Spring training

[Station 13]

Buccholz is a lightning rod for sure. He's a little more palatable as I expect Price, E-rod to lead the team, not him.

 

Still not feeling Hanley playing 1B, who seem more thrill he will get the chance to DH next year than he is at playing 1B right now.

[Kimmi]

Not me. I still hold out hope for him.

 

Well that's because like me, you're one of the few posters here who have any common sense.

 

Note to other posters: That was meant to be a joke.

[User Name]

It was a pretty weak joke. (Kinda like Buch)

[cp176]

Oh did I ever like what I just read about E-Rod. Sounds like he just wants to hang off of Price and learn all that he can. Talented - motivated - wants to learn from the best - We are so very lucky.

[mvp 78]

Truck Daaaaaaaaaaaay.

 

So much bubble gum.

[Dojji]

Oh did I ever like what I just read about E-Rod. Sounds like he just wants to hang off of Price and learn all that he can. Talented - motivated - wants to learn from the best - We are so very lucky.

 

And even better, with an ace on the staff, the pressure is off Eddie to perform. He's going to be in a position where he can make mistakes and learn from them. Hopefully not too many all at once of course

[Station 13]

Wally's mommy and daddy recently procreated a new monster. Did you know?

[mvp 78]

Has anyone heard from Kimmi since Truck Day? Did she stow away in a pile of helmets?

[Dojji]

Would not surprise me to hear that Kimmi headed south

[Bellhorn04]

Has anyone heard from Kimmi since Truck Day? Did she stow away in a pile of helmets?

 

She posted on Feb 9 so she's been absent from the board for one day so far.

[a700hitter]

Wally's mommy and daddy recently procreated a new monster. Did you know?

I did not know that there was a Mrs. Wally.

[cp176]

illegit???

[a700hitter]

illegit???

LOL!! Anchor Baby?

[mvp 78]

LOL!! Anchor Baby?

 

C'mon... The "story" out there is that he's been residing in the Green Monster since 1947 and only appeared in 1997. I don't buy it. What did Yaz know and when did he know it? Was there a monster incubation program existing in left field during the 70's? Don't believe what you read on his wikipedia page...

[mvp 78]

She posted on Feb 9 so she's been absent from the board for one day so far.

 

The trucks arrive at JetBlue on Saturday. If she doesn't post until then, we'll know the truth.

[Kimmi]

Has anyone heard from Kimmi since Truck Day? Did she stow away in a pile of helmets?

 

Thanks, you blew my cover. I was warmly stowed away in a pile of socks, but they found me after receiving an "anonymous tip". They kicked me off in Virginia.

[Spudboy]

lulz.

[Station 13]

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/red_sox/clubhouse_insider/2016/02/red_sox_mailbag_is_clay_buchholz_the_no_2_starter

Matthew McGuirk ‏@matt_mcguirk_90

Who do you view as the No. 2 pitcher in rotation? (as of right now). And do you think Rick Porcello could bounce back?

 

This might speak to the fragility of the rotation, even with David Price in the top spot, but I view Clay Buchholz as the No. 2 on this staff. Let me explain, since I’m sure that sentence might have forced some of you to spit out your coffee and say, “Aw, not this again…”

 

Eduardo Rodriguez is still oozing with potential, but he remains an unfinished product at 22 years old, so let’s not even give him a number right now (I recently wrote about his expectations). Rick Porcello is a proven middle-of-the-rotation starter and if he returns to pitching the way he did in Detroit, he’s a solid No. 3. Joe Kelly will be the No. 5 starter, eager to prove himself as a 27-year-old but not without the pressure of Henry Owens and Brian Johnson trying to steal his rotation spot.

 

Buchholz is the No. 2.

 

There tends to be two ways of looking at this. On one hand, manager John Farrell just wants to see Buchholz stay healthy. Farrell opened some eyes at the Winter Meetings when he said he thought Buchholz would throw 200 innings this year. Even when Buchholz is struggling, Farrell wants to see him stay on a five-day schedule and pitch through the bumps. Consistency is the priority to Farrell. And then there is Buchholz, a 31-year-old who threw a no-hitter in his second career start and has been chasing perfection ever since. He's rarely been consistent, but every so often he can find the perfect rhythm that’ll put him in one of those dominating streaks he’s made a living off of. He finished last year on one of them, posting a 1.05 ERA with 26 strikeouts and just two walks in his final five starts. If he has to struggle for a month to find the sweet spot, so be it.

 

Or maybe there's a middle ground, where Buchholz doesn't have to make 34 starts, but let's say he makes 28 starts, occasionally taking a break to let his body rest or his mind find the peace he so badly desires. He doesn't have to be a Cy Young Award winner, but he should be more than capable of putting up a 3.00 ERA over 28 starts if he's given ample rest when needed.

 

And here's the kicker: He’ll be a free agent at the end of the season. It's time for a breakthrough.

 

Elon ‏@RandomMLBProjs

Likeliest to bounce back to at least an average player (1-2 WAR) out of Porcello, Pablo, Hanley, and Kelly?

 

I like this question a lot. In just one question you can see everything that’s dangerous about the upcoming season. What if Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval aren’t worth at least 1-2 wins above replacement? Last year they both came in on the negative side in the WAR category and the Sox finished in last place.

 

I’ll choose Porcello out of this group. I think a bounceback season from him is almost guaranteed. I trust seven years worth of information and the information on Porcello tells us that he’s been a steady starting pitcher for most of his major league career. He tried to be somebody else last year and that didn’t work, so I expect to see him return to his former ways and provide stability in 2016.

 

Stephen Craig ‏@StephenCraig33

Who is the pitcher most likely to come up and make an impact this year?

Somehow, Henry Owens has gone from being a can’t-miss prospect to an over-hyped soft-tosser to an sneaky-good depth starter, all in about two years. He’s still only 23, throws left-handed and has proven the ability to dominant major league hitters, but the five rotation spots have already been handed out and Owens didn’t receive one. After making progress in the bigs last September, I believe he’ll find his way back into the rotation by mid-summer.

 

Carmela CL ‏@carmacarmeleon

How much time will Rusney Castillo/JBJ get to prove themselves before Chris Young gets one of their spots? What are the expectations/goals?

 

Remember that time Jackie Bradley Jr. was named the Opening Day left fielder, then went 3-for-31 to start 2013 and the Red Sox pulled the plug and sent him back to the minors? Yeah, that probably won’t happen this year. He might have to start 3-for-131 before they send him back to the minors because they simply aren’t interested in seeing him hit Triple-A pitching anymore. He’s 25 and his time is now. Whether he hits .200 or .300, Bradley will get an extended chance to prove himself and see if he can finally be the everyday center fielder.

 

Despite being older, the 27-year-old Castillo has far less major league experience and remains an unpolished player. He was hurt six times in his first 12 months with the Red Sox and still has developing to do, so it wouldn’t come as a total surprise if he needed more minor league time.

 

The Red Sox are hoping both Bradley and Castillo become regular contributors this year, but I still see Castillo as a bigger question mark.

 

Menachem Lensky ‏@LenskyMenachem

What happens if Christian Vazquez is ready to go opening day who is the odd man out at catcher?

Because he hasn’t played in a major league game in over a year, Vazquez could benefit from a few weeks in Triple-A to begin the season. But he doesn’t belong there. If he makes a full recovery, it’s hard to imagine the Sox wouldn’t want him throwing out 52 percent of attempted base stealers, stealing strikes with his pitch-framing and drawing up game plans for the starting rotation. Blake Swihart is a gifted athlete, but the Sox could be forced to let both catchers share the responsibilities and find a trade for valuable backup Ryan Hanigan. Or, if Hanley Ramirez fails at first base, why not try Swihart there?

 

S.Brannen ‏@SoxSBrannenU

How short is Farrell's leash if team starts slow?

I think he’s going to get at least two months with this team. To me, the most interesting part of new Sox president Dave Dombrowski’s decision to bring Farrell back this year is that Dombrowski has no idea if it’s going to work out. I asked Dombrowski last fall how he knew for sure that Farrell was the right guy to lead this team. Of course, Dombrowski couldn’t answer that question. It wasn’t a fair question, since Dombrowski had just been hired and had only a few interactions with Farrell while the skipper was battling cancer. So Dombrowski made the decision because he felt like it was the right thing to do. Farrell is a proven manager, a World Series winner and a comfortable choice to lead a familiar group. He also has a career .494 winning percentage in five years and the team paid extra to make sure bench coach Torey Lovullo came back. Simply, there has been no bigger year for John Farrell, the manager, than this coming one.

[cp176]

Interesting read! thanks - Not much there to really disagree with for me. I do think that the contingency plans for alternatives if the guys needing bounce back years fail are getting stronger and stronger. i still think that Johnson's name will become one that we get more familiar with this year.

[User Name]

Excellent, thanks for posting that.

[Kimmi]

I've posted this before, but after reading some comments from Hanigan about Price, I think it bears repeating how much I think Price's leadership and intangibles are going to help the rest of our staff. I know that some people think it's hogwash, but I think that just having him on our team will make the rest of the staff better.

 

Have any of his former teammates ever had anything less than glowing to say about him?

[Kimmi]

Who is this slim looking player?

 

 

http://fotos.fotoflexer.com/c4b1a0775396a6398d7e7fea54be4af6.jpg

[cp176]

Saw this picture earlier. here's hoping!!!

[cp176]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2016/02/12/brian-bannister-and-art-making-pitchers-better/MjT29OjB0q9TnYZyLggpDJ/story.html?event=event25

 

Great article. Brian Bannister son of Floyd (remember him) - glad that he is one of us.

[a700hitter]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2016/02/12/brian-bannister-and-art-making-pitchers-better/MjT29OjB0q9TnYZyLggpDJ/story.html?event=event25 Great article. Brian Bannister son of Floyd (remember him) - glad that he is one of us.

We definitely need to do a better job of drafting and developing pitching.

[cp176]

We definitely need to do a better job of drafting and developing pitching.

 

It looks like they are heading in the right direction.

[Spudboy]

Photoshop.

[Spudboy]

I've posted this before, but after reading some comments from Hanigan about Price, I think it bears repeating how much I think Price's leadership and intangibles are going to help the rest of our staff. I know that some people think it's hogwash, but I think that just having him on our team will make the rest of the staff better.

 

Have any of his former teammates ever had anything less than glowing to say about him?

 

I resemble that remark young lady!!!!!

 

I don't totally disagree with you on this. Certainly the Sox rotation can use whatever qualified help it can get. Maybe Price is a super guy and has mentoring and teaching qualities. That is cool. But do we really think that he will have a significant affect on game performances of his peers? Maybe! I'm all for it. I just think that historically fans have given this process to much credit and mention.

[a700hitter]

Who is this slim looking player?

 

 

http://fotos.fotoflexer.com/c4b1a0775396a6398d7e7fea54be4af6.jpg

 

I like the way this kid thinks. He is a future GM:

 

[TABLE]

[TR]

[TD]Kid asks Giants manager Bruce Bochy to take back Pablo Sandoval

[/TD]

[TD=align: right]02.13.16 at 9:29 pm ET[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

 

By WEEI

By many accounts Pablo Sandoval has taken the first step to make his second year with the Red Sox better than his first, losing a reported 20 pounds or so.

But the third baseman still has a ways to go to get in the good graces of his fan base after a disastrous first season of a five-year, $95 million contract. That was evident at the Giants FanFest, when one Red Sox fan asked a favor of San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy …

 

 

http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2016/02/13/kid-asks-giants-manager-bruce-bochy-to-take-back-pablo-sandoval/

[mvp 78]

Panda loses weight every offseason and gains it back during the year. There is also no correlation to lower weight and higger performance for him. Some guys need a year to transition to a new league. I hope that's all he needs.