Peter Gammons is reporting that the Red Sox are close to signing free agent outfield Rocco Baldelli. Tonight is the Boston Baseball Writers Dinner and Gammons thinks an announcement could come at the dinner where Rocco is being honored.My initial thoughts are this guy can't run from here to there without getting tired, but a recent round of tests at Mass General Hospital yielded encouraging results for the Rhode Island grown talent.
Baldelli has missed 331 games the last 3 years due to mitochondria disorder, which makes him feel like he just ran the Boston Marathon after a simple workout. I have heard rumors that a new diagnosis/treatment has allowed Baldelli to make tremendous progress so perhaps he's on the road to playing as many games in a year as JD Drew.
Obviously I'm skeptical about this deal; with Drew pretty much penciled in for a DL stint and back stiffness the Sox will need a fourth outfielder who can be ready to play at a moments notice. I was hoping Theo would find a way to bring back Mark Kotsay, but he's rumored to be looking for a starting job somewhere else.
Baldelli played in 28 games for the Tampa Bay Don't Call them Devil Rays last season, batting .263 with 4 homeruns and an OBP of .344.
5 comments:
...man...i go to an offsite seminar for work and the Sox-related news goes crazy...
Not super wild about Rocco as our fourth outfielder...considering Drew's questionable health at all times and Rocco's risks, not sure how dependable of a move this is...another signing by the sox with potential upside...potential. I hope he proves me wrong.
That said...i can't wait to yell ROCCO!!! at the TV and buy his t-shirt jersey.
I'm causitously optimistic about this if/when it goes through....if the new medical information is indeed true, there is reason to hope for much better numbers from Rocco.
...plus it never hurts to have local (semi local) guy on the hometown team....go Rocco.
Penny, Baldelli, and Smoltz soon?
Who's next? Roy Hobbs?
jus kiddin....But seriously about Baldelli, he has a 4-1K/BB rate and a lifetime .325 OBP. Added in he's torn an ACL, had TJ surgery and was basically out a whole season with a hamstring pull. From experience, it's the hammy pull I find most disconcerting. He seems like the kind of guy who'd run through a wall to get a ball. Those guys pull muscles a lot. Hope he does well.
Dale, I agree with you on the injury concerns but it's hard not to cheer for this guy.
Also, it seems like he's been around forever, but he just turned 27 so who knows what can happen.
Agreed about the hammy pull, Dale. That's maybe my biggest concern, nagging type of injury that might be indicative of something more.
Post a Comment