10/23 - Mole Day; Wake and Papi Prepare to Come Back With A Vengeance
by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Oct 23, 2009 5:00 AM EDT
in Daily Links
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It's Mole Day!!! /chemistry nerd who wishes he could have set this to publish at 6:02
Wakefield upbeat after good news - Clubhouse Insider
Wakefield looking for 200 wins - Extra Bases
Hope he can get a lot closer after next season - would be nice if he's healthy for the entire year and gets within single digits. As stupid a stat as WINZ is, it still carries a lot value among the media, meaning most fans as well.
Theo: Big Papi Will be Ready for 2010 - Fenway West
Full Count " How a Hitting Coach and Little League Saved Ortiz’ Season
"I said, ‘[Expletive] it – I’m going to play like it’s Little League." I’m serious about this. One day, I woke up and I went, ‘Okay, I guess I’ve got nothing to lose anymore. I’m way behind what I’m normally used to. I’ll go to the field today, and not do [expletive]. I’m just going to act like I’m in Little League,’" Ortiz said late in the regular season.
This explains so much - it probably came naturally to him, being the big kid that he is.
Pros & Cons: Rich Harden - The Bottom Line
He's got pretty good mechanics, so he shouldn't be having any more issues. If he's not getting much interest, he'd be a great option to look into - 28 years old (NG-approved age), good pitches, wouldn't be asked to be a front-line starter.
After the jump, it's one of our fellow SB Nation bloggers vs. a famous former Sox employee (hint: stats), and we continue the theme of the offseason, looking back and forward at the same time.
Who is the better free agent in the hot stove season, Matt Holliday or Jason Bay? And what do the Bill James projecions have to say about it?
Double connection to the Sox here: the decision between Bay and Holliday, and a look at how well one of the biggest names in sabermetrics is keeping up with the rest of his field.
The 2009 Red Sox Minor League System - Sox Tea Party
Boston is fed through their farm system and the 2009 season proved to be successful for the organization, but how does the system look going forward?
Hope the minor league coverage that USG and others have provided will help y'all recognize at least a few names.
Theo speaks on offseason, Drew, and philosophies - Full Count
Full transcript, for your critical analyzing pleasure. Any hidden messages?
Padres general manager decision may impact Red Sox trade options - Red Sox Monster
In baseball's personnel market, relationships are also important. Be it because of personal comfort, previous success or shared values, certain teams seem to make trades with the Red Sox more frequently, while others are more likely to leave a flaming bag of poo on Theo Epstein's door step (I'm looking at you, Colorado).
Pretty funny look at Hoyer's departure to San Diego and its impacts.
An MLB Infield's Greatest Offensive Season - Bleacher Report
Cool little history lesson - it'd be interesting to see if anyone can disprove the claim that this is the best though.
Odds & Ends: Parker, Okajima, Kikuchi, La Russa - MLBTradeRumors.com
- Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima has dismissed agent Peter Greenberg in favor of Boston-based Joe Rosen, according to a Japanese report passed along by NPB Tracker's Ryo Shinkawa. Shinkawa takes this as a sign Okajima wants to stay with the Red Sox. He is already under team control through 2012 as an arbitration-eligible player.
- Yusei Kikuchi's NPB-vs.-MLB decision seems to be coming within a few days, says Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker.
So my interpretation of the translation wasn't horribly wrong. Anxious about Kikuchi's decision, too - could be a good indicator of how the Dice-K effect has trickled down.
Zach Daeges looks to resume promising career following ankle surgery - projo.com
BOSTON –– Red Sox outfield prospect Zach Daeges is recovering well following ankle surgery to remove an extra bone in his foot last month, and expects that the problem that caused him to miss the entire season is behind him.
"It’s going good. I just got out of the boot the other day, so it’s going good," Daeges said from his Iowa home.
Based on Jed's situation, this means that Daeges will never amount to anything right? We should be surprised that he was even able to remove the boot without snapping his ankle?
Boston Red Sox Fans Fear a New York Yankees World Series - The Faster Times
I asked some Red Sox bloggers about how they were holding up over the possibility of the Yankees winning a World Championhip. Guess what? They're not happy.
Again, Go Phils!
I want to see Avogadro's number of comments on this post - links, comments, homework problems will all be addressed if left here.
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WTF?
You mention Every insignificant “news” in the day but not THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE? Theo’s talk with Dennis and Callahan on WEEI and how he considered that RBIs are “primitive stats”!
Here’s the link:
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2009/10/theo_offers_up.html
"Beltre, 30, is pretty inconsistent at the plate and not a very reliable fielder" Eli Greenspan in the daily dish
by bloodysock04 on Oct 23, 2009 5:09 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I was leaving that one open for you guys to discuss.
Theo speaks on offseason, Drew, and philosophies – Full Count
Full transcript, for your critical analyzing pleasure. Any hidden messages?
@bs_uf15bosox9be 12 pieces of bacon, a Red Bull, and go get 'em; Learn to use SB Nation
by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Oct 23, 2009 9:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That is not really “news” to many of us around here, and thankfully, that is not news to Theo at all.
"Ninety percent [of my salary] I'll spend on good times, women, and Irish whiskey. The other ten percent I'll probably waste."
-Tug McGraw
by BTLove on Oct 24, 2009 3:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Finally, Bloggy reads all the links and then consolidates his thoughts.
From the Harden article:
Harden has a similar build and repertoire as Jon Lester. Both guys are around 6 feet tall and a hair under 200 lbs. Both guys can wrack up the strikeouts thanks to a solid fastball and a good changeup.
I always thought Lester was bigger than that. He looks much bulkier when he’s on the mound. Camera angles and such, I guess. Anyhow, Harden is an excellent option, so long as it’s for the right price. No point in paying someone a huge chunk of money to sit on the DL coughcoughSchillingcough.
From the Epstein interview:
(On referencing Ortiz in the post-season press conference) I stated a reality is that to be the team we needs to be, David Ortiz is our DH, he needs to be a force. We’re a different team when he is a force, when he’s hitting all kinds of pitching and hitting the ball to all fields and being a really tough out and driving the ball. That’s just the reality. I’m not trying to send anybody a message. I don’t send messages to the players through the media. I talk to our players a lot about things, but I don’t send messages through the media.
Loved this. Obviously, Papi isn’t the type to think that Theo is sending him messages through the media, knows his value and role on this team, and what he has to do to get to where he needs to be.
In other news, I’m giddy about Wakefield’s return next year and would like to reiterate my preference of Holliday over Bay, within contract reason.
Goddamn that DeMarlo Hale.
by Bloggy on Oct 23, 2009 9:41 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Lester
is listed as 6-2 or 6-3 and between 200 and 225, so I don’t know where that came from. I don’t like Harden. Sure, he can K people, but he never never stays healthy and he has a Dice-K like inability to go deep in games. I can bet we would be getting a guy who throws 100 innings and goes less than 6 per game. I would rather look at Bedard and Sheets. Bedard interests me most, but will not be ready till mid season. I would try and sign him to a 2 year deal with the real possible upside of impact in 2011.
by Buzzy on Oct 23, 2009 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agree
He proved he can dominate in the AL east and I trust Tito in managing his temper in the clubhouse.
Bedard is the way to go.
"Beltre, 30, is pretty inconsistent at the plate and not a very reliable fielder" Eli Greenspan in the daily dish
by bloodysock04 on Oct 23, 2009 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Lester on Yahoo!
Ironically… Yahoo! lists Lester at 190. But I too though that seemed light – he looks bigger.
Do I expect Harden to be a 2000 IP, 200K workhorse? No. But Wake makes things tricky anyway… if he and Harden can each start 15+ games… I think we’d be pleased with the results and maybe (if you click over to the article) Harden can LEARN to stay healthy with Farrell’s help and perhaps a simpler pitch selection – see Lester on Fangraphs.
For the record… Bedard’s has averaged 5.8 innings per start in his career – not much of an upgarde from Harden.
by bottomlinesox on Oct 23, 2009 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
True
that Bedard throws a lot of pitches, but if Harden can get close to 6/start in the weak NL Central with a pitcher hitting…
by Buzzy on Oct 23, 2009 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
One other thing
in Bedard’s last fully healthy season (2007) he averaged 6.5/start while dominating in the AL East, while in Harden’s last 2 seasons in the NL Central he has failed to even go 6. Last year Harden was below 5.5/start while facing 8 hitters per lineup.
by Buzzy on Oct 23, 2009 2:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bedard's got just as many health issues as Harden.
And he’s actually got pretty bad mechanics, IIRC.
@bs_uf15bosox9be 12 pieces of bacon, a Red Bull, and go get 'em; Learn to use SB Nation
by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Oct 23, 2009 9:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I disagree:
first, they both have had injury problems. Injury problems are different than health problems. One of the big concerns with Harden is that he did not have surgery. In this regard he is still damaged, and that reflected in his poor numbers last year. Bedard may always be at risk for shoulder problems, but at least he had his labrum repaired. Simply look at the upside. Bedard pitched in the AL East in 2007 against teams that scored a huge number of runs. The Yankees in particular in 2007 were a monster offense (968 runs) yet Bedard, in 182 innings posted a 3.19 FIP/3.35 tRA. My feeling is that they are both risks of course, but with Harden I see no reason why he wont be last year’s Harden (440FIP/5tRA in the NL West!).
by Buzzy on Oct 23, 2009 9:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
the NL Central you mean?
Where Smoltz found his fountain of youth after being ROCKED by everyone but KC in the AL. If I have to take a risk, I’ll roll with Bedard.
"That was a lot of fun… You just keep pounding balls into the gap. The one thing you don’t want to do is hit a home run. That’s a rally-killer." Jeff Francoeur
by radiohix on Oct 23, 2009 10:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
True.
Hadn’t considered that.
@bs_uf15bosox9be 12 pieces of bacon, a Red Bull, and go get 'em; Learn to use SB Nation
by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Oct 23, 2009 10:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
By the way, I stopped by Pinstripe Alley just now
And, yes, it was posted by a MFY fan, but goddamn if this isn’t hilarious:
Goddamn that DeMarlo Hale.
by Bloggy on Oct 23, 2009 10:28 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
That's funny.
It makes Lackey look too good. The guys at HH were talking about just how ugly Burnett is. But how can you make such comments when your team has Lackey? He may be the singularly most ugly man in all of baseball. That triple chin, that nose, the mouth always hanging open, that mole…
by Buzzy on Oct 23, 2009 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Try watching Lackey in HD
It’s not for the faint of heart.
I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.
by Drugs Delaney on Oct 23, 2009 12:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Can you imagine if the Phillies do win?
The Yankees will spend another $150 million in the off season, trade for Haladay, start Joba in the pen and then half way through the put him in the rotation, move the outfield fence in 25 more feet. IF the Yankees don’t win the WS this season I expect Girardi, Cashman and one of the sons to be sent to Argentina to work at the Steinbrenner shipping facility.
As for Harden, I like him. He has great stuff and can really dominate but his injury risk is just WAY too high for me to feel comfortable signing him.
I have a lot of faith that Papi is going to go for it in the off season. IF this is his last season in Boston, I expect him to go out fighting. He has never backed down before.
by SoxAcumen on Oct 23, 2009 12:22 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
And they STILL wouldn't win. :)
@bs_uf15bosox9be 12 pieces of bacon, a Red Bull, and go get 'em; Learn to use SB Nation
by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Oct 23, 2009 9:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I posted this link in a different post...
…but I guess it actually belongs here, doesn’t it? Pardon the repetition:
Veteran Umps to Work World Series
Goddamn that DeMarlo Hale.
by Bloggy on Oct 23, 2009 1:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Yep, kinda the concept behind the Filter.
Share links, spread OTM, start discussions, etc.
@bs_uf15bosox9be 12 pieces of bacon, a Red Bull, and go get 'em; Learn to use SB Nation
by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Oct 23, 2009 9:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yawkey Way Academy look at Theo's talk on WEEI
"That was a lot of fun… You just keep pounding balls into the gap. The one thing you don’t want to do is hit a home run. That’s a rally-killer." Jeff Francoeur
by radiohix on Oct 23, 2009 5:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
It is pretty sad when the media blatantly ignores the methods that GMs use to evaluate players.
Perhaps Theo needs to go on a big, explanatory rant during an interview, so that we can get people to stop using RBIs as a metric for comparing players.
@bs_uf15bosox9be 12 pieces of bacon, a Red Bull, and go get 'em; Learn to use SB Nation
by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Oct 23, 2009 9:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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