2014 Roster Projections

[MANNYHOF24]

I have such a man crush on Ben Cherington

[VA Sox Fan]

I have such a man crush on Ben Cherington

 

Most normal male Red Sox fans do!

[Thunder]

I have such a man crush on Ben Cherington

 

I still despise Ben Cherington. I have since the day we let Theo go, before I even knew who Cherington was.

[mvp 78]

@nickcafardo: John Farrell said Grady Sizemore has looked so good that the team needs to temper it's enthusiasm because there's a long way to go.

[seabeachfred]

@nickcafardo: John Farrell said Grady Sizemore has looked so good that the team needs to temper it's enthusiasm because there's a long way to go.

 

There is a long way to go mvp, but what if Grady actually outplays Jackie and wins the center field position. What then? Does JBjr then go to the minors? I actually think this was the year we could cement Middlebrooks at third, insert Bogaerts at short and Bradley in center and have three stalwarts of the coming years in the same lineup and paving the way for the Cecchinis, Bettses, Swiharts, Brentzes and Vasguezes, not to mention the upcoming pitchers like Renaudo, Owens, Barnes and maybe Webster and Delarosa.

 

Personally, I would gladly take my chances this year and start the procession of getting our younger players acclimated to the Bigs and risk not winning something this season in order to be in a commanding position the rest of the decade to get into two or maybe three WS from 2015-2020. Two of those in six or better yet three sounds pretty good to me.

[mvp 78]

If Grady plays that well, Gomes is sitting.

[Thunder]

If Grady plays that well, Gomes is sitting.

 

If that happens, I'm driving to Boston to whoop Farrell's ass. I love Gomes too much to subject him to the bench.

[mvp 78]

If that happens, I'm driving to Boston to whoop Farrell's ass. I love Gomes too much to subject him to the bench.

 

No you won't. You don't even have a learner's permit.

[Thunder]

No you won't. You don't even have a learner's permit.

 

I will by hopefully December.

[SoxSport]

I suspect the Red Sox would be very happy if Sizemore could just be a backup in CF and RF. It's too much to ask a guy with his injury history to do much else.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

No you won't. You don't even have a learner's permit.

 

Lmfao

[jacksonianmarch]

Expecting anything out of Grady Sizemore is crazier than the Yankees expecting anything out of Andrew Bailey

[mvp 78]

Expecting anything out of Grady Sizemore is crazier than the Yankees expecting anything out of Andrew Bailey

 

Yeah, even IF he stayed healthy all year, he's probably no better than a 4th outfielder. Stranger things have happened though.

[vjcsmoke]

Yup, Cherington is clearly despicable. How dare he can Valentine, bring in Farrell, and win us a World Series Championship all within a couple of years of being hired? Yes we should all be Cubs fans instead. How dare Cherington overachieve like that and win the WS before Epstein did at his new gig!!?

 

I still despise Ben Cherington. I have since the day we let Theo go, before I even knew who Cherington was.

 

Good for you. I'm not throwing away a chance at the postseason just to watch some kids grow though. The rebuilding project already happened and we won a championship. You have to make another playoff push and just take your chances at glory. You don't pass up playoffs to watch youngsters grow.

 

As for JBJ, I think he's not quite ready yet. If Grady can play at his former level, he is a starting caliber CF. I would hope for the latter to happen. That way we can bring JBJ on at a natural pace instead of forcing him into the starting lineup when he's not ready. If GS starts, then I see JBJ as backup CF/4th OF for us.

 

The main guys I see ready to step up are XB first and foremost. That guy is a starter for us period. I am cautiously optimistic about Middlebrooks though. Still not convinced he can ever learn to hit a breaking ball. At the very least he has to learn to lay off them or he'll never amount to anything more than a .300 obp at the ML level. And that's not acceptable for a projected starter.

 

I'm not excited about paying Drew a lot of money to be a 'utility infielder'. I mean how many UIFs will bank 6m+? That just doesn't make sense to me.

We'll know a lot more by spring training where this team is heading. I hope we hear about a Lester extension soon and for 'not too crazy' money.

 

There is a long way to go mvp, but what if Grady actually outplays Jackie and wins the center field position. What then? Does JBjr then go to the minors? I actually think this was the year we could cement Middlebrooks at third, insert Bogaerts at short and Bradley in center and have three stalwarts of the coming years in the same lineup and paving the way for the Cecchinis, Bettses, Swiharts, Brentzes and Vasguezes, not to mention the upcoming pitchers like Renaudo, Owens, Barnes and maybe Webster and Delarosa.

 

Personally, I would gladly take my chances this year and start the procession of getting our younger players acclimated to the Bigs and risk not winning something this season in order to be in a commanding position the rest of the decade to get into two or maybe three WS from 2015-2020. Two of those in six or better yet three sounds pretty good to me.

Edited February 23, 2014 by vjcsmoke

[BornToRun]

Expecting anything out of Grady Sizemore is crazier than the Yankees expecting anything out of Andrew Bailey

 

Though not as crazy as making Brian Roberts an every day starter.

[Thunder]

Hey VJ, I would quote you, but it's too long and you quoted multiple people. I completely agree with everything you said about JBJ and Sizemore. We can't afford to push JBJ. Everyone's already doubting Sizemore. If he breaks camp healthy, I think he'll make a pretty big impact. Last season was all about the players you wouldn't expect to be stepping up and were stepping up.

[SoxSport]

Though not as crazy as making Brian Roberts an every day starter.

 

 

Well, the Yankees threw a lot of crap against the wall last year, and some of it stuck for awhile. So they're trying the same thing this year.

 

What kills their lineup and infield is losing Cano. Their best player. They blew it and they know it. They tried to make amends by going on a spending spree after signing Ellsbury, but that didn't bring back Cano. Plus, you look at their starting pitching, and it's a bunch of question marks. Could be good, could be not so good. And then there's the closer...

 

The best thing the Yankees have going for them right now is a fawning network media based in NY.

[jacksonianmarch]

Well, the Yankees threw a lot of crap against the wall last year, and some of it stuck for awhile. So they're trying the same thing this year.

 

What kills their lineup and infield is losing Cano. Their best player. They blew it and they know it. They tried to make amends by going on a spending spree after signing Ellsbury, but that didn't bring back Cano. Plus, you look at their starting pitching, and it's a bunch of question marks. Could be good, could be not so good. And then there's the closer...

 

The best thing the Yankees have going for them right now is a fawning network media based in NY.

 

They blew it by not offering another 10 yr contract? You're hilarious, lol, and insufferably ignorant. We won 86 games last yr without half our team. 7 of our positions in the lineup were in the bottom 5 in OPS in baseball (DH, C, 1B, SS, 3B, LF, RF). So now we add 2B to that list. 8 of the positions in the lineup with Cano gone would be useless. Let's see who fills those spots.

 

C- Brian McCann- He had an .800OPS last yr. Move him to YS and he'll be higher. That .800 is 216 point higher than last yr

1B- Teixeira- he is good for around an .800OPS on a yearly basis. That's over 100 points higher than we had last yr

SS- Jeter is at least good for a .700OPS. That is 102 points higher than last yr

3B- Kelly Johnson had a .714OPS last yr. That's 80 points higher than last yr

LF- Gardner moves there. He's good for a .750 or so OPS. That's 170 points higher than last yr

CF- Ellsbury moves there and gives us a slight bump, maybe 50 points or so in OPS

RF- Beltran moves there. He's had an .830 or higher OPS the last 3 seasons. That's 180 points higher than last yr

DH- Soriano has hit 30HR and 100RBI the last 2 seasons. He's good for a .750OPS. That's 170 points higher than last yr.

 

So yes, we lost Cano, but we also should be healthy and had increased the offense dramatically at most positions. The only drop off is Cano. Get that through your head

[rjortiz]

They blew it by not offering another 10 yr contract? You're hilarious, lol, and insufferably ignorant. We won 86 games last yr without half our team. 7 of our positions in the lineup were in the bottom 5 in OPS in baseball (DH, C, 1B, SS, 3B, LF, RF). So now we add 2B to that list. 8 of the positions in the lineup with Cano gone would be useless. Let's see who fills those spots.

 

C- Brian McCann- He had an .800OPS last yr. Move him to YS and he'll be higher. That .800 is 216 point higher than last yr

1B- Teixeira- he is good for around an .800OPS on a yearly basis. That's over 100 points higher than we had last yr

SS- Jeter is at least good for a .700OPS. That is 102 points higher than last yr

3B- Kelly Johnson had a .714OPS last yr. That's 80 points higher than last yr

LF- Gardner moves there. He's good for a .750 or so OPS. That's 170 points higher than last yr

CF- Ellsbury moves there and gives us a slight bump, maybe 50 points or so in OPS

RF- Beltran moves there. He's had an .830 or higher OPS the last 3 seasons. That's 180 points higher than last yr

DH- Soriano has hit 30HR and 100RBI the last 2 seasons. He's good for a .750OPS. That's 170 points higher than last yr.

 

So yes, we lost Cano, but we also should be healthy and had increased the offense dramatically at most positions. The only drop off is Cano. Get that through your head

 

lol there it is again. 8 > 1. We are 8 X better than last year!

[mvp 78]

They blew it by not offering another 10 yr contract? You're hilarious, lol, and insufferably ignorant. We won 86 games last yr without half our team. 7 of our positions in the lineup were in the bottom 5 in OPS in baseball (DH, C, 1B, SS, 3B, LF, RF). So now we add 2B to that list. 8 of the positions in the lineup with Cano gone would be useless. Let's see who fills those spots.

 

C- Brian McCann- He had an .800OPS last yr. Move him to YS and he'll be higher. That .800 is 216 point higher than last yr

1B- Teixeira- he is good for around an .800OPS on a yearly basis. That's over 100 points higher than we had last yr

SS- Jeter is at least good for a .700OPS. That is 102 points higher than last yr

3B- Kelly Johnson had a .714OPS last yr. That's 80 points higher than last yr

LF- Gardner moves there. He's good for a .750 or so OPS. That's 170 points higher than last yr

CF- Ellsbury moves there and gives us a slight bump, maybe 50 points or so in OPS

RF- Beltran moves there. He's had an .830 or higher OPS the last 3 seasons. That's 180 points higher than last yr

DH- Soriano has hit 30HR and 100RBI the last 2 seasons. He's good for a .750OPS. That's 170 points higher than last yr.

 

So yes, we lost Cano, but we also should be healthy and had increased the offense dramatically at most positions. The only drop off is Cano. Get that through your head

 

Purplesaurus Rex

[jacksonianmarch]

Definitely not 8 times better. But our offense shouldn't be completely pathetic. I expect us to put up a top 5 offense in 2014, which will significantly improve our win loss record

[jacksonianmarch]

Feel free to actually dispute anything I have posted

[rjortiz]

Feel free to actually dispute anything I have posted

 

I have on numerous occasions. You've chosen to ignore it.

[Orange Juiced]

They blew it by not offering another 10 yr contract? You're hilarious, lol, and insufferably ignorant. We won 86 games last yr without half our team. 7 of our positions in the lineup were in the bottom 5 in OPS in baseball (DH, C, 1B, SS, 3B, LF, RF). So now we add 2B to that list. 8 of the positions in the lineup with Cano gone would be useless. Let's see who fills those spots.

 

C- Brian McCann- He had an .800OPS last yr. Move him to YS and he'll be higher. That .800 is 216 point higher than last yr

1B- Teixeira- he is good for around an .800OPS on a yearly basis. That's over 100 points higher than we had last yr

SS- Jeter is at least good for a .700OPS. That is 102 points higher than last yr

3B- Kelly Johnson had a .714OPS last yr. That's 80 points higher than last yr

LF- Gardner moves there. He's good for a .750 or so OPS. That's 170 points higher than last yr

CF- Ellsbury moves there and gives us a slight bump, maybe 50 points or so in OPS

RF- Beltran moves there. He's had an .830 or higher OPS the last 3 seasons. That's 180 points higher than last yr

DH- Soriano has hit 30HR and 100RBI the last 2 seasons. He's good for a .750OPS. That's 170 points higher than last yr.

 

So yes, we lost Cano, but we also should be healthy and had increased the offense dramatically at most positions. The only drop off is Cano. Get that through your head

 

The Yanks pythag last year was 79-83 last year. They outperformed their pythag by 6 games, which is a lot. Here's what I expect from them:

 

C - Huge improvement. McCann is so much better than the dreck they had last year it isn't even funny.

1b - Improvement. I assume Tex will be pretty solid, though he has been on the decline for years now.

2b - Huge loss. Cano was by far the best hitting 2b in baseball last year. Major drop off.

3b - I guess Kelly Johnson can be better than what they had last year, but ARod is still a better hitter.

SS - Probably will be better IF Jeter can stay healthy. Big IF.

OF - Improvement. Lose Granderson (who, granted, didn't play much last year), but gain Ellsbury and Beltran. Soriano for a full season should help too.

 

So offensively the Yankees should be much better. Pitching? Well, you lose a TON in the bullpen when you replace Mariano with anyone. And starting pitching? I think CC is just on the way down to begin with, Kuroda is a year older, and as intriguing as Tanaka is, he's (a) unproven, and ( replacing Pettitte. Pettitte isn't Cy Young, but last year he did give them 185 innings of 3.74 era (108 era+) ball. If Tanaka can give them that in year one, I'll be surprised. So the pitching should be worse than it was last year, on the whole.

 

Since they over performed their pythag by 6 games last year, figure the odds are that they'll come back to earth and perform at about what their pythag suggests they should. But I think their pythag should go up from last year. I see NY as winning between 86-92 games this year, and be in the running for the wild card, with a good chance to get into the playoffs. To me, that's a very fair assessment of this team.

[Bellhorn04]

Feel free to actually dispute anything I have posted

 

The .800 OPS prediction for Teixeira is shaky at best. Yes he posted .807 in 2012, but that was his 4th straight year of steady decline. Then he missed almost the entire season last year and indications are that his health is still somewhat in question.

[jacksonianmarch]

Even at .750, he's an upgrade

[redsoxrules]

They blew it by not offering another 10 yr contract? You're hilarious, lol, and insufferably ignorant. We won 86 games last yr without half our team. 7 of our positions in the lineup were in the bottom 5 in OPS in baseball (DH, C, 1B, SS, 3B, LF, RF). So now we add 2B to that list. 8 of the positions in the lineup with Cano gone would be useless. Let's see who fills those spots.

 

C- Brian McCann- He had an .800OPS last yr. Move him to YS and he'll be higher. That .800 is 216 point higher than last yr

1B- Teixeira- he is good for around an .800OPS on a yearly basis. That's over 100 points higher than we had last yr

SS- Jeter is at least good for a .700OPS. That is 102 points higher than last yr

3B- Kelly Johnson had a .714OPS last yr. That's 80 points higher than last yr

LF- Gardner moves there. He's good for a .750 or so OPS. That's 170 points higher than last yr

CF- Ellsbury moves there and gives us a slight bump, maybe 50 points or so in OPS

RF- Beltran moves there. He's had an .830 or higher OPS the last 3 seasons. That's 180 points higher than last yr

DH- Soriano has hit 30HR and 100RBI the last 2 seasons. He's good for a .750OPS. That's 170 points higher than last yr.

 

So yes, we lost Cano, but we also should be healthy and had increased the offense dramatically at most positions. The only drop off is Cano. Get that through your head

 

They would have been better off signing Cano at 10 Years than going with Ellsbury.

With Cano you get a durable guy with power numbers. With Ellsbury, you don't know what your going to get.

 

You also won 86 games by fluke last year.

[jacksonianmarch]

Cano cost $90 million more. They're not equal cost

[jacksonianmarch]

I have on numerous occasions. You've chosen to ignore it.

 

Not sure what you're talking about, although I find it interesting how you've gone on the offensive since you were called a Yankee fan. Trying to save face?

[redsoxrules]

Cano cost $90 million more. They're not equal cost

 

Again,

Ellsbury= Unpredictable

Cano= you know what your getting.

 

If Ellsbury misses 2-3 years on the DL your f***ed