Buster Olney had a chat up today with two interesting tidbits…
Heard this informed speculation this morning — Beckett, Lester, Matsuzaka, Byrd in Games 1-7. It’s hard to start Wakefield against the Rays because they run so well.
This is a pretty interesting argument, and it makes a lot of sense. It does make me wonder, however, the feasibility of retaining Wakefield as a reliever. Francona alluded to this talking about Game 3 of the ALDS:
We put Cash in for Tek, then we went to Ross when we hit for Cash, so we would have gone to Byrd first. If Wake pitches, we’d like it to be Cashy catching, and he was already out of the game. So Byrd would have been the first starter coming out of the pen.
Onto Lowe…
I think the Yankees are going to throw a boatload of money at Lowe, and he will wind up in pinstripes. He is absolutely, 100 percent perfect for them, and they will go the extra mile financially to make it happen. … I think they’ll try to sign CC (while being prepared for the possibility that he’ll play elsewhere), and really go after Lowe with all money guns blazing.
Please, Derek, don’t sign with the Yankees!
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Well, if the Yankees are ready to throw a bunch of money at Lowe, it must mean his career is past its peak…
ba da-dum – good one!
As a Yankee fan, I kind of agree w/ Tessie’s Dad on this one. Lowe will be 36 and switching back to a tougher league. He’s a sinkerballer and sinkerballers tend to lose their stuff all of a sudden right about the age he’s at, now. He’s not a guy who can re-invent himself by pitching backwards like a Mike Mussina. He had a renaissance season after 3 straight years of escalating ERA and WHIP. His last two years in the A.L., he had ERAs of 4.47 and 5.42 before magically finding his stuff again in the weaker N.L. Did I mention he’ll be 36?? I’m sick of the Yankees getting guys just as they’re about to drop off the cliff. Lowe may be Kevin Brown all over again.
Question for Evan or a knowledgeable Sox fan: was Lester throwing this hard before his cancer? I remember him as a 90-94 guy and last night he’s hurling 94-98?? Did he always throw this hard?
Tom, I don’t recall him hitting 97 before cancer either. He was a guy who was consistently 90-93 with a max of 95, now he sits at 93-95 and tops out at 97/98. He’s clearly stronger than he’s ever been, but there’s a simple explanation for that. He’s very young and before having cancer he was only a teenager. It’s natural to assume that his fastball would gain a few mph between ages 19 and 24 especially given his build and delivery.
I’ve made no secret how much I like Lester. He fits the Red Sox model of drafting athletic pitchers with excellent mental toughness. He’s got a great, fluid delivery, makes it look easy to throw high 90s. He’s already an ace and he’s going to be a horse for the next decade.
IMHO he’s one of the top 3 lefthanders in the AL, and could be top 5 overall (Santana, Sabbathia, Lee, Hamels, Lester)
re Lowe: Thanks for the backup, Frank, but don’t tell Cashman. As a Red Sox fan, I wouldn’t mind one bit if a 36-year-old Lowe moved from pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium to the Bronx.
re Lester: First Lance Armstrong, then Jon Lester. Who knew cancer was a career move? Look for Andy Pettitte & Roger Clemens to start three-pack-a-day habits any minute now.
Tom,
Bob pretty much nailed it, but with one caveat: TBS/FOX tends to boost MPH by a couple extra MPH for aesthetics.
That said, he hits 95 with regularity.
Duh, sorry; I meant thanks, Tom (not Frank).
Thanks, guys. I think Burnett, despite his injury history, makes more sense than Lowe due to his pure stuff and the fact that he claims to have figured out how to throw without max effort this year which may keep him healthier. Guys with great stuff can figure things out late and be very, very successful later in their careers (see Curt Schilling, Jason Schmidt. Love the blog. I must admit to rooting for the Rays in this one. Love the underdog story and, of course, hate the Sox, but it’s good chatting with you.
Wake to start game 4….Dice-k, Beckett, Lester, Wake. Would rather switch Beckett/Lester to get a better shot at two Lester starts
I can’t see Lowe in pinstripes. Never mind that I think the Yankees would be crazy to throw money at him when they badly need SP’s, they have the money available (with Pavano’s contract up), and there are at least two better, younger pitchers to be had in the free-agent market, Sabathia and Sheets. But also, Lowe originally went to the Dodgers to escape the cold weather, heavy hitters, and media pressure that go along with playing baseball in the AL East, and particularly in Boston. If he decides to pitch for NY, he gets all that baggage back, not to mention the ire of Red Sox fans who will boo him mercilessly for playing the mercenary. Ask Johnny Damon how pleasant that is.
Not seeing it. But I’ve been wrong before. And I’ve even been wrong before about the Yankees throwing money at aging ballplayers, so what do I know?
Unfortunately for Yankee fans, throwing money at aging stars is the official Steinbrenner Method of Rebuilding. I am amazed to hear all the trade rumors which include Hughes, Kennedy, Cabrera . . . the pride of the Yankee farm . . . aimed at acquiring “proven” players.
I did a quick analysis of the Red Sox rebuilding from the farm up, although Sox rebuilding includes judicious acquisitions of guys like Bay, Byrd, Colon and Kotsay.
I then compared Red Sox prospects at Fenway vs. those of the Rays at the Trop. The media keeps reminding us how the Rays built a young team from their excellent farm system. Results are surprising.
On the roster, the Rays have 7 from their Farm, while the Sox have 10 (counting Hansen/Smith as one, and Buchholz/Bowden as one)
Rays have 15 players 29 & under, the Sox 14.
Rays have 8 players 30 – 36, the Sox 9
IMO, these teams are simliar, but the Sox have more experience and pop. This series in Tampa presents the Rays with a new paradigm, a Sox team which not only has great D, great pitching, hitting for power and average, but is also adding aggressive speed; a team which can and does run all the time: Bay, Kotsay, Lowrie, Pedroia, Coco, Ellsbury . . . they never seem to stop and, like the Angels, can all go 1st to 3rd, and 2nd to home. A fun series coming up.