Coco Sent Packing

Posted by Chris Collins November 19, 2008 (3 weeks ago) at 4:46 pm

It has taken some time. About a year and a half later the Sox finally do the deal, shipping Coco out of town. Let’s face it, the odds of Coco surviving last off season were minimal. Then there he was reporting to camp in Fort Myers, but then again not many expected the Sox to break camp with Coco. But once again coco was defying the odds and was still standing or in this case sitting on the pine, but still in a Sox uniform.

Finally after again defying odds and after starting the season on the bench he ended it starting in centerfield. He now will take his skills to Kansas City. For a variety of reasons it just never worked as well as was expected in Boston. That injured finger certainly derailed him early. So with Jacoby Ellsbury still high on the Sox priority list, the Sox give Ellsbury a vote of confidence and at the same time get a little help for the bullpen.

Maybe the situation wasn’t an ideal trade, but it was something that had to be done.
When you’re dealing with a player who believes he is a full time starter but is not starting full time in a contract year, hmm the Sox did the right thing and made the move

Coco Crisp KC Bound.

Posted by Adam Hart November 19, 2008 (3 weeks ago) at 11:42 am

Confirmation has been made. Read more

Noooooo!

Posted by Adam Hart November 19, 2008 (3 weeks ago) at 8:05 am

Please don’t let this happen. Please don’t let this happen. Please don’t let this happen… Read more

Oh, the Possibilities…

Posted by Adam Hart November 18, 2008 (3 weeks ago) at 6:49 pm

Last week I mocked the Yankees and their ‘throw money at the wall of free agents and see what sticks’ approach. I also said that the Red Sox should limit the moves they make, since they were a couple injuries away from the World Series. But I don’t want to leave Theo hangin’. Read more

Red Sox Statement on Pedroia

Posted by Morry Levine November 18, 2008 (3 weeks ago) at 4:27 pm

The Boston Red Sox congratulate Dustin Pedroia on winning the American League Most Valuable Player Award in just his sophomore season in the major leagues. It is a well-deserved honor, and we are delighted that his outstanding season has been recognized in this way. The .326 batting average, 213 hits, 118 runs, 54 doubles, 17 home runs, 20 stolen bases do not tell the whole story of how valuable Dustin was to the team in 2008. He also played gritty Gold Glove defense, and served as the igniting spark plug in our clubhouse all year.

We would also like to congratulate Kevin Youkilis on his third place finish in the MVP voting. Truly, both Dustin and Kevin played integral roles in our 2008 season. Finally, we take great pride in the fact that both Dustin and Kevin were drafted and developed by the Red Sox. It is a great tribute to our Baseball Operations, Scouting and Player Development staff.

So, I guess there was no sophomore slump…

Posted by Ted McEnroe November 18, 2008 (3 weeks ago) at 2:42 pm

In case you missed it - Dustin Pedroia was named the American League MVP. Here’s the press release and vote summary from the Baseball Writers of America - who I now think are much smarter than I would if he’d lost to Justin Morneau of the couldn’t-quite-make-the-playoffs Minnesota Twins.

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia had an historic victory in winning the 2008 American League Most Valuable Player Award in balloting by the BBWAA. Pedroia is the first AL second baseman to win the award in 49 years and only the third player to be named MVP the year after being elected Rookie of the Year.

Pedroia, who led the league in runs (118), hits (213) doubles (54) and multi-hit games (61), received 16 first-place votes from the 28 ballots cast by two writers in each league city. Pedroia was listed second on six ballots, third on four and fourth on one for a total of 317 points, based on a tabulation system rewarding 14 points for first place, nine for second, eight for third on down to one for 10th.

Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau (.300, 23 HR, 129 RBI), the 2006 winner, received seven first-place votes and was the runner-up with 257 points. Red Sox infielder Kevin Youkilis (.312, 29 HR, 115 RBI) got two first-place votes and finished third with 201 points. Morneau and Youkilis were the only players named on all ballots.

Twins catcher Joe Mauer (.328, 9 HR, 85 RBI) also was first on two ballots and ranked fourth with 188 points. The other first-place vote went to Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez (2-3, 2.24 ERA, 62 SV), who totaled 143 points and finished sixth, behind Chicago White Sox left fielder Carlos Quentin (.288, 36 HR, 100 RBI), who had 160 points.

Rounding out the top 10 were Texas Rangers center fielder Josh Hamilton (.304, 32 HR, 130 RBI), New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez (.302, 35 HR, 103 RBI, 104 R), the 2007 winner, Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Carlos Pena (.247, 31 HR, 102 RBI) and Cleveland Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore (.268, 33 HR, 90 RBI, 101 R, 38 SB). In all, 23 players gained mention.

Pedroia, 25, batted .326, second only to Mauer, with 17 home runs, 83 RBI and 20 stolen bases for the Red Sox, who were the AL wild-card team. He struck out only 52 times in 710 plate appearances.

As the previous year’s Rookie of the Year, Pedroia this year matched the feat in the AL of Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., who was the Rookie of the Year in 1982 and MVP in 1983, and in the National League of Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, who was the Rookie of the Year in 2005 and MVP in 2006. Two other AL players won both awards in the same season, Red Sox center fielder Fred Lynn in 1975 and Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki in 2001.

Pedroia became the 20th former Rookie of the Year to be named MVP, the seventh in the AL. Other than Ripken, Lynn and Suzuki, former AL Rookie of the Year winners who later were MVPs were Rod Carew, Thurman Munson and Jose Canseco. NL players who won both awards were Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Pete Rose, Dick Allen, Johnny Bench, Andre Dawson, Jeff Bagwell, Albert Pujols and Howard. Allen was Rookie of the Year in one league (NL) and MVP in another (AL). Frank Robinson was an MVP in both leagues.

A second baseman had not won the MVP Award in the AL since 1959 when Nellie Fox of the Chicago White Sox was honored. Pedroia is only the fourth AL second baseman and 10th overall to win. The other AL winners were the New York Yankees’ Joe Gordon in 1942 and the Detroit Tigers’ Charlie Gehringer in 1937. The award has been won by a second baseman in the NL six times, including two-time winner Joe Morgan of the Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and 1976. The others were the St. Louis Cardinals’ Frankie Frisch in 1931, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Jackie Robinson in 1949, the Chicago Cubs’ Ryne Sandberg in 1984 and the San Francisco Giants’ Jeff Kent in 2000. No position has had fewer MVP winners.

Pedroia is the 10th Red Sox player honored and the first since first baseman Mo Vaughn in 1995. The others were left fielders Ted Williams (who won twice, in 1946 and 1949), Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 and Jim Rice in 1978, right fielder Jackie Jensen in 1958, pitcher Roger Clemens in 1986, first baseman Jimmie Foxx in 1938 (he also won twice with the Philadelphia Athletics, in 1932 and 1933) and Lynn in 1975. Since Vaughn’s victory 13 years ago, three Red Sox players finished second in the voting: shortstop Nomar Garciaparra in 1998, pitcher Pedro Martinez in 1999 and designated hitter David Ortiz in 2005.

And the vote:

Player	Club	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Points
Dustin Pedroia	Boston Red Sox	16	6	4	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	317
Justin Morneau	Minnesota Twins	7	7	6	3	3	1	1	—	—	—	257
Kevin Youkilis	Boston Red Sox	2	4	4	9	2	4	1	2	—	—	201
Joe Mauer	Minnesota Twins	2	8	1	3	4	3	3	2	1	—	188
Carlos Quentin	Chicago White Sox	—	1	4	8	4	4	4	—	1	1	160
Francisco Rodriguez	Los Angeles Angels	1	2	6	1	6	—	3	2	—	2	143
Josh Hamilton	Texas Rangers	—	—	2	2	3	7	3	2	4	3	112
Alex Rodriguez	New York Yankees	—	—	—	—	1	1	4	1	4	7	45
Carlos Pena	Tampa Bay Rays	—	—	1	—	2	—	2	3	2	3	44
Grady Sizemore	Cleveland Indians	—	—	—	—	—	2	1	5	6	1	42
Evan Longoria	Tampa Bay Rays	—	—	—	—	—	2	2	5	2	1	38
Cliff Lee	Cleveland Indians	—	—	—	1	1	1	1	—	1	—	24
Miguel Cabrera	Detroit Tigers	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	1	4	1	17
Vladimir Guerrero	Los Angeles Angels	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	2	1	—	16
Jermaine Dye	Chicago White Sox	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	2	—	2	14
Aubrey Huff	Baltimore Orioles	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	2	3	12
Milton Bradley	Texas Rangers	—	—	—	—	—	1	1	—	—	—	9
Jason Bartlett	Tampa Bay Rays	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	6
Mike Mussina	New York Yankees	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	3
Raul Ibanez	Seattle Mariners	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1
Ian Kinsler	Texas Rangers	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1
Ichiro Suzuki	Seattle Mariners	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1
Mark Teixeira	Los Angeles Angels	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1

Sox keeping their coaches for another day

Posted by Ted McEnroe November 18, 2008 (3 weeks ago) at 2:21 pm

Well, there apparently won’t be a managerial announcement out of Seattle today, so the Red Sox have Brad Mills and DeMarlo Hale for now. Mills and Hale were among the seven people interviewed for the Mariners’ job, and there had been reports that an announcement could come today.

But Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik tells the News-Tribune in Tacoma that he wants to take another day to make sure there aren’t any surprises that would get the new manager off to a bad start. After all, there hasn’t been a lot going *right* in Seattle recently.

Expect an announcement Wednesday or Thursday, although the winning candidate will know sooner.

Pedroia wins AL MVP

Posted by Morry Levine November 18, 2008 (3 weeks ago) at 2:18 pm

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has won the American League Most Valuable Player award.
Pedroia got 16 of the 28 first-place votes and easily beat out Minnesota slugger Justin Morneau. Pedroia became the first AL second baseman to win the award since Nellie Fox in 1959. Five players drew first-place votes. Record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez got one of them and finished sixth overall.

Red Sox, It’s Time to Rebuild

Posted by Adam Hart November 15, 2008 (3 weeks ago) at 9:36 pm

Nick Swisher? Huge offer to C.C. Sabathia? Looming offers for A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe? The New York Yankees will be untouchable in 2009. Time for the Red Sox to pull a Florida Marlins and know when to say when. Read more

Just Say No To D-Lowe

Posted by Mike Giardi November 13, 2008 (4 weeks ago) at 10:28 am

Not too long ago, I issued a 5-point plan for Red Sox GM Theo Epstein to follow. Nowhere in that missive did the phrase “sign Derek Lowe” appear. For good reason. This offseason should not be about reunion tours. Let New Kids on the Block do their thing. The Sox don’t need a reprisal of 2004. The next time I see Lowe, Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, Curtis Leskanic, Keith Foulke and Mike Timlin together in a Sox uniform should be at an Old Timers Game in 2025. Not a moment before. Can I be any more clear on that?

You know, I respect history, but sometimes people take that to the next level, when they desperately want the past to become the present again. That’s the problem with this town sometimes. I don’t care about 2004 anymore, other than to acknowledge that team took us all on a magical ride and accomplished what many never thought they’d see in their lifetime: a World Series title. Great. Now move on. Its 2008. Those guys are four years older and none of them are the same. Actually, that covers all of us, wouldn’t you say?

Honor Lowe not by giving him somewhere around 15 million dollars a year to be a back-of-the rotation starter, but by letting him sign somewhere else. That will keep your precious memories alive. You’ll see him winning Game 7 in Yankee Stadium, then pitching another gem in St. Louis. Maybe you’ll even remember the crotch chop directed the Oakland A’s way in 2003. But let’s not bring back some 35-year old pitcher who hasn’t thrown in the A.L. East in 4 years and watch him get smacked around by the toughest division in baseball. I’ll pass on that. I hope Theo does too.

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