What the Red Sox Should Do
by Greg Sullivan
Ah, the Red Sox. Every season, full of
promise, is somehow dashed, along with the hopes
of fans all over New England, by late-season
disappointment. Call it what you will - the curse
of the Bambino, the Sports Illustrated jinx, or
the hex of the peanut-brained manager - but the
2000 Red Sox season came down to three major
problems:
- Poor coaching
- Lack of quality starts from the #2-#5
starters
- Lack of offensive production at key
positions
Looking at this list, it's actually remarkable
that the Red Sox won as many games as they did
this year. But let's not kid ourselves - the Red
Sox are built to win, and win now. They have the
single best pitcher and one of the best
shortstops on the planet in their primes and
locked up for the next four seasons, so they need
to find answers to these three problems, and find
them soon. Let's take the problems one at a time.
Coaching:
Let's just get this out there right now - Jimy
Williams is completely insane. Whether it was
pinch-running in the sixth inning of tie games,
losing the designated hitter in back-to-back
games, or using 162 different batting orders, he
just didn't have the same luck with some of his
bizzarre managerial tactics that brought him the
Manager of the Year award in 1999.
That being said, Jimy is not the only one to
blame. Hitting coach Jim Rice took a hands-off
approach to the offense which led to impatience
at the plate from the top of the batting order to
the bottom, and by mid-season, some players were
even working with first base coach Tommy Harper
rather than him. And third base coach Wendel Kim
waved runners into certain death at the plate so
frequently that a SportsCenter anchor actually
refered to Nomar Garciaparra as being
"Wendel Kimmed" after he was gunned
down at home at one point this season.
Thankfully, Rice and Kim have already been
fired, so the real question mark for this season
is Williams. Given a better staff, Jimy should be
able to do a better job this season, but if the
insanity continues, Boston may have to consider
replacing him with a more conventional manager.
As of right now, though, the coaching staff as a
whole is in good shape to produce a few more wins
in 2001.
Starting Pitching:
Obviously, they were fine at the number one
slot all year, with Pedro Martinez boasting a
sub-2.00 ERA, which is just unheard of these
days. But, as any Yankee fan will tell you, Pedro
can't pitch every day, and even with the
overworked yet brilliantly effective bullpen
behind it, the rest of the Red Sox rotation was
abysmal.
Well, maybe that's a little harsh. Arguably
the worst performers in the rotation, Ramon
Martinez and Pete Shoureck, are gone. Brian Rose
and Jeff Fasserro were equally horrifying, but by
the end of the season they were in Colorado and
in the bullpen, respectively - replaced by
Rolando Arrojo and Tomo Okha, who actually
pitched well enough to win spots in the rotation
in 2001.
The big problem is that nobody behind Pedro
could give the team innings, which led to the
bullpen being so overworked. Since releivers
Fasserro, Rheal Cormier, and Hector Carrasco most
likely won't be back, they'll need a stud starter
behind Pedro to give them seven or eight innings
consistently. The solution here is a no-brainer:
sign Mike Mussina. Yes, he'll be expensive, but
he'll be worth every penny come playoff time, and
he subtracts another question mark from the
rotation, making things a lot easier for
everyone.
As far as the fifth starter, Paxton Crawford
pitched well enough late in the season to get a
legitimate shot, but if Bret Saberhagen is ever
healthy again the job will be his. In the
bullpen, the Sox need to sign a proven lefty to
take the place of Cormier. John Franco would be
nice, but given the price tag, I would see what
miracle-working pitching coach Joe Kerrigan could
do with a question mark like a Scott Radinsky or
a Randy Myers.
Offensive Production:
Trading Kim and Rice for Gene Lamont and Rick
Down automatically makes the offense better, but
the Sox lacked offensive punch at both corner
outfield positions as well as third base, first
base, and DH in 2000. Obviously, some on-field
changes need to be made.
It appears that it might be time to stick a
fork in Troy O'Leary. If I can get anything for
him in a trade this off-season, especially a
lefty out of the pen or a low-end starter in case
Ohka or Crawford prove that they're not ready for
a full season, I'd do it. Dante Bichette could
play left-field if absolutely necessary, since
the Sox don't have the payroll flexibility to
bring in a stud performer who could field the
position every day, especially after singing
Mussina. A short-term solution could be a free
agent such as Dave Martinez or Glenallen Hill.
In right field, you have to stick with Trot
Nixon. Down can definitely help him out at the
plate, and he's absolutely fearless with his
golve. If Jimy would just let him play every day
and get some experience versus lefties, he could
continue to build on his promising rookie
seasonof 1999.
Third base is a question mark because of John
Valentin's health. Due to the lack of quality,
affordable third base help available, the Red Sox
should do everything they can to trade for San
Diego's Phil Nevin. He's a solid contributor who
could catch or DH if needed and only carries a $4
million contract over the next two years. With
the Padres' impending loss of Tony Gwynn to free
agency, a package of Troy O'Leary and a minor
league infielder should get the job done.
First base and DH will have to stay as is for
this season - there just aren't that many ways to
upgrade these positions considering the payroll
that the Sox are already carrying. After the
contracts of Mike Lansing and Bichette run out,
the team might be able to make some significant
upgrades, but if Daubach can find any level of
consistency at first and Bichette can thrive in
the DH roll as he did after Boston picked him up
last season, then they should be okay in 2001.
Plan B:
If the severe number of question marks in this
scenario seems too risky for Boston, they should
trade Everett and fly by the seat of their pants
for a year until the payroll opens up in 2002,
when they can sign Johnny Damon.
2001 Suggested 25-man roster:
Lineup:
2B - Jose Offerman
RF - Trot Nixon
SS - Nomar Garciaparra
CF - Carl Everett
DH - Dante Bichette
3B - Phil Nevin
1B - Brian Daubach
C - Jason Varitek
LF - Dave Martinez
Bench:
C- Scott Hatteberg
IF - Mike Lansing
IF - Lou Merloni
OF - Darren Lewis
OF - Midre Cummings
Starters:
Pedro Martinez
Mike Mussina
Rolando Arrojo
Tomo Ohka
Paxton Crawford
Bullpen:
Derek Lowe
Rod Beck
Hipolito Pichardo
Scott Radinsky
Rich Garces
Juan Pena
Disabled List:
3B - John Valentin
SP - Bret Saberhagen
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