NakamuraPostseason Preview: Boston Red Sox
Once again, the Boston Red Sox have made it into the playoffs. On September 29th, 2009, they suffered a tough loss at home against the Toronto Blue Jays. Fortunately for them, the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers, locking the Red Sox's spot in the fall classic.
But I assure you, Theo Epstein, Terry Francona, and the 25 men on the team are not satisfied with just that. Every year, the Red Sox shoot to win it all, and no one has had more success in that category than them in recent years. With two world series wins under their belt since the
turn of the millennium, they are a team to be feared.
The 2009 team has replaced previous position players quite well. Out on the field, they are ready and solid. Victor Martinez has hit above .300 for the Sox, and has played unsurpassed defense. He is still under contract for next season, but has already been earned his salary for both years. On top of that, he has been more valuable than Justin Masterson could have ever been down the stretch. He has blown captain Jason Varitek out of the water, and now the captain is searching for a minute's worth of playing time. Kevin Youkilis plays the defense of Doug Mientkiewicz and has a better than Millar by the distance from Boston to LA. He has the second highest OBP in the American League behind Joe Mauer and fifth in SLG.
Former MVP Dustin Pedroia plays gold glove defense and is 3rd in the AL in doubles. Jacoby Ellsbury is hovering around .300, and covers tremendous ground. He provides a force that was never matched by either Johnny Damon or Coco Crisp. All of them were speedsters on the base paths, but none are as much of a threat as franchise record holder. But after these four star players, there remains a handful of question marks. This year hasn't been quite the same 162 games as it has been in previous years.
The 2004 starting rotation was dominant. Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling were nothing short of established aces. Derek Lowe was arguably the best #3 starter in the MLB. In 2007, their rotation was just as strong. Josh Beckett was up for a cy young award, Jon Lester was nothing less than stellar and Daisuke Matsuzaka won a solid 16 games as a rookie. Currently, as crazy as it may sound, they have a Josh Beckett who gives up home runs. Daisuke Matsuzaka was injury plagued and Tim Wakefield hasn't been in perfect health either. This may have been Theo Epstein's worst year considering the circumstances given to him in the previous off season. He went in with a team capable of winning at the end of last season, but somewhere along the way, it went all wrong. The depth of the rotation turned into a 2-D stick figure. John Smoltz and Brad Penny were busts, Michael Bowden and Junichi Tazawa were never ready, and they lost Justin Masterson along with a side dish of depth is a deal with the Indians. The Red Sox will most likely end the season with about 10 fewer wins than anticipated. This was the rotation that was supposed to have so much depth that it could withstand anything. Maybe whoever said "You can never have enough pitching" wasn't kidding.
One problem they've had nagging at them for years would be the shortstop position. They have no set shortstop. Since the loss of franchise player Nomar Garciaparra, they've never had an easy "go to" option. In 2004, they rented out Orlando Cabrera, but let him get away in the off season. In 2007, they used a bit of Julio Lugo with some Jed Lowrie to get through the season. This year, manager Terry Francona must choose between Nick Green, Alex Gonzalez and Jed Lowrie. Nick Green has faltered since his great start, and hasn't been healthy as of late. Alex Gonzalez wouldn't be a threat with a bat if he was jumping a teenager. And youngster Jed Lowrie is injury-prone and still hasn't proven himself.
Their DH hasn't been as dominat and feared as he has been in recent years. David Ortiz is hitting .238 this season. And as amazing as Jason Bay was at the beginning of the year, he was no Manny Ramirez. He was asked to fill in the shoes of one of the best right handed hitters of all time, and that's something no average man can do.
But as many problems as they've had, it seems like everyone's regrouping at the same time. Victor Martinez is coming off of a 29 game hitting streak. Dustin Pedroia's had himself one lasting 16 games. Clay Buchholz has had 7 quality starts since the beginning of August and Matsuzaka has allowed four earned runs in his last three starts since his return. Beckett gave up 3 home runs in September, a huge improvement from the 12 in August. JD Drew, once said to be one of the most overpaid men in baseball, is making his case. In August, he hit .329 and .338 in September. With everybody getting healthy and everybody playing well at the same time, the Sox seem like another World Series team.
PREDICTION: The Red Sox are starting off against the Los Angeles Angels, a team with Mike Scioscia as manager. He knows how to play small ball and will put the running game on to test Vartiek and Martinez. Unless the pitching staff can shut down layers like Chone Figgins, the Angels will Steal Away the Victory. But the Red Sox have an amazing 1-2-3-4 rotation. Beckett, Lester, Matsuzaka and Buchholz will beat Weaver, Lackey, Kazmir and Santana, and moreover, all 3 can pitch from the stretch efficiently. All of the Red Sox starters have fastballs in the mid to high 90's, giving Figgins that much of a handicap on first base. The Red Sox have also gone 9-1 this year against the Angels. The Red Sox lose game one, but come back to win game two three and four. RED SOX OVER ANGELS: THREE GAMES TO ONE
-Written by: Nakamura. This article is copyrighted © by Nakamura and may not be reproduced, recopied, or used in any form without permission from Nakamura
But I assure you, Theo Epstein, Terry Francona, and the 25 men on the team are not satisfied with just that. Every year, the Red Sox shoot to win it all, and no one has had more success in that category than them in recent years. With two world series wins under their belt since the
turn of the millennium, they are a team to be feared.
Jonathan Papelbon leaps for joy after winning their most recent world series ring in 2007
The 2009 team has replaced previous position players quite well. Out on the field, they are ready and solid. Victor Martinez has hit above .300 for the Sox, and has played unsurpassed defense. He is still under contract for next season, but has already been earned his salary for both years. On top of that, he has been more valuable than Justin Masterson could have ever been down the stretch. He has blown captain Jason Varitek out of the water, and now the captain is searching for a minute's worth of playing time. Kevin Youkilis plays the defense of Doug Mientkiewicz and has a better than Millar by the distance from Boston to LA. He has the second highest OBP in the American League behind Joe Mauer and fifth in SLG.
Former MVP Dustin Pedroia plays gold glove defense and is 3rd in the AL in doubles. Jacoby Ellsbury is hovering around .300, and covers tremendous ground. He provides a force that was never matched by either Johnny Damon or Coco Crisp. All of them were speedsters on the base paths, but none are as much of a threat as franchise record holder. But after these four star players, there remains a handful of question marks. This year hasn't been quite the same 162 games as it has been in previous years.
The 2004 starting rotation was dominant. Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling were nothing short of established aces. Derek Lowe was arguably the best #3 starter in the MLB. In 2007, their rotation was just as strong. Josh Beckett was up for a cy young award, Jon Lester was nothing less than stellar and Daisuke Matsuzaka won a solid 16 games as a rookie. Currently, as crazy as it may sound, they have a Josh Beckett who gives up home runs. Daisuke Matsuzaka was injury plagued and Tim Wakefield hasn't been in perfect health either. This may have been Theo Epstein's worst year considering the circumstances given to him in the previous off season. He went in with a team capable of winning at the end of last season, but somewhere along the way, it went all wrong. The depth of the rotation turned into a 2-D stick figure. John Smoltz and Brad Penny were busts, Michael Bowden and Junichi Tazawa were never ready, and they lost Justin Masterson along with a side dish of depth is a deal with the Indians. The Red Sox will most likely end the season with about 10 fewer wins than anticipated. This was the rotation that was supposed to have so much depth that it could withstand anything. Maybe whoever said "You can never have enough pitching" wasn't kidding.
One problem they've had nagging at them for years would be the shortstop position. They have no set shortstop. Since the loss of franchise player Nomar Garciaparra, they've never had an easy "go to" option. In 2004, they rented out Orlando Cabrera, but let him get away in the off season. In 2007, they used a bit of Julio Lugo with some Jed Lowrie to get through the season. This year, manager Terry Francona must choose between Nick Green, Alex Gonzalez and Jed Lowrie. Nick Green has faltered since his great start, and hasn't been healthy as of late. Alex Gonzalez wouldn't be a threat with a bat if he was jumping a teenager. And youngster Jed Lowrie is injury-prone and still hasn't proven himself.
Their DH hasn't been as dominat and feared as he has been in recent years. David Ortiz is hitting .238 this season. And as amazing as Jason Bay was at the beginning of the year, he was no Manny Ramirez. He was asked to fill in the shoes of one of the best right handed hitters of all time, and that's something no average man can do.
But as many problems as they've had, it seems like everyone's regrouping at the same time. Victor Martinez is coming off of a 29 game hitting streak. Dustin Pedroia's had himself one lasting 16 games. Clay Buchholz has had 7 quality starts since the beginning of August and Matsuzaka has allowed four earned runs in his last three starts since his return. Beckett gave up 3 home runs in September, a huge improvement from the 12 in August. JD Drew, once said to be one of the most overpaid men in baseball, is making his case. In August, he hit .329 and .338 in September. With everybody getting healthy and everybody playing well at the same time, the Sox seem like another World Series team.
Last time the Angels won the World Series was in 2002. Now, they face the Red Sox in 2009. Who will prevail?
PREDICTION: The Red Sox are starting off against the Los Angeles Angels, a team with Mike Scioscia as manager. He knows how to play small ball and will put the running game on to test Vartiek and Martinez. Unless the pitching staff can shut down layers like Chone Figgins, the Angels will Steal Away the Victory. But the Red Sox have an amazing 1-2-3-4 rotation. Beckett, Lester, Matsuzaka and Buchholz will beat Weaver, Lackey, Kazmir and Santana, and moreover, all 3 can pitch from the stretch efficiently. All of the Red Sox starters have fastballs in the mid to high 90's, giving Figgins that much of a handicap on first base. The Red Sox have also gone 9-1 this year against the Angels. The Red Sox lose game one, but come back to win game two three and four. RED SOX OVER ANGELS: THREE GAMES TO ONE
-Written by: Nakamura. This article is copyrighted © by Nakamura and may not be reproduced, recopied, or used in any form without permission from Nakamura
