FORT MYERS, Fla. — The 2023 Red Sox look virtually nothing like their most up-to-date championship crew.
Heading into their fifth season since profitable a franchise-record 108 regular-season video games and their fourth World Series this century, solely three members of that historic marketing campaign stay on this 12 months’s roster: Rafael Devers, Chris Sale, and Ryan Brasier.
And for the reason that 2018 World Series, a number of Red Sox and Dodgers have switched sides.
Alex Verdugo and Connor Wong (from the 2020 Mookie Betts commerce), Kiké Hernández, Justin Turner, and Kenley Jansen are with Boston, whereas the Dodgers have Betts and JD Martinez (one-year deal). Joe Kelly, David Price, and Craig Kimbrel additionally performed for the Dodgers after going through them in 2018.
The Dodgers have additionally employed J.T. Watkins, the worker suspended for the 2020 season after MLB’s investigation into whether or not the Red Sox electronically stole indicators in 2018. This week, Betts informed the LA Times that Red Sox gamers donated cash to Watkins when he was on his unpaid suspension.
Betts additionally confirmed he’d been conscious of the sign-stealing whereas it was happening. “Everybody was,” he stated. But he additionally maintained that it was rare and that the Red Sox didn’t cheat through the World Series. Doing so would have been tough, as MLB positioned officers in groups’ video rooms through the postseason.
Betts then tried to downplay what he’d simply admitted. “People are trying to make it like we’re cheating,” he stated, “Give us credit. We had a good team. Give us some credit. We had Cy Young winners. We had MVPs. We had Gold Glove winners. We had Silver Sluggers. We had all that. Take that into account.”
That 12 months, he turned the primary participant in MLB historical past to win a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, batting title, MVP award, and World Series in the identical season.
The query is, how a lot did the Red Sox, individually and collectively, profit from digital sign-stealing?
Interviewed for a similar story, Clayton Kershaw wished to make one thing clear. “No matter what enhancements technology had back then, there needs to be a clear distinction between what the Astros did and what everybody else did,” he stated.
However, the Dodgers have been additionally referred to as out earlier this month in former Herald reporter Evan Drellich’s new ebook, “Winning Fixes Everything.”
In the exposé, an nameless Red Sox supply referred to as the Dodgers “the biggest cheaters in the whole [expletive] industry,” happening to allege, “They were caught doing it against us in the ’18 World Series. They got caught by Major League Baseball and Major League Baseball did nothing.”
Josh Reddick, who performed for the Red Sox (2009-11) and Astros (2017-20), favored a number of tweets concerning the Dodgers dishonest, together with from Justin Verlander’s youthful brother, Ben.
Tom Verducci’s article from the week after the 2018 World Series resurfaced on-line. At the time, he wrote about “the proliferation of electronic surveillance,” and that “many clubs now have as many as six high magnification cameras installed in their home ballpark specifically designed to steal signs from opponents.” He additionally cited an nameless Dodgers supply, who claimed “a small army of 20-something analysts in polo shirts and slacks [pore] over video from the in-house cameras, like the security room at a Vegas casino.”
The Red Sox and Astros alone wouldn’t qualify as “many clubs.” In one among Drellich’s first articles blowing the whistle on digital sign-stealing, the Yankees have been talked about dozens of occasions, however at the least publicly, solely Houston and Boston have been investigated.
Last week, Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts, who turned a Red Sox legend along with his stolen base within the 2004 ALCS, denied that his crew illegally stole indicators in 2017 and 2018. He informed the LA Times that MLB investigated “a bunch” of groups however discovered “nothing” on the Dodgers.
He’s that good
Only two days into full-squad spring coaching, Ceddanne Rafaela is already getting rave critiques from the big-league supervisor.
“The defense is THAT good in centerfield,” Alex Cora stated on Tuesday, calling the highest prospect not only a plus-defender, however “Plus plus.”
The 22-year-old infielder stole 28 bases and hit 21 residence runs between High- and Double-A, broke out final season, however what actually put him on the map was that he moved to the outfield and have become a defensive spotlight reel.
Rafaela will nonetheless get some work in at shortstop this spring, however Cora reiterated that he’s going to spend most of his time within the outfield. The supervisor praised him for spending the offseason engaged on plate self-discipline.
Count Cora amongst those that can’t wait to see Rafaela closely featured in spring coaching video games whereas most of the big-league gamers are within the World Baseball Classic.
“I’m excited for him,” the supervisor stated.
Houck’s position
Tanner Houck threw stay batting observe to Kiké Hernández, Masataka Yoshida, and Adam Duvall, with Reese McGuire catching, on Tuesday.
Houck, who debuted as a starter in 2020, labored primarily as a reliever final season, partly as a result of unreliability of the crew’s bullpen. The 26-year-old righty solely made 4 begins, all earlier than the center of May. Over 28 reduction appearances totaling 43 1/3 innings, he posted a 2.70 ERA and 1.131 WHIP, with 43 strikeouts and 15 walks. Whereas he allowed eight earned runs in 16 2/3 innings as a starter, he solely allowed 13 earned runs in reduction.
This spring, the Red Sox are constructing their 2017 first-round decide up like a beginning pitcher, regardless that he appears headed for the bullpen. “As many innings as possible,” Cora stated of Houck. “If he is in the bullpen, he’ll go multiple innings — like I said, we’ll see what we want, but we have to maximize him.”
The concept is that Houck could be a lengthy reliever, throwing a number of innings in a single look in order to ease the burden on the beginning rotation in addition to different relievers.
It would additionally preserve him in good condition to start out a recreation, if want be. That’s what he’d favor to be doing.
Scary second
Batting observe took a scary activate Tuesday when Bobby Dalbec hit a ball over the fence, unintentionally placing a boy within the abdomen.
After EMTs got here to guage the boy, he was in a position to meet Dalbec, who posed for pictures with him and gave him a signed ball.
Another catcher
The Red Sox added Elih Marrero, son of MLB catcher Eli Marrero, to their spring coaching roster as a non-roster invitee.
Marrero is one among a number of catchers the Red Sox are evaluating this season. SoxProspects.com describes the 25-year-old as having “no power potential,” however athletic for a catcher, with “potential above-average defensive profile.” He additionally presents some velocity; during the last two seasons, he’s stolen 32 bases in 136 video games.
Originally drafted by the group within the eighth spherical of the 2018 draft, Marrero spent the 2022 season with Double-A Portland. In 79 video games, he collected 51 hits, 10 doubles, two residence runs, scored 32 runs (as many as he did in 57 video games with High-A Greenville the 12 months earlier than), and drove in 16 RBI.
Source: www.bostonherald.com