by askillin | Feb 18, 2015 | Allen Craig, Ben Cherington, Brock Holt, Clayton Kershaw, Grady Sizemore, Jackie Bradley Jr., Mike Carp, Mike Napoli, Rusney Castillo, Xander Bogaerts
Consistency isn’t a word I would use to describe the Red Sox over the past few years, and although the club is but one season removed from a World Series title, the Red Sox enter 2015 with more to prove than that might normally suggest. A successful October is always...
by domara | Nov 14, 2014 | Adam LaRoche, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Red, Clayton Kershaw, David Ortiz, Johnny Cueto, Jon Lester, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Mike Napoli, Mike Trout, Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants
After being snubbed two seasons in a row, Mike Trout was finally named American League Most Valuable Player for the 2014 campaign. The 22-year old New Jersey native posted a .287/.377/.561 slash and collected 111 RBI and 36 home runs in 157 games for the Anaheim...
by domara | Nov 7, 2014 | Bill James, Clayton Kershaw, Cole Hamels, Edward Mujica, Giancarlo Stanton, Joe Maddon, John Farrell, Johnny Cueto, Junichi Tazawa, Koji Uehara, Mat Latos, Mike Napoli, Mookie Betts, Pablo Sandoval, Ryan Roberts, Shane Victorino, Torey Lovullo
If the Red Sox were to pull off a substantial trade this offseason, it’s more than likely that Mookie Betts would need to be the centerpiece of any potential deal. After starting the season in double-A, Betts spent a short time in triple-A before getting called...
by jcookson | Sep 26, 2014 | Andrew McCutchen, Andrew Miller, Bryce Harper, Clayton Kershaw, Gerrit Cole, Jake Peavy, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Mike Trout, Uncategorized, Victor Martinez, Yasiel Puig
It has been clear for some time now that the Red Sox wouldn’t make the postseason. They were officially eliminated this month, and now the playoffs are almost here. So what teams should Red Sox fans support this postseason? The obvious villains (Yankees and Rays) will...
by dpoarch | Mar 24, 2014 | Arizona Diamondbacks, Clayton Kershaw, Don Mattingly, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Los Angeles Dodgers, Paul Goldschmidt, Yasiel Puig
The 2014 Major League Baseball season is officially underway, as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks faced off in Australia for two games this past Saturday. Now that we’ve begun, it’s time to start thinking about end-of-season awards. Who are the...
by bcowett | Jan 20, 2014 | Blake Swihart, Boston Red Sox, Clayton Kershaw, Garin Cecchini, Giancarlo Stanton, Henry Owens, Miami Marlins, Xander Bogaerts
About a month until pitchers and catchers report, which means I have a full month of just crying to myself while baseball still isn’t happening. Sigh. Phenom Xander Bogaerts‘ fame isn’t limited to just the States. When he went back home to Aruba,...
by bcowett | Jan 17, 2014 | 2014 Red Sox offseason, A.J. Pierzynski, Bob Tewksbury, Boston Red Sox, Burke Badenhop, Clayton Kershaw, Jon Lester, Mike Carp, Stephen Drew
All arbitration and no play makes me a dull boy. At least it’s giving the offseason some fire to rekindle that hot stove that froze over with that polar vortex. Despite Clayton Kershaw cashing in, it shouldn’t affect a Jon Lester extension in the...
by dpoarch | Nov 3, 2013 | Adrian Beltre, Boston Red Sox, Clayton Kershaw, Detroit Tigers, Jose Bautista, Justin Verlander, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Max Scherzer, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, Toronto Blue Jays, Yasiel Puig
I projected the Red Sox to finish fourth in the division this season. To be fair, I am an idiot. I predicted Jason Heyward would win the National League MVP award, and he went on to be only the third-most-valuable player on his own team in terms of fWAR, with a...
by dpoarch | Sep 29, 2013 | Andrew McCutchen, Boston Red Sox, Carlos Gomez, Clay Buchholz, Clayton Kershaw, Detroit Tigers, Jose Fernandez, Jose Iglesias, Josh Donaldson, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Matt Harvey, Max Scherzer, Miami Marlins, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Wil Myers
Here’s a sad thing: this column will be posted on the final day of the regular season for the Boston Red Sox. That’s right, 162 games are about to be in the books. Soon, it’ll be time for playoff talk (and an extra-special Playoff TrollBag next week), but before we...
by dpoarch | Jun 2, 2013 | Alfredo Aceves, Boston Red Sox, Bryce Brentz, Clay Buchholz, Clayton Kershaw, Cleyton Mortersan, Derek Jeter, Dustin Pedroia, Felix Hernandez, Garin Cecchini, Garin Cecchini, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jake Peavy, James Loney, Jon Lester, Lars Anderson, Los Angeles Dodgers, Michael Young, Seattle Mariners, Will Middlebrooks
Ok. So I had a simple thought coming into this week’s column: I wanted to do a mailbag. We’ve had a long-standing tradition here at Fire Brand of mocking Nick Cafardo’s regular mailbags, and let’s face it—those things are ridiculous. What I wanted to accomplish, then,...
