Jackie Bradley Jr. is not human

Photo Credit: AP

When Jackie Bradley, Jr. came up at first, most of us with an eye for baseball recognized his very real defensive talents, yet JBJ struggled early on with the bat. Coming into this season, I would have been thrilled with a .250 average and him continuing with the stellar defense he has shown so far in his young career.

So here we are, a little over a month into the season, and Bradley is riding a Major League best 20-game hit streak. He's hitting a cool .331 with 6 home runs and 30 RBI's so far, and exceeding just about every expectation at the plate. As mentioned above, I would have been more than happy with a .250 batting average, yet he continues to wow me at the plate, and it is amazing to watch. Granted, he's just one guy in an offensive juggernaut that has come to life in the past week especially, but he has managed to stand out even among a red-hot Red Sox lineup because of the generally low expectations for him offensively. 

So, the question remains: Is Jackie Bradley, Jr. human? Until he proves me otherwise, I refuse to believe that he's human, given the way he has been performing this season.

I just hope it continues. He's proved himself an important part of this lineup, no matter where he hits, and that has to continue going forward.

The curious case of the $100 million signing: Pablo Sandoval

AP Photo/ Patrick Semansky

Way back when the Red Sox signed Pablo Sandoval, I was intrigued to say the least. I watched as he deliviered 2 World Series to San Francisco in 2012 and 2014, then signed a 5-year/$95 million deal with Boston. When the deal was inked, I thought it could only help to have someone with his postseason background on our team, but I was worried a little about his weight. I brushed those aside, thinking the deal's value would show in time, but it doesn't help now that those concerns seem to have some validity. I elaborated on that when he showed up to Spring Training with no noticeable improvement.

Now, it has apparently gone from bad to worse with him, as Masslive reports that the Panda may be out for the remainder of the season after he undergoes shoulder surgery. This will be a good thing for one Travis Shaw, who is more than capable of filling in, and is more than deserving to be the everyday third baseman. The one thing that remains, though, is Sandoval's contract. It's clear he's been a bust, and one that cost the team nearly $100 million over 5 years, so he's not cheap either. If Shaw keeps performing at the level he has (.322 average, 3 home runs, 17 RBI's and solid defense so far), the question won't be "Who starts at 3rd?," it will be more like "How do we cut our losses with Sandoval and find a team that'll take him off our hands?"

Maybe Sandoval will be the second coming of John Lackey, who came back in 2013 after a bad start to his Red Sox career and played a major role in helping us win it all in 2013, but that seems unlikely with Panda. He could prove me wrong, and I want him to do just that, but it just seems so unlikely at this point.

The best thing would be to trade him at some point and cut our losses, but right now, I doubt there is a team out there that would take him, even if we ate the vast majority of the remainder of his contract.

Red Sox heat up as April turns into May

AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

The saying "April showers bring May flowers" may not apply to the weather in Boston, but it is proving true for the Red Sox. After a rough start to the season, the Red Sox turned on the jets towards the end of April and into early May and have a half-game lead on the Baltimore Orioles on top of the AL East.

The good news is that almost everyone has contributed, from David Ortiz to Hanley Ramirez to the young guns. David Ortiz looks like he could play until 50. Ramirez has been surprisingly effective at first base, and proving my worries about him from Spring Training wrong, which is a very good thing.

The bad news is that there are still a few noticeable holes, namely David Price and Clay Buchholz. Price has been shaky so far, despite a 4-0 record. He has shown flashes of why he got all the money, but he also has a 6.14 ERA in 6 starts so far. Needless to say, he has to get better. Buchholz has been suffering from the same inconsistencies that have followed him throughout his whole career. Right now, he's going through a down stretch at 0-3 and a 6.51 ERA to go with. He's also been on the mound for the only 2 losses during the Red Sox 8-2 stretch. It is still early for both guys. The season isn't decided in May, and both guys have time to work through their issues, but I think most Red Sox fans would agree that the sooner they do so, the better.

In the meantime, the team has more than enough firepower to get by, especially with a lot of the young guys playing so well. Not to mention they seemed focused at the moment, which seemed easier said than done coming out of Spring Training with a lot of questions. The team will look to continue their momentum into a 3-game series with the 18-8 Chicago White Sox.

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.
Twitter - @FlyingGM_Blog
@C_Frederick1016

Facebook: Flying Green Monsters

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.

Twitter - @FlyingGM_Blog
 @C_Frederick1016

Facebook: Flying Green Monsters

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.

Twitter: @FlyingGM_Blog
@C_Frederick1016

Facebook: Flying Green Monsters

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.

Twitter - @FlyingGM_Blog
C_Frederick1016

Facebook: Flying Green Monsters