Boston Red Sox 2007 Post-Mortem

Written by Daniel Paulling
Monday, 05 November 2007
Finish: 1st in American League East, 2 games ahead World Series Champions Offensive Leaders Batting Average – David Ortiz, .332 Home Runs – Davis Ortiz, 35 Runs Batted In – Mike Lowell, 120 Runs Scored – David Ortiz, 116 Stolen Bases – Julio Lugo, 33 Pitching Leaders Wins – Josh Beckett, 20 Strikeouts – Daisuke Matsuzaka, 201 Innings Pitched – Daisuke Matsuzaka, 204.2 Earned Run Average – Josh Beckett, 3.27 Saves – Jonathan Papelbon, 37 Team MVP David Ortiz was clearly the class of the Boston Red Sox offense this year. He led the squad in the Triple Crown categories, but was severely limited by severe knee troubles. Many fans may consider Mike Lowell the team’s best player, but how can you not give the award to a guy who beat Lowell by 69 points in on base percentage? Team Cy Young It probably shouldn’t be a surprise, but right hander Josh Beckett is the man here. He finished the regular season with stats we all know he’s capable of and finally broke the 200 inning pitched mark. Now, if he could just pitch throughout the regular season like he did in the postseason, Beckett might be deserving of the American League Cy Young Award. What Went Right Um, they won the World Series. The Red Sox rode a hot streak at the beginning of the year and coasted to a division title over their bitter rivals, the New York Yankees. The handily swept the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the first round of the postseason and came down from a 3 games to 1 deficit against the Cleveland Indians. The Colorado Rockies were swiftly swept out of the World Series for an easy postseason. What Went Wrong It looks like Manny Ramirez’s days as a top-notch producer has come to an end. In nearly 500 at-bats, he only hit 20 home runs and hit only .296. These are good numbers for most players, but for a supposed superstar counted on as a middle-of-the-order production, that’s not. Ramirez, 35, may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Up and Coming Player If you wanted to pick a true World Series MVP, you shouldn’t have gone with Lowell. Instead, your guy would’ve been Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury, who has solidified himself at the Red Sox’s center fielder for next season, hit .438 in the World Series and was kind enough to steal the first base of the World Series, which gave everybody in America a free taco from Taco Bell. Watch out for this kid in the leadoff spot, as he has decent speed and a little bit of pop. Ellsbury is likely a Johnny Damon light. What the Team Should Do in the Offseason There isn’t much Theo Epstein and Co. have to take care of in the 2006-7 offseason. There’s the matter of Curt Schilling and Mike Lowell becoming free agents, but both could be locked up for one year, $12 million and three year, $40 million, respectively. The Red Sox should not pursue Alex Rodriguez, unless he’s willing to “settle” for $25 million or so a season. Anything above that is absurd. It would be nice of the Red Sox could add another starter to their starting rotation mix. Beckett is known for being injury prone, while Curt Schilling and Tim Wakefield are getting up there in years, while Clay Bucholz and John Lester are unproven. They could use a solid innings eater, like a Josh Fogg or Rodrigo Lopez. We want to hear your feedback. Feel free to comment on this article here or visit our message board. You can contact Daniel Paulling via the writer's Profile or the AHP Staff via the contact form. Hype up this post at BallHype!

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