Pablo Sandoval"s Boston Red Sox return, how Dave Dombrowski deals with pitching injuries among top 2017 storylines

Juvenile x Young Thug "Red Sox" (WSHH Exclusive - Official Audio)

Pablo Sandoval is in better shape right now than at this time last year and hisstats clearly reflect it.

In 21 Grapefruit League games this spring, Panda went 22-for-65 (.338 batting average) with a .348 on-base percentage, .677 slugging percentage, 1.025 OPS, five homers, sevendoubles, 20 RBIs, 11 runs, one walk and 12 strikeouts.

He also committed just one error in 42 total chances.

In 19 Grapefruit League games during2016, Sandoval went 10-for-49 (.204 batting average) with a .231 on-base percentage, .408 slugging percentage, .639 OPS, two homers, four doubles, seven RBIs, three runs, two walksand six strikeouts.

And he committed four errors in 34 total chances last year.

Opening Day is today. You ready? Pablo seems ready.

Boston Red Sox righty Rick Porcello starts opposite Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed ace Gerrit Cole at Fenway Park at 2:05 p.m.

Sandoval looks to carry his spring training momentum into the regular season after he took just six at-bats in 2016 before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.

The third baseman"s return is one of the top five Red Sox storylines heading into 2017:

5. Pablo Sandoval"s return and whether he"ll produce and maintain his weight around where it is now:

Sandoval"sproduction is linked to his weight.

Staying at a reasonable weight and nimble will allow him to stay at thirdbase every day.

We saw what happened during 2016 when he continued to gain weight throughout the season. He finished "16 tied for worst among qualified major league third basemen in defensive runs saved (negative-11), per Fangraphs.com.

Sandoval lost 22 pounds ina six-week span during the 2013 season and he reportedly lost more than 40 pounds during the offseason leading into the 2014 season. But both times he put the weight back on pretty quickly.

the red sox need to monitor how he"s eating -- even after games.

If he puts weight on, people will notice and it will become a story. If he has a terrific comeback season, it will be a better story.

4. Chris Sale"s first season as a Boston Red Sox.

Recent history hasn"t been too kind to Red Sox starting pitchers in their first seasons with the team. Rick Porcello, David Price, John Lackey and Josh Beckett allunderachieved in their first years here.

Sale seems to have the perfect personality to eliminate all outside distractions and dominate like he has the past fiveseasons when he"s finished in the top six each year in AL Cy Young voting.

Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling showed it can be done.

Martinez went19-7 with a 2.89 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 33 starts in 1998. Schilling went 21-6 with a 3.26 ERA in 32 starts in 2004 (and helped lead Boston to its first World Series title in 86 years).

Beckett had the personality to succeed in his first year here but he faced an adjustment period going from the NL to the AL. And perhaps his personality made him resist some adjustments during his first year.

3. Too many injuries and how it reflects on Dave Dombrowski.

Tyler Thornburg (right shoulder impingement), David Price (elbow) and Drew Pomeranz (left forearm flexor strain) all will begin the 2017 season on the disabled list.

Thornburg is the second setup man in two years to suffer a significant injury after Dombrowski traded for him.

Carson Smith, who Dombrowsitraded for December 2015, threw only 2 2/3 innings during 2016 before undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery.

It"s not a great look that most of Dombrowski"s pitching acquisitions have failed to stay healthy.

He and manager John Farrell seemed to get a little too sensitive/defensive late inspring training, saying the media pushed/created the storyline about how the team"s shoulder program might have contributed to Thornburg"s injury.

But Farrell was the first person to mention how the shoulder program might have affected Thornburg back on March 10.

2. The starting pitching depth and whether the Clay Buchholz trade will come back to haunt the Red Sox.

The Red Sox traded Clay Buchholz in large part to keep their 2017 payroll under the $195 million tax threshold.

Would Dombrowski have dealt Buchholzif heknew David Price was going to miss at least all of April with an elbow injury?

Would Dombrowski have traded Buchholz if he knew Pomeranz would struggle during spring training?

Would he have made the deal with the Phillies if he knew Roenis Elias was going tosuffer a right intercostal muscle strain?

Or if he knew minor league free agent Kyle Kendrick would be his top depth starter coming out ofspring training camp? Kendrick posted a 4-0 record and 2.18 ERA in eight outings (seven starts), 33 innings.

Henry Owens continues to struggle with command issues and Brian Johnson needs more work at Triple-A Pawtucket. The Red Sox don"t have much depth beyond Kendrick.

As mentioned above, Dombrowski and Farrell already seemed to get sensitive over the Thornburg situation. How much pressure will Dombrowski feel if Price or Pomeranz is lost for the season?

Pomeranz, who underwent a stem cell shot in the offseason, is expected to return from the DL on April 9. But we"ve seen plenty of pitchers receive injections and try to rehab, then shut it down whenissues persist.

1. Getting beyond the ALDS and how David Price, other starters pitch duringthe postseason.

As mentioned on MassLive.com yesterday, Price could return from his elbow injury and dominate during the regular season -- but a successful year for him will be defined only by whether he wins during the postseason. That"s just reality after how much attention has been placed on his postseason shortcomings.

Price lasted only 3 1/3 innings in his ALDS loss to the Indians last year. He dropped to 0-8 with a 5.74 ERA (37 runs, 58 innings) in his nine postseason starts.

Rick Porcello lasted only 4 1/3 innings in his 2016 ALDS loss to the Indians. He is 0-3 with a 5.66 ERA in nine outings (three starts) during his postseason career.

Chris Sale has never pitched in the postseason.

It will be fascinating to see how this team performs in the playoffs if they make it that far.

Source: http://www.masslive.com/redsox/index.ssf/2017/04/pablo_sandovals_return_and_bos.html

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A Message to Red Sox Nation

Boston Red Sox: 20 Facts You Probably Didn"t Know

Hey Boston,

The playoffs start tonight. You ready? I know youre ready.

I know exactly how you feel right now. You wanna know something? Before I was a Red Sox player, I was a Red Sox fan. For real. Well, let me tell the whole truth so my mom dont get mad at me. When I was a kid, I loved the Atlanta Braves.

Come on, dont get mad at me. I grew up in the 90s! In the Dominican in like 1995 you could really only watch the Braves or the Yankees on TV. The Yankees? Nah, come on.

Fred McGriff. Javy Lopez. Marquis Grissom. David Justice. Those were my guys.

But when I got signed by the Red Sox in 2000, that was it. From that day on, I was like the biggest Sox fan in Saman. I had never been to Boston. I didnt really know where Boston was. It looked cold. But it didnt matter. For real, from the day I signed it was like the Red Sox were Tigres del Licey, my hometown team.

My only dream was to get to the big leagues and play for Boston. That was it. Nothing else mattered. The thing was, I could only see a little bit of the Sox on TV back home. So when I started playing minor league ball in the States in 2002, I was watching the Sox all the time. Id get home from the park and Id turn on ESPN, and my boys would be like, Why you watching baseball, man? We just played baseball for nine hours. Come on.

It didnt matter to me. I love two things. Baseball and fishing. Thats all I did. Its still all I do. My family gets mad at me because I come home from a game and I start watching baseball. Not like a highlight I start watching a whole game. My wife is looking at me like, Youre crazy.

When the Sox came back on the Yankees in the 2004 playoffs, I was playing Double A ball in Portland, Maine. I watched every game.

I remember Game 4, 12th inning, Fenway. This guy David Ortiz steps up to the plate and hits the walk-off homer. The fans are going crazy. Im going crazy. It looked like a winter-ball game in the Dominican to me. Thats how wild the fans were that night.

I watched that whole series, dreaming like, Alright, Im close. Someday, Im going to be there at Fenway playing winter ball.

It took me 12 years, but Im finally getting a chance to play playoff baseball at Fenway. Im just really happy to have that opportunity after how last season went. You know, in spring training this year, we all got together and set one goal: Get David a ring in his final season.

That probably seemed crazy to some people after we finished in last place, but you gotta understand something about David Ortiz and what he means to people. Before I came to Boston, whenever I would go to a dark place, I didnt have anybody to pick me up. David changed my career, my life and my personality a little bit, too. Hes like a big bro to me. But its not just me. Its everybody.

Before I came to Boston, whenever I would go to a dark place, I didnt have anybody to pick me up.

David will walk up to you in the clubhouse before a game and give you this look. He wont even say anything. h**l just look at you up and down and raise his eyebrow.

Youre like, Whats up, bro?

He says, Huh? Nothing.

The next day, h**l come into the clubhouse with a box for you. Like Santa Claus. Maybe its a watch, maybe some shoes. h**l just give you the look like, Nah, thats not gonna do. Next day, presents.

David brought me a whole cheesecake one day just because he thought I needed it. Randomly. Like he really walked in The Cheesecake Factory and got it on the way to the park.

Not his assistant. Not his homeboy. David did it, just because.

You see what Im saying now?

h**l just look at you and notice something is wrong, and h**l do anything he can to fix you up. Its the same thing on the field. If Im struggling, h**l watch me hitting for a minute and then say, Come on, bro, lets go to the cage.

We go to the cage and he tells me what Im doing wrong.

Its always simple. He doesnt fill my head with too much.

h**l say something like, Hands, bro.

And I know what he means. Thats it. Hitting is not so much about thinking. Its about feeling.

David will look at you and say, What are you feeling today?

Its hard to describe it unless youre a ballplayer, but to have him to talk to every day about hitting is really special.

David taught me how to pull the ball like him. He taught me how to prey on pitchers the way he does the same way that Manny Ramirez used to teach him. Im 32, and Im still learning. Im gonna miss talking hitting when hes gone. But what Im gonna miss the most is the energy he brings in here every single day.

People say hes old, but he dont look too old to me when hes dancing around the clubhouse every morning. Papi can dance, man. Dont be fooled.

We dont know whats going to happen in the playoffs. You can never know. But we just want David to go out happy, because he makes everybody in this clubhouse happy.

So heres my last message to you, Sox fans

You guys are always crazy. When I leave my house for a game and drive to Fenway, the streets are filled with people in Sox jerseys at like 3 p.m. Its unbelievable. Its like a football game. In Boston, every day is Sunday. I swear.

I know you guys are gonna be loud. Thats no question. But I want to hear some winter-ball noise, you know what I mean?

We dont know whats gonna happen, but you got a team here that never gives up. We got 25 names, but were all one person. We are gonna do our best so that David can go out dancing.

Lets go,

Hanley

Source: http://www.theplayerstribune.com/hanley-ramirez-a-message-to-red-sox-nation/

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David Ortiz begins long goodbye as Red Sox open with Indians

Red Sox All-Access: David Price

Big Papi"s about to take one more trip around.

One of baseball"s most clutch hitters, David Ortiz has always had an impeccable knack for drama. Few players seized the moment quite like Boston"s big bopper.

And, as he prepares for his 20th major league season, Ortiz feels it"s time to take his last cuts.

"I"m ready to pass the torch," he said.

On Monday, he begins his long goodbye.

A beloved New England sports icon, Ortiz, the man with the massive swing, smile and larger-than-life personality, will play the first game of his final season as the Red Sox visit the Cleveland Indians. Ortiz announced his retirement in November on his 40th birthday, and he"ll spend 2016 on a farewell tour, taking a bow for a career filled with memories.

"Nothing is forever," he said. "It"s just time to do different things."

The first step of Ortiz"s walk-off season isn"t the only storyline as the Red Sox make their only visit to Progressive Field, which has been improved during the offseason with a new, massive, high-definition scoreboard that the Indians, who have one of the majors" best pitching staffs, hope inspires them to score more runs.

The opener will also mark Boston manager John Farrell"s return to the dugout after he stepped away last August to receive medical treatment for non-Hodgkin"s Burkitt lymphoma. The Red Sox announced his cancer was in remission a few weeks after the end of last season, and the opener represents another significant date for the 53-year-old.

Farrell"s comeback coincides with the Boston debut of ace David Price, who agreed to $217 million, seven-year contract with the club in December. The left-hander will start the opener against Cleveland"s Corey Kluber, the 2014 Cy Young Award winner looking to bounce back from a 16-loss season and help the Indians close the gap on Kansas City in the AL Central.

While Ortiz"s sendoff in Cleveland doesn"t have a major sentimental tie, there is a significant connection.

Ortiz helped Boston end its 86-year World Series drought while playing under Indians manager Terry Francona, the Red Sox skipper from 2004-11.

Francona considers Ortiz the consummate player and teammate - on the field and in the clubhouse.

"I went through the gamut with David," Francona said. "From watching him win games in the World Series to when he was on his back to struggling and having to pinch hit for him. We kinda came full circle. Regardless, the thing I"m probably most appreciative of when we had problems and had to fight through them - we did. He"s a really proud guy. He"s somebody I care about a lot and I"m glad he"s going out on his own terms."

The Indians will be the first opposing team to celebrate Ortiz"s illustrious career, which began in 1997 with Minnesota. The club will honor him with a tribute and gift on Thursday, and by the time October arrives, Ortiz will have been saluted with standing ovations and likely presented with everything from rocking chairs to golf clubs.

Ortiz hopes to savor every moment, but doesn"t want his final season to detour the Red Sox from accomplishing all they can.

"I"m not planning to put a lot of pressure on myself," he said. "Besides being my last season I also know this is a job I have to continue doing. I"m just going to take things day by day. Hopefully there are not going to be any distractions for my teammates or myself. I need to focus on what I like to do.

"That"s the only way I can play the game. I"m the type of player who can"t get away with not focusing. I"ve got of focus. I have to be on it. I like to help out the younger players. I know there are going to be a lot of teams out there trying to congratulate me. And I really appreciate that, but I don"t want it to be a distraction either. I hope everything goes smooth."

Source: http://www.wmur.com/sports/david-ortiz-begins-long-goodbye-as-red-sox-open-with-indians/38851972

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Red Sox in dumps, Pirates as champs: Explaining my MLB predictions

This weeks Pop Quiz question came from Gary Mintz of South Huntington:Name the well-known Astros pitcher who can be seen in action during a Minute Maid Park scene from the 2014 film Boyhood.

Monday, at Yankee Stadium, was Opening Day number 26 for me, liberally counting the 1989 and 1993 home openers Yankees and Tigers, respectively that I attended.

To my personal inventory, lets add last years game:

25. March 31, 2014, at Citi Field (Nationals 9, Mets 7, 10 innings): For a franchise owning a history of heartbreak, the Mets outdid themselves, at least in the Opening Day category. They blew leads of 3-0, 4-2 and 5-4; Bobby Parnell blew the save with one out to go in the ninth and wound up missing the rest of the season with a torn elbow; and Long Islander John Lannans Mets career started awfully (and finished soon after).

Ill wait until a year from now to write up Monday, though heres my column.

Last Thursday, The Post released its annual baseball preview section, replete with predictions. Heres a breakdown of whom I predicted and why. It isnt too late to go to Vegas and bet against these.

AL East

1. Orioles2. Blue Jays3. Yankees4. Red Sox5. Rays

Mondays results notwithstanding, I still think you can justify any 1-through-5 order of this division. I wouldnt call it wide open as much as I would confounding.

The Orioles barely lifted a finger in the offseason, yet they have Chris Davis, Manny Machado and (they hope) Matt Wieters returning and Kevin Gausman possibly soaring.The Blue Jays made two huge pickups in Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin, yet theyre relying heavily on rookies and suffered a huge spring-training loss in would-be ace Marcus Stroman.

The Rays are trying their annual limbo of rebuilding and contending, only without longtime baseball operations head Andrew Friedman and manager Joe Maddon.The Yankees winter and direction actually make the most sense to me. Theyre in a transition year. They just cant say that to their fans.

The Red Sox? You could argue that the Red Soxs run of the last four years ranks among the most bizarre timelines in baseball history:

2011: Epic collapse out of the playoffs. Championship manager (Terry Francona) pushed out. Championship GM (Theo Epstein) jumps out.

2012: Last place. Manager (Bobby Valentine) fired after disastrous one-year term.

2013: World Series champs.

2014: Last place.

So what do we make of all this? I went with the Orioles out of respect for their talent, even after losing Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis and Andrew Miller, and the culture they have established underGM Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter.

Picking the Yankees third is a sign of respect for their culture, as Joe Girardi has managed to squeeze the most out of his talent and results the prior two seasons. The Yankees havent produced a positive run differential since 2012, and Id be surprised if they did so this year. I have them finishing 78-84.

Which means I have the Red Sox tallying fewer than 78 wins. I am skeptical of their ace-less starting rotatiounderstanding they have the chips to trade for an ace such as Cole Hamels, whom they smoked on Monday, and I have seen too many big names and big contracts struggle to adjust to the New York-Boston corridor to think that Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval can do so smoothly.

AL Central

1. Tigers2. Indians (Wild Card)3. White Sox4. Royals5. Twins

Justin Verlander will miss the start of the season.Photo: AP

I made these before Justin Verlander went down, so I guess Im going with the idea Verlander will return shortly, as the Tigers profess, and will pitch competently. And I still think their model of recent years a top-heavy roster and payroll can pay off, with Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez still having enough left.

The Indians seem to be the popular pick this year. I have them as the wild card, so Im not necessarily shaking my fist at the bandwagon. I just have questions about their pitching depth behind reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber.

Have the defending league champs ever looked worse than they do this year? The Royals offseason moves inspired few, and you remember they won just 89 regular-season games last year. Hard to see them replicating their 2014 magic without major steps up from homegrown guys Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas.

AL West

1. Mariners2. As (WC)3. Angels4. Rangers5. Astros

I submitted these picks during the last week of spring training. The next day, at a Grapefruit League game, I crossed paths with an NL teams talent evaluator who spends a lot of time out West. He wondered why the Mariners were getting so much media love and proceeded to destroy everyone on their roster besides Robinson Cano and Felix Hernandez.He picked the Angels, for what its worth.

I went with Seattle because I think Cruz will help expand the lineup in the short term, and because I think James Paxton and Taijuan Walker can back up King Felix. I also went with the Ms because I dont think the Angels can count on repeat performances from guys like Matt Shoemaker and Garrett Richards (currently on the disabled list), who helped them get to 98 wins last year.

The As? I think the As can pull off another impressive tightrope walk of simultaneously rebuilding and reloading.

ALCS: Tigers over Mariners. Elite hitters, elite starting pitchers, and Detroits bullpen cant be that awful again, can it?

NL East

1. Nationals2. Marlins3. Mets4. Braves5. Phillies

Can Terry Collins and the Mets steal the division from Matt Williams Nationals?Photo: UPI

There were times in spring training when I looked around the Mets clubhouse and thought to myself, This team can win the division. Maybe it can. Yet after talking to enough trusted voices in the game, I stuck with the Nationals up top, despite their current injury problems, and decided the Mets werent quite ready for such a leap. 84-78 sounds right.

Why? While I applaud Mets ownership for picking up the tab on lefty Jerry Blevins last week, we still need to see a big July trade to believe this team really possesses the necessary resources. I also am curious to see how Terry Collins performs in a more pressurized environment after doing strong janitorial work from 2011 through 2014. We all know game management has not been Collins strength.

I didnt love the Marlins offseason moves Im not a big Dee Gordon believer but many of those trusted voices were more enthusiastic, pointing in particular to the Martin Prado acquisition.

NL Central

1. Pirates2. Cardinals (WC)3. Cubs4. Reds5. Brewers

I am high on the Pirates, who are going for their third straight postseason berth. I think Pittsburgh can get A.J. Burnett to finish his interesting career on a high note. I think Gerrit Cole, at 24, can make The Leap. And I think Andrew McCutchen is about as perfect a non-Mike Trout player as youll find in the game.

GM Neal Huntington, after a rocky beginning, has displayed a real knack for filling holes. A hole emerged when Martin left for the Blue Jays. Can former Yankee Francisco Cervelli fill the void? Im betting on Cervelli having his first bona fide, full and productive big-league campaign, and others in the lineup (Pedro Alvarez, Gregory Polanco) helping, too.

The Cubs are exciting, what with Maddon in the managers office, Jon Lester leading the starting rotation and Kris Bryant coming up as soon as he improves his defense. But they probably need another year to marinate.

NL West

1. Padres2. Dodgers (WC)3. Giants4. Rockies5. Diamondbacks

Matt Kemp had an RBI double against ex-teammate Clayton Kershaw, but the Dodgers rallied past the Padres on Opening Day.Photo: AP

I made these before San Diego added the games best closer, Craig Kimbrel, in a trade with Atlanta. Usually, a stats geek like me prefers a more methodical approach to team-building, but weve never seen anything quite like A.J. Prellers rookie year as a GM. I think its going to work.

I still have the Dodgers overcoming concerns about their pitching staff, as well as the stress surrounding Don Mattinglys job security, to qualify. And advance further than the Padres in the postseason.

The Giants? See: the Royals. Brutal winter, and even an Opening Day victory was tempered by the newsthat Matt Cains right elbow is barking and Jake Peavys back is stiff. Yeesh.

NLCS: Pirates over Dodgers. Ill go with the best player, McCutchen, over the best pitcher (Clayton Kershaw, of course). And the heartbreaking tale of Mattingly failing to make the World Series once again.

World Series champ: Pirates. A Midwest Fall Classic in November! The Pirates better-rounded roster trumps the Tigers stars for Pittsburghs first championship since 1979.

The Pop Quiz answer is Roger Clemens. If you have a tidbit that connects baseball to popular culture, please send it to me at kdavidoff@nypost.com.

Source: http://nypost.com/2015/04/07/red-sox-in-last-pirates-as-champs-explaining-my-mlb-predictions/

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