RED SOX - 3/16/02
March 16, 2002
Latest Team Info:
The Red Sox decided on Grady Little to lead the team into the 2002 season on Monday, March 11. His laid back demeanor and popularity with players is a welcome change from last season. Little will leave most of the coaching staff in place. The only possible change will be at pitching coach. Tony Cloninger, a San Francisco Giant scout and former Yankee bullpen coach, will head that job up. He is also good friends with Little.
Tony Clark is swinging a supercharged bat thus far. He’s batting .381 with 3 homers and 9 RBI. Nomar Garciaparra has shown no ill effects from his wrist injury from last season. He’s batting .450 with 2 homers and 4 RBI. More importantly, he’s 2 for 2 in stolen bases, a facet he wants to add to his game this season. There has been no player to grab the second base job as yet. Jose Offerman is trying to show he isn’t washed up yet, batting at a .308 clip with 3 homers and 5 RBI with a steal. Rey Sanchez is having problems at the plate, but that’s not what he’s here for. Quilvio Veras has pretty much played himself out of the running for the second base gig.
Pedro Martinez is showing he’s back from arm troubles. His spring stats are misleading, however, as he was experimenting with his curveball his last outing against Texas. He was hit hard, but it was only when he was working on his off speed pitches. Two pitchers exceeding expectations thus far are Derek Lowe and Darren Oliver. Yes, that Darren Oliver. Both have pitched effectively and Oliver, until he took a line drive off his hand, has pushed for a rotation spot. Lowe, the fourth starter, has started two games, thrown eleven innings, allowing 9 hits and one walk for a 2.45 ERA with six strikeouts. Oliver also has started two games, pitching four innings, giving up only two hits and no walks for a 2.29 ERA with two strikeouts. John Burkett is pitching extremely well, allowing only 5 hits and a run thus far in ten innings. Dustin Hermanson and Frank Castillo have struggled mightily.
Local Perspective:
Grady Little’s hiring finally brings stability to the team. He was the clear choice by Bostonians. Now, it remains to be seen how his philosophies impact the team. The Sox will run more, but don’t expect the St. Louis Cardinals of the 1980s. Team President and CEO Larry Lucchino stated on WEEI’s morning show that he wanted Little all along, while owner John Henry favored Felipe Alou. Lucchino won out, and the players like the choice. Lucchino also confirmed that hiring Cloninger the pitching coach was about the last coaching change the team would make. By the way, if you happen to want to tune into Boston sports, there is no better station to do it than WEEI. You can hear web casts at www.weei.com or if you’re in the Boston area, you can tune into 850 AM.
Folks around here are very excited about Tony Clark being able to bring added offense to this team. The team gave up nothing for him and early indications show that this may be a steal from the waiver wire.
Nomar being able to hit back to his batting championship level is important, but if he can add steals to his repertoire, he should move up on your draft board. He’s the second best SS in the game at this point.
People would not like to consider Jose Offerman winning his job back this season, no matter how weak Sanchez is offensively. He’s making it a tough choice the way he’s swinging the bat, though. Little still needs to evaluate this battle to make a decision, but in any case, you should steer clear of any player the Sox use at second as of right now.
Fans are really pulling for Derek Lowe to make it as a starter. He is a likeable guy, but he was vilified last year after failing as closer. He let the pressure on him build after every poor outing and he just imploded. If he should endure a bad stretch as a starter during the season, it’s hard to say how he’ll react.
No one is handing the Cy Young Award to Darren Oliver just yet, but he’s making things interesting as the rotation falls into place. His recent injury to his hand is not considered serious. He is working on changing his delivery point and it has shown to be successful thus far. Oliver’s poor history speaks for itself, however.
Dustin Hermanson, while his stats are not all that good, is still a lock for a rotation spot. Castillo is fighting to hold onto the fifth starter slot. He has done nothing to help himself. He’s posted a 9.00 ERA in two starts. He’s left the door open for Oliver, Casey Fossum, Juan Pena, and Tim Wakefield to be considered as the fifth starter.
Rumor Mill:
The closest thing to a rumor right now is that the Sox would like to upgrade the backup catcher spot. Doug Mirabelli is there currently and the Sox are happy with him in the short term. This could mean that they aren’t sure Jason Varitek is completely over his broken elbow. Keep an eye on this, and knock Jason down your draft boards a little. Most leagues, unless they’re deep, probably will find him on the waiver wire.
Injuries:
Darren Oliver – Took a line drive off his right hand (non-pitching hand). Will have an MRI today (3/13). Expected to make his next start Sunday, 3/17.
Calvin Pickering – Out for the season with a torn quadriceps. He didn’t figure to have much of an impact with Clark and Daubach at first. He’s still fairly young (25), but don’t expect to see him a member of the Sox too much longer with Dernell Stenson and Juan Diaz playing first in the minors.
On The Farm:
Juan Pena – RHP: The once promising prospect is back from the dead and is pushing for a rotation spot. He has completely recovered from his arm woes and has pitched excellent, posting a 2.25 ERA in 8 innings with nine strikeouts. Has averaged over a strikeout per inning throughout his career. Should he make the team as the fifth starter, he may be a good pickup in your league.
Casey Fossum – LHP: Not really considered a farm hand anymore, but he is fighting for the fifth starter spot as well. The lefty may be more valuable to the Sox out of the pen, but he has worked on his stamina and added bulk to his lanky frame. So far, he’s accumulated eight strikeouts in 10 innings of work while allowing an earned run. Like Pena, if he breaks camp as the #5 starter, give him a look if you’re in a deep league.
Wilton Veras – 3B: The resurgence of Veras has been one of the more pleasant surprises of camp. He’s hitting .261 with a homer and 2 RBI. More importantly, he’s playing well in the field and is pushing incumbent Shea Hillenbrand for the third base job. There is a lot of buzz about him up here, and he may stick with the club.
Positional Battles:
First Base - Tony Clark (.381 3hr 9rbi) vs. Brian Daubach (.161 0hr 1rbi)
- Not really a battle, as both will swap between 1B and DH. Daubach is also available to play RF to spell Trot Nixon. Clark is the clear choice here, but Daubach is better in the field. Not that it matters to your fantasy team. “Dauber” has been swinging an anemic stick thus far. He may see more of the bench than was assumed heading into the spring.
Second Base – Rey Sanchez (.200 0hr 1rbi) vs. Jose Offerman (.308 3hr 5rbi 1sb) vs. Carlos Baerga (.385 0hr 3rbi 1sb) vs. Quilvio Veras (.143 0hr 1rbi) vs. Lou Merloni (.455 1hr 3rbi)
- The front-runners are Sanchez and Offerman as of now, with Baerga making a strong case for himself. Veras is basically wasting valuable evaluation time. Merloni, a Framingham, MA native and fan favorite, is looking to make the team as a utility player, though he has shown some life with the bat. His defense has been spotty. As I said above, don’t waste a pick on any of these guys in your draft. Look for Sanchez to win out, but Offerman and his high salary have to be justified. He’ll make the club as a 2B/1B/DH role player, though he will see more time than expected at second due to his offensive resurgence.
Third Base - Shea Hillenbrand (.318 1hr 5rbi) vs. Wilton Veras (.261 1hr 2rbi) vs. Carlos Baerga
- Hillenbrand should win the job here, but it’s nice to see Wilton Veras is back and making Shea work for his job. Baerga could make the team as a backup at third and second. Hillenbrand is a decent late round pick for an AL only league.
Reserve Outfielders – Rickey Henderson (.250 0hr 2rbi) vs. Damon Buford (.143 0hr 3rbi) vs. Michael Coleman (.222 0hr 0rbi)
- Henderson is the only guy here that you would even consider picking up if you’re desperate for steals. He will see a good chunk of playing time as the fourth outfielder and part-time DH. That leaves the last reserve OF spot up for grabs, and you know what, who the hell cares, as it will have zero impact on your fantasy club. Just for the record, Buford has the inside track to be the fifth outfielder. How sad.
Fifth Starter – Frank Castillo (9.00 3.0ip 5h 3er 1bb 2k) vs. Darren Oliver (2.25 4.0ip 2h 1er 0bb 2k) vs. Casey Fossum (0.90 10.0ip 4h 1er 3bb 8k) vs. Juan Pena (2.25 8.0ip 5h 1er 0bb 9k) vs. Tim Wakefield (14.05 8.1ip 12h 13er 5bb 7k)
- Conventional wisdom would say this is really between Castillo and Oliver. But how sick could this world be if that’s what the Sox had to choose between. It helps that Oliver has pitched well, but is it for real? Thankfully, Fossum and Pena rolled into camp and have made a play for the role. Wakefield, especially with his dreadful numbers, should go back to the bullpen. Oliver could fill the lefty specialist role if Fossum wins the job. That would mean Pena heads to AAA Pawtucket and Castillo would be a disgruntled reliever. Look for Castillo or Oliver to win the job by the skin of their teeth out of camp, but their hold on the job is tenuous at best. My money is on Castillo as the fifth starter and Fossum takes his job by June.
