Brandon Workman Claims Final Spot on Opening Day Roster

The Boston Red Sox are officially all set for Opening Day as Brandon Workman claimed the final spot in the bullpen yesterday as the team announced the 25-man roster. Workman struck out 16 batters during the spring and will likely remain on the squad until Craig...

Roster Power Rankings, March Edition

Every month during the season, here on Fire Brand, I take a look at the relative value of the 25 players on the current active roster. The criteria for the power rankings: 1) What is the value of each player on the Red Sox roster relative to the other players? If a...

Building an Unconventional Bullpen

In today’s MLB, bullpens are characterized by relievers who can come into the game with overpowering fastballs. According to FanGraphs.com, the average velocity of a big league fastball has risen from 91.1 mph in 2007 to 92.9 mph last season, and that trend is even...

Fluke or Legitimate? Red Sox Bullpen Has Tough Act To Follow

Koji Uehara and the Red Sox bullpen weren’t just average during their World Series run this past October. They were a major reason why they even won the title. However, repeating the kind of run the Sox bullpen established during the 2013 campaign will be incredibly...

Holes to Fill

I’ve been surprised by how little negative reaction there has been in Boston to Jacoby Ellsbury leaving the Red Sox and signing with the Yankees. Most of this seems to stem from feelings that Ellsbury was overpriced, and the Red Sox were wise to let him go. While the...