April Lessons Learned

Yes, another list. But the end of a month calls for a list. I?ll look at Nine Things we have learned in April about the new-look Red Sox, whether they be a simple reminder of Big Papi?s godly prowess or a surprise in Mike Lowell trying to find first base on a throw. We?ll see. (Why nine, because that?s Ted Williams? number, and he?s God. Or maybe it?s just my version of Nine Up, Nine Down. Okay, I?ll stop.)
1. Our infield defense is very stellar
From first to third, offensive capabilities aside, Theo has put together the best Red Sox defensive infield in recent memory. Alex Gonzalez (.989 FPCT) looks very smooth at shortstop, reminding us of the Orlando Cabrera era, except Gonzo comes without a bat. Youkilis (0 E) has obviously been listening in his lessons with J.T. Snow and has an outside shot at claiming the Gold Glove in the American League. Mark Loretta, again, has proven to me he can flash the leather at second with a great double play turn and slick dives. And while Mike Lowell has struggled a bit as of late, the guy is still widely known as one of the top fielding third basemen in the league and will step it up. Somewhere, Derek Lowe is fuming.
2. Kevin Youkilis is the MVP of this team
Slightly edging out David Ortiz is Youk. He’s finally getting a chance everyday after making so many trips to Pawtucket I?m shocked his head didn?t explode. A line of .317/.426/.439 out of the leadoff spot, I?ll freaking take it. If Get Back Loretta continues to crap all over himself in the batters box, we could see the polar opposite of Mark Bellhorn hitting second for us this season. Just in the last three games, Youk has walked six times at the top of that lineup. And while he may not be shredding the ball like the first two weeks of the season, he?s been desperately needed by the Red Sox and has delivered thus far.
3. The bottom of the order/bench is an offensive disaster
Yeah, I realize Crisp is out, and that minimizes the strength top-to-bottom, but it doesn?t take away the fact nobody has really stepped up. Varitek displayed Captain material last night, but a line of .250/.350/.368, ehh. Pena is hitting .273/.347/.500, but has struck out 17 times in 44 at-bats, and I believe this is his best ratio all year. Alex Gonzalez racks in at a lofty .179/.273/.224, reminding Sox fans of the Cesar Crespo era. The bench production has been gawd-awful, forcing Pena to stay full-time in centerfield, something that will surely come back to haunt as. Mohr (.179, 3 RBI), Harris (.067, not a typo) and Snow (.158) and Cora (.200) have been near pathetic with the bat. I thought this would be a strong bench, too. How?s Gabe Kapler doing? (never thought I?d have to say that)
4. Alex Gonzalez can?t hit?is Miguel Tejada still available?
I?ll be patient with Gonzalez, I really will. But apart from that Friday night game with Seattle, he looks lost at the plate. Signing Gonzalez, I expected a nice little spark at the bottom of the order, maybe .240 with 20 HR at the end of the year. Or in the ballpark of .250 with 7 HR, either one works. But .179 with 0 HR after a full month? Is this just a really bad slump, or is Gonzalez finished for good? I?ll give him until the end of May to get over the Mendoza Line with some Monster shots before bombarding Theo will phone calls. I?m willing to give up the defense.
5. Theo Epstein moves are not paying off
We all love Theo, I realized that when I wasn?t driving needles into my head when he resigned and everyone else was at the point of suicide. Compared to the other incompetent GM?s in baseball, Theo is a luxury. But his recent transactions have been lackluster. He signed Alex Gonzalez this winter, but that began with a chain of events proceeded by Rent-A-Wreck and a failure to negotiate with Orlando Cabrera, who just happened to be a centerpiece on the WS team, defensive stud and cheaper than other options. Oh, he?s also hitting .283 with 16 RBI right now. While Mike Lowell has been halfway decent at third, Bill Mueller needed to be retained and Lowell traded following the Beckett deal. Trade him for a minor leaguer like you did with Mientkewicz, hell if I care. Plus, I could use Billy’s line of .301/.410/.458 right now. And the Arroyo/Pena trade I can?t fully criticize because A) the NL is triple-A compared to the AL and B) we need Pena right now in center, but you can?t escape the fact Arroyo is 4-0 and Lenny DiNardo is our fifth starter. These are all moves I was for when they happened, so I?m not some guy whining after the fact.
Bottom line: We could be in a much better situation than we are right now.
6. Let?s just say Terry Francona can?t manage a bullpen
Besides the fact he?s stubborn with pinch-hitters and sticks with struggling players about a week too long, Terry has had issues with the bullpen. Okay, Rudy Seanez sucks, and he always will in a Boston uniform, especially against a lefty Lyle Overbay with the game on the line. It?s inevitable Overbay crushes one in the gap. But yet he was a huge factor in costing us that Toronto game by pulling Keith Foulke after he was screwed by the umpire, and bringing in Seanez and his 9.00 ERA. And what?s up with Tito refusing to bring Papelbon in for the eighth? He is, by far, our best pitcher in the bullpen, and yet using him for five outs is completely foreign to Tito. Oh well, at least he?s not making Schilling throw too many pitches.
But I?m nitpicking. I love Tito.
7. The American League is still wide open
Right now, the Indians are my World Series favorite and they?re in third place. And okay, I?m officially scared of the White Sox, but my explanation goes no further than ?it just won?t happen again.? I really love the Indians order with the Beast Known As Travis Hafner (Papelbon made him look silly, by the way) and Victor Martinez. But that pitching staff can be beaten. You know the Yankees will make a push. The Tigers spurt won?t last because Skip Bayless picked them and he?s best pals with Satan. The West looks downright horrific right now, with the leader at 12-12. Judging by our month of April, the White Sox, Tribe and Skanks are heavier favorites than the Sox right now, but that can all change.
8. The season depends on pitching
We probably knew this already, but now it?s official. The Sox rank 17th in MLB in offensive production, hitting .258 with an OPS of .766. In the last seven days, the Sox are hitting .264 with a .787 OPS. Average, not great like the past three years. Remember that series last September at home against Tampa, where the Sox fell behind 3-0, 4-0 or 5-0 every game in the first few innings due to the terrible starting pitching, but always found a way to win these crucial games with a parade of runs? That era is long gone in Red Sox baseball. In the first seven games of the current road trip, the hitters are 12-for-75 (.160) with runners in scoring position, another frustrating problem.
9. The minor league system has bullpen help on the horizon
Delcarmen BOS: 1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 21.60 ERA
Van Buren BOS: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1.00 ERA.
Delcarmen AAA: 10 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K, 0.00 ERA
Van Buren AAA: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 0.00 ERA
Meredith AAA: 12.1 IP, 13 H, 8 ER, 5 BB, 14 K, 5.11 ERA
Hansen AAA: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 0.00 ERA
Martinez AA: 12.2 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 17 K, 2.13 ERA
Hansen AA: 11 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 12 K, 0.82 ERA
Evan covered this:
We have five nice arms in the minors right now who can come up in a pinch if need and provide relief. This is pretty good depth, and even if some of our current relievers don?t pan out, this enables us to not worry too much about the bullpen because of the options afforded us.
Delcarmen is a better pitcher than his stats, and Hansen was just promoted to AAA. Sean O had a great comment in my previous article regarding the bullpen:
I love the idea of having so many bullpen arms that, even though we’re the Red Sox, at least a few of them have to succeed. Who would’ve thought Seanez would have a good year last year? We just need to get away from the Seanez and Tavarez signing method, since relievers are too iffy to sign to big deals unless they’re aces. Otherwise, I couldn’t be happier with the bullpen situation currently.
Couldn?t agree more. It?s nice having veteran middle relievers in the pen, and I don?t disagree that much with the Tavarez signing, but there?s so much depth in the bullpen that hopefully this is the last year we make these moves. Hansen will be ready, Papelbon will be coming off a monster season, Martinez should get the call, Alvarez possibly, and of course Timlin, Foulke and DiNardo. Moves like Mike Remlinger and Terry Adams will go unneeded this year.
The Sox sit at 14-10, 1 up on the Yanks and Jays. Big game today with that fella Kazmir on the mound for Tampa, you maybe have heard of him. Wake up the bats!