Location: Boston, Mass. | Ballpark: Fenway Park (36,984) | Spring Training: Ft. Myers, Fla.
Owner: John Henry, Tom Werner | GM: Theo Epstein | Manager: Terry Francona | World Championships: 7
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POWER RANKINGS
Power Rankings
Date
Ranking
Previous
07/07/2009
1
1
The impermeable bullpen had a lousy week. Hey, it happens ... Nowadays, Mike Lowell participates in "baseball-related activities" more than he does actual baseball ... Of course Tim Wakefield doesn't deserve All-Star consideration based on his numbers (or, more accurately, his numbers vis-à-vis those of Kevin Millwood or Jarrod Washburn or Nick Blackburn or ... hell, about 16 other starters). But given how the All-Star Game has devolved into a foofy exhibition, a kindly 54-year-old knuckleballer should make for better theater than any of the faceless career-year guys. Good luck getting either Joe Mauer or Victor Martinez to catch anything he throws, though.
06/30/2009
1
2
The dumbest thing I heard this week: an argument that the Red Sox have too much pitching depth -- that, should they decline to deal Brad Penny, they'll create a logjam in the rotation that will leave no fewer than two pitchers sad and competitively unfulfilled. That argument was made, by the way, after Daisuke Matsuzaka went down with a combination of fatigue and shame ... There's not much to say here beyond the obvious: They're cruising and should be able to weather anything short of a mysterious rash of impalements by bat shard. Seriously -- how the hell did Nick Green escape severe injury? That incident looked like something out of Final Destination.
06/23/2009
2
2
This isn't to diminish the Sox, as they're very clearly one of the game's two best teams. But does a lineup that relies on old and/or hurt dudes like Mike Lowell, J.D. Drew and David Ortiz inspire confidence? I'm not sure it matters, given the team's pitching depth. Clay Buchholz would be a top-three starter on at least five of the teams ranked in our top 10, and in Boston he can't even crack the rotation ... Jonathan Papelbon is still getting killed for saying that he'd be happy to play for anyone, including the Yankees, when he becomes eligible for free agency. But really: Why would he close any doors, especially after he saw the Sox bid semi-fond farewells to so many beloved players from the 2004 and 2007 title teams? The Sox organization is massively unsentimental and won't overpay for a guy who throws 75 innings a year, so Papelbon would be a fool to say "I couldn't imagine playing anywhere else!," no matter how warm such sentiments would make fans feel deep in their bellies.
06/16/2009
2
6
That was one impressive week, stomping the Yankees and the Phillies without having played especially well ... The bullpen has been pegged as the Sox's "secret weapon," but it's not like they're sneaking Delcarmen, Bard, Okajima et al into the stadium under cloak of darkness. Anyone who watches the Red Sox on even a semi-regular basis knows that the strike-throwing, fire-breathing relief corps is the team's clear strength. Hell, you could make an argument that glare-y closer Jonathan Papelbon hasn't been one of the 'pen's top three weapons this season ... I'm trying to think of a Twitter feud that would interest me less than the one Sox owner John Henry attempted to provoke with Mark Teixeira ("The MT Curse?"). Maybe Adam Everett and John McDonald arguing about who's got the better tan?
06/09/2009
6
6
They've played two straight series against first-place teams, with the Yankees and Phillies set to make it four before the week is out. ... Barring a Brad Penny trade or related roster shenanigans, it's possible that John Smoltz will get the same treatment from the Red Sox –- no, Smoltzie, just keep building up strength in your shoulder –- that his former bestest buddy Glavine got from the Braves. ... One would feel a lot better about their chances going forward if they employed even an average major-leaguer at shortstop or DH. Eye doctors have confirmed that David Ortiz can, indeed, see. We're running out of explanations for his 2009 swoon that don't involve the consecutive juxtaposition of the words "he," "just" and "sucks."
06/02/2009
6
2
At some point, they're going to have to address the sagging offense, even if it means putting Theo Epstein in a medically induced coma so that the team can deal a young, cheap pitcher without having to listen to his objections. The price for even B-list bats like Nick Johnson or Aubrey Huff is only going to steepen as we near the trading deadline. ... I have no reason to believe Jason Varitek is anything other than chemically pure and the greatest leader since Charlemagne, but he has hit 10 homers in 159 plate appearances after hitting 13 in 483 last season. If a Yankee player enjoyed such a late-in-life power spike, BoSox fans would fall over themselves to chant "Steroids! J'accuse! Steroids!" Consider this a preemptive returning of the favor.
05/26/2009
2
4
If it were anyone besides David Ortiz, the question we'd be asking wouldn't be "should we think about considering the possibility of maybe dropping him in the lineup, perhaps?" so much as "should we cut his fat, molasses-batted ass?" ... I'm afraid to say anything critical about Jonathan Papelbon, because his road-rage glare bores holes in my stomach lining. But he's already walked more guys than he did in 2008 and has surrendered nearly as many homers ... The pitching depth still makes them my team to beat, especially since they'll have teams falling over themselves to swap a high-salary veteran bat for one of the Sox's myriad frisky young arms.
05/19/2009
4
2
I still love the pitching depth, but DH and shortstop have become more than a pebble-in-shoe type of problem. ... So we've decided to call David Ortiz's benching, spurred by an 0-for-7 performance on Thursday during which he left 12 men on base, a "mental break"? Gotcha (wink, wink). ... Jon Lester surrendered 14 dingers in the entirety of 2008; he's already allowed 10 in 2009. Time to dummy up an injury so that he can get his act together outside the spotlight's glare.
05/12/2009
2
4
Here's my in-depth analysis of Jason Bay's recent offensive surge, based on repeated viewing of each of his 139 plate appearances: "He hits things good" ... David Ortiz boasts a .338 on-base percentage and a .328 slugging percentage, but god forbid we suggest demoting the eminently huggable Big Papi in the batting order. The hurt-feelings implications of such a move are the only thing keeping the Sox from scoring more runs ... So what if John Smoltz is fantasizing about joining the PGA Tour? Between Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard and Michael Bowden, the Sox have a second wave coming that's more talented than many teams' A-list. They are going to win the World Series and it is going to suck.
05/05/2009
4
1
Got an 86 mph fastball? Can you throw it on the inside of the plate? If so, you too can strike out David Ortiz, just like everybody else has ... Even with Red Bull runts like Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury zipping to and fro, the Sox still look like they're running in molasses whenever they share the field with the Rays ... Which Josh Beckett will we see in his next outings, the one with the road-rage eyes that we've come to fear profoundly over the years or the timid, huggy-heart one who's been slapped around in four of his five 2009 starts?
Preseason Power Rankings
Date
Ranking
Previous
02/16/2009
4
-
Sometimes I wish our country were run as intelligently and efficiently as the Red Sox are. Then I remember that I'm a Yankee fan. ... They could win 95 or they could win 80, depending on the shaky health of the everyday guys. David Ortiz and Mike Lowell return from significant ouchies, and the group of J.D. Drew, Rocco Baldelli and Mark Kotsay is unlikely to remain upright for more than a few weeks at a time. ... They do, of course, have the prospects to go out and fill any holes when low-performing teams start trying to shed big contracts (Magglio Ordonez?). Here's some wild speculation hatched in my brain and not based in reality: If Lowell can't get it done, they'll deal hitting-machine prospect Lars Anderson and other goodies for Miguel Cabrera.
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