Go Gold! 2019 Topps Big League Gold Rick Porcello

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. As a nod to the Go Gold activities going on this month to help raise awareness of the leading cause of death by disease in children, I thought I'd contribute several "gold" themed posts sprinkled throughout the month. Here's the next one.

Let's talk about this card...

This is an interesting, fun set. Not sure why Topps felt the need to create the "Big League" line when they already has Bunt to cater to kids. But, they had their reasons. I like how the design reminds me of cards from the 80s and 90s with the big borders and bold graphics. If this set came out in 1989 or 1995 it would feel right at home.

Porcello had an interesting Red Sox career. Brought in as the "replacement" for Jon Lester, he actually won a Cy Young in basically his only good season in Boston. Weird how finally realizing you potential didn't sent him on the path to superstardom. This still makes for a fun card

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I'm sure you all remember Miss Michigan Vivian Zhong from her interview with us. Her social impact initiative "Golden Warriors: Fight Like a Kid" is, obviously, quite relevant this month. As such, she's raising money though a "Gold Together" campaign. I highly recommend you support her efforts with a donation if you are able. You can find the link here.

Support her efforts to be Gold Together!

Porcello’s Performance

Like most of you, I assume, I've been spending a lot of time lately watching highlights of the Red Sox 2018 playoff run. Whether that's highlights I can find online or, more recently, the official World

Series DVD I can't get enough. It's fun to watch everything over again without the stress of wondering what it would all mean. The loss in game three, and Eovaldi’s performance, is easier to appreciate when you know it doesn't kill the pitching staff and lead to the Sox demise. (As amazing as the performance was, since the Sox lost all it really did was blow their best reliever and save Drew Pomeranz. Hindsight being 20/20, it would have been better to put Pom in there and let him finish it, and save Eovaldi. But, that's a moot point now.) You can also pick up on things that you may have missed since they weren't as obvious as Eovaldi, Pearce, and Price.

For instance, the number of highlights Rick Porcello shows up in.

I feel like he was a bit of a forgotten man for the Red Sox this postseason. For the whole season, really. For a guy who won the Cy Young just two seasons ago, that's quite a feat. Maybe his two subpar seasons in a Sox uniform caused fans to give up on him. Or, at least give up on trying to figure him out. He can just do his thing, and whatever we get out of him will be great. He's not the presumed ace like Sale, and he's not highly paid like Price. He can just pitch.

And, pitch he did.

Did you know he won 17 games this season? Second most in his career. And while wins don't mean as much as people like to think, it does mean he pitched well enough to keep his team in good position during most of the games he pitched. He then seemed to improve on that in the postseason.

His overall postseason numbers don't jump out at you, but that's because he was too busy being invaluable to the team to worry about things like statistics.

In the very first series, he showed he was willing to do whatever was needed, when he originated the “rover” role. I think most of us were surprised when he got the eighth inning of game one, since that meant he probably wasn't starting game three. All he did was get the two outs the Sox needed. He then came back and pitched well enough in his start to get the win in the game four series clincher.

Next series? More of the same. He got the key outs and a hold in game 2 in relief, and still took his turn as a starter. Now, I think he stretched himself a bit too thin, and his start suffered from it. But, the Sox still won the game.

I think by the World Series, he was getting spent. He didn’t appear in the first two games of the series. So, he was much fresher for his game three start...and it showed. He only made it into the fifth, but he was much sharper only allowing the single run. Of course, we all forgot about that after Eovaldi finished the game out.

It was also evident from the World Series DVD that his teammates respect the heck out of him, which isn’t something I quite realized. He’s clearly a leader of that staff...if not the clubhouse itself.

I’m glad watching these highlights brought me to this appreciation for him. Some other players may have been flashier, or had better stories. But, the Sox aren’t world champs without Rick Porcello.

It makes me even more excited for 2019.

Trade Deadline Deals

Remember when everyone was pretty annoyed with Dave Dombrowski at the trade deadline? Everyone insisted that the Red Sox needed bullpen help. Like really needed bullpen help. But, Dombrowski didn't listen. He traded to fill in some other holes instead. Nathan Eovaldi and Steve Pearce were added to the team to help out. A good bat off the bench, and a great tweener starter who might just help the bullpen in the playoffs. Pearce has been every bit of that, including hitting the go ahead home run in a crucial game three last night. Eovaldi got the start and the win last night. He's been the Red Sox most consistent and effective starter in the playoffs. He's even been able to help the bullpen after all. Because he took over the third starter role, Rick Porcello has been able to pitch the eighth inning in two Red Sox victories.

Oh, and the big bullpen arm that the Astros picked up? He gave up five runs, including a grand slam, after hitting consecutive batters in the eighth inning to blow the game wide open.

It's almost like Dombrowski knows what he's doing.

So the Red Sox now sit having taken back home field advantage. The pressure is now all on the Houston Astros. There are two more games in Texas, and the Red Sox really only need to win one of those to put a stranglehold on the series. The Astros are pretty much in must-win territory from here on out.

Which gives the Red Sox the luxury of having options. This is especially nice with the health questions with Chris Sale. While I prefer stomach issues to shoulder issues, neither one is great if you’re in a dire situation. But, now the Sox aren't in a terrible spot if Sale is waiting until game six, or even seven, before taking the mound. While you certainly want to win as many games as you can as soon as you can, it's nice to be able to think ahead. So it's good to be on top.

Being on top 3-1 is even better, which is why tonight's game is pretty big on its own. I can only imagine that Rick Porcello will show up huge. He's been on fire this postseason. Since the Red Sox got to Morton when they faced him earlier in the year...without Mookie...I like their chances against him tonight.

Let's see how it goes!

Had 'em All The Way

While the ride wasn't as smooth as we might have hoped, the destination was right. The Red Sox beat the Yankees last night to advance to the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros.

The Red Sox have now won seven of their last eight playoff games agains the Yankees. Pretty dominating if you ask me. 

And while the Series ended up being an easy win, every game wasn't. And, the clincher certainly wasn't. But, they can't all be 16-1 games, can they?

So, thoughts from last night?

I wasn't a huge fan of taking Porcello out after five. Obviously Cora knew what he was doing, and bringing in Barnes to face the Yankees thumpers makes some sense. I guess I'm just tired of the quick playoff hook the Red Sox have been using in the playoffs the last few years. Want to know why the Red Sox starters don't win? Because they get taken out after giving up three runs in four innings. Porcello was going along pretty well, and I guess I would have tried to get one more out of him. Which, I suppose, is why they didn't hire me as manager.

I loved Chris Sale coming in for the eighth. No, not because I thought he was the best option or idea (although, he probably was). I loved it because it meant Cora really didn't have any concerns about him. To hear the EEidiots talk about Sale, he was a fragile peach who could very well be terrible next time on the mound. But, the guys who actually knows something clearly didn't share those thoughts. Obviously, Cora isn't worried about the shoulder. He's not treating Sale with kid gloves hoping to squeeze two more starts out of him. He's also clearly convinced that the mechanical flaw is fixed. The eighth inning of an elimination game isn't the place to hope something turns out OK.

Kimbrel was not sharp. 

Unless, he was? One thing that always made me ponder with Dice-K is that he always seemed to work himself out of trouble. He'd walk the bases loaded and then strike out the next three. Or so it seemed. He was also known for throwing a ton of pitches, going back to high school. I always wondered if that was a strategy. Walk the guys that are tough outs, go after the ones who he can handle. Does Kimbrel follow an approach like that? Facing Judge in the ninth inning with a three run lead? Nibble a bit, see if he'll chase. If not, a baserunner in that situation isn't terrible. Because he seemed to go from being "wild" against Judge to being able to handle Stanton. I bet he figured he could handle Sanchez too. Now, I wouldn't say his plan was to load the bases. But, I would understand it if he didn't consider it a terrible idea either. 

Or he just wasn't sharp.

I'm sure people have been mentioning it, but the play by Pearce to end the game seems underrated to me. Not only did he actually get the out, but he kept the ball from getting by him in the first place. That's a tough play in that situation when you know that if the ball gets by you, the game is probably tied...if not over. Heck, even a little bobble might have been enough. But, he grabbed it clean and just kept his foot on the bag long enough. Pretty impressive. 

Which is what happens on good teams. Everyone contributes when they're needed. 

It's how you win a playoff series.

Exactly What was Needed

It's as if the baseball gods finally decided to throw Red Sox fans a bone. The game last night was everything we fans needed, all set out nicely in order.

Right from the start. Literally. The first pitch of the game was a 95 MPH fastball from Chris Sale. While not quite 97 or 99, it was a great sign that maybe he did have his velocity. Of course, he then struck out McCutchen on one of his nasty sliders. Sale had arrived. He went on to strike out the side (mixing in a walk) including Judge and Stanton. What more can you ask for?

How about three guys reaching in the bottom of the first against supposed Red Sox killer J.A. Happ. How about the third guy, hitting a three run home run? One way to settle down the pitching staff is to give them a three run cushion almost immediately. It reminded me of David Ortiz homering in the first inning of Game 7 in the 2004 ALCS. It was an immediate statement proving that clutch home runs aren't always hit in the ninth inning. It reversed the narrative before it could get started. It's actually hard to overestimate just how important that home run was. 

And it kept getting better.

The Sox scored two more off Happ after knocking him out of the game and Sale kept cruising into the sixth. Mookie got in on the fun, adding a hit and scoring a run. When you're looking to erase past poor playoff performances, it's nice to start eliminating zeroes. The same goes for Bogaerts who also went 1-3 with an RBI. Things are already different for the Sox offense than feared.

From there, the Red Sox bullpen did its job and held the lead. Even Rick Porcello of all people helped out getting the lead to Kimbrel. After getting four outs, a strikeout ended the game and gave the Sox the win.

So, if you're scoring at home, Sale...the Red Sox starting pitcher...got a playoff win. Rick Porcello pitched in a playoff win. The Red Sox slugged the ball. The Red Sox had an answer for Happ. The Bullpen held a lead. 

I really don't think there could have been a better outcome from a single game.

At least until David Price goes out and dominates tonight!

I Still Hate Pitchers Batting

I dislike the idea of pitchers hitting. Like, “I can’t understand why anyone would like it” level of dislike. It’s not even for the usual

reasons, or so I imagine.

I don’t really mind that pitchers are terrible hitters. Yes, I think it’s bizarre that fans enjoy watching people do things they’re not good at. But, I make those kinds of concessions for other positions. Teams will have weak hitters in the line-up if they’re good at other things. Not to the degree of pitchers, but an elite defensive shortstop or centerfielder can find a roster spot even if they’re not hitting that much.

No, my real problem is what happened with the Red Sox last night. The Red Sox had a couple runners on with Jackie Bradley at the plate. Max Scherzer made the smart play, and intentionally walked him to bring up Rick Porcello. An American League pitcher facing one of the best pitchers in baseball was a dream match-up. And, it certainly looked like the right call after the first two strikes. Porcello looked like me up there. But, for his last strike, Porcello took another hack at it, and made contact. The ball sailed over the drawn-in outfield for a three run double. It was the key play of the game.

And it was an absolute fluke.

Porcello isn’t a good hitter. He didn’t spend months working on his hitting trying to improve his swing. Scherzer isn’t a terrible pitcher. He didn’t make a dumb pitch. It just didn’t work

That’s what I don’t like. The randomness of it. Baseball is one of the few games left where skill really does reign supreme. There’s no “shoot the puck towards the net and hope it bounces off a stick” luck needed. Your pitcher makes his best pitch, and the hitter tries his best to hit it between fielders who are trying to position themselves to catch it. It’s a chess game. 

Pitchers hitting is like randomly adding an extra rook for one move.

It’s another case of skill being less important than luck. It’s a concept that’s too prevalent these days. It’s why playoffs exist, to bring more luck into winning a championship. To diminish the effects of skill and ability. 

It’s why Rick Porcello had no business being at the plate last night, let alone second base. He’s the Wild card team that finishes 20 games back making it to the ALCS. It’s not competition, it’s rolling the dice.

And it helped lower the Red Sox Magic Number to 78.

So, He's Human

That could have gone very poorly. The Red Sox, on the road, had built up a decent lead. Rick Porcello pitched decently, into the seventh. He left the game with the lead, following a quality start. Not quite Pedro Martinez out there, or even 2016 Rick Porcello, but we'll take it.

Then the Rangers scored a run in the eighth. No big deal. All you need to do is get the game into Kimbrel's hands. Get to the ninth holding the lead and everything will be fine.

They did.

But it wasn't.

Kimbrel actually blew the save. Suddenly all the bad thoughts creep into your head. Why couldn't the offense just score one more run? How did that inherited runner score? Why couldn't the Red Sox have just done one more thing right. It's easy to see how that would become mentally deflating for the team.

Not for this team.

Hembree did his job following Kimbrel. He kept the Rangers scoreless in the tenth to match the Sox. Then, the offense took over, scoring two runs to put the game away. 

It was the sort of thing that could have fallen apart. "Well, the winning streak was nice while it lasted." "Tough game on the road, what whatcha gonna do?"

Whenever the Red Sox lose a tough game, people seem to mark it down. If a starter stays in the game one batter too long, and the Sox lose the game. Or there's a miscue in the outfield allowing the winning run to score. People say it. "Remember this game in September when they're down two in the division with three to play. Every loss is noted so that it can come back to haunt them.

But, why not mark this game down? "July 3. Won a game they could have easily lost." Let's remember this game when they're first in the division come September. Because wins can be remembered too. This one let the Red Sox keep their current three game lead.

That's pretty important.

It's Here!

It's finally here!

All the waiting. All the anticipation. All the boredom. It all ends today, because Red Sox baseball is back!

The bad news? The Sox are already in second place. The good news? They're still ahead of the Yankees.

The even better news? The Red Sox have the reigning Cy Young award winner on the mound for them today. I think the expectations were too low on Rick Porcello entering last season, and they'll probably be a little high for him this season. But, it will be exciting to see what he can produce now that his good year in Detroit wasn't the "fluke."

Pablo Sandoval will also be back. I see no reason not to think he'll have a bounce back year. (I think I got all the negatives to work out there...) It will be fun to see what he can produce with a healthy season. Especially since I think most fans have washed their hands of him, so the pressure will be off. Anything we get will be enough for most.

And, it's the low expectations at some positions that I think will save the Sox this season. Yes, David Ortiz is gone. Yes, David Price is hurt. But, compare the team to last year. Does subtracting Price and adding Sale make the rotation better? Yes. Does subtracting Buchholz help? Sure. Might Porcello slide back a bit? Sure. But I think we can agree, compared to Opening Day last year, this is an upgrade. 

But, will the Sox score runs without Ortiz?

I don't see why not.

Sure, they'll take a hit with (essentially) Mitch Moreland taking Papi's place in the line-up. But, it more than that. A healthy Sandoval takes the place of the hot mess at third base last year. That's an improvement. Anyone think that Andrew Benintendi won't be an improvement over what the Sox got out of left field last season? When the Sox had to force Swihart out there for crying out loud?

So, yes, I think the Sox offense can make up for the loss of Ortiz. No, you can't replace him straight up. But, you can make smaller improvements elsewhere. Which is just what the Sox did. 

So, let's see how it all plays out. Mother Nature has decided to hold of on the snow for a day to allow the Sox to open in the sunshine. Even she is excited to get things started. She wants to make sure everyone gets a good start to the day. And the season.

162-0?

Who Should Start Opening Day?

Sorry EdRo, but there are really only three options for this question. And neither of them makes a particularly strong case. And, unfortunately, this year the Sox open the season at home. So you can't even split the honor by having one pitchers start Opening Day and having another start the home opener. So, you need to make a call.

Yes, I realize this is an awesome problem to have. It's not even because all the choices are equally bad. The problem is that they're equally strong. It means there is a decision to be made. What do you think?

The pitcher that probably seems like the most obvious choice is Rick Porcello. He's already apparently lined up to for the start. Assuming you call anything "lined up" a month away. If the Soxwanted any of the three to start, it wouldn't be too tough. But, Porcello is the reigning American League Cy Young award winner. So, that's an obvious feather in his cap. I guess for me there's still the stink of 2015 on him. He doesn't "feel" like an ace to me. But, that might be silly.

The other more obvious choice is David Price. While he didn't exactly earn the honor with his 2016 performance, he does have a Cy Young of his own on his resume. I think my bigger argument for him is that I assume he was signed to "be the ace". My assumption is that the Red Sox pitch to him when he was a free agent wasn't "Come be our number three starter." Again, it's not exactly the Red Sox's  fault that Porcello outperformed him. But, I don't remember there being a question about who would start the 2003 season after Derek Lowe's breakout 2002. It's was Pedro's role. He was the ace. Similarly, it was Price's role. Should he lose it?

The third choice, Chris Sale, really only has one thing going for him. He's the bright new shiny toy. Don't you want to show everyone your new toy as soon as you can? Don't you want to scare the rest of the league as soon as you can? He doesn't have the credentials the other two have. But, he's definitely a top starter, and would be getting the nod for just about any other team. Should he get it here?

So, who should it be? The reigning Cy Young? The hired ace? The new toy? Someone else?

Who gets your vote?

List of 36: Things I'm Thankful For

1. Mookie Betts

2. Playoff Baseball

3. Hanley's return

4. Papi's Farewell Tour

5. Pictures with Section 36

6. Division Championships

7. Prospects

8. Facebook likes

9. Drew Pomeranz

10. San Diego All-Star uniforms

11. David Ortiz bling necklaces

12. Xander Bogaerts

13. Pictures with signs

14. Star Wars Night

15. Wally gnomes

16. Instagram followers

17. BB-8 baseball statues

18. Cy Porcello

19. Visitors

20. Pictures in tank tops

21. Papi's Ceremony

22. Pictures with Logos

23. Releasing the Kimbrel

24. An expansion

25. Singing Dirty Water

26. Scoring

27. Andrew Benintendi's future

28. Twitter followers

29. Panda getting healthy

30. Pictures in Section 36

31. Jackie Bradley's glove

32. Sandy Leon

33. A good book

34. Ortiz's career

35. 2017's potential

36. Readers!

How about you?

On to Game Two

OK. That was not exactly the result we were all looking for last night. But, naturally, all is not lost. Just one game is.

I'm not even going to bother reminding you that the Indians have traditionally coughed up series leads to the Red Sox. Mostly because that doesn't really matter, but also because you already know. 

What does matter? The fact that there's a reason the Red Sox were favored by most to not only win this series, but the American League itself. They're simply the better team. So, winning three out of the next four isn't nearly as daunting as it would be the other way around.

Specifics about the series as it stands? Yes the Indians won the first game. But, they ran through their bullpen. Andrew Miller shut down the Sox last night. Tonight? He may be able to face a batter. So, if the Sox can get out early, the Indians will be unable to stop them. If they don't? Not sure the Indians will be able to hold them back either.

The starting rotations still favor the Red Sox going forward. Say what you want about David Price in the postseason. But, he has pitched well before. And he's been pitching fantastic down the stretch. There's also the need to remember what ERA means. ERA is based on nine innings. So, a 9.00 ERA means a pitcher would give up nine runs in nine innings. But, Price won't be going nine innings. So, even if he stinks up the joint, and pitchers to a five or seven ERA tonight...that means he gives up fewer actual runs. For instance four runs in five innings, is a terrible start. That would work out to a 7.20 ERA. But, it would only amount to four runs. The Sox should be able to cover that. Heck, last night Porcello's stinker gave him an ERA over ten. And the Sox were right in it. So, don't worry about Price. Even your worst fears aren't all that scary when you're only looking at one game against an opposing starter who was pushed back due to injury.

After that? I know everyone likes to rag on Buchholz. But, he's been pitching wonderfully. And, it's not like Tomlin is an ace in the making. Then ERod would pitch against the guy the Sox just knocked out of the game last night. Hopefully with a less rested bullpen. Worst case? Porcello comes back in game five. Have to assume he got his stinker out of the way last night.

Yes, the Sox didn't win. The Indians bullpen gave them troubles. But, now they're done. The bullpen will never be that rested again. They'll never be that unfamiliar again. Chances are they won't be getting those strike calls again.

The Sox wanted one of the two in Cleveland so they could try to clinch at home. If they get the win tonight, that's exactly what they'll have.

And things will look even rosier.

You Don’t Have to Pay Anyone

Rick Porcello takes the mound for the Red Sox tonight. Of course, we’ll all be hoping for a performance at least as solid as his last time out. Naturally, if he doesn’t perform up to those expectations, people will be angry. They’ll most likely point out his enormous contract again. Usually the next words out of their mouths are ‘And they didn’t have to give it to him.”

After all when the Red Sox traded for Porcello, there was still a year left on his existing contract. The Red Sox could have just let him play out that contract and see what happens. But they didn’t, and people haven’t been happy about it. After all, the Sox decided to give him a huge contract when they didn’t need to, and before he had even thrown a single pitch for the Red Sox.

You know. Just like they did for David Price.

Because, they’re right. The Sox didn’t have to pay Porcello the money. They don’t have to pay anybody the money. It just means you risk not having that person play on your team.

After all, it was just that year that there was another pitcher that the Red Sox didn’t have to pay money to. He too still had a year left on his contract. The Sox made him a contract offer that was declined, and the season was allowed to finish. Of course, Jon Lester has the season of his career that season, which priced him right out of the Red Sox price range. 

People were livid.

How could the Sox not have signed him the year before? They had him all to themselves. All they had to do was give him the huge contract, and he never would have even gotten to free agency. He’d still be on the team!

Then, the Red Sox go and do exactly that, and people are upset. I guess some people are just never happy.

It would be easy to toss out the cliché that you can’t have it both ways. But, in reality you can. And, more important, you should. You should make that kind of decision as each situation presents itself, and not just make a blanket policy of “no signing anyone unless we have to.” It depends on the player. The Red Sox would routinely pick up the option on Pedro Martinez’s contract even though they “didn’t have to.”  But, he was Pedro. So, why risk letting him become a free agent if you “didn’t have to.” (Pedro, by the way is another player they extended the contract on even though they didn’t have to, and before he had even thrown a pitch in Boston.)

So, the Red Sox made a calculated decision. They felt letting Porcello pitch that final year of his contract would make him even more costly when they tried to re-sign him. Sometimes, like when they did it with Pedro, that strategy works. Sometimes, like with Dustin Pedroia, it doesn’t work. 

Every time you sign a player, there’s a risk involved. The best you can hope to do is minimize that risk the best you can and do what you think is best for the team.

Whether you have to, or not.

Oh, and Porcello's Not Pedro Either

Yeah, I'm guessing I REALLY didn't need to remind you of that.

But, sometimes it feels like I do. Take today, for instance. 

Porcello had a decent day. Sure, people are going to harp on the 6.00 ERA. And, they're right. That is a high ERA. But, that doesn't mean he gave up six runs. In fact, he didn't. He only gave up four runs over six inning. And, let's be honest, giving up two two-run home runs to Jose Bautista in Toronto isn't exactly a sign of weakness.

So, instead of focusing on the ERA, how about the fact that he only walked one batter? Or, that he only gave up seven hits. Sure, a 1.33 WHIP isn't Pedro-esque. But, it's pretty good for a number four starter. So are his seven strikeouts. That works out to 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. That is, in fact, Pedro-esque. (I mean, not Pedro's good years. But, you know, like when he was with the Mets.)

I think Porcello also suffers from a comparison to the impossible. Sure, he was a big trade acquisition. Sure, he was signed to a big contract. That doesn't mean he's bound for Cooperstown.

He's bound to be a very good pitcher. That's where our expectations should be. A pitcher doesn't have to be elite to be worthwhile. Regular pitchers are going to have off nights. Or, off innings. They're going to look, well, regular every once in a while. It's what we should be expecting from other pitchers.

There's only one Pedro.

It would do us good to remember that.

Joshua Berube Visits Section 36!

Section 36 is fortunate enough to have another visitor! With the baseball season almost upon us, I thought is would be a good time to discuss the season. I asked Joshua Berube of The All Out Sports Network (AOSN) to help me out. Since he just finished writing a series of articles previewing each team in the AL East and NL East, I felt he could offer some great insight for us. Thankfully, he was nice enough to answer some questions about the 2016 Red Sox. With that, let's see what happens when Joshua Berube visits Section 36!

In Section 36 we love our centerfielders. Who will I be seeing in that position most, and what can I expect from him?

In CF, I think this will be Jackie Bradley, Jr’s breakout season. Obviously I believe Section 36 fans will be seeing #25. However, I think we might at times see Mookie Betts patrolling center as well.

What will happen with Hanley Ramirez at first base?

Joshua Berube

As much as I have lamented the unknown of Hanley Ramirez at first and his offensive decline, I like what I have seen thus far and believe he is actually enjoying it. I believe he will be adequate and can definitely post offensive numbers somewhere between the likes of Mo Vaughn and Mike Napoli we enjoyed in the past.

Will Dustin Pedroia do more than give reporters good quotes?

I am not worried about Pedroia. I think he will continue his gold glove and reckless abandon ways both in the field as well as at the plate.

Who will have the better year, Mookie Betts or Xander Bogaerts?

Betts and Bogaerts (who won a silver slugger award) both had excellent years last year, and what a bargain for the Sox at a combined salary of just over $1 million. I think Mookie Betts has the better year. I expect Betts to top all of his numbers from last year and be a 25/25 guy while hitting .310. I am not sure Bogaerts’s average will be as high as last year but will be a double play machine up the middle with Pedroia. The Sox sure found a couple gems.

Does Rick Porcello show his potential this season?

I do not know if Porcello shows his potential. I mean, I would think he has to be better than last year’s 9-15, 4.92 ERA. I am actually more intrigued with Joe Kelly who is having a fantastic spring and see if he can start 2016 where he left off 2015. Also, I am a huge Buchholz fan. I expect a huge year out of him being a contract year.. When he is on, his stuff is unhittable.

Joshua's Red Sox article

Where does Brock Holt find at-bats?

When I see Brock Holt, I can only think of the Warner Bros. Bugs Bunny cartoon Baseball Bugs. (You can find it here: http://dai.ly/x23xecl) He played seven positions last year save for pitcher and catcher. He is the ultimate utility player. I think he will get at bats due to his versatility, giving guys days off here and there in the outfield and infield. Although, barring injuries, I see him playing substantially less than the 100-plus games he saw the last two seasons.

Will David Ortiz go out with a bang?

I have the Sox winning the East. In order for that to happen, Ortiz will have to be his usual productive self, hitting 30HR and driving 100 RBI's. I am interested to see his reception in Yankee stadium as part of the farewell tour. I can see him hitting a walk off home run in the playoffs but not sure the World Series is in the cards.

How will Rusney Castillo react with the job handed to him?

I am not sure Castillo has been handed the job, as it were.  I think his leash will be short. Young and Murphy are serviceable outfielders. Although, I think there is tremendous upside.

How will David Price perform with his monster deal behind him?

Price is saying all the right things. He is coming off a fantastic year (18-5 2.45 ERA) where he split it between two teams in Detroit and Toronto. We know he can pitch in the AL East. I think he will be a steadying and calming influence to the rest of the rotation. Yes, he signed a huge contract but he has not won the ultimate prize yet and knows what it is like to lose in the World Series. I think he's hungry and the ultimate competitor, two things that will endear him to the Red Sox faithful.

Will Craig Kimbrel adjust to the AL?

I address my concerns with Kimbrel coming to the AL in my article. He is going to pitch half his games in a bandbox known as Fenway, which concerns me a bit, as he pitched in a lot of pitcher friendly ballparks. In addition, the market in Boston is like nowhere else as far as expectations and pressure fans and media place on the team. We will see soon enough if he thrives in the baseball-crazy town. However, Koji is there for safety.

***

Well, I certainly hope he thrives!

As always, a huge thank you to Joshua for visiting. It's always nice to hear what others have to say, and he did a great job giving his views.

If you want to see more of Joshua, especially his baseball previews, check out his articles at AOSN and follow him on twitter! I can't wait to see what he'll have to say as the season goes on.

Thanks again Joshua!

Playing with Personality

Rick Porcello won his first game in, like, a year last night. Some wondered if that would be the game he finally came around because it would be the first one in a while with Ryan Hanigan behind the plate. There was speculation that the return of that comfort zone might be enough to snap Porcello out of it. Which it was.

If course, that ignited the long-standing debate over personal catchers, and whether pitchers should just be able to throw any catcher. Which, of course, they should be able to. In a perfect world, the pitcher should just be able to put the same level of comfort and trust into any catcher the Boston Red Sox deem worth of putting into the line-up.

Really, that should apply to any issue of player comfort. A batter should be able to hit in any part of the order. A reliever should just come in whenever his name is called. They’ve been telling them that since Little League. You do what you need to do.

But, that’s the big distinction. The Red Sox aren’t in Little League. They aren’t in the business of making better players. They’re in the business of winning games with the players they currently have. So, they owe it to themselves, and their fans, to put the team in the best position to win each and every night.

Sometimes that means putting players in spots or roles where they’re most comfortable.

So, sure, in Little League a coach might tell Clay Buchholz that he’ll be throwing to whichever catcher is back there. He needs to learn how to deal with the different circumstances. He’s young. He’ll be better served if he learns to adapt. Which might be the difference. As a high schooler, or even a college kid, it’s all about the player showing a team what they can do. You want to show that you can throw to any color chest protector. But that all reverses once he’s in the majors. Now it’s all about the team dealing with what it has.

So, would it be nice if everyone was Brock Holt? Of course. Imagine if every player could just wake up, see which position he’s playing that day, and just go hit. But, there’s a reason why Brock is such a great story. That doesn’t happen all the time. So, with the rest of the players, they have a choice. They can just tell everyone they’re going to change things up all the time and deal with the lack of production that results from it, or they can put players in their best position and get the benefits of increased production.

Other businesses do it. You don’t tell a layer who’s shy and quiet to go into the courtroom. Sure, any lawyer should do whatever you ask of them. But, that’s not putting your firm in the best position for success. It’s the same with baseball.

So, you can wish that Clay or Rick didn’t feel better with one catcher over another. You can hope that Pablo Sandoval can switch between first base and third base effortlessly. You can hope that Dustin Pedroia hits as well no matter where in the line-up you put him.

Or, you can accept that players are humans with their own set of preferences and quirks. You can accept that some players are better suited for different things. Then, you can assemble your team based on getting the most out of every player on the roster.

Wouldn’t that make the most sense?

Paying Porcello

In addition to the spectacular win on Opening Day, the Sox had more good news for all of us. Right after the game, they announced that they had agreed to a long term deal with Rick Porcello.

What great news!

After all, he’s a good young pitcher. He’s exactly the type of player you lock up while you can.

But, some people apparently weren’t so sure.

One tweet that came out almost immediately was that the 4-83 was more than the Sox first offered Lester. Which, even if that were a reason to be upset with the deal, isn’t quite true.

Yes, the Sox “only” offered Lester 4-70 in that Spring Training offer that has gotten everyone so riled up. But, as I discussed earlier, that offer was really just matching what other pitchers of his caliber received, after adjusting for his age. The AAV of the offer was the same as the likes of Cain, and Hamels, and Bailey. It was just lower total money because Lester was already 30 when the Sox were making the offer.

So, we should do the same with the Porcello deal. Compare it to Lester if you’d like, but adjust it for his age. Compare it to Cain, and Hamels, and Bailey too. But, adjust it for their ages too. Because once you do that, this becomes a monster deal for the Sox. After all, the latter three all signed big contracts in their twenties that carried them into their early thirties. $100 million type contracts. Those that have gotten a few years into it, Cain and Hamels, are starting to regret it. Now that both are older, they just aren’t worth the money anymore. So, if you look at the 5-6 year $100-115 million contract range that they all signed for, the first three or four are worth it, and the other two or three are albatrosses. The idea being that you’ll take the dead weight in order to get those good years. The Sox went another way. They’re only paying for the good years. Sure, they paid a slight premium. But, nothing as huge as adding on the two anchor years at the end. So, yes they offered more money to Porcello than they did with Lester. But, they were getting the better years of Porcello’s career too. (Plus, how do we know the first offer wasn’t 4-70, like Lester’s first offer was?) So, they slightly overpaid for prime years instead of vastly overpaying for decline years. How is that not brilliant?

Some people are pointing to the fact that Porcello hasn’t pitched for the Sox yet. How can they sign him to that money, they’re screaming, when you don’t know how he’ll pitch in Boston? I think it’s funny that these are the same people who have been insisting that the Sox need to trade for Hamels. Or should have signed Shields. Neither of them have pitched in Boston either. So, if you’re going to take a risk on a big contract, shouldn’t you take it on a young pitcher whose career is trending upwards? Isn’t that exactly where you take the risk?

Isn’t this the perfect contract?

Visitor's Views

It’s once again time to inject some opposing viewpoints into this blog. Since the Detroit Tigers will be visiting Friendly Fenway tonight, I contacted Sam of Roar of the Tigers. I asked Sam to answer a couple questions for me since it’s a RotT is an amazing Tigers blog. Sam, thankfully, agreed. I asked the same questions I asked all my visiting fans. I wonder how the answers compare. Here we go:

When did you start blogging?
I took over Roar of the Tigers in June 2005. But I had been blogging elsewhere since 2001, and I had been blogging about baseball since about 2003. Long story there, I won't bore you with it. Suffice to say that a Red Sox messageboard played a vital role.

What is the theme/goal of your blog?
Roar of the Tigers is a blog about the Detroit Tigers, written by a crazy person, for crazy people, or perhaps for mostly-normal people who have the ability to appreciate a little crazy in their lives. Also sometimes the only way I can express my feelings about a player or game is via Terrible Cartoons, and it's nice to share those with the Internet.

Which member/group of the Tigers are you most confident in?Miguel Cabrera. I would say Brennan Boesch but as he's still a rookie, I'm waiting to see if the other cleat is going to drop on his adorable head.

Which member/group of the Tigers concerns you the most?
Pitching. I am too used to thinking of Bondo as injured to trust him with my heart, Verlander throws too many pitches, Scherzer is very hot-and-cold, FredFred (that's Rick Porcello) had to be sent down to the minors already this year, and who the hell is even in the 5th slot for us these days? Armando? Poor bastard. The bullpen, aside from Papa Grande and Phil Coke's Magnificent Mohawk, has been awfully inconsistent. Well, I guess Eddie Bonine has been ok. But nobody even knows he exists, so he doesn't count.

Which member of the Red Sox scares you the most? (Yes, you have to pick one)
Clay Buchholz. I'd be afraid he would sneak up on me and steal my laptop.

Which member of the Red Sox do you like the least?
I don't know how closely you read RotT or whatever, but I am actually a dual Red Sox and Tigers fan. I live in MA these days. I don't generally hate on the team, although I have loads of anecdotal evidence that Kevin Youkilis and Jonathan Papelbon are both asswipes off the field, and Dice K is starting to make me hate him on the field. That might be partly Scott Boras' fault, though, because Scott Boras ruins everything.

What’s your prediction for the upcoming Red Sox/Tigers series?The Tigers will probably drop at least 2, because the Tigers always seem to lose when I see them at Fenway.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say the number “36”?
Three feet. Seriously, that was the first thing. My second and third thoughts were 'pentagon' and 'krypton', so... I get the feeling this is not what you were aiming for. The fourth thing I thought of was Brad Thomas, Aussie Extraordinaire. There's your baseball.

I hope these questions offer some insight into the Visitor’s Section. (If you have a question you wish I had asked, let me know. If I do this again with other visiting teams, maybe I’ll use it.) Thanks again to Roar of the Tigers for helping me out. I wish the Tigers luck.

Once they stop playing the Red Sox.