Red Sox DH David Ortiz

With last night’s 2-0 win at the Tampa Bay Rays, the Boston Red Sox continued their hot streak.  Over the last 12 games, the Red Sox have gone on an 8-4 run against some of the best teams in Major League Baseball.  Despite losing their series at Detroit May 14-16, they have split a two game set at the New York Yankees, beat the Minnesota Twins in a two-game sweep, taken 2 of 33 from the defending NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies, and now taken two of the first 3 at Tampa, which at point this season has looked unbeatable. 

With that being stated, the Red Sox are still 6.5 games in back of Tampa, but are only 3 games behind the Yankees in the loss column for the early Wild Card lead.  Despite all the inconsistency that has plagued the club up until this point, the ship seems to be righting itself, as David Ortiz has awaken from a comatose April to post a .359 batting average, 8 home runs and 21 RBI in the month of May. 

If the Red Sox can stay consistent, they can fatten up their record in the next two weeks, as they face Kansas City and Oakland at Fenway and travel to Baltimore and Cleveland.  All of these teams currently have losing records except for Oakland, who currently stand at .500 with a 23-23 record.  The Sox need to take advantage of this part of the schedule to make serious headway in the division.   

Ortiz’ resurgence combined with the apparent ascension of Clay Buchholz as well as Jon Lester shaking off his perennial early-season struggles have been the prime reason for the marked improvement.  They continue to hit the ball well, as they are second in the AL in home runs behind the surprising Toronto Blue Jays, who have belted 79.

They should be able to move out 4^th place in the division and past the Blue Jays, whose free swinging ways will surely catch up to them.  Although they are smashing the ball out of the park at an alarming rate, one would believe that their offensive success will eventually tail off.  They are hitting .243 as a team, and their on-base Percentage of .309 is currently the worst in the American League.

The Blue Jays have changed their ways over the last year or so, exchanging their old philosophy of working pitch counts for one of “see the ball, hit the ball” for lack of a better term.  Of all the AL East teams, they have played the least divisional games, and have faced a much weaker chedule than the Sox. Yanks and Rays up until this point. 

With Mike Cameron now healthy and active, the defense should dramatically improve in the outfield.  Although Jeremy Hermida has been an adequate replacement at the plate, his defense has been atrocious at times.  The jury is still out on exactly what Jacoby Ellsbury’s condition is, so we may see more of the Hermida/Darnell McDonald/Bill Hall pupu platter in the outfield than was to be expected at this point.

The Red Sox seem to be getting healthy and hot just at the right time.  Their series wins over the Twins, Phillies, and Rays should boost the confidence of a club that was struggling mightily just a month ago.  It may not be such a long hot summer after all.

Red Sox SP Josh Beckett

Coming off a 17- win campaign in 2009, Beckett was in the club option year of his 3 year-$30 million deal that he signed after being acquired via trade from the Florida Marlins following the 2005 season.  He was slated to become a free agent after this season.  Had he tested the free agent waters this fall, popular opinion is that he could have secured a C.C. Sabathia-esque deal in the neighborhood of $200 million.

Even though his performance last night against the New York Yankees was disappointing, with 5 earned runs allowed in just 4.2 innings, Beckett remains one of the best big-game pitchers in baseball.  In 13 career postseason starts, he is 7-3 with 99 strikeouts, a 3.07 ERA and 3 complete game shutouts.  He also owns two World Series rings; one with Florida in 2003, and one with the Red Sox in 2007. 

As long as they stay healthy, the Red Sox will now have arguably the best pitching rotation in baseball for at least the next 4 years.  This could also give the team flexibility to explore trading younger, more inexpensive starting pitchers such as Clay Buchholz in a potential blockbuster for someone like the Padres’ first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who has been long rumored to be headed to Boston. 

A move like this would also open up a spot in the rotation for Daisuke Matsuzaka who is currently on the disabled list with a neck issue.  Given their financial obligations to Matsuzaka through the year 2012, it is highly unlikely that many teams would want absorb his contract. 

Buchholz’ miniscule contract dictates that his trade value is high, and he could be dangled at the trade deadline if the Red Sox offense proves to be unsatisfactory. Others might argue that you can never have enough pitching, and Buchholz is needed as insurance if 45- year old Tim Wakefield’s back begins to act up again, or if Matsuzaka’s neck injury proves to be a long-term problem. 

Regardless if a trade occurs or not, the fact is that the Red Sox took a giant step today in ensuring their viability in the AL East for the immediate future.  They are built to win for this season as well as years to come.  There aren’t many lineups in baseball who will be excited to face the 3-headed monster of Beckett, Lester, and Lackey in a playoff series for the next few seasons.  With this rotation, come October, the Red Sox will have an excellent shot to return to the World Series.

Red Sox Prospect Casey Kelly

As the Boston Red Sox enter the 2010 season, hope springs eternal as expectations for the team are high as always.  The pressure will always be on to catch the hated Yankees in the AL East.  But what does the future hold?  Boston fans can rest assured that the future of the team looks secure, as there are many exciting players in the minor league system to replenish the team for years to come.  Spring training is a great showcase for young players and prospects, and the Sox camp is full of them.

The Sox’ most prized prospect is pitcher Casey Kelly. Just age 20, Kelly features the standard arsenal for a young right hander with a low to mid-90’s fastball, curve, and change-up.  He is most likely to stay at AA Portland this year to continue his development and probably debut at some point in 2011.  The former shortstop and 2008 1^st round pick is the Red Sox most untouchable minor leaguer.

Ryan Westmoreland is local product from Portsmouth, Rhode Island.  A 19-year old outfielder, Westmoreland projects as a top-notch defensive player with great speed and base running ability.  He is a patient and disciplined left-hander hitter who can spray the ball to all fields.  Keep your eye on him, as he is still in the lower levels of the minors, but should be a fast riser and be in Boston in a few years.

Jose Iglesias is a 20-year old defensive prodigy at shortstop.  Signed in September as an international free agent from Cuba, Iglesias has already wowed the team’s staff in Ft. Myers.  While scouts say he must improve at the plate, he did manage to hit .275 in the Arizona Fall League in 2009.  Given the volatility at the position, this potential Gold-Glover could be in Boston sooner than expected.

While many Major League Baseball and American League teams play checkers, the Red Sox brass continue to play chess.  Excellent drafting and scouting has kept the team competitive for the last decade, and this trend will almost surely continue for the next ten years.  As other teams splurge on free-agents that are well past their prime, the Sox invest a vast amount of resources into their minor league system as they grow talent on the cheap.

The philosophy of the 2010 Boston Red Sox is centered on pitching and defense – run prevention.  With that being said,  Jason Bay’s 119 RBI, and Mike Lowell’s 75 RBI (expect him to be traded sometime this spring if healthy) will be sorely missed.  Other than the rapidly aging David Ortiz, only two players in the Red Sox lineup have ever produced more than 30 homeruns in a single season 

Red Sox Ace John Lackey

– both in 2004 – six years ago when Mike Cameron hit 30 for the Mets and Adrian Beltre hit a fluky 48 for the Dodgers in a contract year (his next highest total is 26!).  Ortiz surely cannot be expected to produce at the clip that the once did, and the other two occurrences happened back when John Kerry was running for president.  It remains to be seen if the perceived defensive improvements of Cameron and Beltre will make up for the lack of punch in the offense. 

How will John Lackey pitch at Fenway over a full season?

There is no doubt that the Red Sox acquired a legitimate front-line starter when they signed former Angel Jon Lackey to an $82 million contract.  However, Lackey will probably tell you that Fenway hasn’t exactly been friendly to him.  In 9 career games at Fenway, Lackey has been beaten to the tune of a 5.75 ERA, a .314 batting average against, and a WHIP of 1.67.  In the postseason, has been slightly better with a 4.15 ERA in 2 starts at Fenway.  Granted, these numbers came against some Red Sox offensive juggernauts, but Lackey will certainly have to put up with the vaunted New York Yankees offense at home at some point this year being in the AL East.  Lackey is a fiery competitor and will certainly take this challenge to heart.

Is David Ortiz done?

Coming off his worst year since joining the Red Sox, David Ortiz enters the final year of his contract as a huge question mark.  Can he be relied upon in big spots?  Probably not.  Last season his bat appeared to be slow vs. fastballs high and tight, and there is no reason to expect that this quality will improve with age.  When he struggled, he appeared disinterested.  Pitchers no longer fear Big Papi, who will more than likely bat 6^th in the order between J.D. Drew and Mike Cameron.  It will be up to Kevin Youkilis and Victor Martinez to provide the big hit.  Ortiz seems to be a relic from a time gone by, where the designated hitter would be a specialized offensive threat.  Nowadays most teams use the position to rest position players without granting them a day off.

How will Jason Varitek being a supporting cast member affect the team?

After seeing the team captain become a virtual automatic out over the last two seasons as well as having his defensive game slip, one could certainly argue that this will have a positive effect.  Although he has been long-celebrated as the man who “handles the pitching staff very well” once Victor Martinez stepped in last year, there did not seem to be much difference in the staff’s performance.  The fact is that Varitek is a consummate professional who has constantly put the team’s interest before his own, and accepting the backup catchers’ role is another example of this.