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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2011 0:53:43 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox @ Seattle Mariners
Bos: Jon Lester (13-9, 4.54) Sea: Felix Hernandez (18-8, 3.49)
MLB on Fox theme music plays
After a lengthy off-season filled with blockbuster trades and record-setting contracts, the 2014 season finally kicks off tonight with a cross-country rivalry---the Seattle Mariners hosting the Boston Red Sox.
Two seasons ago, the teams were separated by two games, when the Mariners decided to trade two-time MVP Prince Fielder to the Red Sox. Boston obliged, and rode Fielder to a 43-18 finish, not only securing the wild card and leaving the Mariners in the dust, but finishing with 100 wins and capturing the AL East. Last season, it was the Mariners leaving the Sox in the rear view mirror, holding Fielder to a 1-11 series in a three-game September sweep of the Sox, leapfrogging them on the way to winning the Wild Card.
This time around, the stakes are still high. With Texas' powerhouse in the West, and Tampa Bay's juggernaut in the East, the Wild Card may be the destination for one of these two teams.
The Red sox have loaded up, stretching their budget to the limit. Fielder is gone, but big names like Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez, Curtis Granderson, James Loney, and Chris Iannetta have been brought in to erase last season's bad mojo. Seattle's offseason was more subdued, with Mat Latos and Jason Bartlett added to a strong core of Felix Hernandez and Ubaldo Jimenez on the mound, and Russ Canzler and Marc Krauss behind the plate.
As we kick off the regular season, it would be nice to hear from the GM's of the perspective teams to get their insights as to this exciting matchup.
For the Red Sox, what was the reasoning behind all the big moves, and how can they possibly hope to gel?
The Red Sox have reportedly gone over the soft budget set by John Henry. How do they plan on getting under?
Finally, Jon Lester had a disappointing 2013. Is Derek Bobola concerned heading into this matchup with Felix Hernandez.
For the Mariners and Sam East, first of all, Russ Canzler, last season's surprise AL RBI champ will be suspended for the early part of 2014. How big a blow is that to the Seattle lineup?
Jonathan Papelbon struggled through a down 2013, while Greg Smith and David Aardsma have hardly been special the past few seasons. How comfortable is East with his late relief core?
Finally, while Hernandez is an ace, how concerned is East with the impressive Red Sox lineup, and what is his strategy regarding limiting it's impact.
We hope to hear from these GM's in regard to these questions, and any other input they'd like to share.
Of course if you---the fans, have any questions or comments, feel free to fire away!
It's the Red Sox vs the Mariners to kick off the 2014 season on the PBL Game of the Week!!!
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2011 1:58:00 GMT -5
I've got some questions: First why would the Red Sox trade for Hanley Ramirez when they signed Yunel Escobar in the offseason? Doesn't make too much sense from my perspective seeing as both of them only play one position, shortstop. Next, why did the Redsox extend Hanley's contract 6 years? The guy is already the worst fielding shortstop in the league at the age of 30. Finally, why didn't the Redsox do more to improve their starting Ro? It's average-at-best and if any team can pound LH pitching, then the "Lester advantage" is nullified. IMHO, the Redsox started shakin in their boots after the Yankees made a splash during the offseason. They made a TON of moves but they didn't improve their club at all, did they? Has Derek lost his mind? ??
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2011 2:17:46 GMT -5
BTW, Hanley's defense is so bad, I'll be surpised if he knows where to stand out there! let's hope he is not napping in the batter's box when the Redsox take the field!! It takes a "special" manager to take a stud team like Boston and butcher them into the lopsided monstrosity that competes in this sim's "Game of the Week." Let's face it, the only reason Boston made the playoffs at all in the last few seasons was because of a revolving door at GM for a 45 win Blue Jays squad and an absent Yankees GM.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2011 2:57:17 GMT -5
And this is why we screen our phone calls!
One thing I will say Sean is that you can make talent work regardless of position. Hanley will likely be Boston's DH this season and has been elite the past two seasons. Meanwhile, Escobar is more of a defensive player, though the concerns with Hanley are valid.
Anybody have any thoughts on Seattle's lineup versus Lester?
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2011 5:04:42 GMT -5
It's tough to say how Seattle will do against Boston because it's just one game. He has a lot of lefties going up against Lester and that will give Lester a bump in ratings. That being said, his lefthanded bats are top quality guys so who knows?...
Overall, Seattle lacks speed, but I'm not if speed is over-rated or under-rated in baseball... and therefore don't know if it will hurt him this year.
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Post by Derek _ Red Sox on May 27, 2011 9:52:35 GMT -5
BTW, Hanley's defense is so bad, I'll be surpised if he knows where to stand out there! let's hope he is not napping in the batter's box when the Redsox take the field!! It takes a "special" manager to take a stud team like Boston and butcher them into the lopsided monstrosity that competes in this sim's "Game of the Week." Let's face it, the only reason Boston made the playoffs at all in the last few seasons was because of a revolving door at GM for a 45 win Blue Jays squad and an absent Yankees GM. Did somebody say something? Must be those pesky little bottom-feeders in NY are yapping again.I can say this with certainty, the only team that I compare my team against is Tampa because I consider them the elite team in the division. When another team in the division passes me then I will start comparing to them as well but as of right now, my goal is to jump ahead of the rays. I think its a bit unfair to criticize the Yankees as an 'absent owner' as well. 2010 they were PBL World Series winners, 2011 they won over 90 games and then terrible contracts and over-rated veterans filled the roster so he started to rebuild and he left you in a healthy situation so you can come in and spend money on a potential 3rd or 4th place team. The Red Sox best season was in 2011 when we won a league best 106 games. That season Tampa won 97 games, New York won 91 games, Baltimore 77 and Toronto 65 games (20 games more than this past season). So saying I feasted on bad opponents is a bit of a misunderstanding on how it really happened. That season was a 3-way battle for a long time. Let me answer a few questions for you silly New Yorkers: Question 1: “First why would the Red Sox trade for Hanley Ramirez when they signed Yunel Escobar in the offseason? Doesn't make too much sense from my perspective seeing as both of them only play one position, shortstop.”Answer: Yunel Escobar is a great defensive Shortstop and will continue to play the position while he is in a Red Sox uniform. The only times I do not expect him in the lineup is for scheduled days off. We value defense at the Shortstop position and Yunel definitely gives us that. Hanley will only play the position to give rest and then he will see a little playing time at 3B to give Youkilis a rest but the majority of his time will be DH. Question 2: “Why did the Redsox extend Hanley's contract 6 years? The guy is already the worst fielding shortstop in the league at the age of 30”Answer: Simple, he is the 3rd rated offensive player in the game, is very durable and will provide us great offense, as he is one of only a few guys who could replace the production of Prince Fielder. He also adds a different dimension since he runs the bases and will be a perennial .300 hitter that will be a 30/30 guy and knock in 100 RBIs a season. Oh, yeh, he is also cheaper annually than Prince was.. Like Erick said, you find room for talent. Question 3: “Why didn't the Redsox do more to improve their starting Ro? It's average-at-best and if any team can pound LH pitching, then the "Lester advantage" is nullified.”Answer: Pitching is at a premium in this league and its not an easy thing to acquire unless your willing to give up a lot of prospects (which not many teams have enough) or are willing to pay out $30+ million a year. We were not willing to pay that kind of money for any free agent this year. However, we were able to land a legitimate top of the rotation guy in Justin Verlander. He played for 2 teams last season and never really got settled in but he is a year removed from an 18-2 season with a 2.90 ERA. Verlander may be our best pitcher, even over Lester. Look at the top #1-2 pitchers in the AL East: Boston (Lester & Verlander), Tampa Bay (pick any two: Shields, Hughes, Jurrjens, Scherzer), Baltimore (Myers & Tillman), Toronto (Germano & Parra) and New York (Nolasco & Aceves and I think its pretty easy to say after Tampa (might be best in baseball), I got the best top of the rotation. My #3-4 pitchers have better ratings than the Yankees Opening Day Starter yet I am going to be questioned by the NY media? Oh, we are basing it on Stats? Hello what have you for me Ricky Nolasco in the last 2 years? I wouldn’t hesitate going into a huge series with NY if they had their top 3 going against my bottom 3. I would still feel like we should sweep the series. Statement 1: “IMHO, the Redsox started shakin in their boots after the Yankees made a splash during the offseason. They made a TON of moves but they didn't improve their club at all, did they? Has Derek lost his mind???”Response: I said it once and I'll say it again, I really do hope the Yankees start winning so they can actually talk trash and not sound ridiculous. Looking over their 2014 team, I see another year of competing in the lower half of the division. Have they made improvements? Yes! Enough to contend or scare a team that contends every season to make ‘desperate’ moves? Absolutely not! Challenge: I’d love to hear your reasoning that the Red Sox did not improve: Here is some info to work with: Yunel Escobar was signed to replace the aging Marco Scutaro. Jason Werth was signed to replaced the aging/injured Magglio Ordonez. Curtis Granderson was signed to replace the not-ready prospect Jason Place or the poor defensive Ellsbury in Center, who now moves to left. Hanley was brought in to replace Prince Fielder. Verlander replaced Pineda in the rotation Bobby Jenks, Brandon Lyon and Jeremy Affeldt were brought in to solidify the bullpen. Rebel Ridling was traded but we signed James Loney who is a proven Major League .300 hitter who should be good for 20+ homers and 80 RBI if given enough playing time. Chris Ianetta was brought in to play Catcher since Luis Ramon Arzeno was trade which is an obvious step down so it’s a good starting point for you but also Chris has the power we need and defensive skills to be more than adequate. Now go ahead and spin it only the way the NY Media would....
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Post by Derek _ Red Sox on May 27, 2011 9:55:19 GMT -5
Oh and for my prediction of tonight's game: I will pick Seattle to win at home.
I look forward to battling all season long with everyone in the American League but I look forward to the battles with Tampa, Texas and Seattle especially as they are the class of the American League in my opinion.
Sam, always puts a good team on the table so I will go with him tonight with final score of 4-2
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2011 11:42:11 GMT -5
The GM of his own team predicts a loss? How will this brazen statement affect the confidence of his players?
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2011 13:07:14 GMT -5
Comments on this season:
The Mariners have a reputation as being one of PBLs bigest 'traders'. In fact we only have one player on our 40 man roster who was with the organization back at the start of the PBL (King Felix).
So our lack of activity this off season might have been a surprise for some - but simply put I think we already have a very good team and didnt see any reason to change things. When I look at our 25 man roster I see quality throughout.
The other big advantage this Seattle team has is age.
Most of our past trade activity was aimed at bringing in toolsy players in their early 20s. Now these players have matured, and with the exception of Papelbon (who I would debate had a decent year in 2013), and (newly acquired) Bartlett and Aardsma we have no one on our 25 man roster over 30 years.
The vast majority of our batting line up is aged between 25 and 28, which should be their prime years. Interestingly the youngest player we will face in the Boston batting tonight is James Loney who is 29.
Another reason for confidence this year, is that we made the WC spot last year with two of our most important bats having horrible seasons. Asdrubal Cabrera went from a 209 hit, 62.4 VORP year in 2012 to 127 hits and 10.3 VORP in 2013. Adam Jones struggled even more, going from 104 RBIs to 61 last year. We expect both players to have far better years in 2014, and believe we now have one of the best quality batting line ups in baseball. The fact that Brett Wallace (who I believe batted clean up during his time in Boston?) is pencilled in to bat at #7 in our line up speaks to our overall batting quality.
In terms of starting pitching - Snell will be a big loss, but Latos is an excellent replacement. Last year, in terms of wins, we had the top 3 SPs in the AL (Felix, Ubaldo and Snell). This year Zambrona and Snell are out and Latos and Melville are in - if anything I think we're a little stronger in SPs in 2014. I think we now 'expect' Felix and Ubaldo to win 18+ games every season. More importantly will be how Latos and Gallardo perform in the middle of the rotation.
Who knows how any bullpen will perform prior to the start of the season! Middle relief pitchers fluxuations in form and results are so extreme in the PBL that I've always felt that just having a solid looking bullpen is all a GM can do. I don't see any 'weak links' in relief, and am excited to see how Aardsma does in his return to Seattle.
The biggest concern for this team is in the field. Last year both our pitching and batting ranked 3rd in the AL, in defence we ranked 11th. Although we don't have any muppets in the field, we also lack a 'star' who can make defensive plays that can change a game. In particular our outfield can look a little pedestrian at times, and this may be an area we look to strengthen as the season develops.
My overall feeling prior to the start of the 2014 season is extremely positive. I know many commentators have talked up the whole Boston vs. Seattle thing for the Wild Card race before the first pitch has even been thrown but I'll debate whether that's really important this year for two reasons. Firstly, the AL Central is extremely strong this year. Although the parrity in the Central makes it tough for those teams, nobody can take the Twins, Tigers, White Sox or Indians for granted this year. Secondly, and I know this may sound over confident, I think we can give the Rangers a real run for their money this year. I won't say any more on that, but I think we're a better team than we were and I don't know if Texas are......
As for tonights game....
LH pitching has been our batting line ups kryptonite in the past. With Anderson, Krauss, Cabrera, Wallace, Span, and Lambo all favoring facing RHP and with Canzler (RHB) suspended - if it's Lester we face tonight then it won't be a favorable match up. However, the best players always find a way to get it done and we beat Lester both times we faced him last year.
Frankly with so many recent changes in Boston, i've no idea how the Red Sox offense will play tonight. But they always put out a strong line up and in Hanley Ramirez they have an exciting new centerpiece to their offense. As for Prince? Well of course every AL GM was happy to hear he'll be crushing NL pitching this year!
Prediction for tonight? I won't be drawn on that, although I think we match up well with this Red Sox team overall. I will predict that we'll take this first series however. For what it's worth we finished with the best Spring training record in the AL, more importantly many of our key players look in great form right now - we're ready for this season to start.
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Post by Derek _ Red Sox on May 27, 2011 13:24:10 GMT -5
The GM of his own team predicts a loss? How will this brazen statement affect the confidence of his players? I'm realistic. On a smaller scale, I do expect us to win the series and on a larger scale I expect to have one of the best teams in the PBL this year. That being said, I picked a Mariner's victory because they are the home team playing in front of their fans who are dying for baseball. Also remember the 2011 Red Sox started 2-10 before going on a great run to get back into 1st place... We need to be patient as we have a lot of new pieces that we need to gel together.
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Post by Derek _ Red Sox on May 27, 2011 14:34:15 GMT -5
Red Sox Starting Lineup for tonight:
1- Jacoby Ellsbury, LF (.289- 30 doubles, 46 steals) 2- Dustin Pedroia, 2B (.312-22-110) 3- Hanley Ramirez, DH (.310-22-79, 22 steals) 4- James Loney, 1B (.299-26-68) 5- Kevin Youkilis, 3B (.247-22-95) 6- Jason Werth, RF (.202-10-35 in 115 games) 7- Curtis Granderson, CF (.224-22-62, 18 steals) 8- Chris Ianneta, C (.228-15-65) 9- Yunel Escobar, SS (.276-15-53)
Starting Pitcher: Jon Lester, lefty (13-9, 4.54 ERA)
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2011 15:04:10 GMT -5
Mariners starting line up:
1. Jason Bartlett SS 2. Bryan Anderson C 3. Adam Jones CF 4. Marc Krauss DH 5. Matt LaPorta 1B 6. Asdrubal Cabrera 2B 7. Brett Wallace 3B 8. Andrew Lambo LF 9. Denard Span RF
SP: 'King' Felix Hernandez RHP
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2011 15:49:18 GMT -5
This is exactly how the GotW threads should go. I just hope more GM's drop by, besides Sean doing so to shit-talk his rival. I can't wait until tonight, though I'll miss the live sim to be at a close friend's birthday dinner
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2011 15:54:53 GMT -5
unfortunately i think i'll miss the live sim too, as I have a prior drinking commitment
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2011 16:03:49 GMT -5
Facing off against the Sox lineup would drive me to drink too.
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