Red Sox slowing down Christian Vazquez's rehab

Photo Credit: Patrick Semansky/AP

The Red Sox are usually one of the more interesting teams to watch during Spring Training, and this year is no different. One of the things that will be worth keeping an eye on, but might be overlooked a little, is the Red Sox catcher situation. In particular, Christian Vazquez, who had to have Tommy John surgery last year and subsequently missed most of last season. The team has been pretty aggressive in recent weeks with his program, but has scaled it back in the past few days. Here's what John Farrell had to say about it yesterday, per Masslive:

"We've slowed it down a little bit over the last five to seven days," manager John Farrell said on Thursday. "He got really aggressive with some throwing, which was part of his schedule, and it was also built in to – I'm not going to say plateau – but we want to be careful we're not going too quick here. How his body talks back to us, how he comes out of these intensive throwing sessions, we adjust accordingly. Not a setback. We've slowed things down a little bit."

It's still unclear as to who will be the Red Sox Opening Day catcher, but Vazquez is sure to factor into the team's plans for 2016 and beyond. I don't mind the "slow and steady" approach from Farrell. Blake Swihart is more than capable of starting at catcher until Vazquez is ready to step in. Until then, it's definitely something worth keeping an eye on.
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Spring Training notes: Buchholz to be #2, Price and Ortiz make nice, more

With Spring Training in full effect, here are a few intersting tidbits so far from Fort Meyers.

Clay Buchholz slated for the #2 rotation spot. Source: Boston Herald

It looks like the Red Sox rotation is starting to take shape, with John Farrell telling the media that Clay Buchholz is slated to be the number 2 starter at the moment. This lines up with what I said in my rotation projection, and would be a good move, assuming that he can stay healthy. Right now, I have him going 7-4, but his health is going to be a factor for the Red Sox if they want make the postseason.  
David Ortiz and David Price make nice. Source: ESPN One of the big questions chemistry-wise was how David Ortiz and David Price would deal with their past rivalry, but it does appear that they both put it behind them and are ready for the 2016 season. In past seasons, especially when Price played for the division rival Tampa Bay Rays, he and Ortiz would really go at it, but the past is the past, or so it would seem on the surface. Chemistry is important, and both guys' willingness to put their beef behind them is important. They'll both be important for the team, and they can't let that stuff get in the way.  

Pablo Sandoval says he dropped 6% body fat.  Source: Fox Sports Probably the biggest story line so far is Pablo Sandoval's weight. He didn't drop the 20 pounds that manager John Farrell said he did, but he did drop 6% body fat on Wednesday, bringing him down to 17 percent from 23 percent. I hope this means he'll improve, because I've talked about this issue, and I'm going to need to see a lot more from Sandoval than I saw last season into this off-season. I sincerly hope he proves me wrong.

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Ortiz says he wants standing ovation in the Bronx

Photo Credit: Winslow Towson/AP

David Ortiz is retiring at the end of the season, and he'll more than likely get a farewell tour. That means teams doing special tributes and gifts the last time he takes the field at every park. But the one thing Ortiz really wants? A standing ovation from Yankees fans the last time he visits the Bronx.

Per NJ.com:

"You know what I want most of all?'' Ortiz said. "I would love it if the fans at Yankee Stadium gave me a standing ovation.

Ortiz has been tormenting the Yankees for over a decade. In 224 regular season games he's hit .306 with 47 home runs. In 2004, he had several late-inning hits that powered Boston to an improbable 3-0 series comeback win against New York in the American League Championship Series. The Sox then won the World Series that year.

"The Yankees were the team to beat back then,'' Ortiz told Kernan. "Being able to do what we did was something that was very special. It was career-lifting for me. People get to know you better, focus on you a little more. If you continue to be successful, you can build a career out of it.''

Personally, I think it seems a little much. I love the guy, but you never saw Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter asking for ovations from Red Sox fans. Whether the Yankees fans oblige or not is up to them, but I won't hold it against them if they decide not to. It does seem like a bit much to ask for. Bad enough these farewell tours are the new thing with retiring players - I tend to think that they already draw too much attention to these guys and seem somewhat egotistical themselves- but even more so when a guy says "This is what I'd like to see from fans of a rival team."

That's my personal feeling, though.

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Spring Training notes: Sandoval doesn't show weight loss

Photo Credit: Christopher Smith/Masslive

Spring Training is officially underway in Fort Meyers, Florida, and already there's a little interest surrounding Pablo Sandoval. Sandoval arrived earlier today and showed little weight loss. The Red Sox posted the photo below on their Twitter page, and there is hardly a difference from last year to Spring Training this year, let alone the 20-22 pounds promised by John Farrell (source: Masslive).

🐼 in the 🏠! @KFP48 #SoxSpring pic.twitter.com/ExRkIC34GY

— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) February 21, 2016

The lack of a noticeable difference in his physical fitness, at least so far, is troubling to me as a fan, since the team splashed out nearly $100 million to land Sandoval. Hopefully, he proves me wrong, though. He might think he has nothing to prove, but after a mediocre season at best in 2015, he better be ready to prove to his teammates and the front office that he was worth the investment the team made to get him.

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3 Red Sox story lines to watch in Spring Training

Photo Credit: Bleacher Report

With Spring Training finally almost upon us (pitchers and catchers report on Thursday), it's time to look at a few of the major story lines to keep an eye on down in Fort Meyers.

 1.) The fitness of Pablo Sandoval: A lot has been made of Sandoval's weight since the team signed before last season, and it was reported last month he supposedly lost weight again. If he has lost weight, it's definitely good news for the Red Sox, but how much of a difference will it make? Who knows, but it will definitely be something to watch in Spring Training.

 2.) Hanley Ramirez's play at 1st base: This has been pounded to death among Red Sox analysts (myself included), but it bears mentioning here: I'm more than a little worried about Hanley Ramirez's defense at 1st base. Hanley showed almost 0 effort in the outfield last season, and I'm worried about how that might translated to 1st. It will definitely be something to watch as Spring Training goes on. Who steps up as the first replacement if Hanley struggles will also bear watching - the first choice in my mind would be Travis Shaw, but we'll see.  

3.) How the starting rotation shapes up: David Price will be the #1 guy. We know that. The rest of the rotation is much hard to tell - I've given my projection for how things will shape up, and I stand by that, but it will still be interesting to watch as Spring Training goes on. It'll also be interesting to see who establishes themselves as the first choice starter in case of an injury.

There you have it. Those are the biggest story lines going into Spring Training in my book. Until then, a friendly reminder - only 8 more days until pitchers report.

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Red Sox fan to Giants: Take Pablo Sandoval back

Photo Credit: Yardbreaker

This one was pretty amusing - a kid at the San Francisco Giants Fan Fest asked the Giants if they could take Pablo Sandoval, per Fox Sports. The reaction from the crowd of Giants fans was pretty predictable - most of them booed and laughed off the suggestion (video below).

A video posted by J.Lynn Johnston (@jlynnjohnston) on Feb 13, 2016 at 12:26pm PST

Can't blame the kid for asking, can you? The Panda's first year with the team was forgettable, at best - .245, 10 home runs and 47 RBI's. I admire the kid's guts, but the Red Sox are stuck with him for 4 more years...unless they find a team to take on the remainder of his 5 year/$95 million deal, which is a long shot at best. Nice effort, kid, but the best we can do is hope Sandoval improves this season.

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