The Boston Red Sox

Mantush · 10-07-2012, 03:12 AM

The Boston Red Sox announced the firing of Ben Cherington earlier this morning, just a day before the 2012 regular season is set to begin. The organization did not give a reason for the firing, but they did name Ben’s replacement: twenty-seven year old Chris Hatfield.

Hatfield, a Boston native, is now the youngest General Manager in major league baseball. He holds dual Bachelors of Science in finance and economics from Tufts University and obtained a Masters in Sports Management from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. The twenty-seven year old was originally hired by the Boston Red Sox two years ago as an Advance Scout.

“He’s been a major internal critic of many of the organization’s moves,” said an unnamed source, “always posing an alternative solution to a problem, he’s an ideas man. If anybody can help get this organization back on-track and return to its ways of post-season ball, it’s him.”

No press conference is scheduled to introduce Hatfield to the media at this time.

Mantush · 10-07-2012, 03:35 AM

Following a brief meeting with ownership and the Baseball Operations Department of the Boston Red Sox, Manager Bobby Valentine and Scouting Director Amiel Sawdaye were dismissed from their individual posts. The search to fill the two vacant positions has already begun.

“We are putting our full faith in Chris,” said Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry. “We believe in his plan. We aren’t going to get his way and tell him, ‘no, you can’t do that’. We’ve empowered him to make the tough decisions in order to field a winning product.”

The signing of Bobby Valentine to manage the club was widely criticized at the time this off-season. It’s unclear whether or not Valentine will return to his position with ESPN as a commentator on Baseball Tonight. One thing is certain: fans will be happy that he’s gone.

Sawdaye was named the Director of Amateur Scouting for the Boston Red Sox back in 2010. Under his leadership, the Red Sox have drafted top prospects Blake Swihart, Garin Cecchini, Jackie Bradley Jr., Bryce Brentz, Matt Barnes, Anthony Ranaudo, and Henry Owens. It’s rumored that Sawdaye will be a candidate for any open General Manager position during the off-season.

Mantush · 10-07-2012, 11:45 PM

Managerial Position

Torey Lovullo - Lovullo, 46, is no stranger to the roster of the Boston Red Sox. He was the manager of the organization's Triple-A Pawtucket team prior to becoming the first base coach of the Toronto Blue Jays. Lovullo is well-respected within the Red Sox clubhouse and has an excellent reputation when it comes to managing rookie and veteran players.

Ken Macha - Macha, 61, has big league managerial experience having past managed the Oakland Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers. He's not quite as well respected as Lovullo, but his prior experience and good reputation when it comes to managing players make him a good choice.

Tim Wallach - Wallach, 54, is the former manager of the Dodgers' Triple-A team and their current third base coach. He's described as a strong candidate for the job. Wallach is open to the use of advanced statistics and can assemble a strong, on-base percentage heavy lineup.

Scouting Director Position

J.P. Ricciardi - Ricciardi, the former General Manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, has a strong reputation as a "scouting director-type" General Manager. This simply means that he has a strong eye for identifying talent. He has a predisposition towards players that project to be stars, willingly passing up players with a better chance to make the majors for the one that has all five tools.

Andy MacPhail - MacPhail is largely responsible for organizing the current roster of the Baltimore Orioles and acquiring many of their current prospects. He's described as a scout with an excellent eye for international talent, but is merely only good when it comes to identifying talent in the amateur draft. He favors players with high floors over those with high ceilings.

Mark Shapiro - Shapiro is the former General Manager of the Cleveland Indians. He has the best eye for amateur talent on this list, being ranked outstanding by a group of anonymous baseball executives. He's a guy, that like MacPhail, favors high floors over high ceilings. Could he be Hatfield's pick to help restock a depleted Boston farm system?

beachbomer · 10-08-2012, 12:08 AM

Liking it so far, good luck!

Mantush · 10-08-2012, 02:20 AM

Jon Heyman @Jon_Heyman
Im hearing the Red Sox have asked to talk to Farrell of Jays. Would require compensation. #RedSox

Mantush · 10-08-2012, 02:22 AM

Bryan Morris @RedSox4Ever
@Jon_Heyman Farrell would be terrible choice!! Red Sox should hire Francona!! #admityourmistake #growupownership

Mantush · 10-08-2012, 04:25 AM

Ken Rosenthal @KenRosenthal -- 1:32 PM, EST
Hearing Red Sox, Astros agreed to deal. Jacoby and WMB to Houston. Still receiving information. #blockbuster

Jon Heyman @Jon_Heyman -- 1:45 PM, EST
The Red Sox and the Astros have struck a deal. Middlebrooks to Houston in exchange for Mills, prospect

Nick Cafardo @NickCafardo -- 1:50 PM, EST
No clue where these rumors are coming from ... haven't heard anything from sources #weird

Mantush · 10-09-2012, 03:24 AM

The Boston Red Sox announced earlier this morning that they have inked former Orioles General Manager Andy MacPhail to a four year contract to be their new Scouting Director. The Red Sox introduced MacPhail alongside new General Manager Chris Hatfield.

"Andy is a smart guy," said Boston's new General Manager. "He didn't have a lot of success in Baltimore, but we believe he's built a strong core for that team there. They'll be successful for quite a few years, so we hope he's able to help us do something similar in Boston."

Hatfield was also happy to field questions regarding the managerial search. "We've tossed a few names around internally," said the GM with a wink. "We haven't made up our mind yet, still have some candidates that have to be interviewed before anything is final."

When he was asked about the shortlist that was released to the media, he laughed. "I don't think we have arrangements made to interview anybody on that list, sorry."

MacPhail was also very intelligent, disclosing some information about the club's player acquisition strategy moving forward. "We value guys that will be contributors to the big league team," said MacPhail. "Team's get in trouble when they keep going for that superstar player. Well, that superstar player, especially when you have Boston's payroll, can be acquired through free agency. It's best to develop the solid core of role players through the draft. Obviously, we will be taking the best player available in each round, but we'll be taking the best player available based off of that and other internal criteria."

"Andy has my complete and utter confidence moving forward," said Hatfield, "I like to delegate tasks. Being able to delegate scouting helps immensely and will allow me to focus more on the task at-hand: finding this club a manager."

Mantush · 10-09-2012, 03:28 AM

Bryan Morris @RedSox4Ever
Orioles aren't a good team! MacPhail knows nothing! #stupidpick #moreofthesame #fireHatfield

James McDuggin @JMcDuggin
I like the MacPhail picks. He's smart, has a plan. Hopefully Red Sox listen to him. Won championships in Minnesota. #greatpick

Nick Wolfe @NWolfe2
Orioles drafted and developed Weiters, Matusz, and Machado under MacPhail. Let's see what he can do in Boston before casting judgement. #berational #inhatfieldwetrust

Mantush · 10-09-2012, 03:31 AM

I apologize for the slow update speed. We haven't played any games yet. I haven't simulated a day yet either. I gave MacPhail the contract he requested to sign via commissioner mode. This will allow me a better look at my players and the other team's players when I go to make my first move as GM of the Red Sox (and it'll be a move that nobody is expecting!).

Mantush · 10-10-2012, 05:07 AM

Jon Heyman @Jon_Heyman -- 2:15 PM
Boston emphasizing emphasizing penchant for advanced stats in managerial search. #Boston

Jon Heyman @Jon_Heyman -- 2:17 PM
Acta from Cleveland would be my guess. Cleveland could demand top prospects. #Cleveland

Jake Stevens @JSteve222 -- 2:20 PM
@Jon_Heyman Acta and prospect for Bogaerts and Balcom-Miller? Who hangs up first?

Jon Heyman @Jon_Heyman -- 2:25 PM
@JSteve222 Red Sox. Bogaerts should be off the table in talks. Think back to Ozzie deal.

Jon Heyman @Jon_Heyman
@JSteve222 If I'm Red Sox, I try Hazelbaker and Britton for Acta plus low level guy.

Nick Cafardo @NickCafardo
Unconventional.. Red Sox inviting press members one-by-one to Fenway.. wonder what is in store.

Mantush · 10-10-2012, 10:45 PM

The Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers announced an unconventional deal between their two ball clubs a few short hours ago. The deal is awaiting approval from the Commissioner's Office, but it is expected to go through without a hitch.

The Boston Red Sox acquired Special Assistant to the General Manager Greg Maddux and Pitching Coach Mike Maddux from the Rangers in exchange for Red Sox Pitching Coach Bob McClure and prospect Madison Younginer. Mike Maddux is expected to assume the vacant managerial position with the Red Sox, while his brother, future Hall of Famer Greg, will serve as the Red Sox's pitching coach.

Younginer, a former seventh round select in the Amateur Draft, is a twenty-one year old with a live arm. His fastball sits in the mid-nineties, and at times, has clocked in at over one hundred miles per hour. He has two decent secondary offerings, a change up and a curveball, that compliment his fastball well and allow him to change speeds effectively. Younginer's lack of command over his pitches, however, has kept him back from rising through the ranks of the Red Sox system. While he still may be able to make the Majors, it's unlikely that the twenty-one year old will ever be anything more than an average middle reliever in the Majors.

The Red Sox held a closed-door meeting with various media outlets to discuss the swap and introduce their new hires to the Boston media. General Manager Chris Hatfield was also fielding questions. Each member of the media was limited to one question each.

Nick Cafardo: There's been a lot of rumors about the team trading for Brad Mills of Houston or Manny Acta of Cleveland. Obviously, neither of those rumors came true, but where's there smoke there is usually fire. Did you guys kick the tires on either of those guys?

Chris Hatfield: I guess that's a question for me. The short answer is no. We didn't kick the tires on either Acta or Mills, but we do believe they are great managers. I appreciate it when leaks like that come out though. It makes it much easier for me to do my job, even if it embarrasses one or two of you media hounds. Thanks for the question, Nick.

Alex Speier: There were reports early on in the search about the team looking for a manager familiar with advanced metrics. How familiar are you, Mike, with advanced metrics and how large of a role will they play when you go to design lineups, etc, etc?

Mike Maddux: Excellent question, Alex. I believe a manager should bat his best hitters early on in the count to maximize run scoring potential. A lot of the traditional metrics don't tell me how well of a job a player actually does at creating runs. For example, RBIs tell me how many times a player had people on-base when he's come up to bat. RBIs don't tell me how good of a hitter he actually is though. That's why, as manager, I'm going to do a lot to look into more descriptive stats. The Red Sox have Bill James on staff. I think it'd be a pity if I didn't take advantage of that.

Greg Maddux: A lot of what Mike said is spot on. I remember, as a pitcher, looking over the opposing team's lineups and seeing hitters with a ton of RBIs in the cleanup spot. The problem was, that guy was never hard to face. Three fastballs down the heart of the plate was all it took to strike him out.

Chris Hatfield: In addition to Greg and Mike both being familiar with sabermetrics and the work of Bill James, we also have Tim Bogar, our bench coach, on staff and he's done a lot of work with an old college roommate of his. He's presented at sabermetric conferences around the country, too, so we have a pretty well-rounded team. Andy and I are also committed to fielding a product that not only wins games but makes sabermetricians drool in envy as well. Great question.

Gordon Edes: Bobby Valentine oversaw the club's Spring Training, so Mike will be going in blind. Are there any plans to familiarize Mike and the players and vice versa and get in some live game action before the season is underway?

Chris Hatfield: Absolutely. The Red Sox have five exhibition games scheduled. Two are against Pawtucket, two are against the Yankees, and the last game will be the top prospects and high depth chart minor league guys against the Big League club.

Mike Maddux: It's essential for my brother and I to familiarize ourselves with the players before the season begins. Spring Training stats say a lot, but a good manager also has a good feel for how his club plays. I can't look at a player's on-base percentage and assume that they'll be okay batting lead off. I have to get to know them first.

Greg Maddux: In addition, a lot of the pitchers I'm going to be working with this year didn't have great Springs. It'd be wonderful for me to go out there, meet with them, and try to tweak their mechanics before the season starts to hopefully maximize effectiveness.

Larry Lucchino: That's all the time we have for questions today. Thanks for coming around. We hope to be able to do something like this again soon.

Greg, Mike, and Chris: Thanks, it was a pleasure to be here with all of you.

Bol · 10-12-2012, 02:07 PM

Loving this so far - I like how you're bringin in the Boston media hounds. The Madduxes were a good choice.

Mantush · 10-20-2012, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bol

Loving this so far - I like how you're bringin in the Boston media hounds. The Madduxes were a good choice.

Thanks! I'm stoked to have the Madduxes on staff as well -- really wish they decided to go with them in real life than John Farrel, as rumored...

Mantush · 10-22-2012, 08:13 PM

Mike's Comments: We played well. Obviously, the level of competition wasn't what we'd like it to be, but we played well. I was especially pleased with Adrian's performance. His power is going to be key this year. We really need him to step up and intimidate pitchers like he did last year. If he can do that and we can build on the performances of Ellsbury and Pedroia, then I think we'll be set.

Lester's start was okay. It wasn't ace-level, but it's where we would like him to be for this part of the year. He'll need to work on the walks, which Greg will help him with, but we were very pleased to see him go out and deliver seven innings of solid performance.

We'll see how the next few games play out before we make any decisions about the roster, but Jose Iglesias really impressed me. He impressed Greg and Tim, too. He squared up on the ball well, hit it where the fielders weren't, and played great defense. He's on my shortlist of guys -- if Chris agrees, we'd like to get him a few reps at the plate when we play the Yankees soon.

10-07-2012, 03:12 AM	#1
Mantush Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 147	The Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox announced the firing of Ben Cherington earlier this morning, just a day before the 2012 regular season is set to begin. The organization did not give a reason for the firing, but they did name Ben’s replacement: twenty-seven year old Chris Hatfield. Hatfield, a Boston native, is now the youngest General Manager in major league baseball. He holds dual Bachelors of Science in finance and economics from Tufts University and obtained a Masters in Sports Management from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. The twenty-seven year old was originally hired by the Boston Red Sox two years ago as an Advance Scout. “He’s been a major internal critic of many of the organization’s moves,” said an unnamed source, “always posing an alternative solution to a problem, he’s an ideas man. If anybody can help get this organization back on-track and return to its ways of post-season ball, it’s him.” No press conference is scheduled to introduce Hatfield to the media at this time.

10-07-2012, 03:35 AM	#2
Mantush Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 147	Personnel Shakeup Continues: Red Sox Fire Manager and Scouting Director Following a brief meeting with ownership and the Baseball Operations Department of the Boston Red Sox, Manager Bobby Valentine and Scouting Director Amiel Sawdaye were dismissed from their individual posts. The search to fill the two vacant positions has already begun. “We are putting our full faith in Chris,” said Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry. “We believe in his plan. We aren’t going to get his way and tell him, ‘no, you can’t do that’. We’ve empowered him to make the tough decisions in order to field a winning product.” The signing of Bobby Valentine to manage the club was widely criticized at the time this off-season. It’s unclear whether or not Valentine will return to his position with ESPN as a commentator on Baseball Tonight. One thing is certain: fans will be happy that he’s gone. Sawdaye was named the Director of Amateur Scouting for the Boston Red Sox back in 2010. Under his leadership, the Red Sox have drafted top prospects Blake Swihart, Garin Cecchini, Jackie Bradley Jr., Bryce Brentz, Matt Barnes, Anthony Ranaudo, and Henry Owens. It’s rumored that Sawdaye will be a candidate for any open General Manager position during the off-season.

10-07-2012, 11:45 PM	#3
Mantush Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 147	Red Sox Announce Shortlist for Personnel Openings Managerial Position Torey Lovullo - Lovullo, 46, is no stranger to the roster of the Boston Red Sox. He was the manager of the organization's Triple-A Pawtucket team prior to becoming the first base coach of the Toronto Blue Jays. Lovullo is well-respected within the Red Sox clubhouse and has an excellent reputation when it comes to managing rookie and veteran players. Ken Macha - Macha, 61, has big league managerial experience having past managed the Oakland Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers. He's not quite as well respected as Lovullo, but his prior experience and good reputation when it comes to managing players make him a good choice. Tim Wallach - Wallach, 54, is the former manager of the Dodgers' Triple-A team and their current third base coach. He's described as a strong candidate for the job. Wallach is open to the use of advanced statistics and can assemble a strong, on-base percentage heavy lineup. Scouting Director Position J.P. Ricciardi - Ricciardi, the former General Manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, has a strong reputation as a "scouting director-type" General Manager. This simply means that he has a strong eye for identifying talent. He has a predisposition towards players that project to be stars, willingly passing up players with a better chance to make the majors for the one that has all five tools. Andy MacPhail - MacPhail is largely responsible for organizing the current roster of the Baltimore Orioles and acquiring many of their current prospects. He's described as a scout with an excellent eye for international talent, but is merely only good when it comes to identifying talent in the amateur draft. He favors players with high floors over those with high ceilings. Mark Shapiro - Shapiro is the former General Manager of the Cleveland Indians. He has the best eye for amateur talent on this list, being ranked outstanding by a group of anonymous baseball executives. He's a guy, that like MacPhail, favors high floors over high ceilings. Could he be Hatfield's pick to help restock a depleted Boston farm system?

10-08-2012, 02:20 AM	#5
Mantush Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 147	New Candidate Surfaces in Boston Managerial Search Jon Heyman @Jon_Heyman Im hearing the Red Sox have asked to talk to Farrell of Jays. Would require compensation. #RedSox

10-08-2012, 04:25 AM	#7
Mantush Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 147	Red Sox, Astros Rumored to Have Struck Deal Ken Rosenthal @KenRosenthal -- 1:32 PM, EST Hearing Red Sox, Astros agreed to deal. Jacoby and WMB to Houston. Still receiving information. #blockbuster Jon Heyman @Jon_Heyman -- 1:45 PM, EST The Red Sox and the Astros have struck a deal. Middlebrooks to Houston in exchange for Mills, prospect Nick Cafardo @NickCafardo -- 1:50 PM, EST No clue where these rumors are coming from ... haven't heard anything from sources #weird

10-08-2012, 12:08 AM	#4
beachbomer All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 701	Liking it so far, good luck!

10-08-2012, 02:22 AM	#6
Mantush Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 147	Bryan Morris @RedSox4Ever @Jon_Heyman Farrell would be terrible choice!! Red Sox should hire Francona!! #admityourmistake #growupownership

10-09-2012, 03:24 AM	#8
Mantush Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 147	Red Sox Dismiss Rumors, Sign Scouting Director MacPhail The Boston Red Sox announced earlier this morning that they have inked former Orioles General Manager Andy MacPhail to a four year contract to be their new Scouting Director. The Red Sox introduced MacPhail alongside new General Manager Chris Hatfield. "Andy is a smart guy," said Boston's new General Manager. "He didn't have a lot of success in Baltimore, but we believe he's built a strong core for that team there. They'll be successful for quite a few years, so we hope he's able to help us do something similar in Boston." Hatfield was also happy to field questions regarding the managerial search. "We've tossed a few names around internally," said the GM with a wink. "We haven't made up our mind yet, still have some candidates that have to be interviewed before anything is final." When he was asked about the shortlist that was released to the media, he laughed. "I don't think we have arrangements made to interview anybody on that list, sorry." MacPhail was also very intelligent, disclosing some information about the club's player acquisition strategy moving forward. "We value guys that will be contributors to the big league team," said MacPhail. "Team's get in trouble when they keep going for that superstar player. Well, that superstar player, especially when you have Boston's payroll, can be acquired through free agency. It's best to develop the solid core of role players through the draft. Obviously, we will be taking the best player available in each round, but we'll be taking the best player available based off of that and other internal criteria." "Andy has my complete and utter confidence moving forward," said Hatfield, "I like to delegate tasks. Being able to delegate scouting helps immensely and will allow me to focus more on the task at-hand: finding this club a manager."

10-09-2012, 03:28 AM	#9
Mantush Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 147	Fans React Bryan Morris @RedSox4Ever Orioles aren't a good team! MacPhail knows nothing! #stupidpick #moreofthesame #fireHatfield James McDuggin @JMcDuggin I like the MacPhail picks. He's smart, has a plan. Hopefully Red Sox listen to him. Won championships in Minnesota. #greatpick Nick Wolfe @NWolfe2 Orioles drafted and developed Weiters, Matusz, and Machado under MacPhail. Let's see what he can do in Boston before casting judgement. #berational #inhatfieldwetrust

10-09-2012, 03:31 AM	#10
Mantush Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 147	I apologize for the slow update speed. We haven't played any games yet. I haven't simulated a day yet either. I gave MacPhail the contract he requested to sign via commissioner mode. This will allow me a better look at my players and the other team's players when I go to make my first move as GM of the Red Sox (and it'll be a move that nobody is expecting!).

10-10-2012, 05:07 AM	#11
Mantush Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 147	Twitter Rumors Jon Heyman @Jon_Heyman -- 2:15 PM Boston emphasizing emphasizing penchant for advanced stats in managerial search. #Boston Jon Heyman @Jon_Heyman -- 2:17 PM Acta from Cleveland would be my guess. Cleveland could demand top prospects. #Cleveland Jake Stevens @JSteve222 -- 2:20 PM @Jon_Heyman Acta and prospect for Bogaerts and Balcom-Miller? Who hangs up first? Jon Heyman @Jon_Heyman -- 2:25 PM @JSteve222 Red Sox. Bogaerts should be off the table in talks. Think back to Ozzie deal. Jon Heyman @Jon_Heyman @JSteve222 If I'm Red Sox, I try Hazelbaker and Britton for Acta plus low level guy. Nick Cafardo @NickCafardo Unconventional.. Red Sox inviting press members one-by-one to Fenway.. wonder what is in store.

10-10-2012, 10:45 PM	#12
Mantush Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 147	Maddux & Maddux: The New Manager and Pitching Coach The Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers announced an unconventional deal between their two ball clubs a few short hours ago. The deal is awaiting approval from the Commissioner's Office, but it is expected to go through without a hitch. The Boston Red Sox acquired Special Assistant to the General Manager Greg Maddux and Pitching Coach Mike Maddux from the Rangers in exchange for Red Sox Pitching Coach Bob McClure and prospect Madison Younginer. Mike Maddux is expected to assume the vacant managerial position with the Red Sox, while his brother, future Hall of Famer Greg, will serve as the Red Sox's pitching coach. Younginer, a former seventh round select in the Amateur Draft, is a twenty-one year old with a live arm. His fastball sits in the mid-nineties, and at times, has clocked in at over one hundred miles per hour. He has two decent secondary offerings, a change up and a curveball, that compliment his fastball well and allow him to change speeds effectively. Younginer's lack of command over his pitches, however, has kept him back from rising through the ranks of the Red Sox system. While he still may be able to make the Majors, it's unlikely that the twenty-one year old will ever be anything more than an average middle reliever in the Majors. The Red Sox held a closed-door meeting with various media outlets to discuss the swap and introduce their new hires to the Boston media. General Manager Chris Hatfield was also fielding questions. Each member of the media was limited to one question each. Nick Cafardo: There's been a lot of rumors about the team trading for Brad Mills of Houston or Manny Acta of Cleveland. Obviously, neither of those rumors came true, but where's there smoke there is usually fire. Did you guys kick the tires on either of those guys? Chris Hatfield: I guess that's a question for me. The short answer is no. We didn't kick the tires on either Acta or Mills, but we do believe they are great managers. I appreciate it when leaks like that come out though. It makes it much easier for me to do my job, even if it embarrasses one or two of you media hounds. Thanks for the question, Nick. Alex Speier: There were reports early on in the search about the team looking for a manager familiar with advanced metrics. How familiar are you, Mike, with advanced metrics and how large of a role will they play when you go to design lineups, etc, etc? Mike Maddux: Excellent question, Alex. I believe a manager should bat his best hitters early on in the count to maximize run scoring potential. A lot of the traditional metrics don't tell me how well of a job a player actually does at creating runs. For example, RBIs tell me how many times a player had people on-base when he's come up to bat. RBIs don't tell me how good of a hitter he actually is though. That's why, as manager, I'm going to do a lot to look into more descriptive stats. The Red Sox have Bill James on staff. I think it'd be a pity if I didn't take advantage of that. Greg Maddux: A lot of what Mike said is spot on. I remember, as a pitcher, looking over the opposing team's lineups and seeing hitters with a ton of RBIs in the cleanup spot. The problem was, that guy was never hard to face. Three fastballs down the heart of the plate was all it took to strike him out. Chris Hatfield: In addition to Greg and Mike both being familiar with sabermetrics and the work of Bill James, we also have Tim Bogar, our bench coach, on staff and he's done a lot of work with an old college roommate of his. He's presented at sabermetric conferences around the country, too, so we have a pretty well-rounded team. Andy and I are also committed to fielding a product that not only wins games but makes sabermetricians drool in envy as well. Great question. Gordon Edes: Bobby Valentine oversaw the club's Spring Training, so Mike will be going in blind. Are there any plans to familiarize Mike and the players and vice versa and get in some live game action before the season is underway? Chris Hatfield: Absolutely. The Red Sox have five exhibition games scheduled. Two are against Pawtucket, two are against the Yankees, and the last game will be the top prospects and high depth chart minor league guys against the Big League club. Mike Maddux: It's essential for my brother and I to familiarize ourselves with the players before the season begins. Spring Training stats say a lot, but a good manager also has a good feel for how his club plays. I can't look at a player's on-base percentage and assume that they'll be okay batting lead off. I have to get to know them first. Greg Maddux: In addition, a lot of the pitchers I'm going to be working with this year didn't have great Springs. It'd be wonderful for me to go out there, meet with them, and try to tweak their mechanics before the season starts to hopefully maximize effectiveness. Larry Lucchino: That's all the time we have for questions today. Thanks for coming around. We hope to be able to do something like this again soon. Greg, Mike, and Chris: Thanks, it was a pleasure to be here with all of you.

10-12-2012, 02:07 PM	#13
Bol Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 24	Loving this so far - I like how you're bringin in the Boston media hounds. The Madduxes were a good choice.

10-22-2012, 08:13 PM	#15
Mantush Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 147	March 27, 2012 -- Pawtucket Red Sox vs. Boston Red Sox Mike's Comments: We played well. Obviously, the level of competition wasn't what we'd like it to be, but we played well. I was especially pleased with Adrian's performance. His power is going to be key this year. We really need him to step up and intimidate pitchers like he did last year. If he can do that and we can build on the performances of Ellsbury and Pedroia, then I think we'll be set. Lester's start was okay. It wasn't ace-level, but it's where we would like him to be for this part of the year. He'll need to work on the walks, which Greg will help him with, but we were very pleased to see him go out and deliver seven innings of solid performance. We'll see how the next few games play out before we make any decisions about the roster, but Jose Iglesias really impressed me. He impressed Greg and Tim, too. He squared up on the ball well, hit it where the fielders weren't, and played great defense. He's on my shortlist of guys -- if Chris agrees, we'd like to get him a few reps at the plate when we play the Yankees soon.