SEASON OF DESTINY NOT TO BE
SOX IMPLODE WITH 8-18 SLIDE TO CLOSE OUT YEAR
BOSTON - THE SELF-DESTRUCTION BUTTON WAS TOO CLOSE NOT TO BE BUMPED, BUT NO ONE THOUGHT IT WOULD GET BITCH-SLAPPED.
(IF YOU;RE READING THIS, MY EDITOR IS JUST AS LAZY AS I THOUGHT HE WAS, AND I AM LOOKING FOR A JOB).
INDEED, A SEASON THAT SHOWED SO MUCH PROMISE FROM MAY TO AUGUST WAS UNDONE GROTESQUELY IN 28 DAYS.
WHEN IT WAS OVER, BOSTON HAD BLOWN A THREE-GAME LEAD AT THE END OF AUGUST AND THE STRENGTH OF SEPTEMBER'S CALL-UPS WAS EXPECTED TO WEAR DOWN CONTENDERS TAMPA BAY AND THE YANKEES.
DIDN'T HAPPEN.
TAMPA WENT 16-10 OVER THE LAST MONTH TO PULL AWAY TO AN AL-EAST LEADING 93-69 MARK, FOUR GAMES AHEAD OF NEW YORK AND SIX IN FRONT OF THE RED SOX.
HOW BAD DID IT GET? BRANDON WEBB, ACQUIRED JULY 29 WITH 16-1 RECORD, COULDN'T EVEN GET TO 20 WINS AND HIS SUPPOSED GRIP ON THE CY TOUNG AWARD LANDED IN THE LAP OF FORMER WHITE SOX TEAMMATE SERGIO BELTRAN.
"OUR STARTING PITCHERS DEFINETELY LET US DOWN," SOX GM LEE GANNON SAID. "WE STARTED OFF TOO MANY GAMES BEHIND A QUICK TWO OR THREE RUNS."
A FORMERLY PROLIFIC OFFENSE SPUTTERED AS WELL.
FOLLOWS IS A POSITIONAL LOOK AT 2014 AND WHAT'S IN STORE FOR 2015s FINAL SEASON.
PITCHERS
BRANDON WEBB WAS LIGHTS OUT WHEN SOX AGREED BOSTON HAD STOLEN HIM FROM THE WHITE SOX (ALONG WITH THEIR CLOSER OMAR GALLRADO). WEBB, 34, WENY JUST 3-5 AS A RED SOX, BUT PITCHED GAMELY DESPITE BEING OVERUSED.
WEBB HAS POSTED A 50-19 MARK OVER THE PAST THREE SEASONS, SO THERE'S NO REASON TO BELIEVE HE WONT BE BOSTON'S TOP STARTER THE FINAL TWO SEASON'S OF HIS CONTRACT, WORTH JUST OVER $47 MILLION. WEBB POSTED 19 QUALITY STARTS IN 34 OUTINGS.
2015 PROJECTION: 21-7, 3.29
2014 19-6 2.99
2013 16-5 2.88
2012 15-8 3.05
2011 9-10 4.26
2014 19-6 2.99
2013 16-5 2.88
2012 15-8 3.05
2011 9-10 4.26
AT 32, ADAM WAINWRIGHT HAS PLENTY TO SHOOT FOR IN 2015, A CONTRACT YEAR. WAINWRIGHT FINISHED 15-9, 3.04, A YEAR REMOVED FROM A 7-15, 5.14 DEBACLE
PROJECTION: 17-10, 3.23
15-9 3.04
7-15 5.14
16-7 2.99
10-12 3.72
EDWIN JACKSON 30 1/4 9.1M
13-9 3.88
11-7 3.24
12-6 4.20
15-6 3.30
B MORROW 29 1/4 5.4M
9-8 4.37
10-10 2.98
11-6 3.33
7-7 3.71
J ZIMMERMAN 27 4/4 1.6M
12-9 3.98
5-2 3.44
9-9 3.47
8-14 4.71
F DARBY 22 2/3 331
1-2 5.29
A GALARRAGA 32 1/2 1.6M
7-9 4.08
0-0 6.75
6-8 3.66
7-10 3.91
A WAITE 22 3/3 335K
1-1 7.71
H ROSSI 22 3/3 350K
S ARROYO 19 2/3 399K
R ROLLINS 24 1/2 325K
1-1 7.36
K FUJITA 23 1/1 40K
N THORNE 3/3 235K
J BENJAMIN 29 3/3 146K
E LARA 22 1
C CONTRARAS D OCHOA
RPs
GAYLORD BEAM 26 1/1 909K
11-4 2S 65K 3.38
1-1 23K 2.59
S ROMO 30 1/2 1.8M
5-1 1S 102K 1.95
2-0 1 75 3.53
1-8 3 98 2.97
6-5 0 89 1.83
R CARMONA 28 3/4 607K
3-0 1 7 4.54
D SCHLERETH 27 4/4 389K
L LAW
C JIMINEZ 29 4/5 335K
0-0 0 14 3.55
W WISLER 30 1/2 199K
3-0 15
CLOSERS
JEROME ECKERT 28 3/3 316K
40
OMAR GALLARDO 26 1/2 2.1M
24
28
34
JUNIOR PRUITT, LESLIE KINCAID
CATCHERS
T PURCELL 27 1/1 937K
11 60 305
0 1 390
9 60 313
5 26 253
K KRAMER 22 2/3 282K
0 0 200
R BAUMAN 28 2/3 89K
2 6 238
D ROSE 27 3/3 120K
0 7 234
ADRIAN CHASTAIN, STEVE MAYBERRY
1B
E KYLE 26 2/4 1.6M
16 53 275
34 99 245
15 50 265
A SPRAGUE 21 2/4 229K
2 11 357
PASQUALE ARREDONDO
2B
M FOSS 25 3/5 3.7M
24 78 310
15 53 289
6 62 293
4 9 372
A GABRIEL 19 1/3 63K
2 7 250
EDDIE CRAMM AND LEROY BRANDT.
3B
M CLEMENT 25 1/1 390K
2 3 275
R COLE 26 2/4 466K
0 2 250
1 1 180
18 68 278
9 39 274
G WILCOX 20 3/3 58K
0 3 152
CLIFFORD RYDER AND ABRAHAM GANN
SS
E CABRERA 28 1/2 2.9M
11 46 265
5 30 264
3 26 282
0 3 220
E McKNIGHT 23 3/3 419K
16 49 25
S HOFF 23 2/2 148K
1 6 229
2 12 258
0 3 277
0 6 182
WOODROW PACK AND GUILLERMO LEON
LF
C BROWER 26 1/7 9.6M
35 122 315
42 112 306
23 72 295\\\
K SAMPLE 23 1/4 3.1M
13 73 331
4 10 302
DELWYN YOUNG AHMAD BARKSDALE.
CF
C BELTR AN 36 3/8 14.1M
20 76 279
23 77 284
17 47 225\
32 98 338
D OLIVER 29 3/4 332K
38 137 320
23 90 289
16 47 277
7 23 269
K BATES 18 1/1 400K
1 3 208
BRADLY OULLETTE AND D CHRISTEN
K LEMONS 28 2/5 201K
7 22 315
10 53 257
R DENT 22 3/3 37K
0 2 207
KWANG-HO KIM AND STACEY CRISP
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