Mike Rozier

Don't ask me why but this morning I was checking up on Mike Rozier.

No - not the former Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier.

I was thinking of the Red Sox prospect Mike Rozier. Donald from Georgia first brought Mike Rozier to my attention when he said he was better than Kyle Davies in high school.

It is sad to say but Mike Rozier seems to be a bust. After 4 seasons in the Red Sox farm system - Mike Rozier was still in Rookie and A ball this year. He managed just over 30 innings pitched and an ERA north of 7.00. I understand that Rozier was hit in the head with a baseball a couple times and maybe he just needs to recover. I've never even laid eyes on Mike Rozier but I hope he saved the bulk of his (then Red Sox record) $1.5 million signing bonus because I don't think he's going to make it in baseball. I can't imagine what it must be like being considered washed up at age 23.

One question would be interesting to get answered is whether agent Scott Boras and his staff tinkered with Rozier's mechanics. That was an allegation some leveled at Boras in relation to Craig Hansen (the former St. John's light's out closer who was so-so in the Red Sox system). If Boras did mess with Rozier's mechanics - then that's potentially two highly thought of pitching prospects that he may have ruined for the Red Sox alone. You would think some enterprising sports reporter would look into this.

Red Sox Magic Number - 56

The Red Sox magic number keeps going down and now it stands at 56.

Right now I associate the number 56 and the Red Sox with pitcher Craig Hansen. I have to wonder if Hansen will be with the Red Sox much longer though. He was a fireballing closer out of St. John's University but since he was represented by Scott Boras instead of being a top pick - he dropped down to the Red Sox at the 26th pick in the first round. Now it seems (according to Peter Gammons) that Scott Boras and his "experts" fooled around with the kid's delivery and somehow managed to take the fire out of the fireballer's delivery. I would not be surprised if Hansen was trade bait for the trade deadline.

Overall, though, when a New England sports fan thinks of the number 56 - probably the name that jumps to mind is Andre Tippett - the great linebacker for the New England Patriots. Tippett played 12 seasons for the Pats and if it wasn't for the fact that he played at the same time as Lawrence Taylor - Tippett would have been a shoe-in for the Football Hall of Fame.

Ripples from a Non-Trade

The recent non-trade of Todd Helton to the Red Sox is one of those rare instances where both teams are better off having announced trade talks but not actually making the trade. Don't believe me? Take a look at how just talking trade may have affected the players and teams involved:

Red Sox Players

- Kevin Youkilis was affected because he would have had to move from 1st to 3rd and probably would have dropped from #2 in the order to the bottom third. He probably ended up taking an emergency number of ground balls at third once the talks were announced. Jelly (Youkilis' initials are K-Y) is probably the least affected by the talks but look for him to be better prepared to play 3rd than he would have been.

- Mike Lowell is a veteran and I'm sure used to trade talks. But it should be pointed out that he played Gold Glove defense at 3rd last year but also tired at the end of the season. This year I expect the defense to be just as good but I also expect Lowell to post better offensive numbers for two reasons:

1. This is his contract year and players almost magically always post better numbers in their contract year.

2. The Red Sox will need to get Wily Mo Pena and Eric Hinske at bats and that means Lowell will probably get more rest this season and hopefully that means he'll be more fresh at the end of the season. (Note - Lowell was second on the team in AB with 573 last year - he should still get over 500 if he stays healthy but cutting down 25-50 AB should help the 33-year old Lowell.)

- Julian Tavarez was perhaps the Red Sox' best starter last September. With two starters over 40-years old, one starter new to the rigors of starting in MLB, one starter coming off the only 200 IP season of his career and the last starter converted from closer because his arm hurt - I think it is a good bet that the Red Sox will need another starter at some point this season. Tavarez went 3-0 with a 3.52 ERA in 5 September starts. That's great insurance but that may only be the icing on the cake. It should be remembered that Tavarez is perhaps Manny Ramirez's best friend on the team and keeping Manny happy may also help keep Manny productive.

- Manny Delcarmen is the local boy living the dream of playing for the local nine. The saying goes, "You don't know what you have till you lose it" and MDC almost lost his dream job. He'll probably savor every game and make sure he doesn't falter. Manny Delcarmen just got a wake-up call.

- Craig Hansen can now tell his grand kids that the Red Sox thought so much of him that they wouldn't trade him for a Hall of Fame first baseman. Perhaps Hansen's biggest problem last year was confidence and this non-trade had to have been a tremendous shot of confidence to the young Hansen.

The Red Sox as an Organization

In the week before the Super Bowl the Red Sox dominated the local sports news with this non-trade, Curt Schilling announcing he would pitch in 2008, and the Roush Racing NASCAR arrangement. Could it be a coincidence that their tickets also went on sale this week? The Red Sox are proving to be PR masters and it is no coincidence that news of the potential trade leaked when the MO for the Sox is to play things close to the vest in trade negotiations.

The Rockies

The Rockies almost pulled a reverse Ray Bourque - sending a beloved veteran player from Colorado to Boston so that he could have a chance at a championship. They were just doing this for the player who had given so much to the organization. They too got some pretty good PR out of this whole affair. What they also did was set the price for a contending team to acquire Todd Helton at the trade deadline. Now it is known throughout MLB that the Rockies will pick up half the contract of Todd Helton in exchange for a top pitching prospect from a contending team that Helton will agree to be traded to.

All's well that ends well I guess.