PawSox Pitching Possibilities
In my last post, I took a look at the PawSox projected lineup for 2011. Now (with a huge assist from soxprospects.com), let’s view Pawtucket’s projected pitching staff.
Possible Starters:
(all photos courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)
Felix Doubront will go to spring training as a legitimate candidate to be one of the lefties in Boston’s bullpen, but if he doesn’t open the season in the big leagues, he’s likely to be a starter in Pawtucket. The 23-year-old southpaw had a breakout season in 2010, going 8-3 with a 2.81 ERA between Portland and Pawtucket. That earned Felix his first major league promotion and he went 2-2 with 2 saves and a 4.32 ERA in 12 games for Boston. Following the trade of Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, and Reymond Fuentes to San Diego for Adrian Gonzalez, Doubront is rated as the Red Sox fifth-best prospect according to Baseball America.
Recently-acquired Andrew Miller was the 6th pick in the draft in 2006 and the Red Sox hope to help him unlock his enormous potential. Like Doubront, he’ll get a shot to make Boston’s staff as a left-handed reliever in spring training, but seems likely to open the year as a starter in Pawtucket where he can throw all of his pitches and work on his mechanics between starts.
Junichi Tazawa underwent Tommy John surgery last April and missed the entire 2010 season, but the 24-year-old righty recently told reporters in Japan that he hopes to be ready to pitch by opening day this year. That might be overly optimistic, but Sox fans should not forget about the highly-touted prospect that rocketed to the big leagues in his first professional season in the US in 2009.
Lenny DiNardo returns to the Red Sox organization for the first time since 2006. The 31-year-old lefty had bone chips removed from his elbow last year and only pitched in 12 games. He’s certainly a familiar name to PawSox fans having pitched for Pawtucket from 2004 to 2006.
Brandon Duckworth, who turns 35 on January 23rd, signed with the Red Sox as a minor league free agent in December. It’s a classic case of, “If you can’t beat ‘em, get him to join you.” Duckworth made two starts for Lehigh Valley against Pawtucket last year and went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA (12 IP, 7 H, 15 K).
Adam Mills will look to bounce back from an injury-plagued season after going 4-10 with a 5.47 ERA for Pawtucket. The 26-year-old righty led Red Sox minor leaguers in wins the previous season with 12.
24-year old Kyle Weiland could be ready for a promotion to Triple-A after striking out 120 batters in 128.1 IP for Portland last year. The righty was a third round draft pick out of Notre Dame in 2008.
Possible Relievers:
Michael Bowden got his first taste of relief pitching in 2010 and appears more likely to advance to Boston as a reliever than as a starter. Bowden has two full seasons of Triple-A experience but is still only 24 years old. He posted a respectable 4.70 ERA in 14 relief outings for the Red Sox last season.
Robert Coello was one of the best stories in the organization last year as the converted catcher made his major league debut in September. After a rough major league debut, Coello did not allow a run in his last five outings (5.1 IP). In the minors last year, Robert had a ******** 130 strikeouts in 107.1 IP.
Jason Rice was one of Portland’s closers last year, posting a 2.85 ERA while leading the staff with 13 saves. The 24-year-old righty appears ready to advance to Triple-A after being picked for the Eastern League All-Star Game last year.
Jason Bergmann spent parts of six years with the Washington Nationals and was in their starting rotation in 2007 and 2008. He pitched well as a reliever for Triple-A Syracuse last year, posting a 2.84 ERA with 56 K in 50.2 IP. Jason had a 2.16 ERA in 7 outings against Pawtucket.
Rich Hill is another candidate to begin the season in Boston’s bullpen as a situational lefty. The curveball specialist did not allow a run in six relief outings for the Red Sox last year after going 3-1 with a 3.74 ERA in 19 outings (6 starts) for Pawtucket.
35-year-old Randy Williams has pitched in 90 major league games for the Mariners, Padres, Rockies, and White Sox. He’ll also go to spring training with the goal of sticking with Boston as a left-handed relief specialist.
Perhaps a move to the bullpen is in the cards for 26-year-old lefty Kris Johnson. KJ has gone 9-26 for Pawtucket over the last two years, but has a live arm if he can improve his command.
Santo Luis struggled in his first stint with Pawtucket, but the massive righty was dominant for Portland being promoted to Triple-A.
T.J. Large had a strange 2010 season for Pawtucket as three terrible outings caused his ERA to balloon from 4.41 to 7.64. The 27-year-old righty was chosen for the Eastern League All-Star Game in 2009.
Tony Pena Jr. is an interesting candidate to pitch for Pawtucket at some point in 2011 after signing a minor league deal with Boston in early January. The former Kansas City Royals shortstop switched to pitching in 2009 and advanced to the Triple-A level last year.
Other possible candidates for Pawtucket’s pen include Bryce Cox, Ryne Reynoso, Ryne Lawson, Blake Maxwell, Stephen Fife, and Clevelan Santeliz.
I’d love to hear from you. The address is dhoard@pawsox.com
If you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
And I have finally joined Facebook. Just search for Dan Hoard and look for the photo of me with the handsome lad.
Im Liking The Lineup
With the additions of Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Bobby Jenks, and Dan Wheeler, the Red Sox appear to be loaded this year.
By that, I mean the Pawtucket Red Sox.
Those four acquisitions, plus the anticipated healthy returns of Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Kevin Youkilis, and Mike Cameron, mean that a good mix of talented young players and seasoned major league veterans are likely to spend much of the 2011 season at McCoy Stadium.
My friends at soxprospects.com update the projected rosters for the Red Sox and all of their minor league affiliates approximately every 10 days during the off-season (you can see the latest projections here). Injuries, last-minute deals, and spring training performances will lead to some changes, but for the most part, we already have a pretty good idea of what the PawSox opening day roster should look like.
Catchers: Luis Exposito and Mark Wagner
(photos courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)
Exposito certainly appears ready to make the jump to Triple-A after finishing with 39 doubles, 11 HR, and 94 RBI for Double-A Portland last year. Wagner is looking to rebound from an injury-plagued season. Highly-touted prospect Ryan Lavarnway batted .288 with 22 HR and 102 RBI between Salem and Portland last year, and could earn a quick promotion to Pawtucket.
First Base: Lars Anderson.
With the arrival of Gonzalez in Boston and the trade of power-hitting prospect Anthony Rizzo to San Diego, Lars figures to spend most of the season with the PawSox where he’ll look to build on a solid 2009 season between Portland and Pawtucket (37 doubles, 3 triples, 15 HR).
Shortstop: Yamaico Navarro.
The 23-year-old infielder seemingly came out of nowhere to bat .275 (.356 OBP, .437 SLG) between Portland and Pawtucket and eventually played in 20 games with Boston. Top-rated prospect Jose Iglesias missed much of last season with a broken hand, but the flashy 21-year-old is widely considered to be the Red Sox “shortstop of the future” and could make his Triple-A debut in 2011.
Second Base/Third Base: Nate Spears, Drew Sutton, Hector Luna, Brent Dlugach.
Spears is coming off of an outstanding season for Portland with 30 doubles and 20 HR, and has earned an opportunity to compete for a starting spot in Pawtucket. Sutton is a switch-hitting jack-of-all-trades who can play anywhere in the infield as well as the corner positions in the outfield. Drew is a career .279 hitter in the minors with a .378 OBP. Luna has appeared in more than 300 major league games and played for the Cardinals in their 2004 World Series loss to Boston. Hector batted .294 with 16 HR in the PCL last year. Dlugach did not have a great year for Toledo last season, but in 2009, Brent was a Triple-A All-Star when he batted .294 with 36 doubles and 9 HR.
Outfielders: Ryan Kalish, Josh Reddick, Daniel Nava
With the addition of Crawford and the return of Ellsbury and Cameron, there does not appear to be room on the major league roster (at least to begin the season) for this talented trio.
Kalish appears to be a star in making after batting .294 (.382 OBP/.502 SLG) in the minors with 25 SB in 28 attempts. He wasn’t overmatched as a 22-year-old major league rookie, as Ryan batted .252 (.405 SLG) in 53 games.
After a phenomenal spring training camp with the Red Sox, Reddick had a lousy first half, but rebounded to post decent overall numbers with the PawSox as he batted .266 (.466 SLG) with 28 doubles, 4 triples, and 18 HR. At the age of 24, Josh could have a breakout season for Pawtucket in 2011.
Nava has proven he can hit at any level. The switch-hitter batted .289 (.372 OBP/.458 SLG) in 77 games with Pawtucket and .242 (.351 OBP/.360) in 60 games with Boston, including a grand slam on the first pitch he saw in the big leagues.
DH and extra outfielders: Bubba Bell and Aaron Bates
Bell started last season on the PawSox bench and wound up being named the team MVP. Bubba batted .293 with a .366 OBP and represented the PawSox at the Triple-A All-Star game. Bates batted .240 with 12 HR while adjusting to playing the outfield after Lars Anderson was promoted from Portland to play 1B.
That’s a pretty formidable Triple-A lineup. I’ll take a look at the projected pitching staff in my next blog entry.
I’d love to hear from you. The address is dhoard@pawsox.com
And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
Ringing In The New Year With the PawSox New Manager
The new manager of the Pawtucket Red Sox has something in common with Johnny Damon: They both own World Series rings from the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
(photos courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)
Arnie Beyeler was a coach in the Yankees organization when they won the title in 1998 and a minor league manager for Boston when the Red Sox won the series in 2007. While he’s honored to have both rings, he actually should have a third.
“I am by no means a ‘Yankee hater’ and I worked with some great people in that organization, but the one negative thing I can say about my time over there is that in 1999, I was probably the only development guy that didn’t get a World Series ring,” Beyeler told me with a chuckle. “I had already gone to work for the Red Sox in 2000 when they started handing them out. But there probably aren’t more than a handful of people that have a ring from both teams so it’s pretty unique – that’s for sure.”
The 46-year-old Utah native will manage the PawSox in 2011 after guiding the Red Sox Double-A team in Portland for the last four years. His promotion was a nice Christmas gift as he got the news on December 22nd.
“I was in an airport in Miami coming back from Venezuela where I had been coaching,” Beyeler said. “My phone didn’t work down there, so when I got off the plane my messages were all backed up and there was a message from (Red Sox farm director) Mike Hazen to call him. I sent him a text to find out if that message was old or new and he said that he had left it that morning and needed to talk to me.
“When Mike told me that I had the job it was a pleasant surprise. To be honest, I had interviewed with them in early November and I kind of figured since it took that long that maybe they were going in another direction. I was extremely surprised and extremely excited. It’s a great opportunity and I’m very thankful that they’ve put the trust in me to give me that opportunity.”
In 10 years as a minor league manager in the Red Sox and Rangers’ organizations, Beyeler has a 642-630 record and has earned the reputation as a tireless worker.
“I take that as a real compliment when people say that,” Arnie said. “I’ve always had to be that way. As a player, I was never a gifted guy with all sorts of ability – I always had to work hard to keep my job. I learned a long time ago that I had my opportunity to play and now it’s all about the players. I think the guys that I’ve worked with realize that. It’s never been about me, and I just try to do whatever I can to help those guys get to the next level. That’s what I get paid for and I’ve been very fortunate in this business that I’ve never really had to work a day in my life. I get to work with a lot of great young people and some of the most talented young baseball players in the world. That’s a fun gig to have.”
And in Arnie’s case, it’s a gig with some good perks. He can wear them on either hand.
I’d love to hear from you. The address is dhoard@pawsox.com
And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
The Top 10 Photos of 2010
Kelly O’Connor is not a professional photographer – but she takes some of the best sports photographs that I have ever seen. And since I started this blog, she’s been kind enough to allow me to pick and choose whatever fits my entries from her online photo gallery.
Her job involves working at Boston University for former president John Silber, but for the last five years, one of her hobbies has been shooting pictures of the Boston Red Sox and their minor league prospects. Nearly all of Kelly’s photos have been taken from the stands as a ticket-buying fan, but she’s managed to grab images of great Red Sox moments and displays a unique ability to capture the personality of the players.
As 2010 winds down, I thought it would be fun to post the “Top 10 Photos of the Year” involving members of last year’s PawSox. With a huge assist from the “Official Unpaid Photographer” of my blog, here goes:
(all photos courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)
10. Gil Velazquez safe at second base on a double. How about the framing in that shot? It couldn’t have been done any better if Kelly had asked the trio to pose.
9. Lars Anderson rides the tarp. This play happened on the day that Josh Beckett made a rehab start at McCoy Stadium. My radio partner Steve Hyder pointed out early in the broadcast that the PawSox seemed to have a little extra pep in their step with Beckett on the hill, and moments later, Lars made a tremendous sprawling catch. Nice timing by Hydes, and a great photo by Kelly.
8. Josh Reddick tagged out at the plate. Josh didn’t have a great year – although his .326 average (.566 slugging) after July 1st bodes well for next season – but hustle is never an issue for the young outfielder. He’s fun to watch on a daily basis.
7. Ryan Kalish follows the path of his first MLB hit. Kelly took several great photographs of Kalish throughout the year, but this is my personal favorite. It’s an unusual angle and I think it somehow captures how the big leagues were not “too big” for this 22-year-old kid.
6. Jacoby Ellsbury smiling while on rehab at McCoy. Jacoby didn’t do much smiling last year as he battled broken ribs. Here’s hoping that he’s healthy and happy in 2011. A healthy Ellsbury could be a bigger addition than Carl Crawford.
5. Daniel Nava belts a grand slam on his first big league swing. Daniel’s father Don didn’t do a very good job of catching the swing on home video, but Kelly nailed the money shot. Oddly enough, she says she nearly missed it too because she was telling the fans seated around her who Daniel was!
4. PawSox relievers break out of jail. Leave it to Chad Paronto to choreograph a hysterical pre-game routine for the Pawtucket relief pitchers as they would sprint to the bullpen at the start of the game and scale the 5-foot tall wall. Classic! That’s Tommy Hottovy on the far right electing not to go with the Fosbury Flop.
3. Outfielders celebrate. Josh Reddick, Bubba Bell, and Daniel Nava celebrate a Pawtucket victory with a flying 3-way hip bump. Let’s hope celebrations of that nature are more frequent next season.
2. Daniel Nava in pre-game prayer at Fenway before debut. Here’s what Kelly had to say about this photo:
I always wonder what’s going on in a player’s head before the game, when he’s just been called up–what it’s like to work so long and so hard toward a goal, and then to have those long moments where that achievement is both in hand–there you are, in the park, in the lineup–and not yet experienced. I knew from McCoy that Nava had a pregame ritual of sorts where he would be out on the field, but clearly gathering his own thoughts, whether praying or meditating–a very private moment in a very public space. I actually debated a little bit whether I would put up that shot, because of that private aspect.
I love that photo and I’m sure that Daniel Nava does too.
1. Chad Paronto proudly displays the WWF Championship belt that he received from his teammates. As I’ve written previously, the veteran reliever kept all of us in stitches last year. I’m still holding out hope that the Red Sox bring him back in 2011.
Those were my choices for a Top 10, but I left out dozens of great pictures. Here’s a link to Kelly’s favorite photos from last year:
http://sittingstill.smugmug.com/keyword/2010
Thanks again to the great Kelly O’Connor for allowing me to share her work.
I’d love to hear from you. The address is dhoard@pawsox.com
And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
Livin’ Lars
After trading for Adrian Gonzalez and agreeing in principle on a 7-year contract extension, the Boston Red Sox appear to have their starting first baseman through the year 2018.
Not exactly the best career development for PawSox first baseman Lars Anderson.
(photos courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)
“That’s the way the game works – especially with a team like the Red Sox,” Anderson told me. “If you can get a guy like Adrian Gonzalez you’d be a fool not to in my opinion.
“He’s one of the best players in the game and it makes total sense to me that they acquired him when they had the opportunity to. Barring some injury, I don’t think it really changes where I was going to start the season. It might change what happens during the season, but there’s really nothing I can do about it. Obviously, it’s not ideal for me personally, but it’s really good for the ballclub so that’s cool.”
The Red Sox sent another of their best minor league first baseman – Anthony Rizzo – to San Diego in the Gonzalez trade, and Anderson knows that he is a logical candidate to be included in a future deal.
“It feels kind of inevitable, you know?” Lars said. “How many guys get to stay with the same team for their whole life? That being said, if I get dealt at some point it’s going to be startling because of all the great connections that I’ve made over the last four years. But that’s another thing that I have no control over.”
It’s been an eventful off-season for the 23-year-old slugger. So far, Lars has spent 2 ½ weeks driving across the United States, taken a vacation to Puerto Rico with close pal Ryan Kalish, and even become friendly with his favorite author.
“His name is David James Duncan,” Anderson said. “He’s written some great novels that I really like. I talked to him while I was fishing on a river in Montana so that was really cool.”
Montana was one several states that Lars visited when he drove from Boston to California immediately after the season. The conversation with Duncan was the result of a fortunate coincidence.
“I was hanging out with my sister and her family in Virginia,” Anderson said. “They have friends that used to live in Montana and we were all eating dinner one night and talking about who everybody’s favorite author was. When I said, ‘David James Duncan,’ one of her friends said, ‘No way – we have a friend who is really good friends with him.’ David lives just outside of Missoula, Montana and I had planned a pilgrimage to go there and check it out because I love his work and wanted to see the area. So I e-mailed this friend of his to see if there was any way he could help me get in touch with David. I didn’t hear back from him for a long time, but the night before I was set to arrive in Missoula, he e-mailed me back and said, ‘Call me tomorrow and we’ll set something up.’ He gave me David’s number and told me to give him a call. So I called him and we chatted for an hour. It turns out he’s a big Red Sox fan.”
Anderson’s favorite book by Duncan is called The Brothers K.
“It has a lot to do with baseball – it’s a really fresh take on minor league baseball which I appreciated when I read it,” Lars said. “How many times do you read a book and you’re like, ‘I would love to ask this author how he or she thought of that.’ I got to do that. I was able to ask all of these questions that I had and it was really wild.”
Anderson is coming off a solid season between Portland and Pawtucket as he batted .274 (.349 OBP, .461 SLG) with 37 doubles, 3 triples, and 15 HR. That resulted in a September call-up and Lars went 7-for-35 (.200) in his first taste of major league action.
“It gave me a lot of confidence,” Anderson said. “I know that I can play there. Before you get there you always wonder, ‘Can I hang at the major league level?’ I think I can. The environment is a little bit different, but it’s the same game and I never really felt overmatched or overwhelmed. The only overwhelming part was trying to get people tickets to the away games in Oakland.”
That’s close to his home in Fair Oaks, CA where Lars has started to prepare for the 2011 season.
“I hit today and I’ve really been working hard in the gym,” Anderson told me. “I’ve been thinking about what I want to focus on this year but it feels a little forced right now to really concentrate on one thing. When I hit today, it was the most thought-free that I’ve been and it was by far the best that I’ve hit the ball. That’s something that I really tried to do last year – really get my mind out of the way and let my body do its thing. I know how to hit a fastball, but my mind wants to get in there and ask questions about how I’m doing it or why I’m swinging at a certain pitch.”
In other words, he’s trying not to think too much – whether it’s at the plate or when it comes to job opportunities in Boston.
I’d love to hear from you. The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.
And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
A Must-Read About Kevin Youkilis
Kevin Youkilis gets it.
He’s 31 years old, about to make $12 million dollars next year, and realizes that he’s in a position to use his fame and fortune to help others.
So he does. It’s really that simple.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to play golf with my friend Paul Daugherty, an outstanding sports columnist for the Cincinnati Enquirer and Sports Illustrated. During the course of our round, Paul mentioned that he had heard that Youk was heavily involved in charitable efforts and was considering writing about it. Knowing that I live in Boston and work for the PawSox, he asked me if Youkilis was visible in the community during the off-season.
I told him that was definitely the case and mentioned that Kevin had personally appeared at a fundraiser for Raising a Reader – an organization that my wife is involved with that provides books to the children of low-income families.
Paul Daugherty wrote his story today and it’s tremendous.
And here’s a link to Hits for Kids – Youk’s charitable organization.
Meet The Red Sox Opening Day Catcher…At Least For Now
As I type this at 11:23 am on November 23rd, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is the Boston Red Sox primary catcher to begin the 2011 season.
(photo courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)
“Nothing is set in stone but it looks like I could have an opportunity to earn a spot in the lineup,” Saltalamacchia told the Boston Globe after Victor Martinez signed as a free agent with Detroit. “Obviously it makes me feel great that the organization has confidence in me.
“This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for. I’m glad Victor got what he wanted, but now I need to run with this.”
Saltalamacchia only played in 10 games for Boston after being obtained in a July 31st trade with Texas for three minor leaguers, but Red Sox manager Terry Francona liked what he saw.
“Really interesting kid,” Francona told WEEI radio. “He has been through a lot. He’s been injured; he’s had some trouble throwing. Saying that, he’s been the Rangers’ Opening Day catcher the last two years, that’s how much they thought of him. A switch-hitter with power, I think we view him potentially as somebody that can really fit the bill as maybe an everyday catcher with us.
“Saying that, I don’t know if you want to just – because of everything he’s been through – hand everything to him on April 1st and say “Go get ‘em’. Sometimes you’re helping to set somebody up to fail. We don’t want that to happen. We want to help this kid progress because we really like what’s in there, but you also want to help him get there.”
While Francona sounded somewhat hesitant about handing Saltalamacchia the primary job, baseball analyst Lou Merloni sounded even more skeptical when asked if he would be comfortable with Jarrod behind the plate for Boston on Opening Day.
“No, not one bit and I don’t think the Red Sox really can be,” Merloni said on CSNNE. “They haven’t seen enough of this kid. Maybe some day. They got a great value in him and didn’t give up much, but he’s sort of like that project that’s got potential and could be that some day, but just not right now. I don’t think you can go into the season (with Jarrod as the starter) and I don’t believe that they think that right now. They just haven’t seen enough. Maybe a few years down the road – fine – but right now? No, I wouldn’t feel confident one bit with him as the Opening Day starter.”
I didn’t get to know Jarrod very well since he only played in nine games for the PawSox, but he did consent to a “Fantastic Fun Facts” interview. Here were some of the more interesting nuggets.
Who was your childhood hero?
“I looked up to Ken Griffey Jr., but I was really into my brother Justin. He actually played with me my first two years of pro ball. He’s four years older than me and I thought he was the coolest guy in the world. Now I realize that I can beat him up and he’s not so cool anymore.”
What’s the highlight of your career so far?
“Getting called-up for the first time when I was 22 years old with Atlanta was probably my best moment in baseball, but the greatest moment of my life was the birth of both of my kids (daughters Sidney and Hunter). I love my kids to death and there’s nothing that could top that. I enjoy every minute with them.”
What’s been your most embarrassing moment in baseball?
“There was a time in Baltimore where I took a pitch and I thought, ‘Man, I saw that ball so well, I wonder why?’ The umpire screamed time out and I had the wrong helmet on. I had a left-handed helmet on when I was batting righty. The whole thing was caught on live TV and it was pretty embarrassing.”
If you could choose your uniform number, what would it be?
“I guess probably 48. There are 4 people in my family – me, my wife, and our two girls – and I had a cousin who was killed in a car accident and he wore the number 8, so I’ve always wanted to have an 8 in there somewhere (Jarrod wore #39 with the Red Sox last year. Scott Atchison wore #48).”
Have you had any interesting brushes with greatness?
“I got to meet former President George W. Bush which was awesome. He came into the clubhouse in Washington when I was playing for Texas in interleague play and he invited us to the White House. I got to go into the Oval Office and it was a great experience. It was something I’ll never forget. Not too many people get to do that, so it was pretty exciting.”
Did you come away with any souvenirs?
“We got to take a picture with him in front of his desk. I know we have one in my house. We probably copied it 10 times and gave it to everyone in the family.”
At 14 letters, you have the longest last name in major league baseball history. What does your autograph look like?
“It’s ‘J’ with a squiggly line and an ‘S’ with a squiggly line. It doesn’t look anything like my name. Sometimes I’ll put my full name down, but it takes a long time to do it.”
* * * * *
I’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to tell me who you are and where you’re from in the comments section or you can e-mail me at dhoard@pawsox.com.
And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
Sox Sign Drew Sutton
Drew Sutton was born in Arkansas, attended high school in Tennessee, college in Texas, and lives near Dallas now. But despite the variety of southern stops, Sutton has a dream that makes him sound like a New Englander.
“It was always on my bucket list to go to Fenway Park,” Sutton told me. “Having a chance to play there is incredible.”
Sutton will have that opportunity in 2011 after signing with Boston as a minor league free agent on Monday. The 27-year-old switch-hitter is a jack-of-all-trades who can play anywhere in the infield as well as the corner positions in the outfield.
“We had five or six teams that called once they could contact minor league free agents and my decision came down to San Diego or Boston,” Sutton said. “The Red Sox were more aggressive with their offer and it seemed like a better overall situation as far as the opportunities in Triple-A and also the possible opportunity to contribute to the big league team.”
Sutton has major league experience with Cincinnati and Cleveland, batting .229 (.302 OBP) with 3 HR in 55 big league games. In 7 minor league seasons, he’s batted .279 (.379 OBP/.434 SLG) with three seasons of 15 or more home runs. His deal with the Red Sox includes an invitation to big league training camp in Ft. Myers, and Drew hopes to be this year’s Nick Green (2009) or Darnell McDonald (2010) – players who signed minor league deals but wound up spending the year in Boston.
“I don’t think anybody could have predicted what happened with the Red Sox last year as far as how many injuries there were and how many free agent signees they needed to use during the season,” Sutton said. “That’s one of the crazy things about baseball. I was in a similar situation in 2009 when I was with the Reds – I happened to be in the right place at the right time. You always hope for an opportunity to get to the big leagues, but you can’t control what happens with injuries or how guys play. The best you can hope for is to get the opportunity to play every day at Triple-A and produce. Then when the time comes, you’re the first guy that pops into their head.”
While his goal is to play in Boston, Sutton knows there’s a strong possibility that he’ll begin the season with the PawSox.
“When you’re on a minor league contract, you have to prepare for the possibility of being sent down, and being in Pawtucket is a great worst-case scenario because of the support of the fans. And it may sound funny, but it’s great when the team has a nice clubhouse because there’s where you wind up spending the majority of your time.”
Best of all, McCoy Stadium is one stop from Fenway.
“Me and my wife started a bucket list and I had to put that on there,” Sutton said with a laugh. “She wants to go to Rome and Paris. She also has one that’s a little scary – she wants to go to Australia and swim with sharks. We might have to wait until baseball is over for that one.”
* * * * *
I’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to tell me who you are and where you’re from in the comments section or you can e-mail me at dhoard@pawsox.com.
And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
The Return of Jeff Bailey
Jeff Bailey spent parts of six years playing for the Pawtucket Red Sox (2004-09).
In 2011, there’s a good chance that he’ll be playing against them.
(photo courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)
The 2008 International League MVP signed with the Minnesota Twins as a minor league free agent on Wednesday. His deal includes an invitation to major league spring training camp, but if he doesn’t make the big league club, he’s likely to start the season at McCoy Stadium . . . in a Rochester uniform.
“I looked at the schedule the other day and saw that the Rochester Red Wings open at Pawtucket so that will be kind of strange,” Bailey told me. “I’ll get to take part in another Opening Day ceremony and it will be extra special because I’m sure there will be a tribute to Ben Mondor. I’ve talked to some people about that and watched some interviews online with Mike Tamburro and Theo Epstein. It’s sad, but I know they’re going to work really hard to keep everything going the way that Ben wanted it to go. It will be good to be there again.”
Bailey spent last year with Arizona’s Triple-A team in Reno, NV, batting .289 (.387 OBP/.462 SLG) with 33 doubles and 78 RBI. But despite having a solid season, he was not enamored with the Diamondbacks’ organization.
“It was poorly run and people lost their jobs because of it,” Bailey said. “I was told a lot of things that were lies and I addressed the general manager and manager at the end of spring training about those issues. Any chance I had of getting called-up probably went out the window. But you have to stand up for yourself every once in a while.”
As a six-year minor league free agent, Bailey was free to negotiate with other teams beginning five days after the World Series ended. He was interested in returning to the Boston organization, but Minnesota was aggressive in pursuing him.
“The Twins called right away,” Bailey said. “My agent got an offer from them and asked me what I thought. It was a great offer, but I wanted to call the Red Sox and see what they had to say. But Boston has some other issues going on and they’re not going to be doing any six-year free agent signings at this point. Maybe three or four weeks down the road is what (VP of Player Personnel) Ben Cherington told us, so we didn’t want to wait and decided to move forward with the Twins.”
Next season will be Bailey’s 15th in pro baseball (he turns 32 on Friday), and while Jeff obviously hopes to spend at least part of it in Minnesota, he will not complain if he’s sent to Rochester.
“It’s pretty simple. I enjoy playing baseball thoroughly and if someone is willing to give me an opportunity then that’s what I’m going to do.” Bailey said. “I’m not going to get involved in any of the politics. Last year I thought that going to the Diamondbacks would help me get to the big leagues, but I’m not going to worry about that anymore. I’m going to let the cards fall where they may. I’m going to plan on being in Rochester and having a good Triple-A season and if I get called up to help that team win in the big leagues than that’s what I’m going to do. I don’t dwell on that stuff anymore. I’m just happy to still be playing.”
PawSox fans will be happy to see him again. Even if he’s wearing the wrong uniform.
I’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to tell me who you are and where you’re from in the comments section or you can e-mail me at dhoard@pawsox.com.
And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
The Soundtrack Of Summer in Seattle
A typical PawSox home game ends around 10:00 pm and by the time we’ve wrapped up the post-game show and I’ve taken care of some stats and notes that I’m responsible for, my 48-minute drive home usually begins around 11:00.
Thanks to XM radio, Seattle Mariners’ broadcaster Dave Niehaus not only made the late night commute bearable – he made it enjoyable. If the Mariners had a home game, I knew I’d have the pleasure of listening to a master at work.
Niehaus was the Mariners’ primary play-by-play announcer from the team’s inception in 1977 until his passing of a heart attack at the age of 75 on Wednesday. He received the Ford Frick Award in Cooperstown for his “major contributions to baseball” in 2008 and is unquestionably one of the greatest broadcasters in history.
The thing that stood out to me about Niehaus was his incredible enthusiasm. Every time I tuned in, Dave sounded as happy as my 4-year-old son Sam was last week when I brought home the Toy Story 3 DVD he had been asking for.
Keep in mind, that’s how Niehaus sounded after calling more than 5,000 Mariners games.
There’s a tremendous lesson there for anyone in sports broadcasting. If you can’t have a blast when you’re sitting in the best seat in the house while getting paid to talk about a sporting event, you’re in the wrong business.
Dave’s calls of famous moments in Mariners history are priceless, and usually ended with his signature phrase, “My oh my.”
Some of his most memorable calls can be heard here: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/flatpages/video/mediacenterbc3.html?bctid=30741168001
But I plan to go to MLB.com’s Gameday Audio section, pick out a random Mariners game from last season and listen to Niehaus weave his magic on an average night in the middle of a losing season. I know I’ll laugh, marvel at his descriptive abilities, and feel like I’m listening to the most exciting game of the year.
My commute home won’t be the same next summer.
I’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to tell me who you are and where you’re from in the comments section or you can e-mail me at dhoard@pawsox.com.
And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
Dan Hoard
