Rembering Frank Malzone: A tribute to a steady Red Sox

Photo Credit: NY Times

Frank Malzone, who died on Tuesday, was well before my time (I was born in 1990), but he might be one of the most underrated players in Red Sox history. He played 10 seasons with the Red Sox, but was largely overshadowed for the simple reason of who he played with. He played with 2 greats, Ted Williams and Carl Yastremski, both of whom get much more attention by most fans, unless you're a baseball history buff. Not to say Teddy Ballgame and Yaz shouldn't be talked about - they both had stellar careers with the Red Sox, but Frank Malzone also deserves to be more than a footnote to these guys.

Malzone's career with the Red Sox by the numbers (per the NY Times):

Seasons: 10 (1955-65)

7 of those season he played at least 150 games, including 475 games in a row at one point. In 1959, he played 42 more games at 3rd base than anyone else in the American League.

He had a .274 career average lifetime, including at .280 average or better in 5 of his first 7 full season. He knocked in 90 runs 3 times, including 103 in 1957.

He made 6 All Star teams during his Red Sox tenure. In his second All Star game in 1959, he hit a home run off of future Dodgers Hall-of-Famer Don Drysdale.

 He also won 3 Gold Gloves and might have won more if an Orioles 3rd baseman by the name of Brooks Robinson hadn't arrived on the scene.

So, while the Red Sox weren't very impressive during his tenure (they never finished above 3rd), he should be remembered as one of the all-time great Red Sox 3rd basemen and a solid, reliable player for the team for 10 seasons. Malzone was well before me, but he's the kind of guy I would love to have on the current Red Sox. Some of the guys on today's team could learn a lot from a guy like Malzone. May he rest in peace.

Al East Predictions Way Too Early

Maddie Mayer/Getty Images

Spring Training is in a little over 2 months from now, which means the regular season is not far behind. You know what that means? I'm going to try and predict how the AL East will shape up. Sure, it's early, but who doesn't love early predictions? I know I do, so here goes.

1.) New York Yankees (98-64):Before the Yankees acquired Aroldis Chapman in a deal with the Reds, I might have had the Red Sox first, but the Yankees now have a scary bullpen, which is going to be huge. However, they do have to contend with Father Time, with one of the oldest rosters in baseball (average age is 27.1), which could be problematic for them

 2.) Boston Red Sox (95-67): I do think the Red Sox are a much-improved team with a number of key acquisitions, including big money signing David Price. I do think they'll be right in the think of the race for the AL East crown with all their additions, but my main concern for them would be the performances of their big signings from last season, particularly Hanley Ramirez. I'm not sure if I feel comfortable with him at first, but I sincerely hope he proves me wrong.

 3.) Baltimore Orioles (85-77):The Orioles haven't made too many big moves to date, and they're still waiting on slugger Chris Davis to make a decision on whether he'll return or not. Of course, putting them in third assumes Davis will return, but if he leaves, the Orioles will be in major trouble if they can't replace him.

4.) Toronto Blue Jays (80-82): 

There's no doubt that the Jays suffered a big loss when we got David Price. They still have a lineup full of sluggers, but without an elite pitcher, they'll drop drastically from last season when they went to the ALCS.

 5.) Tampa Bay Rays (69-93):

Not much you can say about Tampa. I think their run ended when Joe Maddon went to the Cubs. And they'll take over last place in the division from us. That's how I see this division shaping up. Leave a comment if you agree, or disagree. It's still early to say who'll finish where. Twitter- @C_Frederick1016 @ FlyingGM_Blog

Who starts at catcher - Swihart or Vazquez?

Photo Credit: Boston Herald

The Red Sox have a dilemma - now that Christian Vazquez is back from Tommy John's Surgery, who will be the Red Sox starting catcher in 2016? Blake Swihart got most of the reps in 2015, but will that be the case in 2016? The Boston Herald suggests that Swihart will get the majority of the starts at catcher, at least to start:

If we could guarantee Vazquez would be 100 percent recovered from Tommy John surgery, I would guess Vazquez. But since he might not be ready until May or June, it’s hard to see him playing every day by July. If Swihart’s offensive ability continues to improve as the Red Sox think it will and he can add value to the team as a first baseman or third baseman, it’s not crazy to say he might play one of the corner positions later this year or in 2017. But with the uncertainty around Vazquez, I expect Swihart will catch the most games for the Red Sox this year.

Personally, I would agree with the Herald and say Blake Swihart has the edge for the regular starting job at the moment, but I would say it's 50/50 if Christian Vazquez can stay healthy. They both have potential, and if Christian Vazquez can stay healthy, I like the idea of moving Swihart to a corner infield position and possibly dumping Hanley Ramirez or Pablo Sandoval if neither of those guys improve. Twitter - @C_Frederick1016