The 20 most important Red Sox . . .
. . . well, sort of.
Here's the deal. Peter Abraham, my friend (all right, my Facebook friend -- does that count?) who covers the Yankees for the Journal News in New York, wrote a blog post this morning listing, in order, the 20 most important members of the Yankees' organization as of today.
It was a fun read, entirely subjective, and thought-provoking. And since I remain in a turkey-induced haze today and completely whiffed on coming up with original ideas, I figured it might be cool to apply the same concept to the Red Sox. So here you go.
I'll follow Peter's simple rule: The person must be a member of the Red Sox organization right now. (Sorry, Captain Tek, a.k.a. The Currently Unemployed Omnipotent Gritty Gutty Game-Calling Savant.) Players, scouts, executives, and even Wally the Green Monster are eligible for our list. You can even include inanimate objects (Don Orsillo) if you so desire. But no gastropods. (Sorry, Dale.)
Again . . . this is subjective, and purposefully vague on guidelines. Feel free to tell me, in your usual gentle way, who I missed or who should be higher or lower. As always, I reserve the right to change my mind. Let's go . . .
1. John Henry: Because in these economic times, the dude who signs the checks gets top billing, that's why.
2. Theo Epstein: This is his show, and it's a runaway hit. His youthful vision of turning the Red Sox into a "$100 million player development machine" has become a delightful reality (though the $100 million part turned out to be something of a conservative estimate). It is ironic that the lifelong Red Sox fan is the franchise's first GM that we're aware of who doesn't allow his judgment to be clouded by sentiment.
3. Dustin Pedroia: Remember when Nomar Garciaparra was young, before the wrist injury and the bitterness? Remember when he played with such intense, absolute passion and seemed to scorch a line drive every time he came to the plate? Remember when he was the face of the franchise and every ball-playing kid in New England had his mannerisms down pat? That's Pedroia right now. And man, what a joy it is to behold again.
4. Jon Lester: There's been a lot of talk this offseason regarding possible contract extensions for Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and Jonathan Papelbon. Lester, an amalgam of Andy Pettitte, Bruce Hurst, and Chuck Finley, should also be getting such consideration after putting his name on the short list of baseball's best lefthanders last season.
5. Terry Francona: The ideal manager for this team, in this town, at this time -- and in my opinion, the best in the game, even if his loyalty to the Timlins of the universe is sometimes maddening. The Red Sox are fortunate to have him, and the miserable among us who take delight in bashing him will miss him when someone else is occupying the hot seat.
6. Josh Beckett: You tell me if he's spent more time this offseason working out like a maniac or crushing Bud cans on Mike Timlin's forehead in a hunting blind somewhere, and I'll tell you whether he's more likely to duplicate 2007 (21 wins) or 2008 (12 wins, a string of nagging injuries). My hunch is that he's coming back with a vengeance.
7. David Ortiz: Papi's five most similar players through age 32: 1) Jason Giambi. 2) Carlos Delgado. 3) Mo Vaughn. 4) Lance Berkman. 5) Fred McGriff. Honestly, I'm not really sure how to interpret that in terms of how it bodes for his future, so do with it what you will.
8. Daisuke Matsuzaka: Sure, those five-inning, 115-pitch starts can be exhausting to watch, but more often than not he makes it work for him. Two years into that famous $52 million deal, he's been a bargain on the field (33 wins), and you can't put a price on the cachet he's given the Red Sox in Japan.
9. Kevin Youkilis: Youuuuukkkk made himself into an offensive force through hard work and sheer determination, and his ability to play both first and third is invaluable -- I can't imagine even Billy Beane thought he'd become this good. But I do wonder if he's as untouchable as some might think. He'll be 30 by Opening Day, and his value has never been higher. (NOTE TO SI.COM AND ROUGHLY 300 OTHER SEMI-LITERATE NITWITS: I AM NOT SAYING THE RED SOX WILL TRADE KEVIN YOUKILIS!!!! NOR AM I SUGGESTING THEY SHOULD!!! I'M SIMPLY CONSIDERING ALL LOGICAL OPTIONS, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT'S WHAT THEO DOES!!! WHAT'S THAT??? WHY AM I WRITING IN ALL CAPS WITH LOTS OF PUNCTUATION?!?! BECAUSE I AM TRYING TO SPEAK YOUR LANGUAGE IN THE HOPES THAT YOU WILL GET THE POINT THIS TIME!!!!!! THAT'S WHY!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! . . . ahem).
10. Jonathan Papelbon: He became such a vital and identifiable member of the ball club so quickly that you almost think of him as a member of the '04 champions, forgetting that he was Single A then. He owns a career 1.84 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, and a natural gift for interpretive dance.
11. Larry Lucchino: Polished, brilliant, articulate, versatile, and I suspect, a very willing and effective Bad Cop behind the scenes. Something tells me he didn't take George Steinbrenner's "he's a chameleon" comment a few years ago entirely as an insult.
12. Tom Werner: You'd think the former producer of "The Cosby Show" and "Rosanne" would make sure NESN had better programming than "Sox Appeal" and "The Ken Macha Comatose Comedy Hour." Let's get the Eck a talk show, for starters. And a Butch Hobson "RedSoxography" would definitely be a ratings winner.
13. Jason Bay: He didn't necessarily make us forget Manny, but he was an extremely productive hitter while also being a swell guy and a conscientious and dependable teammate. The Red Sox couldn't have asked for more. Now he needs to do it again.
14. Justin Masterson: His versatility gives the Sox tremendous flexibility with their pitching staff, and given that he was touching 96 mph in the postseason, I'm beginning to think he's actually undersold by the "next Derek Lowe" label.
15. Jacoby Ellsbury: Coco's a Royal. The job's yours, kid. Time to justify the faith.
16. Janet Marie Smith: In the final seasons of the Harrington regime, Fenway Park was increasingly dirty and dilapidated, and the sentimentalists among us who resisted the idea of a new ballpark were beginning to realize it was inevitable, perhaps even a necessity. Now here we are, not even a decade later, and thanks in large part to Smith, a miracle has happened: Fenway is getting better with age.
17. Bill James: Though the Big Daddy of Sabermetrics' contributions to the Red Sox are somewhat clandestine, anyone who is familiar with his work has no doubt his insights are both unique and immensely valuable. Should he ever leave the Sox, he'd damn well better write a book about the experience.
18. Craig Shipley: The former utility infielder is the point man on the Red Sox' increasingly aggressive -- and thus far remarkably successful -- forays into Japan.
19. Mike Dee: He gets respect. Your cash and your jewelry is what he expects.
20. Clay Buchholz: Feels like more than a year ago that we thought of him as an ace of the near future, but even after his brutal '08 season, he remains a tantalizing talent who, at the least, should bring something of considerable value in a trade.
(Edit: Whoops, just realized I overlooked John Farrell, the Sox' very capable pitching coach. I'm keeping my Beastie Boys joke, so let's put him at 16 and bump everyone below that number down a spot. Back to the Sea Dogs for you, Clay.)
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No smartass rejoinder. Great column.
I have to say I love the idea of an Eck talk show. Actually it should be The Eckersley Group in which they have like Eck, 3 of the most crazy ballplayers you can think of (Bill Lee, Jonathan Papelbon, Julian Tavarez for three) and then one normal dude who has to put up with all the crazy...like Lowell or something. It would be a hit I tell ya.
But anyways, I like the list. Do you think JD Drew plays into this or is it because he's so injury prone that it probably isn't the best call? I'd consider him for the most part.
It is noteworthy that you have Pedroia four spots ahead of Big Papi. Even as little as a yr. ago that would have been considered blasphemous, but how times have changed. However, a healthy and pre-2008 Papi can quickly change that perception and I for one hope it happens. Nothing against Dustin cuz I have a "man crush" ( borrowing one of your lines) on the little hellion. Also I am sure a healthy Mike Lowell would have made it in the 12(?) or so. If we don't get Texeria, the next best thing we need is the health of Big Papi and Lowell and we will be fine. Go Sox!!!!! Idaho loves you more than you know!
RE: Papelbon
I would bet anything that he makes Keith Foulke into the Red Sox version of John Wetteland. Lots of people seem to think that it was Rivera closing in the postseason, and forget that it was Wetteland shutting the door. I hope the same thing doesnt happen to foulke. It would be a darn shame, because without him, we werent winning in 04.
Couldn't agree more about Foulke, Ernie. I was watching something on NESN last night about the history of the Sox, and when they got to the '04 highlights, I found myself hoping (again) that Foulke gets a prolonged standing ovation the next time he returns to Fenway. It wouldn't have happened without him, and while the Johnny From Burger King remark was stupid, I don't understand how this fanbase could EVER turn against the guy. He sacrificed a couple of years of his career that postseason. He should be beloved here.
One other thing: Shoulda had John Farrell on my list. Let's put him at 16 and bump everyone else down a spot. It's back to the Sea Dogs for you, Clay.
21. Julio Lugo, for getting injured and allowing me to watch games in peace. Nice Beastie Boys reference by the way.
Bay you have one more year. Buchholz you have for five.
ECK '09!!!!!
LL is the mastermind that makes this operation run. Theo has gained his much sought-after autonomy - but don't be fooled - Theo is the producer and LL is still and always will be the director.
Papelbon's gotta be way higher.
he's the MVP of the team.
agree re comments about Foulke above. I always thought he should have been the MVP of the 04 WS. I remain amazed that the Boston fans would boo him or anyone else from the 04 team (Bellhorn comes to mind). Those guys all get a lifetime hall pass from me.
You have to put Henry, LL, Tom W., and Theo at #s 1-4. And maybe Janet Smith at 5. It all comes down from the top. The players will come and go, and we will love them and cheer for them and put them in our own personal Halls of Fame, but it is the ownership/management team with its philosophy, its smarts, and its dollars that has made the sox perennial contenders. LOVE what they have done with ballpark, LOVE the emphasis on player development and scouting.
This list is disengenious if not including Finn's hero Shaughnessy. For that matter, I'd bet Finn considers Shaughnessy the most important Boston figure, period. Maybe even the most important New Englander.
Finn has more hanging photos of Shaughnessy in his trailer than he does ones of his family.
And of course he's on the Sox payroll
I like the list. Nice balance between management and players, and between pitchers and position players. Appropriate weighting of current and future value. (That's why Lowell isn't on the list; even if he has a bounce-back year, he's not likely to be a long-term contributor. The most valuable Sox are the ones who (a) have already established a level of major-league performance, and (b) can be expected to maintain or improve that level.)
One name that's got to be lingering just off the top 20, but isn't there yet: Lars Anderson. He has the potential to become a true middle-of-the-order force, which is the rarest and most expensive kind of talent in baseball. If he's anything like the hype, he'll be in the top ten very soon and stay there for a long, long time. If he doesn't continue to progress, the Sox will be hunting for a cleanup hitter within a couple of years.
NESN had an excellent show a few years ago where Sox fans shared their memories. I recall one guy who was in Vietnam during the '67 season, whose father sent him cassettes of every game. Another had two brothers who went to the '04 parade and made a sign at the last minute reading, "Jeter's Playing Golf Today . . ." You know the rest. Manny actually had them stop the Duck Boat and asked the kids for it. Another was a bomber pilot in WWII whose crew all wore Sox caps. It was a great show. Not sure why they stopped doing it.
No. 13 is utterly pointless and unproductive. Thanks for wasting three seconds of my life.
Dale a slug! LOVE IT! From now on, I shall think of you as Chad the Wonder Dog! Seriously though, he is absolutely awful on Red Sox games and I'll never forgive him for letting Eddie A. get away with all those tons of nasty nonsense all those years ago. I don't know how Michael Holley stands it.
As to your list - too many suits.
Ellsbury has to be higher. If he fulfills the phenom promise, the Red Sox are a wholly different team in terms of speed and run scoring. If he doesn't, it's back to the drawing board and they struggle to keep pace with the likes of the speedboy Rays. Even with Ellsbury they struggle, as they gave away speed in Coco and Lugo will be on the bench (if not another team) unless Lowrie is a second year bust. Bay and Drew are good base runners, but not burners.
Where are the kids we keep hearing about? Lars Anderson? Michael Bowden? Daniel Bard? How they do will have a major impact on an aging (Lowell & Ortiz) and not-as-young-as-they-used-to-be (Youkilis, Drew, Beckett, Wakefield & Bay) line-up.
PLEASE HAVE A "PRINT ENTRY" PUT INTO YOUR BLOG SO WE DON'T HAVE TO GUESS WHERE THE ENTRY WE WANT TO PRINT ENDS, AND ALSO, WE CAN HAVE DECENT SIZED PRINT! ENJOY YOUR BLOGS! THANK YOU.
REBEL
I think that RemDawg might be a good edition too. After all, he is identified with NESN and the Sox. All the posters at Fenway too...
Rebel, I know it ain't easy, but if you preview your entry you get to see the whole thing and also have a chance to edit, if neccessary.
Now, let's get on with our day.
What about Wake?
Farrell is probably a great coach but I have to wonder what he says to Wakefield, Dice-K or Okajima out on the mound. There's the language barrier and then there's Wake's knuckleball mentor of the month. Essentially, he has less guys to coach. Wouldn't make my top 20. And two other coaches that weren't in the top 20 had interviews for head jobs. Where have you gone Mike Lowell? Series MVP to this? Still like the column. Great stuff as always!
The Most important players are Youk, Papi Pedroia, Bay. Lowell, of course pap
Beckett.Lester, Dice K, BUSHHOLZ,Ellsbury, Drew Katza
The name is Dee y'all. And I don't play, and I can rock a block party til your hair turns gray. Mike Lowell, although injured, is more important than Clay.
When you read Peter Abraham's column and compare his list to Chad's, you realize that the Yankees, as a franchise going forward, are in significantly worse shape than the Red Sox. The Sox' list is full of young players who have proven themselves -- Pedroia, Lester, Papelbon, Beckett, Matsuzaka, Youk. The Yanks' list is full of players who are clearly past their primes -- Jeter, Posada, Damon -- plus prospects who are still in the minor leagues. The Red Sox' list goes beyond 20 before it even gets to names like Buchholz, Bowden, and Lars Anderson.
The Red Sox are, in short, deeper, younger, and more talented than the Yankees. Nice.
Coincidentally, I picked up the latest edition of Baseball America today and found a column updating Buchholz and Hughes and their work in the Arizona Fall League. The objective consensus appears to be that Buchholz remains a 1 or 2 starter (who lost his confidence and his natural motion this past season, and appears to be regaining both) and Hughes is probably a 3 starter on a decent team. So it was nice to see him at least get a mention from you.
Whenever I heard yobboes on EEI or elsewhere proclaiming that the Sox should "dump;" Buchholz, I keep repeaing my mantra: "they were saying the same thing about Lester last year, and and Theo is not that stupid. Theo is not that stupid. Theo is not that stupid." It helps.
Pap barely makes top ten? If you ask Tito to make the same list, he's #1, then again Tito knows something about baseball..
Anyone who suggests Papelbon is No .1 shouldn't be questioning the knowledge of others.
is bucholz a craig hanson
I have no clue who Mike Dee is, but the Beasties reference was mucho appreciated. I'm not going to argue anything about the list, especially after the Farrell amendment. The way the players are on this list should be the ntural order on who is the least touchable in a trade on down....
Are you kidding me, Chadwick? If you were starting a team you'd pick Pedey, Beckettt, Papi, and Youk, before Pap? I think you need to wake up from your Thanksgiving dinner nap.
THE ALL CAPS PART WAS HILARIOUS!
BUT THE RED SOX AREN'T TRADING YOUKILIS, WHERE ARE YOU GETTING THIS FROM!?! WHAT NEXT, THEY ARE GOING TO TRADE NOMAR AND MANNY?
I'm with Chadwick (Chdwick?) on the closer question. Papelbon is an elite closer; but the truth is, a lot of teams get by perfectly well with mediocre closers. The 2006 Tigers reached the World Series with Todd Jones. The 2007 Indians got to the ALCS with Joe f'n Borowski.
If your closer is a true closer -- used only in the ninth inning, and only when your team is ahead -- he can't possibly be worth more than a couple extra wins a year. That's because the average major-league team wins almost every game when they enter the ninth inning with the lead.
Now, there are certain crucial spots where a great closer is worth more than his strict statistical value -- if only for the psychological impact of a Rivera or a Papelbon. And yes, as a Sox fan I love having Papelbon around. But in terms of wins and losses over a season, in terms of building a successful franchise, the closer position just isn't as important as many others. That's why the Angels are letting K-Rod walk after his record-setting year: they realize that no closer is worth a long-term, top-dollar contract.
This list would have been MUCH more interesting if it just included uniformed, on-field personnel (players, coaches, manager). I have no idea who numbers 16-19 are, so I can't get excited about any of them them one way or the other. No personal diss, folks...
The true value of the closer is that they set up the whole bullpen.... without a Papelbon everyone else looses their security blanket... remember the year after Foulke (when we had no closer)..... we had a bullpen filled with setup men but all were deer in the headlights come the 9th inning..... WE NEVER WON until we had someone shutting the door in the playoffs..... look at our history.... 1986 our bullpen failed us....... only when we had Foulke and now Papelbon have we been able to close out games, teams, and series. Other teams can get to the playoffs without a good closer .... and can have some success.... but they don't win the world series without a closer (read: TAMPA)
I'm pretty sure J.D. Drew would tell you the Rays had a closer.
I'd be okay with moving Papelbon up a spot or two, though I agree with johnw's take pretty much word for word. And I'd love to know what the Sox plans are long-term with Papelbon. I get the sense they're not convinced he's going to have a long career.
There are different ways to build a bullpen. The Sox and Yanks start with a closer and work backward. The 2007 Indians and 2006 Tigers succeeded by building from the middle (Cleveland: Perez and Betancourt, Detroit: Zumaya and Rodney) and using a nerveless veteran to get through the ninth inning.
Chad: I don't know how the Sox view Papelbon's durability, but I do know this: if he gets to the point where he wants a K-Rod/Rivera contract, he's gonna have to go somewhere else to get it. I don't think the Sox believe any closer is worth a big-money, long-term contract.
Okay, now the NOOOOOOs will be directed at me, not Chad.
I agree on the lifetime pass on '04 Playoffs MVP Keith Foulke. Shame on anyone who doesn't give him a standing O.
And on the closer front, I agree with the poster who said the Sox's playoff failures were due to no closer. Yes, there's a few teams who had playoff sucess (but didnt win a WS- Indians, Tigers, Rays) but no one will tell the the 2 Sox wins would have come without Foulke and Papelbon. Don't believe it.
Finally, I enjoyed the article, but CF, do you have the physical ability to write anything without another obnoxious slam at Varitek? It's getting old, really.
Very nice list. I would have the same comment about Big Papi that you had for Josh Beckett. That is, I hope he busts his butt working out this offseason, because if he doesn't, it's going to be another injury prone season.
Didn't the Red Sox win the World Series with PAP in 07? How did the Tigers make out in 06? It's no secret that the Sox try to play six inning games and the reason for that is PAP. This team is built around two set up men and the closer. Everyone else is expendable.
Steve G.: Do you have the physical ability to write anything without another obnoxious slam at Varitek? It's getting old, really.
Me: And so's Varitek!!! Hahahahahaha!! Shazam!!
Take that as a "no."
Hey Chad -
Werner may be important, but hardly has the day-to-day impact of the one person who makes us couch potatoes enjoy it 162+ times a year.
Substitute Jerry Remy for Tom Werner. May even rate a higher spot.
Love the Pedroia comments.
Dice K was $106 million, not $52 mill. Still a good deal, but why try to play him down as being cheaper than he was?
Lucchino is the brains, not Theo. Theo just likes to take all the credit.
Wakefield has been a hugely valuable member of the team, considering his salary, healthyness and respectable ERA.
I have to say when you don't have a good closer it costs you bigtime. Think of the important games where having a good closer makes the difference, especially in the postseason. I couldn't possibly list all the games we blew before we got Foulke.
And Jed Lowrie?
dude you need to write more stuff...period.
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
Irreverence and insight from Chad Finn, a Globe/Boston.com sports writer and lifelong and incurable sports nut. Yes, he realizes how lucky he is. You can e-mail him at chadfinn4@yahoo.com.
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