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All Signs Point Up For Sox
February 23, 2009
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2.23.
09, 3:15 PM
All Signs Point Up For Sox
Ortiz, Lowell, Beckett, Penny and more!
By: Jared Carrabis
With the World Baseball Classic just around the corner, the Red Sox are quietly holding their breath in hopes of fielding a team that is at full health to start the 2009 season.
With David Ortiz--who is representing the Dominican Republic in this year's WBC--complaining of soreness in his shoulder recently, there has been little concern from the Red Sox skipper. Over the weekend Ortiz was just feeling some expected soreness as his body readjusts to the daily grind.
"A lot better," manager Terry Francona replied when asked about the health of Ortiz. "We held him back one more day. I think he just probably overdid the other day a little bit. He’s not a guy that’s probably done a ton of throwing coming into camp and then we go out there, (takes) the ground balls, then lifted and then went home and fell asleep on it. I think tomorrow will be fine.
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Ortiz returned to the field of play on Saturday where he took live batting practice and dusted off his glove to get some work in at first base.
While we're on the subject of Red Sox first basemen, Kevin Youkilis has been taking more ground balls at third base this spring compared to last spring due to the uncertainty of Mike Lowell's hip.
"I've taken more than last year just because Mikey is not there every day," Youkilis said. "I don't think there's concern of me playing first base. It's basically just getting your repetitions in at third. 'Cause even if Mikey starts the season, he might not be able to go every day for a week. They might want to hold him off.
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While the Red Sox are optimistic about Lowell's progress he has made since his October surgery, they do not expect his name to be seen on any lineup cards until later on in the Grapefruit League schedule. Lowell has been taking ground balls at the hot corner and making throws across the diamond, but he's not yet "game ready". We can't expect too much from Lowell so soon, but he has been making progress without any setbacks (knock on wood). Being that the third base position requires Lowell to have to be ready to pivot left or right while having to be ready to dive at any moment, his hip is not yet ready for the abuse.
"I'm surprised at what he's able to do," said manager Terry Francona. "(Hitting coach Dave Magadan) is thrilled with his hitting. He's out there taking ground balls, but he's not diving. The progression is good. It's been a progression, which is important and he hasn't taken any steps backwards.
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While diving for hot shots may be easier to withstand for Lowell while in Fort Myers, the cold temperatures here in Boston won't feel too great on his surgically repaired hip. Though Lowell is motivated to return to action as soon as possible, he has to keep in mind that it's a long season. If the playoffs started next month then that's one thing, but he has a 162 game season to grind out. Baby steps, Mikey.
Friday saw the return of Josh Beckett to the mound as he threw live batting practice and faced Major League batters for the first time since Game 6 of last October's ALCS.
"He looked sharp," teammate Brad Wilkerson said. "A guy coming out, first live BP, he's pumping the strike zone, hitting his spots. That's what you want to see.
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Write this down. Go ahead, I'll let you go grab a pen...alright, ready? Josh Beckett is going 19-7 in 2009 with a 3.36 ERA. You might want to pencil him down for his first 200 strikeout season also. If he stays healthy and can pitch around 200 innings, there is no reason why these numbers won't prove to be relatively spot on. Keep in mind, this guy only turns 29 in May.
Since the trade that sent Coco Crisp to Kansas City to bring reliever Ramon Ramirez on board, Jacoby Ellsbury is viewed as the full-time starting center fielder here in Boston. While often viewed as being a quiet character, Ellsbury made some noise from Red Sox camp this past weekend. Ellsbury led the American League with 50 stolen bases in 2008. 50 swipes may seem like a lot, but it's not even halfway to the single season record of 130 held by newly elected Hall of Famer, Rickey Henderson.
When asked if he could ever come close to or even break the mark set by Hederson, Ellsbury responded by saying, "One hundred and thirty? I think I can do anything. Don’t put a limit on it. As Kevin Garnett said, anything’s possible. So there you go.
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If Ellsbury can swipe 130 bags, a record that most deem is untouchable, you'd have to give this guy a hand. Speaking of hands, JD Drew has been experiencing some pain in his left hand.
"His glove hand’s a little sore," manager Terry Francona said. "It’s February. It makes sense to take care of it now rather than mess with it later.
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Makes sense to me. And I'll end this blog with my favorite piece of news to come out of Sox camp in recent days. My sleeper pick for the 2009 season, Brad Penny, threw 30 pitches today during his very first live batting practice. The former 16-game winner said he felt "great" and that he experienced no pain while throwing off the bump.
"I feel 100 percent," he said. "I’m excited. I think the test will be all year." If he feels 100 percent then the Red Sox rotation looks to be in great hands. That is certainly great news considering this guy is penciled to be our fourth starter while he has two 16-win seasons under his belt.
Well, that's all I've got for you today.
In closing, I'll leave you with an excerpt from an email that was sent to me from the editor of my book, enjoy!
-Jared Carrabis
"Hi Jared - I'm back. I'm on pg 60, chpt 6, "Cowboy Up" and enjoying it immensely! This will not be a fast process - I can only do about 10-15 pages an hour because I'm not just reading for enjoyment. There are very few errors - mostly punctuation - you must have had a very good English teacher in high school! Ha Ha... Mostly I'm impressed with your style - very comfortable, conversational, yet clever and effective phrasing now and then that bring a smile to the reader. Your emotions come through and connect with your readers' memories.
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-Jared Carrabis
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