July 13, 2011
First Half Update

The Red Sox will get the second half of the season kicked off tomorrow in Tampa Bay. This is a perfect time to evaluate the season as a whole. As it currently stands, the first place Sox at 55-35 are on pace to win 99 games. Honestly, that’s about where most people probably had them slated to begin the year. The journey has been far from smooth sailing… a 2 and 10 start, a 4 game sweep by the White Sox… in some ways that makes the overall record maybe even more impressive.

I used the All star break also as an opportunity to go over my first half awards for the 2011 edition of the Boston Red Sox.

MVP: Adrian Gonzalez:

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10:00am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZqQZwx73ND6F
Filed under: adrian gonzalez Josh Beckett Red Sox David Ortiz Dustin Pedroia 
July 1, 2011
Is Alex Rodriguez more delusional or overpaid?

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=6731297

“They have the world’s greatest player playing shortstop over there, and the most exciting,” Rodriguez said, referring to electrifying New York Mets leadoff hitter Jose Reyes. “I turn on the TV every time I get a chance to watch him.”

Those were the words of Alex Rodriguez today on Jose Reyes. While it’s a given that Reyes is one of the elite shortstops in baseball, this is an absolutely outrageous claim. While at least Rodriguez is aware enough to realize that Reyes is indeed better than Rodriguez’s own teammate, Derek Jeter, I think he forgot about… Albert Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez, Roy Halladay, Matt Kemp, Jose Bautista… Alex Rodriguez… should I keep going? and if we’re counting non position players…Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Justin Verlander, should I go on?

Listen the .352 average is great, but considering a guy in A-rods own division is hitting 352 with 17 home runs, and 71 RBIs… well come on now. I’m not even proposing the idea that Adrian Gonzalez is the best player in baseball, but really… Jose Reyes? Let’s just say I don’t expect Rodriguez to get any GM offers when he and his nearly 300 million contract is out of baseball…

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Filed under: alex rodriguez Jose Reyes Delusional Adrian Gonzalez 
June 22, 2011
The Should Be All-Stars. AL Edition

I don’t want to say the all-star game has become a joke, because I watch it every year and enjoy it, so calling it a joke would make me an idiot… but it’s hardly the event that it’s capable of being. The all-star game should be a combination of the best players and the players having the best seasons being able to showcase their talent on a national stage. Naturally because of fan voting, and fan ignorance, the starting rosters will never quite be that. This year however,  fan voting took a turn for the deep end.

Recently, the  Red Sox and Giants have collaborated to have their fans vote for each others players. In a system where big markets are already favored, that’s the last thing we need if we’re striving to get the most deserving players. As a Red Sox fan, I find this stunt embarrassing. Do we really need to cheat as fans in order to try to get  Jarred Saltalamacchia into an exhibition game? The New York market as always, is continuing to muddle the process. After somehow getting the now .238 hitting Nick Swisher into the game over Kevin Youkilis last year, they currently have the now very mediocre Derek Jeter, and very average Russell Martin slated to start the game. Add those problems with voting to the seemingly endless expanding rosters to get any player who is halfway decent into the game, the mid summer classic is far, far away from what it was in the 60’s and 70’s.

So I’ve given up on really caring who will be the all-stars, and turn my focus to should be the all-stars. That is, if each league had a 25 man roster, who would start and who would play. I came up with this…

AL

C: Alex Avilia, Carlos Santana. Fans: Russell Martin.

Hey New York, Avila has a higher average, OBP and Slugging percentage than Russell Martin. But don’t worry, Russell Martin probably is the best catcher in the league

1B: Adrian Gonzalez, Miguel Cabrera. Fans: Gonzalez

It’s Paul Konerko, not Mark Teixeira who gets the short end of the stick here…

Gonzo

2B: Ben Zobrist, Dustin Pedroia. Fans: Robinson Cano.

See previous post. Also see Cano’s home run totals on the road. Zobrist continues to be one of the most underrated players in baseball.

3B. Alex Rodriguez. Fans: Rodriguez

Not worth 30 million dollars a year but worth an all-star vote

SS: Asdrubal Cabrera. Fans: Derek Jeter

Jeter not worth 17 million dollars… also not worth an all-star vote

OF Jose Bautista, Curtis Granderson, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, Carlos Quentin. Fans: Bautista, Granderson, Josh Hamilton

Jacoby Ellsbury needs to start, but I think Brett Gardner has accompished the impossible becoming the first underrated Yankee of all time…

DH: David Ortiz. Fans:Ortiz

Read last months post

Pitchers: Jered Weaver, Justin Verlander, Josh Beckett, CC Sabathia, Felix Hernandez, Dan Haren, James Shields, Michael Pineada, David Robertson, Jordan Walden, Mariano Rivera

National League coming tomorrow…

8:01pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZqQZwx6Lnpqn
(Notes: 2)
  
Filed under: Adrian Gonzalez Alex ROdriguez All Star Game American League Baseball Baseball Ben Zobrist Boston Red Sox Brett Gardner CC Sabathia Carlos Quentin Curtis Granderson Dan Haren David Ortiz David Robertson Derek Jeter Dustin pedroia Felix Hernandez JOrdan Walden Jacoby Ellsbury James Shields Jered Weaver Jose Bautista Josh Beckett Josh Hamilton Justin Verlander MIguel Cabrera MLB MLB Mariano Rivera 
June 22, 2011
Dustin Pedroia’s Curious Season

It’s easy to look at Dustin Pedroia’s 2011 season now that we are almost halfway through and call it somewhat of a disappointment. Considering the fact that he has constantly posted OPS above 800 and was the 2008 MVP with a .326 average, a measly .270 with 6 home runs don’t seem to stack up to what we’ve become accustomed to. Those numbers however, don’t tell the whole story. Pedroia has been JD Drew patient this year, and with 52 walks already, he is on pace to eclipse 100 for the first time in his career. On a team with Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz hitting  behind him, table setting is a much more important asset than run production. Pede’s .386 OBP leads all major league second baseman, eclipsing rival Robinson Cano’s OBP by almost 50 points.

Defensively too, Pedroia has been nothing short of stellar (no pun intended). Fangraphs estimates that Pedroia has saved 8.6 runs (also leads all second baseman) on defense compared to the average second baseman. As someone who has watched the majority of Red Sox games this year, I certainly believe this can be backed up by the eye ball test as Pedroia has been both steady and has made his fair share of spectacular plays.

The facts above aren’t to say that we shouldn’t expect more than a .270 average from arguably the best second baseman in baseball, I just think it needed to be highlighted that Pedroia is finding other ways to contribute at elite levels. When the average gets closer to the .300 levels (Definitely when not if), Pedroia will once again get the proper recognition for his contributions, even if the casual fan looking at a fantasy baseball stat-line doesn’t see those contributions now.

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(Notes: 6)
  
Filed under: Dustin Pedroia Red Sox Adrian Gonzalez Kevin Youkilis Robinson Cano Fangraphs 
June 21, 2011
How to handle the David Ortiz situation?

David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez have been far and away the two most productive hitters on the Red Sox this season. Problem is they are both first baseman, and solely first baseman.. How do you get Ortiz’s bat in the lineup during the nine games of interleague away games when Gonzalez has been one of the two best hitters in baseball (See Jose Bautista)? Adrian Gonzalez recently proposed agreeing to play right field. Having the slowest player on the team patrolling that amount of area creates a liability and potential injury risk. With that said, JD Drew as good as he is defensively is a huge drop off from Ortiz, and sitting Ortiz for nine games during one of the hottest stretches in the past five years is not fair to him.

The way I’d handle it, considering there is no perfect solution is to play Gonzalez in right, but only a few games to minimize his injury risk, but enough to give Ortiz a chance to stay warm and have your best possible lineup out there at least a few games.

Start Gonzalez at first 5 games

Start Gonzalez in right 3 games

Sit Gonzalez 1 game

Start Ortiz at first 4 games.

Bench Ortiz 5 games

1:41pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZqQZwx6Izl8h
(Notes: 4)
  
Filed under: David Ortiz Adrian Gonzalez JD Drew Red Sox Boston Jose Bautista 
June 6, 2011
David Ortiz

Has anyone else realized how much of a monster Ortiz has been? For all the well deserved props Adrian Gonzalez has been recieving, one could argue that Ortiz has been the best offensive player for the Red Sox. Playing mostly full time, even against lefties, Ortiz has put up a 325/ 392/594 line putting him on pace to have his best season since 2007. His 355 average against lefties, while definitely unsustainable has certainly been remarkable and has largely been due to his ability to go the opposite field. You wonder if Gonzalez’s opposite field hitting style has rubbed off on him at all? Regardless, dude’s been a beast…

12:19pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZqQZwx5qdPE9
(Notes: 2)
  
Filed under: MLB Red Sox David Ortiz Adrian Gonzalez 
January 5, 2011
Beltre Signs With Texas

It’s official, Adrian Beltre finally signs with Texas, for up to 6 years and 96 million. Scott Boras proves once again that he is smarter than all of us, as we laughed at him rejecting the A’s 5 years 65 million dollar offer. I enjoyed Beltre with his time here. I always thought there was a little bit of crazy in him… the dude would completely flip out anytime anyone touched his head. He was a complete player; was everything as advertised defensively, and had the second best offensive year of his career. There are certainly red flags with the Texas signing. Beltre has had his two best years in contract years. Am I shocked about the amount Beltre is making? no… I think this deal is certainty more justifiable than the Werth offer, but I’m glad the Red Sox took the route that they did. With that said, how much better did the Red Sox actually get at the corner positions? Let’s look at last year, and how we can project this year.

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3:28pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZqQZwx2RjXIa
(Notes: 1)
  
Filed under: Adrian Gonzalez Adrian Beltre Kevin Youkilis Red Sox Scott Boras Fangraphs 
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