Ahhh...the Roostah! So what exactly were the rumors as to why the Sox didn't bting the OC back at short after '04?
Chad,
I wish you blogged every day. Absolutely love your perspective. Although I am rooting, like you, for Lester I have to wonder if we traded away the wrong pitcher. I was confident and excited when Gabbard pitched. He knew how to get ahead in the count and get guys out, something Lester struggles with. Did Theo make a mistake long term?
Jim
i had the same ideas about lester,i watched him last year. the reports from triple a this season said the same thing inconsistant,thats why they kept him down there so long before bringing him up. i thought we should have held on to gabbard. traded for saltiamaccia actually..good back up for tek, can hit,then if not dye. lets see how this all plays out. the offence is what i'm worried about.
Thanks, Jim. I wish I had more time to write - it's been pretty frustrating trying to find the time lately, but hopefully I can be more productive soon. I think the Sox would be better off with Gabbard in the short term, but Lester will have had the better career 10 years from now. I do wish he'd have a 1-2-3 inning every once in a while, though.
One of the reasons that Boston can be a tough place to play is that we overreact to initial impressions of a player -- especially a prospect called up from Pawtucket. Young players often struggle. By all accounts, Lester and Delcarmen have the talent to thrive. I realize that patience is a tough thing to advocate when the Yankees have cut the lead to six games, but we do need contributions from our young players. What if we'd pulled the plug on Pedroia back on May first? (And I'm not convinced that Dye would have helped much; at the deadline, he was a .235 hitter on his first hot streak of the season. He might not have been an upgrade in the five hole.)
As for Ortiz... I wonder if he ever slid on that freeway bridge when he was with the Twins. Could have affected structural integrity. I swear the NESN camera shakes every time he hits the dirt. (Dare I mention here that players like Ortiz tend to have short careers? Or that on baseball-reference.com's list of most comparable players, the #1 name on the list is Mo Vaughn?)
3) I'm not that ready to say Delcarmen is regressing. He's been inconsistent, but I think a lot of his trouble is actually his confidence more than anything else. He seems to show cases of being Derek Lowe-esque with his mind, which can be a bad thing if spun out of control.
4) I know it's all about the payout eventually, but I'm starting to wonder if the Red Sox traded the wrong pitcher, judging by the way Lester is pitching. He just doesn't seem entirely ready yet. He's a joy to watch when he's got his pitches going, but I'm still not sure if he's MLB ready...of course he can prove me wrong as soon as possible.
6) I love that the Blue Jays hate the Yankees so much. I just wish their bullpen didn't lie down for them in that first game. Though the Red Sox aren't too enthralled with the Yankees as well. I'd have to think that there's still a little bit of bad blood between them from that early June series, though Proctor isn't around.
While he was overmatched, you have to admit that Moss put on some great at-bats(not counting the one with the top of teh 9th and two on, two out...that was pure rookie) and actually worked the count instead of just going after the first pitch. He still needs more time, but he'll definitely be a very serviceable outfielder in the long run.
The one thing going for Ortiz is that he really is the 1st player of his kind, per se. Sure, there have been plenty of 1B-types that have fled to the DH, and there are reams of statistics of 30+ aged players who become full-time DHs and drop out of the league quickly. However, I'd argue that Ortiz is one of the first (and the most successful) full-time DH. Organizationally, he was never given the opportunity to play every day as 1B whose bat kept him in the lineup with the Twins. So, really, his aging and injury regression very well could follow a different track than similarly built sluggers who played a lot of 1B like Mo Vaughn.
Then again, it could be the aging, rather than the time in the field, that fells these guys and Ortiz is gone in a few years.
Here's to hoping that Ortiz is the first of his kind.
Mark: I sure hope so, too. Not only is Papi an anchor for the lineup and the clubhouse, he also seems like a genuine human being. A likeable superstar! How about that.
I would also add, on the subject of giving up on young players, two words: Cla Meredith. It'd be nice to have him in the bullpen, even if his full name is Olise Claiborne Meredith. (With a name like that, he really ought to be a "III." Or even a "IV.")
Giving up on OC might have been bad enough, but to let Alex Gonzalez go was like adding insult to insult.
Who cares if the guy doesn't hit much, he's a whiz with the glove and doesn't turn every routine play into a nailbiter like Lugo. Let's face it, the Sox decisions at SS since Nomar left have been unmitigated disasters.
You guys have a point about Lester, but let's cut the guy some slack. He's still a rookie who is recovering from one of life's most devastating curveballs, and who knows where his head is at right now. He's probably just thinking "holy shit, I'm back pitching in the big leagues again, I can't believe it." Plus he's the 5th starter, so we can't pin all our hopes on him, and I'll take him over Julie any day.
Here's hoping that he pitches a gem in his first home start, then the love will be overflowing again.
Lastly, I agree with the decision not to trade for Dye. Delcarmen has the all important "stuff", and being as young as he is I think he will come around. Dye would have been a part-time rent-a-player on the downside of his career. Glad they didn't make that deal, even though Gagne has been less than impressive so far.
I can't dispute that Lugo's had a bad year and that Cabrera (or Renteria...or even AGon) would do just as good of a job at short, but I think it's going a bit far to say, by implication, that he's not dynamic or that he's unpopular in the clubhouse. What evidence is there of this? From what I've read, the guy's been accountable for his poor performance and only wants to do better.
Yeah, the clubhouse thing is probably unfair - he's well-liked from what everyone says, and he does play hard. But he's pretty freakin' far from dynamic, unless getting picked off falls in that category.
Chad, Couldn't agree more with Inning #2. It's not really fair to judge a guy by what he says 10 minutes after a game, but ever since reading a quote from him a couple months ago ("I don't swing at balls ... I don't chase."), I've steadily realized how much Youkilis acts like he's been in the league 15 years and made 11 All-Star teams. Takes away a little bit from the intense grittiness I want to appreciate him for.
Lost in all of this "Alex Gonzalez is the greatest defensive player in the history of all sports" is the fact that he was ATROCIOUS offensively. I don't care if he turned 9 unassisted triple plays a game. Check out his overall numbers (.179 with RISP, .103 with 2 outs/RISP, .172 Close & Late, .091 with runners on 2nd/3rd, etc.).
He was beautiful to watch and a joy in the field, as Glenn Ordway has to remind us (since he knows jack squat about anything else). But he was a pitiful offensive player, and you can give me all the cliches you want, but if your starting shortstop can't hit water if he falls out of a boat, then his defense doesn't make up for it entirely.
I spend a lot (too much) time on Sox blogs & boards, but this one is the best.
The picture of Rooster reminds me of the amazing 1978 batting order: Burleson, Remy, Lynn, Rice, Yaz, Fisk, Scott, Evans, Hobson. If it weren't for injuries I'm sure Zimmer would have used that same order every game.
I too am intrigued about the rumors involving Cabrera. I'd love to hear the real story someday.
I think the Sox should consider hiring a personal physical trainer/watchdog for Big Papi. That giant frame may require better caretaking than it has been receiving.
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