Archive for the ‘Andrew Miller’ Category
Top Boston Red Sox Blog Posts of the Week – August 27, 2011
Andrew Miller’s Future. Alex Speier writes Andrew Miller has officially become a trustworthy starter option. The Red Sox are 9-1 in his 10 starts (the record speaks as much to Boston’s offense as Miller’s pitching). Look for Miller to be a power lefty arm in the bullpen during the playoffs – and in a position to win the fifth starter spot in 2012.
Varitek Still a Force. Forget about individual offensive numbers when assessing Jason Varitek’s season (even though they are okay for a backup catcher). Varitek has been – and still is – about the team and Sam Dykstra writes how Tek is still making an important contribution.
New Englanders in Majors. Mike Andrews documents New England-born players in the majors – with Cardinals P Chris Carpenter topping the list. Two Red Sox – Rich Hill and Dan Wheeler.
Draft Insights. Matt Huegel speaks with Red Sox director of amateur scouting Amiel Sawdaye about the latest crop of Red Sox prospects – just signed before the August 15 deadline.
What are your top Boston Red Sox blog posts picks for the week?
Top Boston Red Sox Blog Posts of the Week – August 6, 2011
Big Bedard Opener. Sam Dykstra recaps Erik Bedard’s Red Sox debut. Strong opening performance. Bedard stayed ahead of batters, didn’t walk anyone. With Clay Buchholz out indefinitely, Bedard needs to come up big for Boston. Buchholz is aiming for a return in the playoffs.
Miller Time Over? With Andrew Miller moving out of the rotation, Tim Britton wonders what will be Miller’s future role with the Red Sox. He asks is Miller trustworthy in the bullpen given his control issues. The Red Sox took a low-risk gamble on Miller and it looks like it is not paying off.
Yankee Insights. Britton spoke with Yankees beat reporter Marc Craig for a New York update. Craig likes Bartolo Colon over Freddy Garcia for the rest of the season. And Phil Hughes over Ivan Nova down the stretch.
Iglesias Update. Chris Mellen does a deep dive of Red Sox SS prospect Jose Iglesias. Strong defense, weak hitting is the Iglesias story to date. But remember, he is young and inexperienced in pro ball – a work in process. We’ll see if he develops at the plate to be a big leaguer.
What are your top Boston Red Sox blog posts picks for the week?
Top Boston Red Sox Blog Posts of the Week – July 16, 2011
- Big Papi over Ted? I like it – Gordon Edes took a gutsy stance saying David Ortiz is the greatest slugger in Red Sox history. The feedback got so hot that Edes felt compelled to pen a second post. No disrespect to Ted Williams – but I am with Gordo on this one.
- Red Sox Prospect Projection. Christopher Hatfield walked through the Red Sox farm system and made SoxProspects.com projections on which farmhands will be added to Boston’s 40 man roster in the next off-season. 3B Will Middlebrooks and catchers Ryan Lavarnway and Tim Federowicz are picked as the sure-bets.
- Sun Devil Reunion. Dodgers OF Andre Ethier expressed interest in playing with his good friend Dustin Pedroia sometime in their careers. They played together at Arizona State. With all the turmoil – and financial woes – in Los Angeles, maybe the Red Sox make that happen in the near future.
- Doubront on Deck. After an injury filled spring, Felix Doubront has rounded into shape and is pitching well in Pawtucket. Look for Boston to have a short leash on Andrew Miller – and if he doesn’t show improvement soon, Doubront should be back with the Sox.
What are your top Boston Red Sox blog posts picks for the week?
Red Sox Prospects Update
OF Bryce Brentz is having a breakout year – after hitting .198 Avg. in his professional debut last season with the Lowell Spinners. Brentz is tied for the Red Sox system HR lead with 19. Already promoted from Greenville to Salem, it will be interesting to see if Brentz earns some time with AA Portland this year.
Keith Law updated his top 50 MLB prospect list (subscription required). The only Red Sox prospect to make the list was Portland Sea Dogs 3B Will Middlebrooks (#42) – who enjoyed playing in the recent Futures Game. The Blue Jays had 4 players and Yankees and Rays each placed 3 prospects in the top 50.
Milton, Mass. native Alex Hassan is quietly having a breakout year in Portland – drawing comparisons to no less than Kevin Youkilis. I saw Hassan demonstrate his quick bat last night, ripping a 98 mph fastball for 1 of his 2 hits in the Eastern League All-Star game.
Last year’s top draft pick 3B Kolbin Vitek says he continues to make adjustments while adapting to playing every day in pro ball. At High-A Salem, Vitek is posting okay numbers – .272 Avg. with 10 SBs but not much pop, 1 HR, 26 RBIs.
Quick Hits
- Lowell Spinners 3B Travis Shaw discussed learning the game from his dad – former MLB All-Star reliever Jeff Shaw.
- Stolmy Pimentel recently demoted from Portland had a shaky start in his season debut for Salem.
- Sea Dog Tim Federowicz spoke with Matt Goisman about his college days as catcher for Daniel Bard and Andrew Miller.
- Over the Monster weighed in with the blog’s mid-season Red Sox prospect report.
Red Sox – Blue Jays Series Notes
- Trading season is getting ready to kick into gear and Red Sox GM Theo Epstein said the team is more likely to acquire a position player than pitcher. Credit contributions from Andrew Miller and Alfredo Aceves with Felix Doubront and Kyle Weiland waiting in the wings at Pawtucket. A right-handed hitting RF would be a good addition. Someone like the Astros’ Hunter Pence.
- Adrian Gonzalez was named AL player of the month for June. Gonzalez was a hitting machine last month, leading MLB with a .401 average (40-for-99) with 6 HRs and 25 RBIs. He follows David Ortiz who won the award in May. Any predictions on which Boston player stands to follow suit in July?
- Speaking of hitting machines, Blue Jays Jose Bautista has not only not regressed from his 2010 power pace – when he slugged 54 HRs for the year – his overall numbers are stronger. Bautista’s contact rate is up from 80% to 82%. His fly-ball rate is down 8%, but Bautista has an increased line-drive rate and HR-to-fly-ball rate.
- Alex Speier looked at Epstein’s free agent signing record – in light of the disappointing John Lackey and Mike Cameron performances. The record is not very good. According to Speier, only 3 players have delivered at least reasonable approximations of what they were signed to do (among the 12 players signed to deals of $10 million or more).
- Travis Snider is back with the Blue Jays. He made adjustments in AAA Las Vegas and hit .333 Avg. with 29 RBIs and 25 extra-base hits. Las Vegas is a hitter’s park so it remains to be seen how his minor league success translates in The Show. In another minors note, Toronto star prospect Brett Lawrie is making progress in recovering from a hand injury but there is no timetable for a return.
Top Boston Red Sox Blog Posts of the Week – June 25, 2011
Drew Declining. Alex Speier documented the hitting woes of J.D. Drew – such as Drew ranks in the bottom 20 percent of every offensive category for MLB OFs with at least 200 ABs. The emergence of Josh Reddick should increase pressure to cut Drew’s playing time. My vote: Think big – if the Astros put Hunter Pence on the trade market, go get him.
Lackey Lacking. Brian MacPherson called the dwindling number of “swings and misses” as a key factor in the poor performances of John Lackey. His stuff is not fooling anyone – and Lackey needs to fix this, not only to salvage the season but also for the next 3 seasons of his Boston contract.
Miller Time. Scott Lauber caught up with Andrew Miller’s former Marlins teammate – and current Padres OF – Cameron Maybin to discuss Miller’s road back to the majors. The Tigers sent Miller and Maybin to the Marlins in the Miguel Cabrera trade. Think Florida would like a do-over?
Gammons Insights. Ryan Hannable recapped Peter Gammons latest conversation on WEEI. Some highlights – Gammons sees moving Adrian Gonzalez to outfield while the Red Sox are on the road in interleague play as too risky. Possible Red Sox trade targets: Cubs utility man Jeff Baker and Rockies OF Ryan Spilborghs. And Gammons said look for Miller to become a power lefty in the bullpen if the Red Sox make the post-season.
Farm Report. Chris Mellen profiled Pawtucket Red Sox C Ryan Lavarnway and Salem P Anthony Ranaudo. With Ryan Kalish on the mend, these are probably the top 2 Red Sox prospects playing. Lavarnway is solidifying himself as a MLB prospect – mostly likely as a backup catcher whose bat may warrant a look at DH. And Ranaudo continues to impress. Another good farm report post is Jon Meoli’s piece on how multiple Red Sox prospects have a history with Tommy John surgery.
What are your top Boston Red Sox blog posts picks for the week?
Albie Jarvis
