March 20, 2015

Red Sox Rundown - Perspective, People!




Do me a favor. Cue this video below up to the 1:47 mark and listen to a guy who knows what he's taking about with regards to Spring Training. Vin is my all time favorite broadcaster and has seen a ton of baseball along with many Hall of Famers. He has forgotten more about baseball than many of these reporters actually know that have been speculating on the fortunes of the Red Sox.




Hey, I get it. These guys are just doing their jobs and have deadlines to meet. I do really envy their jobs covering the teams and the reports on the games with regards to stats, and the interviews with the players are much appreciated. But some of what has been relayed this spring amounts to plenty of handwringing and gossip. 

Let's start with Nick Carfardo and his article on how Boston is playing it risky waiting to deal for Cole Hamels. It's not rocket science, Nick. Boston has to find out if Christian Vazquez can hit, and until they do, Swihart doesn't go anywhere in any type of deal. If Vazquez can hit .240ish and may hit 10 dingers, drive in 45 runs and have an OBP of around .330, he can play with this team for a long time. We all know he is a league of his own on the defensive side of things, and I still think the real prize is Johnny Cueto who, along with David Price and Hamels, could be available at the trade deadline. 

Then we have  Alex Speier, who I really enjoy reading, speculating in his newsletter that Rusney Castillo's acceptance of starting the year in Triple A is indicative of a player who doesn't wish to excel. Why would he want to play if he isn't ready? The guy was hurt and obviously is missing the necessary reps to be ready for the season. In case anyone is wondering, this is a very hard game to play and hitting a baseball is among one of the most difficult things to do in sports. And what does Rusney do today in his first at bat? Yep, drills a three run homer!

Also, it was noted today that Justin Masterson fastball has apparently diminished to a point where we should abandon him altogether. As pointed out in the tweet below, he seems to still be doing what he was acquired to do.
Ok, he isn't missing many bats, and apparently according to a one scout, his ball is moving side to side instead of down. So, there's no time to correct that? He only surrendered 1 ER in a Baltimore beatdown today. There's no question that when results are bad, they are fodder for speculation and amusement but it's the middle of March. Take a beat, folks!
Setting the negativity aside for the moment, the same goes for the much heralded successes of the spring. Cautious optimism needs to be meted out in the case of this year's "Mr. March", Mookie Betts. I love what I've been seeing from the rookie, and he seems to be a lock at the top of the order come April. Just keep in mind that Xander Bogaerts came on board in the championship season of 2013 and hit .296 in the playoffs. Many were poised for an all star season for the "X Man" last year. We all know what happened. The word is adjustments, and pitchers make them constantly. Scouts and coaches sift through every at bat looking for holes in the swing or a weakness for a certain type of pitch. Rob Bradford thinks that Boston should start thinking about ponying up money in the form of an extension for the spring training numbers. What if they did that for Will Middlebrooks?

 I don't think Mookie is destined to be a Spring Training flame out like these guys but as Mookie himself said:

 "I still have to go out there and play and get to that point. I'm not there yet so I haven't had a whole lot of time to think about it."

 One of the links I came across had me smiling when I think of the amazing bargain basement price we'll pay for Betts which is a tad over half a million. Some things never change, huh?

 All in all, I do believe we are fortunate that, in this day and age, we have access to a bevy of information on our favorite players and teams. Interpretations sell newspapers and gain likes or views, but the shear amount of information can sometimes be overzealous. As the great George Carlin once said:
“Some people see the glass half full. Others see it half empty.
I see a glass that's twice as big as it needs to be"

If some of the news filtering through this spring starts to boggle your mind, take heart and allow yourself time to formulate your own conclusions. If all else fails, just be glad we don't have this asshole in a Sawx uniform anymore.
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