Bleacher Report - Articles by Aaron Baral

Why Dustin Pedroia will be the AL MVP

Aaron Baral — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 18:09:38 -0400

No he's not the prototypical MVP. He's not the 40-plus home run guy. He's not going to drive in 100-plus runs. He won't steal 40 bases. But Dustin Pedroia is a gamer.

Pedroia, the 25-year-old second baseman for the Boston Red Sox, is the spark-plug of the Red Sox offense. Generously listed at 5'9" (he's closer to 5'5"), Pedroia adds a punch to a Red Sox lineup wherever he is needed. This season he has batted in several different spots in the order: lead-off, second, and even a game hitting clean-up.

Much is made of Pedroia's hitting (.327 BA, 15 HR, 68 RBI entering Sunday), but not enough is said of his defense. Pedroia is certainly a contender to win the AL Gold Glove Award at second base due to his stellar play of the position.

Night in and night out, Pedroia makes spectacular plays, diving to his left and right. He has made just six errors all season and boasts a .990 fielding percentage.

Sure, Carlos Quentin of the Chicago White Sox (.288, 36, 100) and Josh Hamilton of the Rangers (.295, 29, 116) are having great seasons, there is no doubt that Pedroia lights a fire under the Red Sox offense unlike any other.

Here are a few stats to ponder:

Pedroia leads the AL in Batting Average, Runs, and Hits, two-hit games, three-hit games, and four-hit games. He has an astounding 53 multi-hit games in 132 games played. He is 10-10 in his last 10 at-bats, including two 4-4 nights against the Chicago White Sox, in must-win games. There is no doubt that this guy can hit.

Pedroia is certainly not considered fleet-a-foot. However, consider this. Dustin Pedroia has more stolen bases than the Yankee's double-play combination. That's right.

Pedroia has 14 SB compared to Derek Jeter's nine and Robinson Cano's one. If not for hitting in front of David Ortiz just about every night, the number of steals would be higher.

A year after winning the AL ROY Award, Dustin Pedroia has been everything the Red Sox needed and more to stay in the fight for the postseason.

With David Ortiz, Mike Lowell, JD Drew, and Josh Beckett each missing considerable time this year coupled with Team Captain Jason Varitek's notable struggles, Pedroia has been a shoulder that the Red Sox can rely on to lead the team. That, along with the mind-boggling stats, will win Dustin Pedroia the 2008 AL MVP Award.

A Rivalry Renewed: Red Sox and Yankees Open Three-Game Series Friday

Aaron Baral — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:03:54 -0400

The Yankees and Red Sox find themselves back on the field against one another as their rivalry is renewed – again. The Sox and Yanks will start a three-game series Friday, and there are plenty of storylines to choose from.

Perhaps the biggest story of the three-game set is the return of Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. Ortiz has been out since May 31 after sustaining a partial tear of the tendon sheath in his left wrist in a game against the Baltimore Orioles. Ortiz’s return to the lineup will be a huge help to an offense that got the job done while he was out, but certainly could use another big bat to help Manny Ramirez and J.D. Drew.

It will be interesting to see what happens to J.D. Drew. Drew, who was hitting well before Ortiz went down with the injury, stepped up to the plate when the Sox needed him the most, and made the most of it.

Drew hit 11 home runs in June, and now has a season total of 18. He was named to his first All-Star team and won the All-Star Game MVP. However, with the return of Big Papi, will manager Terry Francona keep the right fielder in the number three slot in the order, where he was while Ortiz was gone?

Or will Drew be pushed down to perhaps the number five or six slot? Either way it is a huge plus to get a perennial 35 plus HR / 100 plus RBI guy back into your lineup for the stretch run.

While there will be no Wang, Matsuzaka, or Buchholz to look forward to, this weekend’s series offers up a few good pitching match-ups. To open the series, the Red Sox look to their ace Josh Beckett to extend the Sox’s winning streak to four games.

Beckett allowed three runs on four hits over six innings in the Red Sox’s July 4 victory over the Bronx Bombers. Opposing Beckett is Joba Chamberlain, a blossoming star pitcher for the Yankees. He gave up three runs on four hits to the Red Sox on July 6 in a game in which the Yankees won in 10 innings.

Something to look for: Chamberlain and Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis have a bit of history. In a game last year in the Bronx, Chamberlain threw two 95-plus MPH fastballs over the head of Youkilis. Benches cleared and Chamberlain was ejected. This year there was an incident in which words were exchanged between the two, although nothing else happened. We’ll see what happens as the two teams take the field at 7:05 ET Friday.

Game two boasts veterans Tim Wakefield for the Sox and Andy Pettitte for the Yankees. Long-time Yank Pettitte hopes to rebound from his shaky start against the Sox, in which he went just 4.2 innings giving up six runs (five earned). Wakefield, on the other hand, will try to knuckle his way to a victory against the famed Yankees lineup.

No matter who you are rooting for, this Yankees – Red Sox series will be one to watch as the season reaches the stretch run. The teams don’t meet again until a three-game series in late August. Who won’t be watching then?

Boston Red Sox Ink Bobby Kielty

Aaron Baral — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:26:57 -0500

You all remember it:

Game 4 of the 2007 World Series. The Boston Red Sox, on the brink of their second championship in four years, are leading the Colorado Rockies 3-1 with pinch-hitter Bobby Kielty coming to the plate to face the southpaw Brian Fuentes.

Kielty, who was acquired from the Oakland A's, played in 20 games for the Sox, batting .231 with one home run and nine runs batted in. Kielty was picked up by the Red Sox largely because of his ablity to hit left-handed pitchers. He was placed in the lineup in the ALCS to face C.C. Sabathia and went 2-5.

In the most important at-bat of Kielty's career, his only World Series at-bat, he knocked a home run into the leftfield stands to give the Red Sox a 4-1 lead. The Red Sox went on to win the game 4-3 thanks to the homer.

The 31-year-old will be back with the Boston Red Sox, signing a one-year, $800,000 deal with incentives that can push the contract up to $1,100,000. This is a non-guaranteed contract, meaning Kielty must make the team in Spring Training.

Kielty is a versatile outfielder who can play all three outfield positions. He will be used coming off the bench, giving rest when needed to OF's Manny Ramirez, Jacoby Ellsbury, and J.D. Drew.

The signing gives the Red Sox a fourth outfielder, should they trade CF Coco Crisp.

Crisp, who last year was the starting centerfielder despite batting just .268 last year, was ousted for the starting spot in the World Series by 24-year-old Jacoby Ellsbury.

Reports indicate that Ellsbury will be the starting CF for the Red Sox in the 2008 season, and why not? In 33 late-season games Ellsbury posted a .353 batting average, three home runs, and was 9 for 9 in steal attemps.

If a deal for Crisp is going to happen, it will most likely occur before pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training.

Red Sox News: Boston Signs Veteran Sean Casey to One-Year Deal

Aaron Baral — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:19:55 -0500

According to ESPN's Peter Gammons, Sean Casey and the Boston Red Sox have agreed to a one-year deal worth a reported $700,000.

The signing gives the Red Sox added depth at first base, a position filled last year by Eric Hinske.

This signing may spell the end of Hinske in Boston, as the RF/1B is not under contract and is currently a free-agent.

The 33-year-old, eleven-year veteran Casey, previously a member of the Detroit Tigers, is known for his consistent chatter on the field and is a great teammate. Casey gives the Red Sox an experienced option when resting Kevin Youkilis or Mike Lowell.

This was the first major move the unusually dormant Red Sox have made this off-season. It is likely that the Red Sox will try to move CF Coco Crisp, who is looking at being a bench player this year due to the success last year of OF Jacoby Ellsbury, who is the CF of the future.

The Red Sox may try to package Crisp and P Julian Tavarez, a player that is on his way out with Red Sox fans.

As of right now the Red Sox roster is...

Starting Pitchers

Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield, Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester

Bullpen

Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki Okajima, Manny Delcarmen, Javier Lopez, Kyle Snyder, Julian Tavarez, Mike Timlin, David Aardsma

Outfield

Manny Ramirez, Jacoby Ellsbury, J.D. Drew, Coco Crisp (B)

Infield (including Catcher)

Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Julio Lugo, Mike Lowell, Sean Casey (B), Alex Cora (B), Jason Varitek, Doug Mirabelli (B)

David Ortiz

(B) - indicates a bench player