Talking About HoF for MLB Players Under the Age of 28? Really?

Today on ESPN Boston, Joe McDonald wrote an article contemplating Dustin Pedroia’s chances of reaching the Hall of Fame.

Anyone else think this is a decade too soon?

McDonald does temper the article by saying,” Obviously, Pedroia has a long way to go before he can even be mentioned in the same breath as the Hall of Fame.” But nevertheless, he goes on to compare Pedroia’s stats through his first five full seasons with Roberto Alomar, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame this past weekend.

Alomar and Pedroia’s stats are similar in their first five seasons, but that’s not the point. Pedroia is a great player right now. Ten more years of playing at this level will put him in Cooperstown but that’s a long way to go and not a topic of today. What should be a topic is his 21-game hitting streak and the ease at which the Red Sox are winning ball games these days.

McDonald closes by saying:

Maybe we are witnessing a future Hall of Famer in Pedroia.

Well, whether we are or are we aren’t won’t be known for quite a while. Let’s just enjoy it while we can.

Wait. There’s more nonsensical Hall of Fame characterizations from ESPN today! Continue reading “Talking About HoF for MLB Players Under the Age of 28? Really?”

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Red Sox Offensive Struggles

The Boston Red Sox may be tied for first in the American League East (for now. In ten minutes, they won’t be). They may have scored the fifth most runs in baseball. They may have the best bullpen in baseball. But the Boston Red Sox have a lot of problems.

Actually, let me correct that. They have one BIG problem:

Offense

The team cannot score. It’s the worst offense under GM Theo Epstein’s tenure with Boston and it just keeps getting worse. So far in July, the team is batting .226. Only San Diego and Pittsburgh have been worse in that month. In June, the team batted .260. For a team consistently around the .280 mark around the last few season, .260 is not very good. Let’s dig deeper into individual stats:

 Dustin Pedroia is hitting .367 in July. He’s the only one

Youkilis is at .254. Ellsbury .234. Papi .218. Varitek .216. Jason Bay is hitting .184. Nick Green is at .150. J.D. Drew is at .137. That’s 8 of the 9 offensive players with the other position being platooned between Rocco Baldelli and Mark Kotsay, who are hitting .214 and .211 respectively. Without Pedroia, the team is hitting .207 in July. Continue reading “Red Sox Offensive Struggles”