It's Finally Baseball Season

After a disappointing 27-13 loss by the Patriots in the AFC Divisional Game against the Denver Broncos on Saturday, it's officially baseball season. Let's not talk about the fumbles. Let's not talk about the bad calls by the referees. We'll get 'em next year.

Time to forget about the Tom Bradys, the Tedy Bruschis and the Vince Wilforks until next August. It's time for the David Ortizs, the Jason Variteks and the Trot Nixons.

I feel refreshed already. Baseball is great. I love baseball.

To get everyone's mind off of the Patriots game, let's talk about our new starting second baseman, Mark Loretta.

Loretta has only been the property of the Red Sox for a little over a month now, but I already like this guy and what he brings to the team. He's a true player who just goes out and does his job. He doesn't need to jab his mouth or wear his hat crooked to get attention. He's a true baseball player, just like our missed 3B Bill Mueller.

In this RedSox.com article, Jed Hoyer says "Mark didn't know this, but we've wanted him for a long time. Mark fits our style perfectly the way he grinds out at-bats." Is this true? Let's find out.

I decided to do some research on this matter. I went to Baseball Reference and found the most similar players to Loretta. I had some interesting results, even though my research really has no significance about anything at all. Here's what I found:

Eight of the ten batters either played second base or were a Boston Red Sox. The majority being second basemen that split time with other infield positions. Another oddity: Avila, Lansing, Hale, and Friberg all played their last season in Boston.  Like I said, though, this really has nothing to do with anything. It's just an interesting little fact that I was able to stumble upon. It's some random knowledge that you can add to your arsenal.

Back in May, Marc Normandin from Beyond the Boxscore said this about Loretta:

Consistency is something the Red Sox need, and Loretta seems to be Mr. Consistent. He bats for average and enjoys hitting the two-bagger. He'll be doing a lot of that in a park made for extra-base hits. He should a few home runs, also. I'm predicting around ten, unless we see another power surge from his bat.

I'm expecting a great year from Loretta in Boston this season. He may not hit .350, but he's going to be a great addition to a lineup that has seen the loss of staples like Bill Mueller and Johnny Damon. He'll fit in like he's been a part of the team for ten years, and he'll play the same.