SoxSport

Question: Do spring training stats mean anything? Answer: sometimes.

Looks to me from Henry's statements they are pontificating Ortiz. Maybe they just want to make sure he isn't going anywhere south of Boston. Maybe they think he is some kind of high priest in Boston--with all his inspirational talk. He did have an unreal playoffs. Fortunately for him, he backs up his bluster. I just hope he doesn't fall flat. The media will get on him. The guy has gotten so many big hits in Boston you can't count them.

The Yankees seem to be taking these games seriously down here. They had their starting lineup playing today except for Ellsbury.They are under terrific pressure to make the playoffs from the TV people. Almost all their ST games are on MLB network. And when they aren't on, the Mets are on. The Red Sox seem to be focusing on the CF situation more than anything. They haven't made much effort yet to field their starting lineup.Of course, nobody knows who will start in CF. My feeling is Sizemore has a big advantage in being an experienced leadoff guy, which they need to replace Ellsbury. JBJ might leadoff eventually, but he'd be batting 9th if he makes the cut. Vic looks like an excellent no.2 guy, batting RHd exclusively now. What an athlete this guy is! Interesting that there is no competition at SS. Bogaerts has it locked up. Herrera looks like a solid backup guy. Excellent fielder. You wonder if Ortiz can keep it going at his age. He had a remarkable run last year thru the playoffs, and you wonder if he isn't due for a letdown. Especially getting his extension.

They won't release Sizemore the way he is playing. More likely, they will send JBJ down to Pawtucket on a short leash. Their problem is they are short of guys who can play RF. Nava is a defensive liability out there. He and Gomes are almost strictly LF. That leaves Vic, Size and JBJ for CF and RF. Carp is really a backup to Nap at 1B. Carp and Nava can hit, so they prefer to keep both. I don't know. It's a dilemma. They don't want to cut into their depth. So I would shorten the bullpen a bit, at least early in the season, until the OF sorts itself out. They want to be careful about coming up short in the OF.

I agree they'll stick with JBJ and Sizemore--at least in the beginning. That means cutting somebody else from the roster. I would be in favor of cutting a BP pitcher. How many are they carrying--11 or 12 pitchers? 12 seems absurd, but that's what they do these days pitching guys one inning per heatup. Not very efficient, in my view. Seems guys like Britton can start the season in AAA. Workman they need as starter insurance. How many Ofers? JBJ, Size, Gomes, Nava, Vic and Carp. But Carp can count as Nap backup at 1B. Vic is fragile, so Size and JBJ need some time in RF. That's where both come in handy. Looks like Size can contribute if they don't overuse him. They have to be conservative about him--at least for awhile. He hasn't played in 2 years.

More a question of soundness than decline for Felix. Has been up and down in ST. My guess is he's OK. CC is more a question of decline. He has logged a lot of innings in NY and his heat is down.

Ells is part of the big NY buildup. After all, isn't he making $22 million now? LOL. Making the playoffs in mediatown is serious business. The Yanks are under some pressure after missing last year.

King Felix was 2-6, ERA 4.11 after the all-star game last year. Had a bad August, 1-4, 5.82 ERA, .281 BAA. Came back some in Sept. 3.78 ERA. There was talk he was having elbow or arm issues. My memory was correct.

There was talk at the end of last year about Hernandez having some arm problems. He has been up and down in ST, and we'll have to see how he is. Unless Sabathia comes back to being dominant, the Yankees SP is questionable--regardless of what the NY based media says. They are still a ways behind the Rays, Orioles and Red Sox. Losing Cano is bigger than the Red Sox' losing Ellsbury--obviously. The media has been building up Ellsbury as a Yankee much more than Ellsbury as a Red Sox. The NY effect.

Have to agree. Media is giving too much play to Sizemore--and Drew. X and JBJ have shown enough so far to start at SS and CF. Especially X, off his play in the playoffs last year. Sizemore is at best a backup at this point. And fitting him into the OF is going to be a problem unless they deal Carp and cut into their depth.

Is Brentz a sleeper here? This guy is having a very good ST, hitting-wise. They are devoid of RHd power in the OF, except for Gomes. You just never know how things will develop. Carp is hitting very well, too. He seems to be a key part of their depth. Nava, too.You figure they are looking at a backup for Vic in RF, who is out frequently with his back, etc. Could Brentz be the one? So they got Nava, Gomes. Carp, Vic, JBJ, Sizemore and Brentz. Carp doubles at 1b. Tough call at this point.

Noticed the green monster in FT Myers is partly glassed midway up with a restaurant in there? Funny I was thinking the same thing for the Fenway one when they were remodeling.

I agree the FO is standing fast with X and JBJ. There is nothing like a World Championship to buy a little patience! The same goes at 3B with Middlebrooks, and they have some depth there with Cecchini. With his patience and Will's power, you have an all-star.

Right now, I would pick the Nationals over the Braves. Could be their year. Braves have pitching issues, and a lot of hitters who don't get on base--except for Freeman. The Cards and the Pirates should fight it out in their division. The Dodgers are easy favorites with their huge TV contract and good FO--better than the Angels, who haven't invested wisely and are always short of pitching. Oakland does it with smoke and mirrors--they are lucky the Angels FO sucks. Beane just collects role players who get on base--plus a bunch of no name pitchers in a big park. Life is simple. Tigers again in their division. The toughest division lately has been the AL east. Toronto will bounce back some. The Os and the Rays will be right there. The Os have been desperate to improve their pitching, but they are still short a closer. Getting rid of Johnson is almost as bad as the Yankees letting Cano go. The Yankees, the media's team, are once again overrated--weak infield and uncertain pitching. The Red Sox are the defending champs, and are the team to beat. I figure SS will be improved, and CF will work out. Not sold on Sizemore yet. Pitching looks better--much better--than at this point last year. And it's always about pitching in this division. Their strong suit. This is a very good team, with excellent coaching.

Well, the regulars finally showed up to play, and guess what happened. They won. They are still the team to beat--the defending champs.

Possible they would trade Carp, but he's part of their strength--depth. Plus they would have no backup to Nap at 1B except Ortiz. I figure Bradley has to show something, or he goes to Pawtucket if Sizemore looks good. But Sizemore could go down at any time, so Bradley needs to be close by. The roster situation is complicated because teams carry 1 or 2 more pitchers these days, with heavier use of the BP. You wonder why Baseball doesn't just increase the roster size by 1 or 2. What's the difference.

...and from the Herald this morning: http://bostonherald.com/sports/red_sox_mlb/boston_red_sox/2014/03/healthy_sizemore_battles_bradley_for_starting_job Sizemore has done everything right so far, but he has a long way to go yet to prove his durability. Can he play every day? One setback and he is probably finished, so they have to go easy with him. What about Bradley? Is the competition good or bad for him? Hard to say. The article says there is no roster spot for him if Sizemore makes it. I guess that means there is also no roster spot for Drew, either. Funny how the media always has to build up conflict, and take a stand. There is a suggestion here of lining up against Bradley and even Bogaerts--with the petty criticism on the tweets of his SS range, based on one or two ground balls. Here is a kid who could be the all-star SS. Managers and GMs must have fits about what is written and said about their players--especially this time of year when there isn't much of substance to say. Hopefully, the kids have their ear muffs on. Getting back to Sizemore/Bradley, this looks like a healthy competition to me, because I suspect the winner will make everybody fast forget Ellsbury and his 50 fantasy SBs.

Yeah, I agree. Let the kid play. It takes a few years to hit your stride in the big leagues for most. Bogaerts, too. X lets one or two grounders by in a game, and people like Cafardo start wishing for Drew. You wonder if Boras isn't at work there. He has pumped up both Ellsbury and Drew. Ells has inflated fantasy value because of his 50 SBs-- and his inflated Yankee contract. Stick with the kids. The Yankees wish they had them.

Middlebrooks hit a HR today--to RF. The good is he is hitting the ball where it's pitched. The bad is he has to pull the ball more to hit 30 HRs. So far, so good with Sizemore. But they are cautious enough to know they can't lean on him too much too soon. It's about that time when the regulars started getting more work, especially the pitchers. This team has to be ready to win right out of the box. I expect Mujica will replace Tazawa at setup.

The tweets are alive with Henry's reply to the Marlins saying they should improve their team regular season instead of complaining about the quality of their opposition in ST games. LOL. True the Red Sox are playing some kids most have never heard of, and most of those are not playing very well. But so are most of the other teams. Trouble is any controversy like this just plays into the hands of the NY dominated media who hate the Red Sox. The Red Sox, reigning champions and baseball's best team right now, become the subject of controversy for playing too many kids in ST! MLB network is showing ST games every day now. One thing you can be sure of is one game will involve the Yankees, usually afternoon, and the other game will involve the Dodgers, usually evening. A lot of fans don't realize MLB network is pretty much run by CBS-NY. Strictly big market orientation. It isn't NESN.

CC has been on the decline for awhile now. Logged a lot of miles in NY. King Felix may also be declining a bit. His heat is down.

Buchholz won't be worth his salary if he doesn't show some durability this year. We'll see how he comes out of ST.

Seems like the Sox are spending an awful lot of time looking at a awful lot of minor league pitchers who are looking awful. Time to get the regulars some work.

This is the Red Sox, not the Yankees. Lester will sign for $17M range, 5-6 years. Most agents and players know that the money is less outside of NY and LA. And possibly Texas. That's the real world of TV contracts.

I saw the old Yaz when he was 22 in '61, his first year in Boston. He had two years in the minors, and hit a ton there both years. He comes to the Red Sox in '61 as Ted Williams' heir apparent in LF. He hits a modest .266 with a .327 OBP, 11 HRs. There is hope, Will Middlebrooks. Didn't pull the ball. Lots of doubles off the LF wall. I remember one game against the O's he pulled a "frozen rope" four feet off the ground to RF that was caught at the warning track. About as hard a ball as I've ever seen hit. An omen for things to come. His power, avg and OBP increase over the next few years, culminating in that monster triple crown year he had in '67. He was about as good a player who ever played for that one year. The other thing I remember is the monster playoffs he had in the late 70s against the As, when he moved back to LF from 1B due to injuries. Played a great LF in that series. He remains the greatest Red Sox defensive left fielder, and one of the greatest ever at that position. I just saw his grandson briefly yesterday, but he didn't show very much. I see more of Yaz's great swing in Nava batting left handed than I did in his grandson. but that was only one at bat. Wonder why the Red Sox didn't sign him.