My Top 15 Red Sox Starting Lineup Figures

I was pretty late to the Starting Lineup craze.  I think the first time I picked one up was in 1997, just a few short years before they were discontinued.  And of course by that time they were releasing fewer and fewer figures.  When I discovered Ebay though I was able to go back and get a bunch of figures that I never was able to get before.

I liked the figures themselves, but it's the fact that they included cards that really sold them for me.  I could add a card to my collection and display a figure.

So without further ado, these are my Top 15 Red Sox Starting Lineup figures.

15.  PEDRO MARTINEZ (1999)

This was one of my most anticipated pieces.  It was the first one of Pedro with the Red Sox.  There is not much to the pose, but it was Pedro.  And he was quickly becoming the greatest pitcher in the game.  I have three pieces of Pedro.  Always on the lookout for more.

14.  MO VAUGHN (1998)

It is kind of a neat pose and it was a nice piece of one of my favorite players.  But that is about all I really have to say about it.

13.  NOMAR GARCIAPARRA (2000)

It is really the pose that makes this one interesting.  I am pretty sure there are others out there like it, but this is the only Red Sox one like it.  It definitely stands out in my collection.

12.  CARL YASTRZEMSKI (1998 COOPERSTOWN COLLECTION)

This one made it this high because it was my first special edition SLU.  The pose is kind of boring unfortunately but it is the only Yaz I have.  He does have some other pieces in other special edition sets, but I have not gotten around to getting any of those.

11.  JOHN VALENTIN (1996)

This one has a couple of things going for it, helping it to place so high.  For one, this is the only John Valentin figure released by Kenner.  Secondly, and most importantly, this was my very first SLU.  The pose is not anything to write home about, but it was my first.  I remember seeing it on the wall of a local card shop with a low price tag, and I decided to take the plunge.

10.  SCOTT COOPER (1995)

Again, the pose is not all that interesting, but this was the only Scott Cooper figure issued.  I remember hearing about its existence from a Beckett magazine, but I never actually saw it until I got on Ebay.  What makes this one particularly interesting is that Cooper is not actually pictured on the card, instead it is Damon Berryhill.

9.  MIKE GREENWELL (1989)

Much of the reason for this placement is the pose.  I prefer the fielding poses personally over the hitting poses.  There just is not all that much you can really do with the hitting poses.  This is the only Greenwell figure I have, but I am aware of a few other figures in existence.

8.  NICK ESASKY (1990)

Again, I love the pose on this one.  Esasky stretching to make the catch from another infielder.  This is the only Esasky SLU showing him in a Red Sox uniform, obviously since he only spent one year with the team.  The only downside to this one is that one of the cards shows Esasky with the Reds.  I would almost consider picking up the Todd Benzinger SLU just to switch the rookie year cards.  Benzinger has the same pose.

7.  WADE BOGGS (1990)

I have a couple of Boggs SLUs, he was my first favorite player after all.  But this one is my favorite because of the fielding pose.  The others all show him hitting.  I also love the two cards along with it.  This is one that I searched for for a long time.  I almost bought it at the store when I bought the Valentin, but someone else grabbed it when I set it down for a moment.  It was years before I saw it again.

6.  CY YOUNG (2000 ALL CENTURY TEAM)

I do not have a lot of the special edition figures, but this Cy Young was one I had to add.  I love the vintage uniform and the old-style glove and pitching pose.  Plus, it's Cy Freaking Young.  There actually are a couple of other Cy Young figures out there, but this is the only one I have managed to get.

5.  TED WILLIAMS (1999 COOPERSTOWN COLLECTION)

One of the other few special editions I have.  I had to add one of the best hitter in Red Sox history.  I do like this hitting pose and the uniform and card both look great here.  Williams has another piece and one day I might pick it up.  It has been awhile since I bought one.

4.  ELLIS BURKS (1990)

Ellis Burks has some nice SLUs, but none of them come close to matching the awesomeness of this one.  This is the only Red Sox SLU I have seen where the player is on the basepaths.  That added to the fact that there are two cards included and you have a great piece.

3.  BABE RUTH (1994 COOPERSTOWN COLLECTION)

How could I possibly pass up The Babe in a Red Sox uniform?  There just is no possible way to do it.  Plus the great pose that I have never seen on another piece and of course the card.  It's Babe Ruth, come on.

2.  NOMAR GARCIAPARRA (1998)

It is a great pose and also Nomar's very first SLU piece.  This was a little expensive when it first came out, but my grandparents bought it for me for my birthday when I turned 17.  It was a great gift.

1.  LEE SMITH (1989)

I really do not know what it is about this one.  The pose is not terribly exciting.  Maybe it's the fact that it's Lee Smith, and maybe it's because there are no other Red Sox closers who had SLUs.  I am a big fan of Smith's even though I never actually got to see him pitch for the Red Sox since I started watching the team the year after he was gone.  He is one of those players I just try to pick up as much Red Sox stuff as possible.  And this was definitely a goal.

I have just a couple of disappointments from these.  One, they stopped making them.  Two, Boston never got a catcher.  There was a large team piece that had Rick Cerone, but no individual pieces.  And I don't think the team piece had any cards.  If it had gone longer, we might have gotten a Carlton Fisk Cooperstown collection or a Jason Varitek.  It would have been nice if Tony Pena had gotten a piece, but no.  So no catchers, and that is a shame.  It also would have been nice if the Bruce Hurst figure had been released.  Prototypes exist but are hard to find.  That was the only southpaw SLU made for the Red Sox.

Underrated Player of the Year: 2008

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.

Part of the reason that it took me awhile to warm up to Victor Martinez on the Red Sox was due to the fact that Boston had to trade Justin Masterson to get him.  Masterson proved to be a hero down the stretch during the 2008 season.  He was able to come in to the game in relief and pitch a couple of innings due to being a starter in the minors.  He even performed well in the postseason.

Masterson made his Major League debut in 2008 and quickly turned into a major weapon.  He started nine out of 36 games that year, pitching to a 6-5 record and a 3.16 ERA.  He also racked up 68 strikeouts in 88.1 innings.  He was particularly tough on right-handed batters, allowing a .196 batting average to them compared to a .238 average to lefties.  In the postseason, he had a 1.86 ERA in 9.2 innings with nine strikeouts. 

Masterson started out slow in 2009 and was traded to the Indians as the major piece in the Victor Martinez trade.  Boston has been rumored to have tried to reacquire him several times.

1991 Topps #123 Greg Harris

In this series, I look at my first team set: 1991 Topps.  This was the set I started my baseball card collection with.

My older brother was a big reason that I got into both of my major hobbies.  He listened to bands like Metallica, Faith No More, Danzig, Alice in Chains, Megadeth, and White Zombie at a time when I was beginning to discover my own musical tastes.  These bands were instrumental in me becoming a big metalhead, which I have continued to this day, even though he grew out of them.  He also collected baseball cards for a few years prior to me getting into them.  He got back into them as I was getting involved.

My first several packs were all 1991 Topps.  My first two packs yielded Dennis Lamp, Tom Bolton, and Dana Kiecker.  Even though I knew with 15 cards in a pack, I was not going to be getting Red Sox cards in every pack, it still bothered me that my third pack contained no Red Sox at all.  Well my brother got the Harris card in the pack that he bought at the same time I bought mine.  He offered to trade me his Harris for the checklist card I got in my pack.  I never forgot that.  We have had our problems over the years, but I still remember that day.  It was my first ever trade.

Harris had a good year in 1990 as the third starter behind Roger Clemens and Mike Boddicker.  He finished 13-9 with a 4.00 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 184.1 innings.  It was the first year that he started more than half of the games he appeared in, starting 30 out of 34 games.  For his first full season as a starter it was decent.  He returned to the bullpen the next year.

Harris was one of my first unknown heroes, along with Jody Reed and Carlos Quintana, players that made an impact but were not superstars.  I also always liked the fact that Harris was ambidextrous, like me.

Game Summaries: 03/15/13-03/17/13

Catching up here.  Spring Training will only last a couple more weeks.  It is looking more and more likely that Stephen Drew, David Ortiz, Franklin Morales, and Craig Breslow will all start the season on the Disabled List.  This could lead to Jose Iglesias, Ryan Lavarnway, and Jackie Bradley Jr. all making the big league club, as well as delaying a tough decision on Clayton Mortenson, who was impressive last year, and Daniel Bard, who has looked good this year.  I still think we will see a trade before the season.

03/15/13
Red Sox 3 Orioles 3
Game 1 of a split-squad doubleheader ended in a tie.  Boston had a few chances to put the game away but just could not do it.
Player of the Game:  Bryce Brentz (1 for 2, home run).  Making his Spring Training debut after shooting himself in the leg, Brentz wasted little time in showing that he is one of the best power-hitting prospects in the Red Sox system in years.

Red Sox 5 Twins 0
Game 2 of the doubleheader went to Boston without any doubt.
Player of the Game:  Felix Doubront (4 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts).  Doubront looks pretty good after a slow start to the Spring.  Looking forward to him this year.

03/16/13
Red Sox 9 Rays 2
Alfredo Aceves started the game on his return to the team from the WBC.  He almost managed to start a brawl.  Aceves is crazy, not Vicente Padilla-crazy (who is?) but he's crazy.
Player of the Game:  Ronald Bermudez (3 for 4, run, 2 RBIs)

03/17/13
Red Sox 5 Rays 2
The Red Sox wore green today and beat the Rays in at least the 417th time they have played them this year. These two teams are going to be very familiar with each other by the time the season starts.
Player of the Game:  Jon Lester (6 IP, 6 strikeouts).  The Red Sox had a perfect game through eight innings and man, Lester looks ready to put 2012 behind him.  Good thing too.

Pack Breaks 03/14/2013 and Game Summaries 03/10-03/14

I am going to start posting my latest pack breaks.  I used to do this regularly a while ago, but it's time to keep it up.  I like buying packs and getting good cards out of them  It is very satisfying to get a good Red Sox card, unfortunately it is also very rare.

Today on my way back to my office from Court, I stopped off at Target to try my hand at a blaster of 2013 Heritage.  I like Heritage pretty well because Topps puts in some efforts to put a lot of different players in the set and it is usually the first one featuring players in new uniforms.

Today, I got two Red Sox:
155 Red Sox Sockers featuring Will Middlebrooks and David Ortiz.  This is an homage to the 1964 card with Chuck Schilling and Carl Yastrzemski.

385 Pedro Ciriaco.  This one is my favorite of the two.  There are tons of Ortiz cards and a steadily increasing number of Middlebrooks cards, but I really like cards of lesser-known players.  This is the first Red Sox card of Ciriaco.

I also actually got a jersey card today, something that has become increasingly rare.  Frustratingly it is a Rangers jersey card of Mike Napoli.  Oh if only he had signed his contract with the Red Sox sooner.  Then this might be a Red Sox card.

03/10/2013
Red Sox 6 Rays 2
John Lackey was a little hittable in this one but still got the win.  He could surprise some people this year.

Player of the Game:  David Ross (1 for 3, 3 run home run).

03/11/2013
Marlins 8 Red Sox 7
Boston blew a big lead with Rubby De La Rosa and Chris Carpenter taking beatings.  It outshined a decent offensive day which featured home runs by Mike Carp, Will Middlebrooks, and Jackie Bradley Jr.

Player of the Game:  Jackie Bradley Jr. (3 for 4, run, 2 RBIs, home run, double)

03/12/2013
Red Sox 5 Blue Jays 3
Clay Buchholz is having a nice Spring Training.

Player of the Game:  Clay Buchholz (4 IP, 3 hits, 1 strikeout)

03/14/2013
Red Sox 7 Twins 3
Player of the Game:  Jacoby Ellsbury (2 for 3, 2 runs, RBI, double).

Sorry for the Delay in Posts and a Big Thank You

Last week I received a nice-sized box of cards from Adam over at Thoughts and Sox.  It was my first blog trade and it was a great one.  I am just sad I don't have a scanner right now to show off some of the pickups.  Adam must have spent a long time pouring over my Have List to come up with well over 200 cards I did not have.  I don't even know where to start with the highlights, there are some great ones in here.  So in no particular order here are some of my favorites:

-2009 Topps 206 and 2009 UD Goodwin Champions Jason Varitek.  There are not a lot of Varitek cards out there I do not have.  Just look at the list on the right, but Adam found a couple.

-2008 Topps Heritage T205 Clay Buchholz.  I loved the Topps 205 set from 2003, so I was excited to see this further throwback to the early set.

-2010 Topps Ring of Honor Inserts:  I only had Varitek and Manny Ramirez previously, but now have Curt Schilling, Jonathan Papelbon, and Jacoby Ellsbury.

-2008 Masterpieces Cards:  I always liked this set, but for some reason never bought much of it.

-Vintage Cards:  Lots of vintage goodies, including cards of Diego Segui, Danny Cater, Rick Burleson and Mike Nagy from the 70's, Mike Fornieles and Mike Higgins from the 60's, and a very interesting Dave Sisler from the 50's.

All great stuff, thanks a lot.

Some of My Cards

I don't have a scanner so I can't really get around to showing off some of my stuff.  But at one point that was different.  So I dug up my old photobucket account and I am going to show some stuff off once in awhile.

So here is the first scan:

From left to right, top to bottom:

1.  2004 Timeless Treasures Home Away Gamers Dual Jersey Ted Williams.  A dual jersey of Ted Williams.  This thing was not terribly cheap but who could pass up a dual jersey card of the greatest Red Sox ever?

2.  2004 Sweet Spot Sweet Threads Prime Manny Ramirez.  What a great-looking patch from Manny.  This is from the 100th Red Sox anniversary patch the team wore in 2001, I think.  I have a Trot Nixon jersey with this patch on the shoulder that was a gift from a former girlfriend.

3.  2004 Absolute Memorabilia Tools of the Trade Material Combo Manny Ramirez.  Nice Manny cards are reasonably inexpensive and I think I got this for under $20.00.  It has two jersey pieces, a bat piece, glove piece, and a shoe piece.  

4.  2003 Bowman Chrome Xfractor Autograph Kevin Youkilis.  Sometimes you have to get in before the player becomes a star.  I got it during his rookie season, it would have been a lot more later on.

5.  2003 Topps Tribute World Series Relics Carlton Fisk.  A great picture from his walkoff home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series complete with a bat piece and a piece of the Green Monster.

6.  2002 SP Legendary Cuts Autographs Billy Goodman.  I wanted a cut auto from Legendary Cuts for a long time but they were in very high demand.  So I had to narrow my focus to some lesser known players.  I ended up with this one, still my only one.  Goodman won the batting title in 1950 but never really had a permanent position.

7.  2003 Topps Pristine Yellow Printing Plate Hanley Ramirez.  I always liked printing plates for some weird reason and this was one of my first ones.  I also jumped on this before Hanley became a big star.  I have a lot of decent cards of Hanley which would have been better if he had more than two at-bats with Boston.  I was always disappointed that Boston moved him.

03/09/2013 Orioles 5 Red Sox 2

Boston continued to have problems with the Orioles last night.  Part of that was presumably due to the lineup looked more like the 2013 Pawtucket Red Sox than the Major League team.

Player of the Game:  Felix Doubront (3 IP, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts).  It was not a very good game.

03/08/2013 Twins 2 Red Sox 0

Dempster gave up two runs for his first faulty start of the season but he did pick up a couple of strikeouts.  The offense was virtually non-existent.  Jacoby Ellsbury, Ryan Sweeney, Jonny Gomes, Mike Carp, and Christian Vazquez contributed the only hits.  Stephen Drew was out with a mild concussion.  Iglesias time?

Player of the Game: Christian Vazquez (1 for 2, double)

Underrated Player of the Year: 2007

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.

One of the biggest reasons that Boston was so successful in 2007 was their bullpen.  Anchored by Jonathan Papelbon and also featuring strong years from Hideki Okajima, Javier Lopez, and the ageless Mike Timlin, their bullpen was one of the best they have had in a long time.  2007 was also the second full season by Manny Delcarmen, the Boston native.  

Delcarmen pitched in just 44 games due to starting the season in Pawtucket, but he made it to the Red Sox to stay in mid-June and made a big impact.  Delcarmen pitched to a very impressive ERA of 2.05 and struck out 41 in 44 innings against 17 walks.  He also finished with a nice WHIP of 1.023.  It was a very strong season and Delcarmen made the case to become the principal right-hander out of the pen for the next couple of years.    

Delcarmen was effective again in 2008 as the main setup man but then began to falter in 2009.  He struggled in 2010 before being traded to the Rockies.  It was his last year in the Majors.  Delcarmen has been bouncing from team to team trying to make it back since.

Season in Review: 1995

1995 was another abbreviated season as the strike continued to early in the year.  Replacement players reported to Spring Training, some of whom would eventually make it back to the Majors later.  There was no free agency between the seasons so all of the new players were acquired in trades.  Boston was very active on that front as there was a massive overhaul of the team.  It was successful as they won the AL East with an 86-58 record under Kevin Kennedy for the first time.

Boston played the juggernaut Indians in the ALDS and were swept in three games.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS
Mo Vaughn
The 1995 AL MVP won the award mostly due to the fact that he was not a complete asshole like Albert Belle who actually had vastly superior numbers.  Vaughn was probably elected the MVP due to his intangibles more than his numbers, though he certainly had good numbers.  Vaughn hit .300/.388/.575 with 39 home runs and tied for the league lead for RBIs with 126.  He also shockingly stole 11 bases in 1995.

John Valentin
As good as Vaughn was, Valentin was probably better, certainly because he played a tougher position.  Valentin hit .298/.399/.533 with 27 home runs and 102 RBIs.  He also stole 20 bases becoming the first Red Sox 20/20 man since Ellis Burks.  He was also very good defensively.  He lead the Majors in WAR in 1995, which was not really a thing at that time.  It was a terrific season that has mostly gone unnoticed.  He did win the Silver Slugger and finished ninth in the MVP race.  Had it happened around this time, he may have won it.

Roger Clemens
Clemens did not have a great year in 1995.  He was injured the first part of the year and he did finish the year with a 10-5 record.  He also struck out 132 batters in 140 innings pitched, but his ERA was a decidedly unimpressive 4.18.  It was a good thing that Boston had other pitchers to pick up the slack.

Tim Naehring
After years of being so close to cracking the starting lineup, Naehring finally got a chance to prove himself in 1995.  He became the full-time third-baseman after the trade of Scott Cooper to the Cardinals and instantly responded.  Naehring hit .307/.415/.448 with ten home runs and 57 RBIs, all the while playing good defense.  Naehring looked to be a rising star in 1995.

Mike Greenwell
Greenwell managed to put together a fairly successful season as well.  He hit .297/.349/.402 with 15 home runs and 76 RBIs.  It was a fairly typical year for the Gator.

HONORABLE MENTION
Lee Tinsley
Tinsley became the starting center fielder after Otis Nixon was traded away, though he had a couple of threats to his job in the acquisition of Willie McGee and the rise of Dwayne Hosey.  His numbers were not bad, but Boston never seemed to totally trust him.  He ended the season with a .284/.359/.402 line and seven home runs, not bad numbers for a leadoff hitter.  He also stole 18 bases.

FAVORITE ACQUISITIONS
Jose Canseco
My young mind was blown when Boston traded for Jose Canseco, one of the biggest stars I was aware of when I started watching baseball.  And he was not that far removed from those days.  Canseco struggled through some injuries but put up some big numbers when he was healthy.  He ended the year with a .306/.378/.556 line with 24 home runs and 81 RBIs.

Tim Wakefield
Wakefield had been a success for the Pirates in 1992 but struggled the next couple of years.  He was a low-risk, high-reward reclamation project.  It definitely paid off in 1995 as Wakefield finished third in the Cy Young race and 13th in the MVP race.  He struggled a bit down the stretch, otherwise he would have won the Cy Young.  He finished the season 16-8 with a 2.95 ERA and 119 strikeouts, a great season for the knuckleballer.

Erik Hanson
Hanson started out the season as the most reliable Red Sox starter and quietly put together a very good season.  He was named to the All Star team for the first time, though he never pitched in the game.  He finished the year 15-5 with a 4.24 ERA and 139 strikeouts.

Troy O'Leary
Another low-risk, high-reward signing, O'Leary was waived by the Brewers and picked up when Mark Whiten was struggling.  O'Leary ended up hitting .308/.355/.491 with ten home runs and 49 RBIs.  They were not great numbers, but for his first real crack at a Major League job, they were nothing to sneeze at.

FAVORITE MIDSEASON ACQUISITION
Rick Aguilera
1995 was the first year I was really aware of the trading deadline.  I realized that Jeff Reardon was traded away and Rob Deer was acquired at the deadlines, but this was the year I really learned about it.  Boston was contending but Ken Ryan was failing as a closer, so they sent top prospect Frank Rodriguez to the Twins for Aguilera who ended up compiling 20 saves for the Red Sox and really helped them make the playoffs.  Of course he returned to the Twins after the season.

FAVORITE ROOKIE
Vaughn Eshelman
Eshelman had a very good start to his career, winning his first three Major League games, not bad for a Rule V pick.  He ended the season with a 6-3 record and a 4.85 ERA.  Not bad, but certainly not great numbers for the rookie southpaw.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
Mark Whiten
I had high hopes for Mark Whiten.  Two years before, he hit 25 home runs for the Cardinals.  He was picked up in the trade for Scott Cooper.  Both Cooper and Whiten disappointed for their new teams.  Whiten was hurt a lot and ended up hitting only .185/.239/.241 with just one home run in 32 games.  He was eventually traded for Dave Hollins who played just five games for Boston.

Aaron Sele
Sele pitched on Opening Day and was expected to bust loose for the Red Sox after two decent seasons to start his career.  Unfortunately he was shut down with a season-ending injury early on and only ended up pitching in six games for the Red Sox in 1995.

PLAYOFF HERO
Luis Alicea
Alicea had a decent year all the way around in 1995 but he really shined in the ALDS.  He had six hits in only ten at-bats and also had two walks, ending up with a line of .600/.667/1.000.  He also had a home run, a double, and an RBI.  Boston had a miserable ALDS, but it was not Alicea's fault.

PLAYOFF GOAT
Mo Vaughn
Vaughn was quite frankly, terrible in the 1995 ALDS.  He did not have a single hit and struck out seven times in 14 at-bats.  Miserable numbers that did not help the team at all.

Ryan Westmoreland Retires

Red Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland has retired.  Westmoreland joins the ranks of players like Harry Agganis and Tony Conigliaro.  Players with a wealth of natural talent that unfortunately were not able to realize their potential due to health issues.  Of course Westmoreland is luckier than Agganis, who died due to his condition.  Westmoreland will still be able to enjoy a fulfilling life and it is a testament to his personality that he has been able to look at the bright side of the whole situation.  Westmoreland transcends baseball.  I wish him all the luck.

03/07/2013 Red Sox 12 Twins 5

Pretty big offensive game for the Red Sox.  Mike Napoli homered and had two hits.  Jackie Bradley Jr., Dustin Pedroia, and Drew Sutton all had two hits apiece.  Unfortunately Joel Hanrahan imploded again.

Player of the Game: Clay Buchholz (3 IP, 2 hits, 4 strikeouts)

03/06/2013 Pirates 9 Red Sox 3

Jon Lester looked good, unfortunately Rubby De La Rosa, the gem from the big Dodgers trade did not.

Player of the Game: Pedro Ciriaco (2 for 4, run, stolen base)

03/05/2013 Red Sox 4 Puerto Rico 3

The Red Sox played the Puerto Rico WBC team in an exhibition  Puerto Rico has a number of stars such as Angel Pagan, Carlos Beltran, and Yadier Molina, so it was encouraging when John Lackey shut them down in his start.

Player of the Game: Ryan Lavarnway (3 for 3, 1 run, 2 doubles)

03/04/2013 Red Sox 5 Rays 1

Felix Doubront made his Spring debut.  He was a little rusty with a couple of walks, but he should come around.  Hopefully he builds on his rookie season.

Player of the Game: Jose Iglesias (2 for 2, 2 doubles, run).  I really want Iglesias to hit well enough to make Stephen Drew expendable.  Not that I dislike Drew, but Iglesias is so much fun to watch on defense.

03/03/2013 Yankees 5 Red Sox 2

The first game against the Yankees and Joel Hanrahan imploded.  Not a great sign.  Mike Napoli hit a home run though, so that's good.

Player of the Game: Ryan Dempster (3 IP, 1 H, 2 strikeouts)

1991 Topps #94 John Dopson

In this series, I look at my first team set: 1991 Topps.  This was the set I started my baseball card collection with.

John Dopson had a very good year in 1989 at 25 years old and looked like he could develop into a fairly decent starter.  Unfortunately it did not work out that way and in 1990, Dopson only pitched in four games.  He pitched well in those games, he was 0-0 but had a 2.04 ERA.  He did walk as many as he struck out however, and of course walks were one of his biggest issues preventing him from being a better pitcher.  Injuries also derailed his career as he would only pitch in one game in 1991.

Underrated Player of the Year: 2006

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. 

The trade that brought Wily Mo Pena to Boston was not a particularly good one.  The Red Sox sent Bronson Arroyo who was starting to make a name for himself after a decent 2005 to the Reds for Pena.  The Red Sox needed some more offense and thought they had a surplus of starting pitching and Arroyo was signed to a reasonable contract.

However, Pena had a decent season in 2006.  He definitely provided the power that the Red Sox hoped for, with 11 home runs in only 84 games.  He also provided a decent batting average and on-base percentage, ending up with a slash line of .301/.349/.489.  

He could always hit, but he had more than a few adventures on the fielding side of things.  Pena was pressed into full-time duty when Coco Crisp went down with an injury.  He was miscast as a center fielder during this period.

I saw Pena play in Kansas City that year and he absolutely crushed a home run that nearly left the stadium.

Unfortunately Pena would not play nearly as well in 2007 and he was eventually traded to the Nationals for Chris Carter.

03/02/2013: Red Sox 2 Twins 1

Player of the Game: Juan Carlos Linares (2 for 4, home run, run, RBI).  Linares is getting old for AAA at 28.  It is pretty likely that he will never really make an impact at the Major League level.

03/01/2013 Red Sox 5 Pirates 2

This was a much cleaner game than the night before.  It also featured the Spring debut of Mike Napoli for the Red Sox.  By the way, these things will be longer and more detailed when the regular season starts.  Spring games are pretty meaningless.

Player of the Game: Dustin Pedroia (2 for 2, run, 2 RBIs)

One-Year Wonder Pt. 14: Bill Hall

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.

BILL HALL
Bill Hall was acquired in a trade with the Mariners in January of 2010 for Casey Kotchman.  The Mariners picked up most of Hall's salary, and that turned into one of the best deals the Red Sox made that year.  

Hall was extremely versatile, playing every position but right field, first base, catcher, and designated hitter.  His batting average was not terribly high, and neither was his on-base percentage, but his versatility, power, and speed were all important to the team.  Hall hit .247/.316/.456 with 18 home runs and 46 RBIs.  He also stole nine bases.  He was an important piece, all the more so due to the extreme number of injuries Boston suffered in 2010.  He was able to cover for injuries to Dustin Pedroia, Mike Cameron, and Jacoby Ellsbury.

I was disappointed after the year that Boston did not bring him back.  But he played well enough to get a starting role and the Astros picked him up.

02/28/2013 Red Sox 16 Pirates 6

The Red Sox walked 15 times today.  Hopefully that is more of a sign of the patience of the Red Sox hitters than the wildness of the Pirates' pitchers.  We will see.

Player of the Game: Jackie Bradley Jr (3 for 5, 3 runs, stolen base).   Bradley may force the Red Sox to find a spot for him right away.

02/27/2013: Orioles 5 Red Sox 3

Junichi Tazawa has had a rough spring so far.  Hopefully he'll get back on track.  I would love to see him stick in the Major Leagues all year, especially after his incredible season last year.

Player of the Game: Pedro Ciriaco (2 for 4, 3B, RBI)

02/26/2013: Cardinals 15 Red Sox 4

Rough game today.  It's only Spring Training though, so not a big deal.

Player of the Game:  Ryan Dempster (2 IP, 0 hits, 2 strikeouts)

Busts Pt. 20: Daisuke Matsuzaka

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

DAISUKE MATSUZAKA
We can talk about this now.  Matsuzaka was the subject of the highest posting fee in baseball history to that point.  The Red Sox paid $51,111,111.11 just to talk to Matsuzaka about playing for them.  They outbid the Rangers, Mets, and Yankees among other teams.  Matsuzaka was supposed to be an ace for whoever got him.  They then signed him for a $52 million, six-year contract.  It was the highest contract anyone ever got coming from Japan.

2007 proved to be a reasonably decent rookie year.  Matsuzaka pitched to a 15-12 record with a 4.40 ERA and 201 strikeouts in 204.1 innings.  Not bad, but not quite what was expected.  He finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year vote and won Game 3 of the World Series.  He even helped himself with a two-run single.  All in all it was a fairly successful season.

His 2008 season was even better.  He won 18 games against just three losses and a 2.90 ERA with 154 strikeouts in 167.2 innings.  He finished fourth in the Cy Young race.  He did show a tendency to nibble at the corners at the plate and throw a lot of pitches.  But nonetheless, his numbers looked great on paper.  He looked like he could be the great pitcher the Red Sox thought they were getting.

In 2009 however, the injuries and tendency to throw a lot of pitches started to accumulate.  The next four seasons saw his numbers dramatically decline.  He pitched in only 56 games over the next four years with a 17-22 record and a 5.53 ERA with 254 strikeouts.

At the end, the injuries and the number of pitches did him in.  When he was aggressive, he was good, when he nibbled he had a tendency to get hit hard.  The money just was not worth it at the end.  

02/25/2013: Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 2; Rays 6, Red Sox 3

Today the Red Sox played two split-squad games, one against the new-look Blue Jays and R.A. Dickey, and the other against the Rays.  Boston countered Dickey with their own knuckleballer, Steve Wright.

Player of the Game (Blue Jays): Jackie Bradley Jr. (3 for 3, double, RBI, run)

Player of the Game (Rays): Dustin Pedroia (1 for 3, home run)

1991 Topps #70 Ellis Burks

In this series, I look at my first team set: 1991 Topps.  This was the set I started my baseball card collection with.

Ellis Burks was one of my favorite players early on.  He was a rare power/speed threat for the Red Sox at the time.  Burks won the Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger in 1990.  He hit .296/.349/.486 in 1990.  He lead the team with 21 home runs, 89 RBIs, and nine stolen bases.  His stolen bases were down quite a bit, and he was caught eleven times.  He also made his first All Star team.  He looked like a rising star at only 25 years old.  Unfortunately he would have two injury-riddled, down seasons before Boston let him go.  

Season in Review: 1994

1994 was the year of the strike.  There was no postseason and no World Series.  As a young fan this was devastating.  I was only 13 years old at the time.  I did not really understand what was going on and I kept hoping they would come back and finish the season.  But they did not.  Boston was fairly underwhelming that year, going 54-61 under Butch Hobson.  It was Hobson's last season as manager.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS:
Mo Vaughn
Vaughn was on the verge of an even better year than his 1993 season.  At the time of the strike he was hitting .310/.408/.576 with 26 home runs and 82 RBIs.  He could have easily broken his career marks with a full season.  He was becoming an offensive force for the Red Sox by this point.  And the best was yet to come.

John Valentin
By this point, Valentin was one of the most underrated players in baseball.  Valentin was hitting .316/.400/.505 with nine home runs and 49 RBIs.  His biggest moment of the 1994 season was turning an unassisted triple play.

Roger Clemens
He did not have a great record, but for the most part Clemens was back to his usual form.  He only finished 9-7 but Boston was not terribly good that year.  He did finish second in the league with a 2.85 ERA and 168 strikeouts.  So for the most part it was back to being a dominant pitcher for Clemens.

Scott Cooper
Cooper had his second straight All Star selection in 1994 and his numbers for the most part were better.  He was hitting .282/.333/.453 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs.  He also hit for the cycle against the Royals.  I remember listening to that game on the radio, I lived close enough to Kansas City to hear the games on the radio.

Andre Dawson
Dawson was definitely on his last legs as a Major Leaguer by this point, but I still enjoyed watching him because I knew he would be in the Hall of Fame some day.  His batting line was a less than impressive .240/.271/.466, but he did hit 16 home runs.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Aaron Sele
Following up his successful rookie season, Sele emerged as a decent number two starter for Boston.  His record was only 8-7 but he did pitch to a 3.83 ERA and 105 strikeouts.

Tom Brunansky
Bruno was re-acquired in a trade with the Brewers early in the season for Dave Valle after right-fielder Billy Hatcher was traded to the Phillies.  Bruno helped to add some offense, something that was lacking for the team that season.  He finished the season hitting .237/.319/.475 with ten home runs.  He was done as a Major Leaguer after 1994.

Mike Greenwell
Greenwell was hurt often in 1994, playing only 95 games.  His numbers were down to .269/.348/.453 but he did hit 11 home runs.

FAVORITE ACQUISITION
Otis Nixon
I had been watching the Red Sox for only four years as of 1994, and the most stolen bases in one season I had seen was Scott Fletcher's 16 in 1993.  So I was excited to see Otis Nixon acquired by the Red Sox.  Finally they had someone who could steal a lot of bases.  Nixon hit .274/.360/.317 in 1994.  His OBP and average were actually better than his career numbers, so it was a successful season for him.  He stole 42 bases and would have easily broken the team record if not for the strike.

FAVORITE ROOKIE
Rich Rowland
Acquired in a trade prior to the season for catcher John Flaherty.  Rowland had played in September in each of the prior four seasons and finally got a chance to play in 1994.  He became the backup to Damon Berryhill but showed some impressive power, hitting nine home runs with a .483 slugging percentage in 46 games.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
Dave Valle
Valle was acquired as part of a complete catcher overall in 1994.  Gone were Tony Pena, Bob Melvin, and John Flaherty.  Valle, Berryhill, and Rowland were all new to the organization.  Valle was expected to be the starter, but only hit .158/.256/.250 and was shipped to the Brewers for Brunansky.

Greg Harris
One year after a great season out of the bullpen, Harris's ERA ballooned to 8.28.  The amount of work the season prior must have taken a toll on the 38 year old.

02/24/2013 Red Sox 5, Cardinals 3

Player of the Game: Jon Lester (2 IP, 1 strikeout).  It took Lester only 24 pitches to make it through two innings.  Hopefully he will return in a big way this year.

02/23/2013: Rays 4, Red Sox 3

It was the first official Spring game.  Boston lost, but it's only Spring Training. 

Player of the Day: Jose Iglesias 1 for 2, home run, error.  Iglesias is fighting for the Red Sox shortstop position.  He spent most of the offseason working out with Dustin Pedroia.  He definitely started out strong though with a home run in his first game.

Underrated Player of the Year: 2005

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.

Another year, another second baseman.  Mark Bellhorn, the subject of the 2004 post, started the year but his numbers were way down and he was eventually released.  Alex Cora had been acquired but he was definitely more of a utility player than a regular.  Eventually, Boston made a trade with the Royals for Tony Graffanino, giving up Chip Ambres and Juan Cedeno.  

Graffanino played in 51 games for the Red Sox and put together a strong batting line of .319/.355/.457 with four home runs and 20 RBIs.  He also stole four bases.  Graffanino solidified second base and turned in a quality performance at the same time helping the Red Sox to the playoffs.

Of course, Graffanino made a crucial error in the ALDS that lead to the White Sox sweeping the Red Sox.  But that should not diminish the impact he made during the regular season.

Graffanino was allowed to leave as a free agent after the season and returned to the Royals.  He would not be as good a hitter again.    

Spring Games Have Begun

Boston played two games today against college teams.  They won both, but that is not terribly excited.  What is exciting is that they are starting to play games again.  I am excited for this year.  I really am.  I don't remember being this anxious in a long time.

Unknown Heroes Pt. 25: Scott Cooper

I have been a little hard on Scott Cooper on this blog in the past, calling him an undeserving All Star, among other things.  But the fact of the matter is that when I was young, I really did like Cooper.  Most of the reasoning for that is the fact that he was the team's lone All Star at a time when I thought that really meant something.  I knew Mo Vaughn deserved it more, but Cooper was the only one they sent two years in a row.

Of course Cooper was also indirectly responsible for the loss of not one, but two, great players.  In 1990, Boston traded third baseman Jeff Bagwell to the Astros because he was expendable since he was behind Wade Boggs and Cooper on the third base depth chart.  Then Boston figured they could afford to let Boggs walk as a free agent after the 1992 season because Cooper was developing into a decent major leaguer.

Cooper made his ML debut in 1990 but only made it into two games.  He had another brief shot in 1991 and hit .457/.486/.686 in 14 games.  He was nearly a full-time player in 1992 but bounced around the infield quite a bit.  He actually played more games at first base than third base due to the struggles of Vaughn in his first full season and the presence of Boggs in his last with the Red Sox.  He also chipped in at second and short briefly.

1993 saw him take over third base full-time and he hit .279/.355/.397 with nine home runs and 63 RBIs.  Cooper was also a very strong defensive player.  He was credited with a lot of errors but that had more to do with Vaughn's defensive issues than Cooper's.  Cooper had a very strong throwing arm at third that was actually his best asset.  He then hit .282/.333/.483 in 1994 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs in the strike-shortened season.  His biggest moment was hitting for the cycle in a ridiculous 22-11 drubbing of the Royals.

After the 1994 season, Cooper was traded to the Cardinals with Cory Bailey for Mark Whiten and Rheal Cormier.  He would never come close to his numbers with the Red Sox.

Moves I Did Not Care For

I have been called a homer in the past.  Mostly on baseball forums.  I do not think I am a homer, but no one really does.  I am a fan.  I try not to be overly critical of my team to other people.  That does not mean that I love everything they do.  The Red Sox have made some ridiculous moves in the past.  Obviously the big ones are the Ruth sale and the Bagwell trade.  Both of those occurred before I was a fan.  The Bagwell trade occurred just one year prior.

In this post I want to show that I do sometimes disagree with Boston's moves.  These are moves I disliked at the time, not with hindsight.  Some moves may have worked out.  Other moves that I did like may not have worked.  These are moves I disliked when they happened.

1992
RED SOX TRADE JEFF REARDON TO BRAVES
I was a big fan of Jeff Reardon.  I have always liked closers and Reardon was the first one I watched.  It helped that he had just broken the career saves record.  Obviously he was expendable.  He was set to be a free agent and he was older.  Boston was in last place and had no real need for a good closer, but they definitely did not have an adequate replacement.  It also did not help that the players the Red Sox got, Sean Ross and Nate Minchey, never really did anything for the Red Sox.

1993
WADE BOGGS SIGNS WITH YANKEES AS FREE AGENT
Boggs was my favorite player.  He had a bad year and Scott Cooper was ready to take over, but Cooper was never going to be an adequate replacement.  He just was not projected to be a star.  Boggs was a Hall of Famer.

PHIL PLANTIER TO PADRES FOR JOSE MELENDEZ
Just one year prior, Plantier was untouchable.  But then his numbers dropped in 1992 and suddenly Boston could not get rid of him fast enough.  For them to trade a previously untouchable player for a middle reliever was particularly frustrating.  He was still just 24 years old.  Right field was a black hole for the Red Sox in 1993, and Plantier hit 34 home runs with 108 RBIs for the Padres.  Melendez pitched in 19 games over the two years he spent with Boston.  Plantier never did as well again, but he would have been a big help in 1993.

1995
SCOTT COOPER TO CARDINALS FOR MARK WHITEN AND RHEAL CORMIER
This one actually worked out but not for the reasons that it should have.  Cormier had the best year of the three players involved.  But I liked Cooper.  I was still a young fan at the time so I did not like it when Boston gave up players I liked.  Cooper was not a great player, or even really a very good one, but I liked him.  I did try to think positively about it though.  Whiten was supposed to be a decent player and they also got Cormier.

FRANK RODRIGUEZ TO TWINS FOR RICK AGUILERA
It reminded me of the Bagwell trade.  Rodriguez was Boston's top prospect.  For a few years I had heard about what a great pitcher he was going to be.  Then he was traded when Boston found it could not contend without a good closer.  Suddenly their top prospect was gone.  This one was okay as Rodriguez was never a very good pitcher.  But I had no idea at the time.

MARK WHITEN TO PHILLIES FOR DAVE HOLLINS
Whiten was terrible for Boston and he was personally miserable.  But it just felt like they were giving up on him.  It seems like they do that every few years or so.  Whiten of course went on to play well for the Phillies. Hollins played five games for the Red Sox.

1996
JAMIE MOYER TO THE MARINERS FOR DARREN BRAGG
Darren Bragg really?  That's all they could get for Jamie Moyer?  Moyer was not quite the well-reputed pitcher at that time that he was years later.  But he was 7-1 and he was left-handed.  Bragg was an acceptable player, but even then it did not seem like enough for Boston's best pitcher to that point.

1997
ROGER CLEMENS SIGNS WITH BLUE JAYS AS FREE AGENT
BOSTON SIGNS STEVE AVERY, BRET SABERHAGEN, AND ROBINSON CHECO
The Red Sox let Clemens go.  Clemens had not pitched great in a few years, but he did lead the league in strikeouts in 1996, a sign that the old Clemens was on his way back.  Of course now we know that he had some help.  But Boston did not really have a pitcher ready to take his place.  They signed two reclamation projects and an unknown quantity.  Saberhagen was recovering from a major injury and would barely pitch that year but would be decent in 1998 and 1999.  Avery was terrible in his two years with Boston.  Checo never developed.

1998
JIM LEYRITZ TO PADRES FOR MANDY ROMERO, DARIO VERAS, AND CARLOS REYES
Leyritz was unhappy with his lack of playing time.  He was originally brought in to spend time at catcher, first base, and designated hitter, but the development of Jason Varitek meant that he was not needed at catcher.  He was very productive to that point so it was a bit of a loss.  Eventually he was replaced by Mike Stanley who served the same capacity.

ORLANDO MERCED RELEASED
I always liked Merced with the Pirates and Blue Jays.  I was excited when he was acquired along with Greg Swindell, but Boston never had much use for him and he was released after 12 hitless plate appearances.  They would do the same thing with Gary Gaetti and Jose Cruz Jr. later on.

1999
MO VAUGHN SIGNS WITH ANGELS AS FREE AGENT
BOSTON SIGNS JOSE OFFERMAN
I would have no problem with Offerman as a complementary piece.  He had a nice year in 1999.  But as a replacement for Vaughn?  No.  You cannot replace a power-hitting first baseman with a light-hitting second baseman.  It just does not work.  Vaughn was another favorite that Boston let leave as a free agent.

BOSTON SIGNS MARK PORTUGAL AND PAT RAPP
This never seemed like it would work.  And it didn't.  Both pitchers were bad in 1999 and played a big role in Boston having to settle for a Wild Card.  They could have been better.

2000
FRYE, ROSE, AND WASDIN TO ROCKIES FOR ARROJO, LANSING, AND CROUSHORE
Brian Rose was supposed to be a top prospect but that is not the issue that I had.  I did not understand getting Mike Lansing.  I guess they really wanted Rolando Arrojo and taking on Lansing's terrible contract meant that they did not have to give up any major parts.  But Boston was already overloaded on bad contracts with Valentin, O'Leary, Lewis, and Offerman.  If they had not gotten Lansing's contract, maybe they would have been able to bring in Mike Mussina to go along with Manny Ramirez in 2001.

2001/2002
TOMO OHKA AND RICH RUNDLES TO EXPOS FOR UGUETH URBINA
SUN WOO KIM AND SEUNG JUN SONG TO EXPOS FOR CLIFF FLOYD
Boston tried to find a hidden well of talent in Asia in the late 1990's.  Ohka, Kim, and Song were the most talented players they found.  Ohka and Kim showed flashes of that talent on occasion and Song was Boston's top prospect at the time.  None of them made big impacts in the majors and Urbina and Floyd were both successful in their short stints in Boston, but after years of hearing about the Asian scouting, it was proving to be all for naught.

2002
HIDEO NOMO SIGNS WITH DODGERS
Nomo had a good year in 2002.  He lead the AL in strikeouts and pitched a no hitter.  Plus he was fun to watch.  He seemed like the perfect pitcher to re-sign and make a good number two starter.  With him in the rotation along with Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe, Boston could have made it to the World Series in 2003.

2003
FREDDY SANCHEZ TO PIRATES FOR JEFF SUPPAN
There were more parts to this.  The full trade was Sanchez and Mike Gonzalez for Jeff Suppan, Anastacio Martinez, and Brandon Lyon.  The reason for the trade was to make up for an earlier trade in which Boston got Gonzalez and Scott Sauerbeck for Lyon and Martinez.  Lyon was hurt apparently.  Suppan was terrible in his first stint with Boston and was not much better the second time around.  Sanchez could have solved Boston's long-standing problems at second base.

THE CLOSER BY COMMITTEE
I get the idea.  It is better to use your best relievers when the game is on the line and anyone can finish the game.  But baseball players are human and prefer to have defined roles.  So maybe it could work in some situations, but only if you have the 1990 Reds bullpen.  Mike Timlin, Alan Embree, Chad Fox, Ramiro Mendoza, and Brandon Lyon are not an adequate group to pull off the closer by committee.  None of them had much closing experience.  The results were awful right away and lead to the trade of Shea Hillenbrand for Byung Hyun Kim.

2004
NOMAR GARCIAPARRA TO CUBS
It worked out in the end, but Garciaparra was again a favorite player.  He was the franchise player.  And Boston got Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz in the trade.  It never seemed like enough.

2005
PEDRO MARTINEZ SIGNS WITH METS
DEREK LOWE SIGNS WITH DODGERS
BOSTON SIGNS DAVID WELLS, MATT CLEMENT, AND WADE MILLER
Two of the World Champion team's top three pitchers left town and they signed Wells, Clement, and Miller to replace them.  Miller was a reclamation project, Wells was old and had never been successful at Fenway Park, and Clement had never pitched in the AL.  Wells was okay and Clement was good for the first half of the first year, but none of the pitchers had long term success.

2006
HANLEY RAMIREZ TO MARLINS FOR JOSH BECKETT AND MIKE LOWELL
This one worked out for both teams as Ramirez was a great player for a few years.  Beckett and Lowell helped Boston to the 2007 World Championship.  But once again, a top prospect that I had been waiting for  over the previous several years was gone.  I liked that Boston got Beckett and Lowell, but hated that Ramirez had to go.

JOHNNY DAMON SIGNS WITH YANKEES
I hate it when a beloved player goes to play for the Yankees.  Boston traded for Coco Crisp to replace him, which of course never really worked out as well as it should have.

BRONSON ARROYO TO REDS FOR WILY MO PENA
Arroyo had just signed a team-friendly contract and had a decent year in 2005.  But there was a supposed pitching surplus and Boston needed some more power.  So Arroyo was shipped away for Pena, who was a terrible defensive player which meant that he did not make it into the lineup much.  He did have power, but that was it.

JOSH BARD AND CLA MEREDITH TO PADRES FOR DOUG MIRABELLI
I liked Doug Mirabelli and was disappointed when they traded him away for Mark Loretta, but that turned out to be a decent trade.  Unfortunately Boston could not find someone to catch Tim Wakefield's knuckleball and they had to make a desperate trade to get Mirabelli back.  That meant that Meredith, a promising reliever, had to be sacrificed.

2009
JUSTIN MASTERSON TO INDIANS FOR VICTOR MARTINEZ
I liked that they picked up Martinez, but giving up on Masterson seemed premature.  I liked Masterson and thought that he had a decent future with the Red Sox.  Martinez was necessary as catcher was proving to be a black hole, but it was disappointing to lose Masterson.

2011
ADRIAN BELTRE SIGNS WITH RANGERS
I still think they should have re-signed Beltre, who had a great year in 2010, and kept Youkilis at first.  I liked the Adrian Gonzalez trade, but I wanted Beltre to stay.

ERIK BEDARD TRADE
I never had a lot of hope for Bedard to pitch well for Boston and they gave up a lot of minor leaguers to get him.  Tim Federoicz, Stephen Fife, Juan Rodriguez, and Chih Hsien Chiang were all let go in the trade and Boston just did not get much out of it.

2012
THE DODGERS TRADE
This was bittersweet for me.  I wanted Carl Crawford to be the player he was with the Rays when he completely flustered Boston catchers.  I wanted Adrian Gonzalez to be the 40 home run threat he was with the Padres.  Boston did not get either of those things.  James Loney was just going to be a stopgap and Jerry Sands and Ivan DeJesus were never expected to do all that much.

2013
JOEL HANRAHAN TRADE
I am concerned about this one.  Boston traded Jed Lowrie and Josh Reddick last year in trades for potential closers.  Both players had good years and the closers, Mark Melancon and Andrew Bailey, were both disappointing.  Now they are trading for another closer and gave up Melancon, Sands, Stolmy Pimentel, and DeJesus to get him.  Will Sands be the next Reddick?  It's possible.

BOSTON SIGNS STEPHEN DREW
I like watching Jose Iglesias.  Drew stands in his way.

Hall of Fame Worthy? Pt 17: Wes Ferrell

The Hall of Fame has inducted many players who were borderline choices, and many players who deserve induction have been on the outside looking in. I want to look at some players to determine if they deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.

Wes Ferrell, like Carl Mays, is a player whose name comes up every year when the Veterans' Committee when they vote on the Old Timers ballot.  Ferrell's brother Rick is in the Hall of Fame as a catcher for the Red Sox.  The brothers actually played together with the Red Sox and Senators.

Ferrell was a workhorse who lead the American League in games started twice, and complete games and innings pitched three years in a row.  Ferrell won 20 games in six seasons and won 170 games in the 1930's, fourth behind Lefty Grove, Carl Hubbell, and Red Ruffing.  Ferrell though typically pitched for mediocre teams, spending his most productive years with the Browns, Red Sox, and Senators.

The major argument against Ferrell is his ERA.  His career ERA was 4.04, which is similar to the argument against Jack Morris, whose career ERA was 3.90.  Ferrell's ERA+ though is 116 so relatively speaking, it was not that bad of a number.  Still most voters these days seem to have some difficulty with context, in particular those on the Veterans' Committee.

THE VERDICT
Ferrell is probably a pretty borderline candidate, but his numbers seem to warrant more consideration.

Season in Review: 1993

1993 was quite a bit different than 1992.   There was a lot of player turnover and a lot of my favorite players (Boggs, Burks, and Reardon in particular) were gone.  Unfortunately a season that was once very promising took a bad turn and Boston finished 80-82.  Most of the problem was due to inconsistent pitching as Roger Clemens had a bad year.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS
Mo Vaughn
Vaughn really came into his own as a force to be reckoned with in 1993.  It was his first full season with the Red Sox and he became one of the most productive first basemen in the league.  He hit .297/.390/.525 with 29 home runs and 101 runs batted in.  He also started to show some impressive leadership qualities.  One of my favorite moments was him clotheslining a charging George Bell after being hit by an Aaron Sele pitch.

Scott Cooper
No he was not a great player, or even a particularly good player, but the third-baseman had a strong arm and was the team's lone All Star.  Although he did not really deserve it.  Cooper hit .279/.355/.397 with nine home runs and 63 RBIs.

Danny Darwin
Darwin was Boston's top starting pitcher in 1993, leading the team in wins (15), innings pitched (229.1), and WHIP (1.068).  He also struck out 130 batters and had a 3.26 ERA.  He came close to pitching a perfect game, allowing only a Dan Pasqua triple that would have been caught if Billy Hatcher were just a couple inches taller.

John Valentin
Valentin, like Vaughn, started to come into his own in 1993 as a player.  He hit .278/.346/.447 with 11 home runs and 66 RBIs.  He also proved to be a very good defensive shortstop.  This was Valentin's first full season with the Red Sox as well, though he did not start on Opening Day.

Mike Greenwell
Greenwell came back from a rough 1992 season to lead the team in batting average in 1993.  Greenwell hit .315/.379/.480 with 13 home runs and 72 RBIs, both second only to Vaughn.  This was another solid season for the outfielder who built a career on solid, but not terrific seasons.  Greenwell also lead the team with 170 hits that year.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Greg Harris
Harris was one of the most productive middle relievers in 1993 pitching in 80 games which was a team record and lead the league.  He pitched to a 6-7 record with a 3.77 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 112.1 innings pitched.  He also wound up with 8 saves.

Frank Viola
One of two supposed aces coming into the season, Viola actually had a decent season for the Red Sox in 1993, but was injured for a chunk of the season.  He ended up with a record of 11-8 with a 3.14 ERA (which lead the team among pitchers who qualified) and 91 strikeouts.  His overpowering days were over but he proved to be a somewhat crafty southpaw.

Scott Fletcher
Fletcher was a terrific defensive second baseman who actually had a pretty decent season with the bat.  He hit .285/.341/.402 with five home runs and 45 RBIs and lead the team with 16 stolen bases.  Not bad numbers for a middle infielder at that time, particularly a second baseman.

FAVORITE ACQUISITION
Andre Dawson
Boston replaced the departed future Hall of Famer Wade Boggs with another future Hall of Famer.  Of course Dawson was well-past his prime by the time he came to Boston and his knees forced him into playing all but 20 of his games as the team's designated hitter.  He hit .273/.313/.425 with 13 home runs and 67 RBIs.

FAVORITE ROOKIE
Aaron Sele
Sele was the team's first selection in 1991 and made an immediate impact.  He finished the season with a 7-2 record and a 2.74 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 111.2 innings.  He finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year vote behind Tim Salmon and Jason Bere.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
Roger Clemens
After a terrific 1992 season, a lot was expected of Roger Clemens in 1993.  Unfortunately this was probably his worst season in his career.  Clemens finished with a losing record for the first time, going only 11-14 with a 4.46 ERA and only 160 strikeouts in 191.2 innings, all his worst numbers since 1985, before he became the dominant pitcher he was.

Ivan Calderon
One of many new, talented players picked up by the Red Sox prior to the 1993 season, acquired in a trade with the Expos for Mike Gardiner and Terry Powers.  Calderon was acquired to man right field in case Carlos Quintana and Bob Zupcic were not up to the task.  However, Calderon was hurt and ineffective, playing only 73 games before being replaced by Rob Deer and hitting just .221/.291/.291 with one home run and 19 RBIs.

1991 Topps #37 Tom Bolton

In this series, I look at my first team set: 1991 Topps.  This was the set I started my baseball card collection with.

Along with Dennis Lamp, this was my first Red Sox card.  I got the two cards in my very first pack of baseball cards.  Bolton was the number four starter for the Red Sox in 1990 and had a decent, if unspectacular year.  He went 10-5 with a 3.38 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 119.2 innings with 47 walks.  He started 16 out of his 21 games.  The left-handed Bolton was always a player that Boston had high hopes for but he was never really able to put it all together.  He came closest in 1990.

Underrated Player of the Year: 2004

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.

Boston had been having a lot of trouble finding a long term solution at second base.  Bellhorn did not really fix that problem as he had one good year in 2004 then struggled a lot before being released in 2005.  

Bellhorn hit .264/.373/.444 for the World Champions.  It was his ability to get on base that made the team pick him up and he definitely came through.  Bellhorn drew 88 walks that year, a surprising number and a career high by quite a bit.  He also hit 17 home runs and drove in 82 runs while playing good defense at second.  He did strike out 177 times, a team record, but he was by and large a very productive player.

Finally, he showed up in a big way in the postseason, hitting two crucial home runs against the Yankees in the ALCS and hitting .300/.563/.700 in the World Series with the go-ahead home run in Game 1 against the Cardinals.

Unfortunately, he was not nearly as productive in 2005 and was given his release.

Spring Training Has Begun

I can't wait for this season.  Last season ended miserably, but the team picked up a bunch of new players who should provide steady, if not great production.

Lyle Overbay was recently inked to a minor league deal, but I don't think he will make the team.  Here is my prediction for the 25 man roster to start the season:

PITCHER:
Alfredo Aceves
Daniel Bard
Craig Breslow
Clay Buchholz
Ryan Dempster
Felix Doubront
Joel Hanrahan
John Lackey
Jon Lester
Andrew Miller
Junichi Tazawa
Koji Uehara

CATCHER:
David Ross
Jarrod Saltalamacchia

INFIELD:
Pedro Ciriaco
Stephen Drew
Brock Holt
Will Middlebrooks
Mike Napoli
David Ortiz
Dustin Pedroia

OUTFIELD:
Jacoby Ellsbury
Jonny Gomes
Daniel Nava
Shane Victorino

I am predicting trades of Franklin Morales and Andrew Bailey by the end of Spring Training.

The New Acquisitions

For the first post back, let's take a look at the new members of the Red Sox:

C - DAVID ROSS
Ross was signed for two years and $6.2 million.  This is probably the best signing of the offseason for the team.  Ross provides veteran leadership behind the plate in a platoon role.  The big question will be whether he platoons with Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Ryan Lavarnway.

1B/C/DH - MIKE NAPOLI
Napoli was signed for one year and $5 million.  He has a bat seemingly tailor-made for Fenway Park and should knock more than a few balls out of the park.  It will be interesting to see if there are any lingering ill will effects from having to renegotiate his original three year $39 million contract.

IF - BROCK HOLT
Holt was acquired in a trade with the Pirates along with Joel Hanrahan.  Holt has had limited Major League experience but has shown a decent eye at the plate.  He could stick in a bench role.

SS - STEPHEN DREW
Drew signed as a free agent for one year and $9.5 million.  This one does not make much sense to me.  Drew blocks Jose Iglesias at shortstop and is being paid too much when his numbers have been on the decline for a couple of years.  Yes he has had injury concerns, but this still does not make a lot of sense.

RF - SHANE VICTORINO
Victorino was signed as a free agent for three years and $39 million.  He is coming off his worst season as a regular which saw the popular outfielder traded from the Phillies to the Dodgers.  He did steal 39 bases, but his other numbers across the board were down.  It will be difficult for Victorino to live up to his contract.

LF/DH - JONNY GOMES
Gomes was signed as a free agent for two years and $10 million.  Gomes has been a journeyman bat, usually off the bench.  He was once a major antagonist in fights with the Rays so it was a little surprising that he signed with the Red Sox.  This is a little bit of a reach in terms of money, but Gomes should provide some power.  He is very capable of hitting 20 home runs.

SP - RYAN DEMPSTER
Dempster signed for two years and $26.5 million as a free agent.  Boston attempted to acquire Dempster a couple of times throughout the 2012 season.  He was traded from the Cubs to the Rangers at the trading deadline.  Dempster's numbers promptly declined coming to the American League.  Boston is hoping he will learn from those mistakes.  He will not be expected to be a top of the rotation starter which takes some pressure off.

RP - KOJI UEHARA
Uehara signed for one year and $4.25 million.  He is a control pitcher from the bullpen, further strengthening what has already become a powerful weapon for the team.

RP - JOEL HANRAHAN
Hanrahan was acquired in a trade with the Pirates along with Brock Holt.  Hanrahan is expected to take over as the team's closer.  He had decent numbers with the Pirates when the team was contending last year, but those took a slide with the team's fortunes.  He should be fun to watch.

The big concern that I have is that a lot of the signings block players that were seemingly ready for the Major Leagues in 2013.  Ross and Napoli block Ryan Lavarnway.  Drew blocks Jose Iglesias.  Gomes and Victorino block Ryan Kalish.  Lavarnway, Iglesias, and Kalish are not expected to be superstars, but they deserve a shot to see if they could stick at the Major League level.

I Have Not Written in Awhile So...

Well last year ended terribly and I just got so frustrated with the team that I gave up on writing.  I still followed the team through to the end, but I just could not stand spending time writing.  I will give it a shot to get back into it.