Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Just a reminder but there is no greater waste of time than reading "mock drafts" whether they be NFL, NBA or any pro league. Complete waste of time... Good question... The White Obama would be a cool name for a show about a former President who goes on to coach a basketball team made up of prep school white kids... The Red Sox won the 2018 World Series with an outfield of Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. With Bradley signing as a free agent with Milwaukee all three are now gone from Boston. They make it hard to root for this team... Was fascinated by this video about home made electric ice skates... 

Top 5 - Red Sox First Half Story-lines

So it's the All-Star break and here's what I consider to be the Top 5 Red Sox story-lines from the first half of the season.

1. The Kids are Alright! Xander Bogaearts (23), Jackie Bradley Jr. (26), and Mookie Betts (23) are All-Stars and the core of this team. The future is bright in Boston.
2. Big Papi-mania! David Ortiz is on track for 40+ HR and 130+ RBI and in his final season his current OPS+ of 184 is the highest of his career by far! Ortiz is putting together one of the best final seasons in pro sports history.
3. The starting pitching stinks! I'm comfortable with the fact that David Price will come around and be give the Red Sox a Cy Young contender-type second half. Steven Wright is a well deserved All-Star and I'm also good with Rick Porcello, So with 3 of the 5 starters being OK - why do I say the starting pitching stinks? Imagine a five course meal where the first three courses were good or very good but the last two courses were a shit sandwich and chocolate covered dung. Would you say that was a good meal or that is stinks? Boston has had a combined 29 starts from Clay Buchholz (5.91 ERA), Edwardo Rodriguez (8.59 ERA), Joe Kelly (8.46 ERA) and Sean O'Sullivan (6.75 ERA) which have been the equivalent of a shit sandwich for Red Sox fans so far this season.
4. Travis Shaw replaces Pablo Sandoval. Shaw is on pace for 18 HR and 90 RBI and he doesn't look like a Weight Watchers' before picture. Like many fans - I hope we have seen the last of Sandoval in a Red Sox uniform.
5. Is John Farrell on the hot seat? The team has served up a shit sandwich of 40% of the starting pitching staff and yet the team is just 2 games back. Why would Farrell be on the hot seat? Because Boston sportswriters and sports talk radio people are the worst. Same bunch of jackasses that insisted that Terry Francona had to go too. Farrell won the World Series for Boston not too long ago.

State of the Red Sox

The Red Sox are 31-40, in last place in the AL East and 8.5 games out of first place. To say they have been a disappointment would be a major understatement. So what gives? What's been the problem(s) and what should the Red Sox do going forwards?

Let's start with the pitching - a staff whose ERA of 4.46 is dead last in the American League. First there's the Rick Porcello in theory and the Rick Porcello in reality. I admit that I too was high on Porcello who has shown flashes of what he was last season. If Porcello was 7-4 with an ERA around 4.00 instead of 4-8 with an ERA of 5.61 then Boston would still be in last in the AL East but only 5 games out of first and talk radio would be hammering about a trade for Cole Hamels. Instead Boston has tied their wagon to a guy whose career ERA+ is not even league average (95). Sadly at this point Red Sox fans can only cross our fingers and hope for the best.

Justin Masterson has been a mess. The Red Sox gave him 7 starts and he gave them a 6.37 ERA in return. Those 7 starts should have gone to Steven Wright and now that Eduardo Rodriguez has taken Masterson's rotation spot for good - when Masterson comes back from his "rehab" in Pawtucket he may force Wright out of the bullpen as the long-relief guy. Wright can't buy a break. I'd prefer for Boston to just admit that the Justin Masterson reclamation project was a mistake and move on.

Then there's the case for Brian Johnson who has been pitching even better than Eduardo Rodriguez in Pawtucket and is 2-years older. Is it wrong to hope that either Porcello or Joe Kelly develops "fatigue" and has to be put on the DL so we can see what Johnson has to offer at the MLB level? Or here's an idea - with the Red Sox out of it why not trade Koji Uehara and see if Kelly can close?

Then there's the position players and hitting where there's been basically 3 sore spots for Boston - catcher, 1st base and right field. Not much you can do about catching. Christian Vazquez and Ryan Hannigan sounded like a great defensive combo before the season but injury ruined that. Now we'll see what Blake Swihart (who has been heating up at the plate) and Hannigan (once he's healthy) can do for the rest of the season.

1st base? Mike Napoli has been hitting well below his career averages but what's the alternative at this point? Allen Craig? Sure Craig has been hitting at Pawtucket but does anyone think if things had been reversed that Napoli wouldn't be raking on AAA-pitching? Best to leave 1st as is and hope Napoli gets on another hot streak that brings his numbers back to where they should be.

That leaves right field where the answer is simple - bring back Jackie Bradley Jr.

And for those of us optimists out there - the Red Sox magic number is an even 100!

Top 5 - Ellsbury Thoughts

Here's my Top 5 thoughts on Jacoby Ellsbury signing with the Yankees.

1. In the big scheme of things this is not a Yankees vs Red Sox thing - this is a Scott Boras vs Jay Z thing. And make no mistake - this was a big FU from Boras to Jay Z. Now that Ellsbury got the big contract out of the Yankees there is less money for Robinson Cano who now will have to go with someone like Seattle if he wants top, top dollar. Or he will have to take a lesser deal from the Yankees.
2. As soon as Ellsbury signed with Scott Boras every informed Red Sox fan knew he was gone. That's the way it works and I don't blame Ellsbury at all. This idea that he should be booed when he returns to Fenway is ridiculous. I wish Ellsbury nothing but the best. Boston won two World Series during his time here and Ellsbury was a big part of those titles.
3. Ellsbury won a Gold Glove with the Red Sox but many scouts say that his logical replacement - Jackie Bradly Jr. - is actually already a better defender.
4. The Red Sox drafted Ellsbury with the supplemental draft pick they got from losing Orlando Cabrera to free agency. When Johnny Damon signed with the Yankees - Boston drafted Daniel Bard with the supplemental pick. If the Red Sox can get something in between Bard and Ellsbury with the pick they'll get for losing Ellsbury then Boston fans should be happy. By the way - Jackie Bradley Jr. was drafted with the pick Boston got for losing Adrian Beltre. This, in part, is why Boston has a deep farm system and the Yankees do not.
5. As much as Ellsbury is making with the Yankees - he has the potential to make as much if he gets some type of Jockey or Calvin Klein deals. Ellsbury (and his ass) was the favorite of almost every girl in Boston. I predict it won't be long before you see 30 foot tall billboards of his backside at Times Square.

Red Sox Offseason Moves - Position Players

Here's how I see the Red Sox roster for position players going forward for the 2014 season. Pretty long position-by-position breakdown so if you are interested - it continues after the break.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I am so happy that Opening Day is finally here. Wicked excited... Coolest pool table ever!...  I have not seen the video of Kevin Ware's injury and God willing - I hope I never will... Yesterday I re-ordered HBO because I didn't want to miss the new season of Game of Thrones. I cancelled HBO when last season of GoT ended and will do so once again this year... Please don't get an erection! Please don't get an erection!... Jackie Bradley Jr. will be the youngest starting left fielder for the Red Sox since Yaz started in left back in 1961... Are the people in Atlanta really calling the Braves outfield, "Up, Up and a Hey"? That's pretty clever... Love language stuff like this - British words and phrases that don't translate for Americans and vice versa... Alec Baldwin has basically morphed into Leslie Neilsen at this point - hasn't he?... Metal Debris would be a good name for a band... A good reminder for a Monday morning, "If you don't know what your top three priorities are, you don't have priorities" - Donald Rumsfeld... I know one of my priorities for today is to watch the Red Sox / Yankees game...

Jackie Bradley Jr.

The Red Sox should be announcing today if Jackie Bradley Jr. will make the Opening Day roster. I agree 100% with Fred Lynn that Bradley should be the starting left fielder come April 1st.

I'm not saying that Jackie Bradley Jr. is the next Mike Trout or Fred Lynn but think of it this way - if Bradley posts just 75% the numbers that Lynn or Trout did in their rookie years - he'd be one of the most productive hitters in Boston's line-up. Not to mention that his glove gives Boston one of the best defensive outfields in all of baseball. And hey if he's not productive - then send him down to Pawtucket once David Ortiz comes back.

It seems to be a no-brainer to me. The team could use his bat and defense and the fans are more excited to see Bradley play than any other aspect of this 2013 Red Sox team. So let it be written - so let it be done.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Alex Speier has a nice look at Jacoby Ellsbury's career so far. What Alex doesn't do is suggest what the Red Sox do with their enigmatic centerfielder.

Here's what I'd do.

First thing to know is that the Red Sox have control over Jacoby Ellsbury for one more season (2013) and that Ellsbury's agent is Scott Boras. You put those two things together and it is clear that there will be no long-term deal cut this offseason. Ellsbury will use the 2013 season as proof as his worth as a free agent. I think that's great news for the Red Sox.

Let Ellsbury put up big numbers in his walk year. If he can do something like hit 25 HR while stealing 30+ bases then that will go a long way towards getting the Red Sox back to the playoffs. The season will also allow Jackie Bradley Jr. to get more minor league seasoning before a potential September call-up. Next year will go a long way to see if Bradley can succeed Ellsbury in center if Ellsbury walks or proves too expensive.

If the Red Sox are out of the playoff hunt by the trade deadline - then the Red Sox may just trade Ellsbury (you can no longer assume the Red Sox are a playoff contending team). If they are in the hunt - a healthy Ellsbury will be a powerful weapon. Either way Red Sox fans should enjoy Ellsbury wile they can because he won't be around in 2014.