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Most Valuable Papi

The one position that has remained both untouched AND stable through the years, contrary to popular belief, is NOT getting old. David Oritz has been with the Sox since 2003, and he has put up spectacular numbers every year. And unlike the only other 2004 winners still on the team—Varitek and Wakefield—he shows no signs of slowing down.

People use the same argument all the time: “he’s getting old.” Last time I checked, 34 is not old. I don’t see anybody calling 33-year-old Derek Jeter being called old, and he is in worse physical shape than Papi (in an injury and durability sense, not a matter of individual health), since he plays the field and hits while Ortiz only does the latter.

Ortiz is one of the best hitters in the game, and he has one thing on A-Rod, Bonds, Giambi, and countless others: he plays clean.

Papi’s numbers will go up to his 35+ home runs numbers from two years ago. Last year Ortiz had some injury problems and managed only a .264 average with 23 homers. A clear step down from his .332, 35 home run season of 2007. While those numbers were seen as low, who wouldn’t want their player hitting well over .300? And even with bad numbers, always remember David Ortiz+Bottom of the 9th+close game=Red Sox win.

Ortiz doesn’t need a backup in his role, but if he ever needs a break Francona can just pencil in anybody he feels like.

In 2007 the world got a taste of the future when Jacoby Ellsbury had a spectacualr postseason. His numbers slipped a bit below expectations in 2008 while he was sharing time in center field with Coco Crisp, but with Crisp being swapped to Kansas City, Ellsbury should get the time he needs to put up great numbers in 2009.

In just one month in Red Sox Nation, Ellsbury developed a large following, similar to the one that  Boston Bruins youngster Milan Lucic developed just a month later, though I doubt anybody who doesn’t follow hockey to fully understand what that one is like. Ellsbury won over the fans with his steady bat and amazing speed. What Ellsbury brought to the Red Sox was a second—and later third—base stealer, which the Red Sox haven’t had in a while. With Crisp gone, the base stealers will be back down to just two, but throw in Pedroia’s improving speed and Bay’s great base running ability, and the speed threat looks a lot worse than just Lugo and Ellsbury.

Rocco Baldelli appears to be the backup, but his health problems bring up some questions. The only other backup on the 25-man roster is Mark Kotsay, but Francona is unusually reluctant to utilize his players’ depth. The only one else, besides Brad Wilkerson, on the 40-man roster is Jonathan Van Every, but he may not be ready, even for just a game or two.

Everyone knows the story of  how Boston’s left field took a drastic change in 2008. So instead, let’s just break down how the position is looking for 2009.

Jason Bay will be playing for a contract extension in 2009.

Jason Bay is one of the headliners of Canada’s World Baseball Classic roster, but in Boston’s powerful lineup he is just seen as another cog. But no matter how you look at him, he will contribute.

Bay proved he could contribute in the pressure of Boston and the pressure of Boston in the postseason. Him and the rest of the returning 2008 team (or to better put it, every major player) are using the disappointing Game 7 loss to Tampa as motivation for 2009.

Rocco Baldelli and Jacoby Ellsbury will most likely split time in left when Bay needs a rest, and Mark Kotsay may even see a little time there if the Sox need him late in a game.

While he is no Manny, what Bay brings to the Sox is far more valuable than what Manny brings. Bay is a good fielder, a great baserunner despite not having blazing speed, and he comes without the baggage of Manny.

For years the opening day shortstop has been a question for the Red Sox. Since Nomar Garciaparra was traded in 2004 the Sox had a new player at that position every year except 2008. Julio Lugo is the first player to be in the lineup since ‘04 when he did it in both ‘07 and ‘08. 2009 should be the same situation, but there is a battle for that position this spring.

Julio Lugo should have a bounce back 2009 for the Red Sox.

Jed Lowrie exceeded all expectations in his rookie season of 2008 after Lugo went down with an injury. He is viewed by many as the rightful starter, but I doubt he will. Not only am I not certain if Lowrie is ready for a full big league season, but if he starts the Red Sox won’t have a backup second baseman. Lugo won’t be able to play second, and Lowrie can play all over the infield.

Since I think he will be the starter, I also think Lugo will put up some similar numbers to his days in Tampa Bay. Lowrie will also contribute off the bench, but he might get off to a slow start and also get into a mid-season slump.

When the Red Sox acquired Josh Beckett in 2006 Mike Lowell was seen as just a throw-in. Instead, Lowell brought Gold Glove defense and a very effecient number 5-6 hitter.

Let’s break down that trade a little. While it benefits the Marlins more in the long run,

Mike Lowell hopes to return to his All-Star form of 2007.

the Red Sox got just what they needed to win the World Series in 2007. Beckett had a tough season in 2006, but rebounded in ‘07 with a Cy-Young deserving performance, and he has been consistent ever since. Lowell brought all of what I mentioned earlier, though his hip may be a concern this year. They also got Alex Gonzalez for a year, but this probably did more bad than good since Julio Lugo had to play in the shadow of Gonzo’s spectacular defense.

The Sox gave up a handful of prospects, one of which threw a no-hitter (Anibal Sanchez) and the other is currently the most complete youngster in the game (Hanley Ramirez) today, but with their minor league system, it really doesn’t have much of an impact.

Lowell’s hip in injury may be an issue early, in which case Youkilis will most likely start at third and Brad Wilkerson will play first while Lowell and Mark Kotsay recover. Whenever Lowell is 100% he will have an imediate impact and he will be a great leader for the team.

With a six-year extension under his belt, Pedroia will be looking to show he is worth every single penny.

He’s a little guy but he really packs a punch. Dustin Pedroia will be entering his third season in the Majors, coming off a spectacular MVP season from a year ago and a Rookie of the Year one the year before.

Pedroia is the complete package as a ballplayer-he’s a great hitter, he can hit for power on occasion, he is a Gold Glover, and he is fast. He is definitely going to make another huge impact this year.

The Sox do have a void behind Pedroia though, as Alex Cora signed with the Mets this offseason. This probably gives Julio Lugo the edge when it comes to the shortstop positional battle, as Lugo can’t play second, while Jed Lowrie can. The Sox may address this void later in the year if Lugo struggles early, but Lugo may finally contribute and postpone this until as late as the trade deadline.

For months the Red Sox’ catching position was uncertain, with both of their 2008 catchers free agents. Jason Varitek took months to finally re-sign with the club, and Kevin Cash signed with the Yankees. So while they had their starting catcher back, Tim Wakefield was without a catcher. Josh Bard was traded from the Sox for Doug Miribelli after Bard couldn’t handle Wakefield, but Bard was signed in the offseason, and he feels he is ready to catch Wakefield again.

Bard definitely is ready to catch Wakefield again and do it effectively, and he will provide more offense that Cash. But, the Red Sox have a few prospects in Pawtuckett that may be ready, which is why they only signed Bard to a minor league contract.

Jason Varitek is coming off his worst season at the plate in his career, and he isn’t getting any younger. He will need more time off this year if he wants to stay productive. One way to regulate his playing time is to have him catch Wakefield as if he were a normal pitcher. ‘Tek says he can handle Wakefield, but when asked about this possibility, Terry Francona said they don’t want this to happen. As good as Tito is, this is a move he probably will regret not doing in the future.

The Red Sox easily don’t have the best catching, but Varitek is still great defenseively and he is probably the best leader in baseball. As for his offense, it’s not like it can get any worse, right?

Everybody….the 2009 Major League Baseball season is upon us! Ok, Ok…Not the regular season of course, but the long awaited Spring training is starting!

I don’t think I have ever been so excited to watch a season of baseball in my life. I have always watched every single game, paid attention to all of the stats, tracked things down to the second, but I realized…I never had a place to talk about it on a constant basis. Ok, so occasionally I would chat with my friends regarding a game or two, but I wanted more…

So here we sit, with a brand new opportunity to speak our minds in front of a large audience of like minded individuals…individuals who have at least one thing in common, we are all fans of the wonderful sport that is baseball. Let’s put aside all the petty steroid BS and enjoy this beautiful game for everything it is. It is Excitement, it is Suspense, it is Stress, it is Raw Emotion, it is Victory, and it is Defeat….it is everything someone could want in a sport.

Each pitch, each swing, each play in the field paints a picture that no other sport can ever come close to. The intricacies of this game have no equal in the world of sports, and the fans of this sport are amongst the most passionate in the world.

In victory, and in defeat we still persist in believing in our teams. Whether they had a good year or a bad one, we still come back the next season to watch each game in its entirety. In a world full of uncertainty, Baseball season is truly something that provides many of us with much needed stability.

So in closing, I want to say this…everything you read above describes what this site is about. People come here to read TRUE fans thoughts, they come here because they want to be surrounded with other REAL baseball fans who have a true appreciation for the sport. The true essence of this sites foundation are the fans themselves and the wonderful authors who I can honestly say enjoy this wonderful game as much (if not more) than I do! Let’s make this 2009 season something special, let’s get involved. Leave comments, let yourself be heard. If you have something to say, say it. You are amongst other TRUE fans of the sport, you are at MajorLeagueBlogging.com.

2009 Season Here We Come!!!