The Sox finished the sixth month of the season 16-11 for an overall record of 96-66 .592 they finished tied with Cleveland for the best record in baseball and won the American League East title by 2 games over the New York Yankees. It is the first division crown for Boston since 1995 when the team was lead by Mo Vaughn, Mike Greenwell, Jose Canseco and Roger Clemens. The month started at home with the Orioles (2-0) in a series that featured Clay Buchholz no-hitter. They then took on Toronto (2-1) before going on the road for four in Baltimore (3-1). The headed back home to face the Rays (2-1) and Yankees (1-2) before going on the last road trip of the season. That featured stops in Toronto (0-3) and Tampa Bay (2-1) where they clinched a playoff berth. Then it was back to Fenway to close out the season and try for a division title. They swept Oakland (2-0) and split with Minnesota (2-2) to close out the year. The Sox were 11-6 at home and 5-5 on the road in season’s final month.
Now it’s time to look at the season as a whole and issue my final grades. I am issuing the final grades now because I don’t think it’s totally fair to base the entire body of work on (up to) three weeks of playoff baseball.
The Front Office: This includes ownership (John Henry, Tom “TV Boy†Werner, Larry “Double L†Lucchino), the general manager, Theo Epstein and his baseball operations staff. Overall I think they had a successful year. They won a division title, had what appears to be a good draft and had past draftees not only come in and play but make large contributions during the year and possibly have the AL ROY in Dustin Pedroia. They seemed to make the right moves when they needed to and corrected earlier errors. Knowing how good the team was they went out and at the trade deadline made a big deal for a pitcher but fell short on a bat. Final Grade B+
Manager Terry Francona: Tito becomes the first Boston manager to get the Sox to the post season three times. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again he’s the best manager I have seen in a Red Sox uniform. Some chooch in his blog actually asks if Tito should be fired and compares him to other past Sox skippers who had success and were let go. He compares his to Kevin Kennedy, Grady Little, Jimy Williams and Joe Kerrigan. After I got done laughing I found something different to read. I refuse to list the link here because quite frankly his blog doesn’t deserve the hits. Final Grade: A-
Starting Nine:
Short Stop Julio Lugo: Didn’t turn out to be the lead off threat they had hoped. Only hit .237 but had 8 HR’s and 73 RBI also contributed a team leading 33 stolen bases. Not nearly the fielder of Alex Gonzalez or even Orlando Cabrera or Nomar Garciaparra. Makes you wonder if they feel he’s their shortstop for the long term as he has three more years left on the contract he signed last off season. With Alex Rodriguez available, and presumably wanting to play short, and draftee Jed Lowrie flying through the systems farm chain there are other options. Final Grade: D+
First Baseman Kevin Youkilis: He dropped off offensively as the year went on and his strikeouts increased also. Defensively though he was a gem not committing an error at first base all season. He had three and those all came at third base. Good OBP guy but they need to find a line up spot for him. Is he your #2 hitter or the #6 guy? Overall he gets better each year and I think next year he grows and improves as he has since he got here in 2004. Final Grade: B-
Designated Hitter David Ortiz: This guy just amazes me. Even hurt he goes out and performs. He didn’t have the HR number he had in 2006, when he hit a team record 54, but he had 117 RBI and the hit .332 plus he had 52 doubles, 1 memorable triple and once again when the team needed him most he came through with multi-hit games down the stretch. Final Grade: A
Left Fielder Manny Ramirez: Not your regular Manny year offense wise. He had some of his lowest HR and RBI totals in 10 years. Missed nearly a month with a strained oblique in his side. It was the same injury a few years ago that kept Trot Nixon out a long-time. Once again surprises many with his outfield assists and his “Manny being Manny†little boy charm. 2008 is the final year of his contract (there are two option years for what is now cheap money) so it will be interesting to see how that goes. Does Manny want to stay or go? Do the Sox want him to stay or go? Next year will be interesting. The team needs Manny to hit like he did in the last week during the post season. Final Grade: B-
Right Fielder J.D. Drew: J.D. ‘effin’†Drew. Where do you start with this guy? Is he the guy who started and finished on fire? Or is he the guy who struggled from May to September? No one, not even Julio Lugo or Eric Gagne, frustrated diehard fans more than Drew. He has all five tools and can be spectacular at times but he rarely shows it. ESPN’s Bill Simmons joked about writing a new book and calling it “Just Looking: J.D. Drew’s Top 100 Strikeoutsâ€. Even after September I am not sold on him especially at $14 million a year for 5 years. Final Grade: D-
Third Baseman Mike Lowell: He is my choice, along with many others, for team MVP. Had a great season hitting .324 with 21 HRs and 120 RBI. When Manny went down in late August he went into the 4th slot and performed. His defense also came back in the second half after a rough first half. Free agent after the season someone is going to pay him let’s hope it’s the Red Sox. Final Grade: A
Catcher/team captain Jason Varitek: Hit 5 HR’s in September and came up when the team needed him. Handles the pitching staff exceptionally well and earns every penny he is paid. Finished at .255 17 HR’s and 68 RBI. Final Grade: B
Center Fielder Coco Crisp: After an awful start he really came around. He didn’t get to where he is expected to be but made a nice recovery. Defensively he is a human highlight reel. Stole 28 bases too. With the emergence of Jacoby Ellsbury it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Coco and Drew. Final Grade: B-
Second Baseman Dustin Pedroia: If this guy isn’t the AL ROY he got robbed. Started awful and had fans calling for Alex Cora to play instead of him but management hung with him and they were rewarded with a great season. He made only 6 errors all year and set a major league record for rookie second baseman when he hit .3173 breaking the old record of .3171. Added 39 doubles, 8 HR’s and 50 RBI.
The Bench:
Catcher Doug Mirabelli: Missed significant time late in the year with injuries but appears ready for the playoffs. Biggest asset is the ability to catch Tim Wakefield and he always seems to do something when he plays even though he only hit .202. I think this may be his last year with the team as Kevin Cash has shown he can catch Wakefield. Final Grade: C+
Catcher Kevin Cash: Filled in admirably for Mirabelli catching Tim Wakefield. Possibly seen as a replacement for Mirabelli in 2008. Final Grade: C
Infielder Alex Cora: Very good utility infielder can play 2B, SS and 3B. Smart player, never beats himself. Always seems to make some significant play when he is in the line up. Final Grade: C+
Infielder/Outfielder Eric Hinske: Filled in for the corner outfielder and Youkilis, had significant playing time down the stretch when Youkilis was out with his wrist injury. Hit .204 with 6 HR’s and 21 RBI. It will be interesting to see if he sticks next season with Brandon Moss looking like he could fill his role. Final Grade: C
Outfielder Bobby Kielty: Very good defensive outfielder and good hitter against lefties was a huge upgrade from Wily Mo Pena. Unknown on the teams thoughts and plans for him in 2008. Final Grade: C+
Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury: This kid can play the game. He can run, field, hit and steals bases. He has some power and an average arm. Could possibly be a starting outfielder come opening day but who does he replace? Definite 2008 ROY candidate. Final Grade: B+
Outfielder Brandon Moss: If he can learn to play first base he may possibly stick next year over Eric Hinske. He could be your left-handed bat off the bench and he plays the same outfield positions as Hinske. Final Grade: C+
Infielder Royce Clayton: Signed as a safety net for the infield. Possibly saw his last career at bat on Sunday. Final Grade: C
The Pitching Staff:
The Starters:
Curt Schilling: Looked good down the stretch after his DL return. Finished 9-8 with a 3.87 ERA only issued 23 walks in 151 innings. Final Grade: C+
Josh Beckett: The new staff ace and quite possibly the 2007 AL CY Young Award winner. Went 20-7 with a 3.27 ERA, struck out 194 hitters in 200.2 innings. Final Grade: A-
Daisuke Matsuzaka: Had a good year considering all the change he went through. Had a 15-12 record with a 4.40 ERA and figures to get better. Led the team in strikeouts with 201 and innings pitched with 204.2. Final Grade: B-
Tim Wakefield: Struggled in the last month but did manage to get his career high 17th win this past weekend against Minnesota. He had a hot streak to start the season and then plateau’d. Didn’t seem to have as many peaks and valley’s as in the past. Final Grade: C+
Jon Lester: Finished strong with a Sunday relief appearance and will probably see action in the post season, most likely out of the bullpen, unless Wakefield struggles as the 4th starter. Needs to find the consistency to make himself a good pitcher. But we also need to remember that having come back from cancer he didn’t have a healthy off-season. I think 2008 will be a big year in seeing what Lester will be in his career. Finished 4-0 with a 4.57 in 63 innings. Final Grade: C
Julian Tavarez: He is the utility guy on the staff. He can start at a moment’s notice, relieve or take a regular turn every five days. Gets loose quickly and is willing to do what ever is needed. Has turned into a team player here in the back half of his career. Was 7-11 with a 5.23 ERA made 23 starts and 11 relief appearances. In addition to being a FOM (friend of Manny) he became a FOD (friend of Daisuke) helping him with how to pitch hitters, especially A-Rod. Final Grade: C-
Clay Buchholz: Shut down for the year in the last week of the season due to arm fatigue. Had the no-hitter in his second MLB start finished 3-1 with a 1.59 ERA in 22.2 innings. Struck out 22 (1 per inning) and walked 10 while not allowing a HR. Final Grade: B+
The Bullpen:
Jonathan Papelbon: 37 saves in 40 chances. Made 59 appearances was 1-3 with a 1.85 ERA in 58.1 innings. He walked only 15 guys all year and most were in the early part of the season and struck out 84 and allowed 30 hits. Has 72 saves in two seasons and became the first Red Sox closer with two 30+ save seasons. Quickly becoming an elite closer in the major leagues. Time to give him some $$$ and lock him up for a bit I think. Final Grade: A
Hideki “Darkman” Okajima: What can you say about this guy? Having no clue what to expect he far exceeded team, media and fan expectations. Made the all-star team as a set-up guy in a vote of the fans. Shut down for a bit with some fatigue but he pitched more innings than he ever did in Japan. Francona says it was his fault for over working him. But that happens when someone is going so good. Was 3-2 with a 2.22 ERA (his ERA for much of the year was around 1.00) in 66 appearances. Pitched 69 innings and struck out 63 had 5 saves in 7 chances. Final Grade: A-
Mike Timlin: Made 50 appearances and was 2-1 with a 3.42 ERA. Continues to get it done although he has been pushed back some in the bullpen with Okajima and Manny Delcarmen coming on. Gotta wonder if they win it all if he will retire. Very good influence on younger staff members. Final Grade: B
Eric Gagne`: Came in a big deadline deal with Texas. Sox didn’t give up much to get him for a two-month rental but at one point Boston fans were wondering if the Yankees were the one’s paying him. Has been better of late and hopefully he keeps that going forward in the post season. Final Grade: D
Javier Lopez: Finished 2-1 with a 3.10 ERA in 61 games. I for one am still not sold on this guy, neither is Dennis Eckersley by the way, and I’d say he is borderline in making the playoff roster for the ALDS along with Kyle Snyder, Tavarez and Lester. Final Grade: C
Manny Delcarmen: 0-0 with a 2.05 in 44 games. He is quickly working his way into being Papelbon’s set up guy for next season. Besides Papelbon he is the one other guy in the pen who gets a lot of swings and misses. Had 41 K’s in 44 innings and actually throws harder that Pap. Final Grade: A-
Kyle Snyder: Was better earlier in the season than later. Pitched in 46 games and 2-3 with a 3.81 ERA. He will be a borderline candidate for the ALDS roster as they will only need 3 starters and with Lester pitching well Sunday out of the pen there are a few guys on the bubble. Final Grade: C
Bryan Corey: Had limited opportunities in a September call up. Was 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 9 games. Pitched well when called upon but I don’t see him as part of the post season. Final Grade: B-
