Dustin Pedroia is on the comeback trail

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Ron Schwane

Dustin Pedroia has had a tough time with injuries in his career, particularly last season, but all reports suggest he's ready to come back better and healthier this season. Dave Dombrowksi told Pedroia to emphasize quickness in the off-season, per Masslive.com, noting how it worked for Ian Kinsler:

"We talked about emphasizing quickness, and I think at his age, you end up being where you need to do that," Dombrowski said in December. "I heard the same thing about Ian Kinsler a couple years ago, (then he) had his best two years defensively that he's ever had. Part of that was he changed his program in that he worked more on his quickness at that time. I've seen that work with guys."

Pedroia himself said that he's trying to expand his game and be more well-rounded:

"I'm training to be an athlete, not do (just) certain things," Pedroia said. "I'm not trying to just hit home runs or drive the ball. I'm trying to whatever is thrown at me be able to acclimate and make a play. Just training to be an athlete instead of more sports-specific." Pedroia has put an emphasis on building his strength the past two offseasons. "I want to beat teams 10 different ways, man: stealing bags, hitting singles, doubles, making plays," Pedroia said. "That's what I'm trying to do. That's my focus — not on just one thing."

Last season, Pedroia started out well, hitting at a .306 clip with 9 home runs, 14 doubles, and 33 RBI's, but went down with a hamstring injury in June. The key for Pedroia will be staying healthy, and it sounds like he's been working on that this off-season. And that spells trouble for other teams - if Pedroia is healthy, he'll be a big factor in our success this season.

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Wade Boggs to have number retired, but should he?

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Wade Boggs played a grand total of 11 seasons in Boston, amassing a .338/.428/.462 slash line and 200 hits every season from 1984-89. He was a part of the 1986 team that was a Bill Buckner freak play away from breaking "The Curse of the Bambino" 18 years early. No doubt he was one of the great players in Red Sox history, but was he good enough to have his number retired? I would have to say yes.

Now, I'm too young to have seen him play with the Red Sox - I was born in 1990, and Boggs left for the Evil Empire (and ultimately won a World Series there in 1996- ouch!) in 1992. The first time I saw him play, in the late 90's, was with the Tampa Bay Rays. But, when your name gets thrown around with Ted Williams, that's worth something. Boggs is right behind Ted Williams in batting titles with the Red Sox (5), and average at Fenway Park (.338). Pretty impressive in my books.

Ultimately, Wade Boggs never brought a World Series championship to Boston, and that affects some of the perception surrounding Boggs. If he had been on the team that had broken "The Curse," I don't think there would be any doubts about him getting his number retired. But there will always be doubts about this, especially since he left for the Yankees, then proceeded to win a title there. That couldn't have been a pleasant feeling for Red Sox fans. For me, though, he was a model of consistency while he was with the Red Sox and that's why he should have his number retired.

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Roster Projection 1.0 - what will the Red Sox look like in April?

Photo Credit: Over the Monster

Before the Red Sox kick off the season in April, I'm going to try and project what the Red Sox roster will look like when Opening Day finally rolls around. This will be the first of several throughout Spring Training since players could get hurt, under- or over-perform expectations, etc. Without further ado, I give you my pre-Spring Training roster projection.

 Outfield: The outfield is the toughest projection to make as far as starters go, because there is such a logjam of talent in the outfield, but here's how I see it shaping up at the start:  

Starters (Left to Right): Chris Young, Mookie Betts, Rusney Castillo Betts was by far the easiest one to choose, as he is probably one of the most promising young players in baseball right now. Aside from his .291 average and 18 home runs, he also posted his highest fielding percentage in center field (.990), so barring an injury. Chris Young, the new signing from New York, will likely start in left. He posts his best fielding percentage in left (.996), but he's also only played 152 games in left, compared to 947 in center field. However, I do see the center field job as Mookie Betts' to lose at the moment, so I think the team will build around that assumption going into Spring Training. Rusney Castillo will likely round out the outfield. He showed flashes of what he can do last season, and I also think the Red Sox will want to avoid making him the most expensive minor leaguer in history. I think Castillo will start the year as the Red Sox right fielder, where he's played the most in his young Red Sox career.  

Bench: Jackie Bradley Jr., Brock Holt
Bryce Brentz and Jackie Bradley Jr are the two guys are the only other outfielders on the 40-man roster right now. However, the Opening Day roster will be trimmed to 25 and, at the moment, Jackie Bradley is the one assured of a major league spot - his glove is fantastic, even if his hitting needs some work. If any of the 3 starters go down with an injury, he'll be the first one off the bench. Right now, Brentz should spend another year down in AAA Pawtucket, and maybe next year, he'll be ready to start at a major league level. The Red Sox also have Brock Holt, who can fill in just about anywhere, so there's really no room for Brentz at the moment.  


Infield:
  
Starters: Hanley Ramirez (1B), Dustin Pedroia (2B), Xander Bogaerts (SS), Pablo Sandoval (3B) This one was pretty simple. Barring a major injury between now and Opening Day, this is what the infield will look like. 3 of those guys have big contracts (Pedroia, Ramirez, Sandoval), and Xander Bogaerts is the most promising young shortstop in the game. As far as Ramirez goes, management has made it clear he'll start at first, so that's beyond a doubt at this point. Sandoval should get another shot, assuming the rumors of him losing weight are true.

 Bench: Brock Holt, Travis Shaw Brock Holt, as I mentioned above, can play just about anywhere, and Travis Shaw will be the first off the bench if the Hanley at 1st experiment goes wrong, so not much question there.  

Catcher: Blake Swihart, Christian Vazquez I do think Swihart gets the Opening Day nod, at least until Vazquez is 100%. And even then, I think they'll be platooning it during the regular season, depending on who's pitching and how they develop with each individual pitcher. DH: David Ortiz. No questions there.

Starting Lineup: This is what the lineup would look like, assuming this holds true: 1.) Mookie Betts, CF 2.) Xander Bogaerts, SS 3.) David Ortiz, DH 4.) Hanley Ramirez, 1B 5.) Pablo Sandoval, 3B 6.) Dustin Pedroia, 2B 7.) Rusney Castillo, RF 8.) Blake Swihart/Christian Vazquez, C 9.) Chris Young, LF

Starting Pitchers: David Price, Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello, Eduardo Rodriguez, Roenis Elias I already tried my hand at projecting the rotation, and I stand by what I said in that. To read that, click here.  

Bullpen: Koji Uehara, Craig Kimbrel, Carson Smith, Joe Kelly, Junichi Tazawa, Stevan Wright, Robbie Ross Right now, 5 of those guys are locks to be on the Opening Day roster - Koji, Taz, Kelly as a long reliever/spot starter, and the new acquisitions, Kimbrel and Smith. As for the other guys, they all had their struggles last year - but, then again, who didn't last year? However, I do think the bullpen will be the most improved part of the team, with Kimbrel taking over the closer slot from Koji. That will take the pressure of Koji, and I think he'll return to his 2013 form.

So, there you have it. That's my 25 man Opening Day roster projection for the Red Sox. This isn't close to perfect, and I'll do at least a couple more during Spring Training, as I see how players are doing.

Playoffs or bust in Ortiz's final season

Photo Credit: Winslow Townson/AP

The Red Sox are preparing for their final season with David Ortiz as a player, and John Henry has set the bar pretty high for David Ortiz's final season, per Masslive:  

"Given his track record in the postseason, it would be a disaster, that's a strong word, I guess, a big disaster — it would be terrible if he doesn't end his career in the postseason," Henry said here at the Red Sox Baseball Winter Weekend at Foxwoods Resort Casino on Friday.  

Ortiz has a .295 career playoff average, 17 home runs and 62 RBI's in the playoffs, and is also responsible for many of the most memorable moments in recent Red Sox playoff history. He single-handedly brought the team back from the brink in 2004 and ran away with the World Series MVP in 2013, leading some (myself included) to christen him the new "Mr. October."

 John Henry would be absolutely correct in saying that it would be a disaster if they can't make the playoffs this season, even more so given how aggressive the team has been in the off-season. Aside from it being Ortiz's last season, this team should be in a
great position to win the Wild Card at minimum, if not win the AL East. Right now, I'm cautiously optimistic about this season given recent performances (3 last place finishes in 4 years), but fans absolutely have a right to expect the Red Sox to contend this year. Ultimately, I think disaster will be averted and the team will send Ortiz out on a high.

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Tim Wakefield, Jason Varitek selected to Red Sox Hall of Fame

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Winslow Townsend

The National Baseball Hall of Fame inductions are past, but the Red Sox announced that Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield, both 2-time World Champions with the Red Sox, are among 4 guys inducted into the team Hall of Fame.

Jason Varitek holds the team record for games caught (1488 from 1997-2011), was a 3-time All Star and Red Sox captain from 2005-11. Tim Wakefield spent 16 years with the team (1995-2011), starting 430 games, winning 186 games and striking out 2,046 hitters among other things. Both guys are very deserving of the recognition, as both had excellent careers with the Red Sox. I grew up with these guys, and they were 2 of my favorite players to watch. Both guys were great team players and exemplified what being a Red Sox player should be.

On a personal note, I had the good fortune of meeting Tim Wakefield on 2 separate occasions, once back in 2004 and once in 2014. I had the pleasure of interviewing Wake in 2014, and he couldn't have been nicer. It was a brief encounter, but he was thorough and thoughtful with the questions I asked (the whole interview is below). He was a real pleasure to sit down with and talk to, and I can think of no one more deserving.
Ira Flagsted and Larry Lucchino were also named to the team Hall of Fame. Flagsted played for the team for 6 years, and led the league in assists (115). Lucchino has owned the team for 14 years and presided over an 820-game sellout and 3 World Series Championships (04,07,13). Congratulations to all, and I can't wait to see the ceremony. The formal induction takes place on the 19th of May, with a ceremony before the Red Sox home game the next day.

PED's & the Hall of Fame: My thoughts

Photo Credit: FiveThirtyEight

I've been a baseball fan since the mid-1990's when I was a young kid and I grew up in the peak of the steroid era. One of my fondest memories of the early years of my watching baseball was the home run race of '98 between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. As a kid, it was exciting to watch the rivalry between the 2, but it was also one of the biggest letdowns to find out that it was all bogus and they were using PED's. I also remember Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds play in their peak, but I was disappointed because they were also 2 of the more prominent guys connected to the Mitchell Report. I also appreciate that these were 2 great players without steroids. Even without PED's, I'm sure both would have been on the Hall of Fame ballot.

Which brings me to the point of this article: My thoughts on PED's and getting into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This has always conflicted me because taking PED's is obviously wrong, but at the same time, should that really bar guys like Clemens and Bonds from getting in, since they were likely good enough to warrant a Hall of Fame induction anyway? This is a question I've wrestled with as a fan for some time, but ultimately, I think the guys like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should get in. It ultimately comes down to "Were these guys good enough to warrant selection without using PED's?" As I mentioned above, I think Bonds and Clemens both were talented enough without PED's. It's hard to say for sure, but that's just my personal opinion.

However, I do think the Hall of Fame and the Baseball Writers Association of America, who votes on who gets in, might want to put something out along the lines of "We don't condone steroid use, but we felt that the players in here who were connected with the Mitchell Report would have merited selection without steroids." Or something like that. Because there are guys still active like Alex Rodriguez, David Ortz (who never actually failed a test, but was connected with the Mitchell Report), and Manny Ramirez who aren't eligible for selection yet, but who could be on the ballot when their time comes shortly, and this whole debate will start again. That is, if it ever stops.

Well, we'll just have to wait and see what happens, but ultimately, if they were good enough to get in without PED's, they should be at least given their fair shot. That's my 2 cents on the matter.

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Hanley Ramirez should be ok at first...maybe

AP/Charles Krupa

For all their off-season moves, the Red Sox have some questions that still need answering. Primary among said questions is how Hanley Ramirez will adjust to first base. His defense in left field last year was shaky, which is putting it nicely. John Farrell went on WEEI and expressed his confidence in Hanley Ramirez's ability to adjust to playing first base during Spring Training:

"A 30-game schedule in spring training, we feel like we'll have ample time to get him adjusted over there," Farrell said. “We’re talking about a longtime career infielder that granted, we made the move to put him in left field and now we’re coming off that and putting him at first base, but we’re also taking a career-long infielder and moving him across the diamond,” Farrell said. “As far as the footwork and fielding a groundball, we feel that’s kind of a pickup from where he’s been his whole career. Now his footwork around the bag, and the responsibilities with cutoffs and relays and understanding certain game situations, yes, that’s going to be different.”

Well, I wish I had his confidence. Hanley had 4 errors in left field over 92 games, but misplayed balls off the Green Monster, while giving up on other plays. That's what worries me about him - his apparent laziness last season wouldn't translate well to first base, and I wonder if it will result in him getting traded eventually. Red Sox Nation is sure hoping it happens and Travis Shaw gets more playing time. Either him, or Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles free agent slugger, is also a nice fantasy. I'd say go with Travis Shaw personally, but first Hanley would have to be gone because you know as long as he's on the team, he'll be in the lineup as much as possible due to his contract.

One can only hope that Hanley gets his act together, because a trade likely means the Red Sox would be stuck with a good chunk of his remaining contract. Hanley, if you are reading this (slim, I know), please get your stuff together. Do it for the kids.

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