The Kids are Alright

uk_sox_fan

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The Sox are rarely known for their youth but this year, with old men Koji and Papi leaving town and retiring, it seems that only the kids are around to lead the team. The average ages of the pitchers and hitters won't be known until the season ends but this looks to be the roster with the youngest senior member since 1945.

In 1965 the oldest man on the roster was Frank Malzone who turned 35 at the outset of Spring Training. The oldest pitcher was Arnold Earley, who didn't turn 32 until the season was underway. That was the beginning of the youth movement that led to the Impossible Dream season two years later.

Of course this year's edition may add some veterans along the way, but as things stand now Pedroia, who will begin the year at 33 and turn 34 in August is the oldest we've got and 32-year-old Steven Wright (33 at the end of August) is the oldest pitcher. He'll give the title to Kyle Kendrick, who's 4 days older, if Kendrick can crack the roster.

The only other 30-year-olds to make the 40-man roster are Chris Young (33, 34 in Sep), Hanley (33), Moreland (32 in Sep), Abad (31), Kelly (31 in Jun) and Panda (31 in Aug). Brian Bogusevic (33), Craig (33 in Jul), Dan Butler (30) and Rusney Castillo (30 in Jul) are NRI with little shot to make the club.

After that just kids as far as the eye can see...

Can anyone remember or come up with a club with no one eligible to run for president?
 

Was (Not Wasdin)

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I dont know if you were talking just Sox or generally, but that 1994 Expos team that got screwed by the strike was absolutely loaded with young talent at every position. I'm not sure about the pitching staff (I know a very young Pedro and John Wettland were both on that team), but from a position player standpoint I dont think they had a regular starter or key sub over 30. That club should have been a force in the NL for years-maybe losing their GM had more of an impact than people thought.
 

mt8thsw9th

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I dont know if you were talking just Sox or generally, but that 1994 Expos team that got screwed by the strike was absolutely loaded with young talent at every position.
No one over the age of 32 had a plate appearance, nor did anyone over 31 throw a pitch for them. The next oldest pitcher was 28, and position player with over 100 plate appearances was 29.
 

Saints Rest

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History aside, this post does bring up a question as to where does the leadership on this team come from? Who is there to raise their spirits in the dark times?

Pedroia is clearly the obvious de facto Captain, bringing all sorts of intangibles. But a team needs more than one guy, for a variety of reasons. Who is the Johnny Gomes? The Kevin Millar? The Tim Wakefield?

The catchers are all young and none of them seem to be a lock to be the #1 for the whole season.

Pitchers are an odd breed, partially because they are either out in the bullpen, or as starters, are only actively involved every 5th day.

It's also interesting to look at tenures with the Sox (dates refer to the year the player first appeared as a Sox):
  • 2006 -- Pedroia
  • 2013 -- X, JBJ, BrockHolt, Wright
Everyone else is 2014 or later.
 

nvalvo

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What's really amazing is that we could probably look back to posts in the lost days of 2012 when we imagined turning the team over to a team led by Bogaerts, JBJ and Swihart for a projected 2016-2020 window. A lot has happened since then, to put it mildly, but this vision may well have come to pass, especially if this season sees the Swihart breakout some many hoping for.

But what's fascinating about that is that Betts, Benintendi, and Rodriguez have come out of *nowhere.*
 

Savin Hillbilly

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But what's fascinating about that is that Betts, Benintendi, and Rodriguez have come out of *nowhere.*
Rodriguez and Betts, sure. But Benintendi?!? He was a #7 overall pick who won not one, not two, but three different honors recognizing him as the best player in the country at his level (BA College Player of the Year, Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award). It would be hard to imagine somebody coming less out of nowhere than Benintendi.
 

simplicio

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Rodriguez and Betts, sure. But Benintendi?!? He was a #7 overall pick who won not one, not two, but three different honors recognizing him as the best player in the country at his level (BA College Player of the Year, Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award). It would be hard to imagine somebody coming less out of nowhere than Benintendi.
Nowhere circa 2012, at least. He's moved pretty quick.

Don't remember if it was from radio game coverage or some podcast, but I think I recently heard someone discussing Betts as a natural leader.
 

Harry Hooper

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History aside, this post does bring up a question as to where does the leadership on this team come from? Who is there to raise their spirits in the dark times?

It's also interesting to look at tenures with the Sox (dates refer to the year the player first appeared as a Sox):
  • 2006 -- Pedroia
  • 2013 -- X, JBJ, BrockHolt, Wright
Everyone else is 2014 or later.
2005 -- Ramirez

Your questions are all valid.
 
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nvalvo

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Nowhere circa 2012, at least. He's moved pretty quick.

Don't remember if it was from radio game coverage or some podcast, but I think I recently heard someone discussing Betts as a natural leader.
This is precisely what I meant. In 2012, Benintendi was hitting .564 for the Madeira HS Mustangs.
 

nvalvo

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OK, but in that sense, any 2015 college pick would be "nowhere" on Sox fans' radar in 2012. I thought you meant that he was an obscure draftee or started slowly in the system or something like that.
Sure. All I'm saying is that, comparing my expectations for the 2017 club five years ago to what we have, we expected to turn the team over to a youth movement, and we did, but because of how quickly Betts and Benintendi moved through the minors, it has been much more emphatic than we expected.
 

santadevil

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Win, Dance, Repeat, ESPN (I know, I know), about the Red Sox outfield celebrations after wins

From the article:
But as Benintendi prepared to make his debut Aug. 2 in Seattle, utility man Brock Holt asked the rookie left fielder the most pertinent question of all.

"Do you know how to do it?" Holt said. "Because if you're going to be out there, man, you're going to have to do it."

Yes, Benintendi reassured, he knew all about "Win, Dance, Repeat," the Red Sox outfielders' celebration after every victory, a ritual that had evolved into a choreographed social media sensation. And no, they need not worry about him blending in.

It didn't take long for Benintendi to prove it.






Ski Jump:



The Carlton:


The Stanky Leg:


The Freeze-Frame:



The Michael Jackson: