It’s hard to believe that on Thursday afternoon the Sox will be playing games that matter. Spring Training has flown by as it always does, and Boston is ready to kick off the season against Detroit. Here’s a look at what transpired over the penultimate week of Spring Training.
The Week In Summary: The Sox went 4-2 this week, beating the Marlins, Phillies, Rays, and Twins. They lost to Toronto and… Toronto.
Stock Rising:
Felix Doubront: There hasn’t been an announcement yet, but there’s no doubt, Doubront has locked up his spot in the rotation. Based on the schedule, it looks like he’ll be the fourth starter. He pitched six innings of one run ball against Miami, and then six shutout innings for single A Salem against Minnesota. Get used to this face Boston, because it looks like he’s here to stay, at least for now.
Mike Aviles: He was officially named the starting shortstop this week after Jose Iglesias was optioned down to Pawtucket. Aviles has had a solid spring, batting .294, with a .471 SLG. That being said, his OBP is also .294, meaning he hasn’t drawn a walk all Spring. This from the player that Bobby Valentine is seriously considering for the leadoff spot.
Ryan Lavarnway: He’s red hot. He’s batting .429 and has OPSing .974. It’s hard to leave him off the team, but Bobby Valentine has repeatedly said that he’s not going to carry three catchers , and it seems unlikely that they will leave veteran Kelly Shoppach off the team.
Rich Hill: Just ten months after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Hill pitched in his first game. He threw two innings for Double A Portland, giving up two hits and one run. He has a chance to make a big difference out of the pen this year.
Stock Falling:
Jose Iglesias: The national debate is over. Iglesias was optioned to Pawtucket this week, and Mike Aviles will be the starting shortstop. This was a pretty inevitable turn of events, it seems like Aviles had the job locked up from pretty early on in camp. This won’t be the last we hear of Iglesias this year though.
Chris Carpenter: Just when you thought the Theo Epstein compensation situation couldn’t get any worse. Carpenter underwent surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow. It’s still unclear just how much Boston knew about Carpenter’s injury before he given to the team as compensation.
Stock We Have Absolutely No Idea What To Do With:
Daniel Bard: This will all be old news tomorrow after Valentine makes the official announcement regarding the five pitchers that will start the season in the rotation, but we’ll try and figure it out anyway. All signs are pointing towards Bard and Doubront making the rotation, but Valentine has been very hard to read when he talks about Bard. Alfredo Aceves was lit up by the Phillies, giving up nine runs in only three innings of work. He’s pitched well all spring though, and by a pure numbers analysis, he deserves to be in the rotation over Bard. That being said, I still think Bard gets the nod.
The 25th Man: The race is on for the 25th roster spot and at this point it could be…well, pretty much anyone. Valentine hasn’t even made a decision whether it will be an extra pitcher, or a position player, but right now the most notable candidates look like: Pedro Ciriaco, Nate Spears, Jason Repko, and Mauro Gomez.
Jose Iglesias Watch: The watch is over for now. Depending on how Mike Aviles fares at shortstop, and how Iglesias hits down at Pawtucket, it may not be long until we see him again.
This Week In Guess Who The Fifth (and fourth) Starter Will Be: My money is still on Doubront and Bard. We’ll find out tomorrow.
This And That:
Jon Lester looked absolutely dominant in his start against the Phillies this week. Beckett looked good himself against the Rays. One start certainly doesn’t make a season, especially when it’s a spring training start, but it’s hard not to be optimistic about the two of them.
Don’t sleep on Aaron Cook this year. He’s looked good in his limited role this spring, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he cracked the rotation by mid-year.
Watching: The Bulls vs. The Thunder tomorrow afternoon on ABC. Finals preview. Book it.
Listening To: Eyeoneye by Andrew Bird. “No one can break your heart, so you do it yourself.”