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The Official 2007 Boston Red Sox Thread

Ray Finkle

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Welcome to the Official 2007 Boston Red Sox baseball thread!

Yes thank god it’s that time of the year. February is tomorrow which means pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers, Florida on the 15th, while the whole team reports 20th. Baseball season is just around the corner so since it’s been quite an off season for the Sox so let’s break it down, a little.

Key New Players:

-Daisuke Matsuzaka RHP- possibly the best free agent pitcher on the market and possibly ever from Japan. Could be an ace in the making, will probably be the 3rd starter. Throws at least 6 pitches, with good control and location.

-J.D. Drew RF- Yes #7 will be playing RF for the Sox this year and yes #7 will probably be on the DL this year too. However when in the line up Drew is clearly an upgrade on Nixon in every aspect except maybe heart, which has been questioned. Drew will be the team’s #5 hitter hitting behind Ortiz and Manny so he could drive in over 100 RBIs.

-Julio Lugo SS- Seems like the Red Sox have had a new SS every year and this year is no different. Lugo will hit at the top of the order giving the Sox more speed and a good bat. Lugo has hit very well in Fenway in the past and hopefully his best friend Big Papi will be driving him in a lot this year. Expect over 100 runs scored. Defense is a question mainly because the Sox had Alex Gonzalez last year. Lugo is not Gonzalez with the glove (then again who is?) and Lugo is also not Gonzalez with the bat, which is a good thing.

-Joel Pineiro RHP, J.C. Romero LHP, Brendan Donnelly RHP, Hideki Okajima LHP- The pen was been terrible the past two years. The Sox have added Japanese lefty Okajima if nothing else to give Dice-K someone to talk to but his numbers in Japan are pretty good and he’s a lefty so what’s there to lose? J.C. Romero pitched bad last year but could it possibly be because of the WBC? We’ll see. If he’s on, he’s one of the better lefty relievers in the game, hopefully this year he’s on. Brendan Donnelly is a good pick up. The guy has been a horse in the pen for the Angels the past 4 or 5 years. His numbers have dropped a bit but that could possibly be due to him not pitching as much as he had in the past due to Scot Shields taking over his role. Look for Donnelly to be the main set up guy after Timlin coughs it up early this year. Joel Pineiro is a wild card. His rookie year he showed a lot of promise and then he just died. A move to the pen last year showed he could possibly be an asset. His contract has an option that kicks in if he saves 35 games or more so the closer’s role is his to lose. This move could turn out to be a good one.

Key losses:

-Trot Nixon- Yes the guy was always hurt but when he played he played hard. He’s the definition of dirtdog. He had been with the team the longest and obviously was positive in the clubhouse however he was never healthy the past three years and it was clearly time to move on. Thanks for the memories Trot, you’ll get your standing ‘O’ when Cleveland comes to town.

-Mark Loretta- This one could come back to haunt the Sox. The Sox passed up on Loretta and handed the job over to youngster Dustin Pedroia. The big question is is Dustin ready? Loretta would have come cheap for the Sox considering he signed with Houston as a utility player. I do wonder if letting Loretta walk was a mistake, especially considering the Sox could have had him back for one more year for minimum money.

-Alex Gonzalez- Only for his glove and the fact that Rocky Raccoon hated him.

-Keith Foulke- Not really a key loss because Keith didn’t really do much since being unstoppable in the 2004 playoffs. Again thanks for the memories Keith but not even 20 million a season would have gotten him to resign with Boston.

The Line Up:

Julio Lugo- SS
Kevin Youkilis- 1B
David Ortiz- DH
Manny Ramirez- LF
J.D. Drew- RF
Mike Lowell- 3B
Coco Crisp- CF
Jason Varitek- C
Dustin Pedroia- 2B

Bench:
Doug Mirabelli- C
Eric Hinkse- 1B/3B/Corner OF
Wily Mo Pena- OF/1B
Alex Cora- INF

Well we know what David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are going to do so let’s skip them. Expect the same production from Kevin Youkilis, what you see is what you get from him. I expect Lowell to decline. I think Coco is going to have a good year, he started ST and the first week of the season RED hot but a finger injury that never healed killed his season. I except production similar to his 2005 season with Cleveland. Jason Varitek will bounce back as well. He hurt himself in the WBC and never recovered as well. He’s not as bad as he played last year. Pedroia is going to bring a good glove but his bat I’m on the fence with. I think he’ll be an Adam Kennedy type hitter which is fine in this line up as long as he plays excellent D. Wily Mo is going to get 400 at bats between all 3 outfield positions and possibly 1st base. He’s still very raw and a work in progress but if his bat happens to hit the ball watch out.

The Pitching Staff:

Rotation:
Curt Schilling
Josh Beckett
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Jonathan Papelbon
Tim Wakefield
Jon Lester (6th starter- will start in Triple A)

If Schilling is breathing you know he’ll give you everything he has. Add the fact that he’s now pitching for a contract extension and possibly the Hall of Fame, anything less than 16 to 18 wins would be a major disappointment. Plus Schilling will be looked upon to help the young guns. Beckett had a rough year in the AL and with the long ball. But on the plus side he stayed healthy all year won 16 games and at times looked dominate. Yes his ERA was over 5 but the 16 games he won he played extremely well, giving up no more than 3 runs I believe in all of them. But it’s the games he lost he got pounded. Hopefully Beckett works on being a PITCHER instead of a thrower. I except Beckett to win 17 games this year with around 4 ERA, he’s still a work in progress. Dice-K, mentioned above. Papelbon was a tough call should he stay on as closer or start? Well I think the Sox are making the right move. Papelbon has 5 pitches to get hitters out and his body is built like Clemens and Schilling and it doesn’t hurt being compared to them in terms of mental toughness. I except 15 wins, about 4.00 ERA, he’ll have his rough moments but I think Papelbon is going to show everyone why he belongs in the rotation. Wakefield, you know what you’ll get out of him. Lester should start the season in Triple A and once he proves he’s healthy enough and has the stamina he should be back with the club to help in long relief and spot starter unless someone gets hurt. In a perfect world he’ll land a pen role and excel in it after the All Star break. He’ll be in the rotation for sure in 2008.

Bullpen:
Mike Timlin
Joel Pineiro
Manny Delcarmen
Craig Hansen
Craig Breslow
Brendan Donnelly
J.C. Romero
Hideki Okajima
Devern Hansack
Julian Tavarez

New pitching coach John Farrell has his work cut out for him so here we go: Let’s get a bunch of names and throw them against the wall and see who sticks. That’s the Red Sox bullpen this year. No we don’t have a true closer but we have a lot of options. Tavarez could surprise a lot of people. He pitched very well as a starter last year and has a track recorded in the pen. Plus he’s a nut ball, it’s always good to have at least one of these types on your team in case of a brawl or a random sucker punch in ST. Hansen, Delcarmen and Breslow are works in progress. The Sox hope either Hansen or Delcarmen can take the ball and run with it but they have been rushed way to fast to the majors due to injuries and other guys just being bad. If these guys can start the season in Triple A to get their game back and come in around the All Star break and someone take the spot it would be great. Hansack is another sleeper. He pitched well with the Sox last year in his short time with the team and he’s rumored to be a front runner behind Pineiro for the closer’s role. Timlin, he’s declining and old but he tries every time he pitches which is the best you can say about him. Hopefully his knowledge and experience will help keep the rookies and young guys awake during those long innings this year. Basically the closer’s job is going to be won in ST and the Sox hope they can find the next Papelbon then.

Things to look forward to in 2007:

-The return of Jon Lester- Yes, Lester should be with the big club sometime this year and when he first steps on that mound Fenway is going to explode. The kid has thankfully beaten cancer and now it’s time to beat the other 29 MLB teams. This could possibly be one of the best moments in Red Sox history just out of sheer emotion, not even talking about the kid’s talent.

-David Ortiz- Who doesn’t like watching this guy hit?

-Manny Ramirez- See above. Hopefully no one was shocked Manny is still on the team.

-Dice-K-Mania- All eyes will be on this guy. A lot of pressure but I’m looking forward to seeing the “Japanese Pedro”

-J.D. Drew injury watch. The Vegas over/under is May 25th I believe.

-The debut of Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Bucholtz, Michael Bowden and Bryce Cox- Cox has the best chance to make it to the big leagues this year and many experts are saying he’ll be the closer by the end of the year ala Bobby Jenks in 05 and Adam Wainwright in 06. Ellsbury is the future CFer so he could get a nice look in September. Bucholtz and Bowden are long shots so if they don’t appear in 07 that’s probably a good thing but these kids are the top ranked starting pitching prospects in the farm.

-Fenway Park- one of the greatest ballparks ever. Seeing Fenway means it’s baseball for the next 7 months.

Outcome:

I don't like predicting things because I usually jinx myself but I really like this team. On paper the starting pitching has the potential to be one of the best in baseball. The pen is a ? mark but if some of the kids can step up with some of the vets the pen could be surprising. The line up is stronger than last year so adding all that together I'm banking on a playoff spot this year and hopefully more!

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So I welcome anyone and everyone to come here and discuss the Red Sox. Whether it’s positive or negative things, all is welcomed and encouraged. So kick back and get ready for another fun year of talking Red Sox baseball. Hopefully 2007 will be the year for the Red Sox once again!!!!
 
Key losses:

-Trot Nixon- Yes the guy was always hard but when he played he played hard. He’s the definition of dirtdog. He had been with the team the longest and obviously was positive in the clubhouse however he was never healthy the past three years and it was clearly time to move on. Thanks for the memories Trot, you’ll get your standing ‘O’ when Cleveland comes to town.


That made me crack up. :lol: I think you meant 'hurt'

Anyway good luck, the only team I like other than my Marlins are the Sox so I hope you guys have a good season....and kill the Yankees.
 
That made me crack up. :lol: I think you meant 'hurt'

Anyway good luck, the only team I like other than my Marlins are the Sox so I hope you guys have a good season....and kill the Yankees.

Nope, I meant hard.....

:lol:

Good pick up. I fixed it. Good luck with the Marlins too man.
 
That made me crack up. :lol: I think you meant 'hurt'

Anyway good luck, the only team I like other than my Marlins are the Sox so I hope you guys have a good season....and kill the Yankees.

:sidelol:

wow I didn't catch that when I read it over. Nice to see how much you REALLY care about him.
 
IMO Jason Varitek needs to stay healthy, he's the heart and soul of the Red Sox, the Sox went downhill after his injury last season. Also Josh Beckett needs to get back to his old form (2003) he was mediocre last season.
 
Hmm, interesting. I'm not sure what Curt Schilling has left, I could see him move down to the bullpen by mid-season. Jon Lester IMO has been pretty good, and has potential to be a starter. So you can see him move back in if Curt struggles.

Anyways good luck Boston. I'm a closet Red Sox fan, just because I will always be fans of Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. :D I hope they have a good year.
 
Hmm, interesting. I'm not sure what Curt Schilling has left, I could see him move down to the bullpen by mid-season. Jon Lester IMO has been pretty good, and has potential to be a starter. So you can see him move back in if Curt struggles.

Anyways good luck Boston. I'm a closet Red Sox fan, just because I will always be fans of Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. :D I hope they have a good year.

Well Schilling did win 15 games in 204 innings pitched with a 3.97 ERA in the AL. So he still has something left in the tank.

If anything I want to see Lester take over Wakefield's spot. I feel that Wake really handicaps the Sox with his knuckleball. And to think without him the Sox would still have Meredith and Bard instead of Mirabelli :shakeno:

And there's no shame in being a closet Sox fan. The more the merrier!
 
I like your team quite a bit if the bullpen steps up and the pitching holds up and the question marks (Matsuzaka and Papelbon) play up to their potential. Offense obviously isnt much of a concern. I always love when Boston comes to town so hopefully I can get tickets in August to see Matsuzaka and Ortiz live.
 
Wow...you guys are starting early this year eh? LOL!

I'm just gonna wait for one of the resident Angels fans to start their thread, it's usually my in season baseball home, until they kick me out one day...
 
Wow...you guys are starting early this year eh? LOL!

I'm just gonna wait for one of the resident Angels fans to start their thread, it's usually my in season baseball home, until they kick me out one day...

Actually this was started late compared to last year. But hey this is the worst time to be a baseball fan, it's all dead time until ST games start. All the big names have been signed, the only ones left are a few bench players etc. so teams aren't going to change much until the end of ST towards the beginning of the year.

Can't wait for the season to start though, should be another great year for baseball with a lot of close races especially in the AL East, Central and West.
 
Actually this was started late compared to last year. But hey this is the worst time to be a baseball fan, it's all dead time until ST games start. All the big names have been signed, the only ones left are a few bench players etc. so teams aren't going to change much until the end of ST towards the beginning of the year.

Can't wait for the season to start though, should be another great year for baseball with a lot of close races especially in the AL East, Central and West.

I still think the Orioles will be much improved this year.
 
I still think the Orioles will be much improved this year.

Yeah they can't be much worse than they have been the past couple of years. They do have nice arms though and a decent line up. But still they're a 4th place team.

Nothing will change until they get rid of their current owner.
 
Jon Lester arrived at Ft. Myers today!

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/

The report says he looks good and put back the 15 pounds he lost. He admits he isn't 100% but says he'll be ready for the season in whatever role the Sox want.

GreenMonster checking in..

Lester looked great last year, he has great stuff. Hopefully this didn't take to much out of him because he could be a great addition at some point. I couldn't be more happy about our rotation this year.
 
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