A Good Sign

I get most of my Red Sox information from The Boston Globe (I’ve tried the Boston Herald, but I like The Globe’s style more). There’s a running blog on The Globe’s website that I really enjoy called “Extra Bases;” and in an ideal world, updating that blog would be my job. Peter Abraham does a terrific job of reporting on all kinds of Red Sox stories from players to games to management to entertainment at Fenway Park to how John Henry’s European soccer team is having its own issues. Abraham has been in Ft. Myer’s since after the Super Bowl, and he’s noted a few early arrivals who have shown up to camp. Players who don’t have to report yet and who are there to start the season are always a good sign. It’s their job; and like most jobs, showing the boss you’re willing to show up earlier than required always looks impressive.

Some of the players who show up early are recovering from injury, like Rich Hill who looked really impressive last year before throwing out his arm. Other players are there to just work out without the microscope of tons of fans and media, which will be there in a week. Jon Lester fits into this category, and Abraham is reporting his stuff looks really impressive for this early in Spring Training.

The fact that Jon Lester has already arrived at Spring Training is another good sign. Lester was part of the “Chicken and Beer” club from last season, and while I try not to dwell on this issue since I don’t believe it caused the demise of the 2011 Red Sox, Lester is the leader of the pitchers (I could say co-leader since I still think Josh Beckett could fit into this category). Lester needed to be the one to show he was willing to work, work hard, work early, and work with the new manager (Valentine is reportedly going to be coming to Spring Training today).

Other early arrivals that also impressed me were Adrian Gonzalez and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Gonzalez and Salty had great years last year, but there were still things they needed to work on. Gonzalez’s power numbers slid after the All-Star Break last year, and that could be attributed to numerous things from recovering from his shoulder surgery in 2010, participating in the Home Run Derby, or just natural fall-off. Salty’s production, while average for a catcher (let’s face it, not every catcher hits above .250 while still being good behind the plate), can and should improve. Salty’s 26, almost 27; he’s in his prime.

With a new manager in tow, players showing up early is great to see. It means they’re ready to work, focusing on the future and not the past. Last year, many people predicted the Red Sox to win the World Series based on their line-up and pitching. Not much as changed (though not having a set shortstop or right-fielder is still a mystery to me), so we shouldn’t count the Sox out this year.

UPDATE: I originally started writing this post yesterday. Today, it was reported that Josh Beckett had also shown up to Spring Training early. The fact that Beckett, who has made it known that he works at his own pace (flashbacks to Valentine’s comments on the August 7, 2011 game about how Beckett could drag out a game 8-9 hours come to mind). Beckett showing up early shows that he’s ready to put last year behind him and concentrate on improving this year (though it is worth noting that Beckett arguably had the best season out of the starting pitchers last year).