When any new phenomenon arrives, it takes a while for people to adjust their lifestyle and accommodate these changes. Cell phones are the most recent example. The Internet was another.
In the baseball world, free agent-prospects are the newest slang, which, understandably, are forcing major league teams to adjust – with varied results.
Baseball’s newest free agent-prospect phenom, Aroldis Chapman is expected to visit Boston today, on the heels of a visit to New York on Monday.
A world-class talent, he is turning baseball economics on its head. On the one hand, he is a prospect – a lean, projectable lefty at a young age, 21. On the other, he will command the salary of a major league free agent – not what you’d expect of a “prospect”.
The newest “It Kid” from overseas, Chapman comes fully loaded with everything that makes scouts salivate more than Pavlov’s dogs: a ferocious fastball clocked as high as 102 mph and a long 6-4 frame. As a result, the young Cuban is considered the best prospect to reach the MLB this side of Stephen Strasburg – and he’s a lefty to boot.
But there’s a problem with taking this position; mainly, the fact that he’s even labeled a “prospect”. Sure, he has all the traditional markings of one. He’s got exceptional tools, he’s projectable, he’s raw, and, most importantly, he’s young. However, under the modern economics of baseball, with escalating salaries and widely varying budgets, there are two nonnegotiable criteria that give value to and create the allure of the “prospect”…
![]()
This decade has been the most monumental in the franchise’s history. Not only did new ownership arrive, but Fenway Park was revitalized, a Nation was born (in the media, that is), a new generation of stars (Nomar, Manny, Pedro, Big Papi, Papelbon, Pedroia) put their stamp on their team… oh, and there were those two World Championships as well.
All this was done thanks to the incredible work that Theo Epstein and the rest of the baseball operations put in to give us the players that we root for every day. They are, to be certain, the reasons why we have our first two rings since 1918.
But let’s not count out Lady Luck. Lady Luck is a fickle mistress; you never know when she’ll turn on you.
![]()
Victor Martinez should get back on track upon returning from injury. Martinez may not be a great catcher, but he actually has value outside of the batters box, unlike Hafner. I expect good things out of Martinez this season, maybe not great things, but good. Shoppach will handle some of the duties behind the plate as well, which will help Victor stay rested.
If Carlos Santana can make his way up to the big leagues this season, Victor could basically stay at first, and Shoppach could be moved for another piece, since they will need something, somewhere, eventually…
![]()
Prev. Gm:
Boston Red Sox (66-50) @ Chicago White Sox (64-50)
Daisuke Matsuzaka (12-2, 3.04) @ Jose Contreras (7-6, 4.60)
7:05 PM EDT | US Cellular Field (Chicago, Illinois)
TV: NESN RADIO: WRKO 680, [...]
![]()
White Sox starter blanked the Red Sox into the eighth inning as Chicago beat Boston 5-3.
Boston was down in the whole game making it as close as one run in [...]
![]()
The most important thing that may have resulted from the World Series is how well we are set up to repeat next year.
Every year, there are inevitably articles on why [...]
![]()
Reading through game threads, talking to fellow Red Sox fans and hearing the complaints of a nation, the general spotlight heading into the All-Star Break seems to be flashing on [...]
![]()
Loading ...
Recent Comments