You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'Boston Red Sox' tag.
First–I have spent so much time focusing on the Sox and their AL East foes, I’m seriously out of the loop on many teams. It was hard to identify anyone I knew at several positions on the National League ballot–much less assess their play.
Secondly–I can vote up to 25 times on-line. Someone from Chicago created this system, right?
Here goes:
American League:
Catcher: Jason Varitek, Sox
First: Kevin Youkilis, Sox
Second: Dustin Pedroia, Sox
Short: Orlando Cabrera, A’s
Third: Mike Lowell, Sox
OF (pick three): Jason Bay, Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, Sox
Coco Crisp, Royals
non-Sox votes at short and one outfield. Both selections are solid ex-Sox. 2004 championship team member Cabrera should NEVER have been allowed to leave and I always liked Coco, a great defensive player who had some key catches in the 2007 championship.
National League:
Catcher: Jason Kendall, Brewers
First: Prince Fielder, Brewers
Second: Dan Uggla, Marlins
Short: Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
Third: David Wright, Mets
OF (pick three): Rick Ankiel, Cardinals
Kosuke Fukudome, Cubs
Manny Ramirez, Dodgers
I liked the Brewers last year, so they got a couple picks (I might be the only one in the world not voting for Albert Pujols at first.) Love the Ankiel comeback story (PED’s be damned), Uggla and Wright only people I knew at those positions, how can you vote against the best name in baseball “Ko-Sooo-kay Foo–koo-doh-may!” Hanley Ramirez, once the prized possession of the Sox farm system–his trade brought us Lowell and Beckett. We will always be in his debt for the 2007 championship.
That leaves Manny Ramirez. Many folks in Boston have made him an enemy for the mercenary way he forced his trade out of town. Yes, it was probably time to go. But I loved Manny and I still do. Manny being Manny brought me many smiles and two championships. It’s hard to recover from a painful and messy break-up, but Sox fans–lighten up! Remember the good times.
Being a Red Sox fan used to mean being stereotyped as an angst-ridden, dark-night-of-the-soul type of person. Great literature (and great pulp fiction) was the result of the 86 year gap between World Series championships (1918-2004.)
However, since the hiring of Theo Epstein as General Manager in 2002, the Red Sox have been the most successful franchise in baseball. The Sox are run professionally, their actions reflecting the cutting edge research on baseball performance that has blossomed in the past 10-15 years.
The stereotypical image of the Red Sox fan is now that of the seamhead: a person debating arcane points of esoterica, backed up with mathematical formulas. The victorian author has been replaced by the geek with a pocket protector.
Log onto web sites such as Sons of Sam Horn and you will enter into a world of VORP (value over replacement player), a metric designed to determine the worth of any player over the contributions of a mythical “replacement player” and Equivalent Average (EqA) a metric intended to express the production of hitters in a context independent of park and league effects.
So, the most recent stat tidbit that I’ve been able to pick up:the Great AL Rotation Depth Disparity, recently posted on Sons of Sam Horn.
Using the combination algorithm called PECOTA (the Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm) Eric Van rates the potential starting rotations for all the American League teams. He rates each team on the number of pitchers each team has that match up with the typical stats of an American League starting pitcher.
Most teams do not have five starters that are even average starters. The three best teams in the AL East–Rays, MFY and the Sox–all have at least 7 capable starters, the Sox have the most at 9. It’s gonna be a hell of an interesting division race.
Anyway, since I know I don’t have the math skills to hang with the seamheads, I’ll stick to my new favorite Sox site–Soxaholix. That’s where I heard about this rotation business . . . and even I can understand their site, it’s a cartoon! (and funny as hell.)
A lot of seamheads are trotting out statistics today to argue that Jim Rice’s performance was not Hall of Fame caliber–contrasting him with other worthies left out and arguing that playing in Fenway gave him an unfair advantage (yeah, all those home runs hit themselves!)
Two points:
1) The Hall of Fame is supposed to honor those ballplayers whose careers are worthy–but doesn’t ever set down the statistical requirements. I would argue that subjective qualities are also legitimate guideposts for considering selection. Players likeJim Rice and the Cubs Ryne Sandberg are in; sabermetrician-faves like Al Oliver are out. No surprise. If you aren’t a seamhead, have you even heard of Al Oliver? Sandberg and Rice were stars in towns that worship baseball.
2) Jim Rice is in and that’s it. Hence my rather juvenile comment on the Bud Poliquin blog post about Jim Rice:
To JohnGalt2112 re: “can we please veto Jim Rice?”
Ha ha ha ha ha–no you can’t!
To Major Orange re: “he’s just not a HOFer.”
Ha ha ha ha ha–yes he is!
See ya in Cooperstown on Sunday July 26th!! It’s a Red Sox Nation, baby!
Retired Boston outfielder Jim Rice was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame today, in his fifteenth and final year on the ballot. Rice played all sixteen years of his major league career for the Red Sox and put up some monster numbers, even though those 1974-1989 Red Sox teams were not as dominant in the standings as Jim Rice was at the plate. Rice hit 382 homers, 2,452 hits, 1,451 runs batted in, had a career batting average of .298 and won one American League M.V.P. award.
While the power numbers don’t look as dominant as some posted recently, it is no secret that Rice’s career is being looked at more favorably because he was a power hitter who did his damage without the benefit of steroids.
All I know is that he was a rock for my Red Sox and never seemed to get the recognition he deserved. That all changed today. One last ceremony, his selection to the Hall of Fame gets his number 14 retired by the Red Sox.
Big Papi’s struggled with his wrist injury all year. Manny’s playing for the Dodgers. Mike Lowell has just been officially shut down for the year with his hip injury. Most MLB teams do not recover from events such as these.
Last night’s victory over the L.A. Angels and the Red Sox advancing to the league championship series is a testimony to GM Theo Epstein’s vision. The Sawx are deep, talented and able to respond nimbly to potential roadblocks. The heroes of last night? Jed Lowrie and Jason Bay–the first is just breaking into the big leagues after being developed in the Sox farm system, the latter is the guy they identified to replace Manny and engineered a three-team deal to acquire.
It’s a Red Sox Nation, baby. Fans of the Angels know this in their bones, having lost 11 out of the last 12 post season games they have played against Boston. I’m not so sure the World Series is imminent (the Rays certainly have had our number this year), but then again, the Angels beat the Sox 8 out of 9 in the regular season and they’re already on the golf course!
