With the regular season tantalizingly near, it's time to go through the order one more time here on "Three Up, Three Down" before the games count. Boston is set to embark on their 117th season, and a team that has been considered a slam dunk for post season play is now facing a number of questions marks right out of the gate. The rotation poses two huge variables with starters David Price and Drew Pomeranz on the shelf, and the bullpen has uncertainty with Tyler Thornburg's shoulder issues. Boston's bench was also dealt a blow with a hamstring injury to right-handed hitting Josh Rutledge, allowing perennial minor leaguer Steve Selsky an opportunity to realize his big league dream by making the grade on Opening Day.
The Sawx finished "phony baseball" this spring with a 18-14 record. The numbers compiled in these games can be viewed with disdain or through the lenses of rose colored glasses as beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. Two of the items that I will tackle in this post could immediately become factors in addressing the injury issues mentioned above We'll explore this a bit further below as I'll investigate a standout, a project, and a possible prodigy. Batter up!
- And Mr. March is...
It's always fun to bookmark the players who light up spring training games just to see if there will be translation into the regular season. The trepidation of wishful thinking here is obvious. Who can forget the spring of 2010 and the promise of Jeremy Hermida whose Williamesque .450 batting average set hearts afire? What about the 2014 return of Grady Sizemore?
This was a nip and tuck race for me this spring between Pablo Sandoval and Kyle Kendrick. Sandoval has shown that the ability still resides in his now svelte, albeit somewhat portly frame. He led the team in homers (5) and RBI (20) while batting a breezy .338. A homer even came from the right side and improved production here would definitely be a huge boost for Boston. Pablo certainly looked more agile making all the plays, and even more importantly, all the throws as he rebounds from shoulder surgery.
For me though, the honors have to go to Kyle Kendrick. At a time when starting pitching depth is a major sticking point, Kyle simply came out of nowhere. Kendrick spent 8 years in Philadelphia, and even though he didn't crack the post season roster, he picked up a World Series ring during their title run of 2008 He registered a record of 74-68 with a 4.42 ERA during his time in Philly before a disastrous year in Colorado that nearly ended his career. A rather nondescript signing back in January, Kendrick vaulted into the rotation equation with gusto. He pitched in 8 games making 7 starts and was brilliant. He struck out 31 in 33 IP and logged a 2.18 ERA. With the health of Drew Pomeranz in doubt, I'd love to see if Kendrick's performance was a mirage.
Boston won't need a fifth starter until April 9th. Pomeranz already has had a PRP injection in that wonky left elbow, and now they aren't really sure if he's going to be ready. Kendrick is a 50/50 prospect to hold down the fifth spot as his lifetime win-loss record bears witness at 81-81. Still, I'd love to see Kendrick's spring success translate like the vintage Jackie Bradley Jr. run of 2016. Until that time comes Kyle, congratulations on this rather dubious honor, "Mr. March".
- The Joe Kelly Project
The journey of Joe Kelly in Boston has be varied both by role and injury. When he arrived in 2014 along with Allen Craig from the Cardinals, the Red Sox felt they had a diamond in the rough. Kelly posted a 10-5 with a 2.69 ERA in 2013 with St. Louis while almost exactly splitting time his time between starter and reliever.
Kelly started 10 games in that forgettable 2014 season for Boston displaying that electric right arm. Kelly made throwing 99 mph look effortless, but the results didn't follow the bravado. In a little over 60 inning, he walked 32 batters.
Then came 2015, and it was thought that he could be a middle to upper end anchor in this sorry quintet below assembled by Ben Cherington and was to be led by Clay Buchholz (still can't say that with a straight face). After 25 starts and a 4.82 ERA, doubts began to surface with regards to a long term starting role for Kelly.
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Kelly would only make 3 more starts in 2016 before a right shoulder impingement sent him to the DL..He left his third start against the Tampa Bay Rays after registering only 2 outs. In his previous two outings before the shoulder woes, Kelly pitched a total of 8 innings and gave up 9 runs. When he returned in May, he made only 3 more starts. His last outing lasted only 2.1 innings against Baltimore which saw Joe bitch-slapped for 7 hits and 7 runs, The Red Sox management had seen enough, and Kelly was banished to Pawtucket to reacquaint himself with the ins and outs of a bullpen role. Joe came back with a chip on his shoulder instead of an impingement and was absolutely dominate in September surrendering only 1 earned run in 14 innings with 20 punchouts. The big news was he only allowed 3 free passes.
Now, there's nowhere to hide for Joe this season. With Tyler Thornburg nursing an impingement issue of his own, Kelly will be relied on in the winning side of games initially as the bridge to Craig Kimbrel. We've seen both sides of Kelly this spring, and he even went as far to say this in an article by Tim Britton:
“It’s not like I’m going to be throwing darts exactly where I want to. I don’t know that [my command] will ever be where I want it to be. I’m going to have probably more walks than I want.”
The spring numbers, unfortunately, support his early assessment. In 9.2 innings he walked 8 batters, He did strike out 9, but if he factors walks into the equation for success in his new role, his laboring under a huge misconception. On thing is undeniable - the Joe Kelly project is entering its final stage, and to paraphrase the great Yogi Berra, it'll be getting late early for Kelly if he can't deliver.
- Benintendi is Cornered
Plenty of buzz surrounds Andrew Benintendi as Rookie of the Year hype has been rampant all spring. Comparisons to the last Red Sox outfielder to win the award have also been offered due to the fact that his sweet swing does remind many of the great Fred Lynn. To go one step further, Boston is looking for the revolving door in left to be slammed shut by Benintendi. Andrew will be the tenth left fielder to start for the Red Sox in the last ten years as Manny Ramirez was the last Sawx left fielder to start on consecutive Opening Days.
Benintendi burst on the scene last season and was an extra base hitting machine with 14 of his 31 hits going for multiple bases. I mentioned the comparison to Lynn with regards to his swing, but his defense doesn't conjure up images of Freddie. He noodle arms some throws and isn't exactly smooth with his decision making. Andrew did show fearlessness which was also a trait of Lynn's as he spilled over the wall in Tampa for a circus catch last year. Another item to check in on with Benny will be his numbers against lefties. In Lynn's ROY campaign in '75, he hit .282 off southpaws. Andrew scuffled mightily in a small sample size in 2016 managing only a .179 mark opposing portsiders.
One thing Benintendi has going for him is he seems very even-keeled - not getting too high or really low as can be seen by his usual poker face demeanor. The weight of expectations playing a position in Boston that has been manned by some of the greatest players to ever to pull on a Red Sox jersey will be immense. However, if he produces like he did in my 2017 virtual Opening Day on MLB 16 the Show, he may very well become the next iconic Red Sox left fielder.
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