When, not if, the Red Sox win the series(I predicted in 5, but a sweep is more likely), there are going to be some half-assed excuses thrown out there on the behalf of the Rockies. The eight day rest BS was already used by everybody analyst from Corlorado to ####ledesh, and there are probably more to come. But before people start mistaking the Rockies for the Yankees of the 90's, realize just how mediocre this team is outside of their offensive studs. The fact that their pitching staff is so mediocre speaks volumes of how poor the NL is as a whole. Everybody knows the NL is bad, but to have the NL reps go out and lay three straight eggs like the Rockies have makes the NL look like the minor leagues. In reality, could Colorado contend with any of the AL playoff teams? The answer is most likely not.
Boston is stacked up and down their lineup, is strong 1-5 in their rotation and has an excellent back end of the bullpen. Colorado has some really good offensive players and a solid defense, but Francis, Jimenez, Fogg and ??? will never, ever win a series against Beckett, Schilling, Matsuzaka and Wakefield. Never. The scariest part about the Sox is that they will probably get better next year. Ellsbury will probably take over in center, Pedroia will have a full year under his belt and both Lester and Bucholz will be upgrades in the rotation. Baseball may have a dynasty on it's hands.
Your talking about a rotation next year of Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Buckholz, and whoever is 5 (Schilling?? Wakefield??). Plus, we all know what they have out in the bullpen. Forget it. As far as pitching goes, they are stacked.
The outfield will be fine indeed. Manny, Ellsbury, and Drew (expecting more from him next year). Coco might be history, though. Oh well.
Take a look at the infield, if we sign Lowell. You got Youk, Pedroia, Lugo?? (not sold at all), and Lowell. Now think about this. What if they can pull off a deal to get Hanley Ramirez back?
Could you imagine that team taking the field? It would be an All-star team. Getting Hanley back would be tough, but maybe we could trade a Tejada in there for now.
I mean, yeah, we can win regardless of Lugo, but it sure would be nice to field a full All-Star team.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, Tek only has a couple more years of gas left in the tank (if that), so they need to start looking at catchers.
All and all, I see a scary team emerging here. A dynasty is almost likely at this point.
Last edited by realist27 on October 28th at 6:36 AM.
I dont see Hanley in a Red Sox uniform. But even without hanley, they have a pretty stron infield. I think Youkilis is a stud. What worries me is what they will do if Lowell leaves. Youk can play thrid, but who would play first? I dont know their farm system well, maybe they got some more beasts in the making.
I dont see Crisp in Boston next year, unless he is happy as a fourth outfielder, but even if he is, they pay him too much to be a bench guy. The outfield will be better next year. ellsbury is the real deal, Manny obviously is proven and Drew cant get any worse, or can he? Can Lugo get worse? I dont think so. I expect better year from both of those guys, and probably another pennant from the Sox.
You are right about Hanley. It was just wishful thinking on my part. We'll have to wait for him to become a free agent (which will be years), or trade Buckholz to get him (not happening).
But yeah, Lugo won't stop us from winning another pennant anyway.
Pitching next year scares me. Shillings age (and contract status) and Wake's health are a concern. How much has Timlin got left? I love Bucholz and Lester but it is scary to pin all the hopes on them. Can DelCarmen repeat this seasons success?Can Lopez be anything more than a garbage time pitcher? Too many questions!
I have watched Lugo play here in St Pete for a few years. He has always been a much better hitter than he showed this year. I see him bouncing back next year. Does anybody else feel the panic I do when he is fielding an infield pop-up?
I am college kid out of chicago and love Chicago sports aka a huge homer. My writing may contradict this, but i do care and know about sports outside of Chicago, although I may never blog about it.
