Dedicated Fan Base

The fans of the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies are two fan bases that are dedicated to their teams. I've been to Fenway Park and Citizens Bank Park in recent seasons and both times the atmosphere was just fantastic. Both teams missed the post season in 2012, but they are looking to make it back in 2013, and the fan base will have to be a big part of it.

The Boston Red Sox were on a slippery slope in the beginning of 2012 and they ended up at the bottom of the stack. They fired Bobby Valentine and rebuilt half of their lineup. Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Cody Ross, and Kevin Youkilis will not be back with the Red Sox in 2013. Although they lost a lot, they spent the most money this off season and that resulted in this lineup:

1. S. Victorino LF          91 OPS+
2. L. Ellsbury CF            83 OPS+
3. R. Pedroia 2B            112 OPS+
4. L. Ortiz DH                171 OPS+
5. R. Napoli 1B              110 OPS+
6. S. Saltalamacchia C    95 OPS+
7. R. Middlebrooks 3B   120 OPS+
8. R. Gomes RF              140 OPS+
9. L. Drew SS                 79 OPS+

Former ace Josh Beckett was part of the huge trade with the Dodgers and will remain with the Dodgers in 2013. The Red Sox did add Ryan Dempster, but much of their rotation did not perform as expected in 2012.

1. L. Jon Lester 4.82 ERA
2. R. Ryan Dempster 3.38 ERA
3. R. Clay Buchholz 4.56 ERA
4. L. Felix Doubront 4.86 ERA
5. R. Rubby De la Rosa 3.71 ERA in 2011

The bullpen is the strongest part of this Red Sox team. They added Koji Uehara (1.75 ERA), Craig Breslow (2.70 ERA), and Joel Hanrahan (2.72 ERA) over the course of 2012 and 2013. They also have Andrew Bailey (3.24 ERA in 2011), Junichi Tazawa (1.43 ERA), Daniel Bard (6.22 ERA as starter in 2012, 3.33 ERA as reliever in 2011), and Franklin Morales (3.77 ERA). Each one of these guys is a great arm out of the bullpen, but it has been announced that Joel Hanrahan will be the closer in 2013.

I project 89 wins for the Red Sox in 2013

The Phillies traded away Hunter Pence, Vance Worley, Shane Victorino, and Joe Blanton over the course of 2012 and 2013, but they got much back for their trades. Ben Revere and Michael Young will be added to the lineup along with Delmon Young who joined as a free agent. Carlos Ruiz is suspended for the first 50 games of the season, but i'll include him because he will be on the team most of the season.

1. L. Revere CF   89 OPS+
2. S. Rollins SS    98 OPS+
3. L. Utley 2B     110 OPS+
4. L. Howard 1B 91 OPS+
5. R. Young RF   89 OPS+
6. R. Ruiz C        149 OPS+
7. R. Young  3B  78 OPS
8. L. Brown  LF  91 OPS+

The real strength of the Phillies is the starting rotation. The big three in Philly is Halladay, Hamels, and Lee. Guess what , they'll all be healthy this year and ready to go, but lets look at how the entire rotation looks. You can expect Halladay to be much better than he was in 2012.

1. R. Roy Halladay  4.49 ERA
2. L. Cole Hamels   3.05 ERA
3. L. Cliff Lee          3.16 ERA
4. R. Kyle Kendrick 3.90 ERA
5. L. John Lannan    3.70 ERA in 2011

The Phillies traded Josh Lindblom for Michael Young, which I think was a great trade, and they added set up specialist, Mike Adams. Also in the bullpen is lefty Antonio Bastardo and closer Jonathon Papelbon. These three guys are key for the success of the Phillies in 2013.

I project 85 wins for the Phillies in 2013, but expect them to be in contention for most of the year.

Moving On Up

Some players will get the chance to move up in baseball. Their teams were in last place, but now they have the chance to reach the playoffs.

Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate were part of a big trade last night. The Dodgers will receive the 2 players stated in exchange for Nathan Eovaldi and Scott McGough. Hanley Ramirez is hitting .246/.322/.430 this season with 47 RBI and 14 stolen bases. Randy Choate has been sporting a 2.49 ERA over 25.1 innings pitched. The lineup for the Dodgers when everyone is healthy would look like the following: Gordon SS, Abreu LF, Kemp CF, Ethier RF, Ramirez 3B, Loney 1B, M. Ellis 2B, A. Ellis C


Wandy Rodriguez will join playoff contention with the Pirates. He was acquired by the Pirates in exchange for the following minor league players: Rudy Owens, Robbie Grossman, and Colton Cain. Rodriguez will join a rotation with James McDonald, AJ Burnett, Eric Bedard and Kevin Correia. Rodriguez has a 3.79 ERA in 21 games started this season. Over his past 5 seasons Rodriguez has a 3.45 ERA and the Pirates will take that. Their next mission is to find a bat to add to their lineup. 


Cole Hamels is moving on up in the bank as he signed a contract extension for 144 million dollars over 6 years. That is the second most expensive contract given to a pitcher ever. Only CC Sabathias contract is greater. 

The Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies finished the 2011 with the best record in the MLB with a 102-60 record. They have the best pitching rotation in the major leagues and are looking to repeat their 2011 season.

The rotation is incredible. Looking at the stats is all you have to do. The pitching rotation is going to be the following:

Roy Halladay: 19-6, 2.35 ERA, 233 IP, 220 K
Cliff Lee: 17-8, 2.40 ERA, 232 IP, 238 K
Cole Hamels: 14-9, 2.79 ERA, 216 IP, 194 K
Vance Worley: 11-3, 3.01 ERA, 131 IP, 119 K

I think the stats speak for themselves. The problem for The Phillies is the bullpen. I think it was a very stupid move to let Ryan Madson sign with the Reds and sign Jonathon Papelbon to The Phillies. Madson is 31 years old and had 2.37 ERA in 2011 and a 2.55 ERA in 2010. Papelbon is 31 as well, but he has a fluctuated ERA. In 2011 he had a 2.94 ERA and in 2010 he had  a 3.90 ERA. I believe Madson would be a lot better in the role of closer.

The Phillies have an old team and that causes them to play fewer games than a younger player. In 2011 the following players played a low number of games: Chase Utley (103), Placido Polanco (122), and Jimmy Rollins inst getting younger (88 in 2010) and on a steep decline. The Phillies desperately need a right handed bat in their line up. In 2011 they traded for Hunter Pence who was very effective but he alone is not enough. They signed Jim Thome to play first base until Ryan Howard comes back from injury in May or June. The slugger is destined for the Hall of Fame, but it wont compare to the offense they would receive from Howard.

I believe the inconsistency and frequently injured players The Phillies have in their lineup will counteract the fantastic starting pitching they have. With a malnourished bullpen and a receding offense, I think they will have a tough time competing with the young and powerful Marlins. The NL East is going to be a close division with The Phillies, The Marlins, and The Braves.