2013 Spring Training

[SoxSport]

They have 5 ML SP. Again just like everyone else your complaining about, they don't need to make a spot for them now. There's no point.

 

He's injury insurance. Chances are he will be on the team at some point this year. Relax.

 

The Red Sox continue to overrate their starting pitching.

[Bellhorn04]

The Red Sox continue to overrate their starting pitching.

 

I don't know about overrating but they're certainly placing their hopes in Lester, Buchholz, Lackey and Doubront. Which I don't think is an unreasonable strategy to start the season. All of these guys have shown the ability to pitch.

 

If, or more likely when, guys get hurt or underperform, the opportunities for Webster and De La Rosa will arise.

[jung]

Dempster will have to play his Steady Eddy role as well. I think they will rely on him to give them a good chance to win games against the lower echelon teams in the AL, not so much against the upper tier. If he fails against the lower echelon teams as well, that would be a big hole I think.

 

All five of them will have to be at the tops of their game as none of them alone are much to talk about. My expectations for Lester is that he will duplicate the end of 2012 only for all of 2013. Not great but a big step up from his 2012. My expectations for Buch are that he just take the ball every time his ticket comes up in the rotation. That would be a big step up for Buch. I doubt he will produce at a high level for an entire season. But if he takes the ball every time, that would be big for him.

 

Lackey....he aways takes the ball so I would expect that at a minimum. He may well have the potential for the most on the upside. If he pitches well 3 out of 4 times out, that would be a big deal I think.

 

Felix is really pissing me off. I expect him....to lose that f***ing spare tire. Beyond that, we will see.

[seabeachfred]

I don't know about overrating but they're certainly placing their hopes in Lester, Buchholz, Lackey and Doubront. Which I don't think is an unreasonable strategy to start the season. All of these guys have shown the ability to pitch.

 

If, or more likely when, guys get hurt or underperform, the opportunities for Webster and De La Rosa will arise.

 

Good timing we don't seem to have and what really gripes me is that the AL East is very winnable this season, yet we may not have the starting pitching, or the catching, or the power to win it unless we fire howitzers on all cylinders. I remember in 2004 our starting five never missed a turn and that is something we could sure us this year with two of our front liners turning in big seasons. All I do know is that we will be better than last year; we just have to be.

[Dojji]

If anyone else is listening on the radio, I'm impressed with what you might call the energy of youth. There's been the same, like, 3 young Sox fans chanting near the booth for the entirety of a spring training game.

 

EDIT: Game just ended. These kids were standing there, screaming "Let's Go Red Sox Let's Go" with maybe a pause for breath for literally the entire 9 innings. There ought to be a medal for that. Possibly shaped like an oversized pair of ear plugs?

[BSN07]

If anyone else is listening on the radio, I'm impressed with what you might call the energy of youth. There's been the same, like, 3 young Sox fans chanting near the booth for the entirety of a spring training game.

 

EDIT: Game just ended. These kids were standing there, screaming "Let's Go Red Sox Let's Go" with maybe a pause for breath for literally the entire 9 innings. There ought to be a medal for that. Possibly shaped like an oversized pair of ear plugs?

 

lol

[SoxSport]

Good timing we don't seem to have and what really gripes me is that the AL East is very winnable this season, yet we may not have the starting pitching, or the catching, or the power to win it unless we fire howitzers on all cylinders. I remember in 2004 our starting five never missed a turn and that is something we could sure us this year with two of our front liners turning in big seasons. All I do know is that we will be better than last year; we just have to be.

 

You figure Lester is bound to improve, but the other guys are going to tread water. Lackey and Dempster are not world beaters. Buchholz is a 150-160 inning guy at best.

 

They need some quantum improvements in their starters--some guys that turn to gold. That means rolling the dice with DeLaRosa and Webster ASAP--before the season is lost. Kids with upside. This is not a team that should be playing conservative with holdovers that might get them to .500.

[mvp 78]

lol

 

It was horrible radio. After 2 minutes of hearing it, I was glad I pulled into the grocery store...

[jung]

They have already announced Ruby starting in AAA and I don't expect them to bring up Webster either.

 

Now we actually have Ortiz dialog matching reality. I guess the start of the season is to close at hand and even David is leery of continuing this charade.

 

They are announcing that the start of the season is definitely in question for Ortiz. They are checking him every three days to take a new reading on how the Achilles feels.

 

I have not believed a word till today. Has anybody been watching Ortiz in drills? He moves around like he is walking on egg shells and that was all the way up till last week when they were filming him in drills.

[wyo-sox]

They have already announced Ruby starting in AAA and I don't expect them to bring up Webster either.

 

Now we actually have Ortiz dialog matching reality. I guess the start of the season is to close at hand and even David is leery of continuing this charade.

 

They are announcing that the start of the season is definitely in question for Ortiz. They are checking him every three days to take a new reading on how the Achilles feels.

 

I have not believed a word till today. Has anybody been watching Ortiz in drills? He moves around like he is walking on egg shells and that was all the way up till last week when they were filming him in drills.

 

Shoot that is not encouraging at this point.

[jung]

Yea I know wyo. I'm not liken' it much either. Can't say I didn't see it coming though. Maybe some miracle will befall us and Ortiz will suddenly "feel" like his Achilles will be OK to trot around on a little. Now that he is already preparing us for missing opening day, I really don't think the chances are good of his making opening day. A month away and the Achilles still does not feel right to him.

 

Like I said in another post, even when he does come back, if he does come back I suspect that Achilles is going to be a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode.

[Bellhorn04]

Sounds like Ortiz will start the year on the DL. Maybe we should sign Jim Thome.

[a700hitter]

After 2 years of going year to year with Ortiz on 1 year contracts, Cherries gives the 36 year old a 2 year contract when he has a blown tire. It would have been prudent to wait until he was fully healed to drop the 2 year contract on him. I don't think any ther team was going to give him 2 years when he still had a bad wheel. Typical poor judgment by the Red Sox FO.

[BSN07]

Sounds like Ortiz will start the year on the DL. Maybe we should sign Jim Thome.

 

Rolen would be more useful. Especially when Ortiz comes back. But I wouldn't be against Thome. He's a class act.

[a700hitter]

Daniel Bard initially was expected to pitch an inning Monday. But he will throw 20 pitches in a simulated game instead. The righthander has been working on the mechanics of his stride and Farrell said they want that work to continue in a “more controlled setting” than a game. Bard has not appeared in a game since Feb. 25 and at this point seems likely to start the season in the minors .

I think some people got overly optimistic about his outing against those college kids. It sounds like he is still badly twisted up.

[BSN07]

You figure Lester is bound to improve, but the other guys are going to tread water. Lackey and Dempster are not world beaters. Buchholz is a 150-160 inning guy at best.

 

They need some quantum improvements in their starters--some guys that turn to gold. That means rolling the dice with DeLaRosa and Webster ASAP--before the season is lost. Kids with upside. This is not a team that should be playing conservative with holdovers that might get them to .500.

 

Buchholz 150-160? He managed 189 last season with a DL stint. 173 in 2010. yes his durability is an issue, but even in seasons he's battling injuries he's going above 150. I don't think they will expect more then 160ish for Lackey this year.

[Bellhorn04]

After 2 years of going year to year with Ortiz on 1 year contracts, Cherries gives the 36 year old a 2 year contract when he has a blown tire. It would have been prudent to wait until he was fully healed to drop the 2 year contract on him. I don't think any ther team was going to give him 2 years when he still had a bad wheel. Typical poor judgment by the Red Sox FO.

 

I think you can definitely put that signing in the box office column.

[a700hitter]

I think you can definitely put that signing in the box office column.

It is not going to help the box office if he is on the shelf for a good part of the year.

[Orange Juiced]

After 2 years of going year to year with Ortiz on 1 year contracts, Cherries gives the 36 year old a 2 year contract when he has a blown tire. It would have been prudent to wait until he was fully healed to drop the 2 year contract on him. I don't think any ther team was going to give him 2 years when he still had a bad wheel. Typical poor judgment by the Red Sox FO.

 

I'm with you on the Ortiz deal. I don't understand it at all. I understand wanting him back for this season. But why go 2 years at that dollar figure? Made no sense.

[Palodios]

It is not going to help the box office if he is on the shelf for a good part of the year.

 

But it would certainly have hurt the box office if he wasn't in the organization any longer, and someone like Nava was the permanent DH.

[SoxFanForsyth]

I would think that Lavarnway would DH if Ortiz was out.

 

But Ortiz ran the bases today, so that's a good sign in the right direction. He said that his achilles is actually fine, just some calcification that is giving him some issues, which should wear down as he gets into his routine, and shouldn't be an issue. We'll see.

 

If Ortiz is back in games by the end of this week, he'll be all set for OD.

[Station 13]

I think Gomez is more qualified to DH over Lavarnway. He can actually hit a little.

[a700hitter]

I think Gomez is more qualified to DH over Lavarnway. He can actually hit a little.

Or Scott Rolen.

[jung]

Calcification...shoot....at the rate Ortiz is going its more like fossilization.:D

[jung]

Actually the WEEI afternoon crew is saying that Ortiz tried to run yesterday but had to stop because his Achilles felt sore and then ran a little again today. Have to hunt around a little today and see if I can find any other reports besides what is coming out of the WEEI afternoon crew.

[Station 13]

Or Scott Rolen.

 

Isn't he retired?

[a700hitter]

Isn't he retired?

He's unemployed.

[SoxSport]

Buchholz 150-160? He managed 189 last season with a DL stint. 173 in 2010. yes his durability is an issue, but even in seasons he's battling injuries he's going above 150. I don't think they will expect more then 160ish for Lackey this year.

 

More innings than I realized. 189 is good. He doesn't look very durable, and has a DL history. Other than Lester, they don't have any 200 inning pitchers. But with a pitch count limit of 100, it's hard to get to 200 innings. 120 will get you there.

[SoxSport]

I think Gomez is more qualified to DH over Lavarnway. He can actually hit a little.

 

Lav needs to sort things out in AAA. He doesn't look comfortable at the plate at all.

[SoxSport]

Ortiz has been doing a lot of running today. I wouldn't be surprised if their medical staff asked him to steal a few bases. The guy is a DH, paid to hit. Why risk injuries with all these running drills? It's a 2 edge sword.