cp176

I am not disagreeing with you but I would find it highly unlikely that they both wind up playing together. We would all like to keep the best ones but sometimes it just doesn't work. If they both prove capable in the field and at the plate, my guess is that one will be moved to help get a very special player as in a young potentially great pitcher. It is just a personal thing I guess but I don't see that special pitcher in our system. Some would suggest that it is Owens - I don't agree. They have a number of potentially solid middle to back of the rotation guys coming along. Rodriguez maybe a little better but it is an area that I think they have the trading chios to improve at.

I agree with you entirely. We know what Vasquez appears to be capable of. Swihart, as far as I am concerned is still a prospect. That being said- if he is as good as they say he could be Fisk might have to move aside. Better to wait and see on this one. No rush to judgement. Too early and too sign. I would go so far as to say that if Vasquez hits .260, Swihart will very likely get moved for that "special piece".

Believe it or not, it could be Vasquez who winds up getting moved ultimately.

Swihart is a catcher. i think that he will remain a catcher. Pretty soon there will be an issue there. It will be a good problem to have if they both continue to develop as expected. Glad I won't have to solve it. I don't see him being moved from behind the plate.

I feel like an idiot for getting those two mixed up.

I think that that is a very fair point. I would probably still go with Ruth just from a historical perspective but there are other candidates. Mays? or maybe even the greatest hitter of all time. Orr Russell My first thought is Jim Brown but I might also consider Lawrence Taylor. Without him, left tackles would not be making the $ they are today. He changed the game and redefined a position.

Thank you - that is what I meant. I ought to take a break. just starting to rattle away. I am excited to see it begin though. I was also pleased to hear what you had to say about Ortiz. I am curious to know if his feet have healed completely. Not much fun as an athlete to have that type of injury!

Cecchini = blocked in boston for a few years at least Marrero = blocked in boston forthe froseeable future Johnson = back of the rotation kind of guy Any combination of those 3 that brought back any type of dependable pitching would seem like a good deal to me. I would like to see Johnson stick around if possible because has has shown some solid ability and right now we have no idea what we will be getting from that top 5. My feeling about prospects is that is does no one any good to keep them around forever if there is no obvious place for them to be on the roster.

If (and it appears that he is) Victorino is healthy, my bet is on Mookie to be in cf on opening day and not Cespedes. Things might change. He may be a lot better than I think he will be. We don't know. What we do know is that a healthy Victorino is about as good as you can get in right field. Ramirez will be in left. He may or he may not be an upgrade in the field. Once again we don't know. Like to think so but who knows. I hope that he stays healthy while playing the field. Looks to me like a future dh candidate. Betts had a great debut and projects high. I realize that we all love Brock Holt but if (when?) Pedroia gets hurt I hope that Betts gets moved to the position that he should be in.

That is a very different way of looking at things. It is refreshing. It can't get any worse.

The projections are all over the place and probably for good reason. They could be good and they could be bad. no one really knows what to make of this team. Project, guess, hope, all you want - I really can't remember seeing them go into the spring and feeling this way about them before. Let's hope the job gets done and that they compete. What are the constants here? who on that field would you be willing to say is a safe bet to perform at a high level? If everything aligns, they will be fine.

Once again - It literally is a whole different ballgame than it used to be. I think that this forum is actually just a small sample of the typical Red Sox fan. But, that being said, I really do think that the Red Sox fans that I have known, have never been particularly kind in either word or thought when the Sox haven't played well. Whether you or I like it or not, it is a way of life in New England. The true fan of this team feels a sense of ownership that we certainly don't have any right to feel but that is the way it goes. Personally I am very excited for the season to start but if things fall apart for whatever reason, I don't think that it will set well with Sox fans. We live in an environment that can be kind of harsh for a good part of the year - tends to darken ones thoughts. I think that most of us try to remain positive but it just doesn't always work out that way. I am a fan and will support them all the way but I can only speak for myself. The average guy or gal off the street is going to see a team that has spent the second highest amount of money spent by any team in the majors and still heads into the spring with what could to some appear to be muddled mess. Admittedly many of the issues this team has are good ones to have and many will work themselves out but I think the average fan might tend to be a little less positive about it than that. It certainly should be entertaining!

HEY - I am a lifelong Giants fan. Some might consider me old(er) but I am no old timer.

Odd man out is the million dollar boy who nobody really knows much about. If everybody is healthy, that would be my outfield.

I have to admit that I am looking forward to it more so than in some past years. There seems to be a great deal of intrigue here. A ton of questions that need to be answered. I still think that the Sox are holding some strong cards and that there will still be some significant moves made as we go along. Thank you and I hope that you enjoy the season as well.

A couple of great posts there. The only point I might question is the devotion of the fan. I think that there are more devoted fans today but growing up with this team there were and will not be more devoted fans than those of us who have stuck with this team through thick and thin. And I do mean thin. Thin hasn't been the same in general since 1967. I agree entirely with you when you say certainly the biggest difference between Yankee fans and Red Sox fans is that we simply cheer for different teams.

If the internet had existed earlier as well as forum boards such as this, I doubt seriously that the loyal fan base of lovable losers would have existed quite so quietly as they appear to have. We didn't have a choice. None of us enjoyed going into a season hoping for anything better than a last place finish in the league. But - it was baseball- we loved the game -did not have these types of outlets. With the payroll the current team operates with and the farm system that many suggest is outstanding, there is really 0 reason why we shouldn't expect this team to compete aggressively each year. Call it what you like - entitlement - acting like a Yankee fan or whatever, "on paper" they should produce. This will be an interesting year. Jobs are on the line at every level. Too many question marks for there not to be. They are taking some risks which quite often can be good but if they don't work out a pic I am sure will be payed.

Nobody repeat nobody knows what they will get from this team this year. You can be as negative or as positive as you want to be. Great cases can be made for both sides. What we do know is that the Red Sox spent a ton of money during the off season. Things could go very well or they could go the other way. They should be better offensively but once again lots of questions. Think Ramirez will see 140 + games ? Defensively we know they will be stronger at third even though some posters don't seem to like Sandoval's fitness level, he can still make plays. If Victorino is healthy, we are better in right field. Other than that, come on - poorer in left and about the same maybe a little better with respect to everywhere else. There is no reality check needed with respect to this pitching staff. Absolutely unpredictable. If past performance is what you use as your assessment tool, we might be in trouble. If you see a fairly young staff, with a few ready to blossom, then we are ok. Looks to me as though there will be a number of jobs on the line here this season. Sometimes the good ones operate very well in atmosphere like the one that has been created here. Let's hope they do. I have no money invested here, so I choose to be positive. But I am that way and have been forever because that is the way most Red Sox fans that I grew up with tend to be. It is going to be one of the more interesting seasons I think that we have seen.

Just asking but you don't see Betts in that lineup with that projected 3.6 WAR. Best on the team.

Good to know - thanks. That one concerned me.

Your response works for me but I keep asking myself if there is some possible reason why someone would want to project Castillo to that number. I am by no means into conspiracy thinking but that one seems strange to me although I do want him to be that good. They paid a lot of money for him and he will play. I also understand that it is just a way to try to help project future performance but when used like this, I think that it hurts the credibility of the stat itself. I have been working hard to understand the terminology and its importance and then I see this one. If Victorino comes out healthy, I see Castillo as being number 4 in the outfield.

Ok - thiis is a legitimate question that should probably be in a new thread but I think that all parameters of thread boundaries have pretty much disappeared so here goes. It is not meant to antagonize those who think that metrics supersede other aspects of evaluation. I do in fact recognize the role statistics play in the game although I am not as deeply devoted to them as some. I just would truly like to know what others think about something I just read. I am not a big acronym guy as a matter of fact my "GAFF" for most of them is pretty low. I have learned what WAR is and what it represents to some. I just read an article that told me that Mookie Betts has the highest WAR of anyone on our team going in to the spring (3.6). A dead heat for second - Pedroia and Castillo (3.5) I believe. Believe me, I am a big Mookie Betts fan but find it hard to believe that one so young whom many don't even see starting initially for us could be rated higher than everyone else. I truly do not understand how Castillo could possibly be rated this high. Am I the only one who thinks that maybe the sample size here with him is a bit limited in scope. I am really not trying to start an argument, just trying to see if the WAR ratings really are as important as made out to appear. Probably no one will be changing my opinion about this one but I am curious to know what others think. There has to be something that I am missing here.

An honest man. No ******** - tell it like you think it is. I might not always agree with what you say, but I will always respect it and think about it. Too many pretenders in the world today.

Good for you! You have made notice of Rodriguez. He has the body type that would indicate some staying power at the big league level. I know nothing about his mental makeup which of course is very important but in terms of raw potential he tops my list of pitching prospects. No one seems to know where he might fit someday. He is only 21 but some suggest he has top of the rotation potential.

What? you don't think that they will all get a participation trophy - maybe even a coach's award? I am with you on your line of reason. There has to be a plan and it has to include much more than what has already been done.