(no subject)
On this day in 1919, Sox righty Carl Mays went all nine in both games of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees. He lead the Sox to a 2-0 victory in the first game before falling 4-1 in the nightcap. A month later Mays would be traded to the Yankees in exchange for a bag of used baseballs and $40,000. It was one of many money saving trades to the Yankees that the Sox made in that era. The 27 year old (at the time) had won 66 games from 1916-1919, his first full seasons in the majors and would go on to win 62 over the next 2.5 years for the Yankees.
But that's not why I'm posting. I just happened to see that in the paper this morning. I just wanted to give everyone a (not so) quick
There aren't very many teams around doing better than the first place Boston Red Sox. But there is one such better team an hour south. The Pawtucket Red Sox are 52-31 and after winning their last 8 straight and 14 of their last 16, the team with the best record in AAA is leading the division by 3.5 games.
How are they doing it? They lead the International league with 442 runs scored and just like the big club they do it by getting on base (.350 OPB is tops in the league) and hitting the ball real hard (107 HR and .451 SLG are both 2nd in the league). Their offense is being led by a few names we know as several of them have seen time in Boston this year. Their not-so-typical leadoff man, Jeff Bailey, is hitting .305/.408/.632 on the year. He leads the league in OPS and SLG and is third in the league in OBP, HR, and RBI with 22 homers and 57 RBI. Brandon Moss, when not playing the role of Boston's 4th outfielder, is busy hitting .300/.355/.543. Jed Lowrie hasn't been spectacular, but has been solid with a .278/.372/.430 line built around a couple of minor injuries. Chris Carter's name seems to be in the paper every day thanks to his .302/.358/.530 production with 16 home runs and he always seems to get a hit when the team needs it. Jonathan Van Every, the guy manning center during Manny's famous high-five catch, is also contributing with a .283/.363/.543 line. His 17 homers is good for second on the team. The Paw Sox are also getting contributions from some guys we might not know. Veteran journeyman/utility player, Joe Thurston leads the team with a .315 AVG to go along with a .367 OBP and .449 SLG. The team's only weakness in the lineup comes from third base as another veteran journeyman, Keither Ginter, is hitting only .249/.331/.374, but he is fourth on the team in doubles (16) and steals (a perfect 4 for 4) so that's gotta count for something. How about behind the plate? Well the Sox have had a two headed monster of George Kottaras and Dusty Brown sharing time as the team's catcher with the other typically DHing on the night. Brown, who has a reputation as the better defender, is hitting an impressive .275/.382/.463 while Kottaras is hitting just .237, but thanks to a keen eye and a big bat he's getting on base at a .358 clip and slugging .461. He hit his 16th homer last night. No word on if either of them has nice thighs and it's likely that their jerseys aren't yet available in pink, but both are fighting to be Jason Varitek's heir to the backstop in the big leagues. It's tough to tell if either of them will be a star in the majors, but either might be able to handle the job. Kottaras is the Padres' former top prospect and at 25, he's just about to enter his prime. Brown is two years older and doesn't have Kottaras's pedigree, but he has been working his way through Boston's farm system since 2000. Between the two of them I'd be feeling pretty good if the Sox let Varitek walk after this year. But that's a post for another time (yeah, I'm working on an anti-Tek post, but it takes time to fit all the reasons why I don't like him into one managable post).
Everyone in that line up not named Keither Ginter would likely be batting clean up for the Mariners or the Nationals. It's pretty comforting knowing that Boston has that kind of depth. But what's more impressive is that the Paw Sox are also leading the league on the other side of the ball. They've let up 327 runs, fewest in the IL. It helps that they have a major league ready staff at their disposal.
Charlie Zink, known for his knuckleball, seems to be putting it together this year. The soon-to-be 29 year old won't be enjoying a career as lengthy as Tim Wakefield's, but thanks to a big reduction in walks and homers he is second in the league with a 2.33 ERA this year to go along with an 8-2 record. David Pauley, a guy we've seen a few times before, leads the league with 10 wins and has consistantly kept the Sox in games with a 3.38 ERA. In his last 10 games he's allowed more than 3 ER just twice. Clay Bucholz has had a couple of games where he hasn't been sharp, but overall his 1.87 ERA and 35 K's in 33.2 IP show that he's eager to get back to the majors. The wildcard in the equation is Edgar Martinez, a former catcher, who was converted to a reliever only a few years ago. This year he's being stretched out to be a starter and has impressed in his first 5 career starts. He's yet to have made it 6 innings, but he hasn't allowed more than 2 runs in any start. Last night he struck out 5 in 5 shutout innings and the start before he struck out 7 in 5.2 IP, allowing 2 runs.
The Pawtucket team is a team to keep an eye on this year. It seems like every day someone new from the team gets the call to help out Boston and without all of these guys filling in we might be looking up at Tampa Bay right now. Besides Bucholz there aren't any real super-prospects on the team, but it's a team filled with major league talent.
But that's not why I'm posting. I just happened to see that in the paper this morning. I just wanted to give everyone a (not so) quick
There aren't very many teams around doing better than the first place Boston Red Sox. But there is one such better team an hour south. The Pawtucket Red Sox are 52-31 and after winning their last 8 straight and 14 of their last 16, the team with the best record in AAA is leading the division by 3.5 games.
How are they doing it? They lead the International league with 442 runs scored and just like the big club they do it by getting on base (.350 OPB is tops in the league) and hitting the ball real hard (107 HR and .451 SLG are both 2nd in the league). Their offense is being led by a few names we know as several of them have seen time in Boston this year. Their not-so-typical leadoff man, Jeff Bailey, is hitting .305/.408/.632 on the year. He leads the league in OPS and SLG and is third in the league in OBP, HR, and RBI with 22 homers and 57 RBI. Brandon Moss, when not playing the role of Boston's 4th outfielder, is busy hitting .300/.355/.543. Jed Lowrie hasn't been spectacular, but has been solid with a .278/.372/.430 line built around a couple of minor injuries. Chris Carter's name seems to be in the paper every day thanks to his .302/.358/.530 production with 16 home runs and he always seems to get a hit when the team needs it. Jonathan Van Every, the guy manning center during Manny's famous high-five catch, is also contributing with a .283/.363/.543 line. His 17 homers is good for second on the team. The Paw Sox are also getting contributions from some guys we might not know. Veteran journeyman/utility player, Joe Thurston leads the team with a .315 AVG to go along with a .367 OBP and .449 SLG. The team's only weakness in the lineup comes from third base as another veteran journeyman, Keither Ginter, is hitting only .249/.331/.374, but he is fourth on the team in doubles (16) and steals (a perfect 4 for 4) so that's gotta count for something. How about behind the plate? Well the Sox have had a two headed monster of George Kottaras and Dusty Brown sharing time as the team's catcher with the other typically DHing on the night. Brown, who has a reputation as the better defender, is hitting an impressive .275/.382/.463 while Kottaras is hitting just .237, but thanks to a keen eye and a big bat he's getting on base at a .358 clip and slugging .461. He hit his 16th homer last night. No word on if either of them has nice thighs and it's likely that their jerseys aren't yet available in pink, but both are fighting to be Jason Varitek's heir to the backstop in the big leagues. It's tough to tell if either of them will be a star in the majors, but either might be able to handle the job. Kottaras is the Padres' former top prospect and at 25, he's just about to enter his prime. Brown is two years older and doesn't have Kottaras's pedigree, but he has been working his way through Boston's farm system since 2000. Between the two of them I'd be feeling pretty good if the Sox let Varitek walk after this year. But that's a post for another time (yeah, I'm working on an anti-Tek post, but it takes time to fit all the reasons why I don't like him into one managable post).
Everyone in that line up not named Keither Ginter would likely be batting clean up for the Mariners or the Nationals. It's pretty comforting knowing that Boston has that kind of depth. But what's more impressive is that the Paw Sox are also leading the league on the other side of the ball. They've let up 327 runs, fewest in the IL. It helps that they have a major league ready staff at their disposal.
Charlie Zink, known for his knuckleball, seems to be putting it together this year. The soon-to-be 29 year old won't be enjoying a career as lengthy as Tim Wakefield's, but thanks to a big reduction in walks and homers he is second in the league with a 2.33 ERA this year to go along with an 8-2 record. David Pauley, a guy we've seen a few times before, leads the league with 10 wins and has consistantly kept the Sox in games with a 3.38 ERA. In his last 10 games he's allowed more than 3 ER just twice. Clay Bucholz has had a couple of games where he hasn't been sharp, but overall his 1.87 ERA and 35 K's in 33.2 IP show that he's eager to get back to the majors. The wildcard in the equation is Edgar Martinez, a former catcher, who was converted to a reliever only a few years ago. This year he's being stretched out to be a starter and has impressed in his first 5 career starts. He's yet to have made it 6 innings, but he hasn't allowed more than 2 runs in any start. Last night he struck out 5 in 5 shutout innings and the start before he struck out 7 in 5.2 IP, allowing 2 runs.
The Pawtucket team is a team to keep an eye on this year. It seems like every day someone new from the team gets the call to help out Boston and without all of these guys filling in we might be looking up at Tampa Bay right now. Besides Bucholz there aren't any real super-prospects on the team, but it's a team filled with major league talent.