Spring Training - Week 4

Spring Training Report 2014
Week 4 – March 17th through March 23rd

RECORD – 1 – 5 -1

TEAM RISP – 13 for 47 (.277)

TEAM LOB – 42

Batting

Majors

Dustin Pedroia continued knocking the cover off the ball, batting .375 with 3 runs, 6 RBI, a double and a homer during the week.  It was the most productive he’s been all spring and he’s currently the Sox hottest hitter.

Grady Sizemore had a great week batting .333 while scoring 4 runs and hitting a double.  Unless something drastic happens, I predict he’ll be staring in centerfield a week from now in Baltimore.

Xander Bogaerts had a good week, batting .294 with 2 runs, 3 RBI, a walk and 2 doubles.  The X-man seems to be getting hot just when you want him to.

David Ross batted .429 during the week, walking once and also doubling.  Daniel Nava batted .300 with a runs scored and 2 walks. 

Prospects

You can’t stop Ryan Lavarnway, you can’t really even slow him down at this point.  He batted .375 with a run scored and an RBI.

Corey Brown batted .200 but did score a run and hit a double.

Not much more to speak of as the regulars are playing more and the prospects have mostly been reassigned to minor league camp, AAA or are regulated to pitch hitting duties or coming in in the 8^th and 9^th innings.

THE BAD

Big Papi went 0 for the week in 10 plate appearances.  He walked twice but struck out 3 times and left 7 on base.

Mike Napoli struggled again this week batting .125, though he homered and drove in 4.  Johnny Gomes went 2 for 14 but walked 3 times and drove in a run.

Jackie Bradley Jr. had a rough week batting only .200 (3 for 15).  He did drive in a run and had 2 doubles but struck out 5 times and left 6 men on base.

Shane Victorino went 3 for 15 during the week with a double and 2 walks but most importantly seems to be back at 100% with his thumb issue.

Pitching

Majors

Jon Lester went 5 and 2/3 innings, giving up 0 runs on 4 hits while striking out 5.  He continues to have a dominant spring and the Sox better get working on that contract extension.

Jake Peavy fared much better in his 2^nd outing of the spring, going 4 and 2/3 innings giving up just 1 run on 4 hits while striking out 5.

Chris Capuano went 3 innings without giving up any hits or runs but did walk 2.  Uehara and Tazawa again pitched an inning of scoreless relief each.  John Farrell seems to be easing both back into pitching with their crazy workloads last year.

Brandon Workman had another solid week going 6 innings giving up 2 runs on 6 hits.  He struck out 6 and walked none.

Prospects

Rubby De La Rosa went 1 and 1/3 innings giving up no runs on 1 hit while striking out 2.  He’s rebounded in his last two outings and has looked much better as of late.

Dalier Hinojosa didn’t do well this week, going just 1 and 1/3 innings while giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and walking 3 batters.

THE BAD

Felix Doubront had a bad week going 8 innings, giving up 15 runs on 20 hits while striking out 8 and walking 5.  He started the spring really well and I thought may have a great year but his last 2 outings have brought me back to reality and I’m now thinking it’ll be more of the back and forth outings for Doubront this year.

John Lackey didn’t fare too much better this week as he went 9 and 2/3 innings giving up 10 runs on 16 hits.  He walked 2 and struck out 9 but looked very ineffective in his 2 outings.  Let’s hope he’s just saving it for the regular season.

OVERALL

It was a tough week 4 of Spring Training for Red Sox Nation.  They went 1-5-1 and aren’t really hitting the ball right now.  Hopefully with one week to go, the bats will come around..

Spring Training - Week 3

Spring Training Report 2014
Week 3 – March 10th through March 16th

RECORD – 4 - 3

TEAM RISP – 12 for 49 (.245)

TEAM LOB – 39

Batting

Majors

Dustin Pedroia has officially started hitting.  He went 4 for 12 (.333) on the week and had 2 doubles and 2 RBI.  Utility man Jonathan Herrera batted .273 and has solidified his spot as the utility infielder.

Grady Sizemore batted .222 for the week but most importantly again did not suffer any type of setbacks.  There appears to be a competition for centerfield folks and if Sizemore is healthy, my bet is, he makes the team over Bradley Jr. who they can season more in the minors.

Will Middlebrooks batted .400 with a homer, a double, a stolen base, 2 runs and 3 RBI.  He also injured his thumb but the injury does not seem problematic and he is only day-to-day.  So far this spring, Middlebrooks has shown a better plate approach and the Sox have to be happy with the early results.

Daniel Nava had 2 doubles, an RBI and batted .273 for the week and A.J. Pierzynski batted .333 for the week including hitting 2 doubles and knocking in 2 runs.

Shane Victorino went 2 for 7 (.286) in his first week of spring while scoring and knocking in a run.

Prospects

Ryan Lavarnway continues his hot hitting going 4 for 11 (.364) while homering and doubling once and knocking in 2 runs.  There are some teams scouting him and since he’s blocked at the catcher position, a trade may be on the horizon for the big righty.

Deven Marrero batted .375 with a homer, double, 3 runs and and RBI.  Brock Holt went 4 for 10 on the week while hitting a homer and 2 doubles. 

THE BAD

Big Papi is struggling (though he never hits in spring, so it’s not a big deal) as he had only 1 hit on the week (1 for 12).  The good news though, the lone hit was a homer but .083 doesn’t look all that great.

Mike Napoli also struggled this week batting .143, though again, one of his 2 hits on the week was a homer.  Gomes had only 2 hits on the week and one was a homer while Carp did the same (2 hits, 1 homer).

Rookies Bogaerts and Bradley did not fare well in week 3.  Xander went 0 for 8, but did walk 3 times and score a couple runs.  Jackie went 2 for 12 with a double and a triple.  Come on X-man and JBJ!

Pitching

Majors

Jon Lester was very impressive going 7 innings, allowing only 1 run on 3 hits while striking out 9 and walking only 2.  He was matched up both times this week against Cliff Lee of the Philadelphia Phillies in what turned out to be two really good Spring Training games with both aces putting up impressive outings.

Jake Peavy saw some spring action for the first time going 3 innings and giving up 1 run on 2 hits while walking 2 and striking out 2.

Clay Buchholz went 4 innings, giving up only 2 hits and striking out 3 while Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa both had scoreless innings of relief on the week.

Chris Capuano had a good week going 6 innings, giving up just 1 run on 4 hits while striking out 4.  He looks to be a good option to fill in that long relief / spot starter roster spot.

Brandon Workman faired much better this week going 3 innings and giving up no runs while striking out 3.

Prospects

Drake Britton had a rough week going just 3.2 innings and giving up 7 runs on 8 hits.  He walked 3 and struck out 3 and was putting together a solid spring before this week.

Allen Webster went 7.1 innings and gave up 4 runs on 5 hits while striking out 6.  He walked 6 too and still doesn’t seem comfortable against major league hitters yet.

THE BAD

Burke Badenhop was roughed up to the tune of 3 runs on 4 hits in just 2 innings.  Andrew Miller is still struggling going just 2/3 of an inning while giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and walking 1.  I don’t think Miller’s 100% yet and his performance is showing that.

John Lackey went 2 and 2/3 innings giving up 3 runs on 4 hits while striking out 2.

OVERALL

Week 3 saw the starters getting more action but aside from hitting a ton of homers, the power guys (Ortiz, Napoli, and Gomes) are just not hitting right now.  The competition in centerfield should bet entertaining the rest of the way and it looks like the pitching rotation is set and healthy.  I’ve been impressed so far with 3 of the starters (Lester, Doubront and Buchholz).  Peavy and Lackey I haven’t seen enough of and am hoping to see more of them in the next couple of weeks.

Spring Training - Week 2

Spring Training Report 2014
Week 2 – March 3rd through March 9th

RECORD – 2 – 5 - 1

TEAM RISP – 9 for 54 (.167)

TEAM LOB – 54

Batting

Majors

Grady Sizemore looks to resemble his former self as he went 2 for 5 on the week with a walk.  The Sox are easing him into playing time so he only played in 2 games for the week but the results were positive and it looks like they’ll be giving him more playing time in the coming weeks to see how he holds up.

Mike Carp batted .286 on the week (4 for 14) and hit 2 homers while driving in 3.  He also had a triple, scored 3 runs and walked once.

Will Middlebrooks looks like a new man so far this spring.  He batted .333 (4 for 12) and hit a homer and drove in 2 runs.

A.J. Pierzynski went 2 for 5 during the week as well with one double in his first appearances of the spring.

Prospects

Ryan Lavarnway keeps on hitting.  He batted .333 on the week and drove in 2 runs and walked once.  Deven Marrero batted .364 with 2 walks and a double and Bryce Brentz keeps on going.  Bryce batted .429 (6 for 14), drove in 4 runs, scored 3 and hit 2 homers while walking twice.  He’s turned my head the most so far this spring.

THE BAD

Most of the Sox starters struggled this week.  Pedroia, Ortiz, Napoli and Nava had a combined 5 hits.  Rookies Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr. both didn’t fare much better as Bogaerts went 1 for 10 on the week and Bradley went 2 for 16.

Prospect Garin Cecchini batted only .100 and struck out 6 times this week and looked overmatched with the big leaguers.  Travis Shaw went hitless in 13 at bats and also struck out 6 times.

It’s still early and most starters are still trying to get their timing down and the main thing is to be healthy but the big guys in the middle of the order hopefully will find their strokes soon.

Pitching

Majors

Clay Buchholz pitched his first game of the spring and went 4 innings allowing only 1 earned run while striking out 2.  Felix Doubront continues to look excellent as he pitched 4 innings giving up 0 runs and striking out 3.

Koji Uehara pitched 2 innings and did what he does best and struck out 2 while giving up 0 runs.  Though he did walk a batter which must just be rust from the offseason.  Junichi Tazawa pitched 2 innings but was touched up for a run.

Newcomer Chris Capuano went 2 innings in his Sox debut and gave up 2 runs.

Prospects

Not a great week for the prospects.  Henry Owens gave up 4 earned runs in only 4.1 innings.  Rubby De La Rosa was awful going 4 innings and giving up 5 runs on 9 hits while walking 2.  Anthony Renaudo gave up 3 runs on 6 hits in just 1.1 innings while walking 2.

Dalier Hinojasa went 4.1 innings and gave only 1 unearned run while striking out 5 and only walking 1.  Allen Webster went 3 innings and only gave up 1 hit on the week.

THE BAD

Brandon Workman struggled this week giving up 7 runs on 9 hits in just 5.2 innings.  He struck out 6 but let up 2 homers.  Alex Wilson gave up 4 runs on 5 hits in 1.1 innings and didn’t look the same as last year.

Submariner Shunsuke Watanabe gave up 2 runs in one inning and is a long shot to make the team.

OVERALL

The first week of spring is in the books and there are no injuries to report.  Shane Victorino should see some action next week and we’ll see our fair share of roster cuts.  It’ll be nice to see the starters getting some more game time as the fine tune their game for the real one’s in about 3 weeks!

Spring Training Report - Week 1

Spring Training Report 2014
Week 1 – February 27^th through March 2^nd

RECORD – 2 – 2

TEAM RISP – 5 for 32 (.156)

TEAM LOB – 24

Batting

Majors

Jonathan Herrera went 2 for 6 (.333) on the week with 2 runs, 2 RBI, a walk and 2 stolen bases.  Herrera figures to be the utility infielder after coming over in a trade with the Colorado Rockies.

Mike Napoli had a great week going 4 for 7 (.571) with 1 run, 2 RBI and a homer.  His homer was a blast to centerfield, a real monster jack.

Ryan Lavarnway went 2 for 4 (.500) with 1 run, a walk and a double.

Jackie Bradley Jr. went 3 for 6 (.500), with a run, RBI, walk and a double.

Daniel Nava, who was experiencing neck strains early on in camp, played in one game and homered in his first at bat.

Dustin Pedroia and Xander Bogaerts both went 2 for 7 on the week and Grady Sizemore collected his first hit of the spring (1 for 5 on the week).

Prospects

Scott Cousins, formally of the Marlins, went 2 for 5 with 2 runs, an RBI and a triple.  Garin Cecchini went 4 for 7 with a run, double and a stolen base.  Brandon Snyder went 3 for 6 with 2 RBI, a walk and a double.  Travis Shaw went 3 for 6 with 5 RBI, 2 walks and a double.  Bryce Brentz hit a homer and drove in 2 while Christian Vasquez went deep as well.

THE BAD

David Ortiz has yet to collect his first hit of the spring and is 0 for 5; however he has walked twice and knocked in a run.  Mike Carp is also 0-fer on the spring with a walk and a strikeout.  Will Middlebrooks is 0 for 6 but has walked once and more importantly hasn’t struck out yet.  Gomes is 1 for 7 and has batted leadoff twice in the early going.  David Ross is 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and A.J. Pierzynski went 0 for 3 in his only game played this spring.

Pitching

Majors

Brandon Workman went 2 innings giving up only 1 hit while striking out 2.

Felix Doubront also pitched 2 innings giving up only 1 hit and striking out 3 while most importantly issuing no walks.

Newcomer Edward Mujica pitched a perfect frame and fellow newcomer Burke Badenshop did the same.

Prospects

Henry Owens looked a little nervous in one inning of work as he walked 2 but did not allow any runs while striking out 2.  Rubby De La Rosa went 2 innings and gave up just 1 hit and struck out 2.  Matt Barnes pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Anthony Renaudo went 2 innings striking out 4 of the 6 batters he faced.  Drake Britton was equally as outstanding in his 2 innings, striking out 4 and allowing only 1 hit.

THE BAD

Two prospects didn’t help themselves this week.  Noe Ramirez went 2 innings and gave up 3 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 2.  Keith Couch went 1 and 1/3 giving up 4 runs on 2 hits while walking 2.  Cuban import Dalier Hinojosa went 1 and 2/3 and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits while walking 1 and striking out 3.

Andrew Miller pitched 2/3 of an inning and walked the ballpark issuing 3 free passes and giving up 3 earned runs.  Allen Webster went 1 and 2/3 innings giving up 3 earned runs on 4 hits while walking and striking out 1.

OVERALL

It was an abbreviated first week as the team only played 4 games and 2 of them were 7 innings against college teams (Northeastern and Boston University).  It was great to see some live baseball and I’ll be posting every Monday with my Spring Training Report.  Stay tuned.