MLB: New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox Team Comparison (2011)
Spring training is upon us. The Red Sox have been busy this offseason. The Yankees, on the other hand, were uncharacteristically quiet. How could the New York Yankees make noise this offseason with a payroll of over 200 million dollars? Yes, even the "Evil Empire of New York" has limitations on how much they can spend.
This article will break down the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry as it stands today and forecast what the 2011 season may hold for each team and/or their players.
Looking at the resurgence of the Boston Red Sox this offseason by means of key acquisitions Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, one has to wonder, will the Red Sox push the Yankees around in 2011? Are they better than the Yankees?
When Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman was asked if he agrees that the Red Sox are better on paper today than the Yankees, he said,
"I would agree because they have a deeper starting rotation. I’m not saying they’re going to beat us. We’re not conceding anything. But if somebody asked me right now, they might be a finished product. We’re an unfinished product," he said last night at a charity event.
"But you don’t win championships in the winter, you win them in the summer. We’re looking forward to going head-to-head with everybody and anybody.”
“That does not discount anything I have got here,” Cashman said. “It’s just that I have more work to do. I might have the answers right here in front of me. I like what we have coming. Is it ready right now or not yet for an American League pennant race? We’re going to find out and weigh that vs. what becomes available over time. But what I do have, I’m very proud of. And what I do have is going to compete for that title. Can I make it better? I can make it better.”
His opinion that, as of now, the Red Sox are better is shared by most in baseball. There are of course exceptions, including Hank Steinbrenner.
On Tuesday, Hank Steinbrenner had this to say about Brian Cashman's comments and where his team stands heading into the 2011 MLB season..
“I think we’re the hunter. At the end of the day, listen, no one’s conceding anything. No one’s conceding anything. But as I described the other day in full force, if this was the start of a race..from their winter, they (the Red Sox) qualified for the pole position. Their pole position right now is better than ours because of the winter that they had compared to the winter that I personally had.”
“When you guys are looking at me straight-faced in the eye and (say) what did you think about their winter and where does that put them compared to you, I think they’re the hunted, we’re the hunter and that’s as simple as that and I don’t think anybody would disagree with that,” Cashman said.
“You can make with it whatever you want, I don’t really care, but that’s not selling us short. I like our talent. I like our talent a lot. I give myself an incomplete. Simple as that. If you want to insult anybody ...I’m insulting myself. It’s as simple as that. I have more work to do.”
Brian Cashman also was quoted as saying, “We have a lot of talent here because they (the Steinbrenners) allow us to go the extra mile to try and find as much as we can to put us in position to succeed,” Cashman said.
“We almost got back to the World Series but almost obviously is not good enough in our market, so every now and then, a healthy reminder of what comes with not crossing the finish line, that’s going to happen. Why we fell short, how we fell short, the bottom line is we fell short.”
Now that we have heard the sentiment from around the league, let's now analyze for ourselves which team is better. A good place to start is by looking at the projected opening day lineups. Next, an assessment of the two team's defenses and pitching staffs will be in order. Lastly, every team is only as good as the coach(es) behind it, so we will take a look at each team's coaching staff.
2011 Boston Red Sox: Best Lineup
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It goes unsaid that a major league baseball team has many lineups throughout any given year. In the picture to your left is what I feel to be the 2011 Boston Red Sox best opening day lineup.
Tito (Terry Francona) has said that he would hit Carl Crawford second or third but honestly, Tito is wrong here. In addition, having Jacoby in the nine hole means you turn over the order and give Crawford more RBI opportunities at the top of the lineup than he would have if someone else hits nine and Crawford was to lead off.
Just think it out...9,1,2 coming up to hit in an inning and Ellsbury is hitting ninth. He gets a base hit as he frequently does. He steals second which he is known to do as well. Carl Crawford gets a base hit and drives him in. Crawford steals second. Pedroia gets a base hit and knocks in Crawford. That would happen and would happen a lot of times if in this batting order. It is a recipe for success.
In addition to this lineup, the Red Sox have the ability to hit Carl Crawford in the three hole, have Jacoby Ellsbury lead off and the three to five spots in the lineup will fluctuate based on performance, injuries and particular game situations probably on a fairly regular basis.
There are endless possibilities of ways to produce runs if the offense was to struggle. The rest of the major leagues will have their hands full with the Boston Red Sox this season and for years to come.
2011 New York Yankees: Best Lineup
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Although the Yankees were not quite as active as the Red Sox this offseason, they didn't have to be. They had made their moves in prior offseason with the key acquisitions of Curtis Granderson (2010) and Mark Teixeira (2009). There is little doubt in the minds of most that the Yankees will be right there in the thick of things with the Red Sox as one of the top offenses in baseball. It is hard to argue with past success, but are the Yankees getting too old and injury prone?
The Yankees like the Bo-Sox have a very talented nine to work with. They can fluctuate from this lineup if their offense were to struggle and a switch could pay immediate dividends. It would be unwise to sleep on the Bronx Bombers just because they are old but rather it would be wise to be aware that the key to the success of the New York Yankees offense this year will be whether or not they stay healthy.
2011 Boston Red Sox: Depth Chart for Defense and Pitching
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As you can see, the Red Sox are an extremely potent team. They will be their own best friends or their own worst enemies this season.
Red Sox Starting Eight (Excludes Pitchers) Gold Gloves = 1 for Crawford, 1 for Youkilis, 1 for Pedroia, 2 Gonzalez, 0 for Scutaro, 0 for Saltalamacchia (1 for Varitek), 0 for Ellsbury, 0 for Drew
Red Sox Total Gold Gloves: 5 Excluding Variteks
2011 New York Yankees: Depth Chart for Defense and Pitching
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The New York Yankees...some call them the Evil Empire, others the best team that ever was. There is no denying the competitive nature of this organization, and their constant pursuit of championships. They are dedicated, talented and equipped to make a move this year. There is only one team that is a legitimate threat to them winning another pennant, and many would agree with me saying that team is the Boston Red Sox. Here is a picture showing just how deep the Yankees are going into 2011.
Yankees Starting Eight (Excludes Pitchers) Gold Gloves = 5 for Jeter, 3 for Teixera, 1 for Cano, 2 for A-Rod, 1 for Martin (0 for Posada), 0 for Granderson but he was nominated in 2009, 0 for Swisher (clearly the worst fielder the Yankees have), 0 for Gardner but he earned top honors as the best defensive left fielder in baseball, according to The Fielding Bible Awards, a sabermetric alternative to the Gold Glove awards that are voted on by coaches and managers.
Must Read: Derek Jeter 2010 Gold Glove Not Justified, Flaws in Rawlings System Exposed
Girardi Vs. Francona
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This brings us to the head coaching comparison between Boston's Terry Francona and New York's manager Joe Girardi.
Terry Francona has managed now for 11 years. In 1,782 games, he has posted a record of 939 wins and 843 losses, which averages out to a career .527 winning percentage. His teams finish at an average of 2.8 or roughly third place over his 11 year tenure. He has won two pennants and two World Series Titles.
Joe Girardi has managed now for four years. In 648 games, he has posted a record of 365 wins and 283 losses, which averages out to a career .563 winning percentage. His teams finish at an average of 2.5 or roughly third place over his four year tenure. He has won one pennant and one World Series Title.
In summary, Tito (Terry Francona) has more experience as a manager in the Major Leagues and also has Joe beat in Pennants and World Series rings. However, Joe's average time it takes for him to win a pennant and/or a world series appears to be shorter than Francona's. In addition, Girardi does have a better winning percentage, but one can not deny that it is easier to have a high winning percentage when you have coached seven fewer years and have spent three of the four years you have been a major league coach coaching the New York Yankees.
Smile If You're Ready to Kick Some Yankee Ass!
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Now that we have taken a look at both the Yankees and Red Sox's offenses, defenses, pitching and head coaches it is time to arrive at "our final answer"...our final conclusion.
Batting: Draw
Defense: Yankees
Pitching: Red Sox
Head Coach: Red Sox
As it stands now, the Boston Red Sox do appear to have the slight edge of the New York Yankees overall. As user Hang MikeVick so admirably stated, the "Sox have a big advantage in starting pitching which will make the difference."Nevertheless, it is a long 162 game season, and there are many other variables that come into play in the course of a given year. So, smile if you are ready for the 2011 Major League baseball season, because its start is right around the corner, and it should be a doozy.
