2013 Spring Training

[a700hitter]

You coach and I coached......My opinion is that Bradley is the real thing. He stays very well inside the ball, has a short and compact swing and keeps his head low into the strike zone. He is going to be a terrific player for us. If we can start him as a regular we should give him a look. However, not a platoon. This guy has got to play.

 

OTOH, I believe I was right on Mauro Gomez. He stinks to high heaven.

A good arm too. Very smooth player-- makes things look easy.

[seabeachfred]

As for me, you know when I'm starting to feel good about the team because I'm here. Posting. I'm a fan, I'll never go away entirely, but I can only bear so much disappointment and frustration, so sometimes I manage to give myself little breaks, watch two teams I don't care that much about or something. It's refreshing.

 

And of course it should be obvious to anyone who chats with me that one of my pleasures is seeing someone nobody expected, come in and perform well out of the blue. And trying to predict who the next one might be.

 

That said, my work schedule (did I mention I'd finally found a job? yaaaaay!) has me working evenings, so I donno how much baseball I'm even going to be able to watch this year except on weekends, and I've been so tired weekends I've barely had the energy to lift my head. Hooray for baseball on the radio. So I'll be kind of divorced from the hype of the media and forming my own opinions based on what I can observe. Expect them to diverge radically from the group as a result. Not that that's all that unusual for me.

 

Congrats on getting a job Doj. It is great for one's pride and morale if he can find work and contruibute to his and and his family if he has one---especially if he was unemloyed through no fault of his own. Last season I left this board in May because I was so damn mad that I didn't want to subject my colleagues to some of my infantile and angry rants. Of course, a couple of people thought I just chickened out. Go figure.

 

We lost to the Yankees today but in defiance I put on my red 2007 Red Sox World Champions shirt. What I don't want to see is our team lose a great number of Grapefruit League games as we did when he lost 12 in a row back in '11. It would be nice to enter the season with a little confidence and some momentum.

[BornToRun]

Welcome back. It does get pretty funny when the civil war really starts to explode. People keep telling me that I'm not one of the "ballwashers" so to speak, and I really need to start working on that.

 

Good to be back. And you never struck me as one of the negative types, I don't think you have much work to do if you wanna join the ball washing club.

[BSN07]

You coach and I coached......My opinion is that Bradley is the real thing. He stays very well inside the ball, has a short and compact swing and keeps his head low into the strike zone. He is going to be a terrific player for us. If we can start him as a regular we should give him a look. However, not a platoon. This guy has got to play.

 

OTOH, I believe I was right on Mauro Gomez. He stinks to high heaven.

 

Yes all his tools are solid and he looks like a well rounded player. What we haven't seen is how he holds up over the course of a long season and if he's mature enough to make the necessary adjustments that are needed to stay producing at a good clip. I'm also of the view that if he's up he needs to be playing. I don't see the upside in having him as depth as the 4-5 OF.

 

I never said Gomez was anything special. I just thought at the time(no Napoli, Overbay or a 1B in training in Nava) were on the depth chart and I figured it wouldn't hurt giving him a look instead of overpaying for someone on the market. When the other guys came on board I felt it was less necessary to give him an extended look.

[rjortiz]

Nuno is a nice hidden gem who we've turned into someone who can provide depth.

 

Just like Drake Britton is depth for us?

[seabeachfred]

Just like Drake Britton is depth for us?

 

rj---were you just rortiz before and changed your handle or is that a different guy. Just trying to keep things up in my program.

[NZSox]

Guys, there's minimal Spring Training coverage in New Zealand. Can I just ask a few short questions, don't feel like you have to elaborate in too much detail:

 

(1) Who are three of the pitching staff that have impressed the most so far?

(2) How are we looking on the injury front? - To that point, are we going to put out a near-full strength opening day lineup?

(3) How are our AL East rivals looking so far, in very general terms?

 

Cheers.

[BornToRun]

Guys, there's minimal Spring Training coverage in New Zealand. Can I just ask a few short questions, don't feel like you have to elaborate in too much detail:

 

(1) Who are three of the pitching staff that have impressed the most so far?

(2) How are we looking on the injury front? - To that point, are we going to put out a near-full strength opening day lineup?

(3) How are our AL East rivals looking so far, in very general terms?

 

Cheers.

 

1. Lester and Buchholz have looked pretty good but the real story, IMO, is Allen Webster who has been absolutely filthy and is looking like he might be up with the big club at some point this year.

 

2. Ortiz is having issues and is most likely going to start the year on the DL along with Drew, Morales, and Breslow. Other than that all is quiet on the injured front.

 

3. The East is wide open this year with all of the teams in it having a legitimate shot at taking home the division crown. It should be a very fun and exciting year.

[NZSox]

1. Lester and Buchholz have looked pretty good but the real story, IMO, is Allen Webster who has been absolutely filthy and is looking like he might be up with the big club at some point this year.

 

2. Ortiz is having issues and is most likely going to start the year on the DL along with Drew, Morales, and Breslow. Other than that all is quiet on the injured front.

 

3. The East is wide open this year with all of the teams in it having a legitimate shot at taking home the division crown. It should be a very fun and exciting year.

 

Thanks mate. Interesting to hear that about Webster. My friend tells me Jackie Bradley Jr. has been impressing as well. Would be good to see a few of these young guys involved.

[BornToRun]

Thanks mate. Interesting to hear that about Webster. My friend tells me Jackie Bradley Jr. has been impressing as well. Would be good to see a few of these young guys involved.

 

Jackie has indeed been tearing the cover off of the ball this spring and it seems to be general consensus that he will be up with the big club at some point this year.

[mvp 78]

1. Lester and Buchholz have looked pretty good but the real story, IMO, is Allen Webster who has been absolutely filthy and is looking like he might be up with the big club at some point this year.

 

2. Ortiz is having issues and is most likely going to start the year on the DL along with Drew, Morales, and Breslow. Other than that all is quiet on the injured front.

 

3. The East is wide open this year with all of the teams in it having a legitimate shot at taking home the division crown. It should be a very fun and exciting year.

 

Good recap.

[Dojji]

Thanks mate. Interesting to hear that about Webster. My friend tells me Jackie Bradley Jr. has been impressing as well. Would be good to see a few of these young guys involved.

 

The guy you haven't been told about yet (because you didn't ask) who impressed a bit this spring was catching prospect Christian Vazquez. He didn't do much with the stick and he's been assigned to the minors, but he demonstrated an unbelievable throwing arm and probably caught some real attention for himself as a possible future backup catcher. He's unlikely to make the big leagues this year though unless we have some ridiculous luck with injuries.

[rjortiz]

rj---were you just rortiz before and changed your handle or is that a different guy. Just trying to keep things up in my program.

 

Different guy.

[a700hitter]

I read that the Sox would be making additional cuts on Wednesday, but I have not been able to find anything about those cuts this morning. Does anyone have any information on that?

[jung]

Now that the WEEI "Big Show" has been broken up ala' the firing of Glen Ordway, can the morning team of Dennis and Callahan be far behind? My apologies to their fans but I cannot think of a sports talk radio team that knows less about sports. Kirk Minihan, one of EEI's few young guys considered to have a future by the industry is so exasperated by their efforts to discuss the Sox this morning that he seemed close to blowing a gasket several times.

[a700hitter]

Ciriaco is the forgotten man this Spring. When I was in Fort Myers, he was playing and hitting well. He was doing all the things he showed last season. He hasn't gotten much playing time or attention. I think that he is a very useful utility type guy.

[iortiz]

Ciriaco is the forgotten man this Spring. When I was in Fort Myers, he was playing and hitting well. He was doing all the things he showed last season. He hasn't gotten much playing time or attention. I think that he is a very useful utility type guy.

 

I would start him at SS. Great glove, can hit, and runs very well the paths regardless kid is all heart.

[SoxSport]

I would start Ciriaco over Iggy at SS in the Yankee series. Ciriaco has a knack for killing the Yankees.

 

I would also start Bradley in LF or RF in that series. Victorino can play any outfield position, so he can be moved around.

 

It's time that FO started focussing on WINNING as a priority, and not all the other BS about managing "control" years of players, who is being paid salary, etc. The priority should be about carrying the best players on the team, not the players who fit for other reasons. And playing those best players.

[iortiz]

I would start Ciriaco over Iggy at SS in the Yankee series. Ciriaco has a knack for killing the Yankees.

 

I would also start Bradley in LF or RF in that series. Victorino can play any outfield position, so he can be moved around.

 

It's time that FO started focussing on WINNING as a priority, and not all the other BS about managing "control" years of players, who is being paid salary, etc. The priority should be about carrying the best players on the team, not the players who fit for other reasons. And playing those best players.

 

Totally agree. Put the best in the field, plain and simple.

[wyo-sox]

Ciriaco is the forgotten man this Spring. When I was in Fort Myers, he was playing and hitting well. He was doing all the things he showed last season. He hasn't gotten much playing time or attention. I think that he is a very useful utility type guy.

 

I really liked him last year. He seems like a real hustle type player. I would have no problem starting him at ss till Drew comes back. It would be interesting to see how his at bats develop the longer pitchers get educated on him.

[jacksonianmarch]

Ciriaco is a AAAA player who got white hot and then cooled off considerably. He's going to get the UTIL job by default and if he can at least show some offensive contribution this yr, he should stick there. I have a feeling Ciriaco is not a part of the sox come 2014

[Bellhorn04]

I would start Ciriaco over Iggy at SS in the Yankee series. Ciriaco has a knack for killing the Yankees.

 

I would also start Bradley in LF or RF in that series. Victorino can play any outfield position, so he can be moved around.

 

It's time that FO started focussing on WINNING as a priority, and not all the other BS about managing "control" years of players, who is being paid salary, etc. The priority should be about carrying the best players on the team, not the players who fit for other reasons. And playing those best players.

 

This sounds simple but in reality it's not. Iglesias is clearly a much better defender than Ciriaco, but you want to play Ciriaco because of past success vs. Yankees with the bat.

 

As for Bradley, starting him in the Yankee series might not be such a great idea. We're talking about a kid who hasn't played above AA ball being thrown into the fire of facing two of the toughest lefties in baseball in the Stadium.

[Palodios]

Ciriaco is a AAAA player who got white hot and then cooled off considerably. He's going to get the UTIL job by default and if he can at least show some offensive contribution this yr, he should stick there. I have a feeling Ciriaco is not a part of the sox come 2014

 

Its a shame they didn't give Ciriaco more opportunities to work on his defense in the outfield.

 

From the outside, he seems like the perfect utility guy. He has played most positions with decent defense, he has tons of speed, and he hits just well enough that he's worth a spot on the bench-- yet not so good he's demanding a full time job.

[Dojji]

Ciriaco is a AAAA player who got white hot and then cooled off considerably. He's going to get the UTIL job by default and if he can at least show some offensive contribution this yr, he should stick there. I have a feeling Ciriaco is not a part of the sox come 2014

 

 

Ciriaco is the kind of guy they made the backup infielder job for. Every team that doesn't have a guy like Ciriaco to back up their three more difficult infield positions, wants one.

 

He'll never be mistaken for a starting caliber player, but he's the kind of guy who can roleplay for anyone. I'd expect to see one of those teams like the Cardinals who value the little things, pick Ciriaco up if and when we're ever done with him.

[Palodios]

I still think that this team could pick up another starter. With Lackey's 9.00+ ERA in spring training, Rick Porcello makes sense in a good number of ways. Even if he is relegated to long man/spot start duty, that's probably something he's expected from the start of this season anyway.

[BSN07]

I still think that this team could pick up another starter. With Lackey's 9.00+ ERA in spring training, Rick Porcello makes sense in a good number of ways. Even if he is relegated to long man/spot start duty, that's probably something he's expected from the start of this season anyway.

 

I would like to see them get Porcello.

 

Is Lackey's ERA really 9? I've only seen a couple starts and they didn't seem that bad.

[a700hitter]

I would like to see them get Porcello.

 

Is Lackey's ERA really 9? I've only seen a couple starts and they didn't seem that bad.

I think the best we can hope for would be 2010 Lackey, and many fans did not think that was very good.

[Bellhorn04]

Is Lackey's ERA really 9? I've only seen a couple starts and they didn't seem that bad.

 

Lackey has given up 6 ER in 6.2 official innings for an ERA of 8.10. But this doesn't include 3 scoreless innings he pitched in the exhibition game against the Puerto Rico WBC team.

 

Based on what I've read he's been throwing the ball pretty well.

 

Tonight's game will tell us more.

[Palodios]

I think the best we can hope for would be 2010 Lackey, and many fans did not think that was very good.

 

The beauty of Lackey's big PR stunt is that he set the bar so low in 2011/2012 that pitching to major league average stats is going to make him a hero.

[BSN07]

The beauty of Lackey's big PR stunt is that he set the bar so low in 2011/2012 that pitching to major league average stats is going to make him a hero.

 

lol so true, if he has a sub 5 era it's a win