low and weakened point-- no Tex, ARod, Grandy or Jeter. Taking 2 out of 3 or sweeping would go a long way toward generating some excitement. If they let the likes of Youkilis and Overbay beat us, they fans will barely acknowledge that the season has started.

[Elktonnick]

They need to come out of the gate fast this season. If they stumble at the start like they have done for the last few seasons, they will lose an opportunity to spark some interest in this otherwise non-compelling, boring group of mid-level players and below. We are getting the Yankees at a very low and weakened point-- no Tex, ARod, Grandy or Jeter. Taking 2 out of 3 or seeping would go a long way toward generating some excitement. If they let the likes of Youkilis and Overbay beat us, they fans will barely acknowledge that the season has started.

 

I agree. If this team doesn't take both early series from New York then it wouldn't portend well. The ALE is a crap shoot right now. The Yankees have one of the weakest starting lineups in the division. The Sox need to play well early or only the diehards who have been with this team during bad years will any interest in this team come June.

[SoxSport]

They need to come out of the gate fast this season. If they stumble at the start like they have done for the last few seasons, they will lose an opportunity to spark some interest in this otherwise non-compelling, boring group of mid-level players and below. We are getting the Yankees at a very low and weakened point-- no Tex, ARod, Grandy or Jeter. Taking 2 out of 3 or seeping would go a long way toward generating some excitement. If they let the likes of Youkilis and Overbay beat us, they fans will barely acknowledge that the season has started.

 

That's right. They have to come into NY loaded for bear--if that's still possible for a Red Sox team. After all, this is a team (or was a team) the last few years under Tito that threw in the towel when the Yankees got a few runs ahead. I remember some of those games, and that pissed me off more than anything else. The most complacent team in baseball under Tito the last 2-3 years. How were they allowed to get that way? The answer is the whole friggin' organization became complacent. Henry was off in England, Lucchino was counting tickets sold, and the FO was spending like drunken sailors. An organization gone to pot.

 

Well, they have to show they are intent on turning things around. One way they can is to charge into Yankee Stadium and sweep the injury-plagued, ageing Yankees. And a way they can do that is to put a charge into their lineup, with Bradley in LF.

[BSN07]

Yankees win opening series- "Sox are boned"

 

Red Sox win opening series- "Still have 16 games left against them, plenty of time for the Yanks to come back"

 

[User Name]

Also, the amount of backpedaling will be legendary if they insert Bradley into the lineup and he struggles out of the gate:

 

SoxSport: "That's the problem with this organization, they just don't understand that you can't rush prospects. Also, pitch counts."

[a700hitter]

Yankees win opening series- "Sox are boned"

 

Red Sox win opening series- "Still have 16 games left against them, plenty of time for the Yanks to come back"

 

 

No one said anything close to this.^ I was talking about fan interest, not the team's 2013 chances.

 

Nothing is better at generating interest in the Red Sox than beatng the Yankees, and it is equally demoralizing to lose to them. Fans are already demoralized after last season and the prior September collapse. Only winning will get the fans interest back. A fast start, especially against the Yankees, would get the fans pumped.

 

BTW, whether they start fast or slow, this team's chances at the playoffs are not good. If they start fast, they might get back some fan interest until they eventually fall out of the race.

[BSN07]

No one said anything close to this.^ I was talking about fan interest, not the team's 2013 chances.

 

Nothing is better at generating interest in the Red Sox than beatng the Yankees, and it is equally demoralizing to lose to them. Fans are already demoralized after last season and the prior September collapse. Only winning will get the fans interest back. A fast start, especially against the Yankees, would get the fans pumped.

 

BTW, whether they start fast or slow, this team's chances at the playoffs are not good. If they start fast, they might get back some fan interest until they eventually fall out of the race.

 

I wasn't directing it at anyone in particular, just these are the two responses I expect to see post Yankees series. If they win the series, it won't matter, if they lose I guarantee someone is going to start talking about how much trouble their in. I was merely pointing out that we may be over analyzing/hyping the Yankees series just a touch.

[Bellhorn04]

No matter what happens people will be overreacting one way or another. And that will continue all season.

[a700hitter]

I wasn't directing it at anyone in particular, just these are the two responses I expect to see post Yankees series. If they win the series, it won't matter, if they lose I guarantee someone is going to start talking about how much trouble their in. I was merely pointing out that we may be over analyzing/hyping the Yankees series just a touch.

They are in trouble now. I'll say that before the season starts. It's just not a well-constructed team. The strength is its bullpen if it doesn't get overused. The first series in the context of their season is meaningless, but if they lose to a decimated Yankee squad, the fandom will tend to say, "here we go again." If we beat the Yankees, there will be excitement and false hope. I could use some excitement and false hope after the several slow starts we have had in recent years.

[seabeachfred]

They need to come out of the gate fast this season. If they stumble at the start like they have done for the last few seasons, they will lose an opportunity to spark some interest in this otherwise non-compelling, boring group of mid-level players and below. We are getting the Yankees at a very low and weakened point-- no Tex, ARod, Grandy or Jeter. Taking 2 out of 3 or sweeping would go a long way toward generating some excitement. If they let the likes of Youkilis and Overbay beat us, they fans will barely acknowledge that the season has started.

 

We have to take that first series with the Yankees if for no other reason than they came into our house last season and ruined our start of the 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park. Of course we did most of the damage to ourselves with inept leadership in the front office, an absentee owner, a CEO who doesn't know s*** from shinola where baseball operations are concerned, and a team that quite on the manager from almost game 1.

 

If we have another miserable start, our fifth one in a row, there will be no place to hide for those in charge and little room for pollyannaism. We simply need to play better this time around, no excuses. Most pundits are already picking us for fourth or fifth in the division and if pride is anywhere in this organization they should be more than willing to make those pundits look stupid---just like our front office has looked the past four seasons.

[Palodios]

No one said anything close to this.^ I was talking about fan interest, not the team's 2013 chances.

 

Nothing is better at generating interest in the Red Sox than beatng the Yankees, and it is equally demoralizing to lose to them. Fans are already demoralized after last season and the prior September collapse. Only winning will get the fans interest back. A fast start, especially against the Yankees, would get the fans pumped.

 

BTW, whether they start fast or slow, this team's chances at the playoffs are not good. If they start fast, they might get back some fan interest until they eventually fall out of the race.

 

I don't know, my impression is that a fast start could mean the difference between a playoff team, and another year like 2012. This team will get stronger in the middle of the year, and if they're in contention at midseason, I could definitely see them making a move for a front of the rotation starter.

 

The DL will have 4 contributors on it at the beginning of the season who will have an impact once they return. There is also more depth at the minor league level than we've seen in several years. They all need some polish, but many of them have potential to contribute solid value -- Webster, DLR, Brentz, Bradley, Lavarnway, Iglesias and if we're lucky Bogaertz and Kalish.

[seabeachfred]

That's right. They have to come into NY loaded for bear--if that's still possible for a Red Sox team. After all, this is a team (or was a team) the last few years under Tito that threw in the towel when the Yankees got a few runs ahead. I remember some of those games, and that pissed me off more than anything else. The most complacent team in baseball under Tito the last 2-3 years. How were they allowed to get that way? The answer is the whole friggin' organization became complacent. Henry was off in England, Lucchino was counting tickets sold, and the FO was spending like drunken sailors. An organization gone to pot.

 

Well, they have to show they are intent on turning things around. One way they can is to charge into Yankee Stadium and sweep the injury-plagued, ageing Yankees. And a way they can do that is to put a charge into their lineup, with Bradley in LF.

 

Excellent post Sox Sport and totally on the mark. I said it repeatedly elsewhere that the team started to stagnate under FrancoMa by 2009. He should have been cashiered right after that season when we pissed away a three game lead at the ASB and fell into a deep hole with miserable mistakes being made in the pitching rotation and the lassitude on the part of the players. As for the rest of your missive, it is hard not to remember those other things without wanting to retch.

 

We have to believe that things will start to get better this year and I think they will. There is no way we can be any worse on the field than we were in Sept of '11 and all of last season.

[jung]

Unbelievable.......they will either pitch or not pitch. All the rest including JBJ is noise.

 

Look at the schedule. Nasty first half. If they don't pitch in the first half I don't care if the thaw out Teddy Baseball and bring him back....it ain't happenin'