MLB Team Report – Boston Red Sox – INSIDE PITCH
Consider this Jose Iglesias’ second chance.
With veteran shortstop Stephen Drew still is experiencing concussion symptoms more than two weeks after being hit in the helmet by a pitch, Iglesias is in line to be the Red Sox’s Opening Day shortstop. It’s an opportunity he may have gotten had he proven last September that he’s capable of hitting at the major league level.
“My plan last year was to learn. If I get a chance to open the season with the team, it’s a different plan,” Iglesias told the Boston Herald. “This year, it’s about getting results, helping this team and winning some ballgames. That’s the bottom line.”
Team officials claim they have seen improvement from Iglesias, even though it isn’t reflected in his spring training batting average. They say they have witnessed a more mature, confident hitter with a better overall approach to at-bats.
If that’s truly the case, it would be a stark contrast from the final month of last season. Called up on Aug. 25, Iglesias played almost every day the rest of the way and batted .118 (8-for-68) with only three extra-base hits. His most notable moment: Then-manager Bobby Valentine lifted him for a pinch hitter midway through a seventh-inning at-bat Sept. 15 in Toronto.
Thus, the Sox signed Drew to a one-year, $9.5 million contract. Iglesias was ticketed for Triple-A Pawtucket until Drew got injured.
“When you have a tough time, it’s difficult to stay positive,” Iglesias said. “This is a negative game. Last year, I took that month as experience for myself. I didn’t focus on anything else besides learning how to play the game the right way.”
Iglesias was only 19 when he defected from Cuba in 2009 and signed a four-year contract that included a $6 million signing bonus. Assorted injuries have limited him to 1,076 minor league plate appearances over the past three seasons.
“I think we forget how young he still is,” assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez told the Herald. “Coming here, going straight to Double-A, you don’t see a kid that’s 19, 20 years old going through that. We all would’ve loved to see him develop right away, but we knew it was going to take time.”
Iglesias always has played sparkling defense, so the Red Sox aren’t expecting him to be an offensive force. After all, he likely will bat ninth on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium.
Still, Iglesias still must prove he’s a competent hitter if he’s going to stay in the majors once Drew returns, especially with top prospect Xander Bogaerts nipping at his heels.
“In the past, he used to give a lot of at-bats away just by swinging at pitches out of the strike zone, making soft contact,” Rodriguez said. “Now it looks like he’s in a better position when he swings. He has better control of the barrel of the bat, he’s squaring balls better. Overall, he’s stronger, his daily routine is better.”
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MLB Team Report – Boston Red Sox – NOTES, QUOTES
–CF Jackie Bradley Jr. continues to make a push for a spot on the Red Sox’ Opening Day roster. And there are indications the team is giving greater consideration to breaking camp with the 22-year-old prospect, especially with lefty-hitting DH David Ortiz and SS Stephen Drew slated to start the season on the disabled list. Initially, the Red Sox seemed intent on having Bradley start the season in Class-A, and from a business standpoint, that still makes sense. By keeping Bradley in Triple-A, at least through the second week of April, they can ensure that he won’t have enough major league service time to be eligible for free agency until after the 2019 season. By putting him on the Opening Day roster and presumably keeping him in the majors all season, he could become a free agent after 2018. But from a baseball standpoint, starting the season with Bradley in the outfield makes plenty of sense, too. Although he hasn’t played above the Double-A level, he has been the best hitter in camp, all while playing the exceptional defense and exhibiting the impressive maturity that had been his trademarks coming out of the University of South Carolina. Bradley could play left field, while defensively inferior Jonny Gomes serves as more of a full-time DH until Ortiz returns. Bradley also is a left-handed hitter, and without Ortiz and Drew, the Red Sox are a little righty-heavy. And, surely, the Red Sox could benefit from the 22-year-old’s youthful energy on the field. “We have a whole year to determine how that service time would factor in going forward,” Farrell said. “He’s not on the (40-man) roster right now. He’d have to be added, obviously. What the countermove to that would be factored into this. Can’t deny the fact he’s having a hell of a spring training. The bottom line with any young player — whether it’s Jackie or any young position player — when they come to the big leagues, you want to be sure they’d get regular at-bats. If those are there, that becomes part of the equation. But I think most importantly he’s doing whatever he can to impact the decision.”
–RHP Clay Buchholz has been making quick work of opposing hitters this spring. Never mind that Buchholz had allowed only one run in 13-1/3 innings over four spring-training starts through March 20. The most impressive aspect of his repertoire has been the faster pace at which he has worked, a point of emphasis for several Red Sox starters under the tutelage of new pitching coach Juan Nieves. “The pace of the game is big for me,” Buchholz said. “That does a lot to help me. It’s more just, get the ball and get a pitch and throw it and take all the thinking out of it. It’s been particularly one of my problems that whenever something hits the fan I slow the game down and make sure I’m doing the right thing, and sometimes that might hurt me more than it’ll help me. It’s definitely helped me out a lot.” Nieves brought over the up-tempo philosophy from the Chicago White Sox, where pitching coach Don Cooper stresses it to his pitchers, and has been preaching it to LHP Jon Lester, Buchholz and LHP Felix Doubront, among others. “I think it’s just a common ground that everybody’s been trying to do,” Buchholz said.
–OF Daniel Nava appears to have the inside track on a spot on the Red Sox’ Opening Day roster. Nava has been competing with OF Ryan Sweeney, OF/1B Mike Carp, 1B Lyle Overbay, 1B Mauro Gomez and others for two spots on the Red Sox’ bench. But manager John Farrell may have tipped his hand Wednesday when he said Nava is a candidate to bat second in the order against right-handed pitchers. “You love what Jonny (Gomes) and Shane (Victorino) can do against left-handed pitching,” Farrell said. “Against a lefty, we’ve got some options there. Right-handed, that’s where Nava’s situation comes a little bit more clear. He’s swung the bat very well from the left side of the plate.” A switch-hitter who can play left or right field, Nava spent large portions of the 2010 and 2012 seasons with the Red Sox. But the former independent leaguer never has made an Opening Day roster.
–SS Xander Bogaerts rejoined the Red Sox after competing for Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. The 20-year-old native of Aruba described playing in the WBC as “my big league dream.” Said Bogaerts, “What really hit me was when we played against the Dominican (Republic). All those superstars were out there. You have (Robinson) Cano, (Jose) Reyes and those guys. The whole team was an All-Star team. And I’m there playing against them. Throughout the whole tournament there was a lot of talent from all over the world, but the Dominican team was the best of the rest.” Team Netherlands reached the semifinals of the tournament before losing to the Dominican Republic, which beat Puerto Rico in the championship game. Red Sox clubhouse attendants draped a flag of the Netherlands over Bogaerts’ locker while he was away. He plans to save the flag and display it at his home. “The guys have been coming up to me and saying, ‘Good job,’ and ‘Congratulations,’ ” Bogaerts said. “I don’t know who put the flag there, but whoever did it made me very happy.”
–SS Stephen Drew was hit on the helmet by a wayward pitch from Twins LHP Caleb Thielbar on March 7. Two weeks later, he was still experiencing blurred vision and dizziness, so the Red Sox sent him to see concussion specialist Dr. Mickey Collins at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. It doesn’t appear Drew will be ready for Opening Day. Collins has worked with several athletes, including Baltimore Orioles 2B Brian Roberts, who suffered two concussions in a seven-month span and missed large portions of the 2011 and 2012 seasons. “I wouldn’t be (playing) without him,” Roberts told the Boston Herald. “He was there for me any time I picked up the phone, day or night, seven days a week. He’s good at the psychological aspect, keeping you positive and convincing you that you’re going to get out of this. It’s just a matter of time, and unfortunately, nobody has a timetable. The brain heals on its own.”
BY THE NUMBERS: .756 — On-base plus slugging percentage for OF Jonny Gomes in 316 career games as a DH. Gomes has an .851 OPS in 420 games as an outfielder. Gomes is slated to help fill in at DH for injured David Ortiz.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “At some point, we can’t totally neglect spring training. We’re going to balance that as best we can with the long-term production they’ve had, and then where we see them fitting positionally on the field. We have to put some weight on what they’re doing in these final 10 days.” — Red Sox manager John Farrell on the influence of spring training statistics to determining which players get the final roster spots
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MLB Team Report – Boston Red Sox – ROSTER REPORT
PROJECTED ROTATION:
1. LHP Jon Lester
2. RHP Clay Buchholz
3. RHP Ryan Dempster
4. LHP Felix Doubront
5. RHP John Lackey
It’s hardly an overstatement to suggest the season will ride on Lester and Buchholz. Although both have shown the ability to be aces, neither pitched to their capabilities a year ago. If last season was merely an aberration, the Red Sox will bounce back. But if Lester and Buchholz offer more of the same, fans will want to cover their eyes.
Dempster was the lone addition to a rotation that posted a 5.19 ERA last season, and he didn’t adapt well to the AL after being traded to Texas in July. But the Red Sox were drawn to his durability. They’re also expecting Doubront to improve in his second full season, while Lackey brings a veteran presence after missing last season while recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery.
PROJECTED BULLPEN:
RHP Joel Hanrahan (closer)
RHP Andrew Bailey
RHP Koji Uehara
RHP Junichi Tazawa
LHP Craig Breslow
LHP Andrew Miller
RHP Daniel Bard
LHP Franklin Morales
RHP Alfredo Aceves
Without question, the bullpen is the team’s deepest, most talented position, with nine proven relievers vying for what likely will be seven spots. The addition of Hanrahan has forced Bailey into a set-up role, but it also could lead to a potential trade if the Red Sox are able to move Bailey to fill another need.
Uehara has shown he can consistently handle the seventh or eighth innings. Tazawa pitched well in largely meaningless games last September and may give the Red Sox another late-inning arm. Once a dominant set-up man, Bard is seeking to bounce back after a nightmarish season. Miller, Breslow and Morales give the Red Sox three proven lefties.
PROJECTED LINEUP:
1. CF Jacoby Ellsbury
2. RF Shane Victorino
3. 2B Dustin Pedroia
4. 1B Mike Napoli
5. 3B Will Middlebrooks
6. LF Jonny Gomes
7. DH Daniel Nava or Mike Carp or Lyle Overbay
8. C Jarrod Saltalamacchia
9. SS Stephen Drew
New manager John Farrell prefers Ellsbury at the top of the order and has indicated Victorino may bat second against left-handed pitchers. That may mean Pedroia is ticketed for the No. 3 spot, at least against lefties.
With DH David Ortiz sidelined, Napoli could take over at cleanup. Middlebrooks looks to build on a successful rookie season. Gomes will play against lefties, but the Red Sox are still looking for a lefty-hitting outfielder to split time with him. After belting 25 homers last season, Saltalamacchia should bring power to the bottom of the order.
TOP ROOKIES: OF Jackie Bradley Jr. might open the season Triple-A, but his play early in camp opened eyes. Just as the Sox made room for Middlebrooks last season, Bradley may similarly force their hand. Acquired in last summer’s megadeal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, RHP Rubby De La Rosa is recovered after Tommy John elbow surgery and hit 100 mph in his spring debut. Not to be outdone, RHP Allen Webster reached 99 mph in his debut while striking out Blue Jays sluggers Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion.
MEDICAL WATCH:
–SS Stephen Drew (concussion) was hit in the head by a pitch on March 7. The Red Sox sent him to see concussion specialist Dr. Mickey Collins at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center on May 19. It doesn’t appear Drew will be ready for Opening Day. Collins has worked with several athletes, including Baltimore Orioles 2B Brian Roberts, who suffered two concussions in a seven-month span and missed large portions of the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
–LHP Franklin Morales (bulging disk) is out indefinitely. According to multiple reports, the reliever saw a doctor this week in Boston and received an epidural injection. He has pitched in only one game during spring training.
–RHP John Lackey (Tommy John surgery in November 2011) has taken a regular return in the spring training rotation and remains on track to open the season as the No. 3, 4, or 5 starter.
–DH David Ortiz (soreness in both heels) was shut down in mid-March. He will be evaluated in late March, and he is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day.
–OF Ryan Kalish (right shoulder surgery in January 2012) went on the 60-day disabled list Feb. 20. He has missed most of the past two seasons with shoulder and neck problems.
–LHP Craig Breslow (left shoulder soreness) is unlikely to be ready for the start of the season as he builds strength in his left shoulder.
–LHP Franklin Morales (sore lower back) remained restricted in mid-March. There was no timetable for his return to the mound.
