Filed under: Boston Red Sox
Pending a physical, the Boston Red Sox have seemingly filled the major remaining holes in their roster and have more or less solidified the starting lineup for the 2006 season. As of yesterday, the Red Sox signed shortstop Alex Gonzalez to a one year deal worth $3 million, acquiring what looks to be their final position player. Although this year’s team has more new members than an Irish-Catholic family reunion, I for one am excited. However, if you are like any sane or emotionally stable Red Sox fan, you have probably tried to stay a safe distance from this offseason’s hot stove as to properly digest the many new acquisitions. So to help you identify the many new faces that will be occupying Friendly Fenway this year, I have put together a quick reference guide. [writer’s note: reference guide subject to change upon further personnel changes including the forthcoming trade of David Wells and probable trade of Matt Clement]
So without further ado…your 2006 Boston Red Sox(as of February 1st):
THE LINEUP:
1 Coco Crisp CF - Edgar Renteria traded to Atlanta Braves for third base prospect Andy Marte, Marte then sent to Cleveland Indians for Crisp. He batted .300 last year with 16 HRs, 15 SBs, and an On Base Percentage of .345. He will return to his natural spot as a leadoff hitter and center fielder this year and is signed with the Sox until 2009.
2 Mark Loretta 2B - acquired in trade that sent back-up catcher Doug Mirabelli to the San Diego Padres. Should be a good fit in the 2-spot despite a mostly dissappointing season last year.
3 Manny Ramirez LF - After asking for a trade to basically anywhere that would take him, Manny apparently had a change of heart and decided he would like to stick around in Boston. Yay.
4 David Ortiz DH - Big Papi needs no introduction. Expect the big fella to welcome the newcomers with his patented hugs.
5 Jason Varitek C - the Sox Captain should bring a little stability to a team that saw a lot of changes this offseason.
6 Trot Nixon RF - expect utility outfielder Dustan Mohr to see some time if Nixon continues his pattern of injuries. Trot should also be a solid leader in the clubhouse with the new players. However, with the MLB crackdown on steroids, expect Trot’s production to go down a little as well. Oops…who said that?
7 Kevin Youkilis/J.T. Snow 1B - expect another platoon job here. The young’n Youk will be adapting to a new position while former Gold Glover Snow will see some quality time as well. Snow was picked up off free agency from the San Francisco Giants. He is sort of the 2006 version of John Olerud. Only without the hard hat.
8 Mike Lowell 3B - Lowell was thrown into the trade with the Florida Marlins that brought starting pitcher Josh Beckett to the Sox for prospect Hanley Ramirez. With Marte gone and Youk moved to first, Lowell seems to be our main guy at third. He had a terrible season at the plate last year but has had good career numbers. He is looking to bounce back into his prior form this year with the Sox. He is also a former Gold Glover.
9 Alex Gonzalez SS - Pending a physical, Gonzalez will be the last position player signed by the Red Sox for this year. He was picked up from free agency after playing with the Florida Marlins last year and signed for a one year deal for $3 million. Gonzalez might be a rally-killer at the plate but he is capable of some breathtaking defensive plays. He did improve his strike-out to walk percentage significantly last year and will look to do that again this year. They will probably work on his patience at the plate to just try to get him on base more often. He is comparable to a Pokey Reese type player but without the cool name and fun personality.
THE STARTERS:
1- Curt Shilling - If Curt can stay healthy he could very well return to 2004 shape. He is a great competitor(as we all know) and should be a good mentor to Beckett, Papelbon, and the other pitching prospects if they get to the show this year.
2- Josh Beckett - acquired in probably the best move of the offseason that sent shortstop prospect Hanley Ramirez to the Marlins for the former World Series MVP in Beckett. Could possibly surpass Curt for the #1 spot in the rotation by August. He has also had some DL trouble but mostly for blisters on his fingers.
3- David Wells - although the Sox tried hard to honor Boomer’s request to be traded to a west coast team, their inability to get even 50 cents on the dollar prevented them from pulling the trigger on any deal. Negotiations should start up again in Spring Training so don’t expect David to be in a Sox uniform come April 3rd.
4- Matt Clement - This right-hander was pretty much on the trading block all off-season. Unfortunately his time on the DL and implosion in the postseason last year didn’t exactly make him a hot commodity. If Abe- I mean Matt- starts off hot expect a deal for some possible lefty relief help or even another starter.
5- Tim Wakefield - I am pretty sure you all know Tim. He should be a solid 4/5 man this year and should work well behind the hard throwers in front of him in the rotation. Expect a little bit of an adjustment in the beginning since long time plate partner Doug Mirabelli left town.
6- Jonathan Papelbon - We saw a little of this guy last year when he was brought up from triple-A to fill in for our ailing pitching staff. The best spot for this hard throwing youngster is in the starting rotation however he might end up starting in the ‘pen for a little while until Wells and/or Clement leave town.
7- Bronson Arroyo - Saturn Nuts might end up anchoring our bullpen and filling in if any starters hit the DL this year. He has stated he will do anything to help the club and even took a hometown discount to stay with Boston. A trade would ruffle some feathers in the Red Sox Nation so expect Mr. Cornrows to be on the 25 man roster in September.
THE BULLPEN:
RHP - Keith Foulke(CL) - if there was anyone who has something to prove this year its Foulkie. After a frustrating year recovering from knee surgeries last year, Foulke needs to step it up and prove to the organization and fan base that he wasn’t just a one hit wonder in Boston.
RHP - Mike Timlin - the acquisition of right handed set-up man David Riske should take some pressure off Timlin. Hopefully he won’t have to appear in as many innings and can stay healthy throughout the entire year. That will leave time for more hunting with Wakefield.
RHP - David Riske - this 29 year old right hander was acquired in the Coco Crisp trade from the Cleveland Indians. He should be a solid addition to the bullpen.
RHP - Rudy Seanez - Seanez makes his second go around with the Sox, having previously played in Boston in the 2003 season. He was picked up out of free agency and signed to a one year deal after previously playing with the San Diego Padres. Last year he went 7-1 with a 2.69 ERA and yielded just 18 earned runs in 60 1/3 innings over 57 relief appearances.
LHP - Julian Tavarez - The Sox signed this lefty set-up man to a to a two-year, $6.7 million contract in early January. Tavarez previously pitched for the Cardinals where, in the last two years he made a total of 151 appearances. He went 2-3 with a 3.43 ERA last year while two years ago he posted a 2.38 ERA. He may look familiar to many Sox fans as he was the losing pitcher in Game 1 of the 2004 World Series after giving up a game winning home run to Mark Bellhorn.
LHP - Lenny DiNardo - probably looks familiar to Sox fans. We have seen him a number of times make appearances for the BoSox. He might see some more time this year due to the lack of lefties in the Sox ‘pen. He gives a solid effort and is decent in long relief situations.
UTILITY PLAYERS:
Tony Graffanino - Infield - Picked up last year from the Kansas City Royals midseason, Tony batted .300 and started at second base for the latter half of the Sox season. Tony accepted arbitration with the Sox, even though that means he might not start. I would expect him to get some solid playing time though, especially playing a possible third base if Mike Lowell poops his pants.
Alex Cora - Infield - We saw a little bit of Cora last year. He will probably have a similar role playing the infield as a defensive substitute in late innings.
Adam Stern - Outfield - Stern saw limited playing time last year playing in only 36 games. He will probably play a little bit more depending on Gabe Gabler’s status and whether or not Coco Crisp gets soggy(HAahahAHAhA - get it, ’soggy’! hahahha)
Dustan Mohr - Outfield - Mohr was picked up from free agency after playing with the Colorado Rockies last year. He doesn’t have tremendous speed but is a great hustler. He isn’t the best bat either but is capable of hitting the long ball.
John Flaherty - Catcher - Flaherty will probably be catching for Wakefield every fifth game. Don’t expect him to pop up any time other than that though.
COACHES:
Manager:
Terry Francona - Good ol’ Tito will be back at the helm this year, nervous rocking and all. He will have a bigger challenge trying to figure out how to manage all of the new guys but luckily for him most of the guys fit well in a certain spot in the lineup. Also, thats his job.
Pitching Coach:
Dave Wallace - Dave Wallace will return again this year as well and continue to hobble his way to the mound like a geratric dog for every conference at the mound.
1st Base Coach:
Bill Haselman - Bill will be a new face to see when runners single, walk, or get hit-by-pitch and make their way to 1st base. We welcome Bill but will sadly miss Lynn “The Mustache” Jones.
BROADCASTERS:
Joe Castiglione, Jerry Trupiano, Don Orsillo, and Jerry Remy all return to anchor our all-star cast of Red Sox personalities. It should be noted that this is WEEI’s last year of their contract with the Red Sox. I would expect a big year for the station being that its a contract year. Unless it pulls a Nomar and puts on a pouty-bitch-pussy face for half the year. Also, the Rem-dawg returns following and All-Star worthy season last year. I would imagine his buddy Wally the Green Monster will emerge as well. Probably in extra-inning or extra-boring games.
As of February 1st, that ladies and gentlemen, appear to be your 2006 Boston Red Sox.
theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com
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