Tagged: Jason Bay
The Draft
My awesome fantasy team, The Green Sox in the MLBloggers fantasy league is set. My rotation and lineups are nice but my bench and relief pitchers are not so hot. I had to leave before I could draft my bench/ relievers so I guess I shouldn’t be complaining.
Braves World draft Prince Fielder with the first pick which I though was very interesting. My first two picks were my keepers, Tim Lincecum and Ryan Howard. With my third I was about to draft Mark Reynolds but I had some computer issues and it drafted a former Red Sox left fielder who’s last name is three letters. Ya you probably thought I ment Manny.
In the fourth I was going to pick either Javier Vazquez, Chone Figgins, or Josh Johnson. In the end I chose Josh Johnson to go with Tim Lincecum. Then in the fifth I picked Billy Buttler, the first baseman for the Royals who was on my team last year.
With the 119th pick I was trying to get someone at DH. I didn’t end up putting him there but I picked Jason Kubel as my right fielder.Then in the seventh I got J.D. Drew’s younger brother Stephen Drew as my starting shortstop.
In the eighth I got someone on my team last year. I believe he was a steal for an eighth round pick, On the Boston Red Sox, number 34 . . . DAVID ‘BIG PAPI’ ORTIZ! Now you see why I moved Kubel from DH to right. I think Papi will regain Papi form and hit 35-40 home runs and drive in 100 plus.
In round nine I got the former best prospect in the Red Sox, the no-hit kid, Clay Buchholz who is going to win the fifth spot (sorry Wakefield) but is the third man in my rotation. In the tenth I got former Padre Kevin Kooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuzzzzzzzmanoff. I will probably keep him on my roster but I would like Adrian Beltre or Mark Reynolds or even Troy Glaus.
Then in the eleventh and twelfth I drafted a pair of Cubs teammates, Geovany Soto and Marlon Byrd. I always though that Byrd should be playing backup but then when I really looked into his stats I wanted him.
In the unlucky 13th round I got Dice-K who I think will come back with his 2008 form, when he almost won the Cy Young. In the 14th I drafted a guy who might start the season on the DL, Freddy Sanchez. Sanchez though will do better this year since A.) he is out of Pittsburgh and B.) he is playing with the Giants.
In the 15th round my friend came over and since he is an Indians fan I drafted Matt LaPorta who I might use as trade bait. In the 16th I drafted another guy on my team last year (who helped me out by hitting two grand slams in a game), Josh Willingham.
In the 17th I drafted yet another guy I drafted the year before, Justin Duchscherer. Only difference is that last year he was not healthy, this year though he is and I can put him under starter, reliever, or pitcher.
In the the 18th I drafted speedster, Carlos Gomez. In the 19th I drafted my first reliever, Ryan Madson. Then in round 20 I drafted Nationals ace (you know you team is bad when your ace gets drafted in the 20th round), Jason Marquis.
In the 21 round I drafted another bad teams ace, and 2009 all-star Zach Duke. In round 22 I drafted someone ESPN suggested, Eric Young Jr. who will be one of my main stolen base guys.
In round 23 I got Nick Blackburn as my last starting pitcher. Then in round 24 I got Blue Jays shortstop Alex Gonzalez. In the 25th I got the Padres, Tony Gwynn Jr.
After that I had to go to the Rodeo which was AWESOME!!!! Something that was not awesome was who I got.
I set it up so I could get Hideki Okajima and Ramon Ramirez. I got them I got Chad Durblin, and Gabe Kapler after Okajima and Ramirez.
Then though I got Steve Pearce (1B), Greg Burke (RP), Adam Rosales (3B), Ryan Roberts (2B), Sean Green (RP), George Kottaras (C), Sergio Escalona (RP), Renyel Pinto (RP), and Jeff Stevens (RP)
I’ll be honest the only guy I knew out of those is George Kottaras because he use to play for Boston but now plays for the Brew Crew. Ohh well thats what I get for not staying I guess.
I need a closer for sure and there are a few players I would like to have had but one things for sure I am winning it all!
Photo Credits
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.
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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.
Papi Problems And A Little NBA Talk
I am sure you know it by now. Chan Ho Park has more home runs then David Ortiz. Big Papi is batting .208 with no home runs and just twelve RBI’s in 96 at bats.
Now the reason for the problem is unknown. It may be because of his wrist injury suffered last year. However watching him swing it does not look like he is in pain. It looks like he is trying to swing for the fences.
Let me just say trying to hit a home run is not a good idea. When I try to hit a home run I strikeout most of the time. When I try to hit a triple I groundout. When I try to hit a double I get a single most of the time. When I just focus to get on base and try to drive in the runner on second or third. I get on base and drive in the run.
Big Papi does not have the kind of power he had in 2006. Yes he is only like 33 but we have seen it with a ton of players. For example look at Eric Gange. Of corse it is believed that when he stopped using steroids he started doing bad.
I honestly could care less about home runs. If Big Papi doesn’t hit a single home run this season I would not care. As long as he drives in 100+ and bats .300+ I will be happy. Home runs are nothing. No one in baseball has the job of hitting home runs. If you hit a home run awesome if you do not who cares. As long as you do not strikeout looking I will be fine.
Big Papi may not have the protection with Manny in the lineup because well Manny is Manny. Manny could strikeout every time this season but pitchers would treat him like he is the guy who hit 500 home runs. Kevin Youkilis could do better but pitchers would still be afraid of Manny more then Youk.
So either until Big Papi finds his stroke or starts driving in runs and getting doubles. Here is what my line up would lock like.
1- Jacoby Ellsbury
2- Dustin Pedroia
3- Jason Bay
4- Kevin Youkilis
5- J.D. Drew
6- Mike Lowell
7- David Ortiz
8- Jason Varitek
9- Julio Lugo
Now I would rather have Jason Bay then say J.D. Drew in the third spot because I think J-Bay is just underrated. He will hit around 30 home runs a year but I love guys who can hit doubles of the Green Monster. Even though J.D. Drew has eight doubles and Bay has only five Bay also is A.) a little faster and B.) is kind of hot. He is not the hottest player but still I like J-Bay and he is still getting better.
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Now for some talk about the NBA. As many of you probably know my Boston Celtics are facing the Orlando Magic in the second round of the playoffs today.
Many say that the Magic will go on to the next round however I say it will be the Celtics. So far in the game we are down by 19 but I have faith in my team. The reason for many predicting the Magic over the Celtics is because we don’t have one of our best players, Kevin Garnett (note that I didn’t say KG is our best player).
Many believe that that is why we went to seven games against the Chicago Bulls. That is 100% not true. We didn’t go to seven games because Garnett was not on the court but rather the fact that he was on the bench. KG was a distraction to the team. I mean just imagine one of the greatest players of all-time not playing.
*Update we are now down by 14*
But we should not have went to seven games. Garnett is our best defensive player, Ray Allen is our best shooter, and Paul Pierce is the best all around player and the best player on the Boston Celtics. But even with KG on the bench we still have a big three.
Rajon Rondo has made a name for himself this season. He was nearly an all-star and turned the Big Three into the Fab Four. However many treat the team like we only have two all-stars, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
Well those people must have an IQ of 1. Ray Allen is the best shooter of all-time. He is second on the all-time carer three pointers made and still has a ton of years left. I read an article in SI a while ago and it said that Pierce’s 34 and Garnett’s 5 would soon be up in the rafters. Well Ray Allen’s 20 and Rajon Rondo’s 9 will be up there soon.
*Update at the end of the third quarter we are down by 16*
*Update after checking my e-mail we are down by ten! I can smell the comeback!!!!!!!!!*
My second topic is the MVP voting. Today LeBron James won the MVP award. Unlike the MLB the NBA does not give awards out for both leagues.
LeBron James like Derek Jeter can be described in one word, OVERRATED! Tons of people say he is the best player on the planet. I say nice joke. Lets compare stats to Paul Pierce, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups and Kobe Bryant.
ASSIST PER GAME POINTS PER GAME REBOUNDS PER GAME
James- 7.5 (2) James- 32 (1) James- 11.3 (2)
Pierce- 2 (6) Pierce- 23.1 (6) Pierce- 6.9 (3)
Wade- 5.5 (5) Wade- 28.8 (2) Wade- 5.3 (4)
Howard- 1 (7) Howard- 24 (4) Howard- 15.8 (1)
Paul- 10.4 (1) Paul- 16.6 (7) Paul- 4.4 (6)
Billups- 7.4 (3) Billups- 22.6 (5) Billups- 4 (7)
Bryant- 5.6 (4) Bryant- 27.4 (3) Bryant- 5 (5)
So Based on my awesome, crazy formulas based on just stats the voting should have looked like this . . .
1.) James
2.) Wade
3.) Howard
3.) Bryant
5.) Paul
6.) Billups
6.) Pierce
and not this . . .
1.) James
2.) Bryant
3.) Wade
4.) Howard
5.) Paul
6.) Billups
7.) Pierce
The one problem is an MVP has to have more then stats. For example Chauncey Billups turned the Denver Nuggets around so he might be fifth and not sixth. So really I would have voted like this . . .
1.) James
2.) Wade
3.) Howard
4.) Billups
5.) Bryant
6.) Pierce
7.) Paul
Okay well I have a confession to make that may kill me. Don’t worry I have already written my will so here I go. LeBron James is the best player on Earth.
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RIP
Bob 🙂
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.
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.
Honorable Mentions
2.Jon Lester
3.Jonathan Papelbon
4.Jason Bay
5.Kevin Youkilis
6.Jacoby Ellsbury
7.Justin Masterson
8.Jed Lowrie
World Baseball Classic- Red Sox Style
First- I’m sorry I didn’t blog yesterday I am taking this boring five day test over math, writing, reading comprehension, science, and tons more.
Second- The real news in baseball isn’t the World Baseball Classic, it is Barry Bonds! Click here to read this shocking story about him.
Third- Jeff Kent the legendary second baseman retired today. Kent has a pretty good shot at getting into the baseball hall of fame. More on that soon hopefully.
Forth- Jonathan Pabelbon avoided arbitration by signing a one year, $6.25 million dollar deal. Boston also signed Javier Lopez. Theo Epstein has yet to go in to arbitration with any player since becoming G.M. of the Red Sox. More on that soon.
Fifth- The Dodgers signed Jonathan Broxton and Russell Martin avoiding arbitration.
Sixth- The Red Sox traded David Aardsma to the Mariners for Fabian Williamson.
The Boston Red Sox have eleven major league players and five minor league players on the World Baseball Classic provisional rosters.
Jason Bay- Bay played for Canada in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. In three games Bay hit .455, with zero home runs, drove in none, and had five hits. Last season Bay hit .286, with 31 home runs, drove in 101, and had 165 hits. Bay will be a great move for team Canada. While he didn’t have great stats in 2006 I think he will have a good 2009 World Baseball Classic.
George Kottaras- Kottaras will join Jason Bay on team Canada. Kottaras didn’t play in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Last season in three games with the Red Sox he hit .200, had one hit, with no home runs, RBI’s, or stolen bases. The Red Sox will watch Kottaras carefully as a test to see how he does against major league talent.
Javier Lopez- Lopez will play for team Puerto Rico. Lopez did not participate in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Last season with Boston he had a two and zero record, with a 2.43 ERA, and 38 strikeouts. Lopez should help team Puerto Rico. He would give team Puerto Rico a pretty good relief pitcher.
Mike Lowell- Lowell will join Javier Lopez on team Puerto Rico. Lowell will play in the World Baseball Classic for his first time. Last year with Boston he hit .274, with 17 home runs, 73 RBI’s, and had 115 hits. The Red Sox will watch Lowell closely to see how his hip is. If it gets bad they may tell Lowell to sit out a game or sit on the bench for the rest of the tournament. I think his hip will be fine though.
Daisuke Matsuzaka- Dice-K will play for team Japan. Dice-K played in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He had three wins no losses, an ERA of 1.28, and ten strike outs. Dice-K was a vital part in helping Japan win in 2006. He also won MVP in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Last year with the Red Sox he had a record of 18-3, with 154 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.90. I think Dice-K will do fine in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Hideki Okajima- Okajima will join Dice-K on team Japan. Okajima didn’t play in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Last season he had a three and two record, with an ERA of 2.61, 60 strikeouts, and one save. Okajima will be great playing for Japan. he could help them to win another title, but the USA will win.
David Ortiz- Ortiz will play for team Dominican Republic. In 2006 while playing in the 2006 World Baseball Classic he hit .150, with three home runs, five RBI’s, and three hits in twenty at bats. Having three hits and three home runs means that all of his hits were home runs. In 2008 with the Red Sox he hit .264, with 23 home runs, 89 RBI’s, and 110 hits. Ortiz has a hurt wrist so he might not be able to play. He also is listed on the list of Red Sox players in the classic but not on the list of players for team Dominican Republic on MLB.com which is strange.
Dustin Pedroia- Pedroia will play for my favorite team, team USA! Pedroia did not play in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Last season he hit .326, with 17 home runs, 83 RBI’s, and stole twenty bases. He also won a golden glove, a silver slugger, and a MVP. Pedroia should be a upgrade for team USA. In 2006 the USA had Chase Utley at second base.
Ramon Ramirez- Roman Ramirez will possibly join David Ortiz on team Dominican Republic. Ramirez didn’t play in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Ramirez was traded from Kansas City to Boston for Coco Crisp this offseason. While with the Royals last year he had a record of three and two, with a 2.64 ERA, one save, and 70 strikeouts. The Red Sox will look at him if David Ortiz plays to see if any chemistry forms between them. As we all know ( Well not the Y*****s) chemistry wins championships.
Kevin Youkilis- Youkilis will join Dustin Pedroia on team USA making the left side of the infield all Red Sox. Youkilis did not play in the 2006 World Baseball Cassic. Last season Youk hit .312, with 115 RBI’s, 29 home runs, and stole three bases. He also started at first base in the 2008 all star game at Yankee Stadium. Youk will be a great ascent to team USA in 2009.
The World Baseball Classic is a time where Cubs and White Sox, Dodgers and Angels, and even Red Sox and Y*****s (Hey I’m serious about not putting the Y word in my entries) unite and cheer for Pedroia, Jeter, Derrek Lee, Carlos Quentin, Joe Saunders, and Jonathan Broxton on team USA.
Random Junk
Okay it is really not junk.
1. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day everyone. I think it is fitting to have Barack Obama go in to office the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I must say I supported John McCain, but we must congratulate Mr. Obama on his historical achievement. We also must support him on being the next president of the U.S.A. So congrats Mr. Obama I hope you do well.
2. The teams for the Super Bowl are set. Yesterday the Arizona Cardinals upset the Philadelphia Eagles 32-25. The Cardinals were 9-7 in the regular season while the Eagles were 9-6-1. My Patriots were 11-5 and didn’t make the playoffs. The other team that got in was the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens 23-14. A while back I said the Steelers would beat the Giants in the Super Bowl. I still think the Steelers will win it all. I can’t wait for the Super Bowl and the commercials!
3. The Chicago Cubs traded outfielder, Felix Pie to the Orioles. In exchange the Cubs got Garrett Olson and prospect Henry Williamson. I think the Orioles got the better of the deal. Last season Pie hit .241, with one home run, ten RBI’s, and stole three bases. Olson had a record of nine-ten, with a 6.65 ERA, and 83 strike outs. Williamson in A ball had a record of zero-one, an ERA of 3.72, with three saves, and 42 strikeouts. Olson could compete with Sean Marshall for the fifth spot in the rotation.
4. The World Baseball Classic Rosters will be announced this evening. Some players who will play for team U.S.A. are Dustin Pedroia, Derek Jeter, Roy Oswalt, Jake Peavy, Brad Hawpe, Grady Sizemore, Ryan Braun, and David Wright. For team Canada Justin Morneau will play. I think Jason Bay will play for team Canada too. For team Dominican Republic Alex Rodriguez will play and David Ortiz will try to play. For team Japan Dice-K and Ichiro will play. The classic looks like a good one. I think team U.S.A. will win though.
5. Today in the NBA America will find out who will be the forth dunker in the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk challenge. For the first time ever America got to vote for who should be the forth dunker, Joe Alexander, Rudy Fernandez, or Russell Westbrook. I voted for Russell Westbrook because I think Alexander needs to work on just being a better player than a better dunker. Fernandez plays on the Portland Trail Blazers and I don’t like the Trail Blazers that much. Another reason I voted for Westbrook is because the team he plays on, the Oklahoma City Thunder, as of January 19th has a record of eight-34. I think it could make the Oklahoma City Thunder feel a lot better. The winner will face off against Rudy Gay, Nate Robinson, and defending dunk champion “Superman” Dwight Howard.
Where Will Manny Go???
First- Derek Lowe is officially a Brave.
Second- Not a lot of news today.
Where will Manny Ramirez go! He is one of the best hitters ever and today. Manny wants at least 15 million a year and I think he should get 15 million. Manny may be a bad influence in the clubhouse but thats Manny. Some guys are just going to be like that. He is a great hitter and at 36 Manny still can slug the ball. Yes, he has terrible defense but his is better than Adam Dunn. Manny hasn’t signed for two reasons: the economy and his antics. If Manny had behaved and didn’t “force” the Red Sox to trade him Manny would be with someone. Manny hit 37 home runs, hit .332, and drove in 121 with the Red Sox and Dodgers. Manny has 527 carer home runs, with a .314 batting average, and has driven in 1,725. If Manny hadn’t refused to play, went inside the Green Monster, held up signs about trading him for Brett Favre (as shown) and said Derek Jeter was playing golf (also as shown) then he would probably resigned with Boston. Manny will probably end up with the Los Angeles Dodgers. If Scott Boras works his magic the deal will probably give him three years, club option for forth, twelve million dollars a year. If Boras can’t work his magic the deal will be three years ten million dollars. Manny wants to play till he is 40. So for his last year he could end up with the Yankees as a D.H. My baseball trainer Raffi, played minor league ball with Albert Pujols, Bartolo Colon, Willy Taveras, grew up with David Ortiz, and Manny. When I have my lessons guess who is there before me Willy Taveras! Raffi pitches to him and Willy hits. Raffi said that Manny wants to stay in Los Angeles and some other stuff. Click here to see his stats. While the Giants did show interest in Manny that idea kind of fell apart. One thing is will Manny sign before pitchers and catchers report to spring training? Or even before the end of spring training.
Manny Being Manny
Manny gets paid millions of dollars and the best he can do is cardboard!
I was at this game. This was Jason Bay’s third game and I think that is Jason Bay batting.
Red Sox vs. Dodgers World Series
Top 5 reasons it would be awesome
5- It would be a huge test for rising star Andre Ethier
4- Imagine how long the plane ride would be they would be really tired
3-The rotations are about equal with a slight edge to Boston
2- Dodger stadium vs. Fenway 2 of the 3 classic stadiums (now that Yankee is out)
1-Manny, Bay can you hear the BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOS!
Bostonball 