Randomocity meets curiosity by Mike Ghika
Thoughts on A-Rod's book, Strasburg, Beckett, and more!


•Johnny Damon blasted Red Sox’ management over the Jason Varitek talks from last winter, saying that he “couldn’t believe that they were letting [Varitek] walk and try to find a team.” He also said that that was the difference between New York and Boston – apparently because the Yankees are so committed to players that have been mainstays within the organization. Concerning Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Jorge Posada, Damon noted, “It goes to show you something about how the Yankees think, and how many Yankees players have been exclusive with one team. They keep them forever.” Apparently Damon forgets that the Yankees essentially ignored Bernie Williams’s (.297 in 16 seasons with New York) desire to return to the Yankees after the 2006 season. They went out and signed the former Sox centerfielder to a four-year deal instead. Is he bitter the Sox didn’t outbid the Yanks or what?

•Okay, if you haven’t been paying attention to San Diego State starter, Stephen Strasburg, it’s time to begin following this kid. The junior right-hander is the most heralded pitcher ever entering a draft, and through 11 starts, he is 10-0 on the year with a 1.38 ERA and 147 strikeouts and just 15 walks in 78.1 innings for SDSU. The Nats have the overall No. 1 pick and say that they intend to draft him, even if it takes anywhere from $30-50 million to sign the Boras-client.

•Each has only made five starts, but Jon Lester (5.40 ERA), Josh Beckett (7.22), and Brad Penny (7.61 - could a DFA be possible if he continues to pitch poorly?) have faltered out of the gate. Tim Wakefield has been phenomenal, but it is unclear whether or not his health will hold up at his age, and Daisuke Matsuzaka is regaining his arm strength, but he remains a question as well. You figure that at some point, there will be room to make some sort of move to get John Smoltz into the rotation by June 1, and Theo may be urged to give Clay Buchholz (1-0, 1.80 ERA in 4 starts at Pawtucket), another shot in the coming months if need be.

•As for Beckett, there currently is no guarantee that he will be in Boston next season. He needs to make 23 more starts for his $12 million 2010 option to vest, but if he doesn’t reach that mark, the Sox can buy him out for $2 million. If he doesn’t regain his 2007 form sometime during the current campaign, there will no doubt be questions concerning whether or not he is a part of the future for this rather young team.

•Just as Buchholz and Michael Bowden wait to hopefully crack a stacked rotation, Daniel Bard hopes to soon crack a loaded Red Sox bullpen. The former Tar Heel continues his mound dominance at Pawtucket, posting a 1.32 ERA in nine appearances with 4 saves. The Sox have also stretched him out a bit – Bard has thrown 13.2 IP in his nine games, and he has gone two innings in four of his outings. He has allowed just two earned runs (on two solo home runs) and opponents are hitting just .114 against him.

•I watched Sunday night’s conversation between Bob Costas and Selena Roberts, author of the newly released, A-Rod, on the MLB Network – which I urge everyone to include in your cable package if you don’t have it already. Even though Roberts is making allegations against the hated A-Rod, I cannot find myself to like anything about the reporter. Her demeanor is boring, and anything she said was no different from what you’ve read on the ESPN ticker for the past week. She also got very defensive when Costas inquired about how and why just the ONE superstar’s name was leaked, and not any of the other 103 names from the 2003 random drug testing list. Costas got it right, because that is the biggest question on my mind as well.

•Newly-acquired reliever Ramon Ramirez (2-0) has yet to give up a run on the young season. In fact, he did not allow an inherited runner to score until Sunday’s finale at Tampa Bay. With Justin Masterson filling in as a starter, Ramirez is currently the main set-up guy. Meanwhile, Coco Crisp is hitting .242 for the surprising Royals – a team that is 14-11 through 25 games. Crisp also stands in position for a big raise with an $8 million option on the table for 2010, while Ramirez will likely make somewhere around $1.5 million in arbitration.

•Lastly, the only distraction that could arise for the Sox in the coming months is the struggles of David Ortiz. We can only hope that he straightens it out offensively, finds some form of his past power, and hits near .300 the rest of the way. But if not, there is no way they can allow him to continue to hit third. If Ortiz isn’t able to get comfortable at the plate, Terry Francona may be forced to do away with his left-right-left-right fascination and insert Jason Bay into the three hole; another option could be to put JD Drew in front of Kevin Youkilis and slide Ortiz down to the fifth spot. The Sox have proved they can still win despite Papi’s struggles, but at some point, it might become clear that it would be more beneficial to the team to have a more deserving player hit third.

-Mike Ghika

Published on May 04, 2009

---