Pitching Depth- Bullpen

Michael Bottigliero, Sox Superfan
Back again for what is now a major strength of our Sox: the Bullpen. With some great moves last season and some new questionable acquisitions from Kenny Williams our bullpen has grown deep and hopefully will be able to pick up the slack if any(especially the 5th spot) of the starting rotation falters.

• Closer: Bobby Jenks is young, strong, and seems solid. With a blazing fastball and some good experience behind him he is primed to save many games this season. I am not worried about his spring performance as he started out shaky last spring.
• Setup: Mike MacDougal was literally stolen from the Royals last season. He finished ‘06 eating up innings and batters for the Sox. He is ready to go and can step confidently into a closing role if the need arises.
• Left Handers: Kenny Williams should have been charged with his second theft last season as Matt Thornton was plucked from the Mariners. This lefty throws hard and has no problem against right or left handed batters. Andrew Sisco is huge(6′ 10″) with a world of ability- looking forward to Coop and Kenny to get the most out of this guy. Boone Logan showed us a little last season and is showing us alot this spring- I would like to see this continue. Depending on how many roster spots Ozzie uses for the staff and if John Danks makes the 5th rotation spot, he can make the starters or bullpen better.
• The Rest: We have some great competition to make the major league club but only so many roster spots. Some other pitchers are making progress but it will be nice to know they will be seeing regular action in the minors until they are ready. A few more possible throwers for the Sox are David Aardsma, Charlie Haegar, and Gavin Floyd. Aardsma is experiencing the same problem he has shown in the past: control. He has a great fastball but must steady himself or face demotion or release. Haegar is a knuckleballer, great to have a good one around, and may be ready to stick around the majors for a while.

It’s coming down to the final weeks of spring training and I am sure other Sox fans are as eager as I am to play ball!

Projected 25-Man Roster

Alex Wolf, Sox Superfan
Okay, I’d love to see where everyone weighs in at this point: Who’s going to be on the Sox 25-man roster on Opening Day? Here’s my best guess, with the opening day lineup:
Starters
LF – Scott Podsednik
CF – Darin Erstad
DH – Jim Thome
1B – Paul Konerko
RF – Jermaine Dye
3B – Joe Crede
C – A.J. Pierzynski
2B – Tadahito Iguchi
SS – Juan Uribe
2B – Tadahito Iguchi
Bench
Alex Cintron
Toby Hall
Rob Mackowiak
Pablo Ozuna
Brian Anderson
Starting Pitchers
1. Jose Contreras
2. Jon Garland
3. Mark Buehrle
4. Javier Vazquez
5. Gavin Floyd
Relief Pitchers
Bobby Jenks (closer)
Matt Thornton
Mike MacDougal
Nick Masset
Boone Logan
Andy Sisco

There’s a bunch of this that I would like to qualify, but I would rather leave it open to get all of your thoughts. Rip away!

Preseason Outlook

Alex Wolf, Sox Superfan

I’d love to get to some of the things I’ve read so far on the blog, but I’ll throw out my preseason outlook first just to be on the record.
The rotation is certainly at a loss without Freddy Garcia–as much as I love our young talent, they simply cannot perform at his level this year–but I am confident that the improved play of Vazquez and Buehrle will more than make up for the loss. Furthermore, the team has too many young options for one not to work out at least slightly above replacement level. Besides, the bullpen is one of the best in baseball and can step in for a struggling 5th starter. On the offensive side of things, the big bats certainly out-performed expectations last year and it will be interesting to see if they can live up to those heightened standards this year. Either way, the bottom of the lineup last year was miserable, and guys like Anderson and Uribe are simply too talented to have seasons like they had in 2006. In the end, I think fans will be pleasantly surprised with a more balanced lineup whose danger extends far beyond the heart of the order as it resided last year. I see the Sox struggling a bit at times trying to find the right places for all their talent, but won’t be surprised if they put up another above 90-win season. Too bad that might not be enough for a playoff bid if the Twins, Tigers, Indians and even Royals (the most underrated team in the AL) play as well as they can. In the end, if the Sox can manage their outfield platoon between Podsednik, Erstad, and Anderson well and if the starters pitch with even 75% of the consistency that they did in 2005, the strong bullpen, the deep bench, and the veteran leadership will lead this team to another World Series charge.

Pitching Depth

Michael Bottigliero, Sox Superfan
As promised I have finished my preseason evaluation of our Sox pitching staff. A lot of changes have taken place- for the good and bad. For the good we have added much depth and prospects to our strong mix. For the bad we have lost some bona fide pitching and experience while creating gaps in the staff. Let’s explore some of the excitement:

• Starting pitching: What once was the strength of this ball club is nothing but questions, especially the 5th rotation spot. We also cannot stand to lose any veteran starter to injury. Our ace, Jose Contreras, is probably the most susceptible. He has great movement on his pitches but has struggled with location. It is good to see him picking it up this spring and getting strong- if he comes out of the gates like he did last year watch out! Our #2, Mark Buehrle, seems to be on a nine month search to find himself again. His ERA skyrocketed last July as his curve lost some drop and he has been keeping the ball up. His spring has been less than impressive and I really am pulling for this great guy and Sox farm product. The #3, Jon Garland, has put up a few impressive seasons in a row and I hope for some of the same. I have been watching this guy since we stole him from the Cubs(bye Matt Karchner!) and he should be stable for the Sox for years to come. Our #4, Javier Vasquez, has probably the best stuff out of all of them- he just seems to lose concentration and location at small points, mostly around the middle innings. He is locked up with the club for a while so if we can harness all that ability then we will get a great starter. Now we get to the main problem: 5th starter. If our prospects don’t catch on then we are facing the same problem we faced in ‘03 and ‘04- we will be getting bashed every 5th game. I will say this now- I MISS FREDDY! I do not currently have much faith in Gavin Floyd. He is big but not overpowering. He has also struggled with control leading to walks and hits. John Danks is our hottest pitching prospect from the Rangers, is a lefty and has strong stuff. He has had control and walk problems also. On the long term I believe getting Gio Gonzalez back was a great move and watch for this lefty to contend for a spot in the ‘08 rotation. For all the questions and despair I do have faith in pitching coach Don Cooper and his ability to take on reclamation projects and deal with youth. If anyone can mold a great staff out of what we have it is this man.

I went on much longer than I intended with our starters so I will save the bullpen for my next blog. Keep the competitive juices flowing Sox fans!

Position Analysis

Michael Bottigliero, Sox Superfan
This is my first opportunity to blog for my favorite team and I would like to say hello to all of my fellow Sox fans as well as thank you for reading.
I am really excited about many things this season, though there are some things I am disappointed with. This new season gives us great belief in our potential to win the World Series again. We have much more talent than last year, especially in depth. Here is my position analysis:

• Catcher: Steady A.J. Pierzynski is back for his third season and I look for him to stay healthy and get at least 120 starts with backup Toby Hall giving him spot rest. Hall at backup is a huge upgrade, both reliable defensively and possessing an average stick.
• 1B: Paulie is back and in his prime(happy 31st!) ready to put up some monster numbers. I expect the same consistency, leadership, defense and grit he has always put out there. Eduardo Perez can hit and may back him up if he gains a roster spot.
• 2B: My favorite Japanese import besides my Subaru will be ready to thrill this season. He may be one of the best placed hitters in the two spot of the order as he can adeptly sacrifice runners as well as get himself on, steal bases, and just plain hit! The versatile Pablo Ozuna backs him up as well as almost every other position.
• SS: Juan Uribe starts here as long as he can keep out of the Dominican carcel. I have been disappointed with his batting avg. and OBP though I can live with it due to his power numbers, low position in batting order and defense. Having Cintron as backup is a luxury.
• 3B: I remember watching a young Robin Ventura grow up at 3B and what a thrill that was. Now I am watching Joe Crede grow into one hell of a ballplayer. He has a great eye, excellent power, clutch hitting, and plays top 5 at his position. He has been able to play 140+ games/year but I want to see if he can come in with a healthy back. If not, the Sox feel hot prospect Josh Fields can grow nicely at 3B and will back him up.
• LF: Scott Podsednik surprised all with his ability to heal from a hernia so quickly and looks like he may start the season in LF. His speed is needed at the top of the order. In ‘05 he was able to cause mayhem on the base paths as well as drive opposing batteries bonkers by turning any hit into a scoring opportunity. Fields will look to backup LF as well.
• CF: The battle rages between a veteran and the incumbent youngster. I am pulling for Brian Anderson because he is great in the outfield(even better than Rowand), showed flashes of hitting last season, and the competition seems to be bringing out the best in him this spring(.348 BA). Darin Erstad is a great player to have around- former Series champ, willing to do it all- but his best years are behind him and he is one leap from the DL.
• RF: Jermaine Dye…need I say more? I am sure he is ready for a big season as he has gotten better each year with the Sox and this is also a free agent year. Get your MVP chant ready again. Mackowiak will be backing up all OF positions.
• DH: A healthy Jim Thome is what makes all Sox fans smile as he makes this lineup equal to or better than any upper echelon team in baseball. Avoiding back problems is going to be the key to out slugging most clubs. Fields, Sweeney, or Perez can help here also.

I will be posting my pitching analysis along with my ‘07 overview in the next couple days. In the meantime keep yourselves entertained with the CF and 5th rotation spot battles!

Excitement Builds

Chris Bender, Sox Superfan

I am really very excited about the upcoming season. I was getting down a little bit seeing all the losses build up. But, now the Sox are rolling. They are getting wins and regularly are looking good doing so. The pitchers are getting their innings in and putting together quality outings. Contreras is doing well; Buehrle isn’t quite there yet but he’s doing better; Garland isn’t complaining about his arm being tired anymore; Vazquez is finding a groove and they are looking like they have the needed depth in the bullpen. Podsednik looks like he’s getting healthy and will be ready by opening day. They Erstad and Ozuna to back up. Anderson might actually start to hit during the season. Jermaine, Paulie and Thome are completely awesome. Uribe is in good shape and has been working extra in the cage. Crede is healthy. And, Tadahito is always reliable defensively. This team looks like they will be ready for the season and they need to be.

We’re on a mission from Guillen

Cait Higgins, Sox Superfan

Back to the Grind! I am loving the slogan and the commercials this year. They’re awesome! “We haven’t won since ‘05, it’s time to end the drought” brings a smile to my heart every time I see it.

Spring Training

Cait Higgins, Sox Superfan

Going to Tucson for my spring break this year really got me excited about the new talent that we have (from the minors and new additions to the team). John Danks and Gavin Floyd are both solid pitchers and it will be very interesting to see which one makes the starting rotation. They both give Ozzie excellent options, if they perform in the regular season the way they have been in Spring Training. Jose looks excellent, and I believe that Mark and Jon will have career years on the mound. Matt Thornton has looked great as well, throwing as hard as ever! Ryan Sweeney, Jerry Owens, Casey Regowski, and Josh Fields have had impressive springs. They all look great! Hopefully, we will be able to see these guys, even if it is just when they extend the rosters.

I’m really excited about Scott Podsednik being probable for Opening Day on April 2! It’s good to see that he has gotten himself healthy on the offseason and will be able to play at 100% the whole season. With the addition of Erstad, the outfield will be excellent. Hopefully Brian Anderson will be able to keep his starter spot on the team this season; his defense is outstanding.

Finally, I am not worried about going 7-12 so far in Spring Training. As we remember, we didn’t do so hot last year and wound up winning 90 games! We have looked excellent, at least, against the Cubs (which some people might say is most important)! That said, 15 days till Opening Day!

Keep Anderson in the Majors

Jake Baskin, Sox Superfan

Now that it appears that Podsednik will be joining the Sox on opening day and Erstad will be in the starting lineup, Brian Anderson might have to start the season in AAA. Ozzie, please don’t let this happen! Anderson is getting his swing back and the demoralization of a trip back down to the minors will only hurt him, not to mention the benefit of his superior fielding abilities.