5GoldGlovesOF,75

He made the majors at the end of '72, was the fourth outfielder in '73, and '74 was Evans' first season as a fulltimer (>500 PA) at age 22. At the same time, the Red Sox also had the following youngsters breaking into the lineup: Rick Burleson 23, Cecil Cooper 24, and Juan Beniquez 24. Rice 21, and Lynn 22 were also called up that final month to get a taste. Fisk was already the regular catcher at 26 (though injured most of the year). This isn't all nostalgia... maybe a parallel of bountiful farm harvests for the next few seasons?

I'm taking the optimistic stance: the best thing will be that Campbell is so dominant in Spring Training, he not only wins the starting job, but becomes AL Rookie of the Year (and with the MLB reward pick, the Red Sox draft a future starting pitcher from a D1 school!)... ... meanwhile, Roman Anthony also has a great rookie season, and doesn't get hit by a bone-breaking pitch right before the postseason (like Jim Rice in 1975).

We don't even have inadequate pitching depth... ... but that may not change if John Henry watches the Dodgers use an opener in a couple days and win the World Series.

Sale's 2024 was unpredictable, because after half a decade, he finally had a healthy, great season. Sale's 2024 was predictable, because just when it looked like his team could count on him, he got injured again. If the Red Sox kept him, they probably make the postseason... and get bounced almost before the playoffs begin when their ace can't start Game 1. And the board would be full of Unrealistic 2025 threads speculating a rotation led by Chris Sale...

As much as it sucks for Sox fans that the Yankees -- and some former Boston heroes -- are back in the World Series, it's great for MLB overall and hardball fans all over the world. Seeing half the top 10 stars in the game battling on the big stage is what TV viewers, networks and advertisers want most (imagine the ratings if -- instead of NY-LA -- we had Cleveland vs. Milwaukee?). And it might not be so bad for Red Sox fans, if a team with high-priced star power wins it all. Maybe that form of get-what-you-pay-for will convince John Henry that he's still a billionaire who can legitimately compete with other rich owners if he changes his mind to go back to the good old days... if he wants.

I don't feel dumbfounded as much as just dumb, wasting all summer watching an entire team of swing-and-miss, and believing dumb stats that say a bunch of whiffers have such a good offense. Any Sox fan who watched this batting order with runners on third, or even ghosts on second, knows that pitching, defense, and baserunning aren't the only problems.

Trading Casas this winter may actually be selling high. For a power hitter, such a core injury -- that is either brought on by or aggravated from swinging too hard -- doesn't seem to be easy to fix or prevent from recurring. Maybe ever. Maybe it continues to plague him next season, and then the Red Sox will be forced to sell low. Fans will just have to trust Boston's medical team and the decision to try to extend Casas... or deal this still-valuable chip, and replace him.

But no expensive take-out from Starbucks. They brew a big pot of generic ground Stop & Shop brand. And everyone has to drink it black, so they don't waste the budget on cream and sugar.

'13 is the only group with a certain Hall of Famer; '06 has three borderlines (including two on the mound); '16 has by far the most overhyped: two guys rated #1 overalls by various sites, the first "next Pedro" and another who supposedly threw 105 mph... plus, a $300 million-dollar man... ... so right now, the current group is most closest to the '16s

Hey, Turkey Stearnes had a higher lifetime batting average than Ted Williams! You can look it up...

Orioles' starting pitchers at the top of their rotation on the 101-win 2023 AL East champs (w games started): Gibson 33, Kremer 32, Bradish 30. 2024 O's: Gibson gone, Kremer 24, Bradish 8. The same type of regression could afflict Crawford 33, Houck 30, Bello 30... with Pivetta 26, probably gone. Getting Burnes saved Baltimore -- at least as far as keeping them a playoff team. Who knows what will happen if the Red Sox keep diddling and dabbling in the market of mediocrity... ... we do.

Did any Baltimore spend last offseason pondering arb-eligible players they could add to round out their roster? Nope, the Orioles pulled off a major blockbuster trade for Corbin Burnes, a #1 bonafide ace starting pitcher. The O's won 101 games in 2023, but still spent from their deep prospect capital to acquire a top-of-the-rotation starter. Good thing, too, since none of the three pitchers who started at least 30 games in '23 were around or healthy enough to duplicate that -- and only Burnes started over 30, and led the club in innings pitched, ERA+, FIP, WHIP, WINS as the AL's starting pitcher in the '24 All-Star Game. Do the Red Sox need to sign Corbin Burnes? Not specifically -- but they do need to sign or trade for a NUMBER ONE... even if it's someone Brez and Bailey target, tweak and elevate to that slot by March (like Lugo last year for the Royals, who were more "interested" in him than Boston). To really compete with the Yankees and Orioles for the foreseeable future, the Red Sox need BOTH Fried and Crochet, southpaws to combat young lefty batters like Soto, Henderson and Holliday - stars who will be around for a long time. The White Sox will take the best package offered for Crochet. I'd part with Duran, 28 (two years older than Soto) before Casas, 25 in January, or any of the top prospects, who are all 22 or younger.

It breaks your ears. It is designed to break your ears.

I once saw a Blue Jay go wing to wing with a Hawk on the ground next to a pine tree, while a group of Jays cheered from the branches. The foes rolled around for a few minutes, each getting two points for reversals, then flew their own ways. The Mockingbird might seem disrespectful, but when he sings, we get to hear a whole concert.

The 2013 Dodgers finished first, but LA fans must have been in uproar ever since because of all the huge albatross contracts the team has been dragging around -- just look at the roster that season: Kershaw (who has made about $300 million, and earned some of it), Matt Kemp (who they owed over $100 million), Andre Ethier (who they owed $70 million the next half decade), Zach Greinkie ($50M for two more years) -- not to mention the kajillions LA agreed to pay to ex-Red Sox Crawford, Gonzalez, Beckett and Punto. The poor fans. How have the Dodgers been able to blow so much money, move on from costly mistakes, and keep reinvesting in quality ballplayers and a quality team -- year after year after year?

Probably Wacha -- who Bloom paid market price at the time. But once he proved he was quality, they looked elsewhere. And let's get something straight: I have never rooted for the Yankees in my life, and never will. But I'm rooting for the Dodgers' opener game to fail because I believe it's in the best interests of being a Boston fan; remember, I don't want LA to lose that game, just for one of their relievers to suck (maybe walk the park), so I don't have to live through it when the Sox are finally back in the postseason and try the same plan.

Obviously rooting hard for Mookie, Kike and the D's... ... except if you're an unrealistic Red Sox fan, channel your logic to cheer on batters to absolutely destroy LA relievers on any night on a national stage that they try to win a World Series game using an OPENER. I still want the Yanks' bullpen to blow that game, but Boston fans have to hope the Dodgers don't win because of an opener -- lest our owners feel more justified to never again pay market prices for quality starting pitching.

This has been an annual tradition since the Red Sox hired Bloomslow and intentionally didn't invest in enough quality depth while team-building in every single offseason since their last championship six years ago. And the past will continue to repeat itself every summer until the current -- or a new ownership -- decides to go for it again.

Phanatics and pundits alike may be counting a bit too much on overnight sensations generated by our mop-top lads. The future's so bright, but it's not made in the shade: Triple A Worcester, last stop in 2024 for most of our great hyped hopes, had a fine second half, with the second-best record in the International League; Double A Portland -- where Boston's top prospects starred most of the summer -- was also the second-best team in the second half in the Eastern League; But the org with the best second-half clubs in the IL and EL? The New York Yankees... Neither Portland nor Woo finished first in either half-season, but the Sea Dogs did have the overall best record, 18 games over .500. Worcester had the second-best overall record, 8 games over .500... ... the Yanks' IL affiliate -- Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders were 29 games over .500 -- but so what; they can't even fit their whole name on a t-shirt! (I may be an unrealist, but never a fakest).

... which is most Sox' fans problem with Yoshida -- the best contact hitter... by far... on the team. Maybe Red Sox Nation, so conditioned to watch and root for a vastly overrated, all-or-nothing offense, just can't handle a batter who doesn't wow them with an occasional longball in between hot nights of swings and misses that fan their overpriced, shoehorned seats. Yoshida doesn't do much to help a lineup of historical whiffers like Boston's. He'd be a better fit on clubs built on putting the ball in play to create and maximize rallies.

We don't have a lot to discuss yet since no moves have been made, but DH is maybe the least important issue; ... by default, DH is the only position that doesn't affect the defense. Yoshida might bug some fans, but he and his salary aren't going anywhere. His big league bat may stay in the rack in the dugout half the games next year, but Masa is not going to make or break the season. Even if Brez finally lands Teoscar as his righty power hitter, they'll deal with him in left field part time and let whatever good glove isn't traded in center to cover the gap.

I wouldn't either, but the Bloom Sox sure paid him like one. And we all know Story wasn't signed to play 2B, but SS as soon as Bogaerts left -- because they didn't want to pay Xander the same amount for those same years.

Get forward, Jojo...

Chasing down star players has worked for the Red Sox lately. They chased down a star infielder in Colorado and a star outfielder in Japan, and have since moved from last place in 2022 and 2023 to third place in 2024.

That's nice of them, but the only true value of anything is what someone is willing to pay for it.