Red Sox Team Report - 7/11/2003

Local Spin: The Local Yokels on Boston sports radio were, naturally, calling for the head of both Byung Hyun Kim and Todd Walker after the 9th inning collapse that cost the Red Sox the game on Monday against the Yankees. Nothing will be happening to either, as it turns out. While Freddy Sanchez is certainly ready for major league pitching, Walker has been a key part of the Sox offense all year, hitting .293-8-50, and is underrated defensively as well. If there’s Sox fan in your league that owns Walker, I’d suggest trying to subtly pry him away (unless you’re in a league that penalizes players for game-losing errors!)

As far as Kim goes, he bounced back. He has shown resiliency in the past, and the Sox have no one decent to replace him. Last year, after a tough two-inning save at Yankee Stadium, Kim fired the ball over the left field wall after the game, sending a message regarding the 2001 World Series. After blowing the game, he saved 2 of the first 3 wins in the Boston sweep against Toronto. He’ll be fine.

Pitching: Brandon Lyon has been getting shelled lately, which solidifies Kim’s job and at the same time decreases his value, seeing as how Lyon was one of the few members of the Sox bullpen capable of getting a close game to the closer. But the simple fact of the matter is, the Sox will win games, and Kim’s going to earn some saves along the way.

Ramiro Mendoza actually pitched well in his Sox debut, throwing five shutout innings and getting a few key double plays, which is what one would expect from a good sinkerball pitcher. He got another start yesterday, throwing five innings of one-run ball/. You may want to (cringe) think about picking him up if you’re in need of pitching help. Then again, Jose Lima is an option again as well, which shows you how unpredictable pitching can be. What is this world coming to?

Derek Lowe failed to garner an All-Star spot after starting last year’s game, and he’s 10-3 despite an unseemly 4.81 ERA. Keep in mind, though, that he was shelled in a few early road starts, but he’s been fine since then. His last start wasn’t pretty, as he was consistently leaving his sinkerball up against Toronto in Skydome. The bullpen and the bats saved him, but they didn’t help your ERA and WHIP if you had him going that night. That ERA and 1.48 WHIP should continue to drop, though, and D-Lowe remains a good bargain target in Roto and points leagues that favor IP and Wins. He should help your W’s, WHIP and ERA for the remainder of the season.

Hard-luck starter Tim Wakefield has been showing the form that made him third in the league in ERA last year. In his past seven starts, he's had an ERA of 2.15, and has garnered nearly a strikeout per inning as well. The knuckleball is the ultimate "feel" pitch, and it looks like Wakefield has regained his mastery of a pitch that has been described as "trying to throw a butterfly into an open mailbox across the street". Wakefield can undoubtedly be gotten on the cheap right now, as all he has to show for those starts is a 1-2 record, bringing his overall mark to 6-4 on the year. Don't let the record fool you - this team will eventually give him the run support he deserves, and the wins will start piling up.

Hitting: Nomar is currently batting .324, and is no longer showing any effects from his wrist injury. He alluded to the fact that the wrist had bothered him all of last year and for the beginning of this year as well, and he’s been hitting around .370 since the end of April. In keeper leagues and even in single-season leagues, now might be a good time to make an investment in Mr. Garciaparra. In the past week or so he’s slumped, but nothing that seems indicative of anything major. For those in keeper leagues tempted to trade him, keep in mind that next year is a contract year. While those who watch Mr. Mia Hamm every day know that he’s not likely to be motivated by that fact, it never really hurts. Grab him if you can – don’t forget, this is the guy who had won two batting titles before that injury, hitting .350 and .370 in two straight years. That’s obscene.

Gabe Kapler hit 2 HR and had seven hits in his first nine Red Sox ABs, but he’ll be nothing more than a 4th or 5th outfielder. Grady Little has apparently settled upon using David Ortiz, Trot Nixon, and Kevin Millar for the majority of ABs at the left field/DH/1B platoon. Grab those guys, and ditch the others, including Jeremy Giambi, whom I actually suggested might be a worthwhile pickup a few weeks ago. If you actually listened to me, I apologize profusely.

Jason Varitek was at first snubbed for an All-Star appearance, which he claimed did not bother him. It was just as well, though, for those hoping Varitek could continue to slip underneath the radar in fantasy leagues. Tough luck – the Boston fans got the vote out (this writer was responsible for 125 or so of those votes) and Varitek becomes the 3rd Sox All-Star. He’s hitting .300-15-54, great numbers for a catcher. As one might expect from the position, he’s likely to slip a little in the second half with fatigue, etc., but he gets regular rest with Doug Mirabelli catching for Tim Wakefield, so he may be able to keep that pace up. While those numbers may seem a bit high in comparison to his career numbers, remember that Varitek suffered an elbow injury two years ago, and the lingering effects on that may have dragged down his numbers. Still, if you can trade him high and get an adequate replacement, his value might never be higher.

Bill Mueller is bringing his batting average back up after slumping for the first few weeks following the Shea Hillenbrand trade. He’s at .327 right now, and while he may drop down, he’s still not a bad option at 3B or CI in most leagues. He’ll score runs in this offense, and he’ll even hit the occasional homerun, with eight so far this season. While his power may be sub-par for a corner infielder, he’s a good selection if you’ve got enough power in other areas. .327 at the All-Star break is nothing to sneeze at.

Rumors: Naturally, the Red Sox rival only the Yankees for trade rumors, as they remain one of the few teams willing to take on cash in any deal. The current rumor du jour has Johnny Damon going to Kansas City for Carlos Beltran. It won’t happen. Damon is owed $16 million over the next two years, and K.C. GM Allan Baird wants to get younger and cheaper if he’s going to deal Beltran. He’s repeatedly said that he wants two major-league ready prospects for the center fielder. Besides, the Sox need to focus on hitting like Kate Moss needs to focus on shedding a few pounds.

The pitching rumors are a bit more intriguing. The L.A. Dodgers apparently offered pitcher Odalis Perez for Johnny Damon, which the Red Sox turned down. Perez would get better run support as a Red Sox, but his numbers would suffer outside of Chavez Ravine, as his home splits are significantly better than his road splits. The Red Sox supposedly offered Trot Nixon for Perez in a multi-player deal, but were turned down. Obviously, the move to L.A. and joining an anemic offense would hurt either of these Sox players, but considering how badly Damon’s been doing compared to where he was likely drafted, a fantasy owner has to wonder how much worse off he could possibly be.

Down on the Farm: The Red Sox have no farm system.

Just kidding. Actually, the Red Sox have a few intriguing candidates in deep keeper leagues that include minor league prospects. Many people wonder whether Kevin Youkilis, of “Moneyball” fame, is as good as advertised. As far as OBP is concerned, yes, he really is that good. His OBP this year is an ungodly .467, and he’s batting slightly over .300. Not much power as of yet, but sometimes that doesn’t develop until later. Of course, sometimes it doesn’t develop at all!

Quick Glance

Add: Wakefield, Lowe, Kim, Walker, and dare I say…Mendoza?

Drop: Giambi, Lyon, Kapler,

Trade: Varitek - you're never going to get more for him than you will right now.