Tuesday Links: One ace to rule them all

As the Jon Lester sweepstakes heads down the home stretch, the Red Sox find themselves right in the thick of conversations involving the left-hander. Boston, along with the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and Seattle Mariners, are teams vying for the services of...

2014 Free Agent Class: Possible Red Sox Reunions

The 2014 offseason is officially underway. The Red Sox don’t figure to be the big players in free agency this year that they were before the 2013 season, but depending on which players leave and which players stay, there will still be a few holes to fill. You’ll see...

Ghosts Of Red Sox Past: The 2013 Playoffs

Not sure if you’ve noticed, but the Red Sox have undergone a tremendous amount of change over the past few years. Sure, some mainstays like David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury have defined the core of this team. Yet by my count,...

Will patience at the plate pay in the playoffs?

The Boston Red Sox only swung 43% of all pitches they’ve seen this season. On first pitches, they’re even more selective – only swing 20% of the time. Both of these figures are the lowest in baseball. Because of their patience, the Red Sox have seen 25,177 pitches...

The Advanced Scout – Kansas City Royals

No jet lag on this flight! Which is good, because I’d probably feel awful coming out of Houston having to work my backside off for two wins against the American League’s worst team. Be gentle, Central Time Zone. Please. KANSAS CITY ROYALS – 58-53,...

All-Star Game Running Commentary

Listen, I love Bill Simmons as much as you can love someone that you’ve never met (other than you, Dustin, don’t you worry your place is secure). I’ve read everything that he’s written since 2000. I may not have survived the tumultuous and ultimately triumphant...

The Advanced Scout – Oakland Athletics

Your friendly neighborhood advanced scout took a day off to bask in the glory that was The Greatest Starting Pitcher In The History Of Baseball starting for a night. But I must get back to work. So. Billy Beane. Sabermetrics. A movie based ever so loosely on 2002....

The Advanced Scout – Oakland Athletics

Having earned a split against the surprisingly tough Seattle Mariners, the Boston Red Sox (42-37, 6-4 in the last 10 games) travel to Oakland for a three-game set against the Athletics (38-42, 4-6 in the last 10 games). Billy Beane has always loved young pitchers and...