2004 Sarasota Red Sox

From SoSH

Contents 1 2004 Sarasota Red Sox Season Ending Report 1.1 How did we do? 1.2 Players 1.2.1 2004 Signees 1.2.1.1 Offensive Players 1.2.1.2 Pitching 1.2.2 The Promoted 1.2.2.1 Offensive Players 1.2.2.2 Pitchers 1.2.3 The Mainstays 1.2.3.1 Offensive Players 1.2.3.2 Pitching 1.2.4 The Injured 1.2.4.1 Offensive Players 1.2.5 The Late Arrivals 1.2.5.1 Offensive Players 1.2.5.2 Pitching 1.2.6 The Traded 1.2.6.1 Offensive Players 1.2.6.2 Pitching 1.2.7 The Rehabbers 1.2.7.1 Offensive Players 1.2.7.2 Pitchers 1.2.8 The Rest 1.2.8.1 Offensive Players 1.2.8.2 Pitching 1.3 External Sources

2004 Sarasota Red Sox Season Ending Report

Final Record: 75-61

How did we do?

By record, Fairly well. Sarasota finished the season with a 75-61 record, and was in contention for a playoff spot before the Hurricane Season ended the regular season prematurely.

Players

First... a note:

This is by far the most difficult report to write. I think this is due in large part due to the fact that the eyes of the fans focused so much energy on this team. For good reason, of course. The number of interesting prospects that played in Sarasota was larger than on any other Sox team. But, I always try to consider the team as well as the individuals. And, this year is difficult to get a hold of. Injuries made the personnel change seemingly daily and only 6 players had as many as 80 games played. And... one of those players was traded. But... in the end, it is about the players. I think I can write a lot on them.

Second, a note of caution...

I haven't seen these players. I have no idea how they look. I can only base my opinions solely on the stats provided.

Offensive Player of the Year: Jeremy West

The Red Sox named Hanley Ramirez their player of the year. They are allowed. But, Hanley only played 62 games at Sarasota. The Red Sox honored him as much for his complete season (including his rehab in the GCL and his time in AA Portland) as for his decent stint in Sarasota. And, I can't find it in myself to name a player who is no longer with the team (Matt Murton). So, West it is.

Now, to be fair, West is a safe pick but is not a bad pick. He was second on the team in games played (124), 1st in Hits, Total Bases, Doubles, HRs, RBI, and on the negative side, Double Plays. Of course... all of this should be expected, as I said, few players played a lot. Jeremy was second in Runs Scored and tied for second in Triples. Jeremy is a power threat (28 doubles, 4 triples, 18 HRs, 50 of 135 hits for extra bases) and he has shown some patience (37 walks). He played 86 games at first base, committing 7 errors. Final numbers: .293/.347/.488

Pitcher of the Year: Jonathan Papelbon

Papelbon is a fairly obvious choice, going 12-7 with a 2.64 ERA in 24 starts (129 2/3 innings). The peripheral stats only add to the picture. Jon finished with an RA of 2.98, a K/9 of 10.62 (153 strikeouts), a K/BB ratio of 3.56 and a WHIP of 1.08. Papelbon gave up 6 HRs and hit 7 batters.

OK... How about the rest?

That's a fair enough question. I'll split this up into various categories.

2004 Signees

Offensive Players

• Bret LeVier: The UFA from Sacramento State came to Sarasota from the GCL to help out with an infield crushed by injury. LeVier, playing mostly 3rd base (18 games at 3rd, 1 at SS - 2 errors) had a tremendous stretch of 75 plate appearances (especially considering his later struggles in Augusta), going .304/.315/.377 with 5 doubles and 2 walks. He struck out 8 times.
• Dustin Pedroia: The 1st Red Sox pick of the 2004 Draft, The Arizona State SS got a full month of action in Florida. Pedroia made the most of his 30 games... going .336/.417/.523 with 8 doubles, 3 triples and 2 doubles. Dustin walked 13 times, got hit another 4 times and only struck out 4 times. He did not commit a single error in the field. The only negative one could find for Dustin, he went 0/2 in SB attempts.

Pitching

• Cla Meredith: The 6th pick out of Virginia Commonwealth, the relief specialist got a bump from Augusta... and while he was not as perfect as in Augusta, he did quite well in 16 games. Cla went 0-2 with 12 saves and a 2.20 ERA. Cla struck out 16 in 16 1/3 innings, while allowing 15 hits and 3 walks.

The Promoted

Offensive Players

• Stefan Bailie: The oft-injured first baseman/DH seemed to finally be free of injury, and perhaps showed his true potential in 58 games before earning a promotion to Portland. Over half (35 of 68) of Stefan's hits were for extra bases... having 23 doubles, 11 HRs and a triple in Sarasota. Stefan walked 20 times, got hit by pitches an additional 9 times and only struck out 40 times. He was even perfect on SB attempts, going 1/1. Final Numbers: .306/.383/.568
• Hanley Ramirez: The superstar of the organization, Hanley played in 62 games (with time missed for injury) before getting a promotion to Portland. Hanley did not show great power (8 doubles, 4 triples, 1 HR) or patience (17 walks, 39 Ks)... but his overall numbers were OK. He stole 12 bases in 17 attempts. Final Numbers: .310/.364/.389

Pitchers

• Kason Gabbard: Kason pitched in 10 games (7 starts) before getting a permanent promotion to Portland (to help out their thin pitching staff). Kason went 3-2 with a save and a 2.70 ERA for Sarasota. In 43 1/3 innings, Kason gave up 43 hits, walked 16 and struck out 30.
• Ryan Larson: Ryan had 11 games in relief for Sarasota before getting a bump to Portland. Larson went 2-0 with a save and a 1.77 ERA. In 20 1/3 Innings, Larson gave up 18 hits, 9 walks and struck out 22.

The Mainstays

Offensive Players

• Jim Buckley: Jim went from occassional 3rd catcher to the main Sarasox catcher with the injury to Dusty Brown. And, he was invaluable if only for his defensive work (3 errors in 68 games). His offense was weak... but interesting. 21 of his 41 hits were for extra bases (13 doubles, 8 HRs) and he had 26 walks (against 54 Ks). Jim did get a promotion to Pawtucket to end the season, a nice bonus for his work in Sarasota this season. Final Numbers: .202/.291/.384
• Alberto Concepcion: Alberto is the most interesting player to talk about... half catcher (43 games), half 3rd Baseman (45 games)... with an occasional whim to play first (6 games). However, his versatility was a necessity considering the injuries to 3rd Baseman (Spann/Boran) and Catcher (Brown). Concepcion had a good year offensively, finishing the year with a line of .281/.364/.402. He hit 23 doubles and 5 HRs, walking 35 times while being hit 10 times. On the negative side, he led the team in Strikeouts with 85. Concepcion did get a short mid-season promotion to Portland.
• Chris Durbin: Durbin, I think, is sort of the forgotten man in the group at Sarasota. I know I rarely think of him. I'm not sure why that is as I look at his numbers. Chris played a team high 125 games, leading the team with 32 doubles and 6 triples while also hitting 7 HRs. He also led the team in runs scored with 75. Chris walked 39 times, was hit 8 times and only struck out 79 times. He did get caught stealing more than he stole, going 8/18. Final Numbers: .279/.344/.417
• Jay Sitzman: One of the things about Advanced A-Ball is that players who can't be considered prospects in any real sense start appearing. But, much like the "filler" that you see in AA and AAA, their contribution to the team should not be diminished. It is unlikely that the Sarasota Red Sox would have been in playoff contention if not for the 92 games played by "filler" Jay Sitzman. Sitzman fits the general Red Sox profile... having little power (12 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HRs) and decent to good patience (42 walks, 66 Ks). He stole 10 bases in 12 attempts. Final Numbers: .270/.361/.362
• Iggy Suarez: Another Mainstay. Another player not considered to be a major prospect. Such was the year in Sarasota. Iggy got the early boost from Augusta and played in 82 games for the Sox. Iggy garnered 14 extra base hits (10 doubles, 3 triples, 1 HR), 31 walks and struck out 51 times. He was 12/16 in SB attempts. Final Numbers: .257/.331/.319

Pitching

• Juan Cedeno: The Left-Handed prospect, Juan was mediocre in 25 games (22 starts) for Sarasota. Juan ended the season with a 7-6 record with a 4.64 ERA. Juan's peripheral numbers were not that exciting, ending the season with an RA of 5.24, a WHIP of 1.54 (145 hits, 40 walks), a K/9 of 5.83 and a K/BB of 1.95
• Manny Delcarmen: Manny started his way back from injury with an OK (considering) 19 games (18 starts). Delcarmen ended the season with a record of 3-6 with a 4.68 ERA. In 73 innings, Manny gave up 84 hits (10 HRs), 20 walks and struck out 76.
• Jon Lester: This Lefty had a decent year... but had some good peripherals. Lester went 7-6 with a 4.26 ERA. Jon's WHIP was 1.32, a RA of 4.58, a K/9 of 9.66 and a K/BB of 2.62. The best peripheral of all? Jon only gave up 2 HRs this season.
• Brian Marshall: A mainstay of the bullpen, Marshall went 1-1 with a save and a 3.49 ERA/RA for Sarasota in 27 appearances (38 2/3 innings). The Lefty had a WHIP of 1.29, a K/9 of 9.08 and a K/BB of 2.60. Brian gave up 2 HRs this season.
• Luis Mendoza: Don't be fooled by the ERA (3.74), Luis was not that good this season. Luis gave up 19 Unearned runs, ballooning his RA to 4.99. He had a decent WHIP of 1.36. His K/9 was a dissapointing 3.35. His K/BB was an awful 0.94 (54 walks, 51 Ks). Luis gave up 12 HRs and threw 10 Wild Pitches. On the plus side, he went 8-7 with a team high 137 innings pitched.
• David Pahucki: Pahucki was the main bullpen weapon for the Sox, pitching 43 games (59 2/3 innings) out of the pen. Pahucki finished the year with a 5-4 record with 5 saves and a 1.81 ERA. David had an RA of 2.26, a WHIP of 1.02, a K/9 of 6.03 and a K/BB of 2.67.
• Joe Rogers: The knuckleballer joined Sarasota early in the season, and was a valuable long man/6th starter for both Sarasota AND Portland. In Sarasota, Rogers went 8-5 with a save and a 3.72 ERA in 36 games (2 starts). In 82 1/3 innings, Joe gave up 76 hits, 11 unearned runs, 47 walks, 10 wild pitches and struck out 48.
• Justin Sturge: Another Long Man/6th starter a la Joe Rogers... Justin went 4-3 in a 2.80 ERA in 39 games (2 starts - 80 1/3 IP). Sturge gave up 78 hits, 11 unearned runs, 29 walks and struck out 71.

The Injured

Offensive Players

• Pat Boran: Chug A Yuengling... and hope for a better year for Pat Boran next year. Boran was a versatile performer for Sarasota during his 41 games (9 games at 1st, 18 at 2nd, 6 at 3rd, 2 at SS and 6 in the OF - committing only 3 errors) stint, an injury caused him to miss most of the year. Pat wasn't all that good during the 41 games... Hitting only 8 extra base hits (6 doubles) and walking only 7 times. Pat struck out 35 times. Final Numbers: .221/.260/.297
• Dusty Brown: Perhaps the most dissapointing injury this year was to this Catcher. Dusty was only able to play in 38 games, and his offense was weak during those games played. Dusty only had 4 extra base hits (3 doubles), but did walk 15 times (against 28 strikeouts). Final Numbers: .229/.321/.280
• David Murphy: An injury split the season in two for Murphy... but he seemed to finally get on an offensive groove when he came back in August. Hopefully Dave can continue to hit well in 2005. Murphy played in 73 games for Sarasota, getting 11 doubles and 4 HRs, walking 25 times while striking out 46 times. Final Numbers: .261/.323/.346
• Chad Spann: The third baseman only performed in 61 games for Sarasota due to injury. Spann had 9 doubles and 4 HRs, walked only 9 times while striking out 53 times. Chad stole 6 bases in 8 attempts and committed 14 errors in 54 games at 3rd. Final Numbers: .248/.286/.346

The Late Arrivals

Offensive Players

• Brandon Moss: Brandon got the well earned promotion to Sarasota after earning his 100th RBI in Augusta (and winning the League's MVP award), playing his final 23 games of the year in Florida. Brandon had a highly succesful stint during the final month, going .422/.462/.542 with 2 doubles and 2 HRs, 7 walks and 15 strikeouts. He was also a perfect 2/2 in SB attempts.
• Jeff Ontiveros: Jeff got a late season promotion to Sarasota and played in 33 games. Jeff did not hit well (only 17 hits), but did hit for power (4 doubles, 5 HRs), walked a lot (22) and avoided the strikeout relatively well (24). Final Numbers: .202/.367/.429
• Gary Schneidmiller: Gary was a mid-season pickup to help with the injury-riddled middle infield problem. Gary played in 37 games, getting only 17 hits (4 doubles, 2 HRs), walking 15 times while striking out only 19 times. Final Numbers: .189/.305/.300

Pitching

• Conor Brooks: The Sox signed Conor out of an independent league in August, and Conor pitched 13 innings of relief for the Sox. Brooks went 0-2 with a save and a 2.77 ERA, but his peripherals are most intriguing. Brooks gave up only 7 hits (2 for HRs), 3 walks and struck out 19.
• Willy Corporan: Willy got a late season bump from Augusta, pitching 35 2/3 innings in 14 appearances. Corporan went 2-2 with a 3.53 ERA, giving up 28 hits, 10 walks and striking out 25.
• Jose Vaquedano: After a quick start in Augusta, Vaquedano got the boost up to Sarasota where he appeared in 14 games (8 starts - 68 1/3 innings). Jose went 5-1 with a 3.95 ERA. Vaquedano gave up 65 hits (4 HRs), 21 walks and struck out 60.

The Traded

Offensive Players

• Matt Murton: In all honesty, Matt could have easily been named my MVP if he was not included in the Nomar trade to Chicago. The outfielder played in 102 games for the Sox, hitting 16 doubles, 4 triples and 11 HRs. He walked a team high 42 times while striking out 61 times. He went 5/9 in SB attempts. Final Numbers: .301/.372/.452

Pitching

• Andrew Shipman: Shipman was traded for the desacated remains of Jimmy Anderson during a period where the ML bullpen (and the Pawsox bullpen) was in rough shape. In 22 games, Shipman went 1-1 with 13 saves with a 3.14 ERA. Shipman gave up 22 hits and 15 walks, striking out 25.

The Rehabbers

Offensive Players

• Trot Nixon: One game: 2/3 with a double.

Pitchers

• Lenny Dinardo: One game: 3 IP, 2 hits, 2 Ks
• Bryan Hebson: One Game: 2 IP, 1 Hit, 2 Ks
• Byung-Hyun Kim: One Game: 2 IP, 2 Ks
• Ramiro Mendoza: 2 games: 4 IP, 2 R, 6 Hits, 3 K
• Colin Young: The AA pitcher pitched in 2 games for Sarasota, going 2 1/3 innings, giving up a hit, an unearned run, 2 walks and striking out 2.

The Rest

Offensive Players

• Ian Cronkhite: I'm not exactly certain when Ian made his appearances for Sarasota... but what an odd 15 games he put up. Ian had only 4 hits... but 2 of them were HRs. He walked 7 times. He struck out 15 (nearly half of his at bats.) Final Numbers: .121/.293/.303
• Lee Curtis: Lee played in 11 games for Sarasota, getting 6 hits, 1 double, 3 walks and 6 Ks. Final Numbers: .162/.225/.189
• Eric Johnson: Eric played 19 games in Sarasota. Like Cronkhite and Curtis above, it was not a very succesful stint offensively. Eric had 7 hits, one double, one HR, 6 walks and 15 Ks. Final Numbers: .125/.219/.196
• Alex Penalo: Penalo played at 3 different levels for the Sox (FSL, NYPL and GCL). He failed to have a good offensive season at any of them. In 15 games, Penalo had 7 hits (1 triple), 5 walks and struck out 8 times. Final Numbers: .175/.271/.225
• Jason Ramos: Ramos played in 23 games... and had very little offense. Ramos had 7 hits (1 double), 13 walks and 19 strikeouts. Final Numbers: .104/.250/.119

[An aside... Ramos may show an extreme example to the problem of focusing too much on getting on base by any means necessary. Walking once every 6 ABs is all nice and good... but only if you get some hits in those ABs. It doesn't do much if you can't.]

• Chris Turner: Turner had a quick 3 game stint for Sarasota, going 3/11 with a double and 2 strikeouts.
• Justin Turner: The other Turner had a short 9 game stint, going 4/31 with 2 walks and 8 strikeouts

Pitching

• Robert Cochrane: Cochrane pitched 6 innings in 4 relief appearances, finishing up with a 16.50 ERA. Robert gave up 12 hits (2 HRs), 3 walks and struck out only one.
• Michael Dennison: Dennison had 18 relatively poor appearances before being demoted down to Augusta. Dennison went 1-1 with 5 saves and a 6.94 ERA in 23 1/3 innings. Michael gave up 27 hits (4 HRs), 12 walks and struck out 24.
• Jason Howell: This Lefty pitched 19 games out of the pen for Sarasota, going 5-0 with a 2.70 ERA. In 23 1/3 innings, Howell gave up 25 hits, walking 12 and striking out 14.
• Carlos Morla: Morla put in 13 games (21 innings) out of the pen for Sarasota before excelling in Augusta. Morla went 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA, giving up 28 hits (3 HRs) and 9 walks while striking out 16.
• Kevin Ool: The Lefty pitched 5 2/3 innings in 2 appearances late in the year. Ool gave up 5 hits, 2 walks, 2 runs and struck out 5.
• Shane Rhodes: Shane pitched 13 1/3 uneven innings in 6 relief appearances. Shane gave up 15 hits (4 HR), 12 runs (11 earned), 5 walks and 9 strikeouts.
• Eladio Rodriguez: Rodriguez had a 4 game (5 inning) stint for Sarasota. Rodriguez gave up 8 hits, 5 runs (3 earned), 4 walks and struck out 3.
• Charlie Zink: The lost year for Zink ended in Sarasota, where he started 3 games (14 1/3 innings) before being shut down for the season. Charlie went 0-2 with a 5.65 ERA (8.16 RA), allowing 22 hits, 9 walks and striking out only 3.

External Sources

• Statistics from the Baseball Cube