Boston Preview: I Want You Back
Boston's off-season has been punctuated by comings, goings, and stayings. GM Theo Epstein was gone after a much-publicized tiff, and then returned a few months later. Josh Beckett (and Mike Lowell) came aboard in a much-ballyhooed trade with the cost-cutting Marlins. And the ever-enigmatic Manny Ramirez stayed where he was, despite the much-hyped any-minute-now trade rumors he had been involved with.
Now that that's all sorted out, we can try to figure out where the Red Sox stand heading into training camp...
1. Will Red Sox Fan be happy with Josh Beckett?
The snarky answer to this question is no, because even if Beckett wins 30 games it won't be enough for Red Sox Fan. More seriously, I think the answer is still no, because Beckett was acquired to be at least a number two starter (perhaps number one if Red Light Curt is still hobbling around), and it remains to be seen if he can handle that.
Beckett's got a lot of talent. But he's also been hurt a lot, and he didn't exactly distinguish himself as the model of comportment last year in Miami. Factor in a move to a new league and the increased scrutiny of pitching for Boston...With his talent, you gotta figure he'll break out eventually. But maybe not this year.
A break out year from Beckett would solidify the Red Sox' playoff hopes. Last year's staff wasn't the worst in the league, but it wasn't all that good, either (11th in ERA, 12th in OPS). Outside of Beckett, Boo-hoolian Tavarez, and David Riske (who came over in the Coco Crisp deal), the pitching staff projects to be pretty much the same group from last year.
The Red Sox will be counting on healthy years from Schilling, David Wells, and Keith Foulke. Good luck to them.
2. How 'bout that new infield, huh?
Yikes. Talk about your fixer-uppers.
Going around the horn: Mike Lowell has to prove that he can still play after his 2005 train wreck. Edgar Renteria didn't do a lot last year, but he's a step up from Alex Gonzalez. Mark Loretta is a step up from Mark Bellhorn, but he's pushing 35 years old. Finally, Kevin Youkilis appears to be the new guy at first base; he’s been a big prospect since Moneyball, but will he be able to cut it? So there are a lot of questions.
Has a playoff team completely restructured their infield like this from one year to the next? There probably has been, but I'm not motivated enough to look it up.
But the infield purge seems to indicate that the Red Sox are a team in transition. This is a veteran team, but bringing in guys like Loretta, Lowell, J.T. Snow, and John Flaherty isn't making it any younger. I wonder what Theo's got planned for 2007...
3. Theo's back -- what does that mean for the team?
For starters, it means the quad-umverate that was running the team in the winter meetings is out of power. And it means that the Moneyball haters have got a favorite target back.
Outside of that, I can't really say. I will venture a guess that it's a good thing for Red Sox Fan, and that some guys on the 40-man roster won't be there come August. Coco Crisp might be just the start.
I will also venture a guess that the AL East will come down to Boston, New York, and Toronto. Barring a rash of injuries, we can look forward to lots of Red Sox and Yankees highlights leading off Baseball Tonight this September.
Now that that's all sorted out, we can try to figure out where the Red Sox stand heading into training camp...
1. Will Red Sox Fan be happy with Josh Beckett?
The snarky answer to this question is no, because even if Beckett wins 30 games it won't be enough for Red Sox Fan. More seriously, I think the answer is still no, because Beckett was acquired to be at least a number two starter (perhaps number one if Red Light Curt is still hobbling around), and it remains to be seen if he can handle that.
Beckett's got a lot of talent. But he's also been hurt a lot, and he didn't exactly distinguish himself as the model of comportment last year in Miami. Factor in a move to a new league and the increased scrutiny of pitching for Boston...With his talent, you gotta figure he'll break out eventually. But maybe not this year.
A break out year from Beckett would solidify the Red Sox' playoff hopes. Last year's staff wasn't the worst in the league, but it wasn't all that good, either (11th in ERA, 12th in OPS). Outside of Beckett, Boo-hoolian Tavarez, and David Riske (who came over in the Coco Crisp deal), the pitching staff projects to be pretty much the same group from last year.
The Red Sox will be counting on healthy years from Schilling, David Wells, and Keith Foulke. Good luck to them.
2. How 'bout that new infield, huh?
Yikes. Talk about your fixer-uppers.
Going around the horn: Mike Lowell has to prove that he can still play after his 2005 train wreck. Edgar Renteria didn't do a lot last year, but he's a step up from Alex Gonzalez. Mark Loretta is a step up from Mark Bellhorn, but he's pushing 35 years old. Finally, Kevin Youkilis appears to be the new guy at first base; he’s been a big prospect since Moneyball, but will he be able to cut it? So there are a lot of questions.
Has a playoff team completely restructured their infield like this from one year to the next? There probably has been, but I'm not motivated enough to look it up.
But the infield purge seems to indicate that the Red Sox are a team in transition. This is a veteran team, but bringing in guys like Loretta, Lowell, J.T. Snow, and John Flaherty isn't making it any younger. I wonder what Theo's got planned for 2007...
3. Theo's back -- what does that mean for the team?
For starters, it means the quad-umverate that was running the team in the winter meetings is out of power. And it means that the Moneyball haters have got a favorite target back.
Outside of that, I can't really say. I will venture a guess that it's a good thing for Red Sox Fan, and that some guys on the 40-man roster won't be there come August. Coco Crisp might be just the start.
I will also venture a guess that the AL East will come down to Boston, New York, and Toronto. Barring a rash of injuries, we can look forward to lots of Red Sox and Yankees highlights leading off Baseball Tonight this September.
posted by Bob at
8:41 PM
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