2011 Season Wrap-Up Pt. 3

Today I will be looking at the position players who were on the bench, or only played a partial season.

LARS ANDERSON
Lars Anderson will probably be traded this offseason. He was almost traded at the deadline in July to Oakland for Rich Harden, but Boston was concerned about Harden's medical status and withdrew from the trade. Anderson has nothing left to prove in the minors, and with Adrian Gonzalez locked up in Boston for the next seven years, it is time to move him. Anderson simply did not develop into a legitimate Major Leaguer in time.

MIKE AVILES
I was confused by this trade when it happened, but Aviles definitely prove to be worth it. Aviles hit .317/.340/.436 with two home runs and four stolen bases since arriving in Boston. Even more valuable was his versatility as he played five positions for the Red Sox. Aviles will be back next season as a super utility man.

MIKE CAMERON
Cameron was injured and ineffective for the Red Sox who did not get their money's worth on his contract. Cameron was traded to Florida early in the season and only played 33 games for Boston with an atrocious batting line of .149/.212/.266. He had a nice career, but his time with Boston was not a highlight.

JOEY GATHRIGHT
Gathright only made it into seven games for Boston, mostly as a pinch hitter. He was one for two in stolen base attempts and likely will not be back next year.

JOSE IGLESIAS
We did not see much of Iglesias, which surprised me. His bat is not ready yet for the Majors, but his glove certainly is. It is a shame we have not seen him in the field much yet. He could make an impact next year.

CONOR JACKSON
An injured knee limited Conor Jackson since being acquired from Oakland. He made it into only 12 games with the Red Sox and did not do much other than some sparkling defensive plays when he played. He will likely not be back next year as he is a free agent.

RYAN LAVARNWAY
It may be time to put Lavarnway in the Majors full time. He could play at catcher and designated hitter. His bat is definitely ready as he proved on the next to last game of the season when he hit two home runs. His defensive skills have also improved.

JED LOWRIE
Time is running out on Lowrie. Every time it seems he has locked up the shortstop position, he goes down with an injury. Since coming back from that injury, he did not hit well. He could still be a valuable utility infielder, but with Mike Aviles around, does Boston really need two? Who knows. Lowrie could be a better offensive shortstop than Marco Scutaro, but his defense needs work.

DARNELL MCDONALD
McDonald started very slowly, but started picking up towards the end of the season. He finished with a batting line of .236/.303/.401, not the best numbers, but they seem worse because of his dreadful start. McDonald is a versatile outfielder with power and speed, so he could stick as the fourth outfielder next year.

YAMAICO NAVARRO
Navarro was being groomed to be a utility infielder until he was dealt to Kansas City in the Aviles trade. He is expected to be a similar type of player.

JOSH REDDICK
Overall, Reddick had a nice season. He struggled down the stretch but ended up with a nice line of .280/.327/.457. He should compete with Ryan Kalish for the full time right field job next season. But Kalish has more potential, so we will see what happens.

NATE SPEARS
Not much to say about Spears, he made it into three games and did not produce a hit. He is 26, pretty old to just now be breaking into the Majors. If he makes it back, it will not be as more than a role player.

DREW SUTTON
Sutton was actually fairly impressive in short work as a utility infielder. His line was .315/.362/.444. I am not sure why he did not stick at the Major League level. He may not be back next year with Lowrie and Aviles around.

JASON VARITEK
The Captain will be 40 next year and he still wants to play. He was somewhat valuable this year, as he did hit 11 home runs as a backup catcher. But his defensive skills have continued to decline. It is getting hard to justify keeping him around, especially with Lavarnway ready to step in, but it will be just as hard to let him go, as much as he has done for the organization. It will be an interesting decision-making process.

Underrated Player of the Year: 1993

In this series, I look at one player per year from 1991-the present who came out of nowhere or had a great year that no one really noticed or expected.1993 - GREG A. HARRIS
I would have picked Danny Darwin for this post, but I have already covered his surprising 1993 season in another post. So, here we are with the remarkably versatile Greg A. Harris.

After two okay seasons in the rotation, Harris was moved to the bullpen full time in 1992 and responded with a pretty good season. In 1993, Harris was essentially the long man out of the bullpen, but his numbers were very impressive. He lead the league with 80 games pitched, which was a Red Sox record for some time. Think about that, there are 162 games in a season, and he pitched in 80 of them. No wonder he blew his arm out in 1994. He threw 112.1 innings, which is unheard of out of relievers these days. Harris finished the year at 6-7 with a 3.77 ERA and 103 strikeouts versus 60 walks. His WHIP was 1.380.

1993 was still fairly early in the reformation of bullpen roles, so Harris's season stands out quite a bit today. He was an absolute workhorse that year. He was the most consistent reliever on the team and helped in a variety of ways, even picking up eight saves. The bullpen would have been in a lot of trouble without Harris.

2011 Season Wrap-Up Pt. 2

Today, I am going to look at the main starters and relievers.

JOSH BECKETT
Beckett was possibly the ace of the staff this year as he had the most consistent year, other than his final two disastrous starts against the Orioles. Beckett was an All Star for the third time with the Red Sox and lead the team in ERA with 2.89. For a while, he was considered to be a Cy Young Candidate. However, his last couple of starts have more than likely taken him out of the running for any votes at all. It was a nice bounceback year after his awful 2010 though. Hopefully he stays motivated and comes back next year in shape and ready to pitch. Boston desperately needs him.

JON LESTER
Lester took a little bit of a step backwards this year after contending for the Cy Young Award last year. Something just was not right with him parts of the year and he had a lot of trouble with his command down the stretch which lead to three awful starts in a row. Nevertheless, he lead the team in wins and strikeouts with 15 and 182 respectfully. Hopefully this year was not a sign of things to come for Boston's young ace and he gets back to his dominating stuff next year.

JOHN LACKEY
To say John Lackey was bad this year is a massive understatement. I still do not quite understand how this free agent acquisition turned out this badly. Lackey has not been the pitcher that he was with the Angels the entire time he has been in Boston. It is a shame because he could have given the Red Sox another ace-level starting pitcher. Lackey had an absolutely awful year, going 12-12 with a 6.41 ERA. I have no idea what it will take to get him back on track, but something needs to be done over the offseason.

TIM WAKEFIELD
At this point, Wakefield is just hanging on trying to get the Red Sox record for career victories. He has not been pitching very well and most teams run at will on him. He finally got career victory number 200 earlier this year and is six wins away from the Red Sox record. I do not really have a problem with him coming back for that record next year if he is pitching well in Spring Training. Otherwise, I just can not see how a team striving for the postseason can keep him around in anything other than a bullpen role. He finished the year a disappointing 7-8 with a 5.12 ERA. Not his best year.

CLAY BUCHHOLZ
Along with Youkilis, Clay Buchholz's injury was a crushing blow that the team could not overcome. They did not have the pitching depth to cover for the loss of their third ace. Buchholz struggled to start the season but was beginning to figure it out when he went down with a stress fracture in his back. He finished 6-3 with a 3.48 ERA. There was talk that he was ready to pitch in the postseason so he should be back to full health in 2012.

DAISUKE MATSUZAKA
Another injury that Boston could not overcome, though on a lesser scale, was the one to Matsuzaka. Matsuzaka continues to disappoint in Boston ever since his 18 win 2008 season. He still nibbles at the corners way too much which leads to a lot of walks and he gets hit hard. It is about time to characterize his acquisition as a bust. He likely will not make it back until late in the year next year from Tommy John surgery and will be a free agent after the season. It is possible that he has pitched his last game for the Red Sox.

ERIK BEDARD
Bedard was acquired from the Mariners at the trading deadline in order to make up for the losses of Buchholz and Matsuzaka. It just did not work out that way. He had a few solid games, but came away with only one victory and an awful lot of questions. His strikeout numbers were good and his ERA was not bad for a fourth or fifth starter, but he was expected to be more than that. We have probably seen the end of Bedard in Boston and lost four decent prospects to get him.

JONATHAN PAPELBON
Like Beckett, Papelbon had a very good bounceback season for the Red Sox in 2011. His season was even better and he dramatically increased his possible value on the free agent market this year. Papelbon became the first closer to save 30 or more games in each of his first six full seasons. His strikeout numbers were ridiculous, striking out 87 in 64 innings and his ERA was 2.94, which is not overly impressive, but he had one or two bad outings. Now the question is, will he be back next year?

DANIEL BARD
Bard was being groomed to take over Papelbon's spot at closer should he leave, but it is important to have a good setup man too. Bard mysteriously struggled down the stretch but had some good games in the middle too. He is not as dominating as he was last year, but it may have just been a down year. I would not be comfortable going into next season with him at closer without any fallback options, but it is not my decision to make. Who knows, he could excel at the position.

ALFREDO ACEVES
The hero of the season from the pitching staff was Aceves, whose acquisition from the Yankees drew little notice at first. Some astute Yankees bloggers were a little upset that he was let go, but he was deemed expendable by the team. Boston's front office does not agree. Aceves finished 10-2 with a 2.61 ERA, and fit in a variety of roles. He started four games and even had a save. Next year, he should be groomed as a starter. That would go a long way to fixing some of the rotation issues. His stuff is that good.

DAN WHEELER
Wheeler's overall numbers do not look that great, but that was more because of his disastrous first month. He was pitching much better later on until he too went down with an injury. If Wheeler had not been hurt, Aceves could have been moved into the rotation. He has an option and Boston should consider picking it up. A veteran bullpen arm is not always easy to come by, especially one as good as Wheeler.

BOBBY JENKS
He is only in this wrap-up because of the expectations at the beginning of the season. Jenks was acquired as a backup option at closer if Papelbon struggled and otherwise to be a co-setup man with Bard. He only pitched in 19 games though with an ERA of 6.32. His strikeout numbers were good, but he also issued a lot of walks. Hopefully his injuries are healed and he can be ready to come back next year, he is still under contract after all.

FRANKLIN MORALES
A shrewd pickup early on, Morales came in and anchored the pen from the left side. He had some struggles at various points, but by the end of the season, he was every bit as reliable as Bard or Aceves. Morales is another player who could be sent in to the starting rotation, his stuff is electrifying. He finished the season with a 3.61 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 32.1 innings, against 11 walks. Morales was once one of Colorado's top prospects and he started to show why this year.

MATT ALBERS
Matt Albers looked like the under-the-radar pickup of the year for the Red Sox at one point when his ERA was below 2.00. It did not end up that way as he had a string of games in which he was hit all over the field. He was still a somewhat dependable arm out of the bullpen, with some good strikeout numbers, 68 in 64.1 innings. He should be back next year, just not in a setup role.

Late Congratulations to Jacoby Ellsbury on 30/30

Ellsbury has been the team's biggest bright spot all season and he accomplished on Sunday, a feat which no other Red Sox player has ever done, stealing 30 bases and hitting 30 home runs in the same season. I have been waiting a long time to see someone from this team do that and it finally happened. I will be honest, I did not think he would do it coming into the year as his career high in home runs prior to this season was only nine.

Underrated Player of the Year: 1992

In this series, I look at one player per year from 1991-the present who came out of nowhere or had a great year that no one really noticed or expected.1992 - TOM BRUNANSKY
The second year I was a fan of the Red Sox, they were terrible, finishing in last place for the only team since I have been a fan. The major reason for their last place finish was an almost complete lack of offense. All of their regulars who were counted on for the last several years had down years, even Wade Boggs whose batting average dipped down to the .250s. It was incredibly bad.

Tom Brunansky was the only Red Sox regular to have even a decent year. Bruno was the only Red Sox player with an above-average OPS+ in 1992. That said, his numbers were still not on par with some of his earliest years. Bruno never cracked 20 home runs with Boston, odd for a right-handed power hitter, but his best years were definitely behind him.

1992 was Brunansky's best year in Boston as he batted .266/.344/.445 with 15 home runs and 74 RBIs, both of which lead the team that year. That is how bad Boston's hitters were in 1992. Brunansky also lead the team in doubles, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. Without Brunansky it's kind of scary to think where Boston would have ended up.

After the season, Brunansky was allowed to walk as a free agent to join the Brewers and the Red Sox replaced him with Andre Dawson and Ivan Calderon. In 1994, Bruno was re-acquired in a trade for Dave Valle and finished his career with the Red Sox, hitting ten home runs in 48 games for the team.

2011 Season Wrap-Up Pt. 1

I have not been posting much because the last month of the season has been very hard. Boston quite simply played like shit the last month and it is extremely upsetting. With the payroll that this team had, it is unacceptable that they did not make the playoffs at all. Some changes need to be made and it sounds like that change is that Terry Francona will not return next year. Francona had a nice run and was the longest-lasting Red Sox manager since Joe Cronin, but the way this team finished has to have a root cause, and I think it's management. I think Theo Epstein should be on a short leash too right now. His big-money acquisitions have not worked out, and the team has not been able to develop much pitching beyond Papelbon, Bard, Lester, and Buchholz.

There were some nice things to develop out of the season. The biggest one was the development of Jacoby Ellsbury into a legitimate superstar. His motivation was called into question last offseason, but he took things to the next level this year.

Let's look at each of the regulars today and spread this wrap-up out over the next couple of days. Tomorrow will be the pitching staff and principal relievers, then the next post will cover the bench players and short season players.

CATCHER - JARROD SALTALAMACCHIA
Saltalamacchia proved that he was basically ready to be a full-time player. He also proved that he will always be just a little bit inconsistent. I hate using that word because of Joe Morgan, but there is no other way to describe it. Salty was terrible the last month and his numbers really suffered because of it. He is not a particularly good catcher at stopping the running game, but that may be more due to the pitchers on the mound. He really struggled defensively the last month. His offensive numbers were decent: .235/.288/.450 with 16 home runs, but they would have looked better had he done ANYTHING in the last month. I think he will be on a short leash moving forward as Ryan Lavarnway looks ready to take over.

FIRST BASE - ADRIAN GONZALEZ
Gonzalez had a nice season and nearly won the batting title. He should win a Gold Glove as he was a great defensive first-baseman. I was personally a little disappointed with his season, despite nearly winning the batting title and being among the league leaders in RBIs and hits because his home run numbers were down significantly. After the All Star Break, he simply had a power outage. He finished the year with only 27 home runs, his lowest total since his first full season in 2006. Apparently he had some nagging injury in his left shoulder that sapped his power. If that is the case, he should be back to full strength next season. He is only 29 right now, so it is too early to start the decline phase of his career and his numbers were impressive otherwise.

SECOND BASE - DUSTIN PEDROIA
It is hard to imagine but Dustin Pedroia may have had his best season of his career this year. He has already won Rookie of the Year and MVP honors in his young career and he just keeps getting better. This year saw him increase his power and base-stealing numbers. He hit a career high 21 home runs with 91 RBIs and stole 27 bases. I made a prediction earlier on this blog that Pedroia would soon join the Red Sox 20/20 players and he did do that. Pedroia's slash line was an impressive /307/.387/.474 and he contributed with some outstanding defense. Pedroia should be in line to receive his second Gold Glove this year.

SHORTSTOP - MARCO SCUTARO
Scutaro was one of the few players who actually improved his numbers over the last month of the season. Early in the year it looked like he would play out his contract and leave unceremoniously as he battled injuries and the Red Sox looked to replace him with Jed Lowrie, Mike Aviles, or Jose Iglesias. But Scutaro played his heart out over the last month and finished the year at .299/.358/.423, and yes those numbers are better than Derek Jeter's numbers. He was also an impressive defensive player. I have no idea whether Scutaro will be back next year or not. Lowrie has more upside as an offensive player and Iglesias will be better defensively but both players are limited on the other side.

THIRD BASE - KEVIN YOUKILIS
One of the most damaging injuries of the year was the one that limited Kevin Youkilis to 120 games. Youkilis's overall batting numbers were down most of the year, particularly his batting average. Despite that, he turned in a decent line of .258/.373/.459 with 17 home runs and 80 RBIs. Not his best numbers, but nothing to get too worked up over. Youkilis was not a great defensive third-baseman, but he was decent enough. If he returns to full strength next year, there will be nothing to worry about. Otherwise Will Middlebrooks is lying in wait to take over.

RIGHT FIELD - J.D. DREW
J.D. Drew had his worst season ever. He was bothered by frequent injuries, which is not unusual, but this season was particularly bad, even for him. Drew has definitely played his last season in a Red Sox uniform. Drew played only 81 games in 2011 with a line of .222/.315/.302, horrible numbers for a corner outfielder. It is time for him to leave Boston. He had some nice moments, but his salary was probably too high for his production over the course of the contract. I am a Drew apologist as he was pretty damn good a couple years, but this year was horrendous.

CENTER FIELD - JACOBY ELLSBURY
Jacoby Ellsbury has become a star. He made his first All Star Game and has a shot at the MVP award. I do not think he will get it, but his overall numbers are incredibly impressive. Ellsbury became the first Red Sox player ever to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season. He hit .321/.376/.552 and lead the Majors in total bases. He also had more than 200 hits, more than 100 RBIs, and more than 100 runs. Ellsbury also played very well in center field and should give the Red Sox three Gold Glove awards. It is time for Boston to lock up their young star for years to come and hope that this is the player he truly is.

LEFT FIELD - CARL CRAWFORD
Crawford had an absolutely miserable year in his first year in Boston. He was my biggest disappointment personally because I was absolutely thrilled when he signed as a free agent. His line was a terrible .255/.289/.405 with only 18 stolen bases. He also played uncharacteristically bad in left field, just one season removed from a Gold Glove himself. Let's hope that this is just a bad season and not a downward trend. Crawford will only be 30 next year, so he should not be entering his decline yet and he still has several years and a lot of money left on his contract. I genuinely like Crawford, I hate seeing him play like this.

DESIGNATED HITTER - DAVID ORTIZ
Ortiz is a free agent this year as well and I honestly do not know whether we have seen the last of him. He hit well down the stretch, but not for nearly enough power. He finished the season just shy of 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. He improved his batting average significantly and for once actually hit left-handers well. Ortiz will also be 36 next year. He can not keep this up forever. I would like to see him back next year at possibly a reduced cost. There are not a lot of great DH options out there, unless Boston decides to go with a committee. Still Ortiz has been the heart and soul of the team for awhile. I think he should retire as a Red Sox.

Underrated Player of the Year: 1991

In this series, I look at one player per year from 1991-the present who came out of nowhere or had a great year that no one really noticed or expected.

1991 - JOE HESKETH
Joe Hesketh was a barely-noticed acquisition for the Red Sox at the end of June in 1990 after being released by the Braves. He only pitched in 12 games for the Red Sox in 1990, mostly out of the bullpen, and his numbers were not real impressive. Hesketh had bounced around for several years and never really captured the promise of his rookie season in 1985.

So it was a pretty big surprise when Hesketh proved to be a very valuable member of the pitching staff in 1991. The lefty made it into 39 games that year, including starting 17 and finishing five. Along the way, he managed to win 12 games, the most in his career while only losing four, leading the league in winning percentage. Hesketh also turned in 104 strikeouts in 153.1 innings. His WHIP was a decent 1.272 and his ERA was 3.29. His WAR was 3.0, not bad for a journeyman left-hander.

Failed Prospects Pt. 12: Eric Wedge

In the early 1990's, the Red Sox had a number of highly-touted catching prospects in the minor leagues. Scott Hatteberg, John Flaherty, and Eric Wedge were all expected to one day star in the Major Leagues. All three players made it, but none of them were really stars at all. Wedge was perhaps regarded the highest of the three players and did the least of the three at the Major League level.

Wedge was a third-round pick in the 1989 draft and skyrocketed through the Red Sox system, making his Major League debut in 1991 with one at-bat on the last day of the season. He singled.

In 1992, he got a bit more of an extended stay in the Big Leagues, playing in 27 games and bashing five homers in just 68 at-bats. He had a line of .250/.370/.500 in those 27 games. Then, he was left unprotected in the expansion draft and the Rockies plucked him away.

Wedge only played in nine games for the Rockies in 1993 and was back in Boston for 1994, but only made it into two games. That was the end of his Major League career. Wedge bounced around the minors for a couple more years before giving up in 1997. He was 29 when he retired.

Since then, Wedge has made it back to the Major Leagues as a manager for the Indians and now Mariners. He has been far more successful as a manager than he ever was as a player.

Underrated Season: Tom Gordon 1998

Seeing that Mariano Rivera saved his 600th game last night made me think about Red Sox closers. Boston has had some good ones over the years, and Jonathan Papelbon is likely the best closer in Boston history. But there is one season that kind of goes by unnoticed now. It was big at the time, but few people really remember it now.

In 1998, former starter Tom "Flash" Gordon turned in his first full season as a closer. And what a season it was. Gordon lead the league in saves and games finished that year. He blew only one save all season and set a record for consecutive saves that was eventually broken in 2003 by future Red Sox Eric Gagne.

In the meantime, Gordon had a WHIP of 1.008 with 78 strikeouts versus 55 hits and 25 walks allowed in 79.1 innings. He went 7-4 with a 2.72 ERA that year. Gordon's out pitch was a devastating 12-6 curveball. When that pitch was working, Gordon was unhittable and it was definitely working all year in 1998.

Gordon made it to his first All Star Game that year and even garnered some MVP consideration based on his saves record. He finished 13th, but it was still higher than any Red Sox closer has in years.

Unfortunately, Gordon's saves record did not last long and he was lit up in the postseason. Gordon also never had another season like it. He was injured and ineffective in 1999 and missed the entire 2000 season. He did eventually make it back as a pretty decent setup man with the Yankees and then closed for another season with the Phillies, although his postseason troubles did continue. Those are the likely reasons Gordon's 1998 is not considered among great closer seasons.

Congratulations to Tim Wakefield on Earning Win #200!

He finally did it on his seventh or eighth try. He needs only six more wins to match Roger Clemens and Cy Young for all-time wins with the Red Sox. He might get one or two more this year and have to come back next year for one more season to make it.

Search for BoSox: 2011 So Far

I haven't been doing this much lately, even though I have been continuing to get cards once in awhile.

The big pulls of 2011 so far (inserts, parallels, SPs):
Topps Wal-Mart Black Border Jonathan Papelbon
Topps Toppstown Dustin Pedroia
Topps Toppstown Victor Martinez
Topps 60 Clay Buchholz
Topps 60 Jon Lester
Topps Lineage Cloth Sticker Carl Crawford
Topps Allen & Ginter Jon Lester SP

and the pull of the year so far...
2010 Bowman Chrome Green Xfractor Will Middlebrooks

Yes it's a 2010 card, but that doesn't really matter. Middlebrooks is having a huge year in the minors and this is a great card.

Unknown Heroes Pt. 23: Alex Cora

I have no idea why I sometimes like the utility infielders so much. It is not as if Alex Cora were a great player, or even really a good one. Yet, I liked Cora. He was valuable in that he could play multiple positions, in his time with Boston he played every infield position. But that is where his value ended. He had virtually no power, and while he did have some speed, he did not get on base nearly often enough to utilize it. Yet here we are. Alex Cora was a part-time player, but that did not mean I liked him any less.

Unknown Heroes Pt. 22: Jeff Reardon

As I believe I have mentioned before, I have always been a fan of closers for some reason. I also mentioned that I am a big fan of the 1991 team, as the first team that I really watched. So it's not such a surprise that Jeff Reardon is a player that I have a lot of reverence for.

Reardon was not really a dominating closer by the time he arrived in Boston, but he was nonetheless impressive. Reardon was originally brought in at a time when Boston already had Lee Smith, but his arrival meant that Smith was trade bait, which was in hindsight probably a mistake. Reardon saved 21 games in his first Boston season with a 1.130 WHIP. It was not a great season, but he did have an excellent 1991, saving 40 games, a then-team record. He also appeared in the All Star Game that year, the first Red Sox closer to do so since Bob Stanley.

Reardon pitched into the 1992 season for the Red Sox and was typically effective. He had his career highlight that year, breaking the all time saves record with his 342nd save late in the year. That proved to be the reason the last place Red Sox were holding on to him and he was traded before the waiver wire deadline to the Atlanta Braves for Nate Minchey, who would eventually make a few starts for the Red Sox, and Sean Ross, who never made it to the Majors.

Former Cornhuskers to Play for the Red Sox

I am a University of Nebraska graduate, graduating in 2003 with my bachelor's degree in psychology and in 2006 with my Juris Doctorate. As such, I watch former Cornhuskers closely. Unfortunately, the Red Sox have only had three former Cornhuskers make their Major League roster at any point so far, and one of those was during the 1970's before I was even born. And none of those players have many baseball cards showing them with the Red Sox.

BUDDY HUNTER (1971, 1973, 1975)
Buddy Hunter is the only former Cornhusker to be drafted by the Red Sox and make it to the Major Leagues so far. Hunter was born in Omaha, NE and was drafted in the third round of the 1969 draft. He played parts of three seasons with the Red Sox, and never more than 13 games. His slash line is not bad really: .294/.478/.412, but he never stuck in the Majors. Hunter played second, third, and DH for the Red Sox.

KIP GROSS (1999)
Kip Gross showed up in Boston in 1999, despite not pitching a single game in the Majors since 1993. Gross went 0-2 with a 7.82 ERA in 12.2 innings, striking out nine while walking eight. Needless to say, Boston did not really want to keep him around at the Major League level for very long. He was released at the end of the year, but spent most of his only year in the organization in the minor leagues. Gross was a native of Scottsbluff, NE.

ADAM STERN (2005-2006)
The Canadian-born Adam Stern did not last long with the Red Sox. He played a total of 46 games with the Red Sox, mostly as a reserve outfielder. Stern was plucked from the Braves in the 2004 Rule V draft and was injured much of the 2005 season, allowing him to stay on the Red Sox Major League roster which meant that Boston did not have to offer him back to the Braves. In those 46 games over parts of two seasons, Stern hit just .143/.189/.257 with one home run, six RBIs, and two stolen bases. Stern was traded to the Orioles for Javy Lopez toward the end of the 2006 season.

Red Sox Trade for Conor Jackson

Link.

Last night at the August 31 trading deadline, the Red Sox acquired Conor Jackson from the A's in exchange for 25 year old Jason Rice.

Conor Jackson is only 29, but it feels like he has been around for a long time. He was once a highly-regarded prospect in the Arizona Diamondbacks system, but never really reached his potential. He had a couple of 15 home run seasons early in his career but stagnated after that and was traded to Oakland in 2010. This year, Jackson is batting .249/.315/.342 while playing all four corner positions. It is this versatility that lead Boston to acquire him. He helps shore up the depth a little bit for the stretch drive. He will likely not play much.

Jason Rice was a fairly successful reliever in the minors who has just not taken the next step. He was likely to be claimed in the Rule V draft this winter if Boston did not move him now. We will see how he develops.

Bobby Jenks was transferred from the 15 day to the 60 day DL, effectively ending his disappointing first season in Boston.

Red Sox Defensive WAR Leaders

This year, the Red Sox have three players that could win Gold Gloves, with Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, and Jacoby Ellsbury all having great years at their respective positions. I was curious as to Red Sox players who have been considered the best defensive players in the league, regardless of position. I used Defensive WAR, which is certainly not perfect, but I figured it was one way of checking.

Here are the Red Sox players to lead the league in Defensive WAR:
2008 Jacoby Ellsbury 2.2 (lead Majors)
2007 Coco Crisp 2.6 (lead Majors)
1997 Darren Bragg 2.1 (tied with Ivan Rodriguez)
1993 John Valentin 2.2 (tied with Luis Gonzalez for ML lead)
1974 Dwight Evans 2.3 (lead Majors)
1966 Carl Yastrzemski 2.4 (lead Majors)
1956 Jim Piersall 3.1 (lead Majors)
1955 Jim Piersall 2.5 (lead Majors)
1946 Bobby Doerr 1.3
1921 Everett Scott 1.8
1914 Tris Speaker 1.9
1901 Jimmy Collins 1.6

Of those players, not one won the Gold Glove that year. Piersall, Yaz, and Evans all eventually won Gold Gloves, but not for those seasons. Strange.

Unknown Heroes Pt. 21: Jody Reed

I first started my obsession with the Red Sox in 1991, so a lot of the players from that team are remembered fondly. Jody Reed is just another one of those players, joining Carlos Quintana, Greg Harris, and Tony Pena as underrated favorites of mine.

Jody Reed came up to Boston for good in 1988 and played shortstop down the stretch for the AL East champs. He was a short player, only 5'9" and he did not have much power, but he was a pesky little sparkplug for the team who was tough to strike out. He became the team's No. 2 hitter for much of his career with the Red Sox and provided mostly solid defense in the middle infield.

Reed was a solid hitter, hitting .280/.358/.372 for his Red Sox career which included an awful 1992 season. In general, he was a little better than that. Reed finished third in the Rookie of the Year vote in 1988 and had his best season in 1990, when he tied for the league lead with 45 doubles.

As mentioned, Reed had a bad 1992 and he was left unprotected in the expansion draft where he was selected by the Colorado Rockies and was immediately traded to the Dodgers. Reed was one of many longtime Red Sox who was let go after the 1992 season, which was kind of devastating for a young fan like myself.

One-Year Wonder Pt. 13: J.T. Snow

Every once in awhile, the Red Sox pick up a veteran player for a year, or just the stretch run that was a star at one point that I become fascinated with. It's a player that is basically only a role player at that point in their career, but may show flashes of their old brilliance. It's so unusual to see them as a member of the Red Sox, that I try to find as many of their cards as possible. This series will be about some of those players.J.T. SNOW
J.T. Snow was a slick-fielding first-baseman who won six straight Gold Gloves from 1995 through 2000 while with the Angels and Giants. Snow was also a pretty good hitter for quite some time on those two teams. Snow was brought to the Red Sox as a 38 year old part-timer for the 2006 season. Not much was expected of him, other than to help ease Kevin Youkilis's transition from third to first. That's about all that Snow provided.

Snow made it into 38 games with the Red Sox and only had 53 plate appearances, so he was mostly a late-inning defensive replacement. Snow only hit .205/.340/.205 with no extra base hits and only four RBIs. He had also clearly lost a step defensively.

Snow was released in mid June. He did show up back in San Francisco in 2008 for one game, but was otherwise finished.

Busts Pt. 19: Julio Lugo

Sometimes, offseason acquisitions work out. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes, they are spectacular failures.JULIO LUGO
I could do an entire series just on the disappointing Red Sox shortstops. Just as I KNEW Boston would sign Edgar Renteria during the 2004 season, I KNEW Boston would sign Julio Lugo during the 2006 season. Boston had tried to acquire him on a couple of earlier occasions and they of course were going to have a vacancy at the position since Alex Gonzalez was only on a one-year contract and did not hit terribly well.

In theory, this was a good idea. Lugo was a decent offensive shortstop with some major speed. He was not a good defensive shortstop, but his offensive output was usually enough to make up for it.

Unfortunately, it just did not work out.

Lugo's speed was an asset in 2007 as he lead the team with 33 stolen bases, but his offense was a disappointment. Lugo hit .237/.294/.348 with eight home runs and 73 RBIs his first year and was brutal defensively. He was only slightly better the next season, but missed about half the season. In 2009, he again was injured a lot and Boston finally decided to cut him loose after Jed Lowrie emerged, sending him to the Cardinals in a trade for Chris Duncan, who barely played for Boston.

Minor Moves: Trever Miller and Joey Gathright

Over the last two days, the Red Sox have made a couple of very minor moves.

Yesterday, the Red Sox picked up left-handed reliever Trever Miller after he was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays. Miller had been terrible this year with a 4.19 ERA in 19 innings and a WHIP of 1.914. He had been successful in the past, but he is 38. He could be a warm body in the bullpen.

Today, the Red Sox picked up speedy centerfielder Joey Gathright from an independent league team Yuma Scorpions. Gathright last appeared in the Major Leagues with the Red Sox in 2009. He was on the postseason roster and was mostly utilized as a pinch runner. Gathright has stolen 80 bases in 109 attempts over his career. He will likely be a pinch runner for the Red Sox down the stretch as well, sort of a Dave Roberts-type role.

One-Card Wonder Pt. 20: Brendan Donnelly

For whatever reason, sometimes I am only able to find one card of certain players. To be considered a One-Card Wonder, a player must have been active since 1991 (when I started paying attention).

BRENDAN DONNELLY 

I have discussed Brendan Donnelly briefly in the past here as a former replacement player. So that was already one strike against Donnelly for having more than a couple of cards. He also only spent one season with the Red Sox and was injured for a large portion of the year. So that does not help either. Donnelly's Red Sox career lasted all of 27 games and 20.2 innings. 

Donnelly's only two Red Sox cards are from special sets. I only have the Red Sox gift set, so that is my only card of Donnelly. 

Donnelly was acquired prior to the 2007 season in a trade with the Angels for minor leaguer Phil Seibel. He was brought in to shore up the bullpen a little bit, and he was successful for the short amount of time he was active. He pitched to an ERA of 3.05 with a 15/5 strikeouts/walks. Unfortunately, the injuries caught up to him and he did not make an appearance in the postseason. 

The next year, Donnelly was one of the players whose name appeared in the Mitchell Report as being connected to performance enhancing drugs. Donnelly was allowed to leave as a free agent to the Indians.

Busts Pt. 18: Jeremy Hermida

Sometimes, offseason acquisitions work out. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes, they are spectacular failures.

JEREMY HERMIDA
They try sometimes. Every team tries to pick up a player for a low cost that they think could be a highly rewarding player. Boston traded a couple of spare parts to Florida for Jeremy Hermida, a player with a lot of power potential who was becoming too expensive for the Marlins. Hermida was expected to step into Boston's hallowed left field and start hitting home runs. Unfortunately it did not work out that way.

Hermida was injured a lot and when he was not hurting, he also was not hitting. Boston stuck with him for 52 games during which he put up a line of .203/.257/.348/.605 with five home runs. Not the numbers expected. Not even close. He was released and caught on with Oakland, but it appears he will never be the hitter he was expected to be when he was the 11th overall pick in the 2002 draft.

One-Card Wonder Pt. 19: David Aardsma

For whatever reason, sometimes I am only able to find one card of certain players. To be considered a One-Card Wonder, a player must have been active since 1991 (when I started paying attention). 

DAVID AARDSMA 

I have this 2008 Topps Update card of David Aardsma which is still my only card of the player with the Red Sox. Boston had Aardsma one year too early. His 2008 showed very little of the player who would emerge into the topflight closer for Seattle in 2009 and 2010. Aardsma was 4-2 with a 5.55 ERA. He did have 49 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings, but his WHIP was an astronomical 1.726. Who knew he would turn into a good closer? Certainly not Boston who traded him after the season for Fabian Williamson, who never made it to Boston. Kind of a bad trade in hindsight.

Unknown Heroes Pt. 20: Julian Tavarez

To say Julian Tavarez was a little crazy was a complete understatement. Well-known for his volatile temper, and some downright quirky behavior, you never knew quite what to expect next from Tavarez.

Tavarez was brought to the Red Sox as a free agent prior to the 2006 season to help solidify the bullpen. His stats were never terribly impressive. In his first year, he put up a 4.47 ERA and a 1.561 WHIP. The next year, he was a starter and a long man in the bullpen for the World Series Champion Red Sox. He had a bad record and bad stats, but he remained entertaining. Tavarez was released after nine games in 2008. He never had much success with the Red Sox. But that's not why he was so interesting.

Tavarez was suspended for the first ten games of the 2006 season after he got into a fistfight with Joey Gathright of Tampa Bay. Tavarez placed a tag on Gathright when he was covering home on a relay and then before Gathright could get, Tavarez was punching him. Tavarez was also known for rolling the ball to first base on occasion.

Tavarez was not much of a player, but he was a hell of an entertaining player.

Catchers

I have always been partial to catchers. It's probably due to the fact that a catcher's job is markedly different and much more difficult than perhaps any other position. A catcher is in charge of calling the pitches and keeping an eye on the baserunners. He is also the last obstacle between a baserunner and scoring a run. It could also be the cool equipment.

Anyway, as a Red Sox fan and a fan of catchers in general, I always keep a close eye on the player behind the plate. I have been paying close attention since 1991. In that time, Boston has had a number of different starting catchers and backups. Out of pure boredom, I wanted to look at them.

THE STARTERS:
TONY PENA
Tony Pena was the Red Sox starting catcher when I first started paying attention to baseball. Pena was not much with the bat, but he was a tremendous defensive catcher with a strong throwing arm. Beyond that, he had such an interesting catching stance that it was hard not to be intrigued by him. Pena won the Gold Glove in 1991 as the best fielding catcher in the league that year.

DAVE VALLE
Dave Valle was brought to the Red Sox for the 1994 season. Pena was allowed to leave as a free agent the prior year and Valle was supposed to be his replacement. Valle had a reputation as having a decent bat, but not being a real great defensive catcher. But in Boston, he was not able to contribute on either side of the plate. He was ultimately traded to Milwaukee after 30 games for Tom Brunansky.

DAMON BERRYHILL
Damon Berryhill, like Dave Valle, was acquired for the 1994 season. Unlike Valle, Berryhill was able to stick through the year. He was also not a great hitter, although he did bat .263/.312/.416/.727 with six home runs. Adequate numbers for a more defensive position. Berryhill was not a terribly effective defensive catcher though and did not hit well enough to make up for it. He was gone after the year.

MIKE MACFARLANE
Longtime Royal Mike Macfarlane was the next player brought in to be the starting catcher. Macfarlane also lasted only one year with Boston, but he brought significantly more home run power. His 15 home runs in 1995 were the most by a Red Sox catcher since Rich Gedman hit 16 in 1986. Unfortunately that was about the only part of his offensive game that was an improvement. He did catch 35% of runners attempting to steal, the best mark by a Red Sox catcher since Pena.

MIKE STANLEY
Next up was Mike Stanley who was one of the best players the Red Sox took from the Yankees in decades. Stanley had been an All Star with New York when he hit 26 home runs in 1993. He almost matched his power numbers in his first year with Boston, hitting 24 home runs with a slash line of .270/.383/.506/.889. Unfortunately, he was not nearly as impressive behind the plate and the next year became a first-baseman/designated hitter.

SCOTT HATTEBERG
Scott Hatteberg was the first starting catcher developed by the Boston Red Sox since Gedman. Hatteberg came up at the end of 2006 and became the starting catcher in 2007. Hatteberg had the rare ability in catchers to draw a lot of walks. With Boston, his OBP was an impressive .357. Hatteberg's problem though was his inability to throw out baserunners, his caught-stealing percentage was a low 21%.

JASON VARITEK
When it was determined that Hatteberg simply could not throw out runners attempting to steal, Jason Varitek became the starting catcher. Varitek was acquired in a terrific trade with the Seattle Mariners in 1997 and quickly became a rising star. Varitek could draw a walk, hit with power, and was a strong defensive catcher. Injuries curtailed his promising career somewhat in 2001 and it took until 2003 before he started to really impress again. He was a 3-time All Star, Boston's first All Star catcher since Gedman, won a Silver Slugger, and a Gold Glove. He has caught a record four no-hitters, and is considered a great game-caller. He gracefully moved to a backup role in 2009. Varitek will one day be in the Red Sox Hall of Fame.

VICTOR MARTINEZ
Victor Martinez was acquired in a blockbust deadline deal from Cleveland in 2009. Boston wanted a better hitter behind the plate as Varitek's best days were behind him. Martinez certainly qualified. Though he had a little trouble with throwing out runners early in 2010, Martinez's bat carried him. He batted .313/.368/.497/.865 with 28 home runs and 120 RBIs in his short season and a half with Boston. He was not brought back after 2010 due to his expense and the unlikelihood that he would be able to continue at catcher.

JARROD SALTALAMACCHIA
Jarrod Saltalamacchia was long coveted by the Red Sox front office. Theo Epstein saw an opportunity to acquire him at the deadline in 2010 and swooped in, giving up three minor leaguers with little chance of developing into stars to the Texas Rangers in one of the quieter moves of the deadline. Saltalamacchia did not play much in 2010 and started off very slowly in 2011. Since then, he has started to come into his own. He currently has 13 home runs and has become a much better defender as the season has worn on. One of the great questions is whether Saltalamacchia will continue to have a chance in Boston due to the development of Ryan Lavarnway.

THE BACK UPS:
JOHN MARZANO
Hard to imagine but at one point John Marzano was a first round draft pick. I am not sure he really fulfilled the expectations of the front office. Marzano was a serviceable backup for several years with the Red Sox, though it was not until 1990 that he really stuck with the big league club. He did not have a lot of power outside of hitting five home runs in 1987, his first chance with the team. He was an adequate defensive catcher and that is the only thing that kept him with the team. After being released by Boston in 1993, he did not make it back to the Major Leagues until 1995.

BOB MELVIN
Bob Melvin became the backup to Tony Pena in 1993 after Marzano was released. Melvin was a journeyman catcher with the Tigers, Giants, Orioles, and Royals before joining Boston. Melvin really did not provide much more than a warm body behind the plate in his short time with Boston. He was not particularly good at any aspect of the game. He and Pena provided pathetic offense at the position in 1993.

RICH ROWLAND
Rich Rowland was acquired in a challenge trade of young catchers from Detroit. Boston gave up John Flaherty who had some promise but had yet to harness it. Rowland was already 30 and a career minor leaguer to that point, but he had some power. Rowland hit nine home runs as the backup catcher in 1994 with a .483 slugging percentage. His defense was decent as he caught 36% of attempted base stealers. Unfortunately he did not hit at all in 1995 and was quickly forgotten.

BILL HASELMAN
Bill Haselman, the longtime Rangers backup and Nolan Ryan's personal catcher, came to Boston after the 1994 season and cemented the backup catcher position. Haselman was decent with the stick and adequate behind the plate. He hit .252/.313/.409/.722 in parts of four seasons. He once hit a broken-bat home run over the Green Monster in left. He started the 1997 season as the starting catcher before injuries caught up with him. At the time, he was among the league leaders in doubles, but did not play much the rest of the year. After the year he was traded to Texas. He returned briefly in 2003.

DOUG MIRABELLI
Doug Mirabelli is perhaps the most famous backup catcher in Red Sox history. Acquired in 2001 when Jason Varitek went down with an injury and Scott Hatteberg's throwing problems became too glaring, Mirabelli settled into a decent role. He had a good year in 2001, hitting .270/.360/.518/.877 with nine home runs down the stretch. He became Tim Wakefield's personal catcher with his ability to catch the knuckleball and was one of the best-hitting backup catchers for several years. He and Varitek made quite the pair. Mirabelli put up am .893 OPS in 2004. His bat slowed after that, but he was still highly-regarded. He was traded after the 2006 season, but was re-acquired after Josh Bard could not catch a knuckleball and was famously police-escorted to the ballpark to catch Wakefield. He was released for good prior to the 2008 season.

KEVIN CASH
During the 2007 season, Kevin Cash proved he too could catch the knuckleball. Cash was not much of a hitter but became the backup catcher for the 2008 season after Mirabelli was released. Cash was a better defensive catcher than Mirabelli and at the point was a bit more reliable with the bat. He hit a dramatic postseason home run for the Red Sox during the ALCS against Tampa Bay. He moved on to the Yankees after the season but returned briefly during the 2010 season.

GEORGE KOTTARAS
Originally acquired from the Padres in 2006 when the Red Sox traded David Wells, it took Kottaras until 2008 to make his Major League Debut. He became the principal backup in 2009 when he also showed the ability to catch Wakefield's knuckler. Kottaras did not hit much, hitting only .237/.308/.387/.696 with one home run, but he was a decent defensive catcher. He developed a bit more power after being selected off waivers by the Brewers.

One-Year Wonder Pt. 12: Carlos Pena

Every once in awhile, the Red Sox pick up a veteran player for a year, or just the stretch run that was a star at one point that I become fascinated with. It's a player that is basically only a role player at that point in their career, but may show flashes of their old brilliance. It's so unusual to see them as a member of the Red Sox, that I try to find as many of their cards as possible. This series will be about some of those players.

CARLOS PENA
Carlos Pena played for the Red Sox? Yep, for 18 games in 2006, the Rays nemesis was with the Red Sox. This was of course before he really became the power-hitting first baseman we think about now. The once highly-touted prospect bounced around a few times, never really finding his niche. Boston was his last stop before finally finding a home in Florida.

He was not too bad in Boston, hitting .273/.351/.424. He did hit one home run and was okay in the field. After the year, Pena was allowed to leave as a free agent. Kevin Youkilis was already firmly entrenched as the starting first-baseman, so Pena did not have a position. Too bad. The next year, he hit 46 home runs and finally became the home run threat he was always rumored to be.

Busts Pt. 17: Brad Penny

Sometimes, offseason acquisitions work out. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes, they are spectacular failures.

BRAD PENNY

Brad Penny came to Boston for the 2009 season. He was one of four low-risk, high-reward players that the Red Sox signed that were surprisingly all lauded. However, Penny and fellow starter John Smoltz were massive disappointments. Rocco Baldelli was neither good, nor bad, and only Takashi Saito really improved the club markedly.

Penny had a bad year for the Dodgers in 2008 and was hurt a lot, but the two seasons before that he won 16 games each. He was brought in on a cheap deal and was expected to fill in the fourth starter spot behind Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Unfortunately, other than a few starts here and there (particularly against the Yankees), Penny was pretty awful. In 24 starts, he had an ERA of 5.61 with a 1.534 WHIP. He allowed far too much contact and gave up too many home runs. His record was 7-8, but that was more due to the run support he received than effectiveness on the mound.

Penny was released by Boston in late August and caught on with the San Francisco Giants. Of course, he suddenly starting pitching well after that.

One-Card Wonder Pt. 18: Ramon Vazquez

For whatever reason, sometimes I am only able to find one card of certain players. To be considered a One-Card Wonder, a player must have been active since 1991 (when I started paying attention).RAMON VAZQUEZ
Ramon Vazquez was one of three players acquired from the San Diego Padres after the 2004 season in exchange for outfielder Dave Roberts. Vazquez was your basic run-of-the-mill backup middle infielder. His career in Boston was decidedly short as he was traded to Cleveland for Alex Cora after only 27 games.

Vazquez hit .197/.234/.230/.464. He had no home runs, two doubles, and four RBIs. His defense was not much to write home about either. It's no wonder he did not last long. None of the players Boston received in the trade really did, but Vazquez was the shortest tenured player.

Unknown Heroes Pt. 19: Tony Pena

Okay, Tony Pena was not an "unknown" per se. However, he was past his prime by the time he got to Boston and he certainly was not one of the better hitters on the team. Pena was overshadowed by Wade Boggs, Mike Greenwell, Ellis Burks, and others. But Pena's real value was his defense behind the plate.

Pena was a fun player to watch, with his unusual catching stance which involved him stretching one leg out to his side. Despite this, he was a strong thrower, throwing out between 32 and 37% of base stealers in his four years with Boston. Pena won the Gold Glove in 1991 with the Red Sox, the last Red Sox player to do so until fellow catcher Jason Varitek in 2005. That year, he lead the league in putouts and runners caught.

Unfortunately, his bat was never as impressive as his glove, particularly in 1993, his final year when he put up an embarrassing .502 OPS. He certainly was not the same player as he was with Pittsburgh and St. Louis when he was an All Star several times and widely considered one of the best hitting catchers in the league. But Boston did not bring him to the team for his offense. It was his defense they were after and Pena certainly delivered.

2011 Draft

The signing deadline for players returning to college has passed and Boston got most of their big-name draftees signed. All four first- and supplemental rounders signed right before the deadline, so we can all hoard our Matt Barnes, Blake Swihart, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Henry Owens cards. Mookie Betts was a surprise signee as well. I honestly did not expect the fifth-rounder to sign at all. But it's a good thing he did.

Unfortunately the Red Sox lost out on Senquez Golson, who was my particular favorite draftee. The speedy, potentially five-tool player decided he wanted to play football at Ole Miss instead of signing with the Red Sox. Good luck to him. I am disappointed, but I will never criticize a player for choosing to go to college. Education is very important. Hopefully if he decides to try to get back into the baseball draft, Boston can revisit with him. We'll see.

Ryan Lavarnway

Okay, I suck at making sure to post regularly. I am very sorry.

Anyway, Ryan Lavarnway was called up late last week for the Royals series. He had hit 30 home runs in the minor leagues and Boston needed an offensive boost with Kevin Youkilis hitting the D.L. and David Ortiz being slowed from a foot injury.

Lavarnway delivered.

Yes it was just against the meager Royals pitching staff but he has now played in seven games for Boston and has proved that he has a potent bat. Lavarnway has put up a line of .318/.423/.409 with three RBIs and two doubles. He has yet to hit a home run, but he has been raking in his short time with the big league club.

Here's the potential problem though. Where does he play next year? Lavarnway is capable of playing at three positions. He has been a part-time catcher and designated hitter in the minor leagues and has played at both positions since being called up from Boston (he is currently in the game at catcher tonight, I am watching it, I know). He could also potentially play first base. But all three positions are possibly locked up next year. It is true that DH David Ortiz and C Jason Varitek are both free agents after this season, but it's hard to imagine either one actually not coming back. Nor do I really want to unless Varitek retires, which he has made no announcement. In addition, Adrian Gonzalez will be at first and Jarrod Saltalamacchia has started to develop into a highly competent catcher.

So where does that leave Lavarnway? It would be a shame not to see him make it next year. I suppose the best bet would be to trade Saltalamacchia and hope that Lavarnway's improved defensive skills behind the plate are enough to keep him back there. Either that or he becomes a part-time player at all three positions. He does not have much left to prove in the minors. It's make or break time.

Red Sox Acquire Erik Bedard in Three Team Deal

Okay, first the details:

DODGERS GET:
P Juan Rodriguez
P Stephen Fife
C Tim Federowicz

MARINERS GET:
OF Trayvon Robinson
OF Chih Hsien Chiang

RED SOX GET:
P Erik Bedard
RP Josh Fields

Bedard was once a highly-accomplished left-hander with a terrific curveball who racked up a lot of strikeouts. Boston is hoping that he is over his recent injury struggles and ready to get back into being that pitcher again. At the least he has to be considered an improvement over the still raw and struggling Andrew Miller. Miller has shown flashes of reaching his potential, but those have been fleeting and he really can not be counted on down the stretch yet. Bedard will hopefully fill his role, particularly with Clay Buchholz now being out for the year. Bedard has been pretty good when healthy this year.

Josh Fields was a first round draft pick in 2008 who has struggled a bit in the minors. This acquisition was important because Bedard is not expected back in Boston next year.

The Red Sox gave up quite a few prospects to get Bedard and Fields, but few of them look like more than role-players in the Major Leagues.

Chih Hsien Chiang was the best player they gave up as he was lighting up the Eastern League. I am a little disappointed that they gave up on him, especially since Che Hsuan Lin has somewhat stalled in his development. Chiang though has never really hit that well coming into this year and is mediocre defensively, at best. There is no telling yet whether his year has been a fluke or part of his development. Disappointing, but he was hardly the best hitter in the minor league system and not likely to be more than a fourth outfielder in the Majors.

Tim Federowicz was the best defensive catcher in the Red Sox system but has been surpassed on the prospect charts by Ryan Lavarnway. Boston could only really keep one and Lavarnway's bat is special.

Stephen Fife has a chance at becoming a back-end starter. I do not know as much about him, but he is 24 and in Double A, so he was not considered that highly.

Juan Rodriguez is a young fireballer. There is not much information about him available.

I think the major reason for this trade is to open some room on the 40 man roster this winter. Chiang, Federowicz, and Fife would all have been subject to the Rule V draft if not dealt and Boston risked losing one or all of them for nothing. So they were traded.

Boston also had a trade for Rich Harden fall through due to his injury problems on Saturday.

Red Sox Acquire Mike Aviles

Link.

Hmm, not exactly the trade I thought that the team would make nearing the July 31 trade deadline. I do not understand this trade at all. Boston sent Yamaico Navarro and Kendal Volz to Kansas City for Mike Aviles.

Aviles finished fourth in the AL ROY vote in 2008 when he hit .325/.354/.480/.833 with ten home runs. He had a decent season last year, but this year he has been pretty terrible while playing backup in the infield. His defense is not terribly impressive so if this is a depth move, I just do not get it.

Navarro was in the Red Sox Top 20 prospects at the beginning of the year. He has not hit particularly well with the big league club, nor has he been terribly great defensively, but then neither is Aviles. I just don't understand trading a 23 year old cost-effective backup infielder for a 30 year old backup infielder. I doubt Boston is getting anything terribly great out of Aviles that Navarro can't provide. Boston also has Drew Sutton around who has been a productive backup infielder. So did they really need Aviles?

Still, if it was just a one for one trade, it might not be so head-scratching, but Boston included Kendal Volz in the trade. Volz is a reliever in high-A with some pretty good peripheral numbers. Sure there's lots of these players out there, but that doesn't explain why Boston packaged a pretty good one with a cheap backup infielder for another backup infielder.

The only thing I can think of is that Boston has another move in the works and needed Aviles because Marco Scutaro is going to be traded, or something like that. If this is the only move made, it's confusing and thoroughly unnecessary.

2011 All Star Game and Festivities

I wanted to get back to posting regularly here, but just have not really had the opportunity to do so. As such, I have missed a ton of stuff with the All Star Game, once one of my favorite events in baseball.

I am not as huge a fan of the All Star Game anymore, but do still watch it. This year the Red Sox had six players selected: Adrian Gonzalez (who is having an MVP season), Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury, David Ortiz, Josh Beckett, and Jon Lester. Beckett and Lester were both hurt, so they did not play, but the other four did. Gonzalez hit a home run and Youkilis had a single, but that's it for good performances.

Gonzalez and Ortiz each participated in Monday's Home Run Derby with Gonzalez losing to Robinson Cano by one home run. Cano just looked unstoppable on Monday.

The big news of the Game was the players not present. I do not recall another year when such a big deal was made out of players choosing not to attend the All Star Game. Manny Ramirez and Pedro Martinez refused to attend several times while with the Red Sox, but all of a sudden, this year it was a big deal. The reason: Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Alex Rodriguez. Those three players along with C.C. Sabathia all from the Yankees were no-shows at the Game. Rodriguez I kind of understand. After all, he did just have surgery. I don't really care if the players show up or not in the end, but I'm surprised that it has suddenly become a hot button issue. If it were not for Derek Jeter, I am sure it wouldn't be.

See Ya Mike Cameron

Mike Cameron has been designated for assignment.

This actually makes me kind of sad. I really liked Mike Cameron, but it was clear he was not the player he once was. He also dealt with a lot of injuries in his brief time with the Red Sox. Cameron was not expected to be a starter, but he was supposed to get a lot of at-bats, platooning with J.D. Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury on occasion. But last year, in his first year in Boston, he only made it into 48 games, hitting .259/.328/.401/.729 with only four home runs. This year, it was worse, hitting .149/.212/.266/.477 with three home runs in 33 games.

The Red Sox have ten days to trade or release Cameron. Here's hoping he is traded.

Yamaico Navarro was recalled to take his place.

Busts Pt. 16: John Smoltz

Sometimes, offseason acquisitions work out. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes, they are spectacular failures.JOHN SMOLTZ
John Smoltz will be in the Hall of Fame some day. But that has absolutely nothing to do with his short time with the Boston Red Sox. Smoltz had proven his ability as both a terrific starter and an excellent closer during his time with the Braves. He wanted to return to Atlanta for his final season in 2009, but felt like the team did not want him, so he spurned their offer and signed a contract with the Red Sox.

With Boston, Smoltz really showed his age. The 42 year old pitched to a record of 2-5 with an 8.33 ERA in eight games. He did strike out 33 against only nine walks in 40 innings, but it was clear he was not going to be much help in the rotation for the Red Sox.

The Red Sox decided to eat his contract and cut him loose. He did catch on with the Cardinals and improved somewhat, but retired at the end of the season.

Smoltz will go down as one of those pitchers who hung on just a little longer than he should have and played with some teams that will be forgotten about in a few years.

One-Card Wonder Pt. 17: Joe Nelson

For whatever reason, sometimes I am only able to find one card of certain players. To be considered a One-Card Wonder, a player must have been active since 1991 (when I started paying attention).JOE NELSON
Joe Nelson pitched in exactly three games for the Red Sox in 2004. And he did not really pitch well either, accumulating a 16.88 ERA, while walking three in 2 2/3 innings, but he did strike out five. So, it was not much of a surprise that he did not re-emerge in the majors until 2006 when he pitched in 43 games for the pitching-starved Royals. He then became a serviceable middle reliever for the Marlins and Rays in 2008 and 2009 respectively and returned to the Red Sox in 2010, for whom he once again flopped, pitching in eight games with an ERA above 9.00.

J.D. Drew

"Is It Time for Theo to Break Out the Sunk-Cost Diaries?"

I know, I know. I have been terrible about posting for quite some time. I have been working on opening up my own law office, planning a wedding, and moving. Now that the office is running relatively smoothly, the wedding and honeymoon have passed, and life is beginning to seem somewhat normal, I figure I can get back to things here.

Anyway, on June 22, Boston Dirt Dogs posted that question regarding J.D. Drew. I think the bashing that Drew gets is completely unwarranted. I understand that there is just something that fans hate about Drew, but I never totally understood it. Even before he was a Red Sox player, I never got the hate. Sure Phillies fans hate him because he refused to sign a contract with them when he was drafted. Sure Dodgers fans hate him because he opted out of his contract to leave the team, but why in the hell do Red Sox fans hate J.D. Drew?

Drew is having a bad year this year, and I do not think he will be back next year as the team has two up and coming players in Josh Reddick and Ryan Kalish who are capable of replacing him. But, his time in Boston has been impressive. He put up OPS+ numbers of 105, 137, 133, and 110 in his first four years in Boston, which included a dramatic grand slam in the ALCS against Cleveland in 2007, helping to propel the team to the World Series, and an All Star Game MVP Award in 2008. He has been a consistently good hitter with a terrific on base percentage up until last year and has been a good defensive player.

I think the thing that fans hate about him is that he is so effortless. He just plays like it's the most natural thing in the world. He does not get too emotional about things and he does not really stand out. He is being paid a lot of money, but to me, he has been worth it up until this year.

I for one, will be sorry to see J.D. Drew leave after this year.

Unknown Heroes Pt. 18: Billy Hatcher

Billy Hatcher was a World Series hero with the Cincinnati Reds in 1990. He was picked up in a trade by the Red Sox during the 1992 season for pitcher Tom Bolton. Hatcher immediately brought some value to the team by being one of the few players with any sort of speed. Hatcher even pulled off a straight steal of home early on in his Red Sox tenure.

1993 was the best season of his Red Sox career, when he hit .287/.336/.400/.736 with nine home runs, 57 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases. Hatcher began the 1994 season with Boston but was traded early on to Philadelphia for Wes Chamberlain.

Red Sox Sign Alfredo Aceves

Sorry about the lateness of this post. The Red Sox added another arm recently by picking up the former Yankee right-hander. The Red Sox apparently want to convert Aceves to a starter. Aceves has had success at the Major League level for the Yankees, but it was in the bullpen. An interesting, low-risk, high-reward type signing.

Red Sox Agree to Sign Dennys Reyes

Link.

Sorry for the hiatus. I just finished moving.

Anyway, the Red Sox signed Dennys Reyes, a large left-hander, to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. Reyes is 34 and pitched for St. Louis last year, going 3-1 with a 3.55 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 38 innings. He is just another left-handed relief option the Red Sox are bringing in searching for a good LOOGY.