Boston Sports Then and Now

It may look different, but at least lately, it's been the same old Papi.

After two months of baseball, the Red Sox are 6 games above .500 for the second time, their best record in relation to that mark of the year. But they haven’t made it easy on themselves.

A glut of injuries may be to blame for the 11-12 April which, to this point, is responsible for their distance from the division-leading Rays, but one of the staples of the Epstein and friends’ Red Sox has been the organization’s depth, so to point a finger at injuries is just to make excuses the likes of which David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia would spit at you for.

Sure, they’ve had problems, but how many of them (besides Lowell’s lack of gruntled-ness) have been real and how many of them have been manufactured by the media?

The power struggle that everyone thought would arise when Martinez was listed as first on the depth chart at catcher never materialized – and not only has Varitek been the picture of professionalism, he’s hitting close to 100 points higher than he did last year and leads the team in OPS – an impressive feat, considering Youkilis finished the month with an OPS very close to 1.300.

While the Sox have been spurned numerous times by the media, they have responded, both on the field and in the clubhouse.

Much of the bad press in April was directed at Ortiz, and the future Captain was quick to come to his aid: “In 2008, I wasn’t hitting and you [the media]  were all over me, then what happened? Laser Show.” In my fifth trip to Fenway this season last weekend, I saw a handful of Laser Show shirts being sported by members of Red Sox Nation. It doesn’t take long for these things to catch on. Ortiz himself then addressed the media on WEEI regarding his struggles in mid-May, telling them, “I’m going to be done when I’ve decided that I’m done.” That was May 20^th. Since then, in 9 games he’s 10-for-27 with 3 HRs, 10 RBI, 5 BB and 7 K. In May, he’s .363 (29-80) with 10 HR, 27 RBI, 10 BB and an OPS of 1.211. I guess he’s not done.

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All week, I’ll be counting down to Opening Day by listing the 30 things that need to go right for the Red Sox’ off-season plans to become in-season realities.  Here are keys 15-11.

15. The Sox see more success against the American League West.

The Texas Rangers were 7-2 against Boston in 2009.

The talk around baseball is usually about the difficulty of  playing in the American League East, but in 2009 the Sox posted a 45-27 record in their division.  They also fared well against AL Central teams, posting a 28-15 record against their mid-western opponents.  It was against the AL West that they really faltered, posting just a .382 winning percentage (13-21).  West Coast swings are difficult for any Eastern club, but a .500 record against the division shouldn’t be too hard to come by.  In 2010, the Rangers and Mariners look better and the Angels and A’s seem worse.  If Boston can split wins and losses against their opposite coast foes, they’ll compete for their division crown and perhaps 100 wins.

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All week, I’ll be counting down to Opening Day by listing the 30 things that need to go right for the Red Sox’ off-season plans to become in-season realities.  Here are keys 25-21.

25. Bill Hall can field shortstop and second base.

The Sox are counting on Bill Hall's versatility in 2010.

Hall is potentially a very interesting inclusion on the roster.  Prior to 2007, the utility man was a full-time shortstop with Milwaukee and fielded the position quite well.  Since, Hall has been moved all around the diamond but has seen virtually no time at a middle infield spot.  If Hall can adequately serve as the backup infielder, he’ll be of immense value to the club because he will kill two birds with one stone (he is also the top right-handed reserve outfielder on the roster).  If not, the club will have to drastically shift its plans and Hall may not last with the team at all.

24. Contractual situations do not distract impending free agents.

Two superstars – Victor Martinez and Josh Beckett — are entering contract years.  Neither player wants to talk extension during the season, and we are but a week away from the season, so it’s starting to look like this may be a big topic for the next 6 or 7 months.  If these two are not extended, the Sox will hope neither situation distracts the individual players or the team at large.  The flip side, of course, is that motivation for a big pay day might just get even more production out of two guys who are already expected to provide quite a bit to the club’s Championship aspirations.

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It’s been an eventful week in Fort Myers.  As the Major League roster starts to take shape, injuries have begun a-creeping, though thankfully all suffered this week seem relatively minor.  Some players are gone and some new ones have swung into camp.  Let’s run through the week.

• The Florida Marlins have returned Rule 5 pick Jorge Jiminez to the Sox.  The third baseman is said to have impressed the Marlins some, but not enough to have won a job.  He’s shown promise in the Sox’ system and perhaps he’ll get a cup of coffee over the course of the season.
• Dustin Pedroia has sprained his wrist.  He was expected to play yesterday but the brass decided to give it one more day.  Pedroia says the injury is “no big deal.”
  

  Pedroia says not to worry about his injury.

• Old lefthanded relievers are playing musical chairs.  After signing Alan Embree a week ago, the Sox yesterday released Brian Shouse and signed Scott Schoenweis. Insurance has never hurt a club but it’s difficult to tell exactly how the Sox are hoping to shape the lower tier of their bullpen, except that it’s becoming fairly evident that they want another lefty.
• Writes Sean McAdam, it’s starting to look like Mike Lowell’s not going anywhere.  That may even include Boston to start the season, as Lowell hurt himself yesterday when he batted a ball off his knee and may miss time.  This, of course, should quiet any trade interest that there may have been; the hobbled third baseman might just last in Boston after all.  Should Lowell open the season on the DL, newly-acquired infielder Kevin Frandsen may be an option to open the season with Boston.
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Don’t look now, but Spring Training is more than half-way over.  In fact, we are just shy of two weeks from Opening Day at Fenway Park, where the Red Sox will host the New York Yankees.  Outside, in the last week, Spring sprung.  It’s almost time for baseball.

Spring Training's almost through, but questions linger for the Sox.

However, there are still some questions surrounding the Sox.  Sure, the roster is almost set and a run prevention strategy has already been mobilized for the coming season.  All the same, the following five issues will still need to be resolved before April 4, or at the very least, will provide us with interest as the date mercifully approaches.

5. Is Bill Hall capable of filling his idealized role with the club?

Hall was acquired in exchange for Casey Kotchman on January 7.  The move was, at the time, lauded for being a shrewd way for the Sox to save some cash.  However, the keen were quick to identify a role for Hall that could prove immensely valuable.  Hall has played 6 positions in his career (second base, third base, shortstop, left field, center field, right field) and could kill two birds on the roster with one stone by serving both as the utility infielder and a right-handed outfielder that can give JD Drew a breather.  Hall’s been in steep offensive decline for three years since posting a remarkable .899 OPS and 35 home runs in 2006, and also hasn’t played shortstop since that season.  If Hall can’t field the position, the Sox are better off taking Tug Hulett or even Jed Lowrie north with them especially considering that Hall is hardly hitting in Florida.  The early reports have been positive, but Hall will have to keep it up if he wants to serve in what could be a very interesting reserve role with the club.

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The headline above is a shameless alliterative device but nonetheless describes what I aim to present in this space this morning and every Saturday going forward: Notes and commentary surrounding the Boston Red Sox as the weekend dawns.  This week was relatively slow compared to the last, wherein Nomar Garciaparra officially retired with the club and Jason Bay made his first appearance against the team, but there is still much to talk about and round up as the Red Sox march into the final two weeks of Spring Training.

• Best wishes to top prospect Ryan Westmoreland, who has undergone successful brain surgery to treat a cavernous malformation.  The medical implications are lost on me, but obviously whenever askull has to be opened up, it’s a big deal.  It’s good to hear that the 19-year-old outfielder should make a full recovery, and I won’t speculate just yet on his baseball future.
  

  Ryan Westmoreland dominated Sox headlines this week.

• Spring numbers rarely mean anything, but it’s still nice to see that David Ortiz has taken to hitting the ball well this week; prior to his 2-for-2 performance that included his first exhibition homerun (excluding the one he hit against Northeastern University on March 3), he had been just 1-19 in Florida.  He hit his second bomb yesterday to help further restore Sox fans’ cautious optimism in his season forthcoming.
• Ian Browne reports on Twitter that Junichi Tazawa may be an option to open the season in the Sox’ bullpen.  I was impressed with Tazawa’s poise in limited Major League time last year, given that he was not only pitching his first professional season in the Western Hemisphere, but also that he was pitching his first fully professional season, period.  He put up great numbers in Portland and with a couple of open bullpen spots, given that Daisuke Matsuzaka — now three times a father – is unlikely to open the season with the club, Tazawa is an interesting option to fill one of them.  Matsuzaka is to, finally, start a minor league game tomorrow.

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