Red Sox Report Card

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Red Sox Report Card
by Tony Massarotti

When they left spring training slightly more than three months ago, the Red Sox did so without Nomar Garciaparra. By the time the first half ended yesterday, Pedro Martinez, Frank Castillo, Jason Varitek, Carl Everett and Rich Garces, among others, all had joined Garciaparra on the disabled list.

Through it all, the train kept a rollin'.

``It's just a tribute to this team,'' resurgent closer Derek Lowe said following the Sox' spirited 5-4 win over John Rocker and the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night. ``We just never die.''

Has this first half been all flowers and candy? Hell no. Even before the Sox played a single game, players were grumbling about their roles. And when the Sox hit their first true skid of the season in early May, it didn't take long for some people to start pointing fingers, leading to a confrontational clubhouse meeting in Oakland.

By now, one can only hope that the players realize this is ample talent on this team and, perhaps, even enough depth to make a run at a world title. The Sox have won us over with their resiliency of late, so here's hoping they keep the same attitudes when players start coming off the disabled list.

Said Toronto manager Buck Martinez recently: ``When they get those other guys back, they're going to be pretty good.''

They're already pretty good.

They could be great.

POSITIONAL PLAYERS

Dante Bichette - B+ Bichette was upset about a lack of playing time early on, but he's walked the walk of late. After collecting just six extra-base hits in the first two months, he has outhit (.361 to .273) and outslugged (.672 to .651) Manny Ramirez since June 1. At that rate, manager Jimy Williams doesn't really have a choice.

Brian Daubach - B+ Daubach didn't care for the criticisms that went along with a disappointing 2000 season, but there hasn't been much to complain about this year. Offensively and defensively, he's been this team's best infielder. By now, we all know that he is a streak hitter, but the bottom line is that he has been relatively consistent and quite productive.

Carl Everett - C Since last year's All-Star break, he's batting .276 with 19 home runs and 81 RBI, numbers that are comparable with those of Troy O'Leary (.275, 13, 78). This season, after a terrific April, he's batting .269 with five home runs and 24 RBI in 44 games. And while he's been suspect on the bases, Trot Nixon has played center field at least as well, if not better. Any questions?

Scott Hatteberg - C+ Maybe the toughest grade on the team for an assortment of reasons. Hatteberg is 0-for-12 as a pinch-hitter but is batting .268 since Jason Varitek's injury. And while we all know the Sox do little to deter the opposing running game, base stealers have successfully swiped 48-of-51 with Hatteberg behind the plate. Under any circumstances, that's absurd.

Shea Hillenbrand - C Ah, the life of a big league rookie. After making the jump from Double-A Trenton, Hillenbrand hit .343 in April and looked like a young Tim Naehring. Since then, he's batted .217 and looked like a premature Wilton Veras. Overall, given that no one expected a thing from him, Hillenbrand has been decent. One piece of advice: Sometimes, a walk IS as good as a hit.

Mike Lansing - C+ Has he hit? Not really, though it is interesting to note that he has batted .304 against left-handers, against whom manager Jimy Williams solely intended to use Lansing entering spring training. Still, this grade is what it is because of Lansing's defense at shortstop, which has been steady if unspectacular. In Nomar Garciaparra's absence, he did his part. And then some.

Darren Lewis - C A forgotten man on this team, Lewis has the fewest at-bats of any player to remain on the active roster since Opening Day. Essentially a pinch runner and defensive replacement now, he has seemingly done little to harm this team's cause or, for that matter, help it. He's not smiling much these days, but unlike some other Sox players, he hasn't griped about his plight.

Trot Nixon - B+ The poster boy for the case against batting average, he already has more home runs than he did last season and is the runaway team leader in unintentional walks. After Carl Everett went down, Nixon scored runs and drove them in -- accounting for 24 runs in 17 games -- and played center field to boot. Maybe, just maybe, the former No. 1 pick is starting to blossom.

Troy O'Leary - C Since May 1, albeit in limited playing time, he's batting .292 with six home runs and 23 RBI in 39 games, numbers that translate into roughly 25 homers and 96 RBI over a 162-game schedule. (That's O'Leary circa 1999.) Yes, he had an awful April, but his overall production numbers still look a lot like those of Dante Bichette. Strange, but true.

Jose Offerman - B- Offerman still hasn't returned to his form of 1999, when he went to the All-Star Game, but the good news is that he hasn't sunk to last year's depths, either. His inability to turn double plays remains a big concern, but his importance on offense is unquestionable. The Red Sox are 28-9 when he scores a run, 23-27 when he does not.

Manny Ramirez - A He can hit for average (.335), he can hit for power (26 home runs), he can hit with runners in scoring position (.337). He can hit at home (.315) and on the road (.356), in day games (.413) and at night (.299). He can hit left-handers (.429), he can hit right-handers (.307), he can hit on natural grass (.332) and on artificial turf (.348). Get the picture?

Chris Stynes - B Just when he was starting to sizzle, a frightening beaning disrupted his season. But generally speaking, Stynes has been precisely what we expected, a limited defensive player who hits in streaks and absolutely kills left-handed pitching, against whom he is batting .429. Also, major points for producing 40 runs in 39 games.

Jason Varitek - A- Realistically, here's everything you need to know about this guy: On June 7, the night he was injured, Varitek fractured his right elbow diving for a FOUL popup in a BLOWOUT victory. He plays all out, all the time, and if he had not been hurt, he might very well be an All-Star, too. No wonder everybody respects him.

INCOMPLETE - Nomar Garciaparra, Craig Grebeck, Marcus Jensen, Lou Merloni, Doug Mirabelli, Jon Shave, John Valentin.

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PITCHERS

Rolando Arrojo - B Minus one positively wretched relief appearance against Seattle on May 9, he's 2-1 with five saves and a 2.91 ERA in 29 outings covering 26 relief appearances and three starts. Filling in for Pedro Martinez in the starting rotation, he faced Greg Maddux, Chris Carpenter and John Burkett, posting a 1.96 ERA while the team went 2-1. Pretty good.

Rod Beck - B Already, after allowing just two home runs last year, he has allowed seven home runs in 49 innings, a rate roughly equivalent to the pace of left-hander Pete Schourek. Still, the bottom line is that he leads the team in appearances and had ERAs of 2.40 in April, 2.84 in May and 3.18 in June. So far this month, the number is 2.08.

Frank Castillo - B A dreadful June 23 outing against Toronto distorts an ERA that was 3.61 in his other 15 starts, and nobody would have bet that he'd enter intermission with as many wins as Pedro. Yes, the manager and pitching coach have babied him, but now we know why. Once again, Castillo is on the disabled list after pitching only 38-2/3 innings in the second half of 2000.

David Cone - B- Look at his numbers and what you realize is that, in most areas, he has shown only marginal improvement over last season. But Cone has been at his gritty best with runners in scoring position (a .216 average), which has been a big reason why he has already won as many games as he did a year ago. He gets by on heart, guts and guile now. What a fighter.

Paxton Crawford - C+ Granted, he probably didn't pitch poorly enough to warrant a demotion -- he was 3-0 with a 4.76 ERA in seven starts -- but he probably didn't pitch well enough to stay, either. Crawford then struggled at Pawtucket and is now on the disabled list with a hairline fracture in his lower back. One can only wonder if the Sox will ultimately miss that depth.

Bryce Florie - A What's that old saying -- A for effort? Let's step out of the delusional universe that is professional sports and truly appreciate what this man has overcome. Try to visualize the night Florie was struck in the face last fall, then try to visualize him running in from the bullpen on June 28 at Fenway. In between, most of us can never imagine what the man had to endure.

Rich Garces - B+ He had one really bad outing (four runs) on May 3 and another (two home runs) before being placed on the disabled list last month, but it may be time to acknowledge ``El Guapo'' as one of the very best at what he does. In 125 appearances since the start of the 1999 season, Garces is 15-2 with a 2.74 ERA in 151 innings. Pretty impressive.

Derek Lowe - B- Somehow, in 11 explosive outings to start the year, Lowe managed to lose five games, blow two saves and post a 7.41 ERA. Since then, he is 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA and 12 saves in 12 chances, making him 67-for-76 (an .882 conversion rate) since becoming a closer late in 1999. During that span, Mariano Rivera hasn't been much better. You can look it up.

Pedro Martinez - A- Even early in the season, it often seemed as if he had to work unusually hard for everything he achieved. Given that he underwent a magnetic resonance imaging as early as May, we can only wonder if Martinez has, to some degree, been ailing all along. Better to get him healthy now because the Sox don't have a prayer of winning the World Series without him.

Hideo Nomo - B He's been better than the numbers suggest, posting a 7.97 ERA in his four losses and a 2.90 ERA the rest of the time. Also, while the Sox were going just 11-7 in games started by Pedro Martinez and fill-in Rolando Arrojo, they were a perfect 7-0 when Nomo took the mound after those defeats. Nomo's been reliable. He's been durable. And he also threw a no-hitter.

Tomo Ohka - C+ Clearly, the Ohka who returned to the Sox last week looked nothing like the Ohka who began the year by posting a 2.28 ERA in his first five starts. Unfortunately, however, the games ALL count. Ohka had a 9.00 ERA in his final four starts at Pawtucket before recently replacing Frank Castillo, which speaks volumes about the team's injury-induced state. The Sox were desperate.

Hipolito Pichardo - B After a shaky beginning during which he went an incredible 13 days without an appearance, Pichardo recently has resembled the man who gave the Sox such a big boost last season. In his last nine appearances, he allowed just one run in 11-1/3 innings, a period that generally coincided with the loss of Rich Garces. Timely, to say the least.

Pete Schourek - D+ Schourek heard boos recently, but let's be fair. In his first 13 outings through May 15, he had a 2.25 ERA and held opponents to a .118 batting average. Since that time, in 18 appearances, he's 1-4 with an 8.56 ERA while opponents are batting .406 against him. Yes, he needs to right the ship, but overall he has a 3.94 ERA and opponents batted .278 against him. Not awful.

Tim Wakefield - A After arriving at spring training in the best shape of his career, Wakefield went out and had arguably his best half-season with the Red Sox since his unforgettable start in 1995. He posted a 1.80 ERA as a reliever and a 3.03 ERA as a starter, and ranks among the American League leaders in ERA (2.58) and batting average against (.225). Excellent.

INCOMPLETE - Carlos Castillo, Sun-Woo Kim, Juan Pena, Bill Pulsipher, Bret Saberhagen.

MANAGER

Jimy Williams - B+

Admittedly, he does some quirky things, some of which work and some of which do not. In retrospect, Dante Bichette should have been playing regularly a good deal earlier, but Williams is now getting key contributions from a number of people on whom a lot of managers might have quit, especially after taking public criticisms from some of them.

Along the way, amid all the jabs directed at him by players and management alike, Williams has not once tweaked anyone in return. Nor has he lamented his plight or complained about injuries because, ironically, he is not a whiner. As things stand, it seems highly unlikely he will be here next year, which could create quite an interesting scenario if the Red Sox should do something ridiculous like win the World Series.

GENERAL MANAGER

Dan Duquette - B+

After failing in the Mike Mussina sweepstakes last fall, Duquette made a huge comeback. In addition to landing Manny Ramirez, he also signed Hideo Nomo and Frank Castillo, and re-signed Tim Wakefield. He could have chosen to pursue pitchers like Kevin Appier, Darren Dreifort and Steve Trachsel. He could have traded for David Wells. He could have acted desperately and acquired a true shortstop in spring training.

Instead, to his credit, he never showed a hint of panic.

Ultimately, what Duquette has built here is a team with enough depth to withstand injuries and, perhaps, make a run at a world title. It just might be nice if, once in a while, he remembered that the reason he hired a manager is to let THE SKIPPER run the team. Using a radio show to zing your own skipper is weak.