August 25, 2011
Why It’s Too Early to Give Up On Crawford

Carl Crawford may be starting to show signs of life in Texas, but before maybe the past few days, the guy had been absolutely slammed by fans and the media alike this year. His total disaster of a season in combination with the various injuries the Sox’s offense has dealt with in the past weeks has really highlighted his lack of production. But fans, as they usually do, have gone a bit overboard with their criticisms; talks of his contract being a disaster or the guy not being cut out for a big market are completely premature. We only need to look back a few years to see why this is.

When Carlos Beltran signed with the Mets, he too had never played for a large market. In fact, except for his brief stint with the Astros, Beltran had never even had any experience playing for a winner in KC, something Crawford had the opportunity to do with the Rays. Both players signed mega contracts to large market teams, and both were arguably coming off career years. Beltran hit 266 with 16 home runs his first year in New York, both totals that Crawford could easily replicate this year. While Beltran’s walk rate wasn’t as pathetic as Crawford’s (4.3 percent… somewhere Bill James is crying in a room full of computers and half empty red bull cans) the comparison still holds relatively well: A large free agent signing from a small market, struggling under the scrutiny of a large market their first year. Beltran followed up his ugly first season by accumulating a total WAR of 21 over the next 3 years, including his career best year in 06 where he hit 41 home runs with a slash line of 275/288/594. And while injuries have slowed him in recent years, Beltran has been one of the few six figure free agent signings to at least come close to living up to his contract. Obviously Crawford is a different player than Beltran, the power difference is quite large, but Crawford (at least the one we knew in Tampa)  strikes out a lot less and has more considerably speed. Before writing Crawford off, remember that players this talented rarely just fade into oblivion at age 30, and that bad years are a part of baseball. Carlos Beltran serves as a perfect reminder of this.

                                       

6:54pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZqQZwx8lnUDm
(Notes: 3)
  
Filed under: Carl Crawford Carlos Beltran Red Sox Don't write him off 
August 24, 2011
vandy311: Jack-oby Bombs-bury (props to Sox-ed) I think everyone who is ready to give up the MVP to Granderson might be ranking him ahead of the wrong CF in the division. Still think its Joey Bats by the way

vandy311:

Jack-oby Bombs-bury (props to Sox-ed)

I think everyone who is ready to give up the MVP to Granderson might be ranking him ahead of the wrong CF in the division.

Still think its Joey Bats by the way

(Source: jacobyellsbury2)

9:29pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZqQZwx8jlncn
(Notes: 25)
  
Filed under: jacoby ellsbury red sox mlb.com 
August 21, 2011
The Extra 2 %, You Should Read It

My mother, being the great and wise woman that she is, bought me “The Extra 2%” by Jonah Keri for my birthday. I haven’t finished it but it’s a fantastic read, and awesome story.

The theme of the book is basically Wall Street meets baseball. Keri describes how a team in such a completely disadvantaged situation, the Tampa Bay Rays, used many of the same strategies implemented in Wall Street by companies such as Bear Sterns and Goldman Sachs to turn around one of the most hopeless sports franchises in the history of American sports, to a contender in the most stacked stacked division in professional sports. To the maybe 20 people who see this blog, I greatly recommend that they make time to read this book if they fans of baseball or economics. Hollywood always likes to push the idea of the Cinderella story where an underdog or less talented team wins because of “heart” (Hoosiers, Invincible, the Bad News Bears, etc.). Even more interesting however, at least in my opinion, is a story where an underdog wins because they flat out outsmart the competition.  Despite the lack of a World Series title, when you really consider the situation the Rays are in (as Buster Olney describes, ‘they are using a shovel, when the Red Sox and Yankees are using bulldozers,”) the Rays run from 2008 to the present may be even more impressive than the Yankees dynasty in the last 90’s and the Red Sox’s run from 2003-2007. Forget Brian Cashman, and Theo the boy wonder, Andrew Friedman, is unmistakably the best GM in baseball.

11:51am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZqQZwx8ayvl0
Filed under: The Extra 2 % The Tampa Bay Rays Winning 
July 31, 2011
Eric Bedard, the Newest Member of the Boston Red Sox

Right before the deadline today, the Red Sox aquired lefty, maybe slightly better version of Rich Harden.

Why I like this move…

They gave up next to nothing. None of their top prospects. Tim Federowicz, Steven Fife and Juan Rodriguez were not exactly in the Red Sox plans in the next 3 years.

They needed another starter, period.

Yes he is injury prone, but between him and Bucholz, odds are at least one will be healthy for the playoffs.

When healthy, after the  big 3, he is by far the most talented pitcher on the staff right now. When he’s healthy, he’s a bonafide # 3 starter, the problem is (and the reason why they were able to aquire him), he is not healthy enough.

6:11pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZqQZwx7lVZgX
(Notes: 25)
  
Filed under: Eric Bedard Red Sox Trades 
July 31, 2011
Rich Harden!

Will not be a member of the Boston Red Sox… as his deal fell through because of, you guessed it, health issues. Would Rich Harden be the ideal solution, no. But Rich Harden for Lars Anderson, a first baseman prospect who will never ever see the field as long as a guy named Adrian Gonzalez mans the position for the Red Sox, didn’t look so bad. I hope Theo has a plan B, or C, because I will not be happy with John Lackey as the third starter in the playoffs.

Possibilities: Aaron Harrang, Ubaldo Jiminez, Hiroki Kuroda, Ryan Dempster, Rich Harden, Eric Bedard, Matt Garza, Wandy Rodriguez

Update 7/31: Hiroki Kuroda won’t waive his no trade. Disappointing

Update 7/31: Andrew Miller sucks. Time to start trying harder Theo. 49 min left

11:38am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZqQZwx7kiXNT
(Notes: 16)
  
Filed under: Rich Harden Eric Bedard Trades 
July 29, 2011

patspropaganda:

I’m ready to see them in pads…

This is usually a Red Sox/ baseball blog, but I couldn’t resist. Sometimes I think we don’t realize how lucky we are to have not only of the greatest quarterbacks, but one of the greatest players of all time on the Patriots. Like most cities don’t have this. The Cardinals in St. Louis, and the Lakers in LA, and maybe the Colts in Indy are the only cities to truly witness one of the greatest players of all time dominate throughout the entire past decade in their sport. Something we probably won’t fully appreciate until he’s gone. Let’s hope that’s in another ten years..

(Source: haaaveyoumetmarissa)

6:45pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZqQZwx7ghxAD
(Notes: 45)
  
July 28, 2011
Red Sox 100 Games Swag Ratings

vandy311:

Bill Simmons just posted a pretty awesome article called Red Sox Report Card on his site grantland.com  It’s a little like (actually a lot like) my midseason swag ratings so I figured hey, fuck it, 100 games is as a good a milestone as any to update them.  Without further ado…

The 2011 100 (+1) Games Swag Ratings:

Read More

fivewagger

6:34pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZqQZwx7e4_7r
(Notes: 5)
  
July 26, 2011
This Team Needs A Starter

This is the most talented Red Sox team in 2004; As I type the offense has already put up 12 runs in the 6th inning against the lowly Kansas City Royals. Some have made the argument this team shouldn’t do anything at the deadline, as they are already good enough to win the world series without making a move. That could very well be true, but it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t make a move. While Bucholz is making progress on his back injury, he’s still a question mark. And of the other 3 options after Lester and Beckett, Tim Wakefield, John Lackey, and Andrew Miller who sucked again today, inspire absolutely no confidence (I love Wakefield and what he’s done for the organization, but he’s an awful playoff pitcher, period.) To the people who claim that the reason why the Sox don’t need to make a move at the deadline because they are already the most talented in the American League, I respond this is exactly why they need to make a move for a starter.  Opportunities like this don’t come every year, and the Red Sox are an Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, or Jon Lester fluke injury from missing the playoffs next year. The asking price for Ubaldo Jiminez is probably too steep, but Theo’s first priority this deadline should be to add someone to sure up the only real question mark remaining on the roster.

Possibilities: Aaron Harrang, Ubaldo Jiminez, Hiroki Kuroda, Ryan Dempster, Rich Harden, Eric Bedard

update 7/29: Apparently Jon Haymond says the Red Sox are front runners for Ubaldo… interesting

Update 7/31. Ubaldo traded to Cleveland

7/31: So after apparently acquiring Rich Harden, deal fell through. While I don’t think Harden is the best solution, he’s better than nothing, so let’s hope its not nothing that they now get…

10:41pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZqQZwx7ZXKcc
(Notes: 2)
  
Filed under: Trade Deadlne MLB Red Sox 
July 24, 2011
vandy311: Add Michael Pineda to the list of All-Star pitchers turned into a human piñata by the Boston Red Sox offense.   It times it seems like this offense can just score at will. If Crawford can get it together, which it appears he is, then the first 6 of this lineup is absolutely ridiculous.

vandy311:

Add Michael Pineda to the list of All-Star pitchers turned into a human piñata by the Boston Red Sox offense.  

It times it seems like this offense can just score at will. If Crawford can get it together, which it appears he is, then the first 6 of this lineup is absolutely ridiculous.

10:16pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZqQZwx7UNDBp
(Notes: 5)
  
July 21, 2011
"If you asked me ‘What player to do you want out there on this club in all of baseball?’ If I could name one guy to acquire for this team, it would be a healthy Buchholz and I think we’re going to have that."

—

Theo Epstein from espnboston.com (via pedroiaisalwaystheanswer)

Such a PC answer, and while it’s partially true, I still think the number one need on this team is starting pitching. Bucholz’s injury is obviously worse than initially thought, and the rotation goes only 3 deep. I’m not saying give up the farm for Ubaldo Jiminez, but a solid 3 or 4 (Aaron Harrang maybe?) Would ease my playoff rotation concerns.

6:22pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZqQZwx7Mytfs
(Notes: 12)
  
Filed under: Theo Epstein Red Sox Aarong Harrang 
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