All-Star Break Awards

It’s the All-Star Break, which means the Home Run Derby tonight, the All-Star Game is tomorrow, and no baseball on Wednesday (and Thursday for the Red Sox).  It also marks the unofficial halfway point in the season, so I thought a glance at some “Red Sox Award Candidates” would do us well.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but I could use a little break myself after a busy weekend.

The Red Sox currently sit at 59-39, first place in the division, and 2.5 games up on the surging Rays.  They have the best record in the American League, third best record in the Majors (behind the Cardinals and Pirates), and the most wins in the game.  They faltered a bit on the West Coast, but that seems to be a common problem from year to year.  They’ll start the second half Friday with a series at Fenway Park against the Yankees.

Mid-Season MVP: Dustin Pedroia*

What doesn’t Pedroia do well?  He’s batting .316 with 6 home runs, 1 Triple, 25 doubles, 56 RBIs, and 13 steals.  He has walked 51 times while striking out 49.  His defense is impeccable.  While he more than likely won’t win the AL MVP this season, he should be in line to win the Red Sox MVP.

Mid-Season Cy Young:  Clay Buchholz*

He hasn’t pitched since June 8^th; but when he was pitching, Buchholz dominated.  He has a 9-0 record in 12 starts, and the team is 11-1 in those starts.  His ERA sits at 1.71, and his WHIP is 1.020.  He has 81 strikeouts for the season, gave away 29 walks, and 2 home runs.  If Buchholz can come back after the All-Star Break (sooner, rather than later we hope, since he has yet to make a rehab start) and dominate like he did before being injured, the rotation is looking mighty good.

Mid-Season Silver Slugger: David Ortiz**

David Ortiz has been ordinary Big Papi this season.  After missing most of the first month with injuries, he hasn’t looked back.  He’s hitting .317, has a .402 OBP, .and a .606 slugging percentage.  He leads the team in home runs (19) and RBIs (65).  Surprisingly, Ortiz has shown he has speed this season: he has 2 Triples (third highest on the team behind Ellsbury-7 and Drew-6), and he has 3 steals (fourth highest on the team behind Ellsbury-36, Pedroia-13, and Victorino-11).

Mid-Season Rookie of the Year: Jose Iglesias

Finally, we’re seeing the Jose Iglesias we were promised.  His defense has always been there; he seems to float at times.  But his bat!  In 52 games, he’s batting .367 with 66 hits, 10 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, and 2 stolen bases.  He seems to pull infield singles out of his hat.  If this is the Iglesias we’ll get to watch for seasons to come, I can’t wait.

Mid-Season Comeback Player: John Lackey

I admit, I was very negative of Lackey for many years.  Really, how could a critic/fan not be?  2010 his ERA was 4.40.  2011 his ERA was 6.41, the highest ERA in Red Sox history for a starter.  2011 also brought a lot of ill from fans because of his demeanor, his divorce from his wife, and his inclusion in the “beer and chick brigade.”  In 2012, Lackey had Tommy John surgery and didn’t pitch, and I think some fans forgot he was even on the team.  2013 has been a wonderful season for Lackey though.

Lackey showed up to Spring Training looking noticeably trimmer, and the most athletic I’ve seen him look in… probably ever.  This season he has a 7-6 record, but don’t let that fool you.  His ERA is 2.78, and his WHIP is 1.136, the lowest of his career.  He’s struck out 93 while walking 23.  He appears to be a leader in the clubhouse, and we’ve even seen him smile at times.  Honestly, I don’t know if Lackey ever smiled for the public to see prior to this season.

I also have to hand it to John Farrell.  Not only has he managed this team to being the best in the American League, he has also repaired the Red Sox image.  After September of 2011 and the 2012 season, many people (critics, fans, former fans, etc.) didn’t think the Red Sox would amount to much this season and were tired of the prima donna attitudes some of the players seemed to have. 

Farrell fixed all that.  He appears to be on his way to winning the AL Manager of the Year Award.  This team is fun to watch again, they smile and joke with each other, and they are playing fantastic baseball.  Let’s hope this team can keep it up!

* Indicates made the AL All-Star Team

** Indicates made the team AL All-Star Team as a starter

Twitter Friday

As you may have noticed by the title to this post, I've decided to rename my Twitter posts simply "Twitter Friday."  It's simple, classic, and more mature.  With that said, let's get to this week's Tweets:

7/5

7/6

7/7

7/8

7/9

7/10

7/11

And this week's Tweet of the Week:

I Am A Sentimental Red Sox Fan

I’ve become very sentimental these past few weeks.  I’m not sure if it’s because of the move to Connecticut, my boyfriend moving before me (he leaves Friday), my high school reunion coming up this weekend, or what.  I’ve been making my boyfriend go to “our places” for meals the last week or so.  My friend and I decided yesterday to go The Package concert (New Kids on the Block, 98 Degrees, and Boyz II Men) next week.  I also found two boxes of old pictures that I can’t wait to dive into and place the photos in nice, new albums.

I think everyone becomes extra sentimental from time to time.  There are certain things that just resonate with people.  While going through my “great purge” the last few weeks, there are certain things I found myself not being able to part with.  I have items of clothing that I can’t get rid of, even though that piece may not even fit. 

That piece of clothing: a green, Red Sox shirt that says “Green Monster” on it.  Now, in the past when I was ready to get rid of Red Sox clothing, I usually asked one of my younger cousins if they wanted it.  My family sort of has a rule that you’re not allowed to throw away anything Red Sox related (within reason, of course).  But, this particular shirt was way too small for me, and I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t fit any of my cousins. 

I put the shirt in the garage sale pile last week, as I figured someone may want it.  My mom saw the shirt in the pile and told me she wanted to keep it.  I asked her why, since it didn’t fit me.  She said she wanted to keep it in my dog’s kennel when I moved away, so my dog would have something with my scent on it.

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but my dog’s name is Fenway Parker.  He’s adorable, see:

 

Unfortunately, with the move, I will not be taking Fenway with me.  I thought about it long and hard, and my boyfriend said we could find an apartment that allowed pets.  But, I didn’t think it would be fair to Fenway.  I don’t know what kind of job I’ll have in Connecticut, and there’s no way Fenway could go 8-9 hours without being let out during the day.  Besides, I couldn’t take him away from the only home he knows, a yard he can run around in, and the other people he’s used to.  Instead, Fenway will have my Green Monster shirt, which seems appropriate.

There were other items of Red Sox apparel I decided not to bring with me, which I’m pretty sure are either in the garage sale piles or they’ve been snatched by someone in my family (my sister-in-law or future sister-in-law, possibly).  There were t-shirts, sweatshirts, and even a Red Sox purse.

I had a pink Johnny Damon t-shirt that my dad brought back for me from Boston in 2004.  It had a lot of meaning to me since it was from my dad, Damon was my favorite player at the time, and 2004 was the Red Sox won the World Series.  When Damon signed with the dreaded Yankees, I stopped wearing that shirt in public, and it became part of my pajamas.  Even being regulated to “night-time wear,” I still couldn’t force myself to wear the shirt very much (mostly because it was pale pink, and I’m not a fan of the color).  So, that was a shirt I had to get rid of in the purge.

As I mentioned above, there are certain items I just can’t force myself to toss.  I have a red shirt that reads in white writing “Red Sox” in the front and “Trot” and “7” in the back.  While this has also become a pajama shirt, I can’t get rid of it.  I also have a Lowell and two Varitek shirts that I still wear on a regular basis.  (As far as player shirts go, I still have Pedroia, Lester, and Ellsbury that are current players.  Beckett had to go as well.)

I’m the person who wears Red Sox players shirts depending on who’s pitching, who’s hot (at the plate), and other factors.  I wore my “Fenway Park” shirt on the 100^th Anniversary of Fenway Park opening last year.  I wear a Red Sox shirt on opening day every year.  I even went years wearing one of those Red Sox baseball stitching bracelets.  I’m that person.

I know some people may be reading this post and thinking what’s the big deal?  It’s just clothing.  It’s not to me.  These clothes are a part me because I associate them with my love of the Red Sox, my family, my friends (the Red Sox fans and even those who aren’t), good times, and my history.  The Red Sox are a big part of my life, and I’m proud to be a Red Sox fan and show it.

Also, make sure to keep voting for Koji Uehara for the All-Star Final Vote.  At last count, he was in third place.  You can vote here.

More Thoughts on the Trade Market

I hope everyone had a great weekend; I know I did!  My family had a garage/moving sale Thursday and Friday, and I made out pretty well.  We’re having it again this coming Friday and Saturday, and I hope to do even better.  Every little bit will help in my move to Connecticut.  Saturday, I went wedding dress shopping with my brother’s fiancée, which was a lot of fun.  Yesterday, we packed up all my boyfriend’s belongings into a UHaul U-Box, and it was much like a Tetris game to make everything fit.  Plus, I was able to get some of my things in it as well.  Most of my winter clothes are in that box; so there’s either no backing out now or I’ll have to buy new clothes

For the Red Sox re-cap, the Angels took 2 of 3 from the Sox this weekend.  The Red Sox won the first game, and they should’ve won the second game.  When you have a 4-run lead in the bottom of the 9^th with only one on and 2 outs, you should really win those games.  But, the Red Sox lost that game and lost Andrew Miller to the disabled list.  With the bases loaded (Miller’s doing), Uehara game in to try and shut it down.  He left the 9^th inning with a blown save and let four runs score to tie the game 7-7.  Josh Hamilton hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the 11^th, and the Red Sox fell.  Lackey got the loss in last night’s game despite pitching extremely well (2 runs in 7.0 innings with 9 strikeouts.  His ERA is now 2.80).

But, back to the topic of the trade market for the Red Sox.  They need fresh relievers, maybe now more than ever with Miller out.  (An aside, Miller is out with a sprain, but it may be more serious than that.  They’re going to run tests on him, and we should have more information after that).  Farrell’s been relying on Tazawa and Uehara maybe a little too much, and they’re starting to show wear.

Again, I think obtaining a closer may be the best solution at this point.  The team can move Uehara back to the set-up role, and Tazawa could pitch the 7th inning  At this point, Bailey’s a nice reliever to have pitch when things aren’t critical (either up or down by 3+ runs, in my opinion).  Aceves is a force in the bullpen, but he could also be a good trade chip.

The Red Sox have been linked to Matt Garza of the Cubs, but I’m not sure a starter is the best solution now.  Buchholz is going to be having reahab starts probably by the end of the week, and should be back around July 24^th.  Lackey’s been the key to this pitching staff for most of the season.  Doubront and Dempster have been consistent the past month or more, and Lester had a good outing his last time.  Really, Lester is the only piece of the starting rotation that concerns me, and that’s really hard for me to say.

I know the Red Sox would like an upgrade at 3^rd base, but I’m not sure it’ll be worth the price.  Iglesias has pretty much won the starting shortstop position, and Middlebrooks has been hitting extremely well in Triple-A (last I saw, he had a .304 average and many RBIS- including 8 in one game, which set a record).  The Sox could always bring Middlebrooks back up.

Personally, if I was the General Manager, I would try to keep as many of the changes internal, if possible.  The Sox don’t want to trade away the farm for a deal that may only improve them this season.  The Red Sox have a good prospect at shortstop (Xander Bogaerts), who some are saying could switch to third base.  Middlebrooks could play first base (he even started to practice playing first base before being demoted).  An infield of Middlebrooks, Pedroia, Iglesias, and Bogaerts could be very interesting.

Well, people, that’s all I have for now.  As the rumors and trades pick up, I’ll be sure to update the blog.  Also, if you weren’t aware, Manny Ramirez signed a minor league deal with the Rangers last week.  With Cruz possibly being disciplined to some extent in the Biogenesis stuff, I’m sure Manny will be back in the Majors. 

One last note, David Ortiz (starting DH), Clay Buchholz, and Dustin Pedroia were named to the All-Star team.  Kojo Uehara is in the final vote, so remember to vote for him.  Vote #HighFiveCiti here.

My All-Star Team Voting Card

I caved and voted for the All-Star Game, despite my feelings about letting the fans vote. I only voted for one reason too, and his name is Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Among qualifying American League catchers, Salty ranks 1st in Home Runs (13), is tied for 3rd in RBIs (34), 4th with Batting Average (.254), is tied for 5th in Runs (29). He has been a clutch performer for the Red Sox, even hitting his first, pinch-hit, walk-off home run against the Rays in May. He’s proven himself an All-Star, and it’s a shame that people are not recognizing this.

Saltalamacchia has a lot to overcome if he’s to be voted in by the fans. Mike Napoli of the Rangers leads with 2,239,047 votes, followed by Joe Mauer (Twins), Matt Wieters (Orioles), A.J. Pierzynski (White Sox), and Russell Martin (Yankees).

Let’s compare the stats of these six catchers:

Saltalamacchia:  .254 BA, 29 Runs, 13 HRs, 34 RBIs, 0 SB
Napoli:                .245 BA, 34 Runs, 12 HRs, 30 RBIs, 0 SB
Mauer:                .323 BA, 34 Runs, 3 HRs, 34 RBIs, 3 SB
Wieters:              .254 BA, 31 Runs, 10 HRs, 34 RBIs, 0 SB
Pierzynski:         .284 BA, 33 Runs, 12 HRs, 41 RBIs, 0 SB
Martin:               .197 BA, 21 Runs, 8 HRs, 21 RBIs, 1 SB

Obviously, Napoli’s votes are coming a lot from popularity votes; he’s the catcher for the Rangers who have made the World Series the past two seasons. He has production, but I don’t feel his performance warrants being the number one choice for catcher.

Mauer has the highest batting average, but he’s spent 32 games at catcher, 17 games at DH, and 13 games at first base. Is he really the best catcher of the bunch then? I like Mauer too and want to see him succeed after his injuries the past few seasons. I also believe he’s a better option at catcher than Napoli.

As much as I do not like Pierzynski, he seems to be the best candidate for starter out of this group. His batting average is the second highest of the bunch, and he’s producing either the best or close to the best in the other categories.

Wieters and Salty’s numbers are pretty much identical in every category- same batting average, same amount of RBIs and stolen bases. The only real difference is Wieters has two more runs, and Salty has three more home runs.

Russell Martin does not deserve to even be considered an All-Star with those numbers. That may sound a bit harsh, but it’s true. The only reason why he ranks 5th for catchers is because he’s on the Yankees. It’s not right.

So, I voted for the All-Star Game. In all categories, I tried to vote for the player I thought deserved the honor the most. Obviously, I did have to make some tough decisions, that I will justify for the American League. For the National League, I looked at the stats that the All-Star Voting website provided and chose the one I thought was having the most productive year.

American League
1B - Konerko, Paul (leads league in batting average)
2B - Pedroia, Dustin (he ranks 3rd in the category, but I couldn’t vote for either Ian Kinsler or Robinson Cano)
SS - Andrus, Elvis (seems to be the best option at shortstop based on production)
3B - N/A
C - Saltalamacchia, Jarrod (please see above reasons)
DH - Ortiz, David (really seems to be the best, legit designated hitter)
OF - Bautista, Jose (batting average is down this year, but he’s still crushing the ball when he hits it)
OF - Hamilton, Josh (do I really need to explain)
OF - Jones, Adam (young star who is producing)
Write-in - Will Middlebrooks (I had to. I was going to vote for Adrian Beltre at 3rd, but he’s pretty much running away with the votes at that position)

National League
1B - Votto, Joey
2B - Hill, Aaron
SS - Tulowitzki, Troy
3B - Wright, David
C - Ruiz, Carlos
OF - Beltran, Carlos
OF - Kemp, Matt
OF - McCutchen, Andrew
Write-in - N/A

As far as Saltalamacchia is concerned, I can only hope that Ron Washington chooses him for the game. Salty came from the Rangers to the Red Sox, so he has a connection. If Salty is not chosen, I fear that the Red Sox will only have one All-Star on the team, being David Ortiz.

Potential All-Stars

All-Star voting is underway, with the final day for voting June 28th. I don’t usually vote for the All-Star game because people can start voting in April/May for that year’s All-Star. Someone who is having an “All-Star Season” in May may not be having an “All-Star Season” in June/July. People like Derek Jeter (who I like) and Chipper Jones (who I think should’ve retired years ago) get voted into the game even without any type of All-Star stats. Plus, every year players who were voted in decide not to play the game (which won’t be happening this year, according the MLB officials), and the third-fourth-fifth string All-Stars get put into the game. It’s all politics. I know baseball is a game of politics (even in Little League), but I like the game when it’s pure.

In our local paper this morning, there was an article about our local Single-A affiliate having four All-Stars. I read the headline again because it seems way too early for an All-Star game, but it must be about the time. I started to think about which of the Red Sox players have the best chance at making the All-Star team this year.

David Ortiz (DH)- Ortiz has the best shot out of any player on the Red Sox to make the All-Star team. He’s one of the remaining, true designated hitters. Currently, Ortiz is 7 th among AL hitters in Batting Average (.315), 8th in OBP (.391), 4th in Slugging (.596), 8th in Home Runs (13), and 6th in RBIs (37). He’ll be voted in for the starting DH.

Dustin Pedroia (2B)- Pedroia leads AL second basemen in batting average (.294), and his other stats (HRs, RBIs, runs, SBs) are not as impressive among the other second basemen. Pedroia usually heats up in June/July, but no one knows what his production will be like after coming off his thumb injury. My guess is Pedroia won’t be voted in for the starting second baseman, but he will be an All-Star.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia (C)- I think Salty deserves to be an All-Star this year, but I’m not sure if he will be voted in. Joe Mauer and AJ Pierzynski are both having great offensive years. Those two, and Mike Napoli, are better known catchers too. But, you cannot deny Salty’s production this year, as well as his work behind the plate. I think Salty will be an All-Star (even if he’s selected as 3rd string by Ron Washington).

Mike Aviles (SS)- My wildcard position player is Mike Aviles. He has stepped up mightily this year, and I think he should be chosen as an All-Star because of it. Among vote-able AL shortstops, he ranks 2nd in BA (.265), 2nd in runs (30), 2nd in HRs (8), 1st in RBIs (32), and 4th in SBs (6). His defense has been pretty solid this year as well, and he’s emerged from the black-hole known as Red Sox shortstop. I think he deserves to be an All-Star this year.

As far as pitching goes, I don’t think any of the starters will make it to the All-Star game this year. The only one who has any chance is Felix Doubront. He has 6-2 record and a 3.75 ERA. His ERA seems to be shrinking with every start, and he’s only 24 years old. If he doesn’t make the All-Star team this year, he will make it in the future.

Scott Atchison deserves to make the All-Star team. In 31.1 innings of work this season, he has a .86 ERA and a .926 WHIP. He has been the Red Sox most reliable reliever, and that’s saying something considering the Sox’s bullpen as turned into one of its strengths.

Of course, these are just my opinions. No one will know who the All-Stars will be until they are announced they’re announced in July. We’ll see how many Red Sox players are actually All-Stars this season.