Monday 15 June 2015

The Boston Red Sox.....

Much has happened to this storied franchise over the years, but I don't think I've ever seen such a comedy of errors in such a small space of time before. Sure, errors happen to every club, and most players, but I've never seen them grow in frequency and each one more embarrassing [to look at] and probably be a part of, than the last .

There seems to be too many egos in the locker room, and although it's nice to see a homecoming, I'm not entirely sure the winter hot stove was handled anywhere near the correct way.

Winter Incomings - Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval,Rick Porcello, Wade Miley, Justin Masterson, Robbie Ross, Alexi Ogando, Ryan Hanigan
Winter Outgoings - Jon Lester , Will Middlebrooks, Yeonis Cespedes, Alex Wilson, Anthony Ranaudo, Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster.

[This list includes most of the players leaving/ arriving though there are some I haven't mentioned].

At first glance you might like the incoming players more than the outgoings, although closer analysis reveals the Red Sox [Cherrington] didn't fill needs, just took what they wanted with an open cheque book resulting in $95M and $88M on Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez alone. The Sox didn't actually NEED Ramirez or Sandoval, they WANTED them. I can see that a 3rd baseman might have been needed, but I would have liked to have seen promotion from within [if applicable] perhaps using a player like Bogaerts shifting across in the Spring to see what might be needed longer term. Hanley is an entirely different situation, with the same sentiment, un-neccessary [at least to play him in an unfamiliar context. I think it might have been acceptable [now] if he was being played at short although I do think that would have caused problems too. While everything [for now] appears to be working itself out, this team isn't as strong as it could be. I do think two players whose names will be first on the team sheet is 2Bman Dustin Pedroia, who appears to be fully healthy and very reliable defensively [which was never an issue] and CF Mookie Betts [who could be a star of the future].

It's becoming more clear that Victorino might never top 2013 in his career [particularly his post season grand slam], and his career in Boston is getting shorter, not least because of his ongoing, more frequent injury problems. It's good to see Rusney Castillo getting an extended look, although he'd be the one I'd have used at LF instead of signing up Hanley Ramirez which could in turn have freed up JBJ [Jackie Bradley Jr] to play RF, or place him in CF and have Mookie patrolling RF. Either way, has to be better than a [second] fumbling player called Ramirez in the OF right ?

This leads me on to pitching. I believe that Boston knew it wouldn't be resigning Jon Lester, at ANY price last year, so trading him was the correct move, in order to try to build for 2015, however trading away those pieces could have been a detriment. However, in knowing about the desire to go elsewhere, surely that could have meant they could go harder in an area of need instead of leaving it on the back burner, to go out, make a few signings to in my view, "appease for the loss of key players". I'm constantly reminded of the film [and book] 'Moneyball' in which the Oakland Athletics tried to reinvent the game of baseball, or the way in which it was played.
Of course, it's likely that taking this approach would always end in frustration if it didn't work, so I write the following to Boston Red Sox, Ben Cherrington et al associated with the club currently

Dear all.
While winning baseballs World Series is one of the greatest feelings a professional baseball athlete will ever experience, for its fans it's pretty magical too, however most fans are aware that no team can win every year. I feel compelled to write this letter directed at the upper management most of all as I feel its their blundering about which has caused this pantomime show otherwise known as the Boston Red Sox. I don't know how entertained you are by watching pop ups land in between a cluster of fielders, or watching players run into each other, with seemingly no communication on other pop ups, but I'm tired [Not least because I get to stay up until 3 am to watch games, given I live in the land of the United Kingdom [in England], of it. I don't want to see the wrong people getting the brunt of the fan hate here, and I ask that something is done, and soon. There are worse teams [records] that play better more aesthetically pleasing baseball, but just get beaten by the better team on the day, of late the Sox have been beating themselves and it has to change, Now. I ask, have a look at the structure of the team and fix it . It's not [yet] too late and this team can be great but it definitely cannot go on on the way it has been.
Thanks for reading, I hope to see some real positive changes soon.



No comments:

Post a Comment