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Why I’d Love to See Dustin Pedroia Become the Next Manager of the Boston Red Sox

1/21/2020

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by Phoenix Desertsong, Red Sox for Life
Dustin Pedroia
While I realize that this article may not age well, I had a hot take on the Red Sox manager situation that I simply HAD to write about: I think Dustin Pedroia should be the next manager of the Boston Red Sox.

Hot take? It most certainly is. I mean, it makes sense for the Red Sox to reach out to former players. Nomar Garciaparra has been suggested by fans, but I’m not sure he’s interested. 

Jason Varitek seems an obvious perfect fit. After all, he dealt with the Boston media for years, many of those as Red Sox team captain. He has always seemed like the perfect manager candidate and could give the team the centering influence it needs to pull together after a highly disappointing 2019 season. But, I get the impression that Jason is happy in retirement with his family and kids. I could be wrong, though. 

Mike Lowell already offered to manage for a year as a bridge to Alex Cora returning in 2021. Thanks, but no thanks, man. The Alex Cora ship has sailed.

Of course, despite his obvious wrongdoings in the past, Cora was, and still is, beloved by the players. Bringing in an outside candidate just a few weeks before spring training seems like a bad idea. Well, you already know from the title of this article what my suggestion will be: hire Dustin Pedroia as manager!

Hear me out: Pedroia just suffered another setback in his return to the field. His left knee simply isn’t cooperating. But, with two years and $25 million left on his contract, he’s pretty much forced to keep attempting a comeback. A lot of people want to see him pull a David Wright, settle for an insurance settlement, and retire. 

I don’t think that’s the right idea. With Pedey’s playing days probably behind him, why force him to rehab and sit on the bench? The Red Sox need Pedey’s competitive fire and energy more than ever. He’s a pretty unorthodox choice for a manager, I’ll admit, but since when is playing it safe worth it?

As it is, Pedroia has had an amazing playing career. I mean, look at these numbers:

  • 14 seasons 
  • .299 career batting average
  • 1,805 hits
  • Rookie of the Year
  • 1 MVP
  • 4 All-Star Games
  • 4 Gold Gloves
  • 3 World Series Rings (including 2018 when he was hurt)

Of course, Pedroia is still under contract. That’s a lot of money. He’s not going to simply walk away from it, and why should he? Pedroia earned it. Plus, by becoming manager, he could STILL return, even if just to pinch hit occasionally. I would LOVE to see a player-manager after all these years.

Is my dream of Dustin Pedroia being the Red Sox manager in 2020 going to come true? I can dream! It’s also not as crazy as it sounds.

Who do YOU think should be the next manager of the Boston Red Sox?


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A Guide to Willie McGee Red Sox Baseball Cards

10/29/2019

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by    Phoenix Desertsong, Red Sox Fan for Life
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Willie McGee was a popular baseball player who mostly played for the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants, but also played stints with two other teams: the Oakland Athletics and the Boston Red Sox. While his time with the Red Sox was short, only 67 games in 1995, there are a couple of cards of the former 1985 MVP in a Red Sox uniform.

The 1995 Upper Deck “Traded” Willie McGee Baseball Card

If you want to collect Willie McGee baseball cards depicting him on the Boston Red Sox, you need only find two - three if you include a limited edition parallel. His first Red Sox card is featured in 1995 Upper Deck, card number 484. It features McGee running the bases - something he always did quite well - although McGee only stole 5 bases (and was caught twice) with the Red Sox. 

This card is actually more scarce that you might expect, due to the fact that it was only available as a “Traded” redemption available from cards pulled from 1995 Upper Deck Series Two packs. Because of its limited distribution, you will have to keep an eye out for a copy, since they don’t very often come up for sale - partly because McGee was, and still is, a popular player in the hobby. The good news is if you are trying to collect a true “base set” of Willie McGee’s career, this card isn’t considered to count.


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The 1996 Donruss Willie McGee Baseball Card

Fortunately, if you really can’t find a copy of the 1995 Upper Deck “Traded” card, you can find a much more easily acquired 1996 Donruss card. Despite this being a regular base card, it’s still not easily found for sale - although it’s certainly easier to find than the 1995 Upper Deck redemption.

Personally, I like this card more than the Upper Deck for a few reasons. The front depicts Willie swinging away, and the back features him showing bunt. It also features his complete career stat line through 1995. Also, there is a parallel of this card, a Press Proof with a print run of only 2000. Good luck finding that one.

If you were ever interested in completing a Willie McGee master set on the PSA Set Registry, you’d actually only need the base 1996 Donruss Willie McGee. Currently, as of late October 2019, there aren’t any PSA 10 copies - so whoever happens to submit the first gem mint copy will have a nice little achievement.

Of course, these Willie McGee cards are a must have for any serious Willie McGee baseball card collector or hardcore Red Sox collector. Unlike so many cards from the mid 1990’s, these are actually fairly difficult to find, making for a nice little hunt for interested collectors.

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Triston Casas - A Red Sox Top Prospect Rookie Card Review

10/27/2019

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by     Phoenix Desertsong, Big Huge Red Sox Crazy Fan
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Triston Casas is the type of baseball prospect that hobby prospectors salivate over. Many scouts believe that the Red Sox top prospect could develop into a middle of the batting order hitter. His Raw Power scouting grade from FanGraphs is a 70 with 80 potential - 80 being the top grade. His current in-game power grade is a 35 with a 65 potential. 

As for results, his 137 wRC+ mostly at A-ball is fine, and just turning 20 and graduated to High-A ball, he still projects as at least an average Major League player. The big question with him is if his hit tool - ability to hit for average - will rise from the current 25 to the potential 50. The good news is he doesn’t strike-out a ton for a young power hitter and he does take some walks, so his profile is actually pretty good.

His key rookie card is the 2018 Bowman Chrome Draft Auto. The last raw one that sold on eBay was mid October 2019 for $49.99 plus $3.50 shipping. We’ll call it a $50 to $55 card. The cheapest you’ll find on eBay the night of this writing is $60.

There are a couple of other Bowman Chrome Draft autos of Casas that are selling, however, that include the Class of 2018 auto (the refractor numbered to 250) and the Draft Night auto (refractors numbered to 99 and gold refractors numbered to 50). These are attractive targets because there are simply so few of them. The class of 2018 refractor auto you can find for about $40 plus shipping. The draft night auto you’ll be lucky to find for $85 - that comp is already graded PSA 10.



As a collector, I actually favor the serial numbered autos, but my opinion is that the refractors of the 2018 Bowman Chrome Draft auto are the best investment for ROI. That’s because it’s his official 1st Bowman card and the card with the biggest market. That being said, having already graded copies of extremely limited edition cards is a nice “go for broke” strategy. If you want to play it safe, there’s the non-auto 2018 Bowman Chrome Draft which you can find in high grade for $15-20. 

Personally, I’d play it safe with Casas for the time being. Yes, he is the #1 Red Sox prospect, but he just hit .254 at A-ball. Yes, his batting eye is decent and he made noise when he did make contact. I need to see more progress before I would invest in his future, outside of maybe some raw Chrome 1st Bowman cards or colored parallels of his base Bowman Draft card.

All of these points about buying and selling sports cards are just my own informed opinions. They should NOT be taken as professional investment advice. Always do your own research, as the card market can shift drastically without much notice. Remember, this is a hobby, so you must be prepared to be stuck holding any cards you collect.

Transparency notice: As of this writing, I currently own no Triston Casas cards, but may purchase some Chrome base cards or colored parallels purely for Personal Collection purposes.

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Is Brandon Workman the Boston Red Sox Closer of the Future?

9/16/2019

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by Phoenix Desertsong, Red Sox Fanatic
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Brandon Workman has enjoyed a stellar career year for the Boston Red Sox. He’s been such a fantastic relief pitcher, in fact, that he’s become the Red Sox closer. His strikeout rate is off the charts and he’s allowed just one home run in 66 ⅓ innings! Perhaps even more incredible is despite seemingly unsustainable BABIP and HR/9 marks - and a high walk rate - Workman’s incredible season isn’t just a mirage.

It’s time to turn to my favorite statistical analysis tool for baseball: StatCast. Just look at these numbers:

Barrel Rate: 0.8% (Top 1% of league)
Expected Batting Average: .174 (Top 2% of league)
Expected Slugging Percentage: .237 (Top 1% of league)
Actual wOBA: .209 (Top 1% of league)
Expected wOBA: .256 (Top 5% of league)
Expected wOBA on contact: .311 (Top 5% of league)
Hard Hit Percentage: 28.9% (Top 6% of league)
Strikeout Rate: 35.5% (Top 4% of league)


(Note that all numbers are as of 9/16/2019)

The only bad number that StatCast spits out? His walk rate, 15.5%, which ranks in the bottom 1% of the league. Workman is simply not allowing much hard contact and he’s striking guys out, both things you really want a pitcher to do. 

According to FanGraphs, the fielding-independent pitching metrics suggest that even with that high walk rate and miniscule HR allowed rate, his FIP is 2.52 and his expected FIP - which uses an average HR/9 rate - is 3.44. Obviously, those are all acceptable numbers for a closer. Overall, FanGraphs rates Workman as earning 1.9 WAR. Not bad for a guy that the ZiPs projection system saw as a barely above replacement-level middle reliever.


But Wait, It Gets Better for Brandon Workman!

By Baseball-Reference’s WAR, which instead uses Runs Allowed per 9 innings, and not the FIP metric, Workman has been worth 2.8 WAR to the Red Sox in 2019. When you realize that Workman has been worth 2.9 WAR in his entire career including 2019, you realize what an incredible breakout this has been.

So, what’s changed about Workman? Here’s a guy who had a decent rookie season back for the eventual 2013 World Champion Red Sox as a relief pitcher. Then, he had a brutal 2014 season as a starter, after which he missed all of 2015 and 2016 (except for a few brutal rehab appearances in the minors in ‘16) with arm injuries. But, Workman bounced back nicely in 2017, pitching excellently for Pawtucket and pitching pretty well between AAA and MLB in both 2017 and 2018.

In 2013 and 2014, Workman had a sinking fastball and a change-up in addition to his four-seam fastball, cutter, and curveball. After arm troubles, when he returned to full health in 2017, those sinker and change-up were taken out of his repertoire. But he has the same three pitches in 2019 that he did in 2017 and 2018. So, what’s the difference?

One obvious thing that’s different is the average fastball velocity. Workman’s four-seam fastball has averaged 92.8 MPH this year. That’s up a lot from 2018 when it was 91.2, and even higher than 2017 when it was 92.2. The added velocity is definitely a big part of it, but what’s more incredible is the spin rate. 

The spin rate on Workman’s fastball is 2121 rpm, up from 2003 and 1982 the previous two years. Those increases in velocity and spin rate have led to a whiff rate of 35.9 percent, a huge jump from 18.3% in 2018 and 17.0% in 2017. That nearly doubled whiff rate has made Workman’s fastball practically unhittable, with a measly .129 batting average and .145 slugging percentage against. StatCast agrees with those numbers with .135 and .174 expected marks.


Brandon Workman Loves to Throw You a Curveball, A Lot

Interestingly, Workman only throws the four-seamer 33.1% of the time, down from 38.9% in 2018 and 51.2% in 2017. What’s replaced many of those fastballs, and a few of his cutters, is his curveball. It’s pretty much the same pitch as 2018’s curveball, although with more spin than 2017. Despite a lower whiff rate of 28.9%, batters have only hit .133 against it. While StatCast sees that as unsustainable, it still expects a batting average of merely .193. You can’t go wrong with that curve.

The most interesting part of this StatCast pitch arsenal data has to do with his cutter. Despite only throwing it 19.8% of the time, it clearly has been the culprit of many of Workman’s issued walks in 2019. His cutter has a whopping 20.4% walk rate. And if that sounds high, it should, as his cutter has never had higher than a 10% walk rate since StatCast began tracking pitches in that way. But, there are a couple of upsides to the cutter. It has a whopping whiff rate of 43.6%, and despite only having a K% of 26.5, has been an effective third pitch overall. Batters have only hit .083 against it, although StatCast expects a .178 batting average. Still, that’s pretty good - even with all the walks it’s ended up creating.

What this data tells us is that Workman has thrown the curve more than ever in 2019, and it’s helped both his fastball and cutter play up. While it’s clear that we may not be able to expect him to replicate this success going forward, it is clear that Workman has found a really nice pitch mix that works for him.


How Will Brandon Workman Do in 2020?

Workman was eligible for arbitration in 2019, and settled for a $1.15 million contract. That’s turned out to be a massive bargain for the Red Sox. Going into his final year of arbitration, Workman should easily expect a substantial pay raise. Through 9/16/19, Workman has a 9-1 win loss record with 14 saves and 15 holds. He does have 6 blown saves, though, but not all of those were as a closer. You may not think wins hold as much water as they once did, especially for a reliever, but that does look awfully nice on his baseball card.

Of course, if Workman’s agent does his homework, there’s a lot to like about Workman going forward. All of this pitch data is very easily accessible. Being credited for 9 wins and 14 saves means something, too - in fact, Workman’s WPA+ (Win Probability Added) on the season through 9/16 is 8.98. Of course, there are two components to WPA (WPA+ and WPA-) and his overall WPA is 2.18, which is still quite good. That mark isn’t far behind one of the best relievers in baseball - Josh Hader - at 2.36, and just ahead of Liam Hendricks, the solid A’s reliever, at 2.16. So, Workman has been a very valuable reliever. 

The advanced stats keep working in Workman’s favor in terms of StatCast expected stats, too. His expected wOBA of .256 ranks right in between the Houston Astros’ top relievers in Ryan Pressly and Roberto Osuna. Also, he’s not far behind his own teammate, Darwinzon Hernandez, at .253. That’s good company. His actual wOBA, though? Get this, it’s the lowest of any pitcher with 100 Plate Appearances. Workman’s performance has literally made Workman the most dominant reliever in baseball in 2019.

Talk about an arbitration case in Workman’s favor! Even if he stumbles a bit in the last couple weeks of the season, Workman has still been incredible. Should he be the Boston Red Sox closer going into 2020?  There’s absolutely no reason he shouldn’t be.

Of course, there is Darwinzon Hernandez, who Jhoulys Chacin memorably compared to his former teammate Josh Hader. As the StatCast data shows, Chacin is right. If you believe the StatCast metrics - and there’s little reason not to - the Red Sox have one of the best 8th and 9th inning combos in the game going into 2020. Not a bad setup.

Because of this, it’s possible that the Red Sox explore a contract extension with Workman this offseason. It’s also equally possible that the Red Sox lean on his good, not great past performance and go into 2020 with Workman on a one-year deal to prove he’s for real. But as we’ve broken down here in great length, Workman is definitely a changed pitcher. If he can work on reducing the walks on his cutter, he could, in fact, be the best closer in ALL of baseball. That’s pretty incredible stuff.

Is Brandon Workman the Boston Red Sox Closer of the Future? Perhaps. Brandon Workman IS the Boston Red Sox Closer of RIGHT NOW, though, for sure. That future title may go to Darwinzon Hernandez, but you never know. Workman is only 31 years old, very young for a relief pitcher. As long as he’s not overused or overworked, Workman likely has a very nice late-inning career ahead of him.


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Baseball America 2019 High-A Minor League Player of the Year: Jarren Duran of the Red Sox!

9/13/2019

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by Phoenix Desertsong, Minor League Baseball Fan
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Congratulations to outfielder Jarren Duran of the Boston Red Sox for being recognized as the Baseball America High-A Player of the Year! For Salem in the Carolina League, Duran hit .387/.456/.543 with 4 HR, 19 RBI, and 18 SB in 50 games. That’s good for a 191 wRC+, which is obviously quite nuts.

However, Duran actually spent most of the 2019 season at Double-A for the Portland Sea Dogs, where he hit a mere .250/.309/.325 with only 1 HR and 19 RBI. Even when you account for his 28 SB (against only 8 times caught), that’s good for only a 87 wRC+. However, despite his hiccup with the bat, Duran is a potential plus defensive outfielder, although he’s still transitioning from his original position of second base.

FanGraphs isn’t hugely big on his future potential value, giving him a 45 where 50 is a potential average Major League player. They’re high on his speed, of course, giving him a 70 out of a potential 80. But his other current and future potential values are not what you’d expect from a Player of the Year.

From Fangraphs

Hit: 40 / 55
Game Power: 30 / 40
Raw Power: 45 / 45
Speed: 70 / 70
Field: 40 / 50
Throws: 40 / 40
Future Value: 45

Of course, if Duran does become the plus defender in center field his speed and athleticism suggest, he would instantly be at least a league-average center fielder in the Majors. Saving runs in center field is extremely valuable. It should be noted that Duran was an excellent second baseman, but the Sox organization felt his athleticism was wasted at the position. The below-average arm doesn’t matter as much in center field, either.

The rest of the scouting report suggests that if he refines his baserunning instincts, he could be an easy 30 SB threat in the Majors. The question is if his hit tool develops enough to become a .300 hitter in the Majors. His plate discipline is decent enough and if he takes full advantage of his speed, the Sox have a really good player here.

It should be noted that the Steamer projection already sees Jarren Duran as a .281/.324/.402 hitter right now. Before you factor in his potential stolen bases, that’s already a 86 wRC+. Of course, that projection is heavily influenced by that Single-A outburst. But for a 23-year old with an ETA of 2022, the Sox could have a really nice late bloomer that can play both second base and center field.

What do you think of Jarren Duran as a prospect? I find it hard to get excited about a guy who dominates Single-A then stumbles so badly at Double-A. Of course, the former 7th-round draft selection Duran has his fans. Heck, he was included in the famous (infamous?) Gary Vee Direct 360 set. Unsurprisingly with the Baseball America prospect spotlight now placed on him, Jarren Duran’s cards are now listed in the $8 to $10 range.

As of this writing, the Gary Vee Direct 360 card is the only official Bowman rookie card for Duran and two minor league cards from the Salem Red Sox and New York Penn League (from his time in 2018 with the Lowell Spinners). Duran is definitely an intriguing prospect and I like his potential, but I tend to put my faith in FanGraphs scouting ratings. Could Duran blow away his ratings and ride his speed all the way to the top? He certainly could. Only time will tell.

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Boston Red Sox Cards - 1964 Topps “Sox Sockers” Carl Yastrzemski and Chuck Schilling

9/12/2019

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by Phoenix Desertsong, Lifelong Red Sox Fan
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Even most casual baseball fans know who Carl Yastrzemski is, one of the greatest Boston Red Sox players ever. But, on this 1964 Topps card entitled “Sox Sockers”  he’s sharing the card with  the Red Sox second baseman at the time. That's the slick fielding Chuck Schilling.

Far as I know, Chuck Schilling is of no relation to the much more famous pitcher Curt Schilling. What I do know is that Chuck Schilling was not a socker. He hit just 8 home runs in 1963, with a .234 batting average and .610 OPS… 1963 was actually the last time Chuck would be above replacement level.

Meanwhile, Yaz had an awesome 1963, winning his first batting title and leading the American League in hits, doubles, walks, and OBP. It was also Yaz’s first All-Star nod. Schilling hit those 8 HR… and was worth 1 WAR with the glove. The poor OPS wasn’t enough to make Schilling valuable, though. He was worth a mere 0.2 WAR in 146 games. He’d been about just as good with the glove in 1962, but even worse with the bat.

That all being said, Topps did have reason to believe that Schilling may eventually find his stroke at the major league level. After all, Schilling did bat .340 in the D league (today's A ball) and .314 at AAA. Those are obviously good marks. That offensive potential never came to be realized in the Majors. But, you can understand their optimism based on those past minor league performances.


However, Chuck Schilling DID have one very good season in MLB. That was his rookie year in 1961. Despite a mere .666 OPS, Schilling did have a .340 on-base percentage in a league-leading 737 plate appearances that year. His baseball stats didn’t look bad at all for a defensive-minded second baseman either: .259 batting average, 5 HR, 62 RBI, plus 7 stolen bases. However, he was caught 6 times, so his stolen bases weren’t so valuable.

But, where Schilling really shined in 1961 was with the glove. He led the league in assists at second base, 2nd in double plays turned, and was worth a whopping SIXTEEN runs above average by Total Zone at the keystone. Obviously, that final stat led the league. Had they been awarded at the time, Schilling would’ve won the Gold Glove, and it would’ve been entirely deserved. His defensive WAR? 1.9!


Unfortunately, Schilling never really developed with the bat. Part of that was due to a wrist injury suffered in 1962. At least in 1963 his 25 doubles and 8 HR gave him some offensive value. By 1964, he simply was too much of a liability with the bat and his play in the field began to suffer.

Schilling sort of rebounded as a bench player in 1965 before being traded after the season to the Minnesota Twins. He’d be on the Twins roster to start 1966 - as rosters were allowed to have 28 players until May 15. But, when the rosters reverted to 25 men, he retired rather than be forced to accept a minor league assignment.


Chuck Schilling did OK for himself after that, teaching high-school math on Long Island and playing competitive softball all the way until he was 69. As of 2020, Chuck Schilling is still with us. Had Schilling not suffered that wrist injury, it’s likely he would’ve stuck around as a Gold Glove-caliber second baseman for quite a few years. Fortunately, we have this and other baseball cards to remember his career by. 

Thanks for the memories, Chuck Schilling!
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Jose Canseco: The Red Sox Years

9/8/2019

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by Phoenix Desertsong, Lifelong Red Sox Fan
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In one of the better trades the Red Sox made in the 1990’s, the Red Sox traded speedy, defensive minded outfielder Otis Nixon and infielder Luis Ortiz to the Texas Rangers for outfielder Jose Canseco. Obviously, it was a bit of a salary dump, with the Rangers clearly thinking they could replace Canseco’s bat with defense. To be honest, anyone with a brain at that time probably saw this wouldn’t work out.

Otis Nixon actually had an OK year for the Rangers in 1995, although Total Zone didn’t love his defense (-4 runs below average). He did, however, post a very good .354 OBP, and stole 50 bases - albeit being caught 24 times. He was worth 1.3 WAR, which isn’t terrible, of course. Luis Ortiz was… awful. Nixon would move onto the Blue Jays for 1996, so really the Rangers just saved some money..


Jose Canseco’s Solid 1995 Season with the Red Sox

With one year left on Canseco’s contract, the Red Sox were happy to take on a guy who hit 31 HR in just 111 games during the strike-shortened 1994 season. They wouldn’t be disappointed as he would help anchor a Red Sox lineup that included Mo Vaughn, John Valentin, Tim Naehring, Troy O’Leary, and Mike Greenwell (who was in his last season as an above-average regular). Canseco would hit 24 home runs with a .306 batting average, his highest since 1988. Canseco also reached an important milestone, as his final home run of the season off of Jesse Orosco was the 300th of his career.

The Red Sox would make the playoffs, making it Canseco’s first postseason trip in five years.However, Canseco would go 0-for-13, with 2 walks, in the 1995 American League Division Series. It was a disappointing end to an otherwise good season.


Jose Canseco’s Hot Start to 1996 Season, Followed by Back Trouble

The Red Sox would resign Canseco in 1996. It all started off well, and in 96 games he would hit 28 HR and hit .289/.400/.589. Back troubles would cause Canseco to miss all of August and most of September.  In fact, Canseco hit 26 of his 28 homers before the All-Star break, and he wouldn’t even hit a home run after July 17th.

Still, in just 198 games between 1995 and 1996, Canseco was worth 5.6 WAR. I’d say that was more than worth a year of Otis Nixon and Luis Ortiz…


Canseco Reunites with McGwire in Oakland, Red Sox Get Cash and “Wayback” Wasdin

After the 1996 season, Canseco would be reunited with “Bash Brother” Mark McGwire as he was traded back to the Oakland A’s for … “Wayback” John Wasdin & cash. While that sounds like a terrible trade, it actually would work out for the Red Sox in the long run. Despite his longball issues, Wasdin would overall be a useful pitcher. He’d eventually be a key part of a trade that brought Rolando Arrojo, Rick Croushore, and former Expo All-Star Mike Lansing to Boston. Lansing would be awful, and Croushore was ineffective in 5 games, but Arrojo was a nice find and put the Sox in the positive for that trade.

Of course, Canseco’s back troubles would linger in Oakland, but he’d still hit a few home runs along “Bash Brother” Mark McGwire. Then, of course, he’d put together a few more decent seasons, along with a monster season in Toronto in 1998, a very good season in Tampa Bay in 1999, and hung on in 2000 and 2001 to hit a few more home runs and still be a productive hitter when healthy.


My Thoughts on Jose Canseco’s Legacy

Of course, Jose Canseco is a very controversial figure in baseball. Canseco and his two books revealed the extent of the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) in baseball, which understandably upset a lot of people. Despite hitting 462 HR in his career with a very good 132 OPS+ over 17 years, Canseco will likely never get near the Hall of Fame for reasons that stretch beyond his own use of PEDs.

However, Jose Canseco remains a very popular figure in the baseball card hobby. Many collectors have created a sort of Cardboard Hall of Fame for Canseco and his cards are still highly sought after. Since his career began in the Junk Wax era and he was such a massively popular player in his time, there’s no shortage of Jose Canseco baseball cards to collect. Heck, Canseco continues to appear in current baseball card sets as recently as 2019! While he may never get a plaque at Cooperstown, Canseco will never be forgotten by the game of baseball.

...

P.S. Fun fact: Jose Canseco made his Major League pitching debut against, guess who, the RED SOX, in May of 1993. He gave up three runs on 2 hits and 3 walks...

Not so fun fact: Because of that pitching appearance, Canseco would need Tommy John surgery (elbow ligament replacement surgery) and miss the rest of the season. It also didn't help his back issues...
  Missing the rest of that season, and the extra damage to his already ailing back, also likely cost him the chance at 500 HR. What do you think?

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The Year of Sonny Siebert - 1971 Red Sox

9/7/2019

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by Phoenix Desertsong, Lifelong Red Sox Fan
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The Red Sox had some pretty good players back in the 1970’s. But, one you may not have heard nearly as much about was Sonny Siebert. A starting pitcher who was better known for his years with the Cleveland Indians, Siebert was mediocre in two of his four full seasons with the Red Sox. However, he was quite good in 1970, and won 15 games with a fine 3.44 ERA. He would be much better in 1971.

The Sox acquired Siebert along with Vicente Romo and Joe Azcue for Dick Ellsworth, Ken Harrelson, and Juan Pizarro. As Red Sox trades go, this was actually a good one for Boston. Azcue and Romo were replacement level, but Harrelson and Pizzaro only had one good year for Cleveland and Ellsworth never really did much after that. Pizzaro would have another good season later with the Cubs. Of course, that means the Red Sox won this trade, because although Siebert was mediocre in 1969 and 1973, he was quite good in between.


A lot went right for Sonny Siebert in 1971. Not only did he pitch very well, winning 16 games with a 2.91 ERA, but Sonny also had a great year with the BAT. That’s right, folks. American League pitchers still had to come to bat until 1973. What’s particularly incredible about Siebert’s 1971 season with the bat is that in no other season did he come close to being that good. In 1971, he hit .266/.289/.532 with 6 HR and 15 RBI. His career marks? .173/.204/.270 with 12 HR. Crazy fluke or not, it was a really nice year for Sonny.
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Who Was the Best Red Sox Player in 1993? Danny Darwin!

9/5/2019

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by Phoenix Desertsong, Lifelong Red Sox Fan
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Red Sox Trivia Time! Who was the best Red Sox player in 1993 by Wins Above Replacement? If you guessed Roger Clemens, you’d be wrong. Heck, even if you’d guessed young shortstop John Valentin you still won’t be correct. It was a 37-year old starting pitcher. His name: Danny Darwin.

Along with Frank Viola and a young Aaron Sele, Danny Darwin helped pick up the Red Sox pitching staff from an unusually poor season from Roger Clemens. Yes, Clemens was about merely average in 1993. Unfortunately, despite a pretty good starting staff, Paul Quantrill kept losing games - despite actually being a pretty decent reliever for most of his career. 

Also, despite Mo Vaughn having a good year, Mike Greenwell putting up one of his typically good years, and John Valentin being a very nice young player, the lineup wasn’t great. That’s with future Hall of Famer Andre Dawson at DH, being, sadly, rather mediocre. Those Red Sox finished 80-82 under Butch Hobson.

Of course, none of that was Danny Darwin’s fault. 


Danny Darwin’s Career Before the Red Sox

Actually, Darwin had a very interesting career. He actually only made 371 starts in his career out of his 716 career appearances. He actually spent a good deal of his career in the bullpen and was bounced back and forth from the starting rotation and bullpen for most of his career. However, after a nice run with the Texas Rangers, he went to the Milwaukee Brewers, where he had one and a half above-average seasons before being traded to the Houston Astros. He pitched very well and returned as a free agent.

In Houston from 1986 to 1990, Darwin would be worth 13.4 WAR, 5.3 of that coming in his 1990 season when he won the NL ERA title with a 2.21 mark. Darwin started 17 games that year with 3 complete games while also finishing 14 games and saving 2 games. Still, the Astros saw fit to see him leave as a free agent. The Red Sox were only too happy to add the solid Darwin to their pitching staff.


Danny Darwin with the Red Sox

By the time he got to the Red Sox in 1991, the “Bonham Bullet” had already put together a pretty nice career as a “swingman” - a guy who worked both as a starter and a reliever. Unfortunately, Darwin’s first season with the Red Sox didn’t go so well. In 12 starts, he delivered a 5.16 ERA while dealing with shoulder problems and battling pneumonia. Fortunately for both the Red Sox and Darwin, this would not be a free agent bust.

In 1992, Darwin rebounded with one of his typical swingman seasons. He started 15 games and finished 21 more, appearing in 51 total games over the season. Overall, his efforts were worth 2.6 WAR. But where Darwin truly excelled in 1992 was in the starting rotation in the season’s second half. He pitched only one game out of the bullpen. In his 15 starts, he had a 3.50 ERA and 2 complete games. It was a precursor to his best season in the major leagues, 1993.

In 1993, Darwin started 34 games, pitching 2 complete games, 1 of them a shutout. Despite a solid 3.26 ERA and 1.068 WHIP, his 4.29 FIP was a harbinger of things to come. Darwin had a really nice season, but things would go south after that. 

In the strike shortened 1994 season, the wheels fell off for Darwin. He started 13 games, and while he went 7-5, had a miserable 6.30 ERA. He was up and down and had a couple of clunkers mixed in between brilliant performances. But arm trouble led to him blowing up in June, after which he was shut down. It looked like the beginning of the end for Darwin, and it was certainly the end of Darwin’s Red Sox career.


Danny Darwin’s Last Hurrahs 

After an awful 1995 season split between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers, Darwin caught on with the Pittsburgh Pirates at age 40. He actually pitched pretty well with a 3.02 ERA in 19 starts!  Darwin was good enough to net relief pitcher Rich Loiselle from the Houston Astros at the trade deadline. That trade actually was a win for Pittsburgh, who got a very good rest of 1996, a solid rookie campaign as closer in 1997, and decent returns in 1998 before he forgot where the strike zone was and was never good again. Meanwhile, the Astros, who’d been happy to reacquire Darwin, watched him struggle and get released at season’s end.

But, that wasn’t the end for Darwin. He’d catch on with the White Sox in 1997, pitching 21 games, 17 of them starts. His 4.13 ERA was a bit of a mirage, but it was good enough for the Giants to acquire him along with Wilson Alvarez and Roberto Hernandez in a trade that famously didn’t work out well for the Giants. The White Sox ended up with a solid closer in Keith Foulke and a decent set-up man in Bob Howry. Darwin and Alvarez would both be mediocre, Hernandez would be fine, but Alvarez and Hernandez would end up with the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays next season.

Darwin would hang around with the Giants for 1998, getting into 33 games, 25 of them starts, and wasn’t particularly good at all. In fact, Darwin was “worth” -1.1 WAR that season. That was the end of Darwin’s playing days. However, Darwin has hung around the game and as recent as 2019 is still a minor league pitching coach.


Danny Darwin’s Career Overview

Overall, Danny Darwin was worth 39.8 WAR over 21 seasons. That includes some really awful seasons where his WAR totals were negative. He was actually significantly better as a reliever, although overall he was a decent slightly better than league-average starting pitcher when he got the call.

Starter: 371 starts, 2396 ⅓ innings, 4.04 ERA, 53 complete games, 9 shutouts, 2.2 K/BB ratio
Reliever: 345 appearances, 620 ⅓ innings, 3.06 ERA, 171 games finished, 32 saves, 2.29 K/BB ratio

The obvious knock against Darwin were his platoon splits. 

Vs Right-Handed Batters: 6216 PAs,.234/.281/.361 - .641 OPS

Vs Left-Handed Batters: 6500 PAs, .277/.338/.437 - .775 OPS

In today’s analytically-driven game, Darwin probably would’ve been limited against left-handed batters and probably relieved much more than he started. It’s also possible he would’ve faced fewer batters per season, which may have saved him some of the arm trouble. Darwin was indeed “Dr. Death” on right-handed batters and more analytically-inclined deployment may have made Darwin one of the greatest swingmen of all time.

Of course, Darwin’s career was just fine as it was. He gave Red Sox fans a great 1993 effort and along with his above-average work in 1992 made that 4 year contract at least mostly worth it. He’s still in the game today passing on his extensive knowledge of pitching to younger pitchers. Here’s to a great baseball career that hasn’t even yet ended. Thanks for all your efforts, Danny!. 


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Jason Varitek - The Red Sox Team Captain and His 2004 Career Year

9/2/2019

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by Phoenix Desertsong, Sports Nut
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The last team captain of the Boston Red Sox, Jason Varitek spent parts of 15 seasons with Boston. He made his major league debut with a base hit in his first and only major league at-bat in 1997. Varitek was acquired by the Red Sox along with pitcher Derek Lowe in the infamous trade for relief pitcher Heathcliff Slocumb. It’s not even close who won that deal, even if Lowe had never done anything. Varitek was the starting catcher in 10 different seasons for the Red Sox and only wasn’t in 2001 due to injury.

Varitek was also one of the most popular players in recent Red Sox history. He was loved by the pitching staff and anecdotally was an above-average defensive catcher. While he was a bit below average in throwing out opposing base stealers, I can say that he worked with some pitchers that were notoriously slow to the plate. The defensive metrics see him as an overall defensive negative, but a lot of those negatives came from his brutal final season in 2011. From all the years I watched him play, I’d say he was at worst perfectly average behind the dish - but above average as a pitch receiver.


Jason Varitek Was Mr. Average


While being average is really not exciting, in baseball being average is extremely valuable. If you look at Jason Varitek’s 162 game average, you’ll see that would he hit 20 HR and drove in 79 RBI in an average season. Those are solid baseball card stats, especially for a catcher. Because of his solid work behind the dish, though, those league-average offensive stats allowed him to be an above-average regular by WAR in 6 out of his 15 seasons.

2001: 1.4 WAR (in only 51 games)
2002: 2.1 WAR (132 games)
2003: 3.0 WAR (142 games)
2004: 4.0 WAR (137 games)
2005: 3.9 WAR (133 games)
2007: 2.3 WAR (131 games)

He wasn’t bad in his first full season in 1999, either, with 1.9 WAR in 144 games. But, Varitek did have some poor seasons with the bat. His rookie year of 1998 wasn’t too hot, and neither was 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, or 2009. But with a career OPS+ of 99, you can see that on the balance, he was perfectly average offensively. The good news is that Varitek’s dWAR (WAR from Defense) is a positive 8.8 for his career. So, in fact, Varitek was ever so slightly better than average, before you count his “intangibles” such as team leadership.



Why Jason Varitek and His 2004 Season Were His Career Best

Most fans may believe 2005 was Varitek’s best year in the Major Leagues. He won the Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, and made his second American League All-Star Game roster! OK, he did deserve the Silver Slugger.with a 122 OPS+. However, 2005 was also one of Varitek’s worst defensive seasons if you believe the defensive metrics from Total Zone and Defensive Runs Saved. Still, his overall contributions were worthy of an All-Star appearance and were worth 3.9 WAR to the Red Sox.

Of course, in 2004, the Red Sox won the World Series for the first time in 86 years! Best season ever!

OK, that’s not why, but yes, Varitek was a big part of the Red Sox success that season. Despite no accolades, he was worth a career-high 4.0 WAR to the regular season 2004 Sox. He also hit a career high .296 and a career high on-base percentage of .390. His offensive contributions amounted to a 121 OPS+. Defensively, Varitek was 3 runs above average by Total Zone’s metrics and perfectly average by DRS. 

In the postseason, Varitek was OK in the Division Series. But, he was a major contributor in the classic ALCS against the Yankees. While Varitek was a non-factor in the World Series, it didn’t matter. 

Speaking of the postseason, in 2007, Varitek’s bat didn’t show up in the Division Series, but it did in the League Championship against the Indians and in the World Series versus the Rockies. So, Varitek really did help the Sox win their 2nd ring in 4 years.


Jason Varitek’s Legacy

Various injuries and trouble in his personal life did affect Varitek’s on-field performance at times. But, Varitek was loved by his teammates and is anecdotally one of the more underrated catchers of his era. In fact, I can’t think of another catcher that was as consistently league-average as Varitek. 

The only ones better I can think of offensively are Jorge Posada, Ivan Rodriguez, and Mike Piazza. “Pudge” and Piazza are Hall of Famers and Posada has a case for a plaque. “Pudge” was easily the best defensively of his era. Joe Mauer was obviously great early in his career, too, which started towards the end of Tek’s own career. 

Sure, Tek isn’t a Hall of Famer. But, he did have a very nice peak and hit better than you’d expect from your typical catcher.The defensive metrics also mostly show that Varitek was in fact a very good catcher on defense. We don’t have pitch framing metrics for that time period, but I can almost guarantee he would’ve been among the league leaders. In fact, had Varitek not played in the same era as Pudge Rodriguez, it’s likely he’d be remembered as one of the best of his era without question, behind only Jorge Posada. 

It’s an old baseball saying that great teams are great up the middle. So, it’s no surprise that the Red Sox and Yankees had two of the best catchers in the game during their respective eras. Sure, Varitek didn’t come close to Hall of Fame standards. But, he was at least the #3 or #4 overall catcher in the American League in his peak years. Catchers like Tek don’t come along everyday, and you’d be hard-pressed to ever expect another one to come along. 


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Red Sox 2019 MLB Sleepers - Matthew Kent

12/11/2018

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by  R.A. Rowell; Co-Owner of Intent-sive Nature & the Brand Shamans network
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The 26-year old left-handed starting pitcher, Matthew Kent, is one of the more intriguing pitchers in the Boston Red Sox farm system. He’s no longer considered a prospect at his “advanced” age, but he looks to be a pretty solid pitcher due for a chance to debut in the MLB in 2019 or 2020. He just broke into AAA last year, and it wasn’t a pretty first start. But, Kent’s track record since being taken in the 13th round of the 2015 MLB draft has been very solid.

Matthew Kent 2019 Projections

Steamer: 4.74 ERA, 5.9 K/9, 2.89 BB/9, 1.29 HR/9
ZiPS: 4.79 ERA (4.49 FIP) 5.45 K/9, 2.69 BB/9, 1.02 HR/9, 1.3 WAR

In his minor league career, Kent’s never struck out many batters, but he hasn’t walked many, either. He’s had a fairly consistent 3.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which is definitely above-average. Kent held left-handed batters to a .241 average in 2018 in AA, but only a .264 average against righties. So, he doesn’t have obvious platoon splits, meaning he’s a realistic multi-inning option.

The MLE’s (Major League Equivalents) for Kent in 2019 aren’t fantastic, but they are passable. He’s never been that susceptible to long balls, so the ZiPS projection of 1.02 HR/9 is probably more in line with his past history. It’s possible that the strikeout rates are a bit low and the walk rates may be a bit high. Even then, a starter being worth 1.3 WAR is worth about $10 million on a one-year deal on the open market. This guy has potential.

That Kent projects so well to essentially be the Sox’s 6th starter speaks well to his ability. He’s not someone you ever hear much about either. He could log meaningful MLB innings late in 2019 or 2020.

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Red Sox 2019 Preview: Third Base

12/11/2018

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by R.A. Rowell; Co-owner of Brand Shamans & Write W.A.V.E. Media
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There’s no way this author can talk about the Red Sox third base situation without continuing to grieve over the loss of Travis Shaw. Alas, he was traded - along with three minor leaguers - to the Milwaukee Brewers for reliever Tyler Thornburg. Yes, that Tyler Thornburg… he of the lost 2017 season and replacement level 2018 season in 24 innings. He was so bad that the Red Sox didn’t even guarantee his $1.75 million contract for the 2019 season…

Meanwhile, Travis Shaw has been raking at Miller Field, while all the while playing his usual brand of solid defense at third base and even second base. He’s been worth 3.5 WAR in 2017 and 3.6 WAR in 2018! That’s while making the league minimum salary. In his first year of arbitration, he’s due for another 2.6 WAR according to Steamer… Whoops…

The good news for the Red Sox is that master team-builder Dave Dombrowski is able to cover for his only major misstep with the team. The Sox have a very solid young player in Rafael Devers - who could be just as valuable as Shaw in 2019. They also have two young players that may be decent players at the hot corner at some point, as well. Let’s see what the Sox have here.


Rafael Devers

2019 Steamer Projection: 560 PA, .270/.328/.476, .340 wOBA, 7.1 batting runs, 0.8 baserunning runs, -2.6 fielding runs. 2.6 WAR

2019 ZiPS Projection:  .265/.320/.480, -6 defense, 1.9 WAR

Devers is only 22 years old. He had a 1 WAR season with a .240/.298/.433 batting line and 21 HR. That’s not bad for a 21 year old, who was probably a bit overmatched. His -13 Defensive Runs Saved and -5.2 UZR/150 show he wasn’t quite ready with the glove, either. If the projections are right and he becomes simply below average with the glove, he’s an above average player. ZiPS is probably right to be skeptical about his defense. Even then, he’s probably at least an average regular - which for the league minimum and his power upside, the Sox will be happy to take.

Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez are certain to see perhaps a dozen games apiece at third base. But, you really don’t want either holding down the position all year. The good news is that the Red Sox are not devoid of third base prospects.


Michael Chavis

2019 Steamer Projection: .248/.300/.439, -0.1 defense
2019 ZiPS Projection: .242/.299/.449, -1 defense, 1.1 WAR

Chavis isn’t even on Steamer’s radar to have much more than a 7 at-bat cup of coffee. However, it agrees with ZiPS that Chavis is very likely to be about what Devers was last year in 2019 if he played full-time in the Majors. Of course, he’s going to be 24 in August 2019. His defense is known to be shaky, too, which is why he’s been shifting towards first base. The good news is that Chavis could still have some value. He would actually worth be giving a shot if he shows promise at AAA and Devers is failing or hurt.

After all, Chavis did hit .303/.388/.508 in 139 AA at-bats and .273/.294/.545 in 34 AAA at-bats, with an 80-game PED suspension mixed in. The power is real, and he has enough plate discipline to not embarrass himself. If he can become a passable third baseman, or even first baseman, he actually does have a future. It could even be late 2019 or early 2020.


Bobby Dalbec

2019 Steamer Projection: .229/.295/.432, 0 defense

2019 ZiPS Projection: .200/.280/.407, 0 defense, 0.5 WAR

Dalbec probably has no business being in the MLB in 2019, but if he got 450 or so at-bats, he’s probably going to be fairly above replacement level. Of course, that’s considering neutral defense. Scouts consider his defense to be adequate and he has an above-average arm. So, netural defense is probably fine to consider.

In 2018, Dalbec destroyed A+ ball with a .256/.372/.573 and 26 HR in 419 plate appearances, albeit with a 31% strikeout rate. He hit .261.323.514 in 124 plate appearance, but with a 37% strikeout rate. Steamer is a bit more optimistic about Dalbec’s bat than ZiPS going into his age-24 season. The strikeouts are concerning, though.

If Dalbec can trim the strikeouts and fare OK at AAA, there’s still a possibility that Dalbec tastes the majors in 2020. At any rate, he’s the Sox #12 prospect at the moment.

Even after essentially giving away Travis Shaw, it seems like the Sox aren’t in that bad of shape. Of course, one of Chavis or Dalbec becoming at least a passable regular at either first or third base would be a grand development for the 2020 season. If both pan out, along with Devers, the Red Sox are in good shape. Otherwise, that Travis Shaw trade could haunt the Red Sox for awhile. Still, when that’s the worst move you make and still win a championship, you’re doing OK.


Red Sox Third Base: B-minus

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Red Sox 2019 Preview: Second Base

12/11/2018

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by  R.A. Rowell; Co-Owner of Intent-sive Nature & the Brand Shamans network
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After Ian Kinsler didn’t hit for the Red Sox after being acquired by them late in the season, Boston is looking forward to the return of Dustin Pedroia in 2019. Not only is Pedroia coming off an injury, but he’s not getting any younger, either. The good news is that he projects to be a league average player, and if his knee is sufficiently healed, he could be better. The Sox also hope for more of the same from super-utility player Brock Holt and a rebound from Eduardo Nunez.

Dustin Pedroia  

2019 Steamer Projection: 518 PA, .272/.344/.390, .321 wOBA, -1.5 Batting Runs, -1.8 Baserunning Runs, 4.0 Fielding Runs, 2.0 WAR

Going into his age 35 season, it remains to be seen what Pedroia has left in the tank after missing most of 2017. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that his batting line will be close to the Steamer projection, but many Sox fans will take the over if he’s healthy. Also, depending on his knee’s health, he could provide even more value on defense and hopefully, even be a positive on the basepaths.

He’s earning $15 million in 2019, so if he’s just a 2 win player, he’s earned it. He earns $13 million in 2020 and $12 million in 2021. It’s not like Pedroia is an albatross, but it would be really nice to see him finish his career as at least a league-average regular before bowing out after 2021.


Brock Holt

2019 Steamer Projection: 105 PA .260/.340/.375, .315 wOBA, -0.80 batting runs, .1 baserunning runs, -0.2 fielding runs, 0.3 WAR

As a super-utility player is meant to do, Holt kept the Red Sox at least respectable at second base in 2018. He was actually 6th in position player WAR for the 2018 Red Sox. One of the best utility men in baseball in 2014 and 2015, he was mediocre in 2016 and terrible in 2017. Only 30 years of age, Holt is very likely to match his projection, and possibly beat it in overall value if he racks up the plate appearances. Struggles from Rafael Devers at third could mean more time for Holt, as well. He was worth 1.4 WAR in 2018, and it’s not impossible for him to be worth that again - although hopefully the majority of that value is distributed among other positions, too.

Eduardo Nunez

2019 Steamer Projection: 63 PA .284/.318/.424, .319 wOBA, -0.3 batting runs, -0.1 baserunning runs, -0.2 fielding runs, 0.2 WAR

Nunez was a great pickup for the 2016 Sox. It wasn’t hard to see why the Red Sox signed him to a $6 million one-year deal with a $5 million player option - which Nunez picked up in late October 2018. Unsurprisingly, Nunez isn’t expected to receive many plate appearances at second base with Pedroia and Holt around. If he does have a batting line close to his career average - which is what he’s projected to do - and continues to be neutral on the bases and in the field, he’ll be easily worth his $5 million. He still serves as insurance for Pedroia, as long as he doesn’t repeat a -14 Defensive Runs Saved at second...

Tzu-Wei Lin and Marco Rodriguez are also in the second base picture, but if the team has to give them at-bats, something has gone wrong.  They are depth you hope you don’t find yourself having to test. Overall, this is a group that projects for about 2.5 WAR, and the over is not hard at all to see if Pedey is actually healthy.

2019 ZiPS Insights

With the release of the 2019 ZiPS projections from Dan Szymborski, there are a few more projections to consider. The most interesting is the departing Ian Kinsler. He had a decent 2018 season overall, although he struggled badly with the bat with the Sox. He projects for .252/.317/.386 plus 8 defensive runs for 1.9 WAR over a full season. It’s unlikely they reunite with Pedroia locked up, though.

Farm hand Tony Renda projects about replacement level, as does Ivan De Jesus.  Chad La Guerra and Brett Netzer aren’t looking to help at the MLB level any time soon, either. Second base is definitely a position that has little depth after Pedroia and Holt - Nunez is a stretch as we saw in 2018 at the position. Still, if Pedroia is capable, this is a position where the Sox should be fine.

Red Sox Second Basemen - Solid B

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A Look Back at the 1975 Boston Red Sox - Denny Doyle, Second Baseman

1/17/2018

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by  R.A. Rowell; Co-Owner of Intent-sive Nature & the Brand Shamans network
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Going into June 1975, second base was a position of need for the Red Sox. Fortunately, the California Angels had a second baseman in Denny Doyle who had been displaced by some young speedster named Jerry Remy. The Sox acquired Doyle for a player to be named later, pitcher Chuck Ross, who never saw the Majors. The defensive-minded Doyle would go on to post a .768 OPS in 89 games, good for a 109 OPS+ (9 percent better than league average offense). At second base, that production was extremely valuable and added about two and a half wins to Boston's efforts.

Sadly for Doyle, he was about replacement level for the next two seasons and was out of baseball after the 1977 season. In December 1977, the Red Sox replaced Doyle with the very man who had replaced him in California: Jerry Remy. The Sox gave up pitcher Don Aase, who would have a couple of mediocre seasons starting for the Angels. However, he later became a very useful relief pitcher.

Remy never became a star, but that's mostly because of knee injuries he would suffer in the next few seasons. In the long run, the Sox probably missed having Aase, who actually had a nice little career. Still, Jerry was a fan favorite and useful player who has made quite a nice career for himself as the Sox color commentator.


So, there you have it. Remy displaced Doyle so that he could help the 1975 Red Sox. Then, Remy became the starting Red Sox second baseman after Doyle's departure. Interesting how that worked out.

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A Look Back at the 1975 Boston Red Sox - Cecil Cooper, First Baseman and Designated Hitter

1/17/2018

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by  R.A. Rowell; Co-Owner of Intent-sive Nature & the Brand Shamans network
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Cecil Cooper enjoyed a strong season in 1975 with the Boston Red Sox. Cooper hit .311/.355/.544 in 106 games, 54 of them as Designated Hitter, the rest at first base. It would end up being the best year Cooper would have in a Red Sox uniform. However, it was far from the last good season that Cooper would have.

After an off-year in 1976, the Red Sox had an opportunity to reacquire two players from the Milwaukee Brewers: Bernie Carbo and George Scott. Carbo was great for the Sox in 1975 and George Scott was a star player for the Sox from 1966-1971. While Carbo and Scott would be great for the Red Sox in 1977, their careers would quickly go south after that.

Cooper, on the other hand, would go on to post very good numbers in Milwaukee for 11 seasons. It was a trade that the Red Sox would come to regret in the long-term. Cecil Cooper gave the Brewers the consistent stalwart at first base that the Red Sox would lack for many years.

This trade of Cooper for Scott and Carbo would end up being almost as bad as the trade that sent George Scott to Milwaukee in the first place. The prize in that deal for the Red Sox was speedy outfielder Tommy Harper, who would have one great season for Boston in between two not so great ones. The Brewers got one great year of pitcher Jim Lonborg out of that deal and 5 of Scott's best career seasons.

In hindsight, the Red Sox should have kept Cecil Cooper. But, considering they were selling low, at the time, it probably didn't look so bad. Still, it’s one in a long line of trades that went bad for the Sox. While losing Cooper alone may not have contributed to their World Series title draught, it certainly did not help.

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A Look Back at the 1975 Boston Red Sox Team

1/17/2018

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by  R.A. Rowell; Co-Owner of Intent-sive Nature & the Brand Shamans network
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2015 marked the 40th anniversary of the 1975 Red Sox, a team that came very close to winning the World Series. The 1975 World Series went the full seven games and the Sox battle with the Cincinnati "Big Red Machine" has gone down in history as one of the best Series of all time. The 1975 Sox went 95-65 during the regular season, finishing 4 and a half games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles in first place. They outplayed their Pythagorean Win-Loss Record (runs scored/runs allowed) by 7 wins, led well by manager Darrell Johnson.

Leading the way on offense was Rookie of the Year and American League MVP Fred Lynn with his 7.4 Wins Above Replacement (WAR from Baseball-Reference). Lynn is one of only two players in MLB history to win both the Rookie of the Year award and MVP award, along with Ichiro Suzuki. In Lynn's case, there were other players with similar WAR figures, such as Twins great Rod Carew. But it's hard to fault the voters for selecting Lynn who was on the AL pennant winning team. (In Ichiro's case, he wasn't even the best player on his own team; that honor belonged to second baseman Bret Boone.)

The Sox offense did include future Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski and Carlton Fisk, but Yaz did not enjoy one of his better seasons and Fisk only played in 79 games. However, Fisk was excellent when he did play, posting a batting line 50% above league average. Left fielder Jim Rice turned in an excellent rookie season (3 WAR) on his way to a Hall of Fame career. The always solid right fielder Dwight Evans was also excellent, and the primary designated hitter Cecil Cooper provided an .899 OPS. Also, Bernie Carbo, famous for his three-run homer that set up the extra innings in which Fisk would hit his historic shot over the Green Monster, had a fine regular season as well. The former Red and Cardinal had a .892 OPS in 107 games, splitting his time between Designated Hitter (DH) and the outfield.

The pitching staff wasn't exactly composed of world beaters, though. Sox legend Luis Tiant didn't have close to his best season. Bill Lee, Tiant, and Rick Wise were only slightly above average starters, but the bullpen was decent. Swingman Roger Maret was also above average. They kept their team in games. With good defense and timely offense, no one had to be extremely excellent on the mound for the team to succeed.

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Lynn and Rice put this team over the top after a mediocre 1974 season. They replaced the lousy batting lines of Tommy Harper and Juan Beniquez in left field and center field, respectively. This team came nearly as close to winning the World Series as the 1986 team would. But, considering the heartbreak of Bill Buckner's error and Calvin Schiraldi's implosions, the 1975 team is remembered much more fondly.
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Red Sox Baseball Card Spotlight: 1967 Topps #7 Don McMahon

10/21/2017

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by  R.A. Rowell; Co-Owner of Intent-sive Nature & the Brand Shamans network
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Don McMahon may not be a household name, but he was a pretty good baseball relief pitcher for almost two decades. He actually pitched in the Major Leagues until he was 44 years old! This 1967 Topps #7 baseball card isn't exceptionally rare, but it's a nice piece of history.

Back in 1966, the Red Sox traded once all-star reliever Dick Radatz for McMahon. As it turned out, Radatz was washed up and was out of baseball a couple years later. McMahon was good in 1966 for the Red Sox, but wasn't stellar for them in 1967, essentially being replacement level. In that year, the team that would end up being the "Impossible Dream Team" traded McMahon and minor leaguer Rob Snow for infielder Jerry Adair. To the Sox's credit, they got a lot of value out of Adair, although he'd be dreadful in 1968.

Meanwhile, after being traded to the White Sox, McMahon pitched very well for the rest of 1967 and 1968 for the White Sox. He'd move to the Tigers, where he was adequate, and pitched several more seasons for the San Francisco Giants, including  one of his best years in 1970 at age 40.  McMahon would still have several seasons left in him, although he was never quite that good again.

So, this was a pretty good trade for the Red Sox, and it's a good card for vintage Red Sox baseball card collectors. Excellent condition copies can be found for $2 or less. While McMahon might not be remembered much today, he was definitely an above-average relief pitcher for a very long time. Not only was he good for the Red Sox for a bit, but he again contributed by acquiring a very useful infielder for the 1967 team. As of 2018, Don McMahon is still with us, too.

Here's to what was a great, and pretty underrated, career!

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MLB: Travis Shaw Off to Hot Start for Boston Red Sox in 2016

4/19/2016

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by Richard Rowell, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff
Travis Shaw vs. Yankees: 9/30/2015
Travis Shaw of the Boston Red Sox made quite an impact towards the end of the 2015 MLB Season. With a solid .813 OPS (On-Base Percentage Plus Slugging) and 13 home runs in only 65 games, it seemed clear that Shaw belonged in the Major Leagues. The son of former Major League relief pitcher, Jeff Shaw, "The Mayor of Ding Dong City," is off to a hot start in 2016, hitting .342 with a .984 OPS in his first 44 plate appearances of the season.

One of the major story lines of the 2016 Spring Training preseason for the Red Sox was the continued under-performance of incumbent third baseman Pablo Sandoval. As it turns out, the reason for Sandoval's poor performance could well be the after-effects of an injury recently discovered, as reported by Fox Sports. This could mean that the former San Francisco Giant All-Star could be out for quite some time. This is good news for Shaw, who is living up to his starting position at third base, while spelling at first base for Hanley Ramirez on occasion.

While Travis Shaw began his MLB career as a first baseman, he's been flashing the leather at third base to begin 2016. According to Shaw's player page on FanGraphs, he played league-average defense at first base in 2015, but has already 3 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) at third in only 78 innings played at the position! He also has credit for 1 Defensive Run Saved at first base. Clearly, his defense is an asset. This is in stark contrast to the-11 Defensive Runs saved that Pablo Sandoval recorded in 123 games for 2015.

Beyond just defense, the advanced statistical metrics are a fan overall of Shaw's 2016 performance so far. Baseball-Reference has Shaw's work so far being worth 1.1 Wins Above Replacement (WAR). Keep in mind that an average Major League starting position player accrues about 2 WAR in a season. Shaw has provided that much value in just a dozen games. In fact, 1.1 WAR is the same number that Shaw accrued in all of 2015. While the projection systems ZiPS and Steamer don't see him keeping up this pace. Taking into consideration his work so far, they still see him as a roughly league-average player with a projection of an averaged 1.6 WAR in 120 games (thanks to FanGraphs Depth Charts for this info!)

Clearly, Travis Shaw has earned a place in the Major Leagues with the Red Sox. Some very difficult decisions will have to be made when Pablo Sandoval is ready to return to play, as Shaw clearly appears to be the better ballplayer at this point.
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Red Sox Spring Training 2016 - Brennan Boesch Off to Good Start

3/7/2016

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by Richard Rowell, Sports Break
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JetBlue Park, Fenway South - Image (c) NT1952, Wikimedia Commons
Ordinarily, even as big of a baseball fan as I am, I don't really pay attention to Spring Training stats. At this early stage, hardly anyone even has at-bats or many innings pitched. But standing out already is Brennan Boesch, who was signed by the Red Sox to a minor league contract in January 2016. In 11 at-bats, he's 4-for-11 with a home run and 2 RBI. He's also scored 4 runs already. Does this mean anything? Probably not. He's always hit well in spring training throughout his career.

On the pitching side, reliever Heath Hembree, who hopes to make the team, has thrown 3 scoreless innings across 2 innings. He's only surrendered 1 hit and 1 walk, and has recorded 6 strikeouts. Good start, Heath!

While I'm not following as closely as I have in the past, I'll check in from time to time to see who's lighting up the stat leaderboards in March. Spoiler alert: none of it actually matters when the season starts! But it's still fun to see, and with certain guys on the cusp, a good performance never, ever hurts!
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MLB - Red Sox - At Least David Ortiz is Returning in 2016

8/9/2015

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by Richard Rowell, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff
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The 2015 Red Sox have been nearly an unmitigated disaster. Just when it appears they may turn things around, another losing streak ensures. But not everything has been horrendous. Mookie Betts has become the Red Sox’s best player this year, with Xander Bogaerts finally living up to his talent (although the power hasn’t been there.) Brock Holt continues to be an above-average player, and well could be the starting left fielder on next year’s Sox. Hanley Ramirez has hit just fine, but given all that value back in the field - perhaps prompting a move back over to third base as Sandoval may move to first.

On the pitching side of things, nothing has gone well. Buchholz out-pitched his ERA but now is hurt and certainly isn’t being rushed back. His $13 million option for 2016 should be picked up, however. Knuckleballer Stephen Wright has been effective in his few starts. Wade Miley started off horrendously, but has rebounded to at least be serviceable. But beyond that, Porcello was a disaster, who’s now signed long-term and Joe Kelly has found no consistency - possibly headed for a bullpen role in 2016.

And despite a slow start to the season, long-time Red Sox David Ortiz has turned it on since June, and is especially mashing the ball in August. This is good news for both team and player, as David Ortiz now will enjoy at least $11 million next season, since his 2016 option has vested with his 425th plate appearance of the season. He’ll earn $1 million more each for 475 PA, 500 PA, 575 PA, and 600 PA. WIth Big Papi showing vintage form, none of those milestones look unobtainable, and why wouldn’t you play him with his clutch hitting clearly on its rebound?

At 39, Ortiz may only have one more strong season in him, but this is great news for Sox fans. Ortiz is now at 489 career home runs. As it stands, Big Papi is a borderline Hall of Famer with 48.6 WAR, according to Baseball Reference. It’s fully possible that Papi has 11 more homers left in him for 2015, but now he doesn’t have to be pressured about that number this year. Not that anyone is seeming to notice. It hasn’t really been a story - more of a footnote. That’s just how bad and uninspiring the 2015 Sox have been.

Fortunately, the Sox do have a future. Betts will return for the league minimum. Holt is not going through arbitration for the first time until 2017, but doesn’t expect to land a huge payday with his counting stats. Pedroia will be back, only being kept on the DL since the Sox are going nowhere anyway - he was having a fine season before his injury. Papi is obviously back, so the DH spot is settled. Hanley Ramirez will be fine if they get him out of the outfield. Sandoval is probably not going to stay this bad, but a move to first base may be in the cards. It will be interesting to see if the Sox return outfielder De Aza, who’s flashing the batting prowess he once did with the White Sox. Rusney Castillo has potential, and probably just needs to have a consistent spot in the 2016 lineup. His Triple-A numbers don’t look tremendous (.282/.337/.385) but if he becomes the above-average defender he’s expected to be, that’s a slightly above average starting outfielder.

The pitching staff is a mess, but Henry Owens has the stuff to be good. Eduardo Rodriguez has had some rough starts, but has shown he was a steal from the Orioles - although Andrew Miller has been a force since signing with the Yankees. Joe Kelly’s arm is fantastic, but he’s probably a set-up man going forward. As already said, Buchholz will probably return. But Wade Miley and especially Rick Porcello have to get their acts together. The former could be fine, but the later has a lot of money due to him for the next few years.

No matter how the Sox are, though, the fans should remember that they have a potential Hall-of-Famer on his way to 500 home runs. While the PED concerns will linger over him because of his contemporaries, Ortiz is such a likeable character who’s become such a complete hitter over the course of his career that I highly doubt he won’t eventually be enshrined. At least 2016 will have one race to look forward to.

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MLB - Red Sox Begin Fire Sale by Trading Shane Victorino to Angels

7/27/2015

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by Richard Rowell, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff
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Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons author Matthew Crowne
The "Thrill of Victorino" has definitely become a distant memory for Red Sox Nation. Shane Victorino was a huge part of the 2013 World Champion Red Sox team, but since then, he's been plagued by injuries. It's not like prognosticators didn't see this coming. So for the Red Sox to acquire anything for Victorino was going to be a win at this point. The Sox found a taker, the Los Angeles Angels. In exchange for him and about $3-4 million to cover the $4.5 million or so remaining on Victorino's contract, the Red Sox will acquire infielder Josh Rutledge.

Victorino probably isn't going to be much more than a bench bat for the Angels, probably to platoon with current Angels' left fielder Matt Joyce. It's good for him, though, as the Sox have had the hot Alejandro De Aza playing right field lately, and the Sox needed to make room for Rusney Castillo, who's been stuck at AAA Pawtucket for most of the season. Shane gets to go to a contender rather than be mired in last place.

The Sox receive only minimal salary relief, but really, what they were really after was Rutledge. While the infielder had a nice offensive showing in 2012 with the Rockies, he's a bat-first player. He's a career -11 DRS second baseman and -20 DRS shortstop. Perhaps the Sox are hoping they can fix his defensive woes; they did it with Xander Bogaerts, after all. If Rutledge becomes just passable on defense, he could be a very useful player. While Rutledge is arbitration eligible after this season, it's doubtful he'll get much of a raise his first time through as he's spent the 2015 season so far in AAA. To his credit, he's performed fairly (.727 OPS).

Really, what this comes down to is the Sox getting future value while giving up a short-term asset. Rutledge probably would have been a non-tender candidate for the Angels this off-season anyway. This way, the Sox can see if he can live up to his offensive potential while helping him to be a better infielder. There's really nothing to lose on either end of this deal.

Will Rutledge be more Brock Holt (utility all-star) or Jonathan Herrera (replacement level disappointment)? Maybe he'll be something in between, but he's worth the shot. Victorino can still play some defense, although he's not what he was, but he's better than what they've had. The Angels needed outfield depth, and Victorino was the most obvious and cheapest upgrade.
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Boston Red Sox Acquire Catcher Sandy Leon

3/30/2015

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by  Richard Rowell,  Write W.A.V.E. Media  Staff
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With Red Sox starting catcher Christian Vazquez dealing with an elbow injury that could potentially end his season, the team went out and acquired catcher Sandy Leon from the Washington Nationals. It's unknown at this point what the Red Sox promised the Nationals in acquiring him, but it will likely be cash considerations or a player to be named later. As Leon was out of minor league options, were the Nationals to send him to the minor leagues, he would have had to pass through waivers.

Despite only being a back-up caliber catcher, Leon's cannon arm and above-average defensive skills behind the plate would have been picked up by a number of teams for free. This way, the Nationals will at least get some value for letting the Red Sox enjoy his services. Leon is a veteran of 34 games across 3 seasons with the Nationals, hitting only .189/.280/.253 in that time. He hasn't been much of an offensive force in the minors, either, outside of a 117 wRC+ run in 40 games at AA in 2012, followed by an incredible outburst of 188 wRC+ in 19 games at AAA which earned him his first call-up.

The projection system ZiPS projects Leon for a .217/.285/.317 batting line in about 300 plate appearances, which is worth about a 69 wRC+ or 31 percent below league average.. He's also projected to save about 13 runs on defense. in 83 games, making him overall worth about 12 runs above replacement level. While it's doubtful that the Red Sox would need to turn to Leon for that many games, he is a better option than veteran Humberto Quintero, who is decent on defense, but projected to be even worse on offense.. Quintero also isn't on the 40-man roster, meaning the Red Sox would have to make a move to put him on it. Top prospect Blake Swihart is on the 40-man roster, but the Sox would prefer to send him to AAA Pawtucket for further seasoning.

Leon should serve as a more than serviceable back-up to the Sox's other catcher, Ryan Hanigan, until Vazquez returns or Swihart proves he's ready for the big leagues. It's a good value pickup for the Sox in any case.
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Dwight Evans - MLB Baseball Player Bio

10/18/2014

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by  R.A. Rowell; Co-Owner of Intent-sive Nature & the Brand Shamans network
Dwight Evans
Dwight Evans was a very good baseball player, who played from 1972-2001, all but one year of that with the Boston Red Sox. He racked up 65.1 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in his career according to FanGraphs and 66.7 WAR on Baseball-Reference. This puts his contributions in the area of Hall-of-Famers Duke Snider, Roberto Alomar, and Andre Dawson. Yet, he is not a Hall-of-Famer.

Evans did struggle with some injuries during his career,. Also, his once excellent corner outfield defense deteriorated as he got older, which hurt his overall career WAR total. One thing Dwight was extremely good at, though, was getting on base. He had a .370 career on-base percentage, backed up by a decent .470 SLG percentage. He was definitely a power hitter, but he was overshadowed by other great hitters of his era.


Evans won six Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger Awards. His OPS numbers were always solid but his traditional "power numbers" of home runs and RBI were somewhat inconsistent due to the fact he missed chunks of seasons here and there. So, his 385 home runs didn't seem like enough to Hall of Fame voters, which is why he never made it into the Hall.

Today, it's clear that Evans probably belongs in the Hall, though. He was easily one of the best Red Sox players of all-time. He's a fan favorite even now years after his playing days. He probably should have been a career Red Sox player, but he decided to hang on for an extra year in 1991 with the Orioles, producing about 0.8 WAR in 101 games (though he did have a .393 OBP!)


Evans had a chance at two World Series victories in both 1975 and 1986, and was one of the team's most valuable players for many years. His #24 uniform probably should have been retired (although for many years the Red Sox required that the player enter the Hall of Fame for that, until retiring Johnny Pesky's #6 a few years ago). A lot of people weren't happy when Manny Ramirez took his #24, and though I never saw Evans play myself, I can understand why. Of course, Manny, for all his faults, did give a lot to Boston, and Evans being the classy gentleman he is didn't seem to mind.

I still hope they retire #24 for him someday, even if he never makes it into Cooperstown. He deserves to be there.


Best wishes to you, Dewey!

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

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Did the Red Sox Fail Xander Bogaerts?

10/5/2014

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Xander Bogaerts and Dustin Pedroia in 2014. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
by Richard Rowell, Staff Writer
On May 20th 2014, Xander Bogaerts had some good offensive numbers. Sure, in the field he was having some mental lapses, but at the plate, he was flirting with a .400 OBP with a respectable batting average hovering around .300. After only a .378 SLG in May, the power began to come. But with an injury to the ineffective Will Middlebrooks the Red Sox made the strange decision to give Stephen Drew $10 million to come back and play shortstop.

Now on the surface, okay, this doesn't look terrible. You move Bogaerts over to third base and let Drew handle the position that he's best at. The Red Sox knew that no one would sign Drew until after the Amateur Draft in June. Because the Red Sox offered Drew a $14.1 million qualifying offer in the off-season, any team that signed him before the early June draft would have to surrender a first-round draft pick and the Red Sox would receive a compensatory draft pick in return. Because of the situation, the draft pick would have been no longer applicable. There were teams that wanted Drew, but were patient enough to wait. But the Red Sox, with their season not going so well, decided to pay Drew the pro-rated amount of the $14.1 million they originally offered him. Scott Boras really must have talked Ben Cherington into it.

At the time, I was not crazy about the move, but I couldn't have even imagined how badly Drew would go on to play, and how destroyed Xander Bogaerts' confidence would become.

Bogaerts was not a very good defensive shortstop in those first two months. But he would be even worse at third base. He would rack up -7 Defensive Runs at the position in only 385 innings (read: very bad) with a -28.8 UZR/150 (read: very, very bad.) In June his batting line would be .135/.176/.250, something resembling a pitcher's batting line in the National League. In July, he started to come around, but not by much, batting .228/.253/.342. By this point, Drew was already playing himself off the team, with his own .176/.255/.328 batting line. To be fair, defensively he was okay, recording a modest 2 DRS saved with the Sox in around 300 innings. He saved the Red Sox perhaps a few runs in the field. But his lack of offense was so bad that they shipped him off to the Yankees on July 31st - plus cash - for Kelly Johnson. Johnson didn't even last 10 games before being shipped off in a waiver wire deal to the Orioles that included Jemile Weeks.

With Bogaerts now free to play shortstop again, in August, he played in fewer games and did even worse. He was perhaps the worst offensive player in baseball, with a .123./.195/.167 batting line in 21 games. In September, though, Bogaerts regained his confidence and in 24 games, he hit .313/.317/.490 with 4 home runs. While it’s not good that the plate discipline evaporated, it’s good to see the power and average return. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury ended his season early as they held him out in the last few games as a precautionary measure.

The good news is that it appears Bogaerts was not irreparably broken by the Red Sox's clear mistake in seeming to give up on him. They never actually gave up on him. But they didn't bother to realize how much signing Drew and not letting a young player that was excelling on offense a chance to work through his struggles. Brian Butterfield is a legendary infield coach. Derek Jeter has for years been below average defensively as a shortstop - at least according to the defensive metrics - and he's a sure-fire Hall of Famer! Bogaerts was displaying incredible plate discipline and while the power wasn't developing quite as quickly as the Sox had hoped, he was showing exactly why a 21-year old was in the Major Leagues.

Clearly, being forced over to third base with the looming prospect of Will Middlebrooks - who the Red Sox have given far too long a leash to - returning from injury really got inside Xander's head. Fortunately for Xander, Middlebrooks kept having complications, so he still kept playing - and playing - and playing very badly.

But you had Stephen Drew making $10 million and playing a solid defensive shortstop. So, nope, sorry, Xander, keep sucking at third. His defensive struggles clearly destroyed his focus at the plate and he turned into a nearly useless hitter for three months. The Sox could have had an above average starter at shortstop despite his defensive struggles. Instead, they got a replacement level shortstop and a below replacement level third baseman - for $10 million and a lot of grief on poor Xander's part.

I put the blame squarely on Ben Cherington for allowing himself to make such a stupid desperation move to sign Drew and put manager John Farrell in the impossible position of having to continue to play a young player whose confidence had been destroyed at a position where he was clearly uncomfortable and blowing seemingly easy plays.

Of course, the struggles of the Red Sox go far beyond that. Dustin Pedroia was playing all season with a bum left hand, destroying his power numbers. Mike Napoli, likewise, displayed next to no power this season due to his own ailments. David Ortiz was fantastic, yes. But for a long time, Brock Holt was the second-best hitter on the Red Sox, playing way over his head. Mookie Betts was that man for the rest of the season.

The good news is that shortstop belongs to Xander Bogaerts in 2015. Now he has to rediscover his plate discipline, as he has clearly become far more aggressive at the plate. Honestly, they should let Bogaerts be the player he was clearly becoming in May. This guy has the ceiling of a Derek Jeter-like player. You can lose a few runs on defense to have an extraordinary offensive shortstop. Remember Derek Jeter!? The guy that Xander idolized? The guy that you honored at Fenway in his last ever Major League Baseball game? Yeah, that guy.

The Red Sox definitely blew this season for Bogaerts. It was just one major mistake in a season full of nagging injuries, poor performances, absolute disasters and lack of execution on the part of most of the roster. Besides Joe Kelly, the Red Sox starters have been awful since the departure of Jon Lester and John Lackey. Buchholz had four good starts in a row before returning to his previous form. This team hasn't been mediocre. They've been atrocious. Without John Lackey’s and Jon Lester’s performances, they easily would have had the worst record in baseball.

I just hope they didn't break Bogaerts. I don't think they did, but wow, they failed him this year. As for what will happen with Will Middlebrooks, I'd rather take my chances by signing Chase Headley - who should be an off-season bargain. I'd rather have a Gold Glove third baseman with league-average offense than a guy who just strikes out all the time and is below average at the hot corner. Fortunately, Xander is still a special player and should be a fixture up the middle in Boston for years to come.

(Postscript December 4, 2014 - Fortunately for Xander, the Red Sox signed Pablo Sandoval to play third base for the Red Sox for at least five years and Hanley Ramirez to play left field. So Xander's future at shortstop for the Red Sox looks quite secure.)

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Do the Red Sox Miss Jarrod Saltalamacchia?

10/4/2014

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by Richard Rowell, Staff Writer
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Boston Red Sox
Jarrod Saltalamacchia - Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
There were not a lot of people that thought Jarrod Saltalamacchia would build off of what was easily a breakout 2013 campaign. "Salty" was a major component of the Red Sox improbable run to the World Series. Despite his defensive handicaps, he put up very strong offensive numbers for a backstop, compiling 2.9 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) according to Baseball-Reference. The Red Sox decided that he was only worth a two-year contract, and although Saltalamacchia wasn't looking for big money, he desperately wanted that third year. The Minnesota Twins and the Miami Marlins came calling with three-year pacts. The Twins offered a bit more money than the Marlins, but being from Florida, "Salty" took a bit less money to "go home."

It's been a rough season for Salty in Miami. He's essentially been worth about replacement level after his bat has seemingly abandoned him in 2014. He's been fine at home with a .748 OPS, but away he's had only a paltry .611 OPS - oddly enough with a higher walk rate. His defense is about as mediocre as it's been, as well.

The Red Sox decided to go defense-first at catcher and signed the veteran A.J. Pierzynski, long known as a controversial player, to a one-year contract worth about $8 million. While defensively he was perfectly fine and a huge upgrade over Salty's questionable abilities, he simply could not hit. He was worth -0.3 WAR to the Red Sox in 72 games before being flat out released in July. He was picked up by the Cardinals who were desperate for a catcher after All-Star Catcher Yadier Molina went out with injury. He proceeded to be even worse, racking up -0.6 WAR. Pierzynski looked finished after 2013, and he most certainly is now.

So from a straight "do the Red Sox miss Salty" standpoint, it would actually stand to reason that they in fact do, but fortunately the Red Sox have Christian Vazquez. While Vazquez hasn't hit for beans, he's made outstanding plays behind the dish that have made him worth 1.1 WAR in only 55 games according to Baseball-Reference (0.7 WAR according to FanGraphs). David Ross has played at about replacement level as his back-up.

While I can't see the Red Sox really going forward with Christian Vazquez as the number one catcher next year, it appears that they are willing to do so at the cost of offense. Vazquez is as good as advertised and will probably end up being a Gold Glove catcher in the near future. But he's going to top out as an elite back-up for a good team. The Sox need someone like a Russell Martin for at least 2015 and 2016 while they see what top prospect Blake Swihart really is. But the fact is that the Red Sox knew Vazquez's defense would be worth his poor showing at bat, and he may yet improve a bit.

So do the Red Sox miss Salty? Not that horribly yet. Vazquez has been more valuable than Salty this year with his back-stop work. Maybe the Sox were right to let Salty go, but man, they should've just given the job to Vazquez, then.


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