For Now, Jon Lester is the Only Red Sox Going to the 2014 MLB All-Star Game

I think the best way to sum up Boston's miserable first half was revealed tonight as they only have one player-Jon Lester-headed to Minnesota next week for the 2014 MLB All-Star Game. It is almost impossible to have it like that since the Red Sox are coming off a World Series title, in a big market with multiple superstars and don't forget that manager John Farrell is in charge of the American League.

Whatever his motivation-playing for a new beefy contract is the easy theory-Lester has been great from Opening Day: 9-7 in 18 starts, 122 innings, 122 strikeouts/29 walks, 1.15 WHIP, .242 BAA (batting average against) and 2.73 ERA.

There are always injury replacements since the game is still more than a week away (next Tuesday) so stay tuned on that front. Boston has one player who is regarded as the first alternate-Koji Uehara (4-2, 18 saves, 52 strikeouts/6 walks, 0.74 WHIP and 1.30 ERA)-as far as pitchers go. Him and Lester have been the only two guys on the Red Sox to maintain or even improve their performance level from 2013. It's easy to see him getting moved in the next few weeks should Boston continue to sink like a stone in the AL (they have the exact same record as the Mets and Padres).

Apparently David Ortiz (19 home runs, 55 RBIs, .261 AVG, .361 OBP, .494 SLG) turned down a chance to join the AL team in favor of Farrell taking younger DHs having better seasons (Nelson Cruz, Victor Martinez and Edwin Encarnacion although he's hurt) than him. That makes for a nice story, oh look how unselfish Big Papi is being, but the truth is that he probably just wants an extra break after this rocky first half.

Dustin Pedroia (4 home runs, 32 RBIs, .284, .354 OBP, .387 SLG) has heated up lately but he hasn't played like himself for most of the first half. Therefore his spot isn't automatic every year since there are some good second baseman in the AL (Robinson Cano and Jose Altuve) and thankfully the fans realized this.

There isn't even a Red Sox in the running for the final spot in the AL, five players from other teams will do the honors. I'm guessing the home field advantage for the World Series won't play quite as big a role for this edition of Boston compared to last season. With four days off in a row next week, you have to believe that GM Ben Cherington begins to blow this awful team up. Otherwise, what are they doing here?

UPDATE 7/9: Red Sox designated A.J. Pierzynski for assignment today (yes!) and called up Christian Vazquez who is making his MLB debut. Also, Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka went on the DL with an elbow injury so Uehara is going to the All-Star Game after all. That's cool and well deserved for him, especially since he's never been before.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Red Sox Hire Their New Pitching Coach: Juan Nieves

In the major sports that I enjoy, I've decided that there aren't many things that make me more bored to tears than MLB's off-season. Even worse, the hot stove is upon us with GM's meetings kicking off tonight in California. We interrupt your winter hibernation with this information: today, the Red Sox hired Juan Nieves to be their pitching coach.

It is a bit of a surprise since it seemed like manager John Farrell and the front office were wholeheartedly pursuing famed pitching coach Rick Peterson. Not that you can believe most of the clowns that cover the Red Sox full-time. Nieves is a former MLB pitcher that spent the last five seasons as bullpen coach for the White Sox.

I love when people try to project whether managers or coaches in baseball will be effective or not. Haha who knows? The most important factor by far is talent. If Boston doesn't severely upgrade its starting rotation, Nieves will continue on the carousel of pitching coaches the last four seasons for the Red Sox: Farrell, Curt Young, Bob McClure and Randy Niemann.

The only pitchers I have really heard out there that Boston could be interested in are free agent Dan Haren and former Red Sox Justin Masterson (who is on the Indians). Neither one is thrilling but they would both have value (assuming Haren is healthy): their best asset is that they are durable and routinely pitch over 200 innings. A feat which has been extremely rare the last few seasons for Boston with its underachieving, overpaid and mostly lazy pitchers.

The next step for Farrell is to hire a new hitting coach. However, anytime GM Ben Cherington wants to add more MLB-level players, that would be lovely. The Red Sox can use all the help that they can get heading into next season.

UPDATE 11/9: Today, Dr. Larry Ronan was named medical director while Gary Tuck remains as the bullpen coach for his seventh season with the club.

UPDATE 11/20: Arnie Beyeler was named first-base coach, he was manager of the PawSox the last two seasons.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

John Farrell, The Next Manager Of Your Boston Red Sox

Sorry Brad Ausmus, Tony Pena, Tim Wallach and DeMarlo Hale but the news leaked over Twitter late tonight that the Red Sox are expected to name John Farrell as their next manager, most likely tomorrow. Thus ends the most predictable coaching search in professional sports history since everyone and their grandmother knew that Farrell was Boston's man from the second they fired Bobby Valentine.

He had one year remaining on his contract with the Blue Jays so Boston will send infielder Mike Aviles to Toronto as compensation. There is also talk of the Red Sox receiving a player in return from the Blue Jays but we don't know who that would be yet-there have been whispers of Adam Lind. Losing Aviles would have happened away since Pedro Ciriaco and to a lesser degree Jose Iglesias have taken his spot on the roster.

We can all agree that the role of manager on a baseball team has been proven to be largely irrelevant but if anyone is suited to clean up this disaster site on Yawkey Way, it's a guy that was a pitching coach here for four very successful years (2007-10). He understands the city, the franchise and the inherit pressure of the position that he's walking into.

More importantly, he has a background with Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz who are Boston's two best starting pitchers. The only way that the Red Sox will get anywhere is if those guys turn around their careers from 2012's nightmare. Other positives in his favor are his age (50) and decent major league career as a player. The fact that he was .500 in 2011 with the Blue Jays and 73-89 (four games better than the Red Sox) this season is largely irrelevant. It doesn't matter who was in charge of that mediocre squad that was decimated by injuries and underachievement.

As a fan, I'm happy that the Red Sox didn't let this process drag itself out to a ridiculous degree like last year with Valentine. There are a million issues facing that team but at least this is a decent start to turning things around. The Red Sox had lost their way for over a year but now it appears like their gaining some common sense back in their day to day operations.

UPDATE 10/21: Farrell received a three-year deal from the Red Sox and Boston received right-hander David Carpenter as part of the deal. In 33 games between the Astros and Blue Jays in 2012, the reliever had a 8.07 ERA in 32.1 innings so don't expect to ever hear from him again.

UPDATE 10/23: Former PawSox manager and Blue Jays first base coach (the last two years under Farrell) Torey Lovullo will be named Boston's bench coach in the next few days according to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford.

UPDATE 10/25: WEEI.com's Alex Speier reports that bench coach Tim Bogar won't return to the Red Sox next season.

UPDATE 10/30: Maine native and former Blue Jays third-base coach Brian Butterfield was named third-base coach for the Red Sox. Like Lovullo, he worked in the same role under Farrell in Toronto so they obviously have chemistry and a familiarity with each other.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Red Sox Hitting Coach Dave Magadan Leaves For A Better Team: The Texas Rangers

The Red Sox still don't have a manager and now, they will also be on the market for a hitting coach. After seven seasons including one World Series title in Boston, Dave Magadan left for the same position with the Rangers. He had an option on his contract but he was allowed to speak to other clubs. Who could blame him from getting out of this quagmire? Texas will probably lose Josh Hamilton in free agency but their lineup is still stacked.

Look, I've always said that the role of manager is vastly overrated in MLB (hi Mike Matheny one win away from the World Series) so that means by extension that hitting coaches and pitching coaches are even more irrelevant. I mean, what can you say to a major leaguer that's struggling in those areas? Swing at better pitches and throw strikes?

Truth be told, the Red Sox' offense was much less of an issue this past season than their god awful starting rotation. Hence why hiring a new pitching coach would seem to have a higher priority.

Speaking of managers, Boston is reportedly in negotiations with Toronto regarding their manager John Farrell. You'll remember he was the pitching coach for the Red Sox from 2006-10 before being the manager of the Blue Jays the last two seasons. They have also interviewed Yankees bench coach Tony Pena, Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach, Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus and Orioles third base coach DeMarlo Hale but from the start, everyone has felt like Farrell is their man. It would be surprising if they went with someone else.

Whomever the Red Sox select, they better learn from their mistakes of last season and let that guy pick his assistants. Sticking Bobby Valentine with a hodge podge of holdover coaches from Terry Francona's regime that he didn't bring with him or select was only one of the million reasons why 2012 was doomed to fail from the start.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate