Right now, the only member of the Boston Red Sox starting rotation that isn’t at the Red Sox Player Development Complex in Ft. Myers, FL is Clay Buchholz. Jon Lester arrived a few days ago while Josh Beckett, John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka all showed up on Thursday morning.
Also in Ft. Myers is Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein who met with the media after the players worked out. Here’s what he had to say about most of the starting rotation being in camp already.
“I think [the fact so many starters arrived early] indicates they’re highly motivated and feel good about the winters they’ve had,” Epstein said. “Usually the guys who are 15-to-20 pounds overweight and didn’t pick up a ball yet are early arrivals because they’re kind of embarrassed.”
“The guys who had really good winters and want to show off the shape they’re in, the progress they’ve made, they show up early. It’s nice to see these guys out here. Every single one of them [the starting pitchers] appears to be in improved condition, which is nice.”
Theo also talked about Beckett’s down year in 2010:
“Josh certainly can do better than he did last year and he knows that,” Epstein said. “It looks like he went out and had a really strong winter, getting in great shape. The big thing is he didn’t hide from the year he had. He took accountability for it. He knows there’s more in there. I wouldn’t bet against him at all.”
Epstein also offered updates on the injured players as well as the New Zealand softball player they signed.
Scott Atchison and Kevin Youkilis also made their arrivals at the Red Sox PDC on Thursday. Pitchers and catchers aren’t due in until Sunday with their first workout scheduled for Tuesday (Feb 15th). The position players are due in next Thursday (Feb 17) with their first full workout scheduled for the 19th.
I think it’s great that the players are reporting early as they clearly see how good of team Epstein assembled during the offseason. The hard work they put in during spring training will go a long way towards helping the Red Sox return to the playoffs with the ultimate goal of winning a third World Series title.
Photo credit: Getty Images
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