RSNStats

Baseball News and Stats
Red Sox Nation Focused

Spring is done

Leave a Comment

Ironically, though spring just started on March 20th, spring training is over for the Red Sox, who finish the 2016 exhibition program at 14-18-1.

Not sure how you feel about spring training games. No doubt, it’s good to hear the crack of the bat after a long off-season, but the games themselves are mostly unfulfilling.

Even these last two games of the exhibition slate were mostly hollow affairs, save for the uniqueness of playing them in Montreal’s cavernous Olympic Stadium. The last time the Red Sox played there was a Tim Wakefield start on July 17, 2001, an 11-7 loss that featured home runs from Scott Hatteberg, Trot Nixon, and Manny Ramirez.

No current Red Sox players ever appeared in a a major league game at Olympic Stadium. Only 28 active players (including David Ortiz) were even in the major leagues when the Montreal Expos last played there in 2004.

Your correspondent toured Olympic Stadium in the late 1980s, but I didn’t get to see a game, unfortunately. Coming from Boston at the time, I marveled at its size and, even then, its anachronistic “futuristic” architecture, but also at its soullessness that’s so contrary to the people and architecture of its environs.

Anyhow, enough of that.

Spring Training Wraps Up

Before heading to Montreal for the weekend, the Sox finished their 5th spring at what’s officially called the Fenway South Spring Training and Player Development Complex in Fort Myers, Florida. The club sold out all 15 of their home games there this season.

Red Sox Spring Training Records 2002-16At 14-18-1, the 2016 Red Sox finished with a .438 win percentage, though any correlation to that and real-world play is difficult to find, though each of the World Championship teams since 2004 got at least to the .500 mark in their respective camps.

Still, drawing a connection isn’t worth the effort. The World Series-bound 1975 Red Sox, who finished atop the division with 95 regular season wins, were an unfathomable 1-20 that spring.

2016’s spring record lands the Sox toward the bottom of the Grapefruit League standings, dwarfed by the strong performances of the Nationals, Blue Jays, Twins, Tigers and Astros.

On to Cleveland

NESN’s Tom Caron said it repeatedly on Saturday, the Red Sox opener in Cleveland is “weather permitting.” Right now the forecast calls for a strong chance of snow, a brisk northerly wind and 35ºF conditions at game time. A chance of rain exists all week in Cleveland, so the clubs may have to just tough it out.

The Sox have opened a season against the Indians three times before (1962, 1977, and 1979) but always in Boston at Fenway. This is the first Red Sox season opener in Cleveland.

Red Sox ace David Price, 18-5 with a 2.45 ERA last season between the Tigers and Blue Jays, will make his fourth straight Opening Day appearance where he owns a 2-1, 2.48 ERA record.

Price will be the first pitcher to make his Red Sox debut with an Opening Day start since David Wells in 2005. Since 1979, only other pitcher to do that was Pedro Martinez in 1998.

The Indians will counter Price with Corey Kluber. He was 9-16, 3.49 ERA in 32 starts last season. He owns a 1-2, 4.91 ERA record against the Red Sox in seven career games, six starts.


Recapping Red Sox offseason

Leave a Comment

It has been a busy offseason for the Red Sox, so you may not have followed each and every transaction since the 2015 season ended. Fortunately, RSNStats.com has you covered.

Here’s what the Sox have done so far as we inch closer to Spring Training and the 2016 campaign.

It started in November

On November 3rd Boston exercised its $13 million option to retain Clay Buchholz for at least another season. The option also allows the Red Sox to keep Buchholz for 2017 for $13.5 million. In 2015 Buchholz owned a 3.26 ERA over 18 starts, yet another downswing in his see-saw career (he has started in 16, 28, 14, 29, 16, 28, and 18 games, respectively, from 2009-15). At least by that record, 2016 should mean he will go deeper in to the season.

Last November marked a big signing by new baseball president Dave Dombrowski, who sent four minor leaguers to the Padres for the solid closer Craig Kimbrel. In 2015 Kimbrell appeared in 61 games with 29 saves (6th most in baseball), earning a 2.58 ERA. Based on his performance over six years in the majors, Baseball Reference projects him for 28 saves and a 2.80 ERA in his first year with Boston.

The Sox said goodbye to pitcher Rich Hill in November, who parlayed an incredible late season performance with Boston into a one-year, $6 million deal with the Athletics. It’s the 35-year old Boston native’s best single season payday (by far) in his 11 years in the majors.

A mighty December

The big news in December was, of course, David Price, who agreed to a seven year, $217 million contract with an opt-out in 2018, the largest contract for a pitcher in history. Much has been said about Price, so there’s little to add here but that to say it was this deal that most changes the look of the club for 2016 and beyond.

Somewhat lost in the hubbub surrounding Price was the signing of veteran All-Star outfielder Chris Young to a two year. $13 million deal. Young was, most recently, with the Yankees slashing .252 AVG/.320 OBP/.453 SLG with 14 home runs in 356 plate appearances.

The Sox signed righty pitcher Sean O’Sullivan to a minor league deal on December 2nd. In 2015, O’Sullivan was 1-6, 6.08 ERA in 13 starts with the Phillies. Since 2009 he’s had just two winning seasons, the last coming in 2010.

With Price signing still fresh in our minds came another significant 4-player dea with Dombrowski trading for Mariners relievers Carson Smith and Roenis Elias in exchange for Wade Miley and Jonathan Aro. Smith, 26, appeared in 79 games over two seasons with Seattle amassing a 2.07 ERA over 78.1 innings pitched. Smith is under Boston control for the next five seasons.

In Elias, meanwhile, the Sox got a lefty starter with a 15-20, 3.97 ERA pitching record in 51 games (49 starts) over two seasons with Seattle. Analysts have pointed to Elias’ likely reassignment to the bullpen as a specialist: he’s held lefty batters to a .218/.304/.332 line (vs .255/.333/.411 facing righty batters) over his MLB career.

As for what we lost, even ardent Sox fans won’t remember much of Aro, but they may miss the likes of durable Miley, who despite (or because of) his temper, fought back from some early tough outings to end 2015 at 11-11, 4.46 ERA in 32 starts, averaging just over 6 innings for each. Miley finished the season 3-2, 3.97 ERA in 5 starts of September, 2015. His 193.2 innings pitched were the most by any Sox hurler last season, besting Rick Porcello by 21.2 IP.

The Red Sox closed out 2015 by extending minor league contracts to three players: third baseman Chris Dominguez, center fielder Ryan LaMarre, and pitcher Anthony Varvaro, who appeared in relief in nine games (11.0 IP) with Boston in 2015 before suffering a torn right flexor tendon that required season-ending surgery.

On January 12th the Sox offered a minor league deal to former Reds outfielder Brennan Boesch who slashed .146 AVG/.191 OBP/.202 SLG in 51 games with Cincinnati last season. Boesch is more insurance for a questionable Sox outfield considering the sometimes spotty hitting of Jackie Bradley and the further question mark of Rusney Castillo‘s dependability. With the Tigers in 2010 Boesch came in 5th place for AL Rookie of the Year honors, though he has failed to make 100+ plate appearance since 2012.

Moving on

This offseason the Sox said goodbye to Jemile Weeks, who headed to San Diego for a minor league deal. Weeks flashed some excitement over limited play time with the Sox, slashing .314 AVG/.390 OBP/.400 SLG over a small, 17 game sample size.

Similar minor league deals came for former Sox relievers Alexi Ogando, who signed a contract with the Braves, and Jean Machi, who’s now with the Cubs. It was “Homerun Happy” Alexi who seemed to give up a round-tripper per appearance, though in reality it was 12 over 64 games, tied with Craig Breslow for a team-high of 4.3% of all plate appearances.

Speaking of Breslow, the lefty reliever signed a minor league deal with the Marlins that reunites him with former Sox pitching coach Juan Nieves, who has that same role with Florida. WEEI reports that the Sox, Blue Jays, and Cubs all had interest in Breslow. The deal with the Marlins includes a $1.5 million if Breslow makes the major league roster as well as an opt-out in late March if he does not.

Released by the Sox were Justin Masterson, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder in September but expects to be ready to find a suitor by Spring Training, as well as Ronald Belisario and Luis Jimenez. Infielder Jeff Bianchi is now a minor league free agent.


Countdown to Red Sox baseball

Leave a Comment

Grapefruit League 2016 LogoWith the NFL season effectively over for New England fans, it’s that time of year when our attention happily returns to baseball.

With that in mind, let’s have some fun counting down to Opening Day 2016:

  • Truck Day, when the equipment leaves Fenway for Fenway South in a 53-foot truck was February 10th. The truck arrived February 13th loaded with over 20,000 baseballs, more than 1,000 bats, tons of uniforms, and essentials like 60 cases of sunflower seeds and 20 cases of bubble gum.
  • Red Sox pitchers & catchers had to report to Spring Training by February 18th. Boston Globe reporter/photographer Stan Grossfeld said Christian Vazquez, Yoan Moncada, and Matt Barnes were among the early to arrive site back on January 20th.
  • Spring Training for the 2016 Red Sox officially opened February 19th at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. It’s the club’s 6th season at this location.
  • The first full squad workout was February 24th.
  • Picture Day was February 28th.
  • The first traditional Spring Training opener, a split squad game vs Boston College and Northeastern University was February 29th. That game was televised on NESN, one of 16 such televised Spring Training games. The Red Sox faced the Twins in the first official spring game of 2016 at JetBlue Park on March 2nd. Last season, the Sox were 17-12 in Spring games and drew 148,862 fans.

The Red Sox will officially opened the 2016 regular season where they left the field last season: facing the Indians in Cleveland on April 4, 2016.

And finally, the Fenway 2016 home opener vs the Orioles is 103 months, 12 days ago.


3 Worth Reading

Leave a Comment

Happy new year, fans. Very best wishes to you and your for a happy, healthy new year!

As we count down to Spring Training and a new Red Sox season, let’s have a look at some noteworthy stories from around the web for Red Sox fans:


3 Worth Reading

Leave a Comment

Some noteworthy stories from around the web for Red Sox fans:

  • The Red Sox back office was clearly doing its due diligence correctly on this one. Aroldis Chapman looked mighty appealing at the start of the offseason but the Red Sox went with Craig Kimbrel in exchange for four Boston prospects. The move for Kimbrel undoubtedly improves the Sox bullpen, but not everyone thought it was a good deal. Perhaps the Reds would have required less for Chapman. But then word emerged this week that the Sox backed away from Chapman following a background check that exposed that the Reds closer had allegedly been involved in a serious domestic dispute.
  • Count Yankees skipper Joe Girardi among those impressed with the moves for David Price (shown right), Chris Young, and Kimbrel by new Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. That doesn’t mean he’s conceding, though, by any means. After all, Girardi says, everything can look good on paper but, “you’ve got to play the games on the field.”
  • Tim Britton of the Providence Journal asks whether the re-tooled Boston bullpen is enough to counter what, with the acquisition of Price and the departure of Wade Miley, is still a shallow rotation. Clubs have increasingly reduced the load on starting pitchers from 71% of all innings played in 1988 to just 65% in 2015.