Red Sox Lineup Analysis: Part 1
Yes, its barely the start of Spring Training, and yes, there is still much to be decided (besides just who the closer will be). But, I think that there is a good amount of certainty in regard to who the 2007 Red Sox starters will be. There are not really any competitions on the team this year aside from bench spots (and even there, its pretty well decided). Our 5 starters are set. Our position players know where they’ll be standing when the first pitch is thrown. So let’s take a closer look at who those position players are, and what can be expected of them this year, relative to last year.
The lineup is obviously stacked. The key element is the ability to switch up right-left-right, making it a nightmare to pitch based on match-ups. There shouldn’t be very many innings where no left handed batters come to the plate this year. Batting/Pitching hand is noted for each player.
Starting at the bottom of the lineup, let’s take a second (See Dustin Pedroia) look at this rookie’s first season in the bigs.
Since we’ve already discussed some of his background, lets look at the key fundamentals to his game:
• He was an outstanding college star at Arizona State, where he won both NCAA Defensive Player of the Year and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2003
• He was an International League All-Star last year playing for Pawtucket
• He’s 23, to be 24 in August, so clearly he has room for improvement. We should see constant improvement throughout the season
• Pedroia is a middle-infielder, and can play a quality shortstop as well as second base.
• Unfortunately, he has virtually no power, and having lost weight this offseason, it won’t be coming either. Speed is average, don’t expect a lot of running. His strength is getting to balls in the hole toward second base.
So what are we really expecting from Pedroia? He is going to be thrown in the fire and struggle this year. This will be tough, especially in Boston where results are demanded immediately, but if fans are willing to be as patient as the ownership apparently is going to be, he’ll be a mainstay in Fenway for years to come. Think Jody Reed – but he still has to learn to hit to the opposite field before he can effectively use the wall as well.
Stumble it!