Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

Your Morning Dump...where Napoli & Pedroia blame themselves

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump

“I didn’t make the play. I saw it up and overran it. … My first read was stay back and then I started running in and overran it,” said Napoli. “I’ve played here before (at first). It’s a white roof, but I saw the ball and like I said, I overran it.”

Pedroia countered that, given his experience playing indoors at Tropicana Field, he should have made the play.

“It was up there a while. I’ve played a lot of games at this field. I ran to it and took my eye off it and tried to find it again, and I couldn’t find it. It’s probably an easier play for me than Nap because a left-handed hitter and I had a better angle. I just took my eye off it. I know better than to do that. We lose it. It just drops,” said Pedroia. “I was kind of playing deep, and I just kind of ran up. I know better than to take my eye off it when you run here because then you can’t find it. He hasn’t played that many games in the field here, and I’ve played a lot. It’s my responsibility to help him out in those situations and catch the ball.”

Napoli, however, refused to accept the reprieve.

“That’s a long way for him to run. That’s a play I should’ve made and I didn’t,” said the first baseman. “Felt bad, because John’s out there, he got the guy to pop up, and if it’s a tie ball game, he probably would’ve pitched a little longer. Just overran the ball and didn’t make the play

WEEI: Napoli, Pedroia explain what went wrong

My God. This was just brutal to watch. With the Sox in free fall mode, this couldn't have happened at a worse time. 

Last night has been a summation of what the Sox have done this season: Coming out of the gate strong and then quietly falling back into the pack while the other teams start picking up the pace. The Yankees are suddenly in first place despite having their core group of guys on the disabled list and they just got Curtis Granderson back last night.

One can only hope that the Sox can get out of this awful stretch and show something that resembles the team we saw last month. Maybe they weren't as good of a team as they were showing us in April, but they're definitely not as bad as they have been thus far in May. 

Globe: Sox fall to Rays | Offensive woes continue | Ortiz says he has an oblique injury | Sox find new way to lose | Herald: Sox headed south | Lackey fades in stretch | Ortiz has sore oblique | Loney swings away with Tampa | CSNNE: It all unravels in the fourth | Fourth inning does Sox. Lackey in | Recovering Bailey may return to Sox on Friday | Ortiz: Sore oblique affecting swing a bit | Doubront works on mechanics; Lavarnway gets start | Victorino feels good after crash into Fenway wall | WEEI: Waiting for Ells | Ortiz dealing with tightness in oblique | Lackey, Sox offense fall flat in loss to Rays | Sox all in on Tazawa after bullpen shuffle

Your Morning Dump...where Pedroia is the centerpiece of the franchise.

 

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump. 

It was last Sept. 28, three hours before a game in Baltimore, and Dustin Pedroia was standing in the Red Sox dugout, teaching a seminar on talking trash.

“Don’t hit the ball my way tonight!” Pedroia yelled to Orioles center fielder Adam Jones. “I’m telling you right now, if you hit it my way, you’re out. You are out!”

Seated nearby, Red Sox assistant general manager Mike Hazen was incredulous.

“I looked at him and said, ‘Hey, Pedey, we’ve lost 89 games and (the Orioles) are going to the playoffs,’ ” Hazen recalled. “Then he turned and started screaming at me: ‘I don’t care how many games we’ve lost. I don’t care. That guy is out!’ ”

Pedroia laughed yesterday at a retelling of that story. After all, it was classic Pedroia, who never fails to act as though he has just chugged one too many bottles of 5-Hour Energy. Like the Energizer bunny, his motor keeps going and going.

But the episode in Baltimore meant so much more. Pedroia isn’t merely the Red Sox’ All-Star second baseman. He is their answer to Derek Jeter, the player they hold up as an example for impressionable prospects and peg as the centerpiece of what general manager Ben Cherington often calls “the next great Red Sox team.”

Herald: New year excites Pedroia

Despite the amount of suck that was around this team last season,one of the few consistent things was that you know Pedroia will do whatever it takes to play and he'll give you everything he has until the game is over. 

The trash talk story is one of the better stories to come out of the September shitstorm and the best one is that Dusty played the final two games of the season against the Yankees with a broken finger. He could have sat out... but he didn't. He thought it would've been too disrespectful to sit out over a bum finger, especially against the Yankees. He wanted to make life a little more difficult for the Bronx Bombers and make them earn that AL East Crown.

That's what makes Pedroia so damn special to us and this organization. He feels like he's the best player out on the field and he'll let everyone on the opposing team know it. What makes it even better is that he's able to back it up. That's the type of player we fall in love with. Keep doing you, Dusty. Keep doing you.

 

Globe: Pedroia can smile again | Herald: Ortiz swings away | Buchholz stops early | CSNNE: Headache cured | WEEI: Farrell: "We just can't talk about new attitude" | Nieves is a breath of fresh air

Dustin Pedroia is sexy, and he knows it

David Beckham, Tom Brady, Matt Kemp. Names that can be associated with the title of "sexy athlete", and have had their time in the spotlight for their looks. Guys that can also be sexy for their respective sports, and bring in more revenue and fans. There is one guy that plays for your very own Boston Red Sox, that has that very same ability to make the Sox "sexy".  That guy is Dustin Pedroia. Though, you don't need to tell him, he knows damn well that he is sexy.

In Terry Francona’s new book, it was revealed that a marketing survey found Red Sox fans wanted more “sexy” players, using Dustin Pedroia as an example.
 
The diminutive yet feisty second baseman’s reaction to the news that he was found to be sexy?
 
“They didn’t need a damn marketing team,” Pedroia said. “I could have told them that for free.”

Keep doing what you are doing Pedey, it is hard not to love it.

Your Morning Dump... Where the lineup could be solid

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

There will be a ton of questions about Boston going into spring training: Can Jon Lester become a front-line starter again? How will John Farrell juggle his array of catchers and first basemen? What will the Red Sox get out of Jacoby Ellsbury, who has been plagued by injury in two of the past three seasons and was merely the best position player in his league in the other? Is there going to be regression in the 37-year-old David Ortiz, given his injury issues last season?

But this is what we do know about Boston: The Red Sox are going to wreck left-handed pitching. Let's assume that their talks with Mike Napoli conclude with an agreement, and consider the meat-grinder of right-handed hitters that will await CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, David Price, Mark Buehrle, Ricky Romero, et al:

OPS vs. left-handers in 2012
Will Middlebrooks: .906
Dustin Pedroia: .848
Shane Victorino: .906
Jonny Gomes: .974
David Ross: .712
Mike Napoli: .706

ESPN - Olney: Sox lineup among top 10

There are some very fearsome lefties in the AL East.  I love that the Sox are building a lineup to combat that.  But when you look at how these same guys fare against righties, while by no means are they terrible, the numbers aren't quite as impressive:

Middlebrooks: .798  Pedroia: .775  Victorino: .627  Gomes: .715  Napoli: .861  Ross: .818

Assuming he eventually does sign, you can probably expect a much higher OPS for Napoli against lefties.  In 2011, he had an OPS of 1.049 against southpaws, with a career .911.  That's just one of the many reasons I hope the two sides can come to terms.

While it's nice to see Olney ranking the Sox lineup as high as he did, I don't think anybody has any worries about the bats.  The Sox are going to hit the ball.  They may not lead the league in runs scored, but they'll cross the plate plenty.  It's the other half of the game that we're worried about.

And, to Cherington's credit, one of half of the pitching game looks to be top-notch.  The bullpen is stocked with talent.  It's the rotation that could derail any postseason hopes.  Every guy has huge questions marks surrounding him.  Can Lester regain his form?  Can Buchholz stay healthy and consistent?  Can Doubront build upon a solid year?  Can Dempster pitch in the AL East?  Can Lackey not be awful? 

And if one or more of those guys gets hit with an inju--- STOP! I don't even want to think about it.

Rest of the links:

ESPN - Ellsbury headlines arbitration-eligible Sox | Herald - Bronx tale for opener | WEEI - Alex Cora offers a scouting report on Javier Vazquez | Epstein: Sox 'going in a great direction' | CSNNE - Five things the Red Sox need to do | Yahoo! - Red Sox, Mike Napoli in contract stare down; Adam LaRoche appears Plan B for Boston

Your Morning Dump...where Pedroia likes the Stephen Drew signing

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

"I'm sure we're signing Stephen to go out there and play," Pedroia said. "Iggy, I'm sure he understands that. He understands he needs to get better and there are things he needs to work on. I haven't talked to Iggy since we signed Drew, but that's a part of the game."

Pedroia dealt with a similar situation in 2006.

The Red Sox knew Pedroia would be a major contributor in Boston at some point, but the club realized he needed more time in the minors to hone his skills. So that offseason, the Red Sox traded for veteran infielder Mark Loretta to bridge the gap until Pedroia was ready.

"At first I was upset, but in the long run I think it helped me become a better player," Pedroia said. "I needed to go to Triple-A and learn, and it was the best thing for me. Things work out for a reason, and, hopefully, he uses that motivation to get better, to become smarter and to learn how to play the game better.

"He wants to learn and that's why everybody around thinks he's going to be a good one, because he wants to learn. I mean, he came from Cuba and he learned English in a year. He picks up things quick, and that's not easy. He needs to learn and he's definitely willing to do it. He came out to Arizona and worked his butt off for the three days I was with him. He's going to put in the time."

ESPNBoston | Dustin Pedroia likes what he sees

Nice to see some optimism on the Stephen Drew front, considering I was a little less enthusiastic.

I'm starting to think Jose Iglesias won't really be given a shot to start at short at the major league level. This is not to say that's unfair -- he hasn't progressed enough with the bat, for sure, to quell the hesitations about his offensive ability.

Meanwhile, the consensus best prospect in the Sox system, Xander Bogaerts has an ETA of 2014 (per SoxProspects). Iglesias certainly won't stand in the way of that. Even if he hits .300 at AAA, or Drew misses time and Iglesias plays well at the major league level, the Sox will want to see what they have in Xander. In his case, the offense is likely fine, it's the defense that the organization will be evaluating. And with Will Middlebrooks on the hot corner presumably for the next five or six years, there's even more pressure to make Xander work at short.

On a mostly-unrelated-but-troubling-enough-to-mention note: Matt Collins pointed out on Twitter that Pedroia, the apple of Red Sox Nation's eye, has played fewer games per season in his career than JD Drew, one of the more hated good players I can remember, did in his time in Boston. Collins unfairly included Pedroia's rookie season (31 games); if you take that out Pedroia averages 137.5 to Drew's 121. Nonetheless, is it a concern that our most important player misses 25 games per season? I say yes.

ESPNBoston | Drew will be bridge to future at SS | WEEI | JD Drew can feel Mike Napoli's pain | Globe | Sox sign the other Drew | Herald | Brother holds Drew to form

Your Morning Dump... Where Ben wants to lock-up Pedroia (in a good way)

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

According to several league sources, the Red Sox have already decided it would be in their best interest to begin discussions this winter about a possible long-term contract extension with veteran second baseman Dustin Pedroia.

Pedroia, 29, still has two years remaining on his current six-year, $40.5 million deal. He's due $10 million in both 2013 and 2014, and the Red Sox have a club option for $11 million (with a $500,000 buyout) for 2015.

A league source indicated a potential extension for Pedroia isn't something the Red Sox are focused on right now because of all the other aspects they must address first. But talks with Pedroia are on the horizon, as the sides will make time for discussion at some point this offseason, sources said.

The Red Sox see Pedroia -- as they do with Ortiz -- as a cornerstone to the team and would like him to continue as a face of the franchise and lead it into the future.

ESPN - Red Sox eye Dustin Pedroia deal

You'll be hard-pressed to find a Red Sox fan who's not 100% on board with this.

While we're starting to get the sense that Pedroia may start to break down at some point and be
repeatedly sidelined by nagging injuries, you can't use that as a reason to not lock him up.  We all know about all the things Pedroia brings to the club, both on and off the field, and how valuable he is to this franchise.  Keeping him around for as long as possible is simply a wise decision.

But, like everything else, it all comes down to dollars.  The Sox owe Pedroia $10 million this year and next, plus a club option for 2015.  While I applaud the pre-emptive signing, Pedroia's value could wildly swing in either direction by the time 2016 rolls around.  That's three more years of Pedroia, at a relatively decent price tag, to see if he can remain healthy and whether or not he can keep his production up.

You have to assume that Pedroia isn't going to sign any long-term deal, this early, unless he's getting a sizeable pay raise.  Otherwise, what's his incentive?  He already has two, most likely three years of security. 

As I stated above, I'm on board with this and I think locking Pedroia up early before he gets visions of free agency dancing in his head is a smart move.  It's a nice gesture to make to your clubhouse leader, and gives the fans some much needed stability.  But I'm very curious to see what type of offer Cherington has in mind.

Rest of the links:

Herald - Ben Cherington, knock them over | Scott Fletcher up for Sox hit coach | Globe - Red Sox interviewing Fletcher for hitting coach | Miguel Cabrera, Buster Posey win MVP awards | WEEI - David Ross: 'There was a lot of interest' | An X-factor on the corners? | Source: Red Sox not prioritizing Hamilton | CSNNE - Wakeup Call: What's the rush? Take a couple of weeks off! | MVP Award has evolved since Fred Lynn won it

Dustin Pedroia nominated for Hank Aaron Award

Nominees are in for the Hank Aaron Award -- given to the best hitter in each league -- and Dustin Pedroia makes the cut as the Red Sox' representative.

You shouldn't really vote for him -- .290/.347/.449/.797 isn't exactly Troutian -- but if you really want to be a homer and do so, vote here.

Your Morning Dump...where Pedroia's done for the year (unless he isn't)

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Pedroia did not play versus the Yankees on Monday, but other than joking about what ailed him -- "What's wrong with me? A lot of things. I'm [expletive] up in the head" -- he did not discuss the injury before the Red Sox's 10-2 loss, and neither did manager Bobby Valentine, other than to say Pedroia had gotten hurt the day before.

But after Monday night's loss, the Red Sox announced that Pedroia had an avulsion fracture of the ring finger of his left hand. The injury is expected to heal without surgery.

The Sox had indicated that Pedroia's season was over, but Pedroia, while confirming that his finger is broken, said in a text message late Monday night that he wasn't ready to rule out playing, saying he'd see how it felt Tuesday and "try to get out there."

Pedroia's season was hampered by multiple injuries to his right thumb. On May 28, he tore the adductor muscle in his right thumb. He did not go on the DL, although he missed seven games and his performance at the plate suffered noticeably. Then, on July 3, he hyperextended the same thumb while diving for a ball in Oakland and was placed on the disabled list. There had been concern that he would miss considerable time with the injury, but he returned after just 15 days.

ESPNBoston | Dustin Pedroia has broken finger

Yet another contrast in characters, as Dustin Pedroia is trying to play through a broken finger while Jacoby Ellsbury continues to miss time for no given reason.

Pedroia does concern me long-term. Some studies have indicated that second basemen wear down more quickly than other positions (maybe because of collisions at 2nd?). He's already starting to fall apart and he's only 29. He's averaged 137 games a year over his full six-year career, and just 124 over the last three years. By comparison, JD Drew averaged 121 games a year during his Red Sox career (during which he was much older), and people ran him out of town for being made of glass.

This isn't to trash Pedroia. He's one of the few guys left on the team who I like. He plays hard and he's still a very good player. But if you're expecting a Jeter-like career out of him -- 10 more years, first-ballot HOF, number hanging in right field -- it might be time to pump the brakes. Can he stay healthy long enough to put together the career that seems to be in play? It's a big question.

Last, congratulations to the AL's playoff teams, as last night Oakland wrapped up a Wild Card spot. Hey Rays: Enjoy golfing. I'm sure any of your friends on the Sox will be available to join you.

ESPNBoston | Sox need Big Papi more than ever | David Ortiz unfazed by manager talk | Globe | Sox present a minor test | Yankees may not have to worry about wild finish | Dustin Pedroia to miss last two games with finger injury | CSNNE | Pedroia has fractured finger, won't play final 2 games | Not the ending Buchholz, or Red Sox, wanted | Grand finale a bad joke | Buchholz, Sox stink | Pedey's season comes to close | Thumbs-up on Bailey for next season | Image: FineArtAmerica

Recap: Red Sox lose in fitting final game at Fenway

The Red Sox closed out their home portion of 2012 in appropriate fashion, losing to the Rays 4-2. Jon Lester underwhelmed (also appropriately), but did salvage a quality start out of a performance that went from no-hitter to batting practice in a matter of a few pitches in the 5th inning.

Even more fittingly, the organization went out of its way to name the "All-Fenway" team, which means about as little as you might think. It was another chance for the Red Sox to pump up their history, though the team's desperate attempt to make the present look decent resulted in selecting Dustin Pedroia as the greatest second baseman to play at Fenway, instead of Hall of Famer and nine-time All-Star Bobby Doerr. Doerr's number is retired, he is 200 spots ahead of Pedroia on Baseball-Reference's EloRater, and is better in pretty much every way. Meanwhile, Pedroia is still just 28, and while he's been very good, he's started to show signs that durability may be an issue.

Who knows, maybe Doerr's uniform didn't get dirty enough.

The Sox end the year at 34-47 at home, a mark that, according to Peter Abraham was their worst in nearly 50 years. This season was awful.

#buyabrick

Box score

Your Morning Dump...where at least we'll be getting a decent draft pick next year

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

10. Clint Frazier, OF, Loganville (Ga.) HS
Frazier has the best bat speed among high school hitters in this class and developing power, but less chance to stay in center than Meadows, his Georgia neighbor.

11. Bobby Wahl, RHP, Ole Miss
The polished right-hander led SEC underclassmen in strikeouts this spring with above-average fasbtall/breaking ball combo.

12. Trevor Williams, RHP, Arizona State
Williams will take over Friday nights from Brady Rogers in Tempe, working with a mid-90s fastball, but needs to show he can miss more bats.

13. A.J. Vanegas, RHP, Stanford
One of several wild-card college arms in this year's draft, Vanegas has shown mid-90s velocity in relief and should work with an above-average fastball as a starter along with a good delivery and the ability to spin a curveball.

14. Oscar Mercado, SS, Gaither HS (Tampa)
Mercado's one of the few true shortstops in this draft class, which is very weak up the middle, and has an excellent chance to be an above-average to plus defender there, with the bat speed for contact but not power.

ESPN | Early top 30 ranking for 2013 draft class

The Red Sox loss yesterday pushes them into a tie for the 9th worst record with San Diego (h/t Chris Hatfield). Considering this season just seems to get more depressing with each day, I thought I'd try to take a positive spin on it and look at who we might be looking at in next June's draft with what looks to be a top-10 pick.

Yes, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Of this block of players from Keith Law (it's an Insider piece, sorry), I like the sounds of Wahl and Mercado. We could always use pitching, and I tend to like strikeout pitchers.

As for Mercado, long-time Ted's Army readers might be surprised as I spend every other post professing my love for Jose Iglesias. And while I think Jose should absolutely be the shortstop in 2013 (and be given a chance), I think it's about time we spend more of our focus on the old-school "building up the middle" strategy. 

It's working right now for Baltimore. They invested draft picks and resources (both in trade and money) in Matt Wieters, JJ Hardy, and Adam Jones to build their core for this surprising team they've put together. So if Iglesias doesn't work out (which is very possible; he's struggling tremendously at the plate despite essentially no pressure this year, at 0-16 in the bigs), it wouldn't be a bad idea to have somebody behind him coming up the ranks. (And yes, I've heard of Xander Bogaerts, and no, he's not a long-term shortstop.)

On page 2, Dustin Pedroia hits a milestone.