jacksonianmarch

and that is with the premise that Ortiz can still hit approx 30 bombs. If Ortiz continues his drop and lets say he goes for a .750OPS with 20HRs, then this lineup will be absolutely powerless. I cannot believe that fans of a team that saw the devastating effects of having 2 prime players in the lineup lead them to two championships would settle for this and try to defend it. The sox were built with multiple .800 or so OPS players who had high OBPs surrounding 2 HOF caliber hitters. That model saw the sox return to greatness. Now, the lineup has one hitter who is truly dangerous, but not in the 40 homer 130RBI way, but in the 20+HR, 35+ double, 100+ walk way. Nobody in this lineup is a true blue offensive nightmare. Teams built on OBP need a guy who is their buzzsaw, who makes those baserunners hurt the other team. A guy who you want up with the game on the line every time. I though Youk and Bay were a poor man's tandem in that category in 2009, but they fit that mold nonetheless. This yr's model is Youk and who? Martinez and Youk? He's a great hitter for a catcher, but overall he's pretty good offensively, certainly not great. Drew? Well, he's more of an OBP, bat on the shoulder kind of guy who really doesnt fit the middle of the order player mold. Ortiz? In his youth, in his youth. This is the problem. The sox O will work counts and will have a bunch of guys in the above average OPS category. But they arent fearsome at all. And fearsome lineups are the ones that tear through any type of pitching. Good pitching is going to rifle through the sox this yr. Mark it.

The sox are selling this team as a team built on run prevention. It is, in reality, a team built with flexibility in mind. Theo hated having Manny around. Not just because of his antics, but because he was locked in at primo price through 2008. The sox might not be as good as they were last yr, but the current theme allows for them to fill a hole next yr with a bigger fish. Cashman did the same thing prior to 2009. He knew 3 prime targets were coming available and instead of locking up players prior to 2008 or making deals that would cost massive money AND prospects, he bided his time, filled holes with short term fixes and waited until he could craft the team he wanted at the price he was willing to pay. Theo is doing the same thing IMO. He has his eye on Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzo will cost 20 mil per season once his current contract runs out and might ask for that in negotiations should the sox deal for him. Beckett is going to be asking for Lackey money at the very least and CC money at the very most. Hell, Cliff Lee is coming available too. A lot of players that the sox would be interested in are coming available and after 2010, the team is completely and totally rebuilt. This is what I think the sox are doing. They are filling their team with stopgap measures and one long term fit in Lackey with the hopes that they can stay competitive until Theo can put the best team he can field out there.

Hanging around Posada wont magically take this kid's swing and turn it into a power hitter's swing.

Cervelli is 22 yrs old. He isnt done developing. He'll get better, the question is by how much. And players can regress as they age too. I love Cervelli on this team. I think he gives us a legitimate backup solid D catcher who can hit and run a bit too. His defense plays well enough to start a la a Gerald Laird. But in NY, that will never fly

It's impossible to come up with any sort of post since the sox have so much turnover.

Wow, someone is drinking the Kool-Aid. First of all, before you pencil Anderson in, I'd see if he can hit AA pitching this yr Second off, Bowden showed nothing this past yr and is prime for a trade or being buried with the way Casey Kelly is shooting up the ranks Third, Westmoreland hasnt proven he can stay healthy and hasnt taken one swing in a long season league yet. These guys are solid prospects, but they all have a long way to go before you pencil them in as replacements for players like Beckett, Ortiz, Bay, etc.

I didnt touch it because I work all the god damn time. I read your piece. It is interesting, but his yr to yr variability was pretty big, especially from 2005 to 2009. And, he has proven a few seasons in his career that he can actually pitch with runners on.

Better peripherals from Vazquez, but a higher ERA. I have said before that ERA is not a good way to judge a pitcher. You tried to make the point that its his inability to pitch when runners are on base. That's kinda like arguing clutch in a hitter, eventually it all evens out.

Depends on what you want. If you want Nostalgia, Wrigley, old YS and Fenway are the ones. If you want luxury, new YS is the way to go. If you want just aesthetically pleasing stadiums then Camden Yards, SafeCo and Pittsburg's new park are hard to beat

He's had a WAR of 4.5 or higher for the past 4 seasons, 3 of those in the AL

I find it just sad how nobody here can acknowledge the acquisition of Vazquez. We won the World Series last yr (remember that) because we added 2 power pitchers to the front of our rotation and they rocked into the playoffs. And on top of that, we add the second most durable and one of the most powerful (K wise) pitchers of the past decade. Yet our rotation doesnt stack up? Just plain dumb. I am sick of arguing it. When the ASB comes around and the sox are scrambling to stay in the wild card hunt, then we'll have a conversation. The problem is, you guys never admit defeat. You never give credit to the other team. Regardless, maybe that'll change when #28 is secured. Or will you just whine about the financial advantage again?

Pedroia has the higher career OPS, but that is only due to Cano's miserable 2008. Cano actually has had 3 seasons with an OPS over .840 to Pedroia's one. And, Cano has the two highest OPS seasons between the two with his 2006 and 2009. Offensively, he's the better player. Now defensively, Cano has had an interesting run when it comes to UZR. 2 consective seasons with a UZR right around -5 yet he had one yr of a UZR of 11. Pedroia has been consistently above 1. But the Range Factor is in Cano's favor, so I dunno which one to believe. Just going by my own visualizations, Cano had Pedroia in arm and range, but Cano seems to lollygag and make some stupid plays here and there. Pedroia may not have Cano's arm or range, but he still has good range for a 2B and makes almost all the plays. Regardless, I dont think one could make a good case for either player to be the better overall player. Right now, both are right for what their team needs. The sox need him as their #2 hitter, and his patient approach is perfect. The Yankees need him as more of a power hitter since he hits lower in the order and drives in runs.

They definitely have the time. The problem is, do they have the time to allow him to mature in the big leagues? Guys like him, who have all the stuff and none of the control might take 2-3 yrs in the bigs to become top notch. Boston and NY cannot afford to let a guy like that mature. Might be easier to let him go to Florida or so and then sign him when he's 27 and refined

I think you are going to be disappointed when the Yankees match the sox rotation pitch for pitch. Also, with Hughes or Joba in the pen, I'd take our pen too. And I do agree that Cano and Pedroia are even. Their OPS difference is .007 and that includes a miserable 2008 for Cano which was completely out of character for a guy who has set a precedent as being one o fthe best 2b's in the game.

Gammons is reporting that Damon might accept a 1 yr deal with the Yankees if he cannot get a 2 yr deal out on the market.

Its a stupid premise. He obviously is a smart catcher. I dont know if he's smarter than most, but he's definitely not stupid.

I love his stuff, but the Yanks are out of it because they are convinced he's destined for relief.

Crap for Crap

I was playing Imperial's game of what have you done for me lately.

exactly. Nobody should expect him to be much more than a .700OPS player at his best

Cervelli is a backup and he's replacing Molina, who had an OPS under .600.