By Andrew Lipsett
On Tuesday, I looked at the biggest surprises of the 2006 season – players who have exceeded expectations. While some very important names appeared on that list, it doesn’t tell the full story. Today, I’d like to run down a quick list of the biggest disappointments – both players and facets of the team itself.
Offense
Though the radical alteration of this club led some to believe that the offense would sputter this season, most statistical projections suggested that the loss would be fairly minimal. Unfortunately, at this early point in the season, the offense – while not exactly impotent – hasn’t shown the juggernaut qualities that have driven the club for the last three years. A club that scored more runs than any other team in the majors for 3 years running is now bettered by three clubs in its own division in that category; the Blue Jays (231), the Yankees (225) and the Orioles (210) have all scored more than the Sox’ 204 runs to this point in 2006. There are glimmers of hope here; for one thing, the Sox have been operating without Coco Crisp for much of the season (although Wily Mo Pena has provided a tremendous amount of offense as a fill-in). The Sox’ component offensive stats, also, suggest that they’re slightly under-playing; an RC of 214 isn’t a massive improvement, but it’s an improvement.
Alex Gonzalez
I’m quite open about the fact that I want Alex Gonzalez off this team immediately. Frankly, I don’t care how good he is with the glove; the difference between him and Alex Cora defensively – and I can’t believe I’m saying this, considering my opinion of Alex Cora’s offense – doesn’t make up for the difference offensively. Cora is only a slight step down from Gonzalez in the field, but at least he’s not clueless at the plate: he can take a walk, he can execute a bunt, and he doesn’t make me angry that we went out and spent a couple million on him when we already had a guy who was slightly better sitting around.
So what’s the disappointment, you ask? The disappointment is that somehow – somehow – Gonzalez has been even worse than advertised. His career line is .243/.291/.388; his 2006 results are .206/.285/.290. His 2006 SLG is WORSE than his career OBP. There are quite a few NL pitchers who have put up better batting lines than Gonzalez this season. It’s entirely possible that, during the Philly series this weekend, the smart move would be batting Clement, Beckett, or DiNardo 8th. That’s how bad Alex Gonzalez is.
Jason Varitek
Anyone who knows me knows how much it hurts for me to put Tek on this list. But, coming off the third of three straight excellent seasons in 2005, we may be seeing the beginning of Tek’s decline; through Wednesday, the captain was hitting just .231/.328/.389, well below his 2003-2005 totals. Was he overworked last year? Quite possibly. Does this just add to my dislike of the Mirabelli trade, in which we gave away a more servicable backup catcher for a no-hit specialist? Most definitely. If Tek continues to struggle – and he is showing signs of life of late, but those could just as easily have been flukey – the fallback plan isn’t great. Francona will, however, have to start giving Tek more time; an extra game every other week, bunching off-days, something to allow him to catch his breath. otherwise, the drop could be precipitous.
Relievers not named Jonathan Papelbon
One of the hallmarks of the offseason was the concerted effort to rebuild the pen, scarred by last year’s implosions. To this point, however, the collection of new arms have failed to provide much comfort. Does anyone not cringe when Rudy Seanez or Julian Tavarez are brought into anything resembling a close game? Are we really sure what we’re getting from Foulke just yet? even Timlin appears to be slipping. The good news is that AAA and AA are stocked with solid RP arms; the bad news is that we’re not using any of them, and instead are holding onto contracts like Seanez’s – money that’s practically skipping the mound and heading over the centerfield wall altogether.
Matt Clement
I had high hopes for Clement coming into this season; I thought it at least a reasonable possibility that he’d give us a first half like last year’s, and that he’d build on it. A 200 IP, 4.00 ERA season seemed perfectly reasonable to me. But at this point in the season, it may be nearly time to declare Clement a lost cause; he is simply too inconsistent to convert his unarguably awesome stuff into any real results. He makes a passable fifth starter, but he’s not the #2 or #3 we’d hoped he’d be when he was signed. There’s very little that can be done about it: he’s a pitcher and we need the arm. But his performance has been too far below what I’d expected or hoped for me to continue to have any faith in him.
