Monday, September 29, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
8:30PM ET - September 15th, 2014
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
| Philadelphia Eagles at Indianapolis Colts | |||||
| Sep 15, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Philadelphia Eagles (2-0, 1-0 Away) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Indianapolis Colts (1-1, 0-1 Home) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 17 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 227YDS, TD
Rushing : L.McCoy (PHI) - 18CAR, 91YDS, TD
Receiving : R.Wayne (IND) - 8REC, 100YDS
INDIANAPOLIS - After a huge win on the road in Week 1 the Colts would get an extra day to rest, and they would desperately need that extra day. Hosting the high flying Eagles at home for a Monday Night opener would not be easy without their starting center. Khaled Holmes suffered an abdominal tear in their season opener and would be out for at least two weeks.
The Colts defense struggled right from the opening drive, allowing the Eagles to run all over them and march right down to the goal. Luckily a defensive stop, tackling Riley Cooper on 3rd down to for a 4th & 2 would hold the Eagles to a field goal.
Andrew Luck managed to engineer a 13 play 79 yard drive, going 8/8, and find TY Hilton for a TD in the second quarter. Another FG by the Eagles, thanks to another stop inside the 20, would leave the teams 7-6 at the half. The Eagles offense, mainly Foles, were not particularly sharp in the first half. The running game worked very well, but once they got inside the 20 the Colts managed to shut them down.
Hilton's TD gave Indy the lead.
The second half featured some serious miscues by the Colts, and to some extend the officiating crew. The Colts offensive line just fell apart in the face of the Eagles blitzing, getting to Luck and stoning Richardson again and again. Long possessions by both sides ate up the 3rd and neither team could score.
The Colts managed to get inside the Philidelphia 20, but facing 4th & 5 they opted to go for it instead of taking the points and instantly regretted it. The offensive line folded under a blitz and Luck was sacked almost as soon as he had the ball. The Colts had another chance on offense, this time converting the 4th down, but a questionable INT gave the Eagles the ball back on the 36. SS Malcolm Jenkins stepped up and blocked off TY Hilton on a deep pass already in the air, and Cary Williams happily snatched it. The ref failed to call a blatant pass interference penalty, and the Eagles had a short field. The Colts defensive finally came up big and held the Eagles to a 30 yard FG.
Kelly's offense failed to find it's wings for most of the game.
With the 4th quarter about to hit the 2-minute warning the Eagles ran over the Colts with a LeSean McCoy TD run and a 2PT conversion to go up 17-7. Luck took the ball with a little over 2:00 on the clock and marched down the field with a 7 play 73 yard drive to punch it in from the 1 with Trent Richardson. Unfortunately the Eagles recovered the onside kick and the game was over.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
THE BOSTON GLOBE (RED SOX DYNASTY REPORT)
Player (Prospect Grade - John Sickels, Current Level)
1B, Issac Koufax (Grade : A, AAA Pawtucket)
The crown jewel of Boston's system and one of their best draft picks in years. Will probably spend the entire season in AAA as a formality as he would be in the majors right now if Will Middlebrooks hadn't been signed to a 4-year deal after a big 2014 season. Still a gold glove defender with 25+ HR .300 hitting upside, profiles as similar to Freddie Freeman offensively.
LHP, Trey Ball (Grade : B, AAA Pawtucket)
Looks ready for an MLB trial run, should be given a shot to win a spot in the rotation in 2017. Started the season 5-1 with a 2.93ERA, command could use sharpening but at this point is basically a finished product.
OF, Tyron Green (Grade : B, A-Advanced Salem)
Tyron has coaches drooling and rival organizations wishing they had rolled the dice on him and his brother. As expected he defends extremely well and could be promoted to AA by mid-season just based on his fielding. Hitting has been better than expected, showing very good plate discipline despite an aggressive approach to the plate. His quick compact swing helps him make up for the aggression, and with some additional work could flash some real power. Ripped through rookie and Class A ball last season after being drafted and finished with a few games at Salem, stole 20 bases in 2015 in basically half a season.
OF, Justin Green (Grade : B, A-Advanced Salem)
Very similar to his brother Tyron, but with a slightly less aggressive approach at the plate. Showed a good eye and killed pitches over the plate on his way to a .432BA across rookie and Class A. Hit a few more HR than his brother, 12, but with a little more work could turn some of his hard hit doubles into HR. Elite defender, should be promoted to AA at some point this season to be tested by more advanced pitching and better breaking balls.
RHP, Roddy Gibson (Grade : B, AAA Pawtucket)
An embarrassment of riches for Boston, yet another young hard throwing starter. Very good stuff, but still needs work on his command. Throws his fastball for strikes but it's seriously hit-or-miss with his secondary offerings. Could use a year in AAA to work on his command before a possible chance at the majors.
LHP, Brett Gilchrist (Grade : B-, AA Portland)
Former college pitcher who looks just about ready for the majors. Doesn't have the stuff of Gibson, but throws strikes and shows command of his secondary pitches that could see him promoted to AAA soon. The fact that he is left handed may give him a boost, but Boston is suddenly loaded with lefty pitchers (Owens, Davis, Ball) so he might find himself stuck behind them.
OF, Pedro Santana (Grade : B-, AAA Pawtucket)
Grade is practically based solely on his defense. The switch to CF was basically seamless and he could be the best defensive outfielder in the minors. Still limited in the long run by his hitting, no power to speak of but decent with pitch recognition. Monster on the base paths could be a 40+ base stealer in the majors if he played every day, but long term value is probably as a defensive utility man.
RHP, Austin Berkeley (Grade : B-, A Greenville)
Transformation has been stunning after a rough start in rookie ball. Coaching staff has rebuilt his delivery without losing any of the velocity that made Boston drool. Looks like they may have struck gold in the tall-hard-throwing-RHP lottery they have played recently, but there is still work to do. Fastball is a solid 70 with 80 not far off, but he continues to struggle with secondary pitches and works a little too high in the zone. Fastball in the 100's allows him to use the upper half, but can be wild at times and hittable when his secondary offerings aren't working. Coaches have him working on a circle change, slider, and a hard splitter that can be devastating at times. Some scouts have compared him to Aroldis Chapman, others Rick Ankiel, a year in Class A will give Boston a better idea of where he is headed as a player.
RHP, Leonidas Alcantara (Grade : C+, A-Advanced Salem)
Another solid sleeper pick by Boston, could see a massive rating upgrade going into the 2017 season. Breezed through rookie and Class A Greenville in his first pro season with an overpowering fastball. Secondary offerings are a work in progress, but flash plus potential. The fastball has been so good for him that below-average secondary offerings (Circle change, curve) generated swing-and-miss results at the lower levels. Potential mid-rotation starter, reminds scouts of recent Boston draft jackpot Leonys Bravo.
RHP, Rafael Alcantara (Grade : C+, A-Advanced Salem)
Another twin who is eerily similar to his brother. Rafael's fastball isn't as dominant as Leonidas' but his secondary pitches have come along much more quickly. Mainly his hard splitter has made up for anything his fastball lacked. Throws for strikes including his below-average change up, but the Fastball-Splitter combo has been enough to devastate younger hitters so far.
RHP, Allen Webster (Grade : C+, AAA Pawtucket)
Webster is looking at his last chance in the Red Sox system, he may be traded if they can find someone willing to take him on. He's on the wrong side of the best bullpen in baseball, and it's hard to see where he fits in especially with a few of the guys above him on this list. Declining production and age are probably dooming his career at this point.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
8:30 PM ET - September 7th, 2014
Sports Authority Field at Mile High - Denver, CO
| Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos | |||||
| Sep 17, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Indianapolis Colts (1-0, 1-0 Away) | 10 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
| Denver Broncos (0-1, 0-1 Home) | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 275YDS, TD
Rushing : T.Richardson (IND) - 18CAR, 72YDS, 2TD
Receiving : D. Allen (IND) - 7REC, 101YDS
DENVER - Ultimately this game would be billed as a Manning vs. Luck rematch, but neither QB would ever admit to that line of thinking. Payton Manning and Andrew Luck, both class acts and team players, would mention their team as a whole before ever bringing up any kind of conflict between them.
The Colts, heavy underdogs, famously came back to beat the Broncos in 2013 which would be an emotional return to Indy for Manning. This year it would be all business as the Broncos look to return to the Superbowl, and they wouldn't be interested in letting the Colts slow them down.
Indy came out with a very aggressive strategy, going for it on 4th & 1 on the Denver 40 in the 1st quarter. Trent Richardson was able to get the 1st down with a 4 yard run, but the risk was very real with Manning waiting to take over with a short field.
Vontae Davis would be all over Demaryius Thomas.
A 27 yard Richardson TD run and an Adam Vinatieri FG after a D'Qwell Jackson INT would put the Colts up 10-0 in the 1st. The Broncos would come right back with a short TD pass to Demaryius Thomas after a 13 play 81 yard drive. They would take the lead after a Danny Trevathan pick-six, and nearly made it 21-10 with a second pick-six that was negated by a clipping penalty.
Both teams kept it close through the 3rd, and the Colts took back the lead in the 4th quarter with a 3 yard TD run by Richardson. More solid defense, including two INT by Vontae Davis, kept Indy in the game until a 23 yard TD catch by TY Hilton made it 24-14.
The famous Manning Face.
Manning engineered a final drive highlighted by a 47 yard Hail Mary caught by Thomas on the 1 yard line, but the Colts defense came up big and stoned them to end the game. Manning would finish with a terrible game, going 18/25 for just 197 yards and 4INT. Davis and his 3INT would be the difference today.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
THE BOSTON GLOBE (RED SOX DYNASTY REPORT)
KANSAS CITY, MO - Boston continues to roll, dominating opponents with defense and pitching. Chris Archer would get the nod today against a familiar foe in James Shields. Shields has had some success against the Red Sox, and this lineup might be susceptible to being shut out.
Things got tense in the 2nd when the Royals managed to load the bases, but Archer went to his slider-fastball combo to get out of the jam. As expected, this game was a pitching masterpiece from both starters. Fans of pitching and defense would have loved this game, fans of hitting would have left before anything happened offensively.
It took 7 innings for someone to score, and it was the Red Sox that put an end to Shields' shutout. Boston finally got a rally together on Shields and put a man on 1st and 3rd with no outs before manager Ned Yost pulled Shields for Luis Ayala. Ayala pitched well, but Mookie Betts hit a towering fly ball to CF for a sac fly that would easily score Blake Swihart from 3rd.
A big day for Swihart would fuel the Red Sox offense.
Xander Bogaerts made it 2-0 in the 8th with a solo-HR, and then Leonys Bravo closed it out in the 9th for his 6th save. Archer finished the game by allowing only 2 hits and 3BB on his way to a 5th win.
| Boston Red Sox at Kansas City Royals | ||||||||||||
| Apr 27, 2016 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Boston (18-8) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| Kansas City (14-12) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| W: Archer (5-0) L: Shields (5-1) S: Bravo (6) | ||||||||||||
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
AFC SOUTH PROJECTIONS
Houston Texans (10-6) : The Texans went from 12-4 to 2-14 at the drop of a hat, but most feel at it's core this team is closer to a 12-4 team than a 2-14 one. They will still be elite defensively, especially with Jadeveon Clowney and JJ Watt controlling the line of scrimmage, but offensively they will probably go through some growing pains. After passing on a QB in the draft they will have to rely on Ryan Fitzpatrick after signing him off the junk heap, but they will probably continue to have a good running game so it might not be so bad. Rookie head coach Bill O'Brien is known more for his passing, their success may depend on his ability to reform a passing attack that was 15th overall in 2013. Schedule is very favorable with games against Oakland, Buffalo, and Cleveland.
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Absolutely terrifying.
Indianapolis Colts (9-7) : This is more about the overall weakness of the division than the strength of the Colts, especially on defense. With the way Luck has asserted himself and played beyond his years it's very likely that the Colts claw their way back to an AFC South title, but it won't be easy. They have some brutal games (like traveling to Denver for their first game, and a visit from the Patriots) but dates with Dallas, Cleveland, and Washington will give them chances to stay ahead of their rivals. Injuries and suspensions have also limited the Colts' ceiling.
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Could Luck-Hilton be the next Manning-Harrison?
Tennessee Titans (7-9) : Ken Wisenhunt takes over a team that has the potential to be very exiting, but also could fall flat on it's face. This team is going to be very dependant on Jake Locker, if Wisenhunt can work his magic they could be pretty good right away, but if Locker gets injured (again) things will go south really quickly. Schedule is decent with an opening game at vaunted Arrowhead and a late-season gift in the form of a visit from the Jets.
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Locker and the Titans under Wisenhunt could surprise.
Jacksonville Jaguars (6-10) : The Jags are hard to read, after years of drafting high they have a lot of young talent but continue to stumble on the field. Jacksonville started 2013 0-8 before going 4-4 in the second half while looking like a completely different team. To be fair, two of those wins were against the Texans, but they showed enough to give fans hope. They will have a brutal late-night west coast game at San Diego, but they will get Cleveland, Dallas, and the NY Giants at home. They also dodge the Patriots with their AFC East match up against the Dolphins. Probably a year or two away from being decent, a lot of young talent is bound to sneak up on a team or two (or six).
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Henne is probably a better fantasy option than a real QB.
Monday, September 15, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
With the pre-season out of the way we have a much clearer picture of the Colts starting lineups. It's hard to read too much from scores, with the Colts finishing 2-2, but with Andrew Luck leaving after the first few series things didn't look great. Outside of the 25-7 victory over the NY Giants there wasn't much to get Colts fans excited.
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
| Indianapolis Colts Depth Chart - 2014 | ||||
| Regular Offense | ||||
| STARTER | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | |
| WR | R. Wayne | H. Nicks | ||
| TE | D. Allen | C. Fleener | ||
| LT | A. Castonzo | J. Reitz | ||
| LG | D. Thomas | J. Mewhort | ||
| C | K. Holmes | T. Austin | ||
| RG | H. Thornton | L. Louis | ||
| RT | G. Cherilus | X. Nixon | ||
| WR | T.Y. Hilton | D. Rogers | ||
| QB | A. Luck | M. Hasselbeck | ||
| FB | S. Havili | |||
| HB | T. Richardson | A. Bradshaw | ||
| Base 3-4 Defense | ||||
| STARTER | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | |
| LDE | C. Redding | R. Jean Francois | ||
| NT | B. McKinney | M. Hughes | ||
| RDE | A. Jones | F. Moala | ||
| LOLB | B. Werner | E. Walden | ||
| LILB | J. Freeman | A. Jackson | ||
| RILB | D. Jackson | K. Sheppard | ||
| ROLB | R. Mathis | C. Johsnon | ||
| CB | V. Davis | G. Toler | ||
| SS | M. Adams | C. Anderson | ||
| FS | L. Landry | S. Brown | ||
| CB | D. Butler | J. Gordy | ||
| Special Teams | ||||
| STARTER | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | |
| K | A. Vinatieri | |||
| P | P. McAfee | |||
| PR | D. Moncrief | |||
| KR | D. Moncrief | |||
OTA / PRE-SEASON ANSWERS
Quarterback : It wasn't really a question to start with, but if the Colts have a definitive answer anywhere it's under center. Andrew Luck is one of the best young quarterbacks (if not overall) in the NFL, and he should continue to drive the Colts. As Luck goes, so does the offense, which should be no surprise. It's all going to come down to the talent around him in 2015, even though they managed to exceed projections the last two seasons.
Luck may need an MVP season to get the Colts into the playoffs.
Special Teams : Adam Viniateri and Pat McAfee return, with Viniateri basically on the verge of retirement, and both continue to be solid. Griff Whalen and Donte Moncrief fought it out for return duties with Moncrief getting the nod after Whalen was cut. Coaches have eyed T.Y. Hilton for return duties, but he may be too valuable if Wayne or Nicks goes down with an injury.
Tight End : The assumption is that offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton is going to go with more two-TE formations and emphasize the run this year. The organization has been excited about Dwayne Allen, who basically missed all of 2013 with an injury, and Coby Fleener. Fleener, a former college teammate of Luck, hasn't been able to produce the numbers expected from their relationship, but with Allen out he performed well in 2013 (52REC, 608YDS, 4TD) and hopes are that he will continue to be productive. Look for Luck to find his TE tandum if the WR group struggles with injury or performance.
FALL QUESTIONS
Defense : Alot of new faces next to ROLB Robert Mathis didn't do much to improve a unit that was 26th against the run in 2013. The Colts were decent against the pass (13th), but with SS Delano Howell moving into a starting role and CB Darius Butler starting opposite Vontae Davis, it's hard to see the Colts ranking as well in pass coverage. The Davis-Butler tandem have the ceiling of a very good pass defense, but it's hard to tell if that is ever going to materialize. The defensive line, coming out of a 3-4 scheme, is probably going to be just as bad if not worse this year. If the Colts are going to win the division or have a shot at the Wild Card they are not going to be able to depend on their defense, this is a unit that needs to be rebuilt as soon as possible.
Can Vontae Davis hold down the secondary by himself?
HB Pecking Order : Trent Richardson seemed like a no-brainer for the Colts, but now he seems like a real lemon. That being said, he still sits atop the HB depth chart, but that could change really quickly this year. Vick Ballard and Ahmad Bradshaw basically missed out on the entire 2013 season and both of them look like they could steal the starting HB job away if Richardson has a repeat of last season. All three have upside, but all three have serious downsides as well. Richardson has the advantage based on his contribution to the passing game, he still has a shot to prove that he is a 1st round talent. Few expect the Colts to rush much, but if they can't rush at all they won't be able to develop a balanced attack.
WR Depth : Reggie Wayne is 35 and coming off a season lost to injury, Hakeem Nicks is unreliable, and TY Hilton is mostly seen as a deep threat. 2014 3rd round pick Donte Moncrief is exciting, but few think he will have much impact in his rookie year, and Da'Rick Rogers only had 14 receptions last year. Unless Hilton develops into a defacto #1WR, things could get ugly pretty fast if Wayne or Nicks struggle.
THE BOSTON GLOBE (RED SOX DYNASTY REPORT)
BOSTON, MA - The Red Sox continue to roll, bringing a 14-6 record home to face the Tigers. As luck would have it they would get to face an old friend, Jon Lester, but Chris Archer would be more than a match for the former Boston ace. This would also be an opportunity for the Tigers to get a little revenge for the ALDS drubbing last season.
The Red Sox would score early and often tonight, and Lester would not enjoy his trip to Fenway this year. Xander Bogaerts landed on 3rd and Nelson Cruz, at DH against the lefty Lester, would drive him in with an RBI single in the 1st. Will Middlebrooks would add to the misery in the 2nd with a solo-HR, the 100th of his career, that would just barely make it over the RF wall. Chris Owings would make it 4-0 with a 2R-HR, and Boston was just getting warmed up.
Jackey Bradley Jr. would hit a 2R-HR over the Green Monster in the 3rd, and then Dustin Pedroia would drive in Owings in the 4th to end Lester's day without recording a single out in the inning. Things weren't much better, in fact they got worse, once Lester left. An RBI single in the 5th by Blake Swihart would set the table for a horrific 6th inning. Doubles and singles rained down on whatever poor soul the Tigers threw in and after the dust had settled four Red Sox players collected RBIs on their way to a 5 run inning.
Owings' Combo Meal would pace the Tigers' beating.
Archer was basically stunning, striking out 16 Tigers in 7IP while only allowing 2BB. His dedication to using the slider and pounding the strike zone instead of nibbling at the corners has really paid off this year. Detroit could only must a single hit, with the Bogaerts-Owings-Pedroia trio hoovering up anything in the infield. The Tigers would salvage some respect with a Bryan Holaday solo-HR in the 8th, but the damage was done.
| Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox | ||||||||||||
| Apr 22, 2016 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Detroit (10-9) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Boston (15-6) | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | X | 13 | 20 | 0 |
| W: Archer (4-0) L: Lester (2-2) | ||||||||||||
Saturday, September 13, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
Two years of exceeding expectations was quickly dashed in the first few months of 2014. The arrest and fall from grace of Colts owner Jim Irsay sent the organization into a tailspin that required immediate attention. In a stunning decision, approved by all 31 other owners, Irsay was banned from NFL ownership and forced to sell the team. While the Colts are hardly a "headline" franchise, valued at a little over $1 billion in 2012, it was a surprising move by the NFL to rid itself of a troublesome ownership situation.
With news of Irsay's ban leaking out through various sources, it didn't take long for potential ownership groups to take shape. In the end MSMG (Midwest Sports Management Group), headlined by Midwestern billionaire Warren Buffett, scooped up the team and set about rebuilding the franchise's image. The vast majority of team ownership (85%) is made up of a who's who in Midwestern / Indiana billionaires, the NFL was swayed not only by the finances but the idea of keeping the Colts in local hands. Buffet (Berkshire Hathaway) is joined by William Wrigley Jr. (Wrigley Management), Gayle Cook (Cook Group), and Herbert Simon (Simon Property Group) as the principal owners with Wrigley Jr. mostly taking charge as the face of team ownership.
The new face of ownership in Indianapolis.
Even with MSMG taking over they decided to keep team management in place so current GM Ryan Grigson would stay on for the near future. Ownership also came out in support of the current coaching staff and pledged to stay with Chuck Pagano and his coordinators. The Colts have avoided a complete rebuilding of the staff, but ownership is probably smart enough to know that March through July is a bad time to hire a completely new coaching staff. The next season or two will be key in determining what direction the team will move in.
EXPECTATIONS & TEAM TRAJECTORY
The Colts have been all over the map, especially since the departure of Peyton Manning, from Superbowl Champions to the top pick in the draft. The last two seasons under Andrew Luck were almost complete aberrations, with the surprise 11-5 season in 2012 prompting the previous ownership to double-down on 2013 and end up at 11-5 again. The sudden and almost unbelievable collapse of the Houston Texans helped the Colts to an AFC South title last year, but they will probably need more of the same to repeat and some serious help to win 10+ again.
A quick look at the numbers, thanks to Football Outsiders (FO), shows us that the Colts are in for some rough times.
2011 DVOA : TOTAL 31 (2-14). No surprise here the season ended with the top pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. The Manning-less Colts were terrible on offense and defense. FO had them at 3.0 wins and they couldn't even do that.
2012 DVOA : TOTAL 25, OFF 18, DEF 31, SP 12 (11-5). This was a real stunner, with FO predicting 6.2 wins, no team outperformed their projection more than the Colts.
2013 DVOA : TOTAL 21, OFF 13, DEF 16, SP 18 (11-5). Buoyed by the fall of Houston the Colts outperformed the predictions again (9.5 wins), but the wins papered over some serious concerns. The Colts ranked 21st in DVOA but made it to 11 wins again thanks to one of the weakest schedules in the NFL and a bunch of close calls.
DRAFT / FREE AGENCY IMPACT
The Colts only had five picks in the 2013 NFL Draft thanks to the Trent Richardson trade sending their 1st round selection to Cleveland. Only two of their picks, 2nd rounder OT Jack Mewhort and 3rd round WR Dante Moncrief, figure to have much impact this year. The Colts drafted with purpose, even with only five picks, and added depth to their offensive line and linebacker corps.
Can Hamilton and Luck make it back to the playoffs?
Free Agency was fairly similar to the draft as the Colts scooped up defensive depth. The additions of LB D'Qwell Jackson (Cleveland), DE Arthur Jones (Dallas), and S Mike Adams (Denver) represent some help, but the loss of S Antoine Bethea leaves a huge hole in the secondary. The biggest name coming over was WR Hakeem Nicks, but most analysts doubt that he will be able to replicate the 1000+ yard 2010-11 seasons he produced in New York. Nicks has also failed to play in all 16 games during his previous five years in the league, not a good sign for the Colts.
THE BOSTON GLOBE (RED SOX DYNASTY REPORT)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - The Red Sox have slowed down since starting 5-1 and bring a 5-4 stretch to division rival Tampa Bay. The Rays aren't playing all that well themselves, but the season is young and things can change quickly over 162 games. Chris Archer would face Jake Odorizzi, a promising young pitcher with top-of-the-rotation potential.
Odorizzi would go toe-to-tow with Archer, tossing shutout baseball, through the 3rd before things started to go terribly wrong for Tampa Bay. Matt Adams opened the scoring with an RBI double that would bring in Dustin Pedroia from 1st. Will Middlebrooks would follow that up with an RBI double of his own to bring in Adams from 3rd.
Jackie Bradley Jr. would extend Boston's lead in the 5th with a solo-HR, and then Adams would extend it further with a 2R-HR that would end Odorizzi's day. Chris Owings would make it 6-0 with an RBI single that would bring in Mookie Betts from 2nd after stealing the base. The Ray weren't quite dead yet and Wil Myers broke the shutout with a solo-HR. Archer would come out to finish the 7th, but his dedication to the slider burned him when he hung one over the plate for a James Loney solo-HR.
Boston used power and speed to batter the Rays.
Things kept getting worse for the Rays in the 8th as a Middlebrooks sac fly drove in Blake Swihart after a triple. Betts added a solo-HR, and Bradley Jr. finished off the 8th with an RBI double that would easily score Rico Berroa from 3rd after stealing it. Up 9-2 things seemed safe, but the Rays had a few tricks up their sleeve. Braxton Davis started the problem with a walk, and then Rubby De La Rosa added two more to load the bases. With Hak-Ju Lee at the plate De La Rosa issued his third free pass in a row and walked in a run. Jayson Werth hit an easy deep fly ball that Betts allowed to drop in front of him for a 3RBI single and a scowl from John Farrell. De La Rose would eventually get out of the inning.
With the score now 9-6 it looked like Tampa Bay would be able to come back, but Adams had a different idea when he blasted a 2R-HR that nearly hit the infamous catwalks. Chris Owings would complete the inning with a 2R-HR, his first MLB homer, and leave Boston with a 13-6 lead. Leonys Bravo would come in and strike out the side for a Daisy Fuentes and a sigh of relief.
| Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays | ||||||||||||
| Apr 16, 2016 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Boston (11-5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 19 | 1 |
| Tampa Bay (7-8) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 0 |
| W: Archer (3-0) L: Odorizzi (1-2) | ||||||||||||
Friday, September 12, 2014
THE BOSTON GLOBE (RED SOX DYNASTY REPORT)
BOSTON, MA - The era of constant disappointment in Pawtucket came to and today with a trade long in the making. Boston's farm system and MLB bullpen is bursting with talent, so there was never much room for Allen Webster. Once a highly regarded prospect, Webster has been passed over by a number of other pitching prospects and looked to be done in the Red Sox system.
Roark could bolster the pen in Boston immediately.
Boston swapped with Atlanta to get Tanner Roark, someone Boston thinks could make the majors this year. Atlanta gets Webster and SS Devin Marrero, another prospect being blocked by better players in the minors (Pedro Santana) and the majors (Chris Owings and Xander Bogaerts).
Thursday, September 11, 2014
THE BOSTON GLOBE (RED SOX DYNASTY REPORT)
ST. LOUIS, MO - The Red Sox were on the road tonight with a potentially tricky game against the Cardinals. St. Louis is good on paper but they have started the season 2-7 and go to Joe Kelly to halt the slide. Chris Archer would not be looking forward to facing Oscar Taveras, but with a great defense behind him things wouldn't be so bad. Jackie Bradley Jr. has been suffering from a sore hamstring so Garin Cecchini started in LF with Mookie Betts moving to RF and Rico Berroa at CF.
Kelly and Archer pitched very well, with Kelly getting easy grounders and Archer striking out batters. Xander Bogaerts broke the game open in the 3rd with a 2R-HR after Chris Owings snagged 2nd. The game was mostly quiet with Kelly and Archer pitching very well through the 6th when Kelly stepped out.
Owings and the Red Sox defense looks solid.
Cecchini made it 3-0 in the 7th with a solo-HR, his first major league HR, and St. Louis didn't have much fight left in them after that. Archer pitched through the 8th, finishing the game with 12K and only a single BB and hit allowed. Through his first three starts Archer has really managed to cut down on the walks, he allowed the most in baseball last year, and this might be a real boost.
Leonys Bravo came in to close the game and flashed 'bad' Bravo by walking Nate Shierholtz with four pitches and then allowing an RBI double to Eduardo Nunez. Blake Swihart went to the mound for a meeting, which must have worked because Bravo struck out the next two batters to finish the game.
| Boston Red Sox at St. Louis Cardinals | ||||||||||||
| Apr 11, 2016 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Boston (7-4) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| St. Louis (2-8) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| W: Archer (2-0) L: Kelly (0-1) S: Bravo (2) | ||||||||||||
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
THE BOSTON GLOBE (RED SOX DYNASTY REPORT)
BOSTON, MA - Well it looks like the Red Sox did not get the memo that they weren't going to be good this year. They opened the season with a sweep of the Yankees at home only to lose to Oakland last night, but with Chris Archer on the mound it's possible Boston can continue their 1-loss record. Jesse Chavez would start for Oakland, an excellent opportunity for the Red Sox to get some runs.
Matt Adams would start the ball rolling in the 1st with an RBI single, driving in Jackie Bradley Jr. after working his way over to 3rd. Blake Swihart capped off the inning with a sac-fly that scored Dustin Pedroia from 3rd. Mookie Betts made it 3-0 as Archer continued his dominance from last year with a solo-HR in the 2nd.
Can Pedroia live up to his contract in 2016?
Chavez did his best, but Boston had his number. A Xander Bogaerts double combined with a Pedroia single made it 4-0, and then an Owings RBI double off the Green Monster made it 5-0 and ended Chavez's day without recording a single out in the 4th. Owings stole 3rd and Bradley Jr. drove him in with a sac-fly to deep CF.
Adams ended the scoring for Boston in the 5th with a towering solo-HR that passed over the Green Monster and basically put the game out of reach. The A's took advantage of rookie Braxton Davis by putting Eric Sogard on 3rd and Jacoby Ellsbury on 2nd in the 9th. Leonys Bravo came in but allowed a 2RBI single by Adam Lind before finishing the game.
| Oakland Athletics at Boston Red Sox | ||||||||||||
| Jan 1, | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Oakland (2-3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Boston (5-1) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 7 | 10 | 0 |
| W: Archer (1-0) L: Chavez (0-1) | ||||||||||||
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
THE BOSTON GLOBE (RED SOX DYNASTY REPORT)
BOSTON, MA - The Red Sox couldn't have asked for a better Opening Day, and the fans couldn't have hoped for much more. Boston opened the 2016 season by hosting their bitter rivals the NY Yankees and making them sit through their ring ceremony before David Ortiz threw the first pitch. Chris Archer would take the mound against Masahiro Tanaka, and the game would be everything you could want from a Red Sox-Yankees game.
The fun got started in the 1st inning with a sight that might be a reoccurring theme as Will Middlebrooks adjusts to playing 1st base. Middlebrooks allowed a runner to reach base by slamming into Archer while trying to collect an easy grounder, and then Javier Baez hit an RBI double with the help of Mookie Betts and his questionable fielding skills. Carlos Beltran made it 2-0 for the Yankees with a double of his own to bring Baez in from 2nd.
Boston wasn't about to let the Yankees make them look foolish on Opening Day. The newly acquired Matt Adams drove in Xander Bogaerts from 2nd with a single, and Blake Swihart drew them even with a double off the Green Monster to bring in Adams. Tanaka and Archer settled down after the 1st and got back to looking like aces.
The fireworks started again in the 3rd with an Adams solo-HR, and then the Yankees came back in the 4th with a Kurt Suzuki RBI double. Jackie Bradley Jr. put Boston back in the lead in the bottom of the 4th with an RBI double off the Green Monster that would score Betts from 2nd.
Hopefully Bogaerts can improve after a disappointing 2015.
With Tanaka and Archer leaving after the 5th, things got interesting. The highly touted rookie Braxton Davis started his season off on the wrong foot by walking in a Yankee runner after Matt Barnes loaded the bases. Mark Teixeira poured salt in the wound in the 7th with a solo-HR on a hanging slider to give New York a 4-3 lead, but it didn't last long as Dustin Pedroia scored on a throwing error to 3rd as he stole the base.
Things really tightened up after the 7th, and both teams ran through most of their pitchers with the game dragging into the 12th. Bogaerts, on his way to a great day, singled and stole second to give Pedroia an opportunity to drive him in with a single. Pedroia did one better by hitting a hard line drive that bounded off the Green Monster and allowed Bogaerts to score the winning run.
| New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox | ||||||||||||
| Mar 31, 2016 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 12 | R | H | E |
| New York (0-1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 0 |
| Boston (1-0) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 16 | 0 |
| W: De La Rosa (1-0) L: Kelley (0-1) | ||||||||||||
| Scoring Summary | ||||
| SCORING DETAILS | NYY | BOS | ||
Thursday, August 21, 2014
THE BOSTON GLOBE (RED SOX DYNASTY REPORT)
It looks like it's (finally) time for the sea change in the AL East that people have been predicting for years now. Boston, the reigning champions, don't look like they have the bats to win the division again. The Yankees look terrible, but they are loaded with young talent, and a few teams with promise should take the division this year.
AL EAST (PROJECTED FINISH)
#1 Toronto Blue Jays (92-70) : Fans and experts have been picking the Blue Jays year after year only to see them fail. This could be the year, no really, they look like they have a balanced team and they certainly have the pitching to keep up with Boston's rotation. Marcus Stroman could make 'the leap' and be a Cy Young winner, and having Jordan Zimmerman and Yovani Gallardo backing him up won't hurt. Jose Reyes continues to be one of the best SS in baseball, and Edwin Encarnacion gives them some serious power. The loss of Jose Bautista hurts, but Brett Lawrie is finally realizing his potential. The five deep rotation should keep them in games, and the offense should push them to a division title.
#2 Tampa Bay Rays (88-74) : The Rays aren't a great team, but in their park with their rotation they will continue to be good. They always seem to outperform their talent levels thanks to defense, but it's going to take a lot more to top the division. David Price, Matt Moore, Jeremy Hellickson, and Alex Cobb make up one of the best rotations in baseball, but it's still the third best in the AL East. The core of this team is still very young with Evan Longoria and Wil Myers looking like perennial All-Stars, but can the rest of the cast do enough to get them to October?
#3 Boston Red Sox (81-81) : The Red Sox look more like a small ball team this year and could struggle to score on a regular basis. People said the same thing last year and they lit the league on fire after August, but with so many experienced hitters leaving via free agency and defense-first rookies taking their place it's hard to see them doing that again. The rotation and the bullpen, especially the bullpen, could be the best in baseball. Hitters are going to see a lot of hard throwing pitchers on the mound for Boston which should help them hold on to the title of the best defense in baseball. What Boston lost in power it seems to have made up with speed speed speed. Look for the Red Sox to steal bases whenever a free bag is open and don't be surprised if they lead the majors in SB. If Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Blake Swihart, and rookie Rico Berroa don't improve a .500 record is reasonable, but if they take a big step forward the Blue Jays might not be so secure at the top.
#4 Baltimore Orioles (78-84) : The Orioles were basically felled by free agency, losing slugger Chris Davis to Texas and Matt Wieters to Houston, and they are getting left behind in a tough division. Adam Jones and future All-World 3B Manny Machado are still elite players, but the same guys they Orioles were trotting out in 2012 are still filling starting roles and they aren't getting any younger. Nick Markakis, JJ Hardy, Ubaldo Jimenez, Miguel Gonzalez, and Jim Johnson are propping up Jones and Machado... or is it the other way around? Jered Weaver continues to quietly be very good, but he isn't getting any younger either. Baltimore is approaching a serious rebuild or risk falling to the bottom of the AL.
#5 New York Yankees (70-92) : It's hard to believe the Yankees are this bad, with experts picking them to finish 26th in baseball, but unlike the Orioles they may have a brighter future. Like previous years, this team is very old and weighed down by bad contracts. Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran are ancient, and Andre Ethier is just kinda playing out his contract. Brett Gardner is still a very good outfielder, but he's getting on in years as well. Luckily for the Yankees they have two future superstars, with one already achieving that status. Masahiro Tanaka is approaching his peak, and a trade with the Cubs last year landed SS Javier Baez. Once the Yankees get out from under their bad contracts they should be heavy hitters in free agency again and build through that draft and around Baez.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
THE BOSTON GLOBE (RED SOX DYNASTY REPORT)
FORT MYERS, FL - A very different Red Sox team showed up at Spring Training this year. After bashing their way to a third championship, this team looks like a defensive dynamo. Everyone knows about the pitching staff, which should remain excellent, but alot of power left town in favor of flashy defense. There are also alot of youg faces this spring, with a lot of minor league players getting non-roster invites to try and make the majors. Another change for Boston will be more emphasis on platoons, mainly at DH, which will hopefully replace the offensive that left via retirement or free agency.
Can Farrell win a fourth?
SPRING TRAINING (By The Numbers)
Boston Red Sox 16-15 (4th AL East)
Hot Hitters
Chris Owings - 3HR 6RBI .292
Will Middlebrooks - 6HR 10RBI .286
Cold Hitters
Dustin Pedroia - 2HR 17RBI .257
Xander Bogaerts - 5RBI .238
Matt Adams - 3HR 12RBI .221
TOP 50 PROSPECTS
Koufax is looking like the real deal.
1B Issac Koufax (AAA Pawtucket)
LHP Trey Ball (AAA Pawtucket)
LHP Brett Gilchrist (AA Portland)
CF Pedro Santana (AAA Pawtucket)
SPRING ANSWERS
Who's On Third? : It took all of five minutes for everyone to see what the plan was going to be in Spring Training. Chris Owings and Garin Cecchini weren't going to accomplish much more in AAA, but finding a place for them would be difficult. Luckily, the departure of Mike Napoli allowed Middlebrooks to move to 1B duty and open up the hot corner. Owings has played well enough at AAA and during the spring to earn a chance at SS with Bogaerts moving over to third, a position Owings cannot play. This leaves Cecchini as the backup 3B, with Bogaerts making a move to SS and Owings backing up Pedroia at 2B. Cecchini was also seen playing a few innings in the outfield, so he may have a shot and becoming a back up LF option as well. Boston will open the season with a Bogaerts-Owings-Pedroia-Middlebrooks infield, an elite defensive look that should help cover up their problems elsewhere.
Outfield Starters : Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts have CF and LF locked up, but the surprise comes in RF with Shane Victorino leaving town. Garin Cecchini looked like he might play LF and Betts would move to RF, but Rico Berroa snatched it away from him. Berroa has the speed and instinct to be a gold-glove RF, but his bat could get him sent back down to AAA for another season.
The Closer : After destroying everything from the Rookie to AA leagues Leonys Bravo hit a roadblock after his promotion to AAA. He was stunning for the first few innings, but seemed to run out of gas (and he has alot of it, hitting 100MPH regularly) as games went on. He seemed to be two different pitchers, but John Farrell seems to think he has use for the "good" Bravo as Boston's new closer. Bravo came in with a number of other prospects just looking to make the team, but he made MLB veterans look so bad with his powerful fastball-circle change combo that Farrell had to give him a shot. Rubby De La Rosa did his best to win the job, eventually being tabbed as the set-up man, if Bravo fails De La Rosa will be right there to take over.
SUMMER QUESTIONS
Outfield Depth (Again) : The starting outfielders have a total of three years of experience between them, and their backups have zero experience. Rico Berroa might be an incredible defender, but if he hits his way out of a job they will be stuck with Cecchini in the outfield. Nelson Cruz, despite being an outfielder, will be used as a platoon DH against lefty pitching. Nobody expects Bradley Jr. to repeat the incredible numbers he put up in 2015, so this outfield could be the weakest part of the team again. If any of the starters go down with an injury look for Boston to sign a free agent or make a panic call-up from AAA or even AA.
3-5 Starters : After enjoying a 1-2-3 punch at the top of the rotation in 2015, it's going to be rough after Archer and Miller. Workman and Barnes were decent in 2015, but Barnes has been moved to the pen in favor of lefty Henry Owens, and Anthony Ranaudo moves from the pen to the rotation. The bullpen is deep but inexperienced, so there really isn't anyone who would be much better than Ranaudo. Braden Shipley is still in the majors, and if he pitches well he could be an option along with Henry Owens. Once the service-date deadline passes we will see who Boston calls up.
Experience Drain : Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, Clay Buchholz, and David Ortiz are all gone and being replaced by rookies or guys with only a few years of experience. The experiment with Middlebrooks at first might be a disaster, the Adams-Cruz DH platoon probably can't replace Napoli, all of the rookies are bound to struggle. This team isn't really built to win a World Series, but whether they are a .500 team or a Bottom 10 team is unknown.
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
Boston Red Sox Depth Chart - 2016
- Catcher
- B. Swihart
- C. Ruiz
- First Base
- W. Middlebrooks
- M. Adams
- Second Base
- D. Pedroia
- J. Schoop
- Third Base
- X. Bogaerts
- G. Cecchini
- Shortstop
- C. Owings
- J. Schoop
- Left Field
- M. Betts
- G. Cecchini
- N. Cruz
- Center Field
- J. Bradley Jr.
- R. Berroa
- Right Field
- R. Berroa
- M. Betts
- Starting Pitcher
- C. Archer
- S. Miller
- H. Owens
- B. Workman
- A. Ranaudo
- Relief Pitcher
- B. Davis
- M. Barnes
- B. Shipley
- D. Britton
- Closer
- L. Bravo
- R. De La Rosa
- Designated Hitter
- M. Adams
- N. Cruz
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