Which Free Agents Should the Boston Red Sox Sign?

With the 2015 World Series having concluded, baseball’s offseason is now upon us. For the next several months, rumors and innuendo about where free agent players will land will swirl about like winter winds. Following a disappointing season, the Boston Red Sox have a new front office regime; have money to spend and a number of holes to fill. Out of the dozens of players hitting the open market, who should the team target in an effort to make their way back to contention? Here are four candidates that should be given serious consideration.

Byung-ho Park, First Baseman: The 29-year-old has spent the past nine years playing professionally in Korea. The right hander has packed a punch, averaging .314, 43 home runs and 123 RBIs over the past four seasons. Given his age and the relative unknown of how his game will translate to the majors, he probably won’t command a super-sized contract. However, his status as perhaps the greatest hitter in the history of Korean baseball, and the Red Sox’s need for a first baseman should make him an intriguing candidate.

Travis Shaw will be coming off a nice rookie year but is far from a sure thing in terms of repeating that success. With his time with the Red Sox being the most productive he has ever been as a pro, he is either a late bloomer or just had a nice run. Either way, it’s too iffy to assume it will happen again. Pairing his lefty bat with Park, or letting a winner emerge could be just what the team needs. Additionally, with Shaw’s ability to play some third base, he will get some at bats regardless.

Jason Heyward, Outfielder: Forget the recent speculation  that the Red Sox should go after Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon. Although he’d be cheaper, he is also five and half years older. Heyward is a tremendous defensive right fielder whose bat has not yet entirely caught up to his glove. Still just 26, there’s no reason the big left-handed hitting and throwing player can’t get even better. As it is, he sports 162-game averages of .268, 19 home runs, 68 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in his first six major league seasons.

Boston is currently flush with young outfielders but going after Heyward would allow them to have some additional chips for possible trades (although Mookie Betts should be considered untouchable).

Bidding could get high on Heyward but his 5.2 WAR average and four playoff appearances is just the type of young established player with remaining upside the Red Sox should be looking to add. Since he was recently given a qualifying offer, signing him away from the St. Louis Cardinals would require the relinquishing of a first-round draft choice. However, with him being such a young known commodity and Boston possessing one of the current strongest farm systems in baseball makes such a sacrifice very reasonable. This is especially so when considering the potential of an outfield headed by him and Betts.

Jordan Zimmerman, Starting Pitcher: Left hander David Price may be the sexier pick but Zimmerman is the better fit for Boston. The 30-year-old right-hander has top-of-the rotation stuff and not nearly as much wear as his free-agent counterpart.

Zimmerman has averaged 15 wins and 200 innings during the past four seasons with the Washington Nationals while displaying excellent control and an ability to limit the long ball. Despite playing his entire career in the National League, he has shown he can handle the Junior Circuit, given his 11-6 record and 3.05 ERA in 24 Interleague starts. 

Zimmerman had Tommy John surgery in 2009 but has been remarkably healthy and consistent since his return. FanGraphs indicates his average fastball velocity has remained in the vicinity of 93-94 MPH since his rookie campaign.

He’d immediately become the Boston ace, making the $100+ million he is likely to get a steep but necessary price tag to try and repair the team’s tattered rotation.

Darren O’Day, Relief Pitcher: Something the Red Sox bullpen needed the most this past year was a power arm who can throw gas. However, that is not O’Day. With a fastball that averages around 87 MPH, the right-hander has forged an effective career with an unusual side-arm motion.

Despite his lack of intimidating power stuff he has averaged 68 relief appearances and a 1.92 ERA over the past four seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. It’s never a good idea to throw bags of money at your bullpen but at the age of 33 and not being a closer, there’s a good chance that he can be reeled in without breaking the bank. The stability to he could bring to the late innings would be well worth that investment and the team can pursue late-innings power arms elsewhere to round out the unit.

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Paul Doyle: The Pitcher Who Wouldn't Give Up

With rare exception, anyone with the dream of playing professional baseball is going to have to work their butts off and hope they get noticed. Even if they are lucky enough to get signed or drafted, that’s just the start of the journey to the major leagues. The vast majority don’t make it but there are some who do, including those who toil year after year to make it to that top rung on the ladder. A great example of that was Paul Doyle, who finally toed a big league rubber after spending a decade in the minor leagues.

Doyle was born in Philadelphia in 1939 but spent most of his youth in Ohio. A left-handed pitcher, he was a high school star but at 5’11” and 170 pounds didn’t garner a lot of attention from the pros. He signed his first contract in 1959 with the Detroit Tigers’ organization but had a 13.09 ERA in five appearances for their New York Penn League team, walking 19 batters in just 11 innings.

The next season he latched on with the New York Yankees and pitched much better, accumulating 10 wins for their Class C team. Unfortunately, he just wasn’t a hot prospect and during the ensuing years he also pitched in the systems of the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros. He was typically solid but rarely spectacular, making it easier for the big league team to skip over him when searching for help from the farm.

Finally, in the winter of 1969 he received his first big break, as the Astros traded him to the Atlanta Braves for anemic hitting backup outfielder, Sandy Valdespino. Doyle started 1969 in the minors but was called up in late May at the age of 29. He became an important cog in the bullpen of the Braves, going 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA and four saves in 36 relief appearances as their primary lefty.

The team won 93 games that year and played the Amazin’ New York Mets in the NLCS. Although they lost the series, Doyle had a career highlight, striking out the side (Ed Kranepool, Jerry Koosman and Cleon Jones) in his lone inning of work.

Despite his good results, Doyle was sold that offseason to the California Angels. He was never as effective again, posting a 5.33 ERA with California and the San Diego Padres in 1970 and then throwing 2.1 scoreless innings for the 1972 Angels. His struggles coincided with shoulder trouble which ultimately ended his career following a May 2, 1972 appearance against the New York Yankees.

In total, Doyle made 87 career major league appearances—all out of the bullpen. He was a combined 5-3 with a 3.79 ERA and 11 saves. In his 12 minor league seasons he was 83-94 with a 3.82 ERA, 13 shutouts and 12 saves. More information about his career statistics is available at BaseballReference.com.

After baseball, Doyle went into business with a brother and retired to California where he still lives. An excellent biography giving even more detail about his life and career is available here.

Paul Doyle Interview:

How did you come to be signed by the Tigers in 1959?: Jim Campbell was from my home town of Huron, Ohio. He was the farm director at that time for the Tigers. My high school baseball coach grew up with Jim. He went on to be the general manager of the Detroit Tigers later.

What type of pitches did you throw, and which was your best pitch?: Fastball. I was very tough on left-handed hitters.

How were you told you had been traded by the Astros to the Braves?: I was advised by a letter from the Braves that they acquired me.

Who was the toughest hitter you ever faced?: Every hitter is tough when you aren't throwing well. As a relief pitcher, you don't pitch too often to the same hitters as you do as a starter. Pete Rose was an easy out. He'd yell at you if you got him out. *Writer’s note- Rose was hitless in three career at-bats against Doyle.

Who was the best catcher you ever worked with?: 1964 in the Texas League, my catcher was Randy Hundley. He signed for $100,000, and the Giants traded him after that season to the Chicago Cubs. He was their main catcher for 10 plus years.

Do you have a favorite moment from your playing career?: My favorite moment was when I was called up to the big leagues in 1969. I should have gotten the chance six years earlier. My first game I was called in relief. I did my warm up pitches and looked over at the third base dugout. Who was there?  "The St. Louis Cardinals." You know then that you reached the top.

Who was your favorite coach or manager?: I liked Del Rice- Angels.

If you could do anything differently about your career, what would that be?: I was a power pitcher. I would have worked on off-speed pitches.

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The Betrayal: The 1919 World Series and the Birth of Modern Baseball- A Review

The Chicago Black Sox (eight Chicago White Sox players who were banned from baseball for throwing the 1919 World Series for gamblers) has been one of the most popular topics of the sport’s literature for years. However, with so many unknowns, allegations and passed time, it remains a fruitful ground for new work. An excellent example of this is Charles Fountain’s recent entry, The Betrayal: The 1919 World Series and the Birth of Modern Baseball (Oxford University Press).

Many books on the Black Sox scandal cover similar territory. After all, there are only so many angles one can take on the subject. What sets The Betrayal apart from its predecessors is that it has a little bit of everything. Fountain rarely dallies too long on any one aspect of the whole mess, and as a result is able to cover an amazing amount of ground in 290 pages. In some capacity, the players, gamblers, journalists, executives and authors/historians who have previously worked with the subject are all examined. He does so while introducing some new sources but never delving too deep; giving just enough information to weave a tight informative narrative.

While it’s not necessary that someone reading The Betrayal has a prior knowledge of baseball or the Black Sox, it definitely helps. The many nuggets within the book don’t always have a lot of depth (length) but really enhance one of baseball’s greatest and most tragic stories. These include:

-The feud between American League executive Ban Johnson and White Sox owner Charles Comiskey, which resulted in Johnson practically financing the investigation to prosecute the eight players in an effort to take down his nemesis.

-The successful machinations of mobster Arnold Rothstein, believed to have orchestrated the plot, to steer clear of any legal ramifications.

-The debunking of various myths of the Black Sox, including the infamous “Say it ain’t so, Joe,” utterance by a child as disgraced outfielder Joe Jackson left the courthouse.

-The 1924 law suit where Jackson attempted to extract back pay from Comiskey after being released following his banishment from baseball. Although the jury found in his favor, the judge overturned the verdict and briefly jailed him and fellow Black Sox Happy Felsch on charges of perjury.

Fountain does a good job of pointing out newer information and that which is simply not true but has become part of the accepted story over time. He not only suggests that the “Clean Sox” may not have always been as pristine as their legacy suggests but also pulls the curtain back a bit on shadier characters in the story such as gamblers Abe Attell and Bill Maharg, and Swede Risberg’s mistress.

Some points of view that would have been a welcome addition to this work are those of the key figure’s families and of fans. While I can’t attest to the availability of such sources, knowing a bit more from those perspectives would round this story out all the more.

Fountain has an easy writing style that lends to good narrative. While there is an occasional instance of verbosity, it’s certainly not something that diminishes the quality of the book.

The 1919 World Series and the Black Sox will forever be one of baseball’s great stories. Although it has been retold numerous times from many different angles, there are still plenty of ways to keep the topic fresh and engaging. A great example of this is The Betrayal, which is something readers will enjoy, regardless if they are new to the topic or are long-time students of the plot that nearly took down baseball.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free advanced copy of this book, but received no payment or other consideration for this review.

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What the Flip is Going on With the Reaction to Jose Bautista's Bat Flip?

The Toronto Blue Jays are playing in the 2015 American League Championship Series in part because of a deep and powerful offense and timely pitching. However, much of that has been lost in the recent furor over an emphatic bat flip made by slugger Jose Bautista after hitting an Divisional Series-clinching home run against the Texas Rangers. Somehow, this display of emotion following a play that not only capped a furious rally but also put his team in the driver’s seat for the series was seen as not playing the game “the right way.” Not only was the bat flip no big deal, there are plenty of examples from baseball history of similar displays where not only has nobody batted an eye, they have actually been celebrated.

First of all, it’s fair to say that even the positive reaction to Bautista’s disposal of his lumber following his big jack quickly veered into the ridiculous. Toronto’s mayor went on television and attempted to recreate the moment. At least one fan immediately rushed out and commissioned a tattoo. Twitter also naturally had quite the reaction, with Craig Calcaterra of NBCSports.com perhaps having the best and simultaneously most ridiculous reaction when he tweeted that the flip was so manly that it had “made everyone pregnant.”

Undoubtedly, being on the receiving end of a bat flip is not much fun. The Rangers and their home run-yielding pitcher, Sam Dyson, saw their October dreams slipping through their fingers like so many handfuls of water. However, does that mean Bautista was in the wrong? Baseball is a game of competing wills. That moment in sports when dominance is asserted over another not only defines a major reason why there are so many fans but also harkens back to our more primal instincts as humans.

Unwritten rules in baseball are dumb. Just plain stupid. The only rules (besides those in the actual rule book) should be playing as hard as you can, and by God, if you have a little fun while doing it then all the more power to you. Opponents who don’t care for such displays of exuberance should try harder to win the particular matchup themselves instead of hoping that everyone will adhere to baseball’s unpublished version of Miss Manners.

The negative reactions to Bautista are uninformed at best and in some cases, possibly related to something trickier like race, at worst. One would be remiss to not at least wonder if his Latino heritage (he was born in the Dominican Republic) contributed to any of the vitriol. Anyone who might say there is no need to bring race or ethnicity into this need to look no further than Game 1 of this year’s ALCS, where at one point, Kansas City Royals’ fans could be heard chanting “U-S-A” when the Blue Jays were batting (which was a bit laughable since their team’s pitcher at the time was Edinson Volquez (himself a native of the D.R.).

As mentioned earlier, there are plenty of historical examples suggesting that this bat flip, if anything, should be remembered fondly as a part of baseball lore:

New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth famously called a home run he hit during the 1932 World Series against Charlie Root and the Chicago Cubs. Once thought to be myth, historians have gone out of their way to successfully prove that this actually happened.

Carlton Fisk hit a game-winning home run in the 12th inning of Game 6 of the 1975 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. Known simply as “the home run,” the dramatic moment was made even more famous by his passionate waving of the ball to go fair, followed by him practically dancing around the bases to officially end the game.

In Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, a lamed Kirk Gibson hit a game-winning home run for his Los Angeles Dodgers against the Oakland Athletics and their star closer Dennis Eckersley. The slugger did so much fist pumping while circling the bases that nobody can say for certain that it wasn’t the genesis for the craze that would eventually sweep the Jersey Shore.

Joe Carter ended the 1993 World Series by giving the Blue Jays the championship over the Philadelphia Phillies by virtue of his walk-off home run. Much like Fisk, he practically cha-cha-ed around the bases to reach the waiting embraces of his euphoric teammates.

This list could go on and on. In addition to over-the-top reactions to big moments, the other commonality these all share is that they are all fondly remembered as some of the greatest moments in the history of the game. Yes, there were winners and there were losers, but such is sports. If one cannot experience and express joy during such monumental times then what is really the point of playing? Baseball is largely an escape for fans. The highs experienced from big plays and wins are balanced by disappointments.

Some may say that a bat flip is in poor taste, or not something they would personally do. That’s fine. Jose Bautista came up huge in a pressure-packed situation and reacted spontaneously. There can be no choreography in such a situation. It’s what he felt. It’s what he did. Get over it. Better players than him have done far worse and are remembered fondly for it. Let’s stop the inane sermonizing and give the man his due for his special and memorable accomplishment.

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