Iglesias Might Convince ITM to go to Ft Myers After All

(He's studly already, I can just feel it)

Even in the far east, I can't get enough of Jose Iglesias. I'm not sure I've ever had a man crush on someone who I've never see play, but Jose is different. I've made every attempt to calm my optimism about the 20 year old Cuban, but I can't. He's here, he's working hard, and I'm damn excited about it.

In fact, as soon as I return, I plan on buying one of his jersey t shirts (ITM note: if he goes bust as a result, it's not my fault).

Apparently, Lou Merloni shares this kind of excitement....and Framingham Lou is never wrong about baseball. Here is a snippet from Lou's article on WEEI.com

"...before I even got to see Iglesias on the field, I must say, I was very impressed. From day one, Jose walked around the clubhouse shaking hands, signing autographs and taking pictures with would-be fans trying to get a glimpse at the future. With a very impressive grasp on the English language, Iglesias handled himself like a seasoned veteran.

Every morning I was greeted with a smile and a handshake. This young man gets it. But how good is he? I spent the first few days watching him hit in the cage. He looks like he has a good approach at the plate, staying inside the baseball, driving the ball up the middle and the other way. His stroke was short and compact and his hands looked quick. If I had to compare him to someone, I think that Orlando Cabrera would be a good comparison — a player without much power but a good major league hitter.

I had to wait a few days to see him take ground balls, which was killing me because that’s what I was really looking forward to. Let’s just say that it was worth the wait. There’s a certain level of cockiness and confidence that all great infielders possess in order to play the position at such a high level. At the young age of 20, Iglesias already has that trait. There was never a doubt with any ground ball hit his way. Like every great shortstop, it seemed like the ball never hit his mitt. It was catch and release. Smooth. He turned double plays flawlessly. He charged the ball. He ranged to his left and his right."

As much fun as he was having taking ground balls, I must say, it was even more fun to watch. The Red Sox have found their shortstop of the future, and after watching Jose Iglesias take ground balls for a week, I would say that it’s in very good hands."

Jose Iglesias is clearly a man after my own heart. If that article doesn't get you excited then you're simply not human, and certainly not from Boston. Couple Lou Merloni's review of the short stop of Boston's future with Joe Murph's recent email to me that all of a sudden he "needs to go to Spring Training"...and you've got me searching travel sites like crazy for deals to fly down to Spring Training in March.

NEVER AGAIN

By Far the Worst News of My Day....

According to Boston.com...

Marco Scutaro, a free-agent shortstop who could potentially fill Boston's void at the position next season, worked out for the Red Sox earlier this week, sources told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. Scutaro worked out for Allard Baird this week near Scutaro's home in Florida, according to the report. Baird is an assistant to Sox GM Theo Epstein. The workout was reportedly held to help alleviate concerns the Red Sox had over a heel injury that sidelined Scutaro for the final two weeks of 2009.


According to another report, Scutaro told Augusto Cardenas, a reporter for the Venezualan newspaper Diario Panorama, that the Red Sox have asked for Scutaro's medical records.
"The people of Boston called again and asked for my medical report, and [we] are working on it," Scutaro told Diario Panorama. "I have to go to a doctor to confirm that I am OK about the injury I had at the end of the season."


Scutaro hit .284 with 12 home runs and 60 RBIs for the Blue Jays last season. He was offered salary arbitration by the Blue Jays this week, meaning Toronto will receive draft picks if another team signs the shortstop.


The Sox, of course, are in need of a shortstop following the departure of Alex Gonzalez. While Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has said he'd be open to switching positions, allowing the Sox flexibility to go after either a shortstop or a second baseman this offseason, Pedroia's position switch is likely not the team's first option."



And down goes Theo!...let's face it, the man can draft players, but when it comes to staffing a shortstop, you might as well have the bearded guy from The Hangover running the team. Talk about being over leveraged. on a 19 year old Cuban ballplayer who has yet to play single A ball. Terrible.

Before you go to bed tonight, say a prayer that this isn't true....because awesome name or not, we'll be overpaying for a class A free agent past his prime and career .265 hitter. But I'm sure Theo will be quick to tell us his OBP was 3rd among AL shortstops last year on cloudy days with an above average temperature against AL West opponents. Yes, you read that right.

12/4 Update: I was hoping I would wake up this morning and it would all have been a bad dream. At last it isn't....it's true, Theo pulled the trigger and now I've been spending my morning thinking of an annoying nickname I can call him from the bleachers. I hope to Christ he proves me, and every other angry Bostonian I've talked to today, tremendously wrong.

Adam Everett? Why Not Just Bring Back 49 Year Old John Valentin?

The possibility of Dusty moving to the shortstop position is worth a post of its own....and to be honest, that was my plan for tonight. However, I stumbled upon a story that the Red Sox have reached out to Adam Everett in their search for a new "fix" in the six hole.

Adam Everett? ....

Really? ...

This is the plan? Are we skipping over the dollars to pick up the pennies? Can I be the first to suggest to bring back John Valentin instead of signing this guy??? (PS: Valentin is actually only 42, but I called him 49 to reinforce my point in the headline, you understand)

I can't help but get a little frustrated when I read stories like these. We pass up on Gonzo (see below), and instead of pushing for a sincere upgrade to address Boston's black hole, Theo wows us with this guy? He's basically a white Alex Gonzalez but hits even less. Are reports like this aimed at lulling Red Sox Nation into believing that picking up Marco Scutaro is the answer?

Well it's not changing my frame of mind. A 34 year old, one year wonder, type A free agent in Scutaro (who will cost us draft picks), is certainly not the answer. Moreover, putting all your eggs in the collective basket of a 19 year old who just swam away from Cuba isn't the absolute answer either.

Call me overly optimistic, but I'm still holding out hope for Han-Ram..... Or at lest, if you're going to try to fix something that isn't broken, and move Dusty to short, bring in Dan Uggla or Brandon Phillips to make the change absolutely worth it.

In Theo we trust???

5 Innings, a W, and a Reminder

If you take a read through the Boston media after last night's 5 inning, rain-soaked victory, you would think Josh Beckett tossed a complete game 1 hitter, striking out 14. While I'm excited about Beckett's improved performance, I'm not ready to label him "back". In fact, in my opinion, the biggest takeaway from last night's game may not have even been Beckett.....in my mind, it was Gonzo....and his reminder to his all.

The defensive wizz at short stop continues to rake in a Boston uniform....hitting about .100 points higher than any Boston short stop in recent memory. Currently, he's hitting .295 with the Sox, has smashed 4 taters (one more than he had all season with the Reds), and knocked in 11 runs from the number 9 spot in the order. No longer do pitchers look at the bottom of this lineup and consider it comparable to one from the NL Central.....and absolutely none of it has to do with Tek.

Gonzo has deepened an already deep lineup, something he wasn't exactly brought in here to do. And oh yeah, he's solidified a defense that has been in the bottom third of the league all year.

That being said, I'm still extremely confused by the questions surrounding who will play short stop for the 2010 Red Sox. You have your answer, he's right in front of you.....pick up his 6 million dollar option, end the questions, and provide a little clarity for a 2010 team that currently has question marks all over the field (think about it, the only positional definites are Pedey, JD, and Jacoby.....especially since we don't know what position Youk or VMart will be playing).

Maybe it's all a ploy and they have every intention on signing Gonzo....or maybe management doesn't like the fact that he's had 88 at bats here in Boston and has yet to walk once. I can see Theo shaking his head from here.

The Sox padded their wild card lead to three games last night, the Yanks lost, there is a double header today, and it's the first Sunday of the NFL season......all good reasons for me not to do any homework today....

Go Sox.

A New Dawn

After dropping 6 straight games the Sox finally got back in the win column last night in front of the home crowd. The win was ugly, but at this point the Red Sox and their fans will take a W in whatever form it comes in.

Most importantly the bats came alive last night as the Sox scored 6 runs on 12 hits as they lite up Tiger's starter Edwin Jackson. The lack of pop in the lineup was all anyone was talking about after being swept at the hands of the Yankees; the Sox responded with 3 home runs last night from Pedroia, Bay, and Nick Green.

It was nice to see Jason Bay still remembered where third base was, I can't remember the last time he was over there. After Green's sac fly gave the Sox a 6-5 lead my roommate remarked, "When is the last time Nick Green had 2 RBI in one game?"

Brad Penny turned in a solid outing, going 6 innings and allowing 3 runs all while suffering from acid reflux, I feel his pain. Penny had been struggling lately prompting everyone to question Theo's low risk low reward strategy of signing pitchers on the rebound to 1 year deals. Certainly John Smoltz has imploded but I think Penny can be a valuable member of the rotation coming down the stretch.

The bullpen did their best Heathcliff Slocumb impression again last night as Manny Delcarmen gave up 2 runs, only 1 earned, in .2 innings of relief. Ramon Ramirez cleaned up Delcarmen's mess in the 7th, then put runners on 2nd and third with 1 out in the 8th inning before striking out Adam Everret.

Tito then went to Paplebon got a harmless pop up to end the 8th and then blew away the Tiger's in the 9th.

The road to recovery started last night. Although the bullpen continues to be an issue, we can hang out hats on the lineup waking up, it definitely helps to play 4 games at home where the Sox are 36-17.

In addition, the Yankees and Rays both lost last night, and the Rangers had the day off. The Sox have a half game lead in the wild card over the Rangers who they play this weekend in Texas. It feels weird to be scoreboard watching in early August, hopefully it's an over reaction to the last road trip that will pass as the Sox being to play better.

(This has been a Tim Murphy production, posted by J Murph.)

Sox "Desperate" to Rid Themselves of Lugo....No Kidding

There are "new" reports circling around the web that the Red Sox are"desperate" to trade Julio Lugo. Does this surprise anyone? Haven't all of us been desperate to get rid of the overpaid and irrationally confident shortstop pretty much since we got him?

Now, as the entire baseball market has the Sox over a barrel knowing that they need to move him, no one wants to touch him with a ten foot pole. And for good reason, the best production Boston has managed out of Lugo came in Spring Training this year when he hit close to .400.....I still can't believe many of us were foolish in harboring some optimism for him (myself included).

The Sox have Lowrie on the mend, Green as more than capable backup, and a 9.25 million dollar waste of space on their bench (not to mention he's taking up a valuable roster spot). In addition the Sox have made it their goal to build some young shortstops in their farm system in order to develop for the future. From signing an 18 year old Cuban defector, to forcing a single A pitcher into a shortstop role, to today's signing of a 16 year old Dominican who apparently is one of the best young talents on an island full of studs.

Make no mistake about it, the Sox are not happy with the revolving shortstop door, but between dumping Lugo for a bag of balls and prioritizing their scouting, I have confidence they'll get it done.

Lugo Admits The Truth

The guy almost every member of Red Sox nation loves to hate, Julio Lugo may have actually earned back a few fans with his game-winning hit last night. However that didn't stop him from admitting something we've all known for a long time....he's been a complete bust in Boston.....

"No, it hasn’t," he said late yesterday afternoon in regards to things working out in a Boston uniform....

"I thought it would work, but that’s not where we are," ........ "But one thing I am not going to do is throw a log on the fire. It’s just the way it is right now and I have to deal with it."

Julio Lugo has achieved a complete vote of no confidence from Red Sox fans, despite showing signs of life at the plate in limited time. Perhaps if he didn't launch every other ball hit to him into the stands, or get paid about 87 times more than his market value, or live up to any of the irrationally high expectations from team management, he might have a few more fans here in the rain capital of the world.

But with Lowrie managing to get hurt in his rehab start, we may have to live with a little more Lugo than expected. Is it possible he can swing his way out from under the cloud of hate? I'm going with no, but he may be slowly gaining some steam.