1. CF Jacoby Ellsbury- Is good at everything- especially speed and D- and plays at a position of weakness in the league.

2. 2B Dustin Pedroia- Best defensive infielder in baseball who is also more than capable with the stick. And oh yeah, positional adjustment favors him too.

3. 1B Adrian Gonzalez- The team's best hitter.

4. 3B Kevin Youkilis- Had a down year, but has added value as one of the best power-hitting third basemen in the league. I mean, the worst position in baseball hitting-wise is currently third.

5. SP Jon Lester- More consistent than Beckett, but you wouldn't fully believe that from this year's numbers. But then again, we can't take one season's numbers too seriously.

6. SP Josh Beckett- For as inconsistent as he is from season to season, his averaged out FIP is one of the best out there. The guy is lights out and has the nasty curve to prove it.

7. CP Johnathan Papelbon- Red Sox fans love to dirt on him- they love to dirt on everybody- but this guy is easily one of the best relievers in baseball. I remember a friend was talking about how much he thinks Paps is overrated and isn't a good closer, but I don't think we were watching the same pitcher.

8. SP Clay Buchholz- If he pitched at least 125 innings this year, the Sox would have made the playoffs.

9. RP Daniel Bard- Definitely is a closing-quality reliever, but he is a much needed set-up man. He threw more innings than Paps, so they are still maxing out value. You don't need to be a closer to make your presence felt (Jonny Venters). Outside the triumvirate of Bard, Papelbon, and Alfredo Aceves; there isn't much to like about this team's pen.

10. DH David Ortiz- Yes, I am the guy who penalizes DHs for being just that.

11. LF Carl Crawford- I still think a rebound is in order, but he still won't make this contract look any better.

12. SS Marco Scutaro- A solid hitting shortstop who knows how to get on base and doesn't play bad D either.

13. RF Josh Reddick- J.D. Drew, your time has passed.

14. RP Alfredo Aceves- Eats up innings in the pen but is an extremely lucky pitcher.

15. C Jarrod Saltalamacchia- I've seen worse than this league-average catcher, and I really had a hard time picking somebody for the fifteenth and final slot.

Huge gap between FIP and ERA in over 100 innings out of the pen this year

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rankings, MLB Big Board, Red Sox, Adrian Gonzalez, Alfredo Aceves, Carl Crawford, Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jarod Saltalamacchia, Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Josh Beckett, Josh Reddick, Kevin Youkilis, Marco Scutaro, Jonny Venters

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8/2011 Team Scope: Boston Red Sox

August 5th 2011 15:31

Even though it's tough to say it, the Boston Red Sox are the best team in baseball. Their pitching may be too thin, but their hitting is incredible. Only the Yankees can compete with these guys offensively, and the Red Sox have three players who are getting serious MVP recognition right now; Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Adrian Gonzalez.

I must say this; Pedroia has been nothing short of spectacular in 2011. His WAR is at 6.7, he's stolen 22 bases, his RC is 148, he is hitting .311, Pedroia is walking more than he is striking out, and he has been flawless on defense. While Jose Bautista is still my pick for MVP, Pedroia is just a hair under him right now.

Jacoby Ellsbury is third in my MVP rankings, and man has he been playing great ball this year. Not only has he stole 31 bases and scored 83 runs; but he's also hitting .319/.376/.514 with an RC of 147. Ellsbury has also played some great D in center this season, but Pedroia's level of play in the field has just been unattainable.

With a 165 RC , Adrian Gonzalez has been the best hitter on the Sox, and he is fifth in my MVP rankings. A-Gone has driven in 91 runs, and his triple slash (.356/.416/.568) is certainly mirrors that of an MVP-type season. He's been nothing short of the lofty expectations put on him in the preseason.

There's no point in continuing to heap praise on the Red Sox offense, so I might as well just move on to the pitching. Injuries have certainly played a huge role for the Sox pitching-wise, but there is one pitcher who has really taken the lead this season.

For some reason, Josh Beckett has great seasons when the year is an odd-number, but he then disappoints when it is an even-numbered year. Beckett is reaping the rewards of 2011, and his 2.20 ERA leads the staff. However, he is getting extremely lucky (38.6 GB%, 83.6 LOB%, 6.8% HR/FB, .222 BABIP) so regression is almost certain- if not this year, then 2012.

With Beckett, normalization in statistics often comes year by year; hence the huge gap in play in even and odd numbered years. Still, there's no reason that his ERA should climb over 3.00; but I would expect it to be a lot closer to that number than what it is currently at.

Jon Lester is going to keep pitching as he is now, so don't expect the ace's 3.17 ERA to drastically increase or decrease. Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard are easily the best 1-2 bullpen punch in baseball. Without one of the two though, this bullpen could easily be much worse. Although Bard has the better statistics, Paps has been pitching better this season.

Most Boston fans can't wait until Papelbon is traded and a new era in closing can begin in Boston. A trade would certainly make sense financially, but many fans think that Papelbon isn't pitching well enough. That simply isn't the case, and I am sick of hearing the same ignorant drivel beat into my head As Jerry says, "It's like getting beat by a bag of oranges." It's just stupid.

I get that Paps's 3.35 ERA is less than ideal, but the man's FIP (Fielder Independent Pitching) is just 1.87. His raw stats are incredible! He's striking out 12.22 helpless hitters every nine innings, and he's only giving out 1.58 walks per nine too. Throw that in with a .327 BABIP, and you get a guy who is pitching much better than his ERA.

However, there is always the darkside; Tony knows that much. Papelbon's HR/FB ratio is too low, and he only gets grounders a third of the time. I still think he is pitching much better than 3.35, but his "true ERA" is probably around 2.50. Bard's "true ERA" is probably around 2.75. Both guys are pitching great, but Bard is getting a little bit too lucky.

Is He The MVP?

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Teams, Red Sox, Adrian Gonzalez, Daniel Bard, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Josh Beckett

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5/2011 Starting Pitcher Rankings

May 22nd 2011 14:01

1. Tim Lincecum
2. Roy Halladay
3. Josh Johnson
4. Cliff Lee
5. CC Sabathia
6. Adam Wainwright
7. Jon Lester
8. Felix Hernandez
9. Justin Verlander
10. Dan Haren
11. Josh Beckett
12. Ubaldo Jimenez
13. Jered Weaver
14. Clayton Kershaw
15. Chris Carpenter
16. Cole Hamels
17. David Price
18. Matt Cain
19. Zack Greinke
20. Tommy Hanson
21. Francisco Liriano
22. Yovani Gallardo
23. Roy Oswalt
24. Trevor Cahill
25. Wandy Rodriguez
26. James Shields
27. Chad Billingsley
28. Jaime Garcia
29. Clay Buchholz
30. Ryan Dempster
31. John Danks
32. Max Scherzer
33. Jake Peavy
34. Mat Latos
35. Johan Santana
36. Jorge De La Rosa
37. AJ Burnett
38. Shaun Marcum
39. Brett Anderson
40. Phil Hughes
41. Ricky Romero
42. Zach Britton
43. Michael Pineda
44. Jeremy Hellickson
45. Ricky Nolasco
46. Matt Garza
47. Jonathan Sanchez
48. Johnny Cueto
49. CJ Wilson
50. Madison Bumgarner

#39

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3/2011 Team Scope: Boston Red Sox

March 30th 2011 14:52

The Red Sox made huge acquisitions in this off-season. They two of the best hitters in the game in Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez. The Sox also added former star closer Bobby Jenks as well as solid reliever Dan Wheeler from their division rivals in Tampa. It's going to be a big year and another division win for the Red Sox. I just can't see how any team in the AL will keep up with this juggernaut.

Gonzalez is primed for a huge year after having several great ones in one of the heaviest pitchers' parks in baseball. Gonzo is ready for an MVP year on his new team, and he's going to be well acquainted with Fenway. Dustin Pedroia is solid as ever at second, and Marco Scutaro can score runs at short. The Youk moves over to the hot corner, and he's one of the most consistent hitters in the MLB.

The big question for this offense comes at catcher. Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia are two terrible catchers. Salty is the better hitter- even though he is pitiful against lefties- but he can't even throw it at the pitcher accurately. And forget about him catching people attempting to steal bases. Varitek is one of the worst hitters out there, he's so old that his slow reaction times are a gift to base runners, but he does have good chemistry with the pitching staff. The Red Sox should start Salty because he at least brings something to the table offensively.

Jed Lowrie is an interesting backup middle-infielder. People are saying that he is swinging the bat well, but I never believe what they say about Lowrie. He's an average player that is playing in his rightful role; backup. Carl Crawford is a beast. What more is there to say? He has insane speed, he can hit for average, and he is solid in every other part of his game. He's the other new acquisition that has vaulted himself into the MVP discussion.

Jacoby Ellsbury is coming off of a bad, lingering injury. It will be interesting to see how he bounces back from it. Ellsbury's speed on the basepaths is unquestioned, he scores runs like crazy when healthy, and he is a very athletic fielder. J.D. Drew has some pop, but he's definitely not going to be anything more than an above average role player with how he played last year.

Darnell McDonald showed that he can be a capable backup last season. Mike Cameron is old and overpaid, but he is a good backup that can still field. David Ortiz is the best clutch-hitter on this team, and he can still lug the wood. The abundant power will always be there, but he won't contribute in any other way. He's still very valuable to this team, and he will be one of the main power sources on a loaded team. That's saying something about Papi's strength.

Jon Lester is the only pitcher in this rotation that doesn't carry any questions about his ability to produce at a high level in 2011. He's one of the best pitchers in baseball, and last season was the year where everyone finally saw that he is an elite player. John Lackey is on the downside of his career, and Red Sox fans can only hope that he plays okay and doesn't implode like he did last year.

Josh Beckett is an interesting player. He'll either do great, or he'll get blown. I don't know if we're going to see the 09 Beckett or the 10 Beckett, but Boston fans hope it's the former, not the latter. When Beckett is on the top of his game, he's unhittable. When he's not, well, it's a reenactment of a play called "Barry Bonds in Coors Field" that features Jeff Suppan.

Clay Buchholz was great last year. Buchholz will put together another nice year, but I don't know if it's going to match last year's great campaign. I really hope that Daisuke Matsuzaka turns back the clock and pitches like it's 2008. After the tsunami in Japan, it would be great to see Dice-K get healthy again and get a 2.90 ERA. Matsuzaka is like Beckett in that we don't know which side of him we'll see in a game or season. Let's hope he has a terrific year.

Jonathan Papelbon is one of the best closers in baseball, but he'll likely be traded because of young set-up man Daniel Bard. He's the heir to the throne, and he looks nearly as good as Paps. Bobby Jenks was once a great closer, and he'll continue his greatness as one of the best set-up men in baseball. Dan Wheeler is another new acquisition that will make an impact in the pen. Dennys Reyes is decent at the back, and Matt Albers and Tim Wakefield are two decent options in the pen that will be injury replacements at starter.