Peter Gammons: Four thoughts for a miserable Wednesday morning
April 30, 2014 by
Peter Gammons
1. The Rays are 11-16, in last place, 4 ½ back.
Joe Maddon believes they’re going to hit, and, hey, they’ve scored more runs than the Yankees,
Matt Joyce has a .961 OPS,
Desmond Jennings has been on base 38.2% of the time and
Evan Longoria and Wil (Ricky Bobby) Myers haven’t gotten hot…yet.
But when Maddon says “we have to get our starting pitching going,” he’s absolutely right. Since
Alex Cobb went down on April 12, they’ve had 2 quality starts in 15 games, 3 wins and a starter’s pitched into the 7
th inning once. They opened a three game series in Boston last night with
Erik Bedard.
Now, Cobb and
Jeremy Hellickson
began their throwing programs this week, Cobb coming off a lat pull,
Hellickson off elbow surgery, and could be together in the rotation in
June. OK.
But if they’re still near the bottom of the standings and close to
double digits back, will they make a decision on whether or not to trade
David Price
a year-and-a-half before free agency? Price’s velocity has been down a
couple of miles per hour from two years ago, but the Rays aren’t
concerned about that.
But because of the drafts of 2010 and 2011—when they had three first
round picks in 2010 and 10 of the first 60 in 2011 and essentially have
nothing to show for either—their system no longer has pitching prospects
lined up on the Skyway Bridge.
And who would trade three top prospects for 1 ½ years of Price?
The Rays would turn to the Dodgers and ask for OF
Joc Pederson, infielder
Corey Seager and 17-year old lefthanded pitcher
Julio Urias,
but there is apparently a limit on Dodger Stadium becoming a mercenary
territory. Stan Kasten has said he wants to build the system. Mattingly
wistfully looks to Pederson and Seager being regulars. Don’t think it
would happen.
The Giants? Maybe for a two year run, and with
Kyle Crick and another three or four big arms in double-A could possibly do it, but at a big cost considering they have
Matt Cain and
Tim Lincecum signed to big deals.
The Rangers? Maybe. Great farm system, with pitchers like
Luke Jackson and
Alex Gonzalez and a middle infielder in
Rougned Odor who could play right away.
With
Max Scherzer and
Jon Lester on the market this winter, it’s a gamble to trade three prospects AND risk losing Price at the end of next season.
2. Xander Bogaerts?
Xander Bogaerts is 21 and a month into his career as a major league
shortstop. His minor league history indicates slow starts, although he’s
second among American League shortstops in on base, third in OPS. Add
in defense, and he’s actually third among AL shortstops in WAR.
His defense, however, has been a work in progress, sometimes having
trouble with his footwork on balls hit up the middle, and has four
errors, one fewer than
Elvis Andrus. But infield coach Brian Butterfield and mentor
Dustin Pedroia
are convinced he will settle down, get the footwork and be fine, and
that right now, where he has no anxiety at the plate, he has in the
field.
That started a drumbeat to bring back
Stephen Drew,
who turned down a $14.1M qualifying offer in November, and rejected
further discussion the first of January. Once that time came, the Red
Sox were committed to Bogaerts at short and
Will Middlebrooks
at third, and they are not turning their backs on their best
prospect—who is 21—one month into the season and move his position for a
guy—Drew—who has batted .243 since he hurt his ankle in 2011. If
Bogaerts were to go down for a couple of weeks, they would probably turn
to former no. 1 pick
Deven Marrero, who is hitting .300 in double-A and is considered a top defender.
What they love about Bogaerts is that he’s 21, a top-rated prospect
by every rating service, and never makes an excuse and always is
accountable. ”He’s going to be a really good player ” says Pedroia.
“Don’t worry”.
3. With Don Sterling smudged across the national
consciousness, many in Boston have reminded us that the Red Sox of Tom
Yawkey, after whom a street is named is enshrined in the Baseball Hall
of Fame, owned a team that was the last of the original 16 to have a
minority player. Yawkey was not a Southerner; he was from Tarrytown,
N.Y., and those who knew him felt that he was not racist, but was guilty
of poor judgment in those who ran his teams, men who belittled
Jackie Robinson and
Sam Jethroe after their Fenway Park workout in the Forties and who did not accept the signing of
Willie Mays by the team’s legendary scout George Digby.
After his death in 1976, his widow, Jean Yawkey, and John Harrington,
head of the Yawkey Foundation, worked hard to right the perception of
the Red Sox and Yawkey in the minority community.
But it has been the current ownership that has made deep, legitimate
strides in Roxbury and all sections of Boston. Tuesday, at a Community
Leadership Breakfast put together by Frank Jordan, the Boston Area
Church League, community leaders like Dr. Charles Ogletree, police, city
and Red Sox officials honored Sarah Collins Rudolph, the lone survivor
of a KKK bombing of a church in 1963.
Through the work of Larry Lucchino and Dr. Charles Steinberg, the Red
Sox brought in Frank Jordan from San Diego to build the alliance of
churches, police and community organizers to build the league and help
children. To meet Ms. Rudolph and recall the horrific bombing of a
church and its children awaiting Sunday School was a celebration of now,
and where we have come.
4. The Rays had intended to take batting practice Tuesday in shorts and t-shirts. The wind and the cold made it impossible.
They came from Chicago, where it had been frigid and wet. April can
be summed up in Cincinnati, where they have played 11 home games, and in
seven of them had rain delays.
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