on the road is typically pretty good except when you're playing the division's cellar dweller.
V-Mart is really swinging the bat swell. I wonder if he is one of those guys who hits better when he is not having to catch? If the 'Sox decide to re-sign him after the season, then they will need to shift him to 1B and re-sign 'Tek for another year plus have a solid back-up C if they go that route.
Looking at the current roster, the "bridge" players are Beltre, Cameron, and Scutaro until the prospects are ready. Beltre signed a 1-year deal so his bridge time is shorter.
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No, 2 out 3 isn't bad, but we should have won Sunday afternoon. We had a lot of missed opportunities and didn't cash in when we had the chance.
ReplyDeleteLet me a say a word about Vic. I totally like this guy. I think he's a great hitter and a pretty decent catcher. He also did a great job at first on Saturday night. The only problem with him is that if he's resigned, what do the Sox do with him? Catching will ruin him offensively. I agree that the big question for the off season is the catching situation. Beltre is only a one-year sign. He's done well at 3rd and seems to have settled down nicely in terms of the errors, although I wish he'd stop trying to extend his coverage of 3rd to shallow left. But I'll be honest here. I haven't seen anything stellar in his defense. A good third baseman's going to make those diving stops, those throws from the knees. I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary from Beltre. He's a good 3rd baseman. He ought to be at this level.
This brings me to my other point, which I know is getting tiresome (try being me!) About a week or so ago, Tito told the media that he was not going to put Youk at third this season because the team has Beltre and Lowell. Saturday night, I was floored when I read the lineup and saw Youk was playing third and Vic was at first. Why won't the Sox release Lowell if they aren't ever going to play him? I'll tell you why. They're afraid that a contending club will snatch him up and he'll turn around and pound the Sox. I think it's utterly moronic to pay a guy $12 million to just sit there. Hey Mr. Henry, at least get some of your money's worth and play Mikey a little bit! I had a great view of the Sox dugout on Sunday and I watched the goings on in there (a bit more than the game sometimes). Mikey tries to stay busy. It can't be easy to be part of a team when you know you're not wanted. After watching Ortiz wiff at pitches, I wanted to shout out my familiar phrase from April: "put Lowell in!!"
Another problem facing the Sox in the off season is the bug-a-boo shortstop. Scutaro had a good season last year in Toronto and he was signed based on that. He's living off the past. He's an ok shortstop and hitter, but I wouldn't say he's been rock solid defensively. I don't think Jed Lowrie's coming back. If he does, how good will he be? He's lost a lot of playing time. There's a lot to deal with in the off season. If the rest of the season doesn't go well, the fans will not put up with another crack-pot explanation from Theo about what the next season will be.
I do agree the 'Sox fear of releasing Mikey, eating his salarly, only to have a playoff contender pick him up to be used against them.
ReplyDeleteLowell would be a good pick-up for any contender. He may be offered up to an NL team before the trading deadline. Of course, any receiving team will expect 'Sox to pick up most of his remaining salary and will give up a 2nd tier prospect at best.
I do not believe that re-signing V-Mart is a done deal. He is in his "walk year". I do not believe that the 'Sox have an option on his contract. So, he is going to put up big numbers to increase his value in the free agent market.
Lowrie's injuries have certainly hurt him during the past 3 seasons. 'Sox had another SS, Tim Naehring, who they converted to 3B who had a injury-filled career. Hate to see good player never overcome the injury bug.