Red Sox 2014 Season - A Journey with Dante

The ability to control fire is of utmost importance as it can have a two pronged effect.  It can sustain us, comfort us, and be a source of fuel to give us strength to move forward. On the other hand, it can also be a devastating destructive force that consumes everything in its path if not respected. Boston rekindled a flame that was of great comfort and familiarity last season, but this year, they ignited a blaze that was a critical inferno reminiscent of the meltdown of 2012.

Thankfully, the dogs have been call, and the fire that has consumed a former world championship team has been mercifully extinguished on a season that can only be described as deflating. Plenty of promise greeted one and all in the spring, but the autumn wind now feels even more somber as its icy breath grows stronger by the day to further cool the glowing embers of the 2014 conflagration. Boston was only a mere two wins removed from the fiasco that was led by the divisive, self – promoting torchman “Bobby V”. They then rose to Herculean heights with that 2013 championship which was totally unexpected only to be plunked back down at the gates of Hell, 25 games behind Buck Showalter’s Orioles.

 I departed from my regular newsletter feature here on this blog    > http://buzzingthetowersawx.blogspot.ca/2014/09/drop-on-sawx-issue-23-yankees-blue-jays.html after the Sox were officially eliminated from the playoffs on September 7^th in Toronto due to the fact that the roster was beginning to fall into disarray. Regular starters were getting nicked up such as Brock Holt, Dustin Pedroia, and later, Mike Napoli and David Ortiz, so I decided to simply concentrate on watching the youngsters and less on the game results. To put it bluntly, I lost interest on reporting on a team that looked more like our farm team in Rhode Island.

As I watched the games and witnessed the various new ways the Sawx concocted for losing, I wore this expression early on. Eventually I reverted to a more knowing anticipation of failure as my demeanor changed from traumatized to acceptance… something like this.

I alluded to the Sawx spending the first part of the season in baseball purgatory back in May > http://buzzingthetowersawx.blogspot.ca/2014/05/sox-wallow-in-baseball-purgatory.html and the elevator continued to go down. After all, Dustin did say they’d eventually get as hot as Tent City > http://buzzingthetowersawx.blogspot.ca/2014/06/hotter-than-tent-city.html but he certainly never anticipated a fiery descent to the doorway of the Prince of Darkness.  I began to feel that the words “Abandon faith all ye who enter here” should have been emblazoned right on the sign stating that Fenway is “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark”. Then I got to thinking, “Where have I heard those words before?” and it came to me - Dante’s Inferno. This was the allegory telling of Dante’s trip through Hell guided by the Roman poet Virgil. Ironically, it deals with the nine circles of suffering here on Earth. So, in a cruel twist, allow me to place you in Dante’s shoes with me as your guide as I will map out the nine circles of suffering we have, and may continue to, endured as fans of this franchise.

Limbo

This aptly describes the status of our starting pitching situation. When your top pitcher, Clay Buchholz, led the staff in wins with 8 and in the ERA category with a tubby 5.34, it didn’t exactly breed confidence going forward. Even more disconcerting is the fact that the man who is in second place in the win column was Koji Uehara – the closer – who had 6 victories. It was show and tell time for brain trust of the Red Sox at the trade deadline and they tore down the starting staff.

By dealing Jake Peavy, Jon Lester, and Jon Lackey to playoff bound teams, this enabled them to showcase their young arms. The results left a lot to be desired. Brandon Workman matched Jake Peavy’s win total as a Sox starter with one, and they both combined for 39 starts. Allen Webster wore that kicked puppy dog look much of the time and didn’t help himself walking 28 batters in 59 innings pitched. It always seemed he was one inning away from a total meltdown. Rubby De La Rosa was intriguing at times but wasn’t consistent enough. Still, De La Rosa was the best of them all and may locked down the number five spot in the rotation. Matt Barnes was up for a cup of coffee and Henry Owens hasn't been up to the big club yet so the story has been completely written on Boston’s young arms.

As it stands now, you could pencil in Clay as your number three man (but have your eraser ready), Joe Kelly is a solid number four guy but needs to stop giving out free passes (32 BB in 61.1 IP) and maybe De La Rosa as a number five. That’s it. The farm has yet to reap top end arms as of yet and likely won’t for the upcoming season. Time to go shopping, Ben! A Jon Lester homecoming, anyone?

Lust

We’ve all been inundated with the virtues of our farm system, and it has constantly driven home by Ben Cherington and the Sox brass. Much like the pitching, the infatuation with the youngsters from the powers that be would have us believe we were on the verge of another crop of offensive superstars. The focus has always been to build from within, especially since the 2007 world title win that featured such homegrown talents as: Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury and Kevin Youkilis who were all all-star talents.

Turning the clock forward, the jury is still very much out on the trio of Xander Bogaerts, Will Middlebrooks, Jackie Bradley Jr. Boston tossed the dice this season which was the appropriate thing to do but the returns were not met with the lofty expectations. 

After a sparkling appearance in the 2013 World Series, Xander Bogaerts discovered that small sample sizes don’t hold up in the marathon that is a 162 game regular season. Bogie, however, got hot once again before the end of the season, and I have every confidence he can be a 20 HR/80 RBI guy who can hit .300. He’ll play shortstop with his bat, but what’s wrong with that? Derek Jeter made a HOF career out of that proposition, and time is on his side for improvement defensively.

Will Middlebrooks has decided to spend the off season as Mr. Jenny Dell in what be an ill-advised move when looking at his future in Boston.  Poor work ethic has been bandied about with regards to Will, and he just can’t seem to stay healthy after being handed the job once Bobby V chased Youk out of town. Will’s defense has improved dramatically which was a welcome revelation, but he cannot hit a breaking pitch to save his life. His .191 batting average is a testament to that. He does hit for power but he goes  to right center much of the time because I believe he is caught “in between” and simply doesn’t pull the trigger quickly enough.

Pablo Sandoval’s name hit Boston newspapers fairly quickly with regards to his upcoming free agent status which tells us all we need to know. Is Pablo the answer? I’m not quite sure as his body composition leaves a lot to be desired. Super utility man Brock Holt blocked Will’s playing time when he did return, and I could live with his left handed bat there before Middlebrooks, but Boston will explore left handed power options at this position.

The great news about Jackie Bradley Jr. is that he is one of the best defensive centerfielders we’ve seen in some time, but…well…. you know the bad news. See above the comment about breaking pitches concerning Will, and that’s what Boston must wrestle with when deciding if they want Bradley in uniform long term. Someone once asked Bob Uecker how long a dozen bats would last him. He replied, “Oh about 3 or 4 bonfires.” Bradley and Middlebrooks better break out the marshmallows. In 384 plate appearances,  Bradley… I guess you could say… hit a paltry .198. If they do try to package him up in a trade proposal, they will be selling low. However, they may have no choice in an already crowded outfield. With Cespedes and Castillo locks for the starting lineup in 2015 and Victorino coming off the gurney, he’ll need to impress early and often in the spring. There was much ado about nothing concerning Jackie’s work ethic in the media with regards to his indifference to change his approach at the plate. I don’t believe he has Will’s arrogance in this department, and I truly hope he makes Farrell’s decision in the spring a difficult one.

One of the “keep ‘em” bright spots was the play of Mookie Betts as he adds the speed dynamic lost when Jacoby Ellsbury headed to the Bronx.He has a very fast hands bat as he is quick to the ball, and I see him in left field in my perfect world with Castillo in center and Victorino in right. I’d be offering Cespedes up as a centerpiece of a trade package as he has already mentioned he is hesitant to sign on long term in Boston. Christian Vazquez was another impressive youngster who has defensive chops beyond his years behind the plate. He has an absolute rocket for a right arm, and he manages the pitching staff like a seasoned veteran. The question here is: “Will he hit enough to remain a regular?” If he can hit .250 and chip in with 10 HR and 50-60 RBI, he easily earns his keep. Time will tell.

Looking ahead, this deep seeded affection for the young studs on the farm needs to be tempered with some drugstore love if there is a deal out there for proven talent this off season.

Gluttony/Greed

I packaged these up as there is plenty of greed on the part of players and owners alike so I’m looking at more of the gluttony as it pertains to players swallowing up salary without numbers to back it up. This section really begins and ends with Allen Craig.

Craig was less than impressive on his initial tour with Boston and seemed totally lost at the plate. In 107 at bats, he hit a buck twenty eight. Maybe he can take the chocolate and graham wafers and meet Jackie and Will for some s’mores. I also have that lasting image of him catching that ball in right field against Toronto thinking there were three out, and a Blue Jay player scored all the way from second. Really, he and Daniel Nava are redundant in the positional sense. Both men can play first and right or left field on occasion. That is where the congruency ends though as Nava is a much better hitter at this point and from the left side. Also Nava pulls down half a million per, but Craig is owed 26 million through to end of 2018. I can’t see Craig playing ahead of Castillo, Betts, Cespedes or Victorino, if he’s healthy. Maybe someone can once again get Dodgers’ GM Ned Colletti drunk enough to take Craig off our hands.

Anger

Sometimes pictures tell the story more effectively as in the collage below. Suffice it to say, there was plenty of frustration to go around watching the games unfold this season.

Heresy

The 2013 world champion Red Sox finally rid themselves of the clubhouse malaise that followed them from Terry Francona’s public image lynching after the infamous beer and chicken brigade right through the Bobby Valentine’s passive aggressive spin doctoring era of 2012. There was no foreshadowing of any obstacles with clubhouse harmony for 2014 – that is until  A. J. Pierzynski showed up with his cell phone. His constant indifference with teammates grated with some, and as sure as the sun would rise in the morning, AJ hacked at the first pitch delivered his way with regularity and vigor. That was not the Red Sox recipe for success. His verbal attacks on umpires and players in the other dugout also flew in the face of the Red Sox way of doing things.

Perhaps the most troubling thing about Pierzynski’s situation was what wasn’t done in light of his shortcomings as a teammate. Who was responsible for taking the pulse in that clubhouse? Where was clubhouse guru Jonny Gomes when AJ was off the rails? More importantly, where was John Farrell? Farrell had internal issues in Toronto and one of his coaches, former legendary defensive shortstop Omar Vizquel, said the Blue Jays lacked leadership under his watch. As for all of the negatives coming to light with regards to Pierzynski after he left town, queue Francona's departure. Unfortunately, the media and staff or players who don’t want to be named, seem to enjoy working in concert to perform hatchet jobs on former employees who are already out the door. 

As Ozzie Guillen once said about Pierzynski, “When you play against AJ, you hate him. When you play with AJ, you hate him a little less.” Guillen was a prophet, and Boston clearly didn’t do their homework.

Violence

The words above from one of the most dynamic players ever to lace up a pair of cleats speak volumes concerning one of the cruelest realities of professional sports – injuries. Boston wasn’t exactly decimated with injuries and it may not have been the reason they couldn’t make a playoff reappearance, but there were a few players that suffered setbacks which hampered their production. Here are a few key players that may need monitoring looking ahead to 2015.

Dustin Pedroia’s season was compromised in the home opener against the Brewers, and he was never really right after it. His left thumb became inflamed, and this was the same area that required surgery in November of 2013. He re-aggravated it later in the season when he was taken out turning a double play, and some have pointed to this as the reason that he was unable to effectively hit for power.  He even admitted that he couldn’t follow through with his swing in a normal fashion because the hand strength wasn’t there.  He has had career lows in batting average (.278), on-base percentage (.337), slugging percentage (.376), home runs (7), doubles (33), total bases (207), and stolen bases (6.) He also grounded into 14 double plays, one behind David Ortiz for most on the team. Still, he appeared in 135 games which was third most on the team after Xander Bogaerts and David Ortiz, and it was quite apparent that his defensive play never wavered. Dustin underwent season ending hand surgery and hopefully we’ll see more familiar offensive statistics from him in 2015.

Clay Buchholz had a hyperextended left knee which put a huge damper on his 2014 campaign. After he started the season with a 7.02 ERA in ten starts, he was shutdown to work out the kinks in his mechanics. He also did have surgery on the meniscus after posting the worst ERA of any starting pitcher in the Majors at 5.34. Staying off the disabled list has been a major concern for Buchholz and it is uncertain if he can ever be consistent or healthy enough to be a front line pitcher that the Boston brain trust envisioned him to be back in 2012. He won 17 games that year and seemed destined to be an anchor for the Boston starting staff. Since then the results have been a mixed bag, and he spent a significant amount of time on the disabled list in 2011 and in 2013. Hopefully he can return to the all-star form he demonstrated in 2010 and 2013.

The Flyin’ Hawaiian, Shane Victorino, was grounded for this past season limited to 30 games and eventually undergoing back surgery for two bulging disks. He landed on the disabled list with a hamstring problem earlier in the years but injured his back on a rehab assignment with Pawtucket. He was a driving force in the Sox championship run last year while supplying tremendous defense in right field. He won a Gold Glove, hit .294 and drove in 12 runs in 14 postseason games. If he can reclaim some of that swagger for 2013, even in a diminished role, that would bode well for improved results in the win column for next season.

Another offensive force was mitigated somewhat when Mike Napoli dislocated his finger in Chicago. Later on, the bumps and bruises spread to his toe, knee and back causing him to miss the final 10 games of the season. To make matters worse, it was revealed he also suffered from sleep apnea, and he wound up with the lowest slugging percentage of his career (.419).

To be fair to Will Middlebrooks, he was also hurt this season with a calf strain, and then a fractured finger. Middlebrooks arrived with a clap of thunder in 2012, hitting .288 with 15 homers and 54 RBIs in 75 games. He was one of Boston’s few bright spots in that nightmarish 2012 that featured Bobby Valentine at the helm. There has been a drastic decline in performance since then, as even when healthy, he still doesn’t seem to have command of the strike zone. Farrell also mentioned in one instance that Will has had some swing and miss issues on above average fastballs which further supports my notion above that he is caught in between with regards to the breaking ball.

Another guy to watch for in 2015 is David Ortiz. Big Papi was one of very few offensive bright spots this past season, but he sat out the last 5 games due to a sore left wrist. It was the same injury that caused him to miss 45 games in 2008, a torn tendon sheath. David was second on the team in games played in 2014 with 142 games, and reports are that this re-aggravation should in no way hold him back in 2015.

Fraud/Treachery

As the old saying goes “There are lies, there are damn lies and then there are statistics.” I combined these last two circles of evil, and to illustrate them, I explored the Bill Chuck files and found some interesting tidbits to share with you. If you haven’t read any of his stuff, I highly recommend it > http://www.boston.com/search/?q=Bill+Chuck  . Here are just a few illuminating facts from Bill that might interest you:

1) At one point this season (Sept.16^th) , no other team had a higher batting average against the cutter than the Red Sox. The team batted .354 when dealt this pitch. Conversely, when a breaking ball was offered, they were a woeful .198 (Hello, Jackie and Will)

2) Mike Napoli hit .303 with the bases empty, but with RISP he was .170.

3) Did you know that since 2009, Clay Buchholz has a winning percentage of .663? Only Clayton Kershaw (.674) and C.C. Sabathia (.664) were higher. But here’s the rub: since 2009, 68 pitchers have thrown 800+ innings but Buchholz isn’t one of them. He’s thrown over 175 innings only once and that was in 2012 > 189.

4) Boston’s centerfielders had a .998 fielding percentage which was tops in all of baseball (Thank you, Jackie!). However, the batting average was .212, which was the worst (Hello again, Jackie). To make matters worse, Boston’s average at third base was .209 and also the worst (Greetings again, Will.).

5) Will the real John Farrell please stand up in 2015? Farrell has a world title under his belt for his team’s exploits in 2013, but he finished fourth twice with the Jays, last place this year and has a career losing record of 322-326.

6) Boston hit 49 homers in Fenway. Only the Royals were worse with 43 at Kaufman Stadium. Boston averaged 87 at home in the last 3 years.

7) Sox pitchers had a 4.06 ERA, 1.360 WHIP, and a .265 batting average against at Fenway. The AL average team had a 3.78 ERA, 1.263 WHIP, and a .251 BAA at home. They allowed 67 homers at Fenway, 18 more than they hit.

Hopefully, the Red Sox rise from the ashes in 2015 and we don’t have to revistit these nine circles a year from now. Ben Cherington and the Sox brass need to make the appropriate adjustments in the off season. The money is there, and band-aid solutions such as the Grady Sizemore’s experiment will not be tolerated. The trading chips are also in place on the farm in Blake Swihart, Matt Barnes, and Henry Owens to name a few. As it was stated in Dante’s Inferno:

“There is no greater sorrow then to recall our times of joy in wretchedness.” 

Take heed Mr. Cherington. Take heed…