3 Up 3 Down Grades Out the Red Sox

With the All-Star break looming on the horizon (it begins after Sunday’s game) I think now is a good time as ever to take a look back over the first 94 games of the season and grade out the Boston Red Sox. The categories we will use are the typical five: offense,...

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....

3 Up 3 Down Grows the Legend of Jonny Gomes

87 games into the season and the Boston Red Sox have the best record in baseball. Do you want to re-read that? Do you remember how many games the Red Sox won in all of 2012? They won a derisory 69 games while almost losing one hundred. The entire season was an...

Roster Power Rankings, June Edition

(Happy 4th of July everyone…scoreboard, England…USA, USA, USA!) Every month, here on Fire Brand, I take a look at the relative value of the 25 players on the current active roster. If you missed the March, April, or May editions check them out for the...

All Hail John Lackey

So John Lackey, guys. He’s a good pitcher again. Really good, even. What’s not stunning about Lackey is that he’s righted the ship. I think most people worth their salt had some hope heading into the season that he’d be better than expected. The off the field...

The Advanced Scout – San Diego Padres

Who’s ready for another interleague series at Fenway? I know I am. More of David Ortiz doing his customary DH thing, more of pitchers not hitting, and best of all, it’s against a team no Red Sox fan should really have hatred towards. Seriously. It’s...