Tim Wakefield Day at Fenway

Yesterday was Tim Wakefield Day at Fenway Park. And like all ceremonies at Fenway these days, I get mixed feelings. Sentimentality swells in me. Then I remember that I'm witnessing a show, made to pull on my heartstrings and convince me to spend money on a product that I don't really enjoy watching anymore.

One nice moment was when Doug Mirabelli was introduced. He was chauffeured into Fenway Park in a Boston Police cruiser, an allusion back to 2006, when Mirabelli was escorted by Massachusetts State Police from Logan Airport to Fenway Park in order to reach Fenway in time to catch for Wakefield in a game against the Yankees.

I wonder if the State Police are a little upset that the BPD got recognized in this ceremony. Then again, a Statie parking in centerfield at Fenway Park would probably lead to all sorts of jurisdictional tugs-of-war. "I'm in charge of this ceremony!" "Not anymore you're not." Et cetera.

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Anyway, throughout the game, pre-recorded messages of former Sox players were displayed on the jumbotron between innings. Pedro, Nomar, and others talked about how important Tim Wakefield was as a player and a teammate.

It was a nice touch. It wasn't just a token pre-game ceremony, it continued on throughout the game.

I liked Wakefield. I miss Wakefield. Not so much for his pitching, more for his character. He did whatever the Sox needed him to do. He started, he closed, he was a setup-guy. Right now the Sox lack character guys like Wakefield. There are a number of Anti-Wakefields currently pitching for the Sox. One is from Texas and is named Josh.

It was nice to see Wakefield honored yesterday, even if it was an orchestration of the Red Sox propaganda machine.

RED SOX "LOSE" TO DOGERS

The Red Sox fell 9-6 to the Dodgers, but 7 of LA's runs came in the 9th off minor leaguers. Wakefield was strong in his start, going 3 innings, allowing 0 runs off 1 hit and 2 walks. He struck out 3 and pitched around a big Pedroia error (that was really Jed Lowrie's fault).



Ellsbury went 1 for 4 with what could have been an RBI triple if it didn't bounce over the wall for a ground rule double. Pedroia was 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBI. Sean Casey was 2 for 3 with an RBI double and a run scored. Lowrie didn't look so good, going 0 for 3 with a sac-fly RBI and some miscues in the field. George Kotteras went 1 for 1 with an RBI, and is hitting .667 so far this spring.

Mike Timlin didn't look so hot in the 4th inning. He allowed a leadoff homerun, which was 1 of 2 hits he yielded. David Aardsma pitched 2 scoreless innings, scattering 3 hits.

Former Sox starter Derek Lowe looked awful. He was slated to pitch 3 innings, but could only get through 2+. The Sox tagged him for 6 hits and 5 runs. He also walked 2, hit Doug Mirabelli, and threw a wild pitch.



The next televised spring training game is also against the Dodgers. It's Sunday at 1:05 and will be on NESN. The game will also be on the radio in Boston.

The Red Sox and Jonathan Papelbon also agreed to terms on a one-year, $775,000 contract. This makes Papelbon the highest paid pre-arbitration closer in baseball.

Source:
BostonRedSox.com
Extra Bases

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Steven Senne

RED SOX BEAT UP COLLEGE KIDS

39-0. That was the combined score of yesterday's games against Boston College and Northeastern. 39-0. I know it's the World Series Champions against two mediocre college teams, but 39-0 in two games is still something to talk about, at least for a little bit.

Let's start with the 24-0 pounding BC took. This was one of the most dominating wins over BC that I can remember. The Eagles had 1 hit, and 0 walks. That hit was a single. They were also erased by strikeout 10 times.

Josh Beckett got the start against BC. He had 2 perfect innings of work, striking out 4. Kyle Snyder took over and pitched 2 more no-hit innings. Not surprisingly, Javier Lopez was the one who blew the no-hitter, allowing a single to Eric Campbell.



Jacoby Ellsbury went 0 for 2 with a walk, and a run. Dustin Pedroia went 1 for 2 with a two run double. David Ortiz was also 1 for 2 with an RBI double. Mike Lowell went 0 for 1 with a walk. Bobby Kielty went 1 for 2 with a walk and an RBI. Brandon Moss went 3 for 3 with 3 RBI.

The most impressive performance may have been by BC starting pitcher Ted Ratliff. He retired Ellsbury, Pedroia, and Ortiz in a row in his sole inning of work. But apart from that, there really wasn't much magic from the Boston College side.

Although Northeastern fared slightly better than BC, only losing 15-0, they did allow a run in every single inning.



Up and coming prospect Justin Masterson started for the Sox, going 2 shutout innings, allowing 1 hit, and striking 1 man out. Of the 17 pitches he threw, 12 were strikes. Craig Hansen took over in the 3rd, also allowing a hit, but striking out a pair in his inning of work.



Coco Crisp went 1 for 1 with a double and a walk at the leadoff spot. Alex Cora had a 2 run double. JD Drew went 1 for 2 with a double. Manny walked in both of his plate appearances. Jed Lowrie went 1 for 2 with a walk and a pair of runs scored.

Doug Mirabelli was 0 for 2 with a strikeout. How can a Major Leaguer strikeout against a kid from Northeastern?

The Sox go across town to face the Twins to open Grapefruit League play, as well as the first round of the Fort Myers' Mayors' Cup. The game will be on NESN tonight.

Sources:
BostonRedSox.com
Boston College Athletic Department Site

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Steven Senne

RED SOX 2008 PREVIEW: CATCHER

Jason Varitek enters his 12th season as Red Sox catcher, and will undoubtedly start on Opening Day, barring some unforeseen injury.

To sum up Jason Varitek's offensive contributions, he's not a liability, but he's not much of an asset. He's not someone you mind having in the lineup, so long as he's batting no higher than 7th.

Varitek hit a subpar .255 last season, and slugged a mere .421. He hit 17 homers and knocked in 68 runs. However, his tidy OBP of .367 was above league average, and kept Tek from being a hole in the lineup. Jason had a career high 71 walks to assist his nice OBP.

But two numbers alarm me: 122 and .219.

122 is the number of times Varitek struck out. It wasn't a career high. In 2004 he struck out 126 times. But he also hit .296 with a .390 OBP and .482 slugging that year. In 2005, he struck out 117 times, but also hit .281 with 22 homers. But 122 strikeouts in 2007 was just too many.

.219 was his average with runners in scoring position. Varitek had a decent amount of RBI (68), but he had more than a good number of opportunities. He had 137 ABs with runners in scoring position, and 225 ABs with runners on base. He had 15 more at-bats with runners on than he did with nobody on. He slugged a measly .307 with runners in scoring position.

But he's still a good catcher to have for the sake of the pitching staff. One can't argue with a man who has caught 3 no-hitters from 3 different pitchers. And with young pitchers like Bucholz and Lester coming, it's important that they have a catcher they can trust.

Jason will be backed up by Doug Mirabelli. Now Doug is a real hole in the lineup when he plays. He hit .202 last year, which was sadly an improvement from his 2006 average of .191. He struck out 41 times in 114 at-bats. That's a K every 2.78 ABs.

You've got to give Mirabelli credit for his prowess at catching the knuckleball. But who knows how many knucklers will be thrown this season. Frankly, I think Wakefield should be used out of the bullpen, but that's for another preview post.



There's a rumor that the Red Sox will acquire Japanese catcher Hayato Doue of the Kagawa Olive Guyners. That's a team in an independent Japanese league. He's 25, right-handed, hit .322 in '07 and .327 in '06. The Sox would sign him to a minor league deal. If things worked out, he might possibly make it to 3rd in the organizational depth chart at catcher.

Here's a video of him.



Twenty-four year old catching prospect George Kotteras had a disappointing year in AAA Pawtucket, hitting .241. Dusty Brown, 25, hit .268 in AA Portland and could be playing in AAA this year. Along with several low-level minor league prospects, there are 4 or 5 different players contending to be the #3 catcher on the team. With Mirabelli being an offensive liability, and Tim Wakefield potentially leaving the rotation, the #3 catcher spot is much more important than it may seem.

Sources and Resources:
Baseball-Reference.com
ESPN.com
Boston.com's Extra Bases
JapaneseBallplayers.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo, 3/16/05