April 4th the 2010 Red Sox open their season at home against the Yankees on nationally televised Sunday Night Baseball. Another season brings a renewed feeling of hope, especially facing the defending World Champions. Baseball fans around the country will see recognizable cogs that contributed to the success over the last decade for the two teams such as Josh Beckett, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, and Jorge Posada. But both teams also have a large crop of new starters that will help determine which of these two teams will take the American League East crown. Below are the most notable new acquisitions by the Yankees and Red Sox, both full time starters and platoon players, and my reasoning and predictions on how they will contribute to their new teams. So if you are only a casual baseball fan, study up to try and save face when someone asks what you think about Tug Hulett, Bill Hall, Curtis Granderson, or Randy Winn...
Yankee Notable Acquisitions
- Curtis Granderson, CF, #14 - Granderson is a six-year ex-Tiger outfielder with a good combination of speed and power at the plate. He hit a career-high 30 home runs to go with his 20 stolen bases in 160 games last year. He strikes out a ton, and was moved up and down the order from leadoff all the way to ninth by Jim Leyland in Detroit. As only the sixth member of the 20-20-20 club in baseball (with the likes of Willy Mays and George Brett), he has the ability to be an excellent leadoff hitter in the stacked Yankee lineup if he can get on base. But his .327 on base percentage in 2009 was the lowest of career, as well as his .249 batting average. But Derek Jeter will stay in the cleanup role for now, and Granderson will probably take advantage of the short right field deck at Yankee stadium and utilize his lefty power in the three hole. Time will tell if he can pick up his average, and if he does, he is another scary element to the already dynamic Yankee lineup. And Granderson will certainly be seeing plenty of hittable pitches.
Projected Line: .260 BA, 115 R, 32 HR, 90 RBI, 15 SB
- Randy Winn, LF, #22 - Winn is 35 years old and his numbers plummeted last year. Replacing Johnny Damon in left field won't be at all difficult with his glove, but at the plate is a different story. Winn will most likely platoon with youngster Brett Gardner and probably be one of Girardi's first off the bench, but not too much is expected from Winn except his veteran presence and leadership. Winn should be able to hit around his career BA of .286, but no one is expecting him to hit more than ten HRs or contribute with a significant number of RBIs. He will hit at or near the bottom of the lineup, but is playing in a better setting hitting-wise then San Francisco's AT&T Park. The jury is out on how he will contribute, as he could be anywhere from a complete flop and release candidate to a solidly contributing veteran.
Projected Line: .275 BA, 70 R, 6 HR, 47 RBI, 16 SB
- Nick Johnson, 1B/DH, #26 - Johnson returns to the Bronx after a seven-year hiatus to DH and be Teixiera's backup at first. His last good season at the plate dates back to 2006, but batting lefty at Yankee stadium and being surrounded by All-Star caliber hitters, he could return to a 20 HR, 80 RBI player batting in the two spot. He is a tremendous glove off the bench, and with a weakening quality of designated hitters in the American League, he could be in line for his first All-Star appearance this year.
Projected Line: .280 BA, 80 R, 21 HR, 77 RBI, 2 SB
- Javier Vazquez, SP, #31 - Also returning to New York after six years with three other teams, Vazquez will be looking to convert his success with the Braves into being an above average number three starter behind Sabathia and Burnett. True, Javy won 14 games and struck out 150 in his lone season with the Yankees in 2004, but he finished a horrific second half of the season with a 4.91 ERA and was shelled in the playoffs, allowing the Red Sox to make the most historic World Series run in the history of the sport. Vazquez will be 34 in July, and not counting his 2007 season with the White Sox, he has pitched poorly in the American League to date. He will strike out around 200 batters, but history suggests that his ERA will shoot up one to 1.5 points from last years career-low of 2.87. Vazquez will receive the best run support of his career, but at the expense of his individual statistics. The bottom line is that he will win games, and although they may not be pretty, he probably is satisfied with sacrificing personal accomplishment for a World Series shot.
Projected Line: 32 GS, 16-9 WL, 208 K, 28 HRA, 4.04 ERA
Red Sox Notable Acquisitions
- Adrian Beltre, 3B, #29 - Beltre's main contribution with this team will be his glove. As a hot corner upgrade over Lowell, Beltre will contribute to the defensive philosophy that Theo Epstein has instill in the ball club. As for his bat, no one really knows what purpose he will serve. Could he post the .334-48-121 line he put up in 2004 with the Dodgers? Certainly not. But excluding last year's injury marred season, Beltre certainly hits better in contract years, and this could be one of them. In his best season with Seattle two seasons ago, Beltre hit .276 with 26 dingers and 99 RBIs. Fenway is a better hitter's park then Safeco Field, and if Beltre can play a full season hitting seventh in the lineup, his Gold Glove fielding should be a key cog to this team's success.
Projected Line: .275 BA, 65 R, 22 HR, 74 RBI, 9 SB
- Bill Hall, 2B/3B/OF, #22 - Billy-boy peaked in 2006 with Milwaukee, posting a .270-35-85 line as the primary shortstop for the Brew Crew. It has all been downhill since, leading to his release last season and picking up right where he left off with Seattle. His Mendoza-line batting average and huge strikeout rate would be quite the turn-off, but Hall will be utilized only as a utility player this year. He is the 2010 version of Alex Cora, but a poor man's version. He can't run, he can't hit, but he flashes the glove and will be either a late inning option off the bench or a solid contributor in Pawtucket this year.
Projected Line: .215 BA, 31 R, 8 HR, 22 RBI, 5 SB
- Mike Cameron, CF, #23 - Again, a defensive signing, much to the chagrin of Ellsbury, Cameron will man center field and bat eighth for the Sox. This is Cameron's seventh team in 15 years, but he has been one of the most consistent players in baseball in that time. Almost every season of his career is on par with his season average, and with no apparent sign of decline, he should field with excellence and have an arm unseen in center at Fenway in a long time. His upside far outweighs the possible negatives, and even at 37 years young he should certainly be one of the best eight-spot hitters in baseball. He will have ample opportunity to solidify the bottom of the lineup, and could rise over the course of the season if others falter. But if he doesn't succeed, he will be chased out of Boston quickly, primarily because he is black ;) .
Projected Line: .250 BA, 75 R, 23 HR, 76 RBI, 11 SB
- Jeremy Hermida, RF, #32 - The Marlins #1 overall draft pick in 2002 has yet to live up to his lofty expectations, but Theo acquired him to be the fourth outfielder on this squad. Hermida is everything a manager could want out his of first off the bench. He is only 26, bats lefty, has decent power, and is very versatile. With JD Drew's injury history and Mike Cameron's age, it is safe to say Hermida will see a good amount of playing time. He is a big upgrade over Rocco Baldelli, and not too many Sox fans would be let down if (and when) he starts over an injured JD Drew.
Projected Line: .260 BA, 40 R, 12 HR, 45 RBI, 3 SB
- Marco Scutaro, SS, #16 - Sox fans and front office alike are hoping Scutaro can become what the franchise has lacked since Nomar: a consistent, every day shortstop who lasts more than one year. Just like Cameron, Scutaro can flash the leather and is on-par with his average season batting line every year. Reports out of spring training are that him and Pedroia have a nice middle infield flow already, and by hitting in the nine spot, Marco would have to be a complete bust to not meet his mediocre expectations. He is familiar with Fenway from his past two years with Toronto, and with his two year contract with a third year mutual option, he will have both the time and comfort of adjusting to being the Red Sox new starting shortstop. And although Scutaro is 34, every season of his career he has showed improvement.
Projected Line: .280 BA, 90 R, 10 HR, 50 RBI, 12 SB
- John Lackey, SP, #40 - Lackey will be spending his first year out of Anaheim in a place he has pitched extremely well in the past. Fenway has almost always been friendly to Lackey, who only two years ago took a no hitter into the ninth against the Sox. He is probably the best middle of the rotation starter in the game, and should find comfort in moving from his star-pitcher status on the Angels to being buried in the excellent depth of the Red Sox rotation. Lackey is once again healthy and should make 28-32 starts, winning at least half. His half-decade of consistency and intensity in the American League made him one of the most valuable commodities in free agency this year, and could be the difference for this years Sox team. He is a young veteran with an intimidating physical presence on the mound, and will certainly be a staple in what could be the best rotation in baseball this year.
Projected Line: 31 GS, 16-7 WL, 165 K, 17 HRA, 3.77 ERA
Thus concludes this years Red Sox/Yankee offseason haul. Time will tell both how these predictions pan out, but it is safe to say that this group of players will only fuel the fiery rivalry between these two teams.
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