Bleacher Report - Articles by Andrew Silva

Five Things the Red Sox Need for the Second Half

Andrew Silva — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:29:42 -0400

With the All-Star Game now over and Josh Hamilton's home runs finally landing, it is now time for the players to get off their butts and get ready for the second half of the season.

The Red Sox have had their fair share of controversy, slip ups, and injuries throughout the year but they still sit in first place in the A.L. East. However, I feel the Sox need to fix a few things in order to guarantee another postseason berth and a shot at the repeat.

With the Tampa Rays seeming to never go away and the Yankees being, well, the Yankees here are my five keys to the second half:

1. Big Papi

This may seem like an obvious choice for my number one need but the Sox need him back. Fortunately he seems to be fine from what he has told people after his batting practice swings and will start his rehab assignment in Pawtucket this week.

With guys like J.D. Drew and Kevin Youkilis having great years, it would seem bringing back the Red Sox DH would help make the offense even more intimidating than it already is (assuming he is healthy). It would also give the Sox their emotional leader (sorry Tek) and the face of the franchise back.

2. Where's Varitek?

We Sox fans know Jason Varitek is known for his ability to call a game from the behind the plate (has caught four no-no's) as opposed to his offense, but he needs to step it up. Hitting barely over the Mendoza line at .218 and possessing an ugly OBP of .299 the Sox captain needs to find his bat.

With some of the hitters already in the lineup and assuming Ortiz comes back in form, Varitek does not need to hit like a Silver Slugger. However, finishing the season hitting .250 and getting on base at .320 would be nice.

3. Can we have our ace back?

Last year Josh Beckett was one of the primary reasons the Red Sox brought home their second title in four years. With his superb regular season (the league's only 20 game winner) and inhuman postseason, many Red Sox fans believed he was taking a step to becoming the best pitcher in baseball.

Unfortunately, he has been rather inconsistent this year. Yes he has lost two or three games he should have won and no his numbers aren't horrible (9-5, 3.94 ERA), but many people expected better.

As a pitcher who is known for showing only flashes of his talent during the season, Beckett needs to show last year's form during the stretch run. Perhaps cutting back those home run balls is one of the keys.

4. Bullpen issues

With even the seemingly invincible Jonathon Papelbon getting hit a bit this year, the bullpen has been an Achilles heel for the Boston Red Sox. Hideki Okajima, an All-Star last year, has been, for lack of a better word, the opposite this year. Manny Delcarmen is a two face: one night he's lights out, next night he's throwing the ball over the fence in bunches.

Craig Hansen and David Aardsma are the Red Sox versions of Kyle Farnsworth: wicked fastballs and absolutely no control. And Mike Timlin is getting old and showing it.

Maybe the boys in the 'pen just needed to work off the hangover from winning a World Series or maybe they just need something to jump start them. Maybe, like, oh I don't know an infusion of young talent, perhaps by the name of Justin Masterson.

5. Spark Plug

I wrote an article several weeks ago anointing Jacoby Ellsbury the next big thing. While he hasn't been terrible, he hasn't exactly lit pitchers on fire. Hitting only .269 and holding an OBP about 50 points lower than last year, Ellsbury has had trouble kick starting the Sox offense.

Hopefully in these last few months Jacoby can get that batting average around .300 and bring that OBP in the .380 ball park to add to his already superb defense and base running abilities.

Well there it is folks. If, and it's a big if, the Red Sox can improve on all of these areas I don't see anybody out there that will stop them. Feel free to comment and tell me what you think our Sox need to do in order to keep our headaches to a minimum in the coming months.

Where Has The Magic Gone?

Andrew Silva — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:17:29 -0400

At the beginning of the year all Red Sox fans believed a repeat was in the cards.

The team had everything: pitching, exciting young players, veteran leaders, sluggers, an experienced manager, and an exceptional front office.

However, as the All-Star break approaches, the Sox have seemed to lose some luster.

Sitting in second place behind the first place Rays, and seemingly having an offense incapable of getting any runs across when they need them, the Sox are now reeling.

To me the evidence of this current low level of play began in the St. Louis series.

After losing the first two games of the series, it took a walk off home run by Kevin Youkilis to save the boys from being swept in Fenway.

Then, they managed to take two of three from the Diamondbacks, despite some shoddy hitting, was exhibited in stretches during that series by the team.

After seeing this, I thought I had found the perfect solution: a trip to Houston.

However, the Astros played tough and stole two out of three from Boston leaving them in a funk going into possibly the most important week of the year, not in September.

The first two games against the Rays kept up the trend: untimely hits given up by the pitchers and a lack of them by the hitters.

With Manny Ramirez, in a horrific slump, and J.D. Drew finally realizing he's human the offense has come to a halt.

So, with this entire “wrong,” will my Sox find a way to climb out of it?

I sure do hope so, but right now it seems unlikely.

The first problem, in my eyes, lies with a player whom I gave great praise too several weeks ago.

Jacoby Ellsbury, one of the fastest and most exciting players in the game, is simply not getting on base. He is not getting hits, which would be okay if he could stay patient and take a walk once in awhile.

With Ellsbury seemingly always walking back to the dugout after three pitches, the smoking hot Dustin Pedroia has no one to drive in.

J.D. Drew and Manny Ramirez following in the line-up, is almost becoming two more guaranteed outs.

Yes, Drew is still having is occasion two-hit game with a homer, but he is not the J.D. Drew of early June.

Manny, as previously stated, is having one of the worst slumps I have witnessed, in my short career as a Red Sox and baseball fan, in general.

Second, I would like to address the pitching.

The starting pitching has not been horrendous.

Yes, Lester had a rough go in Houston, but other than that the Sox are getting about what they expect out of the rotation.

Dice-K is providing his typical aggravating five innings of one run ball; Masterson is trying his best; Wakefield is, well, Wakefield; and Beckett has been pitching closer to last year's form.

It has been the bullpen that has fallen apart.

Last season, if the game got to the seventh or eighth inning it was over.

Now, Okajima, Hansen, Delcarmen, and even Papelbon occasionally are giving games away.

Take a look at tonight's game.

Dice-K gave five decent innings and Delcarmen and Hansen pitch like AA ball players to blow the lead and suck the life right out of the team.

How can a team win if the bullpen pitchers are constantly lobbing meatballs over the plate?

Lastly, the bad luck bug has seemed to strike.

I have witnessed these hitters hit more hard line drives right at fielders than ever before.

In the St. Louis series, I even lost count in one of the games. Obviously there is no control over this, but it still bothers me.

Perhaps there needs to be some smarter hitting going on up there.

Taking more pitches, trying to got the other way, or even, some small ball to manufacture a run or two when the team needs it most. In my opinion bad luck is created not simply cast upon you.

With all this going wrong, and the team losing five in a row something needs to change, preferably by tomorrow around 7:05 p.m.

The series this weekend against the New York Yankees in New York could make or break this team.

Can they rise up out of the funk to play some great ball against their bitter rivals?

Or will they wilt under the pressure of being the defending champs and continue this World Series hangover?

I surely hope and pray for the former as opposed to the latter, but as the rare Sox fan who tries to be optimistic in every situation; even I am questioning the team.

At this juncture of the season they seem disinterested and indifferent during losses.

For the love of me, I hope this changes this weekend, because I do not think I can survive a weekend of Michael Kay and my friends, if the Sox get swept.

General Managers: The Real MVPs

Andrew Silva — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:29:27 -0400

With the way franchises are being run today, the need for a great general manager has become the make-or-break factor for a team.

For a recent example, look at the most recent NBA Finals.

First, we'll compare the coaches. Phil Jackson has nine NBA titles, including a 72-win season. Doc Rivers is only known because he's a nice guy to the media.

So why did the Celtics crush the Lakers? Well simply put, the Celtics’ players were better. However, this is not college. The players do not choose where to go.

Danny Ainge (the Celtics' GM) was responsible for the players on the court, more specifically, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, who were teamed with Paul Pierce to make that title run.

While the Celtics-Lakers comparison is a perfect example of the impact a GM can make, basketball GMs are not the most powerful of their kind.

Today, the baseball GM is what makes or breaks a major-league franchise.

I will use the Boston Red Sox as an example. Prior to Theo Epstein's arrival in the front office, the Red Sox were the lovable losers, most well known for selling Babe Ruth and choking in big game after big game.

With Epstein as general manager, the Red Sox have two World Championships, possibly the biggest baseball fanbase in the country (sorry Yankee fans), and are making their case for team of the decade in baseball.

All of this was made possible because of the moves Theo Epstein was able and willing to make. Granted, having owners with deep pockets and a manager the players love never hurts, but it was Epstein who found them.

It was Epstein who was willing to get rid of the biggest star in Boston at the time (Nomar Garciaparra) for little known Orlando Cabrera. It was Epstein who was willing got part with aging, overpriced stars such as Pedro Martinez and Johnny Damon.

Many people in his position would worry about what the media and fanbase are saying about such players; however, Theo simply calculated what they were worth and offered them that.

With the Boston Red Sox having one of the highest payrolls in the league, let us take a peak at some small-market teams and what their front office can bring to the table.

The Oakland Athletics are run by Billy Beane, who was made famous in the best-selling book Moneyball, by Michael Lewis. Beane is famous for finding cheap players nobody wants and making them stars.

Granted, the A's have not won a World Series in years, and they are not the same team that had seasons of over 100 wins several years ago, but they still prove the importance of the general manager.

While many small-market teams flounder under the lack of funds, especially compared to the teams in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles, the A's simply tried a new method. They brought in a man who had a solid (more importantly cheap) plan for success.

Everyone thinks they would be great to run their favorite baseball or football team, but could you do it with a payroll in the bottom half of the league? Could you turn a perennial loser into a winner if the market was Pittsburgh, not New York?

That is why a general manager, in any sport, not just baseball, is crucial to a team's success. The best manager in the world could not win a World Series with a bunch of minor leaguers.

With that being said, I also think managers and coaches take too much heat when teams go into slumps.

Is it Willie Randolph's fault he's coaching a bunch of overachievers? Is Phil Jackson really that great of a coach, or did Michael Jordan and Shaq make him look good?

Some out there may disagree with me and think GMs are just guys who negotiate contracts and get fired when the owner is upset, but if I was an owner in any sport, I would make sure I had someone with a clue running my team.

Ken Griffey, Jr. Hits 600: Oh, What Could Have Been

Andrew Silva — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:46:42 -0400

Last night, against the Florida Marlins, Ken Griffey Jr. hit the 600th home run in his career off of lefty Mark Hendrickson. A man who was once destined to break Hank Aaron's mark and become the greatest baseball player of all time is now an almost forgotten player, a ghost of the past.

Had it not been for ESPN tracking Griffey's hunt for the milestone, many of us would be unaware of his accomplishment. Tragically, Ken Griffey Jr. is now a mainstay in the "What if" Hall of Fame.

Before leaving Seattle and catching the injury bug in Cincinnati, Griffey was on pace to become the greatest player in the history of the game. In his first 11 years in the league (all with Seattle), Griffey averaged roughly 36 home runs and 140 games a year.

However, two of those years have relatively skewed numbers. In 1994, the strike-shortened season, he hit 40 home runs in 111 games, which would be about 58 for a full 162-game season. The following year, he only played in 72 games hitting 17 homers, which is a 38-home run pace.

Conversely, during the past nine seasons in Cincinnati, he has averaged only 105 games a year. During that period, he also went through what most of us will now unfortunately remember him for—injuries.

Playing in no more than 83 games from 2002-2004, Griffey hit a total of 41 home runs, a number he nearly matched in the strike-shortened year. Also, let us not forget that during all of these years he also played Gold-Glove caliber center field, day in and day out.

Let me play with his numbers a little bit. If in 2001, (he played only 11 games) and those three injury-plagued years that followed, Griffey hit home runs at a typical rate (36), he would have 681 home runs to date. If I add in what he was on pace to hit during the strike-shortened season he would have 699, one away from joining the super exclusive 700 club.

If Ken Griffey Jr. had not become injury prone in Cincinnati and stayed around his typical numbers, if he stayed on pace during the strike season, and if he just caught a couple of breaks, we would be talking about Griffey as the greatest player ever without a doubt.

Unfortunately, a man's career should not and cannot be judged by what he could have done. Yes, Griffey is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and yes, he may be the greatest player of our generation, but to many he is considered the most talented player that ever lived and "only" hit 600 home runs.

Too bad the man will never be able to outrun what he could have been and let us appreciate him for what he is.

Boston Red Sox: J.D. Drew Coming Around

Andrew Silva — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:43:43 -0400

J.D. Drew is known by most Red Sox fans as a huge bust for the money he was paid during the winter leading up to the 2007 season. A player who has seemed to make his reputation based on what he could do as opposed to what he has done.

Drew was signed by Theo Epstein for five years and a total of 75 million dollars. A contract like that usually entails a season of high totals in home runs and RBI for a position player or ace type numbers for a pitcher.

J.D. Drew finished the season last year with a .270 batting average, 11 home runs, and 64 RBI. Obviously, he left much to be desired to the Red Sox organization and the Fenway Faithful.

Personally, I like J.D. Drew. He appears to keep an even keel through the ups and downs of the season and, from what I can tell, does not cause trouble in the clubhouse. He also plays a very serviceable defensive right field.

However, with his terrible season last year (at least from what his contract would dictate) many Sox fans saw him as merely a guy who happened to play well in a contract year, like many players do, and cashed in.

In retrospect, I believe there is more to Drew's poor numbers than mere complacency. With his baby boy Jack suffering from a very serious illness and the infamous intense pressure of playing in Boston, I feel Drew was simply overwhelmed.

All baseball fans know the delicate psyche baseball players have with their endless routines and superstitions. Maybe Drew was simply thrown off mentally. If I was him and my son was severely ill and I had the Boston media and fans constantly down my throat, I too would have had an off year.

Fortunately for us Sox fans, it seems Drew was not content with last season either.

Currently sitting on a .301 batting average and six home runs (over half of last year's total), it seems J.D. Drew is starting to play to the potential Boston wanted last year.

With David Ortiz now out for at least a month, Drew's play is becoming even more crucial. Batting third last night, (Ortiz's spot) he went 2 for 3 with a double, a run batted in, and a stolen base.

Over the last five games he is 7-13 with two doubles two home runs and five runs batted in. He is also still playing excellent defense, saving two or three extra base hits with excellent running catches in right field.

He even has won over the ever notorious Boston Media with the Boston Globe calling him "a five-tool player with an uncanny batting eye, a swing sweeter than butter, and long, measured strides that eat up great chunks of real estate, whether running the bases or tracking down fly balls." ^[6]

Though he is having an excellent year no one can predict what Drew will do for the rest of the season. For all we know, he may simply be in a nice little hot streak and will go back to his 2007 form.

I will remain optimistic though.

As I previously stated, I am a fan of J.D. Drew and hope he continues to live up to his potential and fill in for Ortiz in the Boston lineup. For too long he has been considered merely a talented player and now it is his chance to live up to that talent.

Boston Red Sox: Justin Masterson Showing His Promise

Andrew Silva — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:02:36 -0400

Watching Justin Masterson pitch in his third big league start tonight made me believe he can and will be a future stud in the rotation for the Boston Red Sox.

For a kid who started the season in AA Portland, being thrown to the wolves as early as April 28th, he has faired pretty well. In his three starts this season, Masterson has compiled a 2-0 record with a 2.95 ERA, and would be 3-0 had the bullpen not completely flopped after he pitched six and one-third innings of one-run ball in his debut.

However, the underlying factor not many people are noticing is how he is pitching so well. Unlike many talented young pitchers beginning their careers, Masterson is attacking hitters. Armed with a devastating heavy sinker, he is not afraid to throw first-pitch strikes to some of the most talented hitters in baseball.

Add in his relatively nasty slider, and the Red Sox have the potential to have one of the best young rotations in years—that is, if Clay Buchholz starts watching Masterson pitch to the big boys.

Masterson's method of going after hitters is exactly what Buchholz needs to do to reach his potential as a starter. Granted, the two have a different repertoire of pitches, with Masterson relying on his sinker and slider (as previously mentioned), and Buchholz having one of the best fastball/change-up combos for any young pitcher—plus an extremely devastating 12-6 curveball.

Every Boston fan remembers last September, when Clay Buchholz took the mound and dominated hitters on his way to a no-hitter. He did it, like Masterson, by attacking hitters and making them adjust to his pitches, not the other way around.

Before going on the DL, Buchholz could be found stockpiling his pitch counts by nibbling away early in the count with change-ups and curveballs. Instead, he should be getting hitters behind with his plus-fastball, and telling them to take a seat with either of his breaking pitches.

While I am a huge Clay Buchholz fan, his style of pitching this season showed me he needed some more seasoning. Justin Masterson, on the other hand, has shown me he is ready for the next level—even though he is not as talented as Buchholz.

The difference between these two right now is attitude on the mound. When Buchholz pitches, he is saying in the back of his mind, "I hope he doesn't hit this." But when Masterson is on the mound he is saying, "They won't hit this."

I hope Buchholz has watched Masterson's demeanor closely, because adopting that type of an attitude will bring him to the next level.

As for Masterson, he has shown he believes in his ability enough to be in the big leagues. While he has the attitude I'm sure the Red Sox organization wants him in the minor leagues to fine tune his mechanics, when he does—watch out Major League Baseball.

Jacoby Ellsbury: the Next Big Thing in Beantown

Andrew Silva — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:23:59 -0400

Jacoby Ellsbury is already a star among the Boston faithful, but I feel he has the potential to become a legend in Beantown.

Now, many of you are probably going to laugh at that last sentence. How can a player with only 287 career at-bats already be considered a superstar? Well, to be honest, it is only a gut feeling I can provide.

I am an avid Red Sox fan, and I watch almost every game when I'm home from school during the summer. There are plenty of stars on this year's team, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez being the obvious ones. However, when Jacoby Ellsbury is up to bat, I always get the feeling something exciting is going to happen. Whether it is turning a routine ground out into an infield single, turning doubles into triples, or even the occasional flash of power, Ellsbury seems to give off an electric feeling in the batter's box.

Many like to say Ellsbury is the next Johnny Damon, but I feel this is a very unfair comparison, for Johnny Damon that is. It seems at first to be a logical comparison, both are outfielders, both bat left handed, both play excellent defense, and both are probably best known for their speed. To me, it is the latter that gives Ellsbury the chance to be a superstar.

When he gets a walk or a single, you might as well let him go to second because of his explosion on the steal. The first time he was thrown out in his career it took a pitch out and a perfect throw from the catcher to get him, and even then it was a very close play. With an on-base percentage thus far in his career of .388, it seems like opposing teams will have to get used to it, too.

If Ellsbury can maintain a similar on-base percentage throughout his years, and flirt with a .300 batting average every year, I believe he will be making a visit to Cooperstown.

Again many of the things I am saying are premature. Saying he is a future Hall of Famer may be considered insane by some, but to me, it does not seem that extreme. Ellsbury already has a World Series ring and played a crucial part in the team, winning it as a rookie. Right now, he is one of the front runners for the AL Rookie of the Year on a team poised to at least be in the hunt for another ring, and is winning the hearts of the fans in baseball-crazy Boston.

Of course, for Ellsbury to end up a Boston legend he needs to stay there most of, if not his entire, career. Personally, I hope Theo Epstein and the Red Sox front office make it a priority this offseason to sign Ellsbury to contract extensions like many teams are doing with their own young studs.

If Ellsbury can spend the next 10 years being the spark plug for the Boston offense, putting up excellent numbers and hopefully bring in another ring, the Boston Faithful will have no choice but to put him in the circle of great Boston athletes. My expectations may be high, but when I hear Jacoby Ellsbury, I think star.

College Football: It's Time For A Playoff!

Andrew Silva — Fri, 23 May 2008 12:52:17 -0400

This winter when I sat down and watched the Ohio State Buckeyes get thrashed yet again by an SEC opponent in the BCS National Title Game, this time at the hands of the LSU Tigers, I figured the NCAA would finally take the right path of a playoff system.

Unfortunately, this problem is trying to be solved while still keeping the BCS system. I cannot disagree more with this approach. No computer, no "plus 1" idea is going to solve the ever growing controversy of Division I College Football's lack of a playoff.

The arguments will always be there about giving everyone a chance at a postseason and the players missing class, but those are not solid arguments. For those saying everyone deserves a shot, everyone does get a shot at the postseason. It is called the regular season.

For those complaining about the players missing class, there is a simple solution. If the bowl season itself was removed entirely, the playoffs could replace it in that time frame. Now the players would not be missing class, or at least any more than usual. Those types of arguments are trying to tiptoe around what the true blocking force is to a playoff: money.

Every athletic department around the country, specifically those with football programs, are under the gun to stay in the black financially (many football programs lose money by the end of the year). With teams now trying to build state of the art facilities and doing everything possible, whether it be legal or illegal, to bring in blue-chip athletes from around the country.

Money is becoming more important. Every program around the country now knows a 7-6 record with a victory in the prestigious Independence Bowl will bring the program money to stay afloat. There can still be a few bowls with their ever-important sponsors, however, the bowl games could now be playoff games.

For instance, if it was decided the Rose Bowl was the national title game and it was an 8 team playoff, then the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Cotton Bowl could be used as the sites. There we have neutral locations for the games to be played just as they are in the NCAA tournament for basketball.

I do have a deeper issue with this lack of a playoff. As an avid college football fan, I continue to be disappointed in seeing completely mismatched bowl games. Take last year's Sugar Bowl featuring the red hot Georgia and up and coming Hawaii. By all accounts Hawaii was destroyed in that game.

All this game proved was Hawaii couldn't pass block for poor Colt Brennan, and Georgia was one of the best teams in the country at that point. The conclusion of that game did not leave me satisfied, all it left was a feeling of "what if." What if Georgia had played LSU for the title as opposed to Ohio State?

What if LSU was really only the third or fourth best team in the country at that time? My questions could only be answered by a playoff. Now we could finally see that team that heats up at the right time of the year because of a key injury or perhaps one bad game, that typically would be playing in only a BCS game, get its shot.

If there were a playoff last year, LSU probably would not have been in the title game. At that point in time, I figure the seemingly unstoppable teams of Georgia and USC would square off for an epic battle.

Now that my point has been made, it is time to ask yourself if you feel satisfied with the way Division I football runs itself. Right now, you may agree completely or think I am just some nut, but before I am finished I want you to ask yourself what is more exciting, the Final Four or watching College Gameday for the final BCS standings?