Pages

▼

January 29, 2011

Theo: "We're More Or Less Set"

Theo Epstein, on the Red Sox's spring training roster: "We're more or less set."

The team might make another depth move -- signing a potential starter to a minor-league contract -- but Epstein says, "right now those guys are looking for major league jobs". And like everyone else, the GM is looking forward to
the return to health of a lot of our most important players. There aren't many position battles per se, but if you look around the diamond, there are players you want to see out there healthy. ... Once we can get all those guys out there at the same time, taking infield together, that will be a pleasant sight.
Adrian Gonzalez, recovering from right shoulder surgery, began throwing a ball about ten days ago. He is expected to be playing games by mid-to-late March.
Example
Yankees GM Brian Cashman: "Am I trying to get fired? Absolutely not. What have I done that's so explosive? What have I done that's so controversial? I did nothing improper or wrong or controversial or explosive."

Yankees president Randy Levine is annoyed at Rangers owner Chuck Greenberg. After Greenberg noted that Texas's extended talks with Cliff Lee gave the Phillies extra time to nab the free agent, Levine replied:
Chuck is delusional. He has been running the Rangers for a few minutes and seems to believe he's mastered what everyone else is thinking. ... I'll be impressed when he demonstrates he can keep the Rangers off [revenue-sharing] welfare.
From 1995-2009, Derek Jeter hit .353 with the bases loaded. Last year, however, he went 1-for-20 (with two walks and one HBP). That .050 batting average is the lowest of any Yankee dating back to at least 1955, the earliest season for which bases-loaded data exists.
Example
Since 1920, ten players have had three games in which they doubled, tripled, and homered -- but could not get a single for the cycle:
Manny Trillo
Babe Ruth
Frank Robinson
Magglio Ordonez
Gregg Jefferies (2 in a 10-game span in 1988)
Brian Giles
Lou Gehrig
Joe Cronin
Ellis Burks
Hank Aaron
at

6 comments:

  1. mattymattyJanuary 30, 2011 at 12:23 AM

    An .050 for Cap'n Clutch, eh? Beauty.

    ReplyDelete
  2. PatrickJanuary 30, 2011 at 12:51 PM

    Set? Really? I suppose I'll settle for the best roster in baseball.

    That'll do, Epstein. That'll do.

    ReplyDelete
  3. allanJanuary 30, 2011 at 12:54 PM

    Looks like he means who will be in camp is all set. No additions forthcoming.

    When I first saw it, I thought he meant the 25-man roster -- which actually is pretty much set, except for maybe one bench spot and a back of the pen arm.

    ReplyDelete
  4. FenFanJanuary 31, 2011 at 4:27 AM

    Just looked at the ticker at boston.com and it's 14 days until Sox pitchers and catchers report. Or, in other words, the first day of spring in my mind.

    ReplyDelete
  5. RobJanuary 31, 2011 at 6:27 AM

    8 days until Truck Day, & we're looking at maybe 2 feet of snow here this Tuesday and Wednesday, which, in metrics, is about a thousand centimetres. I might sneak onto that truck.

    ReplyDelete
  6. PokerwolfJanuary 31, 2011 at 10:38 AM

    Man, there's a lot of grumpiness in The Land of the MFY at the moment. Cashman's snippy and now Levine is snippy. I guess that means we'll get a Steinbrenner explosion in the first two months of the season. Gee, darn.

    Kudos to Theo. Looks like the Sox are in fantastic shape.

    ReplyDelete