Beauty of Sox is more than skin-deep

I normlly agree with your analysis, however; in this case I disagree. Kotsay has not been an improvement, nor even adequate. He has not had the impact that Kielty, Roberts, or the others have had (save Gagne who was completely dispenseable).
Kotsay may come up big in a game before it is all over, but for now I think that Lowrie at third and Cora at short is the best lineup the Sox can field. Kotsay has been lacking at the plate. Cora has a history of coming up big at certain times.
We do miss Lowell. We will continue to miss Lowell. It may not be as bad as it appears, but it isn't good. Sorry Tony, your not right this time.

Ummm, didn't Kotsay hit .226 and have a slugging % .300 for the Sox?

Again, that's the benefit of having a $160 million payroll. Your GM can bring in a $7 million per year player who's past his prime and the sportswriters like Mazz fawn all over it and call it a "landmark acquisition".

Well....I'd much rather have Kotsay in the starting lineup than Cora OR Casey. I can only assume that the previous poster has only seen Kotsay play for the 6 or so weeks he has been on the Red Sox. He struggled a bit with the Sox in limited playing time but his track record is pretty good. Not a stud....but comparable to Mike Lowell, frankly. If we're all judging folks based on very limited time, wouldn't we all be calling for Pedroia to be benched? Kotsay is a solid hitter and defender and has been for most of this decade, clearly a great athlete, who brings more potency to the lineup than Cora or Casey could. I think you nailed it, Mazz.

Mike I gotta dissagree with you on that. Kotsay has been weak at the plate, yes, but you have heard, "there is a lot of RBI`s in that glove". He`s exceptional at LF, CF, RF, 1B, could catch in a pinch, and before it`s over, I believe we will see some meaningful offense from him.

I agree. Kotsay has been a fine fill-in. Like Pedroia--he has been robbed of hits. If not for Texiera--he is the hero of game 4 with his game winning hit and flawless defense. I am pretty sure he hit close to .300 when in the games. I love Cora's guttiness, but at this point I think I could beat him down the line. Cora is what he is--a GREAT backup/utility guy--nothing more, nothing less. When he steps to the plate, I think, "Boy, I hope he works a walk." With Kotsay I don't think that because for the majority of his career he has been a starter--.281 hitter--pretty good. Cora has always been a reserve. Again, I love they guy--but he was BEHIND JULIO LUGO--AND NOW A ROOKIE. That happens for a reason--not a bad person, or a bad player--but simply a role player. With Cora at short and Lowrie at third you weaken a whole side of the infield. With Kotsay at first--you lose a little grittiness--but honestly, would Youk have been able to track down those pop ups? Kotsay caught them w/ease--the one in the outfield was pretty much the same place that Youk missed but then threw out Vlad. And Youk is a better third baseman than Lowrie. I love Mike Lowell--he has become one of my all-time favorite Sox--but watching him in those games--I was happy when they brought in Kotsay. Great move by Theo---it will pay off because the Rays will not be able to bunt their way on in games now w/those two at the corners.

You want Alex Cora playing over Kotsay? Really? Kotsay has the better bat, legs and is probably more valuble in the field than Cora is now too, as Cora's range and arm have dropped a lot this year. The best team the Sox have right now is the one they fielded in Game 4 with Kotsay at 1st, Youk at 3rd and Lowrie at SS. It gives the Sox the best defensive, power and speed. By having Cora in the line up it's almost having an automatic out at the bottom of the order, especially with Varitek there too.

Unlike Mr. Neary's comments I agree with you. Kotsay has struck the ball well. But like Pedroia, he's been hitting it right at people, making his box score look less than what it could be. I agree, Cora has a history of coming up big, but Lowrie has proven he can play at this level, at this time of year. I think we do miss Lowell, but not as detrimental has some may feel.
One more comment. If it had been anyone else playing first the other night, other than Texiera, we'd be talking about Kotsay getting the winning hit and not Jed.

I'll go along with the last few posters as I think having Kotsay in the lineup does provide the flexibility that others have spoken about, as well as a bit of 'gritiness' that we've come to expect from the Hometown 9. I went to school with Casey and working in the sports medicine department came to know him very well. He's a great guy, and has had a terrific career. While I'd love to see him get some PT, he knew coming aboard that he was going to be on the bench until needed. I still think we'll see something from him, and he does bring a lot of the intangibles that we've seen are necessary to win a championship in any sport. In regards to Cora, I think it's fair to applaud his previous accomplishments that have taken place in key situations. But many writers, prior to Mazz, have indicated that Cora is good in short spurts and that his deficiencies come to light when he's called on to play a more expanded role. I'm certainly not a baseball manager, but appreciate the work and the commitment that Tito puts forth with his lineups and managing the game; we shouldn't expect anything less in the coming series. I think Mazz got it right on this one and we should simply be rooting for a positive outcome rather than playing arm chair managers.

Theo is far from infallible and looking at Rays, Brewers and others it hard to say he is an exceptional judge of talent. With his payroll, he is getting the job done. Cora, Kotsay, Casey: all smart, team guys who can play and don't make mistakes.

Great article, Mazz. I will go one step further and say that I was hoping that Theo brought back Trot Nixon too! You just can't have enough fan friendly, power outage, low .200 hitting, white guys with dirty uniforms on the team!

Hail to the Dirt Dogs 2008! The whitewash continues!!!

p.s. I absolutely love the posts here that mention 'Kotsay' and 'speed' and 'power' in the same sentence. Gosh darn the numbers, Kotsay is a scrappy player who just has had bad luck with gloves getting in the way of his potential hits!

While I agree with your larger point on Epstein, I have 2 points of my own.
Kotsay's defensive versatility is nice, but his hitting is has been to be polite disappointing. And secondly even when you write a column that is largely complimentary toward the Red Sox you still have to stick that payroll figure in there. Seems like you just can't get past that. You whined about it at the Herald ad nauseum and you still can't let go. Do yourself not to mention your readers a favor and get over it. Your obsession is boring and childish.

Good lord people?

Have you been watching Kotsays performance in the playoffs? Let alone how he did in game 4? That quick to forget?

Calm down people.

Mike i agree with you that there is no true replacement for lowell, nonetheless theo's ability to bring in players to improve the ball club can't go unoticed. yes the gange trade was awful however the fact that he makes the right moves year in year out results in another championship run..

Being able to pick bad throws out of the dirt is a more important aspect of playing first base than range going back on pop-ups. Most of those are fielded by the 2nd baseman anyway. Remember the way Kevin Millar played 1st seemingly with a frying pan in his mitt. Sean Casey is one of the best with the glove around 1st base and hit over .300 for the Sox. Kotsay has hit about 100 points lower this year while in Boston.

Kotsay was a revelation in game 4 against the Angels. Otherwise, I seem to remember a lot more smart/good baseball plays from Cora. That both bat lefty probably dictates one or the other in the field. What Tony should have written about is Youkilis' ability to transition back and forth while batting clean up. I would like to see Casey PH for Tek in left sided crucial at bats.

Cora - I'm sorry, but the guy is overrated. Defensive replacement? His defense is sub-par. And now you're saying you'd rather have him bat than Kotsay? Because he "comes up big at certain times"??

Regarding Kotsay's statistically poor stats with the Sox - ever hear of "small sample size"? Not to mention the guy went from being an everyday starter to a platoon player, which was certainly an adjustment for him.

"Theocratic method: Build a team; identify its weaknesses; reinforce the stress points."

Hits it right on the head. Perfect terminology. Mark this date for the beginning of a great new phrase. Kudos on the blog in general. It has been a wonderful addition to my daily fix of Boston.com Red Sox coverage.

Kotsay has been hitting the snot out of the ball, but it's been caught. He saved Game 4 - enuf said!!

All I have to say is that I don't think the Sox win Game 4 of the ALDS without Kotsay. He did leave four on base, however he did score the first of both Sox runs in the fifth, and you have to remember this was a 3-2 game so each run is HUGE. Plus you're not counting some of the stellar defense plays he made at 1B.

I wrote yesterday (sawxblog) how he's going to come through in a huge in the playoffs still, and thus far he's hitting .300, which I'll certainly take.

Hopefully the Sox bring back Kotsay next year! I like him Mazz. You'e right on!

Piece is pretty well crafted. Right on target with Theo's oversight. He leaves nothing to chance. He has brought the requisite talent to Boston. It's their job to perform.
Kotsay is a cut above. Some less than spectacular stats during regular season stretch nonwithstanding, he's a solid hitter. He won't be looking for a walk with RISP.

You forgot to add .....

Edited and approved by the Theo Epstein Publicity Department.

Please - surely there are other things to write about than the brilliance of picking up an over the hill outfielder who "almost" got the winning hit the other night. I almost hit a hole in one yesterday. Texeira has his glove in the hole.

I agree, those two plays were huge...every out in a one run game is huge. I hope the Sox resign Kotsay for next year...he brings alot to the table, playing multiple positions and swings a pretty good bat.

Great job Theo. You know how to spend your 150 million dollars wisely. Give me a break, how hard is it to be the Red Sox GM when you have all the money in the world compared to every team except the Yankees. The real geniuses of this game are the heads of the Minnesota's, Florida's and Oakland's of the world who can keep their teams competitive while their payrolls are below 50 million.

Way to go Theo, keep spending that money.

First of all Cora is NOT a below average fielder and is one of the most baseball savvy players in the game. I am comfortable with him, just not as an everyday player. As for Kotsay, he has already said that he will not re-sign with the Sox because he wants to start full time. In th ALDS, he finally started to square up the ball and really driving it. He was our fourth or fifth best hitter average-wise in the series. I really think that he is getting ready to have a big series offensively and we all know that Casey can hit in his sleep and I hope will get a chance to help by pinch-hitting in the later innings

This speaks volumes for the ability of Theo to find quality players who should start on any other team in baseball. Not to mention Titos ability to make everyone feel comfortable and useful, and the teamates to make the trades work year after year. The key to winning every season will hinge on this "family" first attitude. Job well done to John Henry for changing the culture from misery to champions.

Um, Jerome, the Red Sox have the fourth highest payroll in baseball behind the Yankees, Mets and Tigers. But I get your point. Boston is not a small market team. Still, I agree with Mazz about Theo Epstein's philosophy to build a team, identify its weaknesses and strengthen those weaknesses by the trading deadline. Kotsay is certainly not as good as everyone thought he would be when he entered the big leagues (much like J.D. Drew), but he is a decent hitter and an excellent and versatile defensive player. His catches of those two pop ups in Game Four were important. Baseball is not all about stats. If you truly understand the game, you know this. Jeff www.soxandpinstripes.com

I can't understand why Minnesota always gets so much credit for keeping their teams competitive. Is it really that difficult to be competitive when your in a division with Cleveland, KC, Detroit, and Chicago???

The gap between the Yankees payroll and the Red Sox payroll is certainly larger than the gap between Minnesota and other teams in the division.

Can we please put salary talk to rest and enjoy the games!

Look, Mazz and the fans can praise Theo for all these "landmark" player acquisitions all they want, but here are two important facts:

1. The Sox have the luxury of having tens of millions of dollars in payroll sitting on their bench. The checkbook corrects personnel errors.

2. The 2008 Sox are where they are as a result of player development more so than acquisitions. It's not even close. Look at the roster.

3. It's comical that Graffanino, Kielty, Gagne, Kotsay, etc. are being lauded as landmark acquisitions and revisionist history is somehow now portraying Theo's in season acquisitions as the key to the Sox success in the last 5 years. Absolutely comical.