Pitching & Defensive Improvements
"Pitching and defense, that's the whole name of the game. If somebody throws a shutout, all you need is one run to win a ball game. Plain and simple."
-Kevin Youkilis
I am really having a hard time comprehending how people can believe that this year's Red Sox team is worse off than last year's. With all pitchers and catchers reporting on the 18th, and some non-P&Cs in Fort Myers already, let's talk defense/pitching.
Curt Schilling looks absolutely fantastic. BostonDirtDogs.com had this telling "Before/After" pic.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/JKGator11/BDD_cs_compare-1.jpg
Francona had a great quip about Schilling's physical form:
“Schill’s never going to be a male model (but) he looks terrific. “I think he’s too good to allow what happened last year to happen again.”
If I were a betting woman, I'd put a lot of money on Curt putting up numbers like 2004 (32 GS, 21-6 3.26 ERA), and not 2005 (11 starts, 8-8, 5.69 ERA). He just appears to be driven to finish his career on a high note.
Adding Josh Beckett gives our rotation so much depth, and two TRUE aces-- very similar to the Martinez + Schilling 1-2 punch from the '04 team. As I mentioned in a previous entry, this team is currently featuring 7 starting pitchers, if you count Jonathan Papelbon. Papelbon expressed optimism about the pitching situation in a recent Boston Globe article:
"I think we're great," Papelbon said. "We've got a lot of veteran guys that have performed in the past and you can count on them day in and day out, and we've got a lot of young guys."
The young guys he is referring to are Craig Hansen and also RHP/Boston native Manny Delcarmen, who with a solid Spring Training showing could make the major league roster and be a factor in the bullpen.
Closer Keith Foulke's nagging knee injury seems to be in the past. Even if he does show some lingering problems, former St. Johns stud Craig Hansen looks like he could be a real threat to take the closer spot. Hansen has a slider and fastball that he can get up to 97 MPH, and he has spent this offseason working with pitching coach Dave Wallace on a changeup. According to a Boston Herald report, Hansen believes the velocity of his changeup could be low-to-mid 80's, giving him an arsenal of three pitches that he can blow away major leaguers with (*knock on wood*). He looked great in 17 major league appearances last season, and that was without any sign of a third pitch.
Defensively, the Sox are world's better this year. To this day, nobody knows what got into Edgar Renteria last year. But 30 errors was not cutting it, and I'm a firm believer in the fact that Renteria just didn't have the mental mindset to make it in Boston. The boos got to him, and he couldn't take the constant media barrages from WEEI callers and the fickle Boston Globe columnists. Do I think Edgar will play better in Atlanta? Absolutely. Mostly because fans in Atlanta blindly root for their team, and don't care half as much as Boston fans do. (Do any fans care as much as Boston fans do? That might be a better question.)
Needless to say, getting rid of Edgar was a good thing. Perhaps Tony LaRussa was right when he suggested that Edgar would never make it in Boston. "Renterror" is being replaced by former Marlin Alex Gonzalez, who had half as few errors as Renteria. His 2005 fielding percentage (.974) was 20 points better than Edgar's 2005 fielding %.
The switch from Bill Mueller to Mike Lowell at third base is interesting. Though I don't have the stats to back it up in front of me, I know that Bill Mueller was an absolute Yankee Killer. The Sox will miss his bat because Lowell's is a big question mark, and certainly there isn't much of a defensive upgrade there.
At first base, the Sox will probably rotate Kevin Youkilis and JT Snow, who has won six gold gloves. Anything is an improvement over Kevin Millar, who wasn't a particularly good fielder. As far as we fans can see, the only thing Millar was good at was coming up with catchy, team-unifying slogans ("Cowboy Up") and drinking Jack Daniels in excess. If you ask me, Millar was probably on steroids because there quite frankly is no better way to explain his pitiful 2005 season.
Loretta over Bellhorn at 2B is an upgrade as well. The veteran infielder has never made more than 10 errors in a single season. You would be hardpressed to find a more consistent defensive 2B than Mark Loretta in baseball.
Johnny "Noodle arm" Damon is being replaced by Coco Crisp-- another significant defensive upgrade for the 2005 Red Sox. I'm not sure how Damon believes he is going to cover that massive centerfield in Yankee Stadium. He's going to need 3 cut off men just to get the ball back to the infield. I can't wait to watch Coco Crisp in action. He is sure to be a fan favorite by the end of April... if anything because Boston fans love great nicknames (Spaceman, Monster, Oil Can and my personal favorite: El Guapo!)
There are at least four positions (1B, 2B, SS, CF) where the Red Sox have improved defensively. Only one position, 3B, could you make an argument that they've gotten worse. And you can't go wrong with seven quality starting pitchers and a revamped bullpen that couldn't possibly be worse than 2005's pen. While our offense probably won't be as good as last year's, I'll take the defensive/pitching upgrades any day.
-Kevin Youkilis
I am really having a hard time comprehending how people can believe that this year's Red Sox team is worse off than last year's. With all pitchers and catchers reporting on the 18th, and some non-P&Cs in Fort Myers already, let's talk defense/pitching.
Curt Schilling looks absolutely fantastic. BostonDirtDogs.com had this telling "Before/After" pic.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/JKGator11/BDD_cs_compare-1.jpg
Francona had a great quip about Schilling's physical form:
“Schill’s never going to be a male model (but) he looks terrific. “I think he’s too good to allow what happened last year to happen again.”
If I were a betting woman, I'd put a lot of money on Curt putting up numbers like 2004 (32 GS, 21-6 3.26 ERA), and not 2005 (11 starts, 8-8, 5.69 ERA). He just appears to be driven to finish his career on a high note.
Adding Josh Beckett gives our rotation so much depth, and two TRUE aces-- very similar to the Martinez + Schilling 1-2 punch from the '04 team. As I mentioned in a previous entry, this team is currently featuring 7 starting pitchers, if you count Jonathan Papelbon. Papelbon expressed optimism about the pitching situation in a recent Boston Globe article:
"I think we're great," Papelbon said. "We've got a lot of veteran guys that have performed in the past and you can count on them day in and day out, and we've got a lot of young guys."
The young guys he is referring to are Craig Hansen and also RHP/Boston native Manny Delcarmen, who with a solid Spring Training showing could make the major league roster and be a factor in the bullpen.
Closer Keith Foulke's nagging knee injury seems to be in the past. Even if he does show some lingering problems, former St. Johns stud Craig Hansen looks like he could be a real threat to take the closer spot. Hansen has a slider and fastball that he can get up to 97 MPH, and he has spent this offseason working with pitching coach Dave Wallace on a changeup. According to a Boston Herald report, Hansen believes the velocity of his changeup could be low-to-mid 80's, giving him an arsenal of three pitches that he can blow away major leaguers with (*knock on wood*). He looked great in 17 major league appearances last season, and that was without any sign of a third pitch.
Defensively, the Sox are world's better this year. To this day, nobody knows what got into Edgar Renteria last year. But 30 errors was not cutting it, and I'm a firm believer in the fact that Renteria just didn't have the mental mindset to make it in Boston. The boos got to him, and he couldn't take the constant media barrages from WEEI callers and the fickle Boston Globe columnists. Do I think Edgar will play better in Atlanta? Absolutely. Mostly because fans in Atlanta blindly root for their team, and don't care half as much as Boston fans do. (Do any fans care as much as Boston fans do? That might be a better question.)
Needless to say, getting rid of Edgar was a good thing. Perhaps Tony LaRussa was right when he suggested that Edgar would never make it in Boston. "Renterror" is being replaced by former Marlin Alex Gonzalez, who had half as few errors as Renteria. His 2005 fielding percentage (.974) was 20 points better than Edgar's 2005 fielding %.
The switch from Bill Mueller to Mike Lowell at third base is interesting. Though I don't have the stats to back it up in front of me, I know that Bill Mueller was an absolute Yankee Killer. The Sox will miss his bat because Lowell's is a big question mark, and certainly there isn't much of a defensive upgrade there.
At first base, the Sox will probably rotate Kevin Youkilis and JT Snow, who has won six gold gloves. Anything is an improvement over Kevin Millar, who wasn't a particularly good fielder. As far as we fans can see, the only thing Millar was good at was coming up with catchy, team-unifying slogans ("Cowboy Up") and drinking Jack Daniels in excess. If you ask me, Millar was probably on steroids because there quite frankly is no better way to explain his pitiful 2005 season.
Loretta over Bellhorn at 2B is an upgrade as well. The veteran infielder has never made more than 10 errors in a single season. You would be hardpressed to find a more consistent defensive 2B than Mark Loretta in baseball.
Johnny "Noodle arm" Damon is being replaced by Coco Crisp-- another significant defensive upgrade for the 2005 Red Sox. I'm not sure how Damon believes he is going to cover that massive centerfield in Yankee Stadium. He's going to need 3 cut off men just to get the ball back to the infield. I can't wait to watch Coco Crisp in action. He is sure to be a fan favorite by the end of April... if anything because Boston fans love great nicknames (Spaceman, Monster, Oil Can and my personal favorite: El Guapo!)
There are at least four positions (1B, 2B, SS, CF) where the Red Sox have improved defensively. Only one position, 3B, could you make an argument that they've gotten worse. And you can't go wrong with seven quality starting pitchers and a revamped bullpen that couldn't possibly be worse than 2005's pen. While our offense probably won't be as good as last year's, I'll take the defensive/pitching upgrades any day.
posted by Jennifer at 11:27 PM
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