by bcowett | Feb 25, 2013 | Boston Red Sox, Curtis Granderson, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, Jose Iglesias, Mike Napoli, New York Yankees, Pedro Martinez, Rubby de la Rosa, Ryan Rowland-Smith
Baseball is back, more or less. And it’s about time. I can only focus on basketball for so long, y’know. Need to see that fresh, green grass and the ballparks again. Gritty. A go-getter. Scrappy. These are terms used to often describe Dustin Pedroia. You...
by jkeller | Feb 14, 2013 | 2004 World Series, Boston Red Sox, Carl Crawford, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Daniel Bard, Dave Roberts, David Ortiz, Edgar Renteria, John Henry, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Jonny Gomes, Josh Beckett, Larry Lucchino, Spring Training, Theo Epstein
I can pinpoint exactly when it all began. It started with Joe Reilly’s January 5th column right here on Fire Brand. Soon enough, I started to show symptoms of a developing case of Lackey Optimism. The more I thought about the possibilities, the more I started to see...
by huntergolden | Feb 13, 2013 | Boston Red Sox, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Ryan Dempster
WITH both PECOTA and ZiPS being unleashed on our world this past week, I felt like it’d be worth it to expand a bit on my piece from last week and talk about the Red Sox rotation at a slightly deeper level. Projections systems aren’t always accurate. Each have their...
by tbrooks | Feb 12, 2013 | Boston Red Sox, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jackie Bradley, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, John Lackey, Johnny Gomes, Jon Lester, Juan Carlos Linares, Nick Cafardo Mail Bag, Will Middlebrooks, Xander Bogearts
(Key – Bold w/italic is Nick Cafordo’s opening, Bold is the quesiton asked, italic is Cafardo’s answer, unaltered text is my writing). FORT MYERS, Fla. – The low expectations for the Red Sox continue to ooze out in this week’s mailbag. There are lots...
by bcarsley | Feb 11, 2013 | Allen Webster, Blake Swihart, Blake Swihart, Boston Red Sox, Bryce Brentz, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, Franklin Morales, Garin Cecchini, Henry Owens, Jackie Bradley, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Keith Law, Matt Barnes, MiLB, Xander Bogearts
The season of prospect rankings is upon us. For minor league enthusiasts, wannabe prospect experts and the truly invested, this is our Christmas. For more casual MiLB fans or those looking for a quick refresher on their favorite team’s farm system, it’s a great time...
by bcowett | Feb 11, 2013 | Alex Hassan, Andrew Bailey, Ben Cherington, Boston Red Sox, Bryce Brentz, Cleveland Indians, Curt Schilling, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jason Giambi, John Farrell, Jon Lester, Jose Canseco, Theo Epstein
It’s the unofficial start of Spring Training! Time to drown yourselves in baseball, photos of new guys in your favorite team(s) uniforms, and what have you. Someone/something has it out for Red Sox minor league outfielders lately. First, Ryan Kalish has surgery,...
by bcowett | Feb 8, 2013 | Boston Red Sox, Curt Schilling, Daniel Bard, Felix Hernandez, John Farrell, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Kyle Lohse, Seattle Mariners, Will Middlebrooks
Lots of news surrounding the Red Sox today. This is much better than the dog days of January, where the top news was who Will Middlebrooks was dissing on Twitter. The bullpen looks to be gaining respect in some baseball circles. If Daniel Bard & his slider come...
by huntergolden | Feb 6, 2013 | Alan Webster, Alex Wilson, Clay Buchholz, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Matt Barnes, Rubby de la Rosa, Ryan Dempster
If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times – if the 2013 Boston Red Sox are going to go anywhere, they’re going to have to get better production out of their starting rotation than they’ve had the past few seasons. While there’s been little question as...
by jcookson | Feb 5, 2013 | Ben Cherington, Boston Red Sox, Brian Price, Casey Kelly, Clay Buchholz, Craig Hansen, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Daniel Bard, David Mailman, Felix Doubront, Jacoby Ellsbury, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Jose Iglesias, Junichi Tazawa, Lars Anderson, Michael Bowden, Pete Hissey, Ryan Kalish, Ryan Westmoreland, Will Middlebrooks, Xander Bogearts
Theo Epstein’s stated goal when he took over as General Manager of the Red Sox was to turn the Sox into a “player development machine”. He envisioned a pipeline of minor league talent that would replenish the major league roster whenever needed. So how successful was...
by bcarsley | Jan 28, 2013 | Aaron Cook, Allen Webster, Anthony Ranaudo, Blake Swihart, Blake Swihart, Boston Red Sox, Bryce Brentz, Casey Kelly, Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard, David Ortiz, Drake Britton, Dustin Pedroia, Felix Doubront, Garin Cecchini, J.D. Drew, Jackie Bradley, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, Josh Reddick, Junichi Tazawa, Marco Scutaro, Marlon Byrd, Matt Barnes, Michael Bowden, Rubby de la Rosa, Ryan Kalish, Ryan Lavarnway, Ryan Sweeney, Ryan Westmoreland, Will Middlebrooks, Xander Bogearts
You don’t have to be a Red Sox fan to have your heart go out to Ryan Kalish. After an exciting 2010 debut in which he showcased his potential, his flaws and his energy all at once, many assumed Kalish would start 2011 as the team’s left fielder. Then came the Carl...
