Was bringing Farrell back for 2017 the right move?

Photo Credit: USA Today Sports

This past week, Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowksi announced that John Farrell will return for the 2017. The burning question on fans' minds is "Was this the right move?" My gut feeling is that this is indeed the correct decision. No, he's not Terry Francona, Joe Maddon, or Bruce Bochy, but I would say 2 things in his defense - he was at the helm for 2013 and it would also appear he has this team on the up again after 2 straight last place finishes.

Let's start with the first thing - 2013. We all remember how that turned out, yes? It seemed as if the baseball gods wanted the Red Sox to win that year, but remember that the game is played on the field. And players can lose focus over the course of a 6 month season, and it takes a firm hand in the clubhouse to keep the team focus on the ultimate goal. I give Farrell most of the credit for that.

Reason #2 I would support Farrell for now - this team is heading in the right direction after getting swept by Cleveland. Yes, I know - we got swept, but I'll happily take it over 2 straight last place finishes, wouldn't you? I can't tell you how happy I was to see meaningful late-season and playoff baseball back at Fenway again. Like in 2013, I credit Farrell for keeping the team focused, and it paid off with a division title in the toughest division in baseball this year. Side note: Before fans of other teams start giving me flack, the AL East had 3 playoff teams and 4 of 5 teams over .500, so yeah, I think it qualifies as the best this year. Plus, the team had to deal with the media circus that was David Ortiz's retirement tour this year, but Farrell still kept the team on track.

Yes, I understand the counter-arguments. His in-game management is bad at times (trust me, that frustrates me too), but again, I do believe Farrell deserves a lot of credit for being a steady hand in the dugout, which is a big part of being a manager. My question to the anti-Farrell crowd would be this - would you rather go back to Bobby Valentine? Who would you have manage the team in place of Farrell? I say stick with Farrell for 2017, and see how it plays out before maybe changing managers.

Twitter: @C_Frederick 
@FlyingGM_Blog 

Facebook: Flying Green Monsters

LCS and beyond: What'll happen the rest of the playoffs?

Photo Credit: dawindycity.com

Hint: I'm feeling a happy ending (finally!) for the Chicago Cubs.

With the Red Sox out of the playoffs and the League Championship Series almost set (the LA Dodgers will face the Washington Nationals tonight for the right to face the Cubs), I thought it was a good time to look at how I believe the rest of the playoffs will shape up.

Washington/LA: Tonight's game 5 will be a competitive affair, I think, but I do see the Nationals edging out LA in a tight one. Why? Simple - I predict Max Scherzer steps up and pitches the game of his life. He did struggle in Game 2, but I think he does show up big time in the biggest moment thus far for Washington. I also see Bryce Harper and the rest of the Nationals lineup getting to Rich Hill, the LA starter, early. Hill struggled in his first playoff start this season, lasting only 4.1 innings and giving up 4 runs to the Nats.
Prediction: WAS over LA 4-2, WAS advances  

NLCS - CHI vs WAS: The Nationals are a good team, no doubt about it, but I firmly believe the Chicago Cubs are far and away the most complete team of 2016. They have an excellent combination of youth, experience, pitching (Red Sox fans will know all about that - Jon Lester and John Lackey, both ex-Sox players who will both start for Chicago), hitting, defense, and management from the GM Theo Epstein down to Joe Maddon. Maddon may be quirky, but he's one of the best managers in baseball, and he's proved it with the Rays and Cubs. This series will be tight, but I do think the Cubs have the talent to beat Washington.
Prediction - CHI wins the series 4-2  

ALCS: CLE vs TOR: This one should be interesting. Both teams swept their way through the ALDS, so both teams are rested, but I do think Toronto has that extra edge after also beating the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card play-in game. However, Cleveland is more than capable of causing what I think most would consider an upset. In addition, Cleveland arguably had the tougher ALDS matchup with Boston and swept the Sox in impressive fashion. I think this one could go the full 7 games, but I do think Toronto edges them out due to having a tougher lineup. Prediction: TOR wins the series 4-3

World Series prediction - Cubs win 4-1 I'll point out again that Chicago has a more complete team than any team remaining, and I believe that will propel them to the top of the baseball mountain in 2016, and I think they beat the Jays handily in 5. This is the part where I knock on wood, because I sincerely hope the Cubs can prove me right and pull it out, but I'm also well aware of the Cubs history.
Twitter - @C_Frederick1016 
 @FlyingGM_Blog  

Facebook: Flying Green Monsters

Season Recap: A farewell to Ortiz and what's next

AP/Charles Krupa

The Red Sox were swept out of the playoffs by the Cleveland Indians on Monday in a disappointing end to David Ortiz's final season with the Red Sox. David Ortiz bid an emotional farewell to Red Sox Nation after losing 4-3 to the Indians. The Red Sox did well to make it to the playoffs, but were outplayed in every phase of the game in the ALDS by a hungry Cleveland team.

So, how bad was it? As a team, the Red Sox hit .214 for the series, and a measly .163 with runners in scoring position. And especially in the first game, Red Sox hitters were swinging at air. Pitching? Forget about it. The team had an ERA of 5.04, and the big money guy, David Price, had a 13.50 ERA (so much for that $214 million contract - yikes!). The Red Sox could not get any momentum in any facet of the game, and with the exception of Andrew Benintendi and Brock Holt, no one on the roster really performed up to the bar they had set all season.

Now for the plus side - this will be a good learning curve for the young guys, and having that playoff experience under their belt will help them next year. And with no David Ortiz on the field, that should put more on the shoulders of guys like Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., and the rest of the young core, but I think they are ready.

And the lineup was one huge positive for the Sox all season long, from Ortiz's monster final season to Mookie Betts having an MVP-caliber season, Andrew Benintendi showing flashes of brilliance both at the plate and in the field, and finally having 5 guys (Ortiz, Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Hanley Ramirez, and Jackie Bradley) with over 20 home runs.

What's next?
So, what's in store this off-season? The Red Sox have to fill David Ortiz's very large shoes at DH. In Spring Training, I would have advocated Hanley in that role, and that's still possible, but Hanley proved what I thought early in the year wrong, and I'm grateful for it. He was above average at 1st base, and I'd be fine keeping him there after what he has done this year. Edwin Encarnacion is out there, but I would say try Pablo Sandoval there, but I'm not the one making the decisions, and the verdict is still out on Panda. One thing is clear - filling Ortiz's spot will make for an interesting offseason.

Farwell, Papi:
On that note, it's time for the hardest part: Saying good bye to David Ortiz. He's been without a doubt the most important player in Red Sox history, winning 3 World Series championships. He changed the culture around Fenway, and he played the game with a huge smile from ear to ear every day. It's going to be depressing when he's not on the Opening Day roster, but the time was right for him to go.

Twitter - @C_Frederick1016
@FlyingGM_Blog
Facebook: Flying Green Mosnters
All stats from espn.com