Tagged: Jacoby Ellsbury

R-Y-A-N K-A-L-I-S-H

          

https://i0.wp.com/a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_fantasy_experts__32/ept_sports_fantasy_experts-387117773-1281184659.jpg

 He
was born in Northridge, California and raised in Shrewsbury, New Jersey. His
name is probably the second most mispronounced name on the Red Sox behind
Jarrod Slatalamacchia. But, Ryan Kalish (KAY-lish) is making a name for himself
self in Bean town. He may have only eighty-four major league at-bats under his
belt, two home runs (one of which I saw, his first, in New York), a .238
batting average, and just ten RBIs but the outfielder deserves to be starting
in left fielder on Opening in 2011.

            First
off, I’m not turning the page for the year the Red Sox can and will make the
playoffs. I’m simply just looking at the potential roster next year. Both J.D.
Drew and Mike Cameron will most likely be gone after the 2011 seasons is over.
So the obvious choice would be to trade one of those two players in the
offseason. It would make more since to trade Cameron as that allows Ellsbury to
move back to center, where he has played most of his career.

            While,
Jacoby does not have the best arm for an outfielder his speed would be wasted
were he to play in left with the Green Monster as his backdrop. Which is why he
never should have moved to left in the first place.

Anyway, while Daniel Nava, Darnell
McDonald, and Bill Hall have had nice seasons there simply is not enough room
and are simply not better then Kalish, Cameron, Ellsbury, or Drew.

The point is though someone is
going to get traded. I doubt Ellsbury would get traded partially because I am
not sure there would be an takers till we know he can still play ball. Cameron
would most likely be a one-year rental as I expect him to retire after his
current deal. As for Drew, he is often regarded as one of the most overpaid
players in major league baseball, meaning the Red Sox would most likely have to
toss in some money.

So what can we expect for Mr.
Kalish in the future? Well, in that very bright future I can see him hit .325
with fifteen homeruns, and 100 RBIs. Eventually, I think he’ll be a line drive
machine and hit doubles off the monster every game. However, next year I think
maybe a .290 average with five-ten home runs with any where from 60 to 85 runs
batted in.

He could see time in the two, five,
six, or seven holes depending on injuries. He will most likely play all three-outfielder
spots. But at the end of the day the most important thing is that Kalish is
nearly a five-tool player. He can hit for contact, field (he has one error and
44 put outs), he can throw (he has two outfield assists), he has decent speed
(he’s faster then Big Papi J),
and the power will come as he reaches his prime.

He might turn out to be a six-tool
player, meaning he can hit in the clutch. I have said it before and I will say
it again, some players, like Alex Rodriguez just can’t hit in the clutch and
choke up. And for the record I think A-‘Roid last year in the postseason was a fluke.

Kalish’s first homerun was at Yankee
Stadium and the other was a grand slam. In his first game against the Tigers he
had two hits in four at-bats with an RBI and a run. Is that a sign of greatness
in the clutch or just a fluke? I believe the answer is greatness.

            Kalish
was often over shadowed in the minors by prospect Josh Reddick but know with
the opportunity to play full time Kalish is showing he is just as good if not
better then Reddick.

Ryan Kalish (second from left)) is greeted at the plate by teammates J.D. Drew, David Ortiz and Mike Lowell following his fourth inning grand slam. The Boston Red Sox take on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Fenway Park.

Photo Credits

1- http://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/blog/roto_arcade/post/Opening-Time-Ryan-Kalish-goes-deep-deserves-at?urn=fantasy-260896

2- http://bostondirtdogs.boston.com/daily_headlines.html

What To Do With The Organized Mess That The Red Sox Are

Wednesday Clay Buchholz and Jed
Lowrie returned from the disabled list. And while, Buchholz didn’t do that good
(Lowrie to me looked great) they are playing.

In order to activate Buchholz and
Lowrie Boston designate Ryan Shealy for assignment and sent Dustin Richardson
and Fernando Cabrera to Pawtuckett (AAA). The Red Sox active roster now has 25
players.

With the emergence of Daniel Nava,
Darnell McDonald, and some nice play lately by Kevin Cash, Michael Bowden, and
Atchison, whom do you send down in place for Jeremy Hermida, Jacoby Ellsbury,
Mike Lowell, Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, Jason Varitek and Josh Beckett.

Jeremy Hermida

            As
soon as I finished writing Hermida’s name NESN said that Daniel Nava has been
optioned to Pawtuckett. It is a shame that Nava has to go back down after doing
a great job filling in for Hermida but at the end of the day either Darnell
McDonald or Nava had to go down and Boston chose Nava. He will probably be back
up in September unless another outfielder gets hurt.

Jacoby Ellsbury

            Ellsbury
might not be back as soon as Hermida but unless there is another injury among
the outfielders it looks like Darnell McDonald will be sent down. Obviously, a
shame that he has to be sent down but he will be back in September with Nava unless an injury happens.

Mike Lowell

Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell (File)

            Mike
Lowell is an interesting case. He will start his rehab Thursday. He has
publicly said that he is frustrated and honestly who could blame him. He has not
gotten many starts at third and with Big Papi stepping up not many at
designated hitter. He has done a decent job in a few starts at first base. I
think he will probably get traded before the deadline so it doesn’t really
matter who gets sent down.

            I
think that Lowell might get Boston maybe a left-handed relief pitcher or a
decent prospect. Eric Patterson will probably get sent down but might get
called up after Lowell’s trade. If Lowell does not get traded then Patterson
will get sent down, designated for assignment, or maybe even get traded.

            If
Lowell just gets traded for a prospect who is not ready yet then look at either
Nava, McDonald, or Aaron Bates to get called up. There are many possibilities
with Lowell so we will just have to wait and see.

Continue reading →

Nice Way To Start

The 2010 season has started! Adrian Beltre, Mike Cameron, and Marco Scutaro, all had nice games. Beltre has a sac fly and a total of two RBIs, Cameron had a walk, two hits, and a run, and Scutaro had two hits, a run, one RBI, and a walk. Youk had the first Red Sox hit of the decade with a double off the monster.

So here is a list of baseball “first of the decade.”
-First Play, Derek Jeter grounds out to shortstop Marco Scutaro.
-First Hit/Run/Home Run/RBI, Jorge Posada hit a home run off the Pesky Pole.
-First Reliever, Scott Schoeneweis
-First Sac Fly, Adrian Beltre
-First Single, Nick Swisher
-First Double, Kevin Youkilis
-First Strikeout, C.C. Sabathia strikes out Dustin Pedroia
-First Walk, Josh Beckett walks Nick Johnson
-First Double Play, Marco Scutaro, Dustin Pedroia, and Kevin Youkilis get Nick Johnson out at second and Alex Rodriguez at first.
-First Steal, Derek Jeter
-First Win, Boston Red Sox
-First Loss, New York Yankees
-First Winning Pitcher, Hideki Okajima
-First Loosing Pitcher, Chan Ho Park
-First Save, Jonathan Papelbon
Beckett though has not had a nice start to 2010. His command was terrible. Martinez is setting up low and he has thrown high and it has been very consistent. His velocity also has not been so good. He only threw about 95 MPH at his highest and not his regular velocity of about 98 MPH. Beckett through gave up five runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings. He struck out only one, Nick Johnson and walked three.
josh-beckett5.jpg
Youk is now 100 percent a beast if he was not earlier with a double, triple, two RBIs, and two runs. Pedroia was probably a little more clutch but for me Youk was player of the game.
Scott Schoeneweis and Hideki Okajima helped my fantasy team while Ramon Ramirez didn’t. Schoeneweis pitched an inning, not allowing a hit and striking out one. Okajima got the win, pitched one inning, and gave up a hit and one walk. However, Okajima allowed two of Ramon Ramirez’s runners to score.
Ramon Ramirez’s stats look like this: 0.1 innings pitched, two hits, two earned runs, and a walk. Not the best way to start 2010 but no need to worry because the Red Sox got the win.

Jacoby Ellsbury mishandled two balls now off the monster. I was not expecting that Ellsbury would play the balls off the Monster perfectly but I thought he could do better as Jacoby could win a gold glove.
J.D. Drew though had a very nice play on a ball that one hopped the wall. In most ball parks it would be a home run but Drew got it barehanded and held Robinson Cano to a single.
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Victor Martinez still is not a gold glove catcher and probably never will be. With Jeter on first and Brett Gardner on third Martinez threw to second then Gardner stole home.
Jacoby Ellsbury and Big Papi had an opening day to forget going a combined, zero for eight with a walk by Papi. I am not worried yet because it is only the first game. However, at this point I am more worried about Ellsbury because Papi is a second half hitter.
However, we couldn’t finish talking about the game without mentioning the little guy, Dustin Pedroia. Pedroia went two for four with a game tying home run off of Chan Ho Park in the seventh. Pedoria also had two runs, three RBIs,  a walk, and a K.
After Pedroia tied it Youk came home on a pass ball making the lead 8-7. Then in the bottom of the eighth Pedroia added an insurance run driving in Mike Cameron.
dustin_pedroia
Daniel Bard pitched a hitless eighth inning then Papelbon gave up a hit to Posada but got Granderson to ground out to end it as the Red Sox won nine to seven. So much for pitching and defense!
UPDATE: Now it is Tuesday and the game is just strarting
Photo Credits
1-http://thestartingfive.wordpress.com/2007/10/19/beckett-to-cleveland-not-yet/
2-http://werbiefitz.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/10/
3-http://oneseasontrader.com/features/dustin-pedroia-stock-trading/

Fantasy Baseball- Outfielders- Jacoby Ellsbury

When it comes to fantasy baseball outfielders are more likely to be the diamond in the rough. Guys like Josh Hamilton, Carlos Quentin, and Shane Victorino have all become diamonds the last few seasons. However, I don’t see any outfielders becoming diamonds this year. That said you can still get many great players in the later rounds.

Jacoby Ellsbury


Unless you have a fantasy team owner who looks at every single players stats Jacoby Ellsbury will probably not seriously be looked at. Why? Well because outfielders tend to be power hitters and well Jacoby Ellsbury is not a power hitter. But with a guy like Jacoby he makes up almost all the steals you will need along with a .300 average, 100 runs, 60+ RBI’s, and 10 home runs. How good is Ellsbury? Well he is ranked the number one fantasy player on the Boston Red Sox on MLB.com, ahead of Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Victor Martinez, John Lackey, Kevin Youkilis, Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, and Adrian Beltre to name a few.
Ellsbury though is a better choice then guys like Carlos Lee, Adam Dunn, and Manny Ramirez because Ellsbury can turn a single into a double, a double into a triple, and even a triple into a home run. If Lee, Dunn, or Manny tried to do that they would turn a single into an out. Sure Lee, Dunn, and Manny will hit 25+ home runs and drive in 90+ but when you look at the numbers it makes Ellsbury look better.
 MLB predicts that Ellsbury will steal 67, drive in 63, score 106 times, and hit nine home runs, meaning that if your league does not facto in batting average, OBP, or slugging percentage and each stat counts as one point Ellsbury will get you 245 points. Manny will get you 202 points, Dunn will get you 229 points, and Lee will get you 213 points if MLB’s predictions are right which well you can make you own thoughts about that.
Due up next: Andre Ethier, Marlon Byrd, Shin-Soo Choo, and The Entire Kansas City Royals Outfield

P.S. Sorry for well not blogging since October

3 In The 13th

What a wild night it was in Philadelphia last night. Every single position player played except all three backup catchers, George Kottaras of the Red Sox and Chris Coste along with Paul Bako of the Phillies. A total of twelve pitchers came in the game and struck out 34 batters. Jon Lester  got eleven while Joe Blanton struck out seven.

The final score was five to two but ended in the thirteenth inning when Boston scored three runs in the top of the inning and then Daniel Bard got his first major league save and Takashi Saito got his second win of the season. Youk and J.D. Drew supplied the power as each hit solo home runs off of Joe Blanton.

The lineup was a little questionable and it was not the only questionable thing Terry Francona did. Here is the line up so you can be the judge.

1- Dustin Pedroia, 2B

2- J.D. Drew, RF

3- Kevin Youkilis, 3B

4- Jason Bay, LF

5- David Ortiz, 1B

6- Jason Varitek, C

7- Jacoby Ellsbury, CF

8- Nick Green, SS

9- Jon Lester, P

Of corse playing at Citizens Bank Park there are not any DH’s so Terry Francona put David Ortiz at first base and moved Youk to third. I liked the move because Ortiz has finally broken out of his slump, hitting three home runs in six games. Ortiz though went one for three with a strikeout before being taking out of the game for Mark Kotsay in the sixth.

The other questionable thing Terry did happened in the ninth. Jonathan Papelbon needed the day off and Takashi Saito had pitched a hard earned 1.1 innings against the Yankees and Francona wanted to give him the day off even though he could have pitched in the ninth. Saito came in and got two outs in the 12th and got the win. Anyway so with Boston up by one run in the ninth Ramon Ramirez came in.

Ramirez had given up back to back home runs in his last outing against the Yankees and with Ryan Howard up Ramirez gave up another home run. Let me just say I would have never put him in. I mean sure he has been having a good year but I would have put in either Manny Delcarmen or Justin Masterson. Delcarmen last pitched Thursday and Masterson came in and pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in extra, striking out three. I might have considered Daniel Bard, who later got the save that game but because he is a young kid I can understand Terry not wanting to put him in and then have him give up a home run.

Anyway Ramirez’s ERA is up to 2.10 and he has now given up four home run, seven earned runs, eighteen hits, and has walked ten in 30 innings. I really did not like the Coco Crisp trade even though I agreed he needed to go. Boston could have got a lot more for him. But I am getting off topic. Ramirez is in a slump or whatever you want to call it and before the season started I thought he should be a mop-up reliever. Maybe he should become a mop-up reliever for a little while.

Jon Lester though was the talk of the game though he gave up just two hits an earned run and walked just two. He also struck out eleven including six straight (the record is ten though in case you were wondering set by Tom Seaver) Lester got Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Raul Ibanez to strikeout twice. 

Lester has been on fire his last three starts striking out 34 going two and zero. His ERA for his last three starts has been 1.23 against the Blue Jays, Rangers, and Phillies. Lester has only walked seven batters and given up seven hits. Against teams with guys like Vernon Wells, Ian Kinsler, and Raul Ibanez.

Lester pitched seven great innings but did run into some trouble in the second. After a leadoff single for Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino doubled moving Ibanez to third with no outs. Lester then got Pedro Feliz to ground out but Ibanez scored on the play. Carlos Ruiz would ground out for the second out of the inning but Victorino would move to third. Joe Blanton though grounded out to second as the hits to Ibanez and Victorino would be the last hits he gave up.

Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jason Bay and Jacoby Ellsbury went a combined five for 23. The four of them batted just .217. They also combined for seven strikeouts. On a positive note they combined for two RBIs, scored two runs, and did not make an error along with the rest of the team. Youk also had a home run and stole a base like mentioned before. 

Dustin Pedroia did not have such a good game. Mr. MVP went zero for seven and left four runners on base. He did not strike out though. Pedroia said after the game, “I haven’t had the best at-bats, but the balls I hit hard seem to get caught. You hit stretches like that throughout the year. I’m not to concerned. We’ll get in there tomorrow and work on it.”

Even though Youk did hit a home run it was not his best game. Youk went one for five with three strikeouts. Of corse Youk had a run and a RBI. On another positive note Youk played Golden Glove defense at third and then after Mike Lowell came in he played Golden Glove defense at first.

Jason Bay who I think we can officially put into MVP talks did not have his best game either. Bay went two for five with three strikeouts. He did score the first run in the thirteenth inning and have a walk. 

Jacoby Ellsbury was playing his first game back since hurting his shoulder diving for a ball. Ellsbury did not have his best game as he went two for six with an RBI in the thirteenth inning. Ellsbury did strikeout once though. In the field he looked fine same thing running he did not steal any bases or make any diving catches but he does not need to every night. 

The Red Sox mostly played small ball to win this game. Besides Kevin Youkilis’ and J.D. Drew’s home run there were no other extra base hits in that game. The Phillies only had three extra base hits. Even though there where a total of seven runs there where only sixteen hits and eleven of those hits were singles.

Tonight Dice-K faces off against Antonio Bastardo, a young lefty who is two and zero so far this year. Tonight David Ortiz is sitting with Mike Lowell playing third and Rocco Baldelli is in right. I think the Red Sox will get an early lead and keep that lead. I also think Dice-K will pitch like his old self earning the win.

************************************************************************************************************

Mr. Epstein please just Call Up Clay already! Send down Ramon Ramirez because this guy is dominating in AAA with an ERA of 1.75 and he is 4-0! Please call him up and ohh ya this is for you.


AND VOTE FOR ANDRE ETHIER!!!!!!!!!!

Photo Credits

1-makeamemory.com

2- bostonsports.mlblogs.com

Change Red Sox Nation Can Believe In

*- Sorry this could have been up Monday night but I have been super sick. Today I had to go to the hospital with a temp of 104.9 F. The doctor thinks I might have mono. So if I don’t blog for a few days do not worry.

I thought the Red Sox where having a hard time scoring runs! Well how does eight runs sound along with a pitcher who struck out twelve! Unless your a Blue Jays fan that is awesome. Why did we score eight runs because of this.

1. Dustin Pedroia- 2B
2. J.D. Drew- RF
3. Kevin Youkilis- 1B
4. Jason Bay- LF
5. Mike Lowell- 3B
6. David Ortiz- DH
7. Jason Varitek- C
8. Jacoby Ellsbury- CF
9. Nick Green- SS
Yep Pedroia batted first, J.D. batted second, Bay batted cleanup, Mikey batted fifth, and Jacoby batted eight. If I remember correctly Pedroia batted first for most of his 2007 year in which he won the Rookie of the Year award. Jacoby just had a twenty-two game hit streak snap the other day and now is batting eight.  And Big Papi is still batting sixth.
Overall I love the line up. It is spread out so every three batters there is at least one guy who could hit a home run (Youk, Bay, and Tek) along with fast guys who can turn singles into doubles (Pedroia, Bay, and Ellsbury). 
Yes Pedroia and Bay only have thirteen combined stolen bases but they are players who are super fast but do not steal that much. For example look at Andre Ethier and Hunter Pence. They only have eight combined stolen bases but can turn singles into doubles easily.
Anyway I am getting off topic. Now Tuesday after the off day or the next time Julio Lugo plays I would bat Ellsbury last. Yes call me crazy whatever. Jacoby batted behind Varitek so if Varitek is say at second and Ellsbury at first Ellsbury cannot steal. Lugo is another guy with speed but he never really steals much. 
But look at it this way Lugo’s on base percentage is .345 which yes is .010 points higher then Jacoby’s but Lugo has 21 hits in 23 games. Ellsbury has 64 hits in 49 games. Lugo has eight walks while Ellsbury has eleven. Lugo’s batting average is .276 while Ellsbury’s is .299. So maybe OBP is a messed up stat. Or maybe Lugo gets a little more lucky and more errors happen when he is up.
Anyway it is better then having your catcher hit in front of a speedster. Of course though I wish Jed Lowrie started and not Julio Lugo started at shortstop.
My favorite change in the lineup was Pedroia batting first and J.D. Drew batting second. Drew should not have batted third at all. Yes he has seven home runs but he is not a third batter. Pedroia could bat anywhere in the lineup as he gets on base, can steal, rarely strikes out, and one some days (like yesterday) he can hit for power.
Your first and second guys have to have a high OBP so you big guys can drive them in. Drew seems like he always gets on base as his OBP is .359 this year and his carer OBP is .391. Pedoria’s OBP is .416 for this year. 416 which is tied for fifteenth in baseball. (Youk has the highest with .478.) Then if Youk gets on base (and he probably will) Jason Bay is tied for the most RBI’s in baseball with Adrian Gonzalez with 49 in just two months!
Now there are a few ways to get Big Papi going so he can turn back into the feared slugger he is. One is you could drop him to the seventh spot or even last. Then after Big Papi has say a four hit game or gets two doubles or whatever Terry would move him up one spot as at and Ortiz would say, “Finally Something Good Happened,” and Ortiz would slowly move up till he becomes the slugger he is. However with Jason Bay having an MVP season maybe he will stay at fifth.
The other thing that has the highest risk would be if he gets voted into the Home Run Derby. If I remember correctly Ortiz was third in fan home run derby voting in the A.L. Which  I think would put him in the derby even though he only has one home run. 
That could be good or bad. That could have Ortiz swing for the fences more which as everyone knows makes guys strikeout. Now the good news about the bad news (If that makes since) is that that would be in the first half of the season. If Big Papi hits a ton of home runs in the derby (which he will) I believe he will start hitting again just in time for the playoff run.
I like Ellsbury batting eight because like I said before it spreads the “wealth” of the lineup. So when whoever is batting it is not going to be a one-two-three inning because Ellsbury’s OBP is .335 and his batting average is .299 like mentioned previously.
So how did the lineup end up doing? Well they scored eight runs and had eleven hits. Pedroia went one for four with a home run and three RBIs. J.D. Drew went one for four with one RBI and two strikeouts along with a sacrifice fly. Youk had a great game as he went two for four with three runs two RBIs. He also had two home runs.
Jason Bay went two for three with one run, RBI, strikeout and he hit his fifteenth home run of the year. He also had two doubles. Mike Lowell went two for five with an RBI and three strikeouts. He did have a double though. But maybe The Red Sox should consider moving him if he has a few more bad games. Big Papi went one for five with a run a double and a strikeout.
Jason Varitek went zero for two with three walks and a run. Jacoby went one for three with a walk. See he could not use his speed with Varitek in front of him. Nick Green (who should start at shortstop till Jed Lowrie gets back) went one for four with a run. Nick had a double but got picked off at first after his walk.
So hopefully this lineup will score more runs. I believe it will. Facing Detroit Tuesday their pitching has to be good but Detroit does not have the best starting pitchers besides Justin Verlander. I am predicting they sweep the Tigers.

Ten Years Changes A Team- Outfield

In the outfield I only see one change. The outfield will have great defensive skills. In left the outfielder will be great at fielding the ball of the wall. In center is a guy with great speed who can easily win a Golden Glove this year and the years to come. In right is a top prospect with a great arm and above average range.

Out in left will be Jason Bay. In 2019 Bay will be forty and will retire around forty-two. This season/offseason Bay will resign with Boston for a six year deal and then in 2015 he will sign a six year deal. J-Bay will continue to hit around 30 home runs a season but will start to hit more line drives as he gets older. For the next four years J-Bay will put up better numbers then Manny Ramirez leading some to think that he will hit 500 home runs. However J-Bay will just fall short of that number with 490. As for RBI”s, Bay could easily drive in 1,500. Which would be nine less then Mickey Mantel and seven more then Dave Parker. Bay’s batting average will also go up as he plays with more support in Boston. By the time he retires it will be close to .305 and not the .284 he has today. By the time Bay’s carer is done I believe that he will make eight all-star teams. He will also win four Silver Sluggers, win one Golden Glove, and win one MVP.
In center is none other then JACOBY! Ellsbury is the fastest guy in baseball and may be even faster then Ricky Henderson. In 2019 Ellsbury will be just thirty-five with seven years left in him. Ellsbury will continue to steal fifty bases a season and at that pase would have him stealing 909 bases in his carer. Now I am sure as Ellsbury gets older the numbers will go down so maybe 850 is a better projection. If the 909 stolen bases comes true that would put him in fourth place on the all time stolen base records. That would be three less then Billy Hamilton. If the 850 comes true he would be fifth on the list behind Ty Cobb.  By the time Ellsbury retires he will have around ten Golden Gloves and will have made six all-star games.  Ellsbury will never hit for power and the most he will hit in a season will be seventeen. Ellsbury will be a fixture for the Red Sox and if injuries do not hit him and his legs stay the way they are right now (or even just something close) he will be a Hall of Famer.
Right will be some one new. In 2019 it will be Josh Reddick. In 2019 Josh will be only thirty-two. In the lineup for 2019 he will probably bat second as he is a good contact hitter with good speed. Reddick could probably swipe twenty-five bases a season. Reddick is very aggressive at the plate but uppercuts which leads to fly balls. That should not be a problem as the Green Monster is 310 feet away from home plate and the Pesky Pole is about 302.  Reddick could work on taking walks as he swings at bad pitches and struck out 36 times in 95 at bats in the Arizona Fall League. Reddick is a great fielder though. His arm is very strong and is on target 99 percent of the time. His range could use a little work but is pretty good. Having Jacoby Ellsbury in center also helps. Batting wise he reminds me of former Red Sox, Mike Greenwall and fielding wise he reminds me of Jeff Francoeur of the Atlanta Braves. There is a small chance of him starting in left as he is great fielding balls of the wall and the Green Monster is a pretty big wall. It is to early to tell how many all-star games he will make, if any but he will win around three Golden Gloves and maybe one Silver Slugger. He also has a small chance to win a Rookie of the Year but hey that will be in 2013 because J.D. Drew’s contract is up in 2012. One thing is for sure Reddick is for real.

My Baseball Trip to Barnes and Nobel

I’m having really bad writers block so I’m sorry if you don’t want to read this.

All right I went into Barnes and Nobel today because my Mom wants to learn French because we are going to France for spring break. I started looking around and saw The Yankee Years. Joe Torre’s new book. I am really excited to read it. I going to start it either on the plane ride to France or in may because my teacher is having a contest of who can read the most books of this list of her picks of good books. Some of the prizes are really cool and awesome. I took Julia’s advice and walked in wearing my Red Sox hat and Jason Varitek jersey. It surprised me to have the cashier not ask me why would you read this book if your a Red Sox fan. My dad and mom wear like why would you read a book about the Yankees! I convinced them to let me get it by telling them that it made fun of the Yankees and Torre trashed the Yankees. I don’t know if that is true though. All I have looked at so far is the pictures. So far my favorite one is where Joba Chamberlain is spraying bug spray on him after a swarm of bugs “attacked” him in the 2007 ALDS against the Indians. 
The Yankee Years by Joe Torre: Book Cover
I also looked at Josh Hamilton’s new book Beyond Belief. Josh Hamilton is the center fielder for the Texas Rangers if you didn’t know. I did not get the book though because I did not have enough money for it. The book is about Josh Hamilton recovering from drug addiction and his baseball carer. The book is pretty new so I’m pretty sure that it doesn’t come in paperback yet. To be honest I don’t know that much about the book since I did not get it. Hopefully I will be able to read it sometime soon.
Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton: Book Cover
Another book I got was Baseball Prospects 2009. This book is pretty much the Baseball Encyclopedia for 2009. This book is 632 pages long in paperback. This book has every thing from stats to predictions to well everything. The 2008 copy correctly predicted the Rays great season, the breakthroughs of Evan Longoria, Geovany Soto, and Joey Votto, and many more players and facts. It is a great guide for fantasy baseball drafting. I will give a give a few predictions from the book. Hanley Ramirez will have 128 runs. Jose Reyes will league the majors with 68 stolen bases and Jacoby Ellsbury will lead the A.L. with 42. Mark Teixeira will hit 28 home runs which is good enough to tie for 18th in the majors. Lance Berkman will hit .299 with the Astros. Grady Sizemore will strikeout 134 times in 2009. Adrian Gonzalez will drive in 99. Lastly Jed Lowrie will win the starting role over Julio Lugo. I hope that that might help when drafting your fantasy team.
(Sorry can’t find any pictures of the book’s cover but here are the extra pictures from yesterday.)

Between his sublime defense and his assertive offense, Jose Reyes is the type of talent around which title teams are built.

Teixeira


From his playing style to his pulled-up socks to his vintage ride, Sizemore recalls a black-and-white era and a wide range of centerfielders, past and present.

Adrian Gonzalez

Lowrie3_medium
This picture is the eighth on Google and is from my blog!

Photo credits
All book covers- barnesandnoble.com
Joe Torre- rksbaseballbookshelf.wordpress.com
Josh Hamilton- scottfmathews.wordpress.com
Evan Longoria- http://whentheunderdogwins.wordpress.com/
Jose Reyes- sportsillustrated.com
Mark Teixeira- minstrelboy.blogspot.com
Lance Berkman- allposters.com
Grady Sizemore- sportsillustrated.com
Adrian Gonzalez- sportsillustrated.com
Jed Lowrie- bostonsports.mlblogs.com


Young Guns- D-Backs

Justin Upton


Justin Upton is only 21 years old! He is only the second youngest player in baseball behind Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He never went to college but went to Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Virginia. Upton was the Diamondbacks first pick in the 2005 draft as a shortstop. Alex Gordon, Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun, Troy Tulowitzki, Jay Bruce, Jacoby Ellsbury, Matt Garza, Travis Buck, Clay Buchholz, and Micah Owings were all drafted in 2005. Talk about a great draft class! He latter switched to a center fielder because Stephen Drew, J.D. Drew’s brother was already there and then moved to right, because Chris Young was already in center field. Upton has a carer average of .242, 17 home runs, 42 RBI’s, three stolen bases, and 120 hits. He also has a carer .939 fielding percentage, in right field. The 2007 season was Upton’s first. He was called up after Carlos Quentin (who is now with the Chicago White Sox) got injured. That season he had a batting average of .221, with two home runs, 31 hits, eleven RBI’s, and two stolen bases in 43 games. In the 2007 playoffs he batted .357, with one RBI, zero home runs, five hits, and one stolen base. In his first full season, the 2008 season he batted .250, with 15 home runs, 42 RBI’s, and one stolen base. Upton hasn’t won any awards or honors yet as a major league player. He was though USA Today’s minor league player of the year in 2007 and as a senior in high school he was Gatorade’s high school player of the year. Upton’s body is much like Edinson Volquez. Upton is 6 foot two inches, 205 pounds. Volquez is six foot, and weighs 200 pounds. Upton will not play for team USA in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. His brother, B.J. Upton is the center fielder for the Tampa Bay Rays. Upton’s major league debut exactly three years after his brother made his. It is to early to predict Upton’s carer because he hasn’t had his break out year yet, but I would say maybe 3,000 hits if he stays heathy. I think the 2009 season will be his breakout year and if not 2009 then 2010. Upton is a very promising player he just needs to practice.



Click here to see a great video

Honorable Mentions

2. Stephen Drew
3. Chris Young
4. Mark Reynolds
5. Max Scherzer

Young Guns- Red Sox

This is a new series I like to call, Young Guns. I will look at the youngest, best, and most promising player on each team. This series will not be every day. I could put two up on the same day, zero in a week, or nine in three days. So I’m going to start with the Boston Red Sox.

Dustin Pedroia
Dustin Pedroia is 25 years old. He went to Arizona State. Pedroia was drafted by the Red Sox in the second round with the 65th pick of the draft in 2004. He has a carer batting average of .313, with 27 home runs, 140 RBI’s, 213 hits, and 27 stolen bases. He also has a .989 fielding percentage at second base (his primary position) and shortstop. In 2007 Peedie won a World Series Ring and a Rookie of the Year trophy. That season Pedroia batted .317, with 50 RBI’s, eight home runs, 165 hits, and seven stolen bases. In the postseason he batted .283, with two home runs, ten RBI’s, and 17 hits. In 2008 Pedroia started at second base in the 2008 All Star Game at Yankee Stadium. In 2008 he batted .326, with 17 home runs, 83 RBI’s, 213 hits, and 20 stolen bases. That year Pedroia won a golden glove, a silver slugger, and the 2008 A.L. MVP. In the playoffs he batted .233, with three home runs, ten hits, two stolen bases, and six RBI’s. Pedroia carer postseason stats are a .262 batting average, five home runs, 27 hits, two stolen bases, and 16 RBI’s. Pedroia is a great guy in the clubhouse. he is very cocky saying stuff like, “Strongest 180 pounder in the league.” He and Red Sox manager, Terry Francona play games of cribbage in the clubhouse on road games. Click here to learn more about cribbage. Pedroia doesn’t have the body of a baseball player at all. He weighs 180 pounds and is five foot nine inches. Did you know that Pedroia is the nephew of Phil Snow, the Detroit Lions linebacker? On January 9, 2009, Pedroia was named cover guy for MLB 09: The Show. This offseason Pedroia signed a six year, $40.5 million dollar contract. Pedroia will have a great carer and maybe will 100% make it in to the hall of fame. I think Pedroia will get 3,000 hits.
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Dustin_pedroia


Honorable Mentions

2.Jon Lester
3.Jonathan Papelbon
4.Jason Bay 
5.Kevin Youkilis
6.Jacoby Ellsbury
7.Justin Masterson
8.Jed Lowrie