- Joined
- Sep 16, 2004
- Messages
- 12,436
- Reaction score
- 13,148
When looking back at '13 and diagnosing exactly where the Sox excelled over the long haul, I narrow it down to relief pitching and the dominant 1-2 punch at the top of the order. Koji Uehara was an unexpected gift who was as close to a sure thing as I've ever witnessed. Never giving back games is always the goal.... he was flawless...massive advantage for the Saux.
This year...I absolutely believe that RP will be the teams biggest strength....but without the 1-2 ham and egg duo of Elsbury and Victorino....who I put nearly as high on the pedestal of excellence as RP this duo distinguished themselves above most if not all other teams' top of the order.
Unfortunately in '14, this OF is a shell of its former self filled with flawed ballplayers and their only ML caliber +starter (Victorino) is a medical mystery on a daily basis. Last year Farrell could maneuver and create a solid aggregate player in LF by utilizing strengths vs certain matchups. This year, without one OFer that the team can count on to be an "everyday vs any pitcher" stud.....this team will be hurting and the run production from the top of the order we saw last year is just a memory. The speed element is gone for good. And I view Nava and Sizemore as very solid spare parts, not pieces of a LT foundation. The Saux OF could be one of the least productive in the league
No lightning in a bottle this year IMO............but because I'm usually wrong........onward and upward
This year...I absolutely believe that RP will be the teams biggest strength....but without the 1-2 ham and egg duo of Elsbury and Victorino....who I put nearly as high on the pedestal of excellence as RP this duo distinguished themselves above most if not all other teams' top of the order.
Unfortunately in '14, this OF is a shell of its former self filled with flawed ballplayers and their only ML caliber +starter (Victorino) is a medical mystery on a daily basis. Last year Farrell could maneuver and create a solid aggregate player in LF by utilizing strengths vs certain matchups. This year, without one OFer that the team can count on to be an "everyday vs any pitcher" stud.....this team will be hurting and the run production from the top of the order we saw last year is just a memory. The speed element is gone for good. And I view Nava and Sizemore as very solid spare parts, not pieces of a LT foundation. The Saux OF could be one of the least productive in the league
No lightning in a bottle this year IMO............but because I'm usually wrong........onward and upward