When the Red Sox traded Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez to the Florida Marlins in the 2005 off-season for pitcher Josh Beckett, the Marlins required that Boston take the higher-paid 3B Mike Lowell in the deal as well. At the time, many Red Sox fans (this one included) bemoaned the inclusion and wondered where we’d find a place for him.
Well, after leading the Red Sox in RBI this year with 120, Lowell capped his fantastic season by taking home the 2007 World Series MVP. After wondering how we could get rid of him shortly after getting him, this fan is wondering if the team will be able to fend off suitors for his services this off-season. Nice throw-in.
October 29th, 2007
From the New York Times…
They have gone from exorcism to coronation in record time. The Boston Red Sox, who fought ghosts for most of the last century, are the premier team of the new millennium.
The Red Sox won their second World Series in four years Sunday, edging the Colorado Rockies, 4-3, in Game 4 at Coors Field. They are the first team to win multiple championships since 2000, and with a deep payroll and a stable of talented young pitchers, they may be poised for more.
October 29th, 2007
Sorry, the above was a quote not mine. I meant to add to it that it sounds like something that would have been written about the Yankees. Maybe being the best team money can buy isn’t so bad.
Of course the player development program has also yielded benefits.
October 29th, 2007
Yeah, I’d say that the “player development program has also yielded benefits.”
While there are a number of players traded for or signed in free agency that make up a core of the Red Sox, the fact remains that the winning pitcher last night (Jon Lester) is homegrown. The closer (Jonathan Papelbon) is homegrown. The new centerfielder and leadoffman extraordinaire (Jacoby Ellsbury) is homegrown. The second baseman and likely ROY winner in the AL (Dustin Pedroia) is homegrown. 1B Kevin Youkillis (who didn’t make a single error in the regular season) and Manny Delcarmen (3rd reliever out of the pen) are also all homegrown.
October 29th, 2007
I’m not meaning to disparage here as I don’t think it matters all that much, but, I think that’s about it. I mean, there aren’t many more than those 5 or 6 guys on the 25-man roster who can be considered “home grown.” I would really like to see a breakdown of the names/numbers, if Mike or Scott care (and have the time) to do it. Please note my other reply for context:
http://www.snakesinmypants.com/2007/10/29/the-numbers/
Now, don’t get my wrong: those mentioned above were all KEY guys, and the fact that stud rookies Ellsbury and Pedroia are starting position players on the WS Champions, when that WS team has SUCH a high payroll with SUCH mega-stars (like Ortiz, Manny, Shilling, etc.) is incredible. I try to look out 3-4 years, and see a Nats team that has a few mega-stars, some cagey vets, a nicely mixed pitching staff, and a few solid rookies, and a team like this Sox team is what I dream of. It’s hard to imagine having such a solid team (like the Sox of 2004) and being able to add so many quality players from the farm in 1-2 years. I look down into the Nats farm system, and see about the same handful (5-6 guys), but that might get to the Majors over the course of 4-5 years – not in 1-2. That is indeed pretty impressive.
Of course, about half of the Rockies’s roster are direct from their own farm system – and while they weren’t very competitive with the Sox, I think that’s a more likely path for the Nats to take to the WS.