Red Sox Mid-Season Report Card

Well, we're here at the half-way mark of the season and the Red Sox haven't folded yet. They sit two games behind New York in the American League East with a 52-33 record. The season has been full of surprise as well as dissapointment. On Friday, July 5, the season also became one of loss when Red Sox legend Ted Williams passed away at the age of 83. We'll miss you, Teddy Ballgame.

Now, on to the grades:

Jason Varitek - C: .269; 6 HR; 31 RBI; 33 RS; 2 SB; .737 OPS
Varitek turned in a solid performance in the first half. He has been a big contributer defensively and the Sox are a better team now that he has recovered from his elbow injury from a year ago. Slow-footed, like most catchers, he has chipped in with two steals. Just another example of the new fangled Runnin' Red Sox.
GRADE: B

Doug Mirabelli - C: .235; 5 HR; 11 RBI; 9 RS; 0 SB; .736 OPS
The life of a backup catcher. This guy doesn't know exactly when he'll play. When he does, he more often than not ends up catching for knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. The good thing is he may see more time at DH as he's been showing good power lately.
GRADE: C

Brian Daubach - 1B/LF: .256; 12 HR; 38 RBI; 28 RS; 1 SB; .830 OPS
Dauber has had one of his typically streaky seasons thus far. In April and May, he was hitting .304 with 8 homers and 28 RBI. Since then? How about .180 with 4 homers and 10 RBI. This is one example of why the Red Sox need a slugging firstbaseman.
GRADE: C+

Tony Clark - 1B: .216; 2 HR; 24 RBI; 20 RS; 0 SB; .574 OPS
Last year at this time, Clark was on his way to the All-Star game. What a difference a year makes. This guy has been a bum. He's not hurt, so there is no explanation for his slide. He has tried hard to snap out of it, even changing his hair style. Nothing has worked. Example 1b of why the Sox need a new first sacker.
GRADE: F

Jose Offerman - 1B: .231; 4 HR; 24 RBI; 33 RS; 7 SB; .664 OPS
It's pretty amazing this guy is still here. Actually, it isn't. He has an untradeable contract, no talent left, and the Sox don't want to pay the rest of his salary after releasing him. So he's here until the 2002 season is over. It can't end soon enough. On the bright side, he has seven steals. Who cares.
GRADE: D

Rey Sanchez - 2B: .318; 1 HR; 19 RBI; 22 RS; 1 SB; .755 OPS
The Red Sox have really missed Sanchez, who has been on the DL with a hamstring strain. He is the #9 hitter, but he got on base. Defensively, he showed Sox fans what a second baseman is after watching Offerman use his glove as a flyswatter. Sanchez should be back soon after the break.
GRADE: B+

Carlos Baerga - 2B: .303; 2 HR; 16 RBI; 16 RS, 6 SB; .762 OPS
After Sanchez got injured, Baerga flourished in a regular role. Unfortunately, Baerga's hamstring betrayed him as well. His comeback is a great story, though. Baerga has livened up the Red Sox and made the clubhouse a lot looser. Baerga should be ready to return within two weeks.
GRADE: B

Lou Merloni - 2B/SS: .252; 1 HR; 11 RBI; 14 RS; 1 SB; .689 OPS
The pride of Framingham, MA is best known for his glove around Beantown. He hasn't chipped in much offensively, but he's done a solid job holding down the 2B job after Sanchez' and Baerga's injuries. Chants of "LOOOOOU" will be less frequent, as both players should return shortly.
GRADE: C

Nomar Garciaparra - SS: .312; 11 HR; 66 RBI; 53 RS; 4 SB; .883 OPS
The power numbers are down a bit for Nomah, but he's still been the force behind the Sox offense. His wrist woes behind him, look for Garciaparra to keep on hitting in the second half.
GRADE: A-

Shea Hillenbrand - 3B: .298; 13 HR; 51 RBI; 49 RS; 3 SB; .821 OPS
Starting at third base for the American League All-Stars, the difference from last year is remarkable. He is sliding of late, but he's far above anyone's projections from the beginning of the year. He needs to take more walks, but we've been saying that for how long now?
GRADE: B+

Manny Ramirez - LF: .340; 9 HR; 38 RBI; 31 RS; 0 SB; 1.028 OPS
Manny missed a good chunk of time with a broken finger. He's still getting comfortable at the plate, but his average is still the team high. He'll be the starting left fielder for the American League in Milwaukee. Expect him to start crushing the ball as usual once he finds his rhythm at the dish.
GRADE: B+

Johhny Damon - CF: .308; 6 HR; 41 RBI; 66 RS; 22 SB; .827 OPS
I can't say enough about this guy. He has been the single biggest difference on this club from a year ago. From his good guy persona to his burning up the basepaths, Damon is everything Carl Everett was not. Boston made a great move by signing him during the offseason. He recently got his ticket punched to Milwaukee by winning the 30th Man selection from the fans. No one was more deserving.
GRADE: A

Trot Nixon - RF: .271; 10 HR; 37 RBI; 41 RS; 4 SB; .797 OPS
This is one guy who wants to keep playing. Mired around .240 most of the season, he had gasoline doused on him and somebody lit a match. He in en fuego of late. Good timing, because the Sox are looking for a new first baseman. Trot will likely be part of a package in a trade. Still, he has played well below expectations in the first half.
GRADE: C-

Rickey Henderson - OF: .238; 3 HR; 13 RBI; 25 RS; 6 SB; .729 OPS
Filling a role like a player-coach, he has done well when called upon. He has made a big difference in the Sox' running game and he's given Johnny Damon a few tips on the art of base thievery. He's been a good veteran presence on the club and he'll continue to see playing time as well as pinch running duty.
GRADE: C+

Incomplete: Bry Nelson, Juan Diaz

Pedro Martinez - RHP: 2.72 ERA; 11-2; 0.96 WHIP; 141 K; 1 CG; 0 Sho
Pedro has adjusted to his new delivery after some rough patches at the beginning of the season. He never had surgery on his shoulder, so it remains to be seen what the rest of the season could do to him. Manager Grady Little has been very careful with him. Pedro, even in an offyear, is still one of the best in the game.
GRADE: A

Derek Lowe - RHP: 2.36 ERA; 12-4; 0.92 WHIP; 74 K; 1 CG; 1 Sho
What a story. The resurgence of Lowe has been a main factor in the success of this team. Recently named the All-Star Game's starting pitcher for the AL, expect him to continue his mastery of hitters.
GRADE: A

John Burkett - RHP: 3.80 ERA; 7-3; 1.45 WHIP; 60 K; 0 CG; 0 Sho
Beaten up recently, Burkett has been a nice addition to the Sox staff. He'll be solid the rest of the way. The walks and hits are a little high, but he has excellent defense behind him that will minimize his mistakes.
GRADE: B

Frank Castillo - RHP: 4.80 ERA; 5-9; 1.31 WHIP; 64 K; 0 CG; 0 Sho
Looking at his stats, you'd be turned off by Castillo. He's pitched well, though, but his stats are a result of a couple of very poor outings. He's getting spotty run support as well, so he should really have more wins. Castillo has had some tough luck thus far. Don't look for it to change.
GRADE: C

Rolando Arrojo - RHP: 4.09 ERA; 4-2; 1.25 WHIP; 40 K; 0 CG; 0 Sho
He's pitched very well again this year in the rotation when they needed him. His ERA before his last game vs. LA was 2.88. Shows you what one bad outing can do. He is currently on the DL with tendonitis. When he returns, he may find himself back in the rotation.
GRADE: B

Alan Embree - LHP: 0.75 ERA; 3-4; 1.03 WHIP; 48 K; 11 Ho; 2 SV
Even though he's just a middle reliever, Embree's aquisition may be the biggest of the season. The Sox were having trouble sitting down left handed batters and Embree has done just that, and more. He saved both ends of a doubleheader against Toronto, showing his versatility.
GRADE: A

Chris Haney - LHP: 1.35 ERA; 0-0; 0.90 WHIP; 7 K; 1 Ho; 1 SV
The Sox seem to have two effective lefties all of a sudden. Haney has only pitched 13.1 innings, but he's mainly been limited to facing lefties. He's holding them to a .250 average: not bad, not great. He gets outs, and that's all the Sox can ask.
GRADE: B

Tim Wakefield - RHP: 2.90 ERA; 2-3; 1.09 WHIP; 60 K; 5 Ho; 3 SV
The most valuable pitcher in the Red Sox bullpen is unquestionably Wakefield. He can start, eat innings in long relief, pitch set-up, and he can close. He's done it all so far, and done it well. He may stick in the rotation, but he may be deemed to useful for that.
GRADE: B+

Casey Fossum - LHP: 3.00 ERA; 2-1; 1.24 WHIP; 23 K; 3 Ho; 1 SV
Fossum is currently doing his pitching in AAA these days, but he was effective while he was here. The aquisition of Embree was the reason Fossum was sent down. He just wasn't getting lefties out. He is currently working on building his stamina to become a starter. He should be back later in the year.
GRADE: C+

Rich Garces - RHP: 9.00 ERA; 0-1; 1.67 WHIP; 14 K; 5 Ho; 0 SV
What happened? They came up with the bogus hamstring injury to explain his problem, but he still isn't effective. He'd better figure himself out fast with the Sox battling for the pennant.
GRADE: D

Sunny Kim - RHP: 7.45 ERA; 2-0; 1.41 WHIP; 18 K; 2 Ho; 0 SV
Hard to figure this kid out. He pitches lights out at AAA, but he can't translate it to the big leagues. If there were a AAAA, he'd be right there. The Sox have used him in the rotation of late with mixed results. He may not be long for Boston, moving to AAA or in a trade.
GRADE: D+

Ugueth Urbina - RHP: 2.61 ERA; 0-3; 1.16 WHIP; 30 K; 0 Ho; 22 SV
After some very rough outings, Urbina has been one of the top closers in baseball. He will continue to be near the top of the saves category.
GRADE: B+

Overall, the Sox performance has been very heartening. They're making their way through the yearly spate of injuries that usually befall them. They have a shot at the AL East and they need to hold off Anaheim and Oakland for the Wild Card. It should be a very entertaining second half, especially if the team manages to swing a big trade.