The 2014 Red Sox consist of one guy giving his all and getting results. Trouble is, Brock Holt's One-Man MLB Team has to compete with 25-man MLB teams to win baseball games. Seeing as there is only one Brock Holt, drawing walks, getting hits and making highlight-reel catches, things are looking pretty bleak for the Sox right now. The season is a lost cause so now it's time to...
Send in the Kids (sung to the tune of Send in the Clowns)
This year's a bust
Going nowhere
Just last year they were on top, now such despair
So send in the kids
This team can't hit
Can't drive runs in
Even when pitchers toss gems
They cannot win.
Where are the kids?
Send in the kids!
Things won't improve just as they are
The status quo won't help them much in 2015
Mookie, Rubby, Cecchini, and Vazquez need to be up.
See what they can do
Before next year.
'14's a farce
Nothing's gone right
For all that '13 gave them
'14 took away.
But where are the kids
Quick, send in the kids
Why aren't they yet here?
Goodbye, AJ
Goodbye Peavy
Victorino we miss you so much
But you can't stay healthy.
And where are the kids?
There ought to be kids.
Don't wait 'till next year!
Friday, June 27, 2014
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Rebuilding The Bridge
Let's face it: The 2014 Red Sox cannot realistically be considered contenders at this point. This season has been maddening, frustrating, and disappointing in every way that it was surprising, exciting, and uplifting last year. Everything that went thrillingly right in 2013 has gone horribly wrong in 2014. There is no Savior of the Season waiting to suit up for the Olde Towne Team. The time has come to call 2014 the dreaded "Rebuilding" or "bridge" year.
Ben Cherington and the front office made some mistakes in the offseason. They brought a reputed clubhouse pariah aboard in AJ Pierzynski. They rolled too many dice (Sizemore, Jackie Bradley, Jr and to some extent, Victorino, with his injury history) in the outfield without a reliable backup plan. John Farrell has made some mistakes as well, such as over-relying on Jonny Gomes, even against righties, to the detriment of Daniel Nava. Nava struggled to start the year, but he's shown signs of regaining his stroke. That's not enough to ignite a moribund offense, but he shouldn't be disregarded against right-handed pitchers in favor of Gomes, who is miserable against northpaws.
As wrong as the offense has gone this season, save for one Brock Holt, some things have gone right with the pitching. Heading into last night's game, the Red Sox were ranked third in the league in ERA. Save for a few blowouts that happen to all teams, starting pitching has been a strength for the Red Sox, especially when Brandon Workman and Rubby De La Rosa were in the rotation instead of Felix Doubront and Clay Buchholz. Burke Badenhop has proved a valuable reliever and Koji, except for his recent struggles with the long ball, has been his usual dominant self. Lester and Lackey have been very solid at the top of the rotation (save for Lackey getting shelled last night). Peavy is clearly on the downside, but while Workman and De La Rosa were pitching every five days, he was the only weak link in the rotation. The young pitching is something to build on for 2015.
Jon Lester has his shortcomings (his hot temper with the umpires being one of them), but unless the Red Sox pony up for the likes of Max Scherzer, they are well-advised to re-sign Lester to hold down the top spot in the rotation. Peavy will be off the books and Doubront is running out of chances with this team. Who knows how Buchholz will perform, giving the wild variations he is prone to? Lackey is on the books for the league minimum next year, which could make him trade bait if the Red Sox aren't planning on extending him. Therefore, several rotation spots could be up for grabs for 2015. De La Rosa and Workman are at the head of the line for those spots, followed by Allen Webster, Anthony Ranaudo, and Matt Barnes.
What can the Red Sox do to improve the offense for 2015? The outfield is the place to start. If Bradley cannot make the necessary adjustments for hitting consistently at the major league level, then the best candidate for center field is Mookie Betts (provided he can make those adjustments when he comes up). Victorino has been unable to stay healthy, so right field may be an area of need as well. The Sox sorely need a power hitter who can hit, at the very least .260 and 25 HR on the season. The farm doesn't have much in the way of a power-hitting outfielder, so it's up to Cherington to find that kind of bat through a trade or free agency.
The left side of the infield also needs to be worked out. Holt, as great as he's been this year, is best used as a super utility player in the Ben Zobrist mold. Middlebrooks has power, but can't hit for a decent average. Cecchini, at least at AAA, can hit for average, but is not known for power. They need to decide of Bogaerts is their third baseman or shortsop. If he's ticketed for third, then Cecchini is a trade chip. Middlebrooks, if he can get it together at the plate, could be moved to the outfield.
Now for behind the plate. The sooner the Red Sox get rid of Pierzynski, the better. He could be having a Bobby V-like effect on the team. Christian Vazquez looks to be an excellent defender with a highly questionable bat (Hello, Jackie Bradley Jr!). Blake Swihart has a more well-rounded skill set, but may not be ready by the beginning of the 2015 season.
Once the front office rids itself of the delusion that the Red Sox can contend this year, they can think about being sellers at the deadline and seeing what the likes of Betts, Cecchini, and Vazquez
can do for the team going forward. There are too many holes to fix by being buyers at the deadline. The rest of the season is going to be more of the same depressing, frustrating grind, but if they can win (or at least contend for) a World Series in 2015 like they did last year after a miserable 2012, it will be worth it.
Ben Cherington and the front office made some mistakes in the offseason. They brought a reputed clubhouse pariah aboard in AJ Pierzynski. They rolled too many dice (Sizemore, Jackie Bradley, Jr and to some extent, Victorino, with his injury history) in the outfield without a reliable backup plan. John Farrell has made some mistakes as well, such as over-relying on Jonny Gomes, even against righties, to the detriment of Daniel Nava. Nava struggled to start the year, but he's shown signs of regaining his stroke. That's not enough to ignite a moribund offense, but he shouldn't be disregarded against right-handed pitchers in favor of Gomes, who is miserable against northpaws.
As wrong as the offense has gone this season, save for one Brock Holt, some things have gone right with the pitching. Heading into last night's game, the Red Sox were ranked third in the league in ERA. Save for a few blowouts that happen to all teams, starting pitching has been a strength for the Red Sox, especially when Brandon Workman and Rubby De La Rosa were in the rotation instead of Felix Doubront and Clay Buchholz. Burke Badenhop has proved a valuable reliever and Koji, except for his recent struggles with the long ball, has been his usual dominant self. Lester and Lackey have been very solid at the top of the rotation (save for Lackey getting shelled last night). Peavy is clearly on the downside, but while Workman and De La Rosa were pitching every five days, he was the only weak link in the rotation. The young pitching is something to build on for 2015.
Jon Lester has his shortcomings (his hot temper with the umpires being one of them), but unless the Red Sox pony up for the likes of Max Scherzer, they are well-advised to re-sign Lester to hold down the top spot in the rotation. Peavy will be off the books and Doubront is running out of chances with this team. Who knows how Buchholz will perform, giving the wild variations he is prone to? Lackey is on the books for the league minimum next year, which could make him trade bait if the Red Sox aren't planning on extending him. Therefore, several rotation spots could be up for grabs for 2015. De La Rosa and Workman are at the head of the line for those spots, followed by Allen Webster, Anthony Ranaudo, and Matt Barnes.
What can the Red Sox do to improve the offense for 2015? The outfield is the place to start. If Bradley cannot make the necessary adjustments for hitting consistently at the major league level, then the best candidate for center field is Mookie Betts (provided he can make those adjustments when he comes up). Victorino has been unable to stay healthy, so right field may be an area of need as well. The Sox sorely need a power hitter who can hit, at the very least .260 and 25 HR on the season. The farm doesn't have much in the way of a power-hitting outfielder, so it's up to Cherington to find that kind of bat through a trade or free agency.
The left side of the infield also needs to be worked out. Holt, as great as he's been this year, is best used as a super utility player in the Ben Zobrist mold. Middlebrooks has power, but can't hit for a decent average. Cecchini, at least at AAA, can hit for average, but is not known for power. They need to decide of Bogaerts is their third baseman or shortsop. If he's ticketed for third, then Cecchini is a trade chip. Middlebrooks, if he can get it together at the plate, could be moved to the outfield.
Now for behind the plate. The sooner the Red Sox get rid of Pierzynski, the better. He could be having a Bobby V-like effect on the team. Christian Vazquez looks to be an excellent defender with a highly questionable bat (Hello, Jackie Bradley Jr!). Blake Swihart has a more well-rounded skill set, but may not be ready by the beginning of the 2015 season.
Once the front office rids itself of the delusion that the Red Sox can contend this year, they can think about being sellers at the deadline and seeing what the likes of Betts, Cecchini, and Vazquez
can do for the team going forward. There are too many holes to fix by being buyers at the deadline. The rest of the season is going to be more of the same depressing, frustrating grind, but if they can win (or at least contend for) a World Series in 2015 like they did last year after a miserable 2012, it will be worth it.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
The Fault(s) in Our Sox
There's no denying that the 2014 Red Sox are faulty! The faults can be listed as anyone but Brock Holt, Brandon Workman, John Lackey, Rubby De La Rosa, Koji Uehara (recent struggles notwithstanding), Burke Badenhop, and, when he's not engaging in umpire-directed histrionics, Jon Lester. That's basically 4/5 of the starting rotation (as it should be, sans Doubront and Buchholz), two bullpen guys, and all of one member of the starting lineup. Seven players out of 25. The rest of the team, fuggedaboudit!
The Red Sox stand at 34-41. Even in Bobby V-tainted 2012 they were in better shape than this in late June. They are showing no signs of digging out of their hole, not with their bats so inept they would struggle to hit minor-league pitching. Their own pitching is the only thing keeping them from having the worst record in baseball. Workman and De La Rosa are proving themselves worthy of staying in the rotation. Only Jake Peavy's performance opens a door for Buchholz or Doubront, the poster boys of inconsistency. One could argue that Allen Webster or Anthony Ranaudo deserves a shot instead.
The pitching logjam is the least of the Red Sox' worries in their woeful attempt to defend their title. They need bats, like, last month! Aside from Holt, the rest of the lineup is nauseatingly bad. Bogaerts and Bradley are wilting under the pressure of being the "Next Big Thing" at their respective positions. Drew is covered in lack-of-Spring-Training rust. Pierzynski is a GIDP machine. Papi and Pedey are underperforming drastically. Nava keeps getting benched for Farrell's binky Jonny Gomes so it's hard for him to get traction at the plate. Napoli is still recovering from about 15 different injuries. They are wretched with RISP and ground into double-plays like it's going out of style. As a result, the pitchers are constantly pitching high-stress innings, which will make continued success going forward an iffy proposition.
Unless they get help in short order, the losing will continue. By the time the trade deadline rolls around, it will be far too late to make improvements. Sadly, they may have too many holes in their lineup to fix. How far does one have to go back to find a Red Sox team as offensively inept as this one?
The Red Sox stand at 34-41. Even in Bobby V-tainted 2012 they were in better shape than this in late June. They are showing no signs of digging out of their hole, not with their bats so inept they would struggle to hit minor-league pitching. Their own pitching is the only thing keeping them from having the worst record in baseball. Workman and De La Rosa are proving themselves worthy of staying in the rotation. Only Jake Peavy's performance opens a door for Buchholz or Doubront, the poster boys of inconsistency. One could argue that Allen Webster or Anthony Ranaudo deserves a shot instead.
The pitching logjam is the least of the Red Sox' worries in their woeful attempt to defend their title. They need bats, like, last month! Aside from Holt, the rest of the lineup is nauseatingly bad. Bogaerts and Bradley are wilting under the pressure of being the "Next Big Thing" at their respective positions. Drew is covered in lack-of-Spring-Training rust. Pierzynski is a GIDP machine. Papi and Pedey are underperforming drastically. Nava keeps getting benched for Farrell's binky Jonny Gomes so it's hard for him to get traction at the plate. Napoli is still recovering from about 15 different injuries. They are wretched with RISP and ground into double-plays like it's going out of style. As a result, the pitchers are constantly pitching high-stress innings, which will make continued success going forward an iffy proposition.
Unless they get help in short order, the losing will continue. By the time the trade deadline rolls around, it will be far too late to make improvements. Sadly, they may have too many holes in their lineup to fix. How far does one have to go back to find a Red Sox team as offensively inept as this one?
Friday, June 6, 2014
Play Better, I'm Giving Up On You
With apologies to A Great Big World...
Play Better: A
Plea to the 2014 Red Sox (to the tune of
“Say Something”)
Play better I’m giving up on you
I am getting so depressed by you
As you keep losing ball ga-a-ames
Play better I’m giving up on you.
And you are the reigning world champs
Has it gone to your heads?
‘Cuz you’re playing like chumps.
And you rose up from worst to first
Now you’re bumbling around
And you keep getting hurt.
Play better I’m giving up on you
I’m sorry but I cannot stomach you
With such a thin starting lineup
Play better I’m giving up on you.
And you, you swing and you miss
Bases loaded with one out
Ground into a double play
Play better I’m giving up on you
And I’m sorry but I cannot stomach you
The outfield is the worst of a-all.
Play better I’m giving up on you.
Play better I’m giving up on you.
Play better…
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