Boston Globe: Five articles on Sox system

Thanks to TempleUSox.

Evolution in evaluation of prospects

During the season, Sox minor league managers, all given laptops, are required to file reports after each game, which keep the home office apprised not only of how prospects are doing, but allows space for information on top players on other clubs. The Sox also rely heavily on sabermetric measures, statistics that go far beyond the usual standard batting average and earned run average. Things such as equivalency average and VORP (value ...

Red Sox claim Choi

This news comes via tfbg, who I assume read it on SOSH, where they heard it on WEEI and ESPNNEWS. Sure are a lot of 1b/3b types on this team, but Choi is an excellent addition.

Red Sox get Wily Mo

Forgive me if this is stupid and redundant. Everyone in the house is sick and I’m probably delirious. So I thought it might be okay to post a Wily Mo thread in Sox Therapy.

Who wants to create the over/under for the cash involved. I’d say it’s $5 mil, because that’s just enough to make Arroyo an excellent bargain and Wily Mo a bit pricey. For the Red Sox, Wily Mo is kind of like the giant idol that Burns gives to Homer Simpson as a reward. He’s a very valuable thing but he may end up ...

Red Sox NewsBeat

I could use some help. I’m working on a long-discussed project&em;the creation of team news pages. The Sox team page will be the prototype page. I’m in the process of assembling all the Red Sox news-related links I can. If you have an interesting or useful site, blog, or information link, please post it within this thread.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: By the way, when the news pages are activated, all site members will have the ability to directly submit articles into the team pages. This way, ...

Babe Ruth’s Piano (or not)

actually, I have no update on Babe Ruth’s piano to link to at all.

I grew up in Sudbury, Mass., though, so I have a longstanding interest in Ruth, the piano, and the Sox. I thought I would dig around this morning to see if I could find any update on the hunt for the piano. I couldn’t find anything.

On the other hand, I did come across a story that I had somehow missed from September 2004. Did you know that a kid who grew up in the Babe’s Sudbury house was hit in the face by a Manny Ramirez ...

Manny’ Defense

This started out as a study in which I questioned the wisdom of regressing Manny’s defense toward the mean, but after exchanging emails with MGL, I discovered that I had misunderstood his regression methods. I had thought that in projecting Manny’s future performance (or assessing his true talent level, as MGL calls it), he would include an element of league average OF. But that is not the case…

Love me, non-Tender

Consider this a place to discuss non-tenders that involve or affect the Red Sox. I don’t see any Boston player as an obvious candidate to be cut loose, but there’s been some talk that it might be Bradford. There has also been discussion of Craig Wilson, Choi, and others as possible targets if their current teams let them walk.

Marte Par-tay

This is something that I’ve been kicking around in my head a bit. The Red Sox have a big logjam at 3B, but Youks doesn’t have much trade value and Lowell apparently has even less. Marte appears ready for the bigs. And the Red Sox have holes to fill at 1B, SS, and CF at least.

So, considering these facts, who would you be willing to trade Marte for? Although it’s easy to just say “no one,” for me, it’s a lot easier (emotionally) to consider than dealing a Lester or a Pedroia who we’ve been ...

A plethora of pitching in Boston

I’m not saying that the Red Sox have too much quality pitching, but they currently seem to have too many pitchers. Here’s a rundown:

Starters:

Schilling
Beckett
Clement
Wells
Wakefield
Arroyo
Papelbon

Relievers:
Foulke
Timilin
Mota
Bradford
Hansen
Delcarmen
Van Buren
Dinardo

Ready soon(?):
Alvarez
Lester
Meredith
E Martinez

Moving Wells to another team will bring us down to 6 SP, but there’s still a lot to figure out there. Does Arroyo get moved to swingman, pushing Dinardo into a ...

Red Sox Minor League Park Factors

Culled from Transaction Oracle:

Team                 R       H       2B       HR      BB      SO

Pawtucket         1.05   1.04   0.91    1.59    1.10    1.15
Portland (AA)    1.08   0.97   0.88    1.18    1.01    1.03 
Wilmington        0.94   0.95   0.91    0.75    0.93    0.99 
Greenville         1.07   1.07   1.00    1.07    1.07    1.07 
Lowell               1.04   1.02   1.08    1.10    1.10    1.04 
Fort Myers         0.97   1.01   1.04    0.90    0.98    1.14 

Also, before 05, ...

Red Sox rule 5 comings and goings

From MLB transactions: Selected RHP Jamie Vermilyea in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft; Selected RHP Victor Ramos, RHP Jason Richardson, and INF David Bacani in the Minor League phase. They lost no one in the ML phase, but lost Henry Cabrera (rhp) and Vince Harrison (3b) in the MiL phase.

Here’s the BA Breakdown

Vermilia had a GB/FB over 2.0 last year and has generally had awesome HR rates. Looks like a big gb guy. I hope to hell he doesn’t stick with the club and take up a spot. I ...

Red Sox Rule 5 Thread

According to the ‘Notes in a Minor Key’ thread, these are the guys we stand to possibly lose:

Chad Spann Red Sox 3B
Charlie Zink Red Sox RHP
Ian Bladergroen Red Sox 1B
Jose Vaquedano Red Sox RHP

If I were the Mets or Braves, I’d take one of the Red Sox pitchers, start him each of the first 5 ST games, then send him back.

(Also, I’ve banned Nate from advocating that we Rule 5 Steven Andrade. If you see him doing it, smack him one. :) )

The Market for Manny

A couple weeks ago, I thought Manny was out the door for sure, and with a decent return coming back. But recent developments have made me think twice about both. The two players who I think have been the best comps for Manny have been dealt, and haven’t brought back much. In Thome’s case, he has serious health concerns, so it’s understandable that the Phils will pick up half his contract. But I think the Delgado case makes things look very poor for Manny. Delgado has very similar value to Manny ...

The Big Little Papi Decision

Theo Epstein and John Henry News Conference

The next Red Sox GM

Were the Pilgrims first Americans?

Red Sox 40 Man Roster - Crunch Time?

I believe 10 players are free agents. (Mueller, Mantei, Stanton, Myers, Timlin, Graffanino, Millar, Olerud, Kapler, and Damon)
I believe 5 players are arbitration eligible. (Wade Miller, Bronson Arroyo, Roberto Petegine, Jeremy Gonzalez, Chad Harville).  The only 1 will definitely be offered arbitration (Bronson).
I believe 1 player will surely be removed from the 40 man. (Bausher)

That leaves 26 players:

Abe Alvarez
Chad Bradford
Matt Clement
Manny Delcarmen
Lenny DiNardo
Keith ...

Sox lose by 1, Nixon 0-3 vs. a lefty!

(Please spare me the “playing Trot Nixon isn’t the reason the Red Sox lost. I know that, but it is one of them.)

Voros leaves the Red Sox.

Red Sox win Pythagorean division!

Splits-ville!

Damon’s defense

Ugh.

Is Timlin the closer?

Bye Bye Bellhorn

ENOUGH OF THIS GUY! Millar - Be gone!

Minor League Pitching Explosion!

45 Years Ago Today: Ted Williams announced his retirement

What’s the lineup, Kenneth?