Yawkey Yarns

PULSE of the NATION: 11.21.2006

2006-11-21T19:35:00.000-05:00

News, Views, Links and more from the Red Sox Wire.

SURVIVING GRADY THE JOYS OF BORAS From today's Globe:

For all the positive vibes generated by the dinner, negotiations on a contract may yet take on a different tenor. Neither side is willing to discuss publicly the course talks are taking, but it should not be considered a fait accompli that Matsuzaka will be in a Boston uniform next season. Do the Red Sox want him? Absolutely. Does the player want to play in the major leagues? No doubt.

Are there considerable obstacles to a deal? Yes, the primary one being a difference of opinion in how Boras believes his client should be paid and how the Sox calculate his value. Boras is expected to seek a contract similar to that given the elite pitchers in the majors today, which means at least eight figures a year, and he probably will want a clause making Matsuzaka a free agent after just three years, perhaps four at the most.

"A difference of opinion in how Boras believes his client should be paid and how the Sox calculate his value"? Go figure! READ MORE!

...IN PINSTRIPE TERRITORY THIS IS BOSTON, NOT L.A. Apparently we've shown Daisuke around Boston. The L. A. section. I guess it's like when Chan's parents "come to visit" from Hong Kong and they only go as far as California and Chan has to meet them out there. READ MORE!

BOSOX WEST SOX HOT STOVE IS COOKIN’ Rolling the Dice
First, the offseason. The big splash has already been made with the Sox paying $51.1 Million just to speak to Daisuke Masuzaka and his miasmic agent Scott Boras. The media has made a big stink about the expenditure, especially in NY, and have tried to whip up an anti-Sox frenzy by calling this a crazy over-spend. It is not. It is a perfectly sensible, market-rate to below market-rate spend in the 2007 free agent world, even with the Sox overmatching the Mets' next-best bid by $10 Mil.

JD and Julio
By all accounts, the Sox are major players for both of these guys. Sadly, the Cubs are too, although why any player would sign for a team that will destroy their careers is beyond me. If ever a team were truly cursed, the Cubbies are that team. READ MORE!

RED SOX CHICK CONGRATULATIONS, JUSTIN MORNEAU! Your American League MVP. Definitely a choice I can support!
I still think Papi should have won, let alone NOT come in third, but Justin had a great year, no denying it. READ MORE!

GYS NETWORK MOURNEAU. MVP. Nice. Very nice. READ MORE!

SAWX BLOGMORNEAU WINS AL MVP - DAVID ORTIZ GETS THIRD I will take this time to congratulate Morneau and take slight solace with the fact that Jeter didn't win the MVP. I do think however that the AL should really look into banning the DH. I'm saying this all slightly bitter taste in my mouth, but I mean come on. Why (in my not so humble opinion) is the AL so much better then the NL to watch? The DH. That and the fact that the 7-9 hitters aren't over glorified AAAA players.

A lot of people's arguments are that the DH isn't a "real" position, and they don't play the whole game, blah, blah, blah. So why have it is my question. I'll tell you one thing, ask any pitcher in MLB who's real and they'll tell you David Ortiz.

In the past 4 years of MVP voting he's one of the players who's always there in voting.

2003 - 5th place just ahead of two Red Sox, and he didn't even start the whole year.
2004 - 4th place just behind another Boston teammate.
2005 - 2nd place. Totally robbed here, no way A-Rod should have won this.
2006 - 3rd place. His offensive number were the best of any Red Sox ever... READ MORE!

FIREBRAND OF THE AMERICAN LEAGUE THE ANNUAL ‘TRADING MANNY’ ARTICLE It’s that time of year again. It’s the “trade Manny Ramirez” column from Fire Brand! (2004, 2005, Zach’s parody of a roundtable of experts discussing a trade) The difference here is that it’s the first column where its widely believed that it could happen without much of a problem. In past years, a trade would be discussed, but it was always such a long shot. Is it a long shot this year? Manny Ramirez is due $36 million over the next two years, with two concurring club options for two years after that, both at $20 million. Two years with $36 million on it doesn’t seem that obscene, especially with Alfonso Soriano, 31, signing for eight years at $136 million (Manny signed for eight as well, for $24 more million at 28 years of age). It doesn’t seem like a long shot. As a matter of fact, it seems like we could get some actual value in return. READ MORE!

YANKSFAN V. SOXFAN BIG MONEY Alfonso Soriano's contract is the fifth-largest in baseball history. The Top 5, with the first year of their new contract and their age during that season:

Alex Rodriguez, 10 years, $252 million (2001, 25) Derek Jeter, 10 years, $189 million (2001, 27) Manny Ramirez, 8 years, $160 million (2001, 29) Todd Helton, 11 years, $141.5 million (2003, 29) Alfonso Soriano, 8 years, $136 million (2007, 31) READ MORE!

BOSTON GLOBE HENRY, THEO, TITO MEET DICE-K Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona were spotted on a plane coming back to Boston from Los Angeles yesterday by a Globe reporter, and refused to confirm the obvious: They were on their way back from a visit with Daisuke Matsuzaka. READ MORE!

JOY OF SOX GET OUT THE VOTE Ryan Howard wins the NL MVP in a race (388-347) that was not quite as close as I anticipated. (AL MVP announced this afternoon.) Also, today is the last day of Round 1 to vote for me for Best Sports Blog in the Canadian Blog Awards. ... Let's do it! Yeeeearrgh! READ MORE!

YANKSFAN V. SOXFAN LOST IN THE DICE-K/DJ/SORI SHUFFLE Mike Mussina's degree in economics from Stanford means he knows a lot more about money than I ever will. It also means he probably knew a good deal when he saw it and yesterday re-upped for two years and 23M. Glad to have him, and at a discount; it's only 2M more per year than what NY pays Pav... READ MORE!

BOSTON GLOBE PITCHER GETS A TASTE OF THE U.S. From the team that made a working dinner out of Thanksgiving (Curt Schilling) and conducted high-wire negotiations on a Dominican airport tarmac (Pedro Martínez) comes news of another potentially portentous meeting with an ace pitcher, one in which the Red Sox rolled out all the top brass for their first face-to-face with Daisuke Matsuzaka. READ MORE!

BOSTON GLOBE THE TRIO PLAYED WELL While there was no official exit polling of American League Most Valuable Player voters, there was the occasional "Who did you vote for?" aimed at baseball writers in general. If I had to guess how the voting would turn out today based on that informal exercise, it would be 1. Derek Jeter, 2. Justin Morneau, 3. David Ortiz (and if ... READ MORE!

BOSTON GLOBE THERE’S NO DODGING L.A. OFFER Six-time All-Star Nomar Garciaparra and the Dodgers agreed yesterday to an $18.5 million, two-year contract. READ MORE!

BOSTON GLOBE MARKET FAVORS A RAMIREZ DEAL The list of possible trading partners for the Red Sox in a Manny Ramírez deal shrank by another team yesterday, even as an exploding market makes the remaining $38 million on Ramírez's contract appear a relative bargain. READ MORE!

BOSTON HERALD SHOW MANNY THE DOOR We may never know why he wants out of a city that worships him, warts and all, but if you’re the Red Sox, you don’t waste time asking questions. You pull the trigger before he changes his mind. The Sox catch a break, for a change.... READ MORE!

BOSTON HERALD MATSUZAKA HAS TALKS WITH SOX The Red Sox’ courtship of Daisuke Matsuzaka began in earnest this weekend, when the Red... READ MORE!

BOSTON HERALD NOMAR RE-SIGNS WITH DODGERS Six-time All-Star Nomar Garciaparra and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed yesterday to a two-year,.. READ MORE!

BOSTON HERALD ANOTHER SHORT STORY With Alex Gonzalez reportedly agreeing to a three-year, $14 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds Saturday, the Red Sox... READ MORE!

HARTFORD COURANT SOC WOO MATSUZAKA, COULD SHOP MANNY The Daisuke Matsuzaka negotiations with the Red Sox are in full swing. Are Manny Ramirez trade talks far behind? READ MORE!

PROVIDENCE JOURNAL JAYS CEO QUESTIONS SOX’ THINKING Paul Godfrey, the Toronto Blue Jays' chief operating officer, says he and others were stunned at the Red Sox' $51.1-million bid for the rights to Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka. READ MORE!

PULSE of the NATION: 11.20.2006

2006-11-20T13:09:00.000-05:00

News, Views, Links and more from the Red Sox Wire.

BOSTON GLOBE Red Sox owner John Henry, GM Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona flew out to Los Angeles to meet with Daisuke Matsuzaka on Sunday.
"I was surprised to have a dinner with them," Matsuzaka said, according to a translation provided by Japanese reporter Gaku Tashiro. "Meeting the Boston owner, GM, and the manager is the most impressive thing during this trip. I feel close to becoming a major league player." Matsuzaka is returning to Japan today without having visited Boston. That should come later. READ MORE!

FIREBRAND OF THE AL OTHER SHORTSTOP OPTIONS On Saturday, Peter Gammons reported Alex Gonzalez had signed with the Reds for 3 years and 14 million. The defensive wizard has earned a raise after posting an outstanding year with the glove, but Wayne Krivsky might have found himself another Royce Clayton. After a horrendous start, Gonzalez managed to get his average up to a respectable .255, but the OBP of .299 and lack of power worried many teams looking for a shortstop, like Boston. I’m sure they had a one or two year offer on the table, which I supported, but 3/14 is a bit much for a guy with his bat. Now the Red Sox find themselves with, well, not many alternatives.

One is obvious- Mr. Julio Lugo. Evan outlined his strengths on Friday. It shows he’s not the below average defensive player many of us labeled him as, but rather middle of the pack. It did fail to point out that Lugo is still erratic at short, especially with his throwing arm, and he may have to adjust to the position after playing everywhere in LA. His second half in LA was horrific for the most part and led to his benching. I still don’t trust him. Investing four years and 32+ million into a 31-year old question mark who posted a .545 OPS in the second half last season is not my ideal scenario. Does Theo even have a choice? READ MORE!

FRAGILE FREDDY’S NEWS & NOTES - Justin Speier, Angel. Argh. Obviously this is not the news we were rooting for, but the four year deal is a little much. As with Soriano, the problem with this deal is not so much the dollars but the years of the contract. Two, even three years would have made some sense, but four years is just a little much for a guy who is 33 years old and has had arm problems in the past. All that said, this is a blow for the Sox who could have really used him in the bullpen. Soon enough we’ll know what Plan B is.

- J.D. Drew was supposed to be signed, sealed and delivered four days ago. Now, there is talk about four years, $60 million. I was marginally OK with 4/48, I was OK with 2/30, I am most assuredly NOT okay with 4/56 or 4/60. Theo Epstein should drop out of this one if these numbers are for real. READ MORE!

RED SOX TIMES MATSUZAKA MAINLAND Red Sox management, John Henry, Theo Epstein, and Terry Francona, met in L.A. with potential Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka and his agent Scott Boras over the weekend. Matsuzaka took in a Laker game and visited with fellow country mate Kaz Matsui of the Rockies before heading back to Japan. READ MORE!

EMPYREAL ENVIRONS AULD LAND SYNE Gone, Baby, Gone
When rumors of his signing were first leaked, there was confusion as to which “Alex Gonzalez” was in negotiations with the Red Sox. It turned out it wasn’t the Alex S. Gonzalez drafted by the Blue Jays in 1991 but rather it was the undrafted All-Star from the Florida Marlins. READ MORE!

CALL OF THE GREEN MONSTER EPA CALLS COLLECTIVE BAD BREATH OF YANKESS FAN AN “EPIDEMIC” There is a fog that settles over Yankee Stadium just before game time. It could be the most sunny, blue-skied day ever, and yet the fog is there. Dark, cold, depressing—like most Yankees fans. And when you step out onto the field, and breathe in the air around you, an overwhelming, dizzying, nausea hits you like freight train. Opposing players have grown to expect it, but no one ever really grows accustomed to it. One could travel to the deepest bowels of the earth (which, many would argue, is Yankee Stadium) and not experience such a foul stench. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency has labeled the collective bad breath of Yankees fans to be an epidemic, and have said that action must be taken before there is an environmental crisis. READ MORE!

SURVIVING GRADY AUF WIEDERSEHEN Something tells me we're gonna miss the Great Gonzo.

And on top of it, we miss out on Soriano, who had long been at the top of my personal wish-list.

Happy f--kin' Monday. READ MORE!

RED SOX REALITY CHECK TODAY’S EYEBROW RAISER Frank Catalanotto has been a Red Sox killer, and apparently he has signed with the Texas Rangers for about thirteen million dollars for a three-year deal. He is a 'classic' Moneyball player, with good on-base-percentage (.297/.362/.454/.816), generally mediocre defense, and at this point in his career does not run.

His best season he hit .300, and had 83 runs scored, 13 homers, and 59 RBI. Do you want that for your corner outfield, DH, or first baseman? At second base his range factor (in limited appearances) is poor, 2.97 compared to a league average of 4.33. READ MORE!

RED SOX REALITY CHECK HIGH PRICE OF MEDIOCRITY Some wag once said the problem with free agency wasn't paying the stars but the high price of mediocrity. I'd say there's a bit of both. Alfonso Soriano apparently gets 'Derek Jeter money' and we've yet to hear whether Nomar Garciaparra, who spurned 15 extra large per year for four years will get anything close to that in Dodgerland.

Meanwhile, Alex Gonzalez parlayed his defensive excellence into almost five million dollars a year, which certainly makes signing Alex Cora at two million a year seem like chicken feed. Actually, the commercials are pretty short corn futures, so maybe chicken feed will come down. I'm sure that Mr. Henry would be able to give me a better answer on that. READ MORE!

GYS NETWORK FUN WITH NUMBERS Courtesy of Joe Borowski, who reports "I think of the 30 closers in the league, 99.5 percent of them have better stuff than I do. But my attitude, my heart, my desire, and my knowledge in how to get hitters out gets the job done. "

I'm guessing Joe was not a math major at Rutgers. Joe must have been saying that every closer has better stuff than him. Either that, or he watched Todd Jones this season, he realizes that Armando Benitez still sucks or perhaps he was watching the Tribe during the week they tried the Fausto Carmino experiment, which means he really should have said "I think of the 30 closers in the league, 96.5 percent of them have better stuff than I do." But that probably does not make as good of copy. READ MORE!

Bobby Doerr Goes Fishing

2006-11-20T00:04:00.000-05:00

At home in field and stream
At 88, baseball Hall of Famer Doerr retains passion for fishing
by Jeff Barnard, The Associated Press

llahe, Ore. - Bobby Doerr eases the bow of his boat onto a rock to steady it in the river, then plays the silvery jack salmon into an eddy, where he gently guides it into a net.

At 88, the Hall of Fame Red Sox second baseman is still a master at his second-favorite sport, fishing the Rogue River for salmon and steelhead with a fly.

It's a love affair that started 70 years ago, when he was a kid from Los Angeles playing for the Triple-A San Diego Padres. The river led him to his wife, a country girl from Oregon.

"The trainer of the ballclub, Les Cook, had been coming up on the Rogue River for years," recalled Doerr, leisurely casting a fly into a riffle within sight of his rustic cabin while running a 65-horsepower outboard to keep the 21-foot boat steady in the current.

"Every day after batting practice in San Diego I would go into the training room and talk to Les Cook because he had all these pictures on the wall of fishing and hunting. Some way or another growing up in Los Angeles I felt I always had a little country in me."

Cook invited Doerr to come to Rogue River country with him, and Doerr jumped at the chance. He even bought a bamboo fly rod on a road trip to Sacramento, Calif., to take with him.

"There was no roads in here at the time," Doerr said. "We had to get a boat at Gold Beach and take the boat up the river to Agness. In Agness, we put our stuff in a little pickup truck and hauled it up to Illahe, which was 8 miles above Agness.

"It was like turning a clock back 100 years. There was no lights here. Wood cook stoves. Kerosene lamps. Outdoor toilets. Big wash tubs we took our baths in. I still thought I was in heaven."

Illahe was a backwoods community where folks rode out the Great Depression by scratching a little gold out of the creeks and a little food out of the bottomlands. A boat brought the mail. A pack train brought in groceries. The Cooks stayed at a homestead near The Ford, where the river was shallow enough to ride a horse across. Doerr stayed in a little cabin nearby.

That first winter, Doerr met Monica Roseman Terpin, the teacher in the one-room schoolhouse, at a dance at the Civilian Conservation Corps camp. He lost her three years ago following a stroke.

"One Saturday night we didn't go down to the CCC camp," Doerr said. "The neighbors across the river invited us to go to a card party and a little dance. The neighbor rowed us across the river.

"'Chapel in the Moonlight' was a famous number at that time. They had a little phonograph. We danced to that."

On the way home, the night was so cold that the boat seat was iced over, and Monica took off her coat so he could sit on it.

"I thought, 'Boy, oh boy, that was the greatest thing to ever happen," Doerr said. "I think that was the time when I fell in love with Monica. That was the winter of '36. In 1938, we got married."

Doerr was called up to the Red Sox the next spring, two years ahead of Ted Williams, who had been with him on the minor- league Padres. Except for the 1945 season, which he spent in the Navy, Doerr returned from Boston every winter to a 160-acre homestead he bought in Illahe for $2,250.

In 1951, a bad back forced Doerr to retire from baseball, and the next year he moved his family to Junction City, his wife's hometown, so their son, Don, could go to middle school. They kept the place in Illahe.

In his 14 seasons with the Red Sox, Doerr batted .288, had 2,042 hits, 223 home runs, 1,247 RBIs, and was named an all-star nine times. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Red Sox retired his No. 1 jersey in 1988. His teams only got past the Yankees to the World Series once, in 1946, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals.

"In the last week of the season the Yankees were always ahead eight or 10 games and I just couldn't wait to get back home" to Illahe, Doerr said.

In 1960, Doerr sold the old homestead and built a cabin on a hill overlooking the Brewery Hole, named by the late ballplayer Lefty O'Doul for the white foam floating in the eddy. It's the hole where Doerr caught his first steelhead in 1936 and where he still catches most of his fish.

There are no trophy cases in this cabin, which is heated with wood Doerr splits himself, and the windows sometimes are smeared by the paws of a black bear. A commemorative Hall of Fame bat is slung in a gun rack next to a couple of rifles, a pile of mail asking for autographs is on the kitchen table, a blanket depicting Fenway Park is draped over the couch.

"The Baseball Encyclopedia" sits in a bookcase next to "McClane's Standard Fishing Encyclopedia." The one thing Doerr said he would make sure to save in case of fire is a framed set of flies tied by his father.

Seventy years of fishing the Rogue has not dampened Doerr's love for it. Larry Mullinnix, who used to be caretaker at the nearby Winkle Bar cabin owned by the late Oakland A's owner Walter Haas, recalls teaching Doerr a new technique: lobbing a heavily weighted fly upstream and watching the line for a twitch signaling a bite.

"I came home that night and I get a telephone call," Mullinnix said. "He sounded like some 12-year-old who got into the candy jar. He said, 'I can't believe it. I hooked two fish and got them in the boat. I cannot believe it."'

Red Sox teammate Dom DiMaggio, who still sees Doerr regularly and fished the Rogue with him last year, recalls "legendary" stories of Doerr fishing in Florida for tarpon with Williams.

"Bobby threatened he'd never go fishing again with Ted four or five times," the 89-year-old DiMaggio said. "He'd say to me: 'Dommy, I was so insulted, I felt like a real small individual the way he yelled at me in the boat. I made a little noise and he jumped all over me. I caught a fish and it made a turn and I lost the fish and he gave me some more abuse. I'm quitting him.' Ten days later they were fishing again."

Doerr never held a grudge, and today fishes with a graphite fly rod prototype designed by Williams that has yet to go into production. When Doerr retired, he picked up a bamboo fly rod made to Williams' specifications and named in Doerr's honor - a rod that Doerr still had to pay for.

Williams came to the Rogue twice: in winter 1961, when they were rained out for two weeks straight, and in fall 1987, when they took a three-day float trip down the Rogue for steelhead, holding a debate about hitting while pulled up for lunch at Tate Creek on the last day.

"At the lunch stand you always had three or four hours to pass the time, to wait for good shade in the afternoon to get the good fishing," Doerr said. "Ted Williams is a .344 lifetime average hitter and I'm a .288 lifetime average hitter. You can imagine who won that hitting clinic debate."

PULSE of the NATION: 11.19.2006

2006-11-19T18:35:00.000-05:00

News, Views, Links and more from the Red Sox Wire.

BOSTON BLOOD SOX CORA, GONZALEZ, MANNY, MUELLER, WINTER LEAGUES The Red Sox extended infielder Alex Cora's contract for two more seasons. The deal is worth $4 million total. Cora will most likely remain a bench player backing up a guy like Dustin Pedroia. Cora is far from an offensive threat, but he can play short-stop, third base, and second base effectively. He's a solid utility middle infielder.

Speaking of effective short-stops, Alex Gonzalez has just signed a three year deal with the Reds worth somewhere around $15 million. READ MORE!

EL GUAPO’s GHOSE 2007 IS ONE OF THE EIGHT OR ONE OF THE TWO? "We're trying to build a self-sustaining baseball operation that can get into the playoffs on an annual basis. That was the goal when we took over at the end of '02. We want in eight out of 10 years. And to win a couple World Series during that time."

2006 was one of the two. John Henry called it a “transition year.” If the Sox played October baseball, they would have gotten lucky. What is not known is if the Sox brass see 2007 as another “transition year.” The eventual (it will get completed) multi-year signing of D-Mat will not be an indicator for 2007. The subsequent transactions will tell us the Sox expectations for 2007. And it all begins with Manny. READ MORE!

OVER THE MONSTER Roster Locks and Hopefuls Here are our holes, so to say:

C - Jason Varitek; 1B - ??? (Kevin Youkilis); 2B - Dustin Pedroia; SS - ??? (Pedroia, Julio Lugo, Alex Cora); 3B - ??? (Mike Lowell); LF - ??? (Manny Ramirez); CF - ??? (Coco Crisp); RF - ??? (Wily Mo Pena, Trot Nixon, JD Drew); DH - David Ortiz

SP - Curt Schilling; SP - Josh Beckett; SP - Jonathan Papelbon;SP - Tim Wakefield; SP - ??? (Daisuke Matsuzaka)

RP - Mike Timlin; RP - ???; CP - ??? READ MORE!

JOY OF SOX AL MVP? The American League Most Valuable Player will be announced on Tuesday.

Derek Jeter easily topped the MVP voting at Baseball Prospectus (from both the staff and public) and he won the Aaron Award as the AL's top offensive player. This gives me a pretty good feeling that he'll also be the favourite of the BBWAA.

Back in mid-September, many scribes proclaimed Jeter as the logical choice, especially after David Ortiz missed eight games with heart palpitations. In mid-September, Bob Ryan of the Globe wrote: "It would be a mockery to anoint anyone else." READ MORE!

*** BOSTON GLOBE ***
Gonzalez to Reds (NICK CAFARDO) Shortstop Alex Gonzalez agreed to a three-year deal worth $14 million-$15 million with the Cincinnati Reds. READ MORE!

*** BOSTON HERALD ***
D-Mat bid unifies Sox (TONY MASSAROTTI) A year ago, of course, the general problem for the Red Sox was that the business operation and the baseball operation could not see eye to eye. That led to the spectacular feud that was the Theo Epstein Affair, a very public mess that had the... READ MORE!

Arizona Fall League Update

2006-11-18T17:00:00.000-05:00

Here is a statistical update for the players that the Boston Red Sox have allocated to the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League. You can see each players total College/Minor League/Major League stats by simply clicking on their name. The scouting reports are courtesy of SoxProspects.com.

LHP Leonard (Lenny) Edward DiNardo -- (Scouting Report)
Born: 09.19.1979
Birthplace: Miami, FL
College: Stetson
Height: 6’4” Weight: 190 lbs.
B/T: L/L

AFL Stats:
1-0, 2.70era, 10g, 0gs, 0sv, 13.1ip, 12h, 6r, 1hr, 5bb, 16k, 2.43go/ao, .240avg

RHP Barry J. Hertzler -- (Scouting Report)
Born: 02.15.1981
Birthplace: Providence, RI
College: Central Connecticut State
Height: 6’2” Weight: 215 lbs.
B/T: R/R

AFL Stats:
1-0, 3.31era,11g, 1gs, 0sv, 16.1ip, 15h, 9r, 2hr, 9bb, 17k, 1.82go/ao, .254avg

RHP David Wayne Pauley -- (Scouting Report)
Born: 06.17.1983
Birthplace: Longmont, CO
College: N/A
Height: 6’2” Weight: 185 lbs.
B/T: R/R

AFL Stats:
0-3, 5.06era, 7g, 7gs, 0sv, 26.2ip, 36h, 15r, 6hr, 6bb, 14k, 1.06go/ao, .333avg

RHP Kyle Orin Jackson -- (Scouting Report)
Born: 04.09.1983
Birthplace: Nashua, NH
College: St. Petersburg JC
Height: 6’3” Weight: 192 lbs.
B/T: R/R

AFL Stats:
6-0, 6.23era, 11g, 0gs, 0sv, 17.1ip, 21h, 12r, 2hr, 10bb, 11k, 0.67go/ao, .304avg

C Dustin (Dusty) William Brown -- (Scouting Report)
Born: 06.19.1982
Birthplace: Orange, CA
College: Yavapa JC
Height: 6’0” Weight: 195 lbs.
B/T: R/R

AFL Stats:
.239/.338/.328/.666, 67ab, 8r, 16h, 3xbh, 1hr, 6rbi, 22tb, 10bb, 14so, 1sb

3B Charles (Chad) Joseph Spann -- (Scouting Report)
Born: 10.25.1983
Birthplace: Americus, GA
Height: 6’1” Weight: 195 lbs.
B/T: R/R

AFL Stats:
.268/.341/.390/.731, 82ab, 11r, 22h, 7xbh, 1hr, 12rbi, 32tb, 9bb, 21so, 1sb

OF Jacoby M. Ellsbury -- (Scouting Report)
Born: 09.11.1983
Birthplace: Madras, OR
College: Oregon State
Height: 6’1” Weight: 185 lbs.
B/T: L/L

AFL Stats:
.276/.342/.371/.713, 105ab, 18r, 29h, 7xbh, 0hr, 3rbi, 39tb, 8bb, 16so, 7sb

PULSE of the NATION: 11.18.2006

2006-11-18T12:40:00.000-05:00

News, Views, Links and more from the Red Sox Wire.

THE HOUSE THAT DEWEY BUILT (SULLY) JD Drew is Good, Eric Wilbur is not This is just a terrible bit of analysis by Eric Wilbur.

In Drew, the Red Sox are guaranteed to lose some of their core audience, which is already seriously suspicious of many of their recent moves.

Wilbur evidences this claim by pointing out that Drew is just like Trot Nixon (he’s not), Philly fans dislike him (they do) and Bill Plaschke liked to kill him in the LA Times.

Barring freak injuries (like the 2005 HBP), Drew is a guaranteed 550 PA, .900 OPS type who is going to play a great outfield. So yeah, I suppose he is a little like Trot - the Trot of 2003 that is. READ MORE!

RED SOX REALITY CHECK (RON SEN) The Lugo Attraction The Red Sox seem to have this fascination with Julio Lugo. Until today, I didn't even know he is only one of three Lugos to play in the majors, another being his brother Ruddy. Why the obsession with Lugo? Is he a terrific player, or does he just have pictures of the front office?

In the similarity scores at Baseball Reference, Lugos ten comps include Adam Kennedy, Rafael Furcal, David Eckstein, Eddie Bressoud, Pat Meares, Cristian Guzman, and Rafael Furcal. Not a whole lot of household names there, unless your household is Baseball Prospectus.

Last year in split duty with Tampa and the Dodgers, he had 12 homers, 24 stolen bases, and was .341/.421/.762. His batting numbers with the Dodgers were hideous, .278/.267/.548. His fielding percentage at shortstop was .957 (Alex Gonzalez was .985 I think), with an average range factor. In other words, he was a decent stick, but not so great with the leather. Ordinarily he had a higher fielding percentage and range factor, but the fielding percentage was mostly on turf, not the Fenway pressurized grass. READ MORE!

SURVIVING GRADY What Next? Mueller becomes a shirt: Former Red Sox thirdbaseman and all-around good guy Billy Mueller announced his retirement. The Dodgers will keep him on in a front office role. Good luck, Billy, RSN will always be a fan.

Cy Young Again: Johan Santana was the unanimous winner of the 2006 Cy Young award. It is his second in three seasons. All this production and all this bling for under $10 million per year? Not too shabby.

Meanwhile, back home the clock is ticking for the Sox to sign the Dice Man. Get it done, boys. Also, the Celtics won their second game in a row and go for three tonight against the Knicks. Everyone calling for the heads of Ainge and Rivers are probably in line for playoff tickets. Or Playstation 3's. READ MORE!

BROWNIE POINTS (IAN BROWNE) Billy Ballgame calls it a career Figured I could take a break from all the Matsuzaka mania for a moment and acknowledge one of my all-time favorite Red Sox players -- Bill Mueller, a.k.a. Billy Ballgame as Kevin Millar and Jason Varitek used to call him.

As many of you might have heard right now, Mueller was forced into retirement at the age of 35 on Friday because of right knee cartilage that, in his words, was "Crumbled. I'll have to live with this the rest of my life."

Mueller finished with the Dodgers, not the Red Sox, playing 32 games last year with the Dodgers for former manager Grady Little and alongside other Sox like Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Lowe. He'll now go to the front office of the Dodgers, serving, as my esteemed colleague Ken Gurnick put it, "the highest paid special assistant to the general manager" in team history. Mueller is still on the books for $4 million next season.

Though he played a mere three years in Boston, this guy is going to go down as a Red Sox player through and through. READ MORE!

*** BOSTON GLOBE ***
Cora secure in role as reserve (ANDREW SILVER) Although the big news for Red Sox infielder Alex Cora is his new two-year, $4 million deal announced yesterday at Fenway Park, he also was able to offer a Matsuzaka Mania-related anecdote.

Cora had one at-bat against Daisuke Matsuzaka in November 2004, when major leaguers traveled to Japan for an exhibition series against a team of Japanese all-stars. He would rather forget the result.

"A buddy of mine told me I struck out against him. I don't want to remember," Cora said jokingly. READ MORE!

Mueller retires, takes front office job (JOHN NADEL) Former AL batting champion Bill Mueller, limited to 32 games with the Dodgers last season before undergoing what turned out to be career-ending knee surgery, retired Friday and will serve as a special assistant to Los Angeles general manager Ned Colletti. READ MORE!

Japanese TV crews seek a home fit for a pitcher (GLOBE STAFF) Star Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is not yet under contract with the Red Sox, but the notoriously aggressive Japanese media yesterday were already scouting a place he might like to live.

Nippon Television sent a crew to film inside The Belvedere, a tony condominium building at the Prudential Center in the Back Bay where units sell for as much as $3.6 million.

This week, Red Sox management agreed to pay $51 million for the right to negotiate with Matsuzaka, whose signature pitch is the "gyroball." READ MORE!

*** BOSTON HERALD ***
Sox have holes (MICHAEL SILVERMAN) It may feel like everything is turning Japanese with regards to the Red Sox and Daisuke Matsuzaka, but there actually are other matters the team has to deal with... READ MORE!

‘Great deal’ brings Cora back (JEFF HORRIGAN) Alex Cora initially believed his plight had gone from bad to worse when the Cleveland Indians traded him to the Red Sox on July 7, 2005. Unsatisfied with his playing time with the Tribe, the former Los Angeles Dodgers starting shortstop thought... READ MORE!

*** HARTFORD COURANT ***
Sox Re-Sign Cora, Interested In Lugo The Red Sox still aren't set at second base and shortstop for next season, but they have locked up their backup for both positions. READ MORE!

Red Sox Top Prospects

2006-11-18T03:12:00.000-05:00

An Ace on the Farm?

2006-11-18T00:50:00.000-05:00

Clay Buchholz is ranked as the #2 overall prospect in the Red Sox farm system by Baseball America. According to Jim Callis his 95-mph fastball is at times his fourth best pitch behind his curveball, slider and changeup. Buchholz is also ranked by Baseball America as the fourth best RH pitching prospect in Low-A ball.

Clay is also ranked #2 by BaseballHQ (subscription required). According to BaseballHQ Buchholz has made outstanding progress, harnessing plus movement from his fastball and throwing two quality breaking pitches. His arm action is incredibly smooth, but he needs to repeat delivery on his circle-change. Clay not only threw more strikes, but they were quality strikes, making his upside limitless.

The South Atlantic League managers had Buchholz as the #13 rated prospect, and they didn't see him go up to High-A, start four games (including one in the playoffs), throw 22 IP and fan 33 while allowing only 18 baserunners (13 hits, 5 walks) and 5 runs (3 ER). Which led Baseball America to rank Buccholz just ahead of South Atlantic League #6 prospect, Chris Volstad, when they ranked all RHP prospects. There's a world of difference between a guy who had a real good year in Low-A, and a guy who did that and made so much progress along the way that by the end he was overmatching High-A hitters the way Pedro overmatched the American League in '99-'00. Buchholz was also ranked by Baseball America 16th amongst all RH pitching prospects.

Mike Hazen said in an interview that the Red Sox promote players based on how they achieve certain goals the organization sets for them more so then how their numbers look. For Buchholz he said that improving his fastball command was his goal for him to earn a promotion, noting that his secondary stuff was already "wipeout." The organization seems thrilled with his effort to improve and work hard this year. For most of the year Clay pitched at 90-93 while in Greenville.

Upon the promotion to Wilmington for the playoffs his velocity immediately changed from 90-93 to 94-97 and struck out everyone 20 innings. A couple folks got the chance to speak to Theo Epstein and Jason McLeod after the playoff game he pitched and it sounded like they were very impressed and excited.

Another thing to consider is the type of pitcher that he is. Your typical A ball strike-out pitcher has plus velocity and maybe one breaking pitch that "needs work" (but always "shows promise") and a "developing change-up." Often what separates these guys is those who take the step forward with their secondary stuff and those who don't. Well, for Buchholz, he already throws 4 pitches for strikes (fastball, slider, change, and a curve that was rated the best breaking ball in Low-A) and nobody can seem to decide which of his pitches is his strongest.

Buchholz actually had his BPA go up from .281 to .302 (including his playoff start) after his promotion to High-A. On the other hand, his K/9 went from 10.22 to 13.50, while his BB rate went from 2.53 to 2.05. Is it possible that his High-A K and BB numbers don't represent his talent? Is there any way to get a huge boost in K rate (after adjusting for level, it's huge) and a drop in BB rate by good luck, or by psychological factors? No. The only way to go from a 4.0 to 6.6 K/BB while moving up a level is by pitching better. It is, on reflection and analysis, real rather than random. And this is backed up by the scouting reports that he threw much harder after the promotion.

Now, it is only four games that he showed the ability to command his fastball while throwing it harder. Quite possibly that improved command will come and go over the long run. But he has shown he has the ability. Again, there is a huge difference in upside between a guy who tops out at 93 with the command that Buchholz had in Low-A, and a guy who is capable of throwing 97, at times (at least) with command just as good.

Red Sox RHP Clay Buccholz' Minor League 2006 Chart:

Clay was named the organizations Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

Here are some notes from Buchholz’ interview with RedSoxNation.net’s David Laurila. (Compiled by SoSHer Corsi Combover):

#1. Buchholz is considered a “power pitcher”.
#2. His fastball topped out as high as 97-mph on the radar gun this past year.
#3. Throws a lot of 2-seamers, which he likes to work back over the plate.
#4. He also throws 4-seamers, mostly trying to get hitters to chase the ball.
#5. Also mixes in a curve, slider, and circle-change.
#6. His slider is probably his second best pitch. It has a pretty tight spin and was an out pitch for him this past season.
#7. Throws from two different arm levels. He's over the top a lot, but will drop to more three quarters for his 2-seamers and sliders. The movement is different from each angle, so he'll come from both with all four of my pitches. Uses the lower arm-slot with his 2-seamers and sliders as an out pitch.
#8. Feels he needs to become mentally tougher. All hitters can hit, and he'll need to make the adjustment as his outings become longer.
#9. Confident in what he wants to throw, and will shake off anything.
#10. Takes charting and videotaping seriously, and goes out there with a good idea of what he wants to do.
#11. Watches how hitters are reacting to a pitch, and works off of that. The first time through a line-up he learns a lot.
#12. Gets into a serious mode once the game starts.
#13. Pretty good at pitching out of the stretch and holding runners.
#14. In high school, used to be the type that would pick off guys.
#15. Would throw over and take the spring out of their legs.
#16. Comfortable out of the stretch.
#17. Will use a slide-step and doesn't feel like he loses anything with it.

Here are the awards that Buccholz has garnered according to SoxProspects.com: Carolina League Pitcher of the Week (August 21 - 27, 2006); 2006 SoxProspects.com All-Star - RHSP; 2006 SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Year; 2006 Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

Additional Resources:
Sox Prospects Player Card
SoSH Wiki Page
First Inning Player Card
Gordon Edes on Buchholz
Pitcher of the Year
Scout.com Profile

PULSE of the NATION: 11.17.2006

2006-11-17T20:26:00.000-05:00

News, Views, Links and more from the Red Sox Wire.

FIREBRAND of the AL: At Shortstop Is… (EVAN BRUNELL) In one of the most unkept secrets of the offseason, the Red Sox are the favorites to land shortstop Julio Lugo. Lugo, a former Houston Astro, Tampa Bay Devil Ray, and Los Angeles Dodger, has been on the Red Sox’s wish list for quite some time now.

The Red Sox have attempted to trade for Lugo for a number of years now, but have never been able to make it work. Now that Lugo is a free agent and the Red Sox are the only team willing to invest heavily in a shortstop (although the Cubs have shown recent interest), it looks like he could be donning red and white for 2007. Especially now that the Toronto Blue Jays have just spent $20 million (or more) on Frank Thomas over the next two years. Read More.

FRAGILE FREDDY’s: Julio Lugo One of the latest and greatest rumors re: the Sox is the potential signing of shortstop Julio Lugo to a four year deal. I like the deal that I’ve been hearing rumored (4 years/$36 million) as Lugo is a pretty darned good baseball player.

As a rule, I like Lugo's game. He's got a decent eye at the plate, generally is a contact hitter, has a little pop and while 30 years old, appears to be ascending as a player. While he may not get much better, I would expect him to continue to be good over the next 3-4 years. Read More.

SOX1FAN: Hook, Line And Sinker… What are they thinking over on Yawkey Way?? [That is not a rhetorical question… I would really like to know what the heck they are thinking]

Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled that the Red Sox ownership is committed to winning… and I am pleased that their actions will keep Matsuzaka away from The Evil Empire. But at what cost?

The Red Sox organization seemingly turned its back on the fiscal responsibility they have preached during the tenure of the current ownership… they are now preparing to pay more than $100 million for a pitcher over the course of the next four-to-five years.

For a PITCHER!!! Read More.

SURVIVING GRADY: Money Changes Everything The last time we got this much baseball news in November was when Theo sat his righteous ass down at the Schilling Family table for Thanksgiving dinner. Now the phone lines and NESN studios are white hot with Matsuzaka Mania, and I must admit, it's good to be talking Red Sox in the autumn. Clears the sinuses. Keeps things real. Reminds us that even on the coldest nights, Remy is out there, waiting. Patiently. And I'll be damned if a rotation of Schilling-Clemens-Matsuzaka-Beckett and Wakefield [we all know The Papel-Bot works best in the bullpen, 'specially with Foulkie out of the equation] doesn't get me all hot and bothered. As in "start the season right now" hot and bothered.

But...

See, last year, I felt the same way when we signed Beckett. That, I figgered, was the slam dunk. The exclamation point on the season. Just lie down on the floor, Mr. Steinbrenner, sir, and we'll step gently over you on our way to the top of the AL East. Read More.

TOUCHING ALL THE BASES: 18 questions (CHAD FINN) 1. So now that we've had a couple of days to wrap our heads around this Daisuke Matsuzaka story, let's start with this: What's the best part about the whole mind-boggling, delighftul development?

You mean other than imagining the look on Brian Cashman's hangdog face when he realized the Sox had won the bidding? How about this: That despite the shock and incredulity from certain corners regarding the $51.1 million posting price, no one is even hinting it's a bad investment, because no one is even remotely skeptical about his ability to be an ace in the major leagues. It's not by accident that the Red Sox, Yankees, Mets and Rangers all greatly exceeded the predicted posting price of $20 million - this kid gets nothing but rave reviews, everyone is smitten with his ability, and they were all desperate to obtain him. Also, it's pretty cool that his wife is nicknamed "Rockets." If I'm not mistaken, Johnny Damon's wife's nickname was "Zeppelins." Read More.

*** BOSTON GLOBE ***
Ramirez is still talk of the town (NICK CAFARDO) Two questions raised as the general managers meetings concluded last night: Will Manny be Manny somewhere else in 2007, and can the Red Sox overcome Scott being Scott (as in agent Scott Boras) in the Daisuke Matsuzaka negotiations?

Nobody, including Theo Epstein, can predict what deals will emerge or which free agents will be donning Boston uniforms, though there's growing belief J.D. Drew will be in right field and Julio Lugo will be at shortstop. But teams feeling they have no shot at free agents Alfonso Soriano or Carlos Lee have made inquiries about Ramírez.

One National League GM said, "We asked about him, and I know other teams have asked about him. He's a great hitter and I think everyone knows the risk involved with his attitude and behavior. But we also know what he does when he plays. You can't find a better hitter in the game." Read More.

Cora signing official (STEVE SILVA) The Red Sox today announced that the club has signed infielder Alex Cora to a two-year contract extending through the 2008 season. No further terms were disclosed and the following details were provided by the team:

Cora, 31, had filed for free agency on October 31. The lefthanded batter hit .238 with one homer and 18 RBI's in 96 games with the Red Sox in 2006. He started 47 games at shortstop, 10 games at 2nd base, and four games at third base while committing just seven errors in 292 total chances for a .976 fielding percentage. Cora went 40 consecutive games without an error from April 28-July 30. Read More.

Rangers interested in Manny? (GLOBE STAFF) According to ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney, the Red Sox are talking to the Texas Rangers about a possible deal for Manny Ramirez. According to the Globe's Nick Cafardo, Manny Ramirez may be a cheaper alternative to free agents like Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Lee: "Ramírez has two years left on his contract at $38 million. (The team then has a two-year option.) That might be less than what Soriano will get. Read More.

Dice-K? Diceman? D-Mat? Suzakinator? (GLOBE STAFF) We asked you to help us give Daisuke Matsuzaka a nickname, and we were flooded with more than 600 ideas. Now it's your turn to vote for the best of the best. Read More.

Japanese star would bring a world of attention (SUSAN BICKELHAUPT) The New York Yankees have had to deal with lots of challenges over the years -- injured players, fired managers, slumping batting averages.

In the spring of 2003, the team was greeted by a new challenge: the arrival of Japanese superstar Hideki Matsui and the throngs of journalists who came to cover him, probably what the Red Sox will have in store if they sign Daisuke Matsuzaka. Read More.

*** BOSTON HERALD ***
Now for the hard part -- Contract length likely key to D-Mat talks (MICHAEL SILVERMAN) The Red Sox and their $51.11 million winning bid to retain the sole rights to negotiate with Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka clearly made the biggest splash at the general managers meetings, which ended yesterday. The ripple effect has only... Read More.

Manny might be a bargain at $17M (MICHAEL SILVERMAN) The chances of the Red Sox making another offseason blockbuster move - trading Manny Ramirez,... Read More.

Big Papi writes off MVP (ASSOCIATED PRESS) SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - Red Sox slugger David Oritz doesn’t expect to win the American League MVP award because... Read More.

Silence golden for D-Mat -- Hush-hush talks may hit $16M (MICHAEL SILVERMAN) It is too early to cite any progress or lack thereof in the Red... Read More.

Heart of the matter: Matsuzaka has nerve needed to handle Hub (STEVE BUCKLEY) Let’s put aside all those dazzling Daisuke Matsuzaka scouting reports for a moment. Let’s also put aside the $51.11 million posting... Read More.

*** PROVIDENCE JOURNAL ***
Red Sox taking on traits of the Yanks (JIM DONALDSON You think Yankees general manager Brian Cashman trashed his room when he found out the Red Sox had outbid the Bronx Bombers for the rights to negotiate with Japanese superstar pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka? Read More.

Bidding starts for Japanese lefty Igawa (ASSOCIATED PRESS) Kei Igawa became the latest Japanese pitcher put up for bid to major league teams. The Hanshin Tigers made Igawa available for posting Friday, and big league clubs have until 5 p.m. EST on Nov. 27 to submit offers for the right to negotiate a contract with the 27-year-old left-hander. Read More.

*** HARTFORD COURANT ***
Deal Close With Drew? (JEFF GOLDBERG) The Red Sox may be close to signing former Dodgers outfielder J.D. Drew, according to reports out of Boston and Philadelphia. Drew, a free agent who opted out of the final three years of his contract last week, is expected to command a four-year deal. Figures have ranged between $12 million to $14 million a year.

Drew, 31 on Monday, would likely replace fellow free agent Trot Nixon in right field, with the Red Sox perhaps inclined to shop outfielder Wily Mo Pena. Pena's name was linked to recent speculation about a potential trade for Houston closer Brad Lidge. Read More.

Northhampton 93.9FM's D-Mat Song
Comedy Central's Colbert on Dice-K
ERIC WILBUR The Numbers Game
SETH MNOOKIN Manny, Manny, Manny!

Manny’s Market Value (BUSTER OLNEY) "Manny Ramirez's contract has been the 160-ton weight hanging around the necks of the Red Sox for six years, and Boston executives have repeatedly tried to do his bidding and unload the slugger, despite the fact that he drives in 130 runs a year. The Red Sox have tried to waive him, trade him, swap him, sell him, everything...

"And in this new world, Manny Ramirez is suddenly a relative bargain. I wonder if the Red Sox might finally find themselves in a climate in which they can trade Ramirez. .."Read More.

Making a Fast Impression

2006-11-17T00:28:00.000-05:00

Jacoby Ellsbury has been elevated to the top prospect in the Red Sox farm system according to Baseball America’s Jim Callas in his latest Top Ten Prospects rankings. He rose from the number six slot from last year.

Ellsbury was also listed as the “best hitter for average”, “fastest baserunner”, “best athlete” and the “best defensive outfielder” in the piece. Callis draws comparisons between Ellsbury and Johnny Damon, though I’m not in total agreement with this.

Jacoby put up the year Shane Trot characterizes correctly at age 22/23. Damon at age 21 (turning 22 in November) put up a .968 OPS in AA before his promotion to Kansas City where in almost 200 at-bats he put up a .765 OPS (Ellsbury's MLEs were 632 and 686). I see the defensive comps -- fast/weak arm -- but not the offensive comps.

Ellsbury has few holes in his game and is capable of beating teams in a lot of ways. He has excellent makeup and instincts. His best tool is his speed, and it’s evident both on the bases and in center field, where he catches everything hit his way. He has been clocked in 6.55 seconds over 60 yards. He has become more patient, rarely swings and misses and is comfortable hitting with two strikes. His style of play and physical appearance have drawn comparisons to Johnny Damon at a similar age, but scouts say Ellsbury has a better swing. They question whether he’ll grow into the same power, though.

Scouts seem to think that Ellsbury can be a .310/.380/.450 guy while providing gold glove defense in the quirky centerfield of Fenway.

And this piece from The Sporting News:

Keep an eye on Red Sox prospect Jacoby Ellsbury, who could take over for CF Coco Crisp in 2008 or even sometime next season. "He's like a combination of Mark Kotsay and Johnny Damon," a rival scout says of the Arizona Fall League standout. "He can't throw, which reminds you of Damon, but his body is a lot more like Kotsay's. Ellsbury is more live and smoother than early Kotsay. And his arm doesn't impact him that much. He's so smooth and graceful, he can really go get it in center."

Jacoby is also considered the cream of the crop by BaseballHQ’s Deric McKamey in his column (subscription required).

Ellsbury doesn’t have the strongest arm and scouts have even stated that it is below average for a MLB centerfielder but that he compensates with a quick release and sound mechanics.

When I look at Ellsbury, I think of Brett Butler.

I know there's not much chance of a similar career, because Butler was very good (and very underrated I might add). Butler's lowest minor league OPS was .850, and his average minor league OPS was .914. At age 22, Butler put up an .862 in low-A, after going off for over 1.000 OPS in the rookie league. They have similar builds and all, but Butler's plate discipline was much better: 303 bb in 367 minor league games. If Ellsbury becomes 90% of the player Butler was, that's pretty great for us.

It seems that Baseball America has also caught the Trevor Crowe comparison and highlighted the two of them in a recent issue. Crowe admitted that Ellsbury is ahead of him. Here is an excerpt from a scout's take on the two of them:

"Ellsbury, just on a performance-based analysis, has separated himself as a better defensive outfielder," the scout said. "I think Crowe has instincts, but I don't think he has the foot speed necessarily to be an everyday center fielder. I think Crowe has more raw power and will have more power production in the big leagues than Ellsbury, so that probably means he's better suited for one of the corner positions.

"I think Ellsbury is every bit of an everyday center fielder with all-star potential. Just his natural instincts; his natural foot speed to the ball is above-average. I also think that he's a legitimate leadoff guy, where Crowe is more of a No. 3 or 4 guy down the line."

Baseball America's #4 prospect in the Arizona Fall League. Nice review on his plate performance (typical leadoff guy, 70 speed on 80 scale), but says his defense is off the charts. Good reads on hits, speed in outfield, break on balls, etc.

Two trends continue for Ellsbury. First, he is getting picked off or caught stealing too often (7 SB / 3 CS) for someone with his speed. My hope is that he is being asked to steal in situations where it is difficult to steal, or that he is experimenting with different leads off 1B. All CS were against LH pitchers (maybe lack of experience with good lefty moves?).

Second, he has a very significant reverse split at the plate.

Against RH (56 at bats):
.207/.288/.546

Against LH (31):
.419/.486/1.099

This continues a trend from this past season (though not as severe).

When playing against a southpaws in the College World Series, you could notice how well he hit lefty curveballs- his pitch recognition was very good. I don't understand why this doesn't translate to success against righties, but if it ever does he's going to hit for a very high average.

He combines speed, great defense, and the potential to hit for average. Surprisingly, Ellsbury has shown little power in 2006 (IsoP= .115); given his speed some people have expected him to hit more doubles. Ellsbury has also shown problems with getting picked off (several of the 9 CS where PO's), though it is possible that he is being coached to take more aggressive leads. Ellsbury has had leg troubles in both seasons in the organization, missing about 15 games in both years.

Some notes compiled by SoSHerCorsi Combover from David Laurila's interview with Ellsbury for RedSoxNation.net:

#1. Teams look at him as scrappy and hard to get out.
#2. Walks to strikeouts ratio has been good, so he's patient and makes pretty good contact.
#3. Is a leadoff hitter, so he wants to get on any way he can, be it a hit, walk, hit-by-pitch, or error.
#4. Likes to try to extend singles into doubles and doubles into triples.
#5. Likes to use his legs to his advantage.
#6. Hasn't bunted as much as a lot of leadoff guys, and doesn't run out of the box like Ichiro.
#7. Wants to develop some more power and be a well-rounded player.
#8. Believes in working on his weaknesses more than his strengths.
#9. Does use his speed, and while seldom asked to bunt at OSU, at this level he'll probably want to do it more.
#10. Feels he hits breaking pitches pretty well.
#11. Feels good at recognizing pitches and keeping his hands and weight back.
#12. Trusts his hands and will drive the ball the other way.
#13. Strike zone judgment has always come natural.
#14. Disciplined and trusts his eyes.
#15. Good at recognizing pitches out of the hand.
#16. If something is over the outside corner, knows can get his bat on it.
#17. If he has less than two strikes, he'd rather wait for a ball he can do more with.
#18. A big part of hitting is having the confidence to hit with two strikes.
#19. On the bases, he definitely wants the pitcher to know he's there
#20. Wants the pitcher to know that he has to go with fastballs if they're going to throw him out.
#21. Doesn't necessarily take a huge lead.
#22. Wants his lead to be comfortable so that he's not limiting myself by having his weight in the wrong direction. Taking too big of a lead is usually not beneficial, and there's a fine line between the right lead and one that's too big.
#23. Want to be is aggressive and force the other team to make plays.
#24. Feels that he gets pretty good jumps on balls and is willing to sacrifice his body and go hard into the wall if the situation dictates.
#25. Wore a Red Sox cap to all of his games at Oregon State last year for good luck.
#26. Named after a name on an advertisement that his mother saw. The advertiser was a company that sold farm equipment, and the specific ad was for a tractor.
#27. Likes the outdoors, warm weather, and relaxing with his buddies. Also enjoys lake fishing and waffles with applesauce.
#28. Once chased down a deer when he was in high school.

According to SoxProspects.com Jacoby has hauled in the following awards: Red Sox Minor League Base Stealer of the Month (Jul. 2005); 2006 SoxProspects.com Pre-Season All-Star - OF; Carolina League All Star (2006); Eastern League Player of the Week (August 6 - 13, 2006); 2006 SoxProspects.com All-Star - OF; 2006 SoxProspects.com Offensive Player of the Year; 2006 Red Sox Minor League Defensive Player of the Year; 2006 Red Sox Minor League Base Runner of the Year.

Lugo in the Middle Infield?

2006-11-16T17:39:00.000-05:00

Julio Cesar Lugo is celbrating his birthday today, so it is only fitting that we take a look at a player who could help shore up the Red Sox middle infield.

According to Globe Sports Toronto may be in the drivers seat on this one: “The Blue Jays would like the added bat to be in the form of a middle infielder, and while free-agent shortstop Julio Lugo has said publicly he wants to play at the Rogers Centre, where he's a career .376 hitter, the Boston Red Sox are said to be prepared to offer as much as $8-million a season to land him.”

Though Lugo has been the fascination of the BoSox front office for years. Theo Epstein tried to pry him from the D-Rays many times the past couple of years but wouldn’t succumb to the kings ransom that the Friedman regime was asking.

Below are some of the error and fielding numbers at SS(per mlb.com)

2000-60 games at Shortstop, 12 errors, .951, Range Factor 4.36
2001-133, 22, .964, 4.80
2002-84, 8, .976, 4.10
2003-117, 17, .970, 4.80
2004-143, 25, .963, 4.78
2005-156, 24, .968, 4.93
2006-81, 16, .957 (TB), 4.56 (TB)

While he is not up to A-Gon's level at Shortstop but is certainly a bit of an upgrade over Renteria. The number of errors and Range Factor decrease last year in 81 games (Los Angeles had him at 3B, 2B and OF) is a bit concerning.

There is a notion that he could also play 2B for the Olde Town Team. I believe his numbers after being dealt to Chavez Ravine (.219/.278 OBP/.267 SLG) can be attributed to the fact that he went from being a full-time Shortstop in Tampa Bay to a utility player in the City of Angels (29 games at 2B, 16 games at 3B, 8 games at SS, 3 games in the OF). He has also indicated in the past that he wants to be a full-time Shortstop, so bringing him as a Second Baseman is probably not going to happen.

Dewan has Lugo at +5 over the three year period ('03-'05), which puts him as the #13 SS. He is #21 in DP. A-Gon is the # 16 ranked SS, but #2 in DP.

Dewan has Lugo as -1 to his right, -10 straight on, and +14 to his right (3 year numbers). James' Relative Range Factor worships Lugo, as his three year numbers of +202 are the best in MLB by 96 (over Uribe)

Dewan has an interesting take on Lugo, basically that he's very athletic with a good arm, yet erratic. He says his footwork and arm mechanics are poor. He also suggests that the cause for James' rediculously high ranking of Lugo is that the D-Rays had horribly inexperienced 2B (Green and Cantu) which caused Lugo to not trust them and take pop ups at second and try to cover for them. (although from my perspective, his +/- numbers suggest him not shading towards second, so I don't know).

He is multi-demensional though, which would be nice.

As stated earlier, Peter Gammons also suggests that the Lugo sweepstakes will come down to the Blue Jays and Red Sox. The Cubs also seem to be in the mix, especially since the Blue Jays may go with Aaron Hill has their everyday Shortstop. Also do not count out the Mets and the free spending Omar Minaya.

The Gyroball Explained

2006-11-16T17:03:00.000-05:00

It's quickly becoming the Bigfoot of baseball, an urban legend born in a Japanese lab and racing across the Internet. They call it the "gyroball"—the exact translation is probably closer to "Demon Sphere Gyro Ball"—and it's either the first new pitch in nearly four decades, or a complete and total sham. Here is a downloadable PDF file of Gyroball Variation which will be rather useful as we mobe along discovering just what a Gyroball exactly is.

In search of the magical mystery pitch (LUCAS HANFT)
Ryutaro Himeno, the Japanese physicist who is said to have invented the gyroball using computer modeling, had made it a habot to analyze how different pitches move through the air. Eventually, he started using the program he had developed to dissect pitches in an effort to invent a new one.

Himeno met baseball trainer Kazushi Tezuka at a research workshop.``After he saw my presentation, he contacted me to do joint work." Together, they figured out the athletic mechanics that could produce Himeno's hypothetical pitch. In 2001, they published their findings in a book titled ``The Secret of the Miracle Pitch."

According to Himeno, a gyroball will head toward home plate looking like a fastball before breaking straight down as it crosses the plate. So what causes the break? ``Simply gravity and the drag force caused by the ball itself," Himeno says.

Himeno says that that Daisuke (pronounced DICE-kay) Matsuzaka, the pitcher the Red Sox just won a $51.1m posting for, throws the gyroball. According to Himeno, much of his success is due ``to his mastery of the gyroball."

``He is one of Japan's top pitchers, with a fastball that is clocked around 94 mph and a tight, late-breaking curveball," the New York Daily News noted in March. ``He also throws a mysterious 'gyro-ball,' a pitch that allegedly breaks twice, but he's told Japanese reporters he's never thrown it in competition."

Here is video of the rotation on the Gyroball thrown by Daisuke Matsuzaka:

Wikipedia has the following description of what the ball does:

"At the point of release, instead of having the pitcher's arm move inwards towards the body (the standard method used in the United States), the pitcher rotates his arm so that it moves away from his body, towards 3rd base (for a right-handed pitcher). The unusual method of delivery creates a bullet-like spin on the ball, like a bicycle tire spins when facing the spokes or a perfectly thrown football. When thrown by a right hander, the pitch moves sharply down and away from right handed batters and towards left handed batters."

"The gyroball is thrown with the arm speed of a fastball but goes much slower, and since it has a bullet-like spinning motion, on occasion (perhaps when the seams are hidden from view of the batter) it will make experienced batters swing wildly ahead or behind the ball."

Here is the Gyroball with the Vulcan Grip used by Daisuke Matsazaka:

The Ghost Pitch (WILL CARROLL)
Not since the advent of the split-fingered fastball has there been a real "new" pitch. Sure, there are variants like R.A. Dickey's "Thang" and others that recall Rick Vaughn's "Terminator," but the gyroball is not only real, it's teachable.

The gyroball is less a pitch than an effect. Over the past five years, a new science of pitching is beginning to take hold in Japan. While the translations are non-existent, the best available to me is "Double Spin Mechanics." Rather than using high-speed video like advanced pitching gurus Tom House and Mike Marshall use, the Japanese have gone to supercomputers.

Simulating various mechanical models, Japanese researchers -- and I would name them if I could find someone to translate their book -- discovered a series of biomechanical techniques that would remove much of the stress from throwing a baseball. This new mechanical paradigm takes a book to explain properly, but the short version is that instead of using the linear kinetic chain thatís the subject of American research, the Japanese attempt to coordinate two circular motions. The first is a motion of the hips and is very similar to the findings of Dr. Glenn Fleisig of ASMI. There is a nearly one-to-one relationship between hip velocity and ball velocity; increase one and the other increases.

The second "spin" -- and this is whatís revolutionary, perhaps -- is the motion of the upper arm. This differentiates from Mike Marshallís Newtonian model and demands a forceful yet controlled rotation of the humerus. To get the idea of this in your head, hold your arm out so that your upper arm (humerus) is parallel to the floor. Have your forearm at a ninety-degree angle and hold the ball so that the ball is between your hand and your ear. The proper second "spin" is done by rotating the upper arm so that the forearm goes from pointing up to pointing down and the hand goes from pointing in at the body to pointing away from the body (pronation) just after the release of the ball.

Other Resources:
Tech Watch: Pitch Perfect (DAVID COBURN)
Gravity-Defying Baseball Pitch Ready for U.S.
Ryutaro Himeno’s work online
More of Himeno’s work online
Searching for baseball's Bigfoot (JEFF PASSAN)
Breakdown of Matsuzaka’s Gyro Ball (MATTHEW CERRONE)
Gyroball - Fact or Fiction?

PULSE of the NATION: 11.16.2006

2006-11-16T13:52:00.000-05:00

News, Views, Links and more from the Red Sox Wire.

*** BOSTON GLOBE ***
Now we're talkin' (DAN SHAUGHNESSY) If you are a Red Sox fan, there is much to like about the team's aggressive pursuit of Japanese righthander Daisuke Matsuzaka. The Sox ponied up $51.1 million Tuesday to earn exclusive rights to negotiate with the 26-year-old hurler. For another $40 million or so, they'll snag the best free agent pitcher on the market. A Red Sox starting rotation of Matsuzaka, Jonathan Papelbon, Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, and Tim Wakefield looks pretty good. As always, there are layers beneath the surface of the deal.

Let's start with the apparent new harmony at the top of the Sox masthead. Theo Epstein and Larry Lucchino may forever suffer from Belichick-Mangini Syndrome, but the united quest for Matsuzaka certainly gives the appearance that the men in the front office are back on the same page. This was not the case in the nuclear winter of 2005-06, and the Sox paid the price in the summer of '06. Read More Here.

No more of a winner than Nomo (GORDON EDES) The benchmark for Daisuke Matsuzaka is Hideo Nomo. Not the incarnation who passed through Boston at age 32 for one season, 2001, although he had some moments of splendor in his brief time here, throwing a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts in Baltimore in his Sox debut, following that up seven weeks later with a one-hit, no-walk, 14-K masterpiece against the Blue Jays, and leading the American League in both whiffs and walks.

Dave Wallace saw the earlier incarnation of Nomo, the Japanese pitcher who took the United States by storm after he bluffed his way to freedom in Japan and signed with the Dodgers, spawning the phenomenon known as Nomomania. Read More Here.

For Sox Nation, a move to the east (DONOVAN SLACK) There was palpable excitement yesterday on a stretch of Beacon Street near Fenway Park, where the local bakery serves Japanese delicacies, lunch menus are heavy on sushi, and the wine shop stocks 37 types of sake. Read More Here.

Drew should cash in (NICK CAFARDO) In the words of former Patriots coach Pete Carroll, agents are feeling "pumped and jacked." There was a buzz in the lobby yesterday of the Naples Grande Resort, site of the general managers meetings, that free agent Alfonso Soriano's price could reach almost $20 million annually and that J.D. Drew's price tag is four years, $56 million.

"That's the money we're hearing," said one National League general manager concerning Drew, a Scott Boras client. "It's getting a little crazy. I don't know if people will pay it, but he's a guy a few teams are eyeing and in the end, they'll probably come close to that."

Will the Red Sox pony up that kind of money for Drew? He is two years younger than Johnny Damon, for whom the team would only go as high as four years, $40 million. There's no question the Red Sox and Boras have had multiple discussions on the soon-to-be 31-year-old right fielder, but Boras has shopped Drew and the Chicago Cubs are seriously interested. Read More Here.

Premium seats a bit pricier (GLOBE STAFF) Premium seats at Fenway Park will be more expensive next season, the Red Sox announced yesterday. The increases will come in the private suites, dugout seats, EMC Club, State Street Pavilion Club, and field boxes. Read More Here.

*** FIREBRAND OF THE AL ***
Problem Solved (ZACH HAYES) Theo Epstein, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino have appropriately absorbed most of the blame for a season straight from hell. They sacrificed a franchise shortstop and a prized prospect for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. They traded a catcher incapable of handling the knuckleball and a gem hidden in the farm system for Doug Mirabelli. The best prospect in the last five years was dealt for Coco Crisp. While it may be too early to judge on some of those decisions, most can agree they have turned out, well, not so great. Add a few other trades to the mix that have been less than opportune, throw in a huge spoonful of injuries and underachieving, and folks, you have a third place team. The 2006 Boston Red Sox. Read More Here.

*** BOSTON HERALD ***
Silence golden for D-Mat -- Hush-hush talks may hit $16M (MICHAEL SILVERMAN) It is too early to cite any progress or lack thereof in the Red Sox’ contract talks with Daisuke Matsuzaka, but one thing both sides have agreed on is to keep the negotiations as quiet as possible. Everyone will have an answer by Dec.... Read More Here.

‘Pretty impressive’ review (TONY MASSAROTTI) Lou Merloni spent only a short time playing baseball in Japan, but he was there long enough to experience the hype surrounding Daisuke Matsuzaka. Though Merloni... Read More Here.

Man, myth, legend (MICHAEL SILVERMAN) A legend in Japan since high school, Daisuke Matsuzaka is still a virtual stranger to the United States. That will change quickly,... Read More Here.

Heart of the matter (STEVE BUCKLEY) Let’s put aside all those dazzling Daisuke Matsuzaka scouting reports for a moment. Let’s also put aside the $51.11... Read More Here.

*** PROVIDENCE JOURNAL ***
With Matsuzaka, Sox go global like Yankees (PROJO STAFF) Daisuke Matsuzaka, who led Japan's Pacific League in strikeouts four times, may help the Boston Red Sox' marketing department even more than its pitching staff.

Signing the pitcher might pay even greater dividends to the team in additional sponsorship and advertising opportunities in Asia and the U.S, said David Carter, founder of the Sports Business Group, a sports marketing consulting company in Los Angeles.

"It's tremendous for them," Carter said. "If you can turn the Red Sox into a global baseball brand, the value of doing so resonates in a number of ways."

The New York Yankees boosted their popularity in Asia with Japanese outfielder Hideki Matsui and Taiwanese pitcher Chien-Ming Wang. The Seattle Mariners did the same with Japan's Ichiro Suzuki.

Yankees and Mariners games are broadcast in Japan, and both teams have sold Japanese advertisements in their ballparks. Matsui and Ichiro are trailed by a dedicated group of Japanese reporters. Read More Here.

Sox on clock with Matsuzaka's agent (SEAN MCADAM) After paying $51.1 million for the right to merely negotiate a contract with Japanese star pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox are only halfway home.

In the next four weeks, the Sox still must reach agreement with Scott Boras, Matsuzaka's representative, or their pre-emptive strike, in which they outbid their closest competitors by more than $10 million, will have produced nothing but dashed expectations and red faces.

Here are 10 questions that still must be answered:

1. What happens if the two sides cannot reach agreement within the 30-day window?

Matsuzaka would return to the Seibu Lions and the $51.1 million would be returned to the Red Sox. Matsuzaka then could be posted again after the 2007 season, at which time the entire process would be repeated. Contrary to some reports, Matsuzaka will not be eligible for total free agency -- and open to all bidders -- until after the 2008 season. Read More Here.

Wallace to Houston (PROJO BLOG) While this baseball news item didn't generate nearly the publicity of the Sox' victory in the bidding war for Diasuke Matsuzaka's rights, former Boston pitcher coach Dave Wallace's name popped up.

The veteran baseball man was named the new pitching coach for the Houston Astros. Read More Here.

Will Theo Finally Get His Man?

2006-11-15T22:55:00.000-05:00

With Trot Nixon (Baseball-Reference Card, Baseball Prospectus DT Card, Baseball Prospectus PECOTA Card, ESPN Card) moving on talks have centered on free agent J.D. Drew (Baseball Prospectus DT Card, Baseball-Reference Card, Baseball Prospectus PECOTA Card, ESPN Card) taking over for the original dirt dog in RF for the Sox. Drew opted out of the last three years (and $33 million) of his contract to test the free agency waters. He hit .283 with 20 homers and 100 RBIs last season for the Dodgers.

Drew was 7th among National League OFs in VORP this year, at age 30. Trot was 8th among American League OFs in VORP in 2003, his age 29 year. That puts Drew a bit higher than my "middling VORP" characterization, but Trot's right there, too.

Although he hits LHP better than Nixon, I wouldn't go so far as to say Drew hits well against LHP, with '04 as the exception. Here's how Drew has hit vs. LHP in the last 4 years:

'06 vs. LHP: .244/.338/.378, 119 AB
'05 vs. LHP: .235/.416/.279, 68 AB
'04 vs. LHP: .287/.408/.521, 167 AB
'03 vs. LHP: .218/.306/.418, 55 AB

Nixon
'06 vs. LHP: .204/.336/.312, 93 AB
'05 vs. LHP: .224/.333/.306, 85 AB
'04 vs. LHP: .133/.188/.133, 15 AB
'03 vs. LHP: .219/.296/.375, 96 AB

After the 2004 season, the Sox had tried to trade Manny Ramirez to the Mets in a deal that would have included Cliff Floyd, whom they planned to spin off to another team. They then planned to sign Drew as a free agent, and shift Trot Nixon to left field. Instead, the Manny talks fell through and Drew signed a five-year, $55m deal with the Dodgers.

A left-handed hitter and a superb defensive right fielder, Drew is a career .286 hitter with a .393 on-base percentage and a .512 slugging percentage. He played the first six years of his career with the Cardinals, then spent one year with the Braves and the last two with the Dodgers.

Boston, burning from its disappointing 2006 season, is acting quickly to get back on the right track. It is believed they are preparing to make a megabucks offer to J.D. Drew by the end of Monday that will easily top the $33 million Drew walked away from in Los Angeles. One person suggested it may even exceed the deal former Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon got with the Yankees, $52 million over four years.

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein has been interested in Drew for years, will this be the offseason that he finally is able to get him to the Fens? Or maybe the better questions is he worth $13 or $14 million dollar a year (with a possible “no trade clause”)?

There is another camp within the Nation that believes that Wily Mo Pena (Baseball-Reference Card, Baseball Prospectus DT Card, Baseball Prospectus PECOTA Card, ESPN Card) should be given a crack at the everyday lineup.

Though it appears that Pena may be trade bait according to Peter Gammons: Drew will be one of the heaviest of the positional free agents. Boston, which had him signed at the 2004 winter meetings when they thought they had Manny Ramirez traded to the Mets, may jump back in, especially if they could deal an outfielder like Wily Mo Pena for a closer.

Below are some graphs covering all three players side-by-side in various metrics.

OBP by season (Drew v. Nixon v. Pena)

BABIP by season (Drew v. Nixon v. Pena)

ISO by season (Drew v. Nixon v. Pena)

RC/G by season (Drew v. Nixon v. Pena)

Is J.D. Drew destined to don the historic Boston knits? Is he worth the money he is about to receive? Can he remain healthy? Only time would seem to know for sure...

PULSE of the NATION: 11.15.2006

2006-11-15T22:43:00.000-05:00

News, Views, Links and more from the Red Sox Wire.

SURVIVING GRADY
Coming to America: It's official, the Red Sox are the highest bidder in the Matsuzaka sweepstakes. Theo and crew now have 30 days to ink the deal that brings a top-notch starter to Boston. In addition, the deal would bring an entire culture change to Red Sox Nation, along with endless marketing opportunities that would more than pay back the the 51.1 million-dollar bid. Here are just a few...

Wally-san Dolls: The Japanese answer to the ever-popular Wally The Green Monster. The Sox walk a marketing tightrope with this one. Typically "green monsters" are not endeared by the Japanese culture since so many of them have destroyed their cities over the years. Perhaps the plan to have a Geisha companion for Wally-san will work out. Read More Here.

THE JOY OF SOX
Matsuzaka departs for U.S.: Matsuzaka, at the Narita Airport:

First of all, I was very relieved. I haven't been able to sleep soundly for the past four or five days. I feel like I've just crossed the starting line. It has been difficult waiting. ...

I was shocked at first to hear the amount of the accepted offer. I never thought that the amount would be over $30 million. I'm happy that I've been valued so highly, but I also feel pressure to perform now. ...

I want to perform well in the majors, so I can be booed by our opponents' home field fans.

The batter I really look forward to facing is Ichiro-saRead More Here.

UP ON THE MONSTER
Obstructed View: By now, Red Sox Nation, our Yankee rivals, all of America, all of Japan, and the micro-organisms of Rigel VII have heard about the Red Sox front office (official motto: You want to see serious? Weíll show you serious! Fifty-one million examples of serious, pal!!!î) submitting the top bid for negotiating rights to Japanese superstar pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. The winning Sox bid has surprised Daisuke, delighted and amazed Red Sox fans, and sent Yankees fans frantically scrambling to find rationalizations as to why it was a bad move. Read More Here.

ERIC WILBUR
Scout’s honor: Be assured, the marketing angle in the Daisuke Matsuzaka sweepstakes has already begun in earnest, what with merchandising and television deals to be worked out, probably even before the Japanese import puts pen to paper on a multi-year deal with the Red Sox. A necessary carriage before the horse, if you will. Read More Here.

BOSTON GLOBE
Green light: What did the Red Sox accomplish in outbidding the Yankees and Mets, among others, for the rights to negotiate with Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka? Read More Here.

Dollars and hopes sky-high already: Start with this: Investing in a pitcher is like putting your hard-earned money into a Broadway show. Read More Here.

Sox to pay $51.1m in quest to sign pitcher: In a high-stakes gambit that could change the face of Boston baseball, the Red Sox are poised to spend as much as $90 million to land Japan's greatest contemporary pitcher, Daisuke Matsuzaka, a 26-year-old phenom whose value might be measured more in the anguish he could cause the archrival Yankees than in the Sox' chances to otherwise profit from their ... Read More Here.

Fact plus fiction, it's a great story: First of all, let's drop all talk of the "gyroball," the wonder pitch Daisuke Matsuzaka is said to throw. Read More Here.

BOSTON HERALD
Sox win bidding war -- $51.11M to talk to pitcher Matsuzaka: The battle to spring Daisuke Matsuzaka free from Japan was won by the Red Sox last night for a cool 6 billion yen. Now, they have until Dec. 15 to forge a long-term contract with super-agent Scott Boras on a rich, multiyear deal that will make. Read More Here.

At last, the fire returns: The Red Sox opened up their wallets and threw their money on the table, and you could hear the thud clear across the Pacific. It has been quite some time since the... Read More Here.

A relief effort: The Red Sox met with the Houston Astros yesterday, and it was believed that obtaining relief help via a trade was high on their...Read More Here.

PROJO
Matsuzaka gives Sox' rotation new life: The Red Sox' shaky rotation may become spectacular. Read More Here.

What should the Sox do about Manny Ramirez?Read More Here.

Matsuzaka 'surprised' at Red Sox bid: Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka was "surprised" to hear the Boston Red Sox bid $51.1 million for the rights to negotiate a contract with him.

"I was very surprised when I heard the figure," the 26-year-old said Wednesday before flying to the United States. "It shows that they really appreciate my ability. I know there will be a lot of pressure, but that's something I'm used to and something I enjoy."

The right-hander has a 108-60 career record with a 2.95 ERA and 1,355 strikeouts in 204 games. Read More Here.

HARTFORD COURANT
Sox's Monster Bid: Godzilla vs. The Monster?

The Red Sox are hoping this becomes the latest summer blockbuster in their rivalry with the Yankees - one that plays big on two continents. The Daisuke Matsuzaka watch finally came to an end Tuesday night and the weekend speculation proved correct: The Red Sox made the highest bid to the Seibu Lions for the negotiating rights to the Japanese pitching sensation. After making their bid last Wednesday - reported by the Lions to be $51.1 million - the Red Sox were informed by Major League Baseball Tuesday night that they had emerged victorious in the bidding process.

Next up, a 30-day window of negotiations with hardball agent Scott Boras. If the Red Sox and Matsuzaka, 26, can't agree on a deal, he returns to Seibu for the 2007 season and the Red Sox don't pay the $51.1 million. Read More Here.

RED SOX.com
Red Sox win Matsuzaka bid: The Boston Red Sox have won the U.S. rights to negotiate with star Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Seibu Lions and it could cost them plenty.

The annoucement was made jointly on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning in Japan) by Major League Baseball and the Nippon Professional Baseball commissioners' offices. In Tokyo, Lions officials said Boston's winning bid was $51.1 million, far and away the highest ever for an Asian player and dwarfing the $13.1 million Seattle paid the Orix BlueWave six years ago for the right to sign Ichiro Suzuki.Read More Here.

RED SOX TIMES
Home Opener Just Got Interesting: The Seattle Mariners are going to be in town for the Red Sox 2007 home opener. Normally that wouldn’t be too exciting, but the prospect of Matsuzaka pitching the home opener with the first batter that he would face being fellow country mate Ichiro Suzuki would certainly set the bar for electric Matsuzaka moments. Apparently Matsuzaka is already thinking about the prospects of facing Ichiro;

“I am most looking forward to facing Ichiro Suzuki of the Mariners.” - Daisuke Matsuzaka

If the Red Sox were to slot Matsuzaka in the number two spot in the rotation behind Curt Schilling (Schilling, Matsuzaka, Beckett, Papelbon, Wakefield), he would be in line for the April 10th start at Fenway Park. Of course, this only occurs if that little obstacle of agreeing to a contract doesn’t get in the way. Read More Here.

Matsuzaka Mania!

2006-11-15T21:14:00.000-05:00

As you know by now, the Boston Red Sox have successfully bid $51.1 million(In yen, it's a tad over 6 billion) for the right to speak with Japanese phenom Daisuke Matsuzaka. The New York Mets were the runners-up with a bid of $39 million, the hated Yankees were rumored to be in the $30 million neighborhood.

"It is a gamble to spend the next 30 days negotiating with Boras for Matsuzaka while other free-agent pitchers are being signed. Matsuzaka's health is always a concern considering that he threw 13 complete games and on days before he pitches he throws a 200-pitch bullpen session; it's also every fifth, not every sixth or seventh, day that he starts. Yes, he has thrown more than 1,402 innings before the age of 26, but as The Hardball Times points out, that's fewer before turning 26 than Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Carlos Zambrano, Brett Myers, C.C. Sabathia and others, and his regimen is legendary." 11.14.06, Peter Gammons, ESPN Insider blog (by subscription only)

Here is a step by step breakdown of Matsuzaka's delivery.

Here is the eigth and ninth innings of his 17th victory on September 19, 2006.

Here is his 14 K game on August 30, 2006.

D-Mat is said to throw a couple of pitches not seen on this side of the Pacific Ocean; the Shuuto (or shootball), a pitch commonly thrown by Japanese pitchers that breaks slightly down and in on right-handed batters when thrown by a right-handed pitcher, somewhat similar to a screwball, although with less break. The other pitch being the Gyroball, a pitch invented by the use of computers. Yawkey Yarns will be running analysis on these two pitches in the coming days. He is also supposed to have a splitter, change, 12-to-6 curve, slider and fastball in his reportoire.

From the SoSH message boards:

Basically his fastball ranges anywhere between 145-155 km/hr which is 90-97 mph hour. His fastball is interesting. Watching the video I have, it appears he misses location with his fastball a lot, maybe even more than 40% of the time. He throws it up in the zone often, and he gets swings and misses with it. Of course the thing that seperates his fastball from your normal 95 MPH fastball is that he probably just threw an off-speed pitch right before that.

He throws an insane amount of breaking-balls. He is basically the opposite of Beckett. He will throw a breaking-ball more than 45% of the time. He will throw a breaking-ball in ANY count. In fact he prefers to throw breaking-balls behind in the count. He throws anything from a 12-6 bender to a 3-9 hard slider. And he throws EVERYTHING in between that, and he throws them all for strikes. This is by far his biggest attribute. His breaking pitches range anywhere from 140 km/hr to 125 km/hr, or 90-77 MPH.

In my oppinion his best pitch is the forkball. He throws a DIVING forkball that has great tumble action. It reminds me of Pedro's change-up. It has an amzing amount of movment to it and is thrown with great deception.

His overall delivery is strange. He follows through the ball well but doesn't lift his back leg up on his follow-through. Basically his legs look a like someone who doesn't follow through, like a Chris Young or Wade Miller, but he acually follows through. The stranger part is he does this mainly with his fastball. With off-speed pitches he tends to let his leg release.

He does have a good sinker, but it seems that he doesn't need it in Japan. He may be forced to throw it more in the majors.

Here is a set of Matsuzaka projections by BosoxBob:

The 3.33 ERA would have been 8th in the majors this past year, and a 4.01 ERA would have put him 29th, right behind Curt Schilling.

Yawkey Yarns will be updating the masses as to the negotiations to bring Matsuzaka to the Fens. Theo and company have until 12 midnight EST on December 15, 2006 to cut a deal with DiceK and superagent Scott Boras. To hold you over here is the Baseball Prospectus Matsuzaka Analysis.

UNDEFEATED!!! Red Sox 7, Rangers 3

2006-04-03T19:37:00.000-04:00

Okay, okay I realize that we are only one game into the 2006 baseball season but the Red Sox are still UNDEFEATED!!! I had to get that one in while it lasts, as it is inevitable that our beloved olde towne team will eventually drop a contest this year. Though you still have to sit back and light that victory cigar this evening as their 7-3 win over the Texas Rangers this afternoon at Ameriquest Field puts them on pace to win an astonishing 162 games this year!

In the bottom of the ninth newly acquired Coco Crisp answered an important question - would he be able to replace Johnny D in the field? Crisp made a fantastic jumping grab to record the second out of the inning and prevent what appeared to be a two-run RBI double by Laynce Nix. A run did score but the spectacular glove work by Coco saved at least one run if not more and halted what was shaping up to be a Rangers rally in the final frame.

In what was the first Opening Day win since 2000 for the Sox the rehabilitated Curt Schilling took to the mound for the “W”. Schill put a lot of doubts to rest this afternoon as he threw 117 pitches and appeared in midseason form as he walked one and allowed only a single extra-base hit, a two-run homer to Hank Blalock in the sixth, to the powerful Texas lineup.

It appeared as Curt had found the fountain of youth this afternoon as he was in total control of all of his pitches and his velocity hit in the mid-90’s. He struck out five and allowed two earned runs in seven innings of work.

Jonathan Papelbon came on to pitch a 1-2-3 eighth. Keith Foulke pitched a rocky ninth inning but was bailed out by Crisp’s catch. Foulke surrendered two hits and a single run. He looked rusty in his regular season debut. Texas could have easily poured on more runs versus Foulke in the ninth - though all of Red Sox Nation is elated that it wasn’t to be on this cool April afternoon.

Bo Sox captain Jason Varitek hit a two-out, two-run double to right center in the fourth. David Ortiz hit a soaring two-run homer down the right field line in the fifth to follow a two-run double to right center by Mark Loretta. Big Papi also added an RBI double in the seventh for good measure. Mike Lowell hit a home run to lead off the eighth inning. Kevin Youkilis was the only Red Sox starter who failed to garner a hit off of the Texas pitchers.

(photo courtesy of the Boston Globe.

These Boots Were Made For Walkin'

2006-03-28T16:17:00.000-05:00

These boose were made for walkin'... walkin' all over you...

Red Sox relief pitcher Julian Tavarez may face disciplinary action from Major League Baseball after he took it to the chin, literally, to Joey Gathright of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays yesterday at City of the Palms Park.

Tavarez was covering the plate as Sox catcher Ken Huckaby had the Rays' Julio Lugo in a run-down play as Gathright slid home trying to break up the plate. Julian then stepped on Gathright's left arm to which the Devil Ray took exception to. Joey then placed his arm on Julian's knee and the rest was as they say - sweet chin music - as Tavarez cocked back and took it to Gathright. After a couple of devastating Rocky Marciano-esque blows by Tavarez a pair of Tampa players bodyslammed him to the ground, inducing both dugouts to clear and enter the field of play. Truly a series of events that would have made the WWE's Vincent McMahon drool with envy.

The umpires did a superb job of clearing the filed following the incident. They ultimately ejected both Tavarez and Gathright from the days contest. More bad blood spilled over in the bottom of the eighth as Hee Seop Choi was hit by a pitch. Both teams received a warning from the officials.

This was the second bench clearing incident in as many days, and third within a week, for the Sawx. The American League East just got considerably more interesting as the regular season looms large around the corner.

Spinning around the Sawxsphere:
Rays accuse Tavarez of "sucker punch"
Julian being Julian (a page from Manny's book?)
Fight Club Photos
Tavarez KO's Gathright
Fists Flying in Fort Myers!
D-Rays and Sawx have a history
Last dustup

Graff claimed by Royals

2006-03-28T15:59:00.000-05:00

Utilityman Tony Graffanino, who was placed one waivers by the Boston Red Sox, was claimed by the Kansas City Royals today. Ironically it was the Royals who had dealt Graff to the Sawx just last season. So it is a returning home of sorts for Tony. He should get more opportunities to play at Kaufmann this season, though it wouldn't be surprising to see the Royals once again dangling him for prospects at the trading deadline. Yawkey Yarns wishes Graff the best of luck in his new (er old) digs - except when the Sawx come to town of course.

Coco Crisp v. Johnny Damon (by age)

2006-03-28T15:39:00.000-05:00

Coco Crisp, the Red Sox new centerfielder, is probably getting used to being dissected since his arrival in Boston. With that in mind here is a comparison by age between Covelli and the man he replaced, Johnny Damon:

Crisp vs. Damon: OBP by age

Crisp vs. Damon: BA by age

Crisp vs. Damon: BABIP by age

Crisp vs. Damon: ISO by age

Crisp vs. Damon: RC/G by age

(Comments and Analysis will be added later.)

The comparison graphs are courtesy of FanGraphs.com, a great site that has their database linked here at Yawkey Yarns.

Daily Links: 03.10.2006

2006-03-10T13:13:00.000-05:00

Here is you daily dose of BoSox Links for Friday, March 10, 2006.

Boston Globe: Snow Has A Different Read
Boston Globe: D-Lowe, Dodgers Down Sox
Boston Globe: The Los Angeles Red Sox
Boston Globe: Little Manages On...
Boston Herald: Garciaparra
Boston Herald: Arroyo Shelled Again
Boston Herald: Switch To 25 Gets Lowell In The Swing
Boston Herald: Magnitude Of Slam Lost On Varitek
Boston Herald: High and Hard - Curt Schilling
Boston Herald: DiNardo Struggles In Start For Italy
Boston Herald: Bard Ready To Knuckle Down With Wake
Boston Herald: Stern The Miracle Worker
Boston Herald: Tito Tells Tale Of Little...
ProJo: Forgiving Grady?
ProJo: Ex-Sox Settle With Dodgers
ProJo: Beckett Takes Blame For Rocky Debut...
Hartford Courant: Reunion In Dodgertown
Hartford Courant: It’s A Rough Ride Again For Arroyo
RedSox.com: No Day At The Beach For Arroyo
RedSox.com: Arroyo Roughed Up In Sox Loss
RedSox.com: Sore Knee Holding Huckaby Back
BostonDirtDogs.com: Priceless
BostonDirtDogs.com: Blue Sox Beat Up The Red Sox
MassLive.com: Familiar Faces Haunt Sox
MassLive.com: Harris Trying To Make Team

Dodgers 6, Red Sox 4

2006-03-09T17:02:00.000-05:00

Boston suffered a 6-4 loss this afternoon at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers (Red Sox West) during Grapefruit League play in front of a reported 8,080 people.

Bronson Arroyo drew the start versus former Sox cult hero Derek Lowe. Bronson got roughed up in his two innings of duty, as he was charged with five runs off of five hits and surrendered two home runs to the 14 batters he faced.

D-Lowe dominated his former teammates, allowing a measly two hits over four innings while striking out four Sox players.

The Sox again failed to capitalize as they eked out four runs off of five hits but left nine men on base throughout the game.

The bright spot of the day for the Sox was the bullpen as they only surrendered a single run in seven innings of work (surrendered by Phil Seibel). It was a collective effort by Justin Vermilyea, Seibel, Tim Bausher, Abe Alvarez and Craig Hansen.

J.T. Snow got the Sox offense going with a two-out RBI single in the sixth inning. He finished the day 1-for-3 with a trio of ribbies. Snow is hitting .333 on the Spring and is making a strong case for more at bats in the regular season.

The Sox tried to surmount a comeback in the ninth inning trailing GradyÂsbunchk 6-2. Middle infield prospect Jed Lowrie sustained the effort with a two-run shot off of Takashi Saito with no outs, but Boston failed to score again and the Dodgers celebrated with a win over the Olde Town team.

Next up the Sox return to Fort Myers to host the Philadelphia Phillies tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. EST. Kuckleballer Tim Wakefield draws the start for Boston.

Spring Analysis: Outfield

2006-03-09T16:17:00.000-05:00

The Red Sox are looking at a slightly different dynamic to their outfield as they headinto the 2006 campaign. Gone is fan favorite Johnny Damon who inked a deal with the rival New York Yankees in the off-season. To fill the void in centerfield Theo Epstein pulled the trigger to acquire Coco Crisp from the Cleveland Indians. Crisp is six years Damon’s junior and just entering the prime of his career. He batted .300/.345/.465/.805 with 16 round-trippers and 15 stolen bags in Cleveland last year. Crisp’s numbers are eerily similiar to the man he will replace in both centerfield and atop the Red Sox batting order.

The switch-hitting Crisp has continued to improve in all phases of the game since his MLB debut. He has shown more raw power from the right side though ironically more of his homers have came while batting left-handed. Crisp hit only .252 versus lefties in 2005. He is a first-pitch hitter (batted .380 on the first pitch in ‘05) who can spray the ball to all fields. He has seen his batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage increase every year since he broke into the majors in 2003.

Crisp should be able to adequately replace Damon’s 117 runs scored, 10 homers and 18 swipes from last season in addition to providing more range in center. His 5.80 RC/27 should increase with the more veteran hitters protecting him in Boston. He once again looks to up his statistics across the board from the career highs he postd last year in runs, homers, hits and doubles.

Coco should be an instant fan favorite at Fenway with his hustle and bustle. I believe that Red Sox Nation will really take to how this kid plays the game of baseball. He should be a fixture atop the Red Sox batting order for the next few seasons.

Manny Ramirez will return to play in the shadow of the Green Monster after demanding a trade (yet again) in the off-season before having yet another change of heart and deciding he wants to remain in Beantown.

Ramirez is still one of the games elite run producers (1,414 carer RBI’s), averaging an incredible 39 homers and 120 RBI’s per season the past five years since donning a Red Sox uniform. Manny is a career .314/.409/.599/1.008 hitter who fares equally well versus lefties as he does righties. He possesses tremendous power to all fields (435 career homers, .599 career SLG).

ManRam put together another outstanding season at the plate in 2005 hitting .292/.388/.594/.982 (.295 BABIP, 0.67 BB/K, 8.14 RC/27) with 45 homers, 144 RBI’s and 80 bases on balls in 554 at bats. He will once again protect David Ortiz in the Red Sox batting order from his custom clean-up position. He is very adept at figuring out pitching patterns and has the ability to drive the ball anywhere in the zone.
The only pitfall to Ramirez is that he seems to only be going through the motions at times and that concerns the front office, even though his going through the motions is still more productive than 90% of the right-handed hitters in the game. As long as Manny keeps being Manny at the plate the Sox brass will be elated to have him in the lineup.

In right field the Sox would like to go with a platoon of Trot Nixon and either Dustan Mohr or Gabe Kapler (possibly even a combination of both).

Nixon is a classic line drive hitter who has the ability to pull the ball. He has a knack for hitting with runners in scoring position. Trot will be a part of a platoon in rightfield as he struggles to hit versus lefties (.224 in 2005). He has had some injury concerns the past couple of years (the oblique rib cage starin kept him out almost a month in ‘05) though when healthy he is one of the more underrated players in the game. One of the hardest working players on the team, Nixon is about as much of a hard-nosed player you will find in the game.

Trot is a good fastball hitter who struggles when he gets behind in the count. Nixon hit .275/.357/.446/.803 in 408 at bats for Boston in 2005. He did miss some time last season and performed below standards after he returned from the disabled list (.229 with two homers and 17 RBI’s in 35 games) but is healthy again this Spring.

Gabe Kapler is back with the Sox trying to overcome rupture to his achilles tendon suffered in Toronto last year. Kap started last season playing in Japan for the Yomiuri Giants before realizing his heart was still yearning for the friendly confines Fenway Park. He returned to the Sox and received 97 at bats hitting .247/.282/.351/.633 in a reserve role before the injury.

Kap is still unable to apply any significant pressure to his left foot, so he is taking it light this Spring but hopes that his past with the team and his desire to once again roam the Red Sox outfield will keep a window of opportunity open for him in Boston. He has made a few tweaks to his batting stance since beginning his rehab and it has helped him to see the ball better and improve his contact rate. Gabe is one of the most respected players in the clubhouse and could offer a boost to the Sox when he is fully recovered.

Dustan Mohr is the other outfielder who could play a role in a right field platoon system. Mohr hit .214/.280/.466/.746 with 17 homers in 266 at bats for the Colorado Rockies in 2005. The lefthanded hitter is a non-roster invitee this Spring though with Kapler still rebounding from injury could be considered the frontrunner to start in right field versus lefties. It appears likely that Mohr will break camp with the big league squad serve as the fourth outfielder unless Kapler’s rehab jump starts ahead of schedule or Adam Stern makes a meteoric rise.

Adam Stern also figures into the outfield reserve mix. He has been performing well in the World Baseball Classic for team Canada and his performance has raised the eyes of the Sox coaches and front office. Stern didn’t see much action in Boston last season (15 at bats hitting .133/.188/.333/.521) though he did get 81 at bats at Triple-A Pawtucket. He hit .321/.385/.494/.879 for the PawSox in 2005.

Stern possesses very little in the way of power but is a valuable asset as a late inning pinch-hitter and defensive replacement. He has very good speed and range in the outfield and could fill the utility outfielder role with the Red Sox at some point in 2006, if not on Opening Day.

Down on the farm the Sox have some impressive talent that is knocking on the door to the major leagues. Brandon Moss put together a solid season at Double-A Portland as he hit .268/.337/.441/.778 with 16 long balls in 503 at bats for the Sea Dogs. Moss has some exciting raw power that he is still learning to harness and is a standout in the field.

His teammate at AA Portland, David Murphy, is also on the cusp of being ready for the bright lights of Fenway. The left-handed hitter posted a .275/.337/.430/.767 line with 14 homers, 75 RBI’s and 13 stolen bases in 484 at bats in 2005. Murphy followed up his solid season with an impressive Arizona Fall League performance in which he hit .319/.354/.527/.881 in 91 at bats for Peoria.

The young Murphy has excellent plate discipline who is still growing into his power potential. He is an average fielder with an accurate arm. Both Moss and Murphy should open the year in Triple-A Pawtucket and be the anchors of that lineup. They both could get a shot at cracking the major league roster next Spring.

Another outfielder to keep an eye on is Jacoby Ellsbury, a Johnny Damon clone, who figures to be the Sox centerfielderof the future. Jacoby is an excellent defender who has Gold Glove caliber potential. He is another draft pick in the new Red Sox mold - above average on-base skills and gap power. Ellsbury figures to mature into the future lead-off hitter for the BoSox when he reaches the bigs. Ellsbury was impressive in his pro debut as he hit .317/.418/.432/.850 with 23 steals in 139 at bats for Short-Season Lowell.

The Red Sox have a slew of other outfield prospects in the farm system; players such as Luis Soto, Chris Durbin, Jeff Corsaletti, Chris Turner, Mickey Hall, Matt Van Der Bosch, Claudio Arias and Luke Allen.

The Red Sox have a solid trio of outfielders in Crisp, Ramirez and Nixon though their reserve roles on the roster are far from settled at this point. We may not know the final outcome until the Red Sox kick off the season in Arlington, Texas versus the Texas Rangers on the third of April.

Be sure to read the Yawkey Yarns Spring Analysis on the Catcher and First Base positions.

Daily Links: 03.09.2006

2006-03-09T12:13:00.000-05:00

Here is you daily dose of BoSox Links for Thursday, March 09, 2006.

Globe: Roommates Reunion
Globe: All Eyes On Stern
Globe: New Faces In Old Home
ProJo: Kapler Where He Wants To Be
ProJo: Graffanino Drawing Interest
Courant: Boomer to Barry - Come Clean
Courant: Marlins Beat Sox Handily
Boston Sports Review: With The Sox, It Starts With Pitching
ESPN: Wells Calls For Selig’s Resignation
MassLive.com: Lowell, Gonzo Happy With Sox
RedSox.com: Sore Knee Holding Huckaby Back

Spring Analysis: First Base

2006-03-08T21:09:00.000-05:00

The Red Sox parted ways with Kevin Millar this past off-season as he failed to produce at the plate and only performed adequately in the field. Millar’s backup in 2005, John Olerud, decided to call it a career over the winter and hung his cleats up for good. Those two moves put the Sox in the proverbial pickle at first base.

Boston has decided to roll the dice in 2006 as they have moved prospect Kevin Youkilis across the diamond from third base to first. Youkilis is a good gap hitter with tremendous bat control. He has plus strike-zone awareness and has the ability to hit to all fields. A very patient hitter, he will work the count and wait for his pitch. His short, compact swing will never generate much power but he has the uncanny ability to get on base. Youk hit .278/.400/.405/.805 (0.74 BB/K) in 79 at bats for the Sox last season.

Youkilis’ defense is only average at best, he is not agile and plays with poor balance. The move to first base from the hot corner should help mask some of the holes in his defensive game, though he will never win a Gold Glove at the position. But if he gets on base at the same rate he did last year the Red Sox brass would be ecstatic regardless of his play in the field.

Boston also plucked six-time Gold Glove winning first baseman J.T. Snow off of the free agent market to provide a safety net for the young Greek God Of Walks.

The lefthand hitting Snow has a very fluid swing and is a professional gap-to-gap hitter, though he doesn’t hit for much power and his bat speed isn’t what it used to be. J.T. hit just four homers last year (a career low) and only drove in 40 runs, though he did bat an impressive .313 with runners in scoring position (RiSP). Snow should complement Youk very nicely and provide insurance should he faulter or suffer a setback due to injury.

The Red Sox should get a better On Base Percentage out of the first base position this season and a higher OPS and Batting Average, though once again there figures to be minimal power from what is traditionally a power-laden position.

Down on the farm the Red Sox have a couple of intruiging prospects, though neither Jeremy West nor Ian Bladergroen figure to make it to Boston this season.

West should begin the season at Triple-A Pawtucket after hitting .267/.340/.411/.751 in 472 at bats at AA Portland in 2005. Jeremy is a very aggressive hitter with good bat speed, though his power has yet to develop to the point that many in the organization thought it would (10 HR’s in ‘05). He also has primarily played DH in the minors, though he has dabbled at both first base and at catcher.

West should get a full year at Triple-A and receive a serious look in Spring Training next year. He still needs to work on his plate discipline and strike-zone judgment.

Ian Bladergroen was part of the deal that sent Doug Mientkiewicz to the Mets. He is a good lefthanded power-hitting prospect, in fact he may have the most raw power in the Red Sox farm system. At times he struggles with his plate discipline and putting the ball in play. Though it should probably be noted that he has missed significant time recovering from a wrist injury that he suffered in 2004.

Blade seems to be healthy again and that should make a significant difference in how high and how fast he can ascend the organizational depth chart at first base. Ian hit .240/.337/.331/.668 in 263 at bats for High-A Wilmington in 2005.

The Red Sox are taking a gamble at the big league level with Youkilis, who may be more John Olerud than Mo Vaughn with the stick. The jury is still out as to the question of, “Can Youkilis play everyday?” and “Can Youkilis play first base effectively?” Signing J.T. Snow was a very shrewd move by the front office and it may end up paying huge dividends when the 2006 baseball campaign is all said and done.

Be sure to check out Yawkey Yarns’ Spring Analysis: Catcher entry!