Tag Archives: Craig Kimbrel

2018 MLB Season Preview: Boston Red Sox

The AL East is always a marathon. A team will need to stay healthy and be consistent over the course of the entire season. Also, the division winner will need to be willing to give up prospects at the trade deadline to acquire talent.

The Boston Red Sox definitely ‘went for it’ by giving up a lot of prospects for starter Chris Sale and it paid off last year. He picked up the slack when other former elite starters Rick Porcello and David Price were replacement-level starters for the Red Sox. Can he strikeout 300+ batters again this season?

Boston is once again in an arms race with the New York Yankees. The Sox had to make a big splash and signed slugger J.D. Martinez after the Yankees added Giancarlo Stanton. The AL East looks to be a two-team race again after the Orioles and Blue Jays took a step back last season.

Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Boston Red Sox.

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2018 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 75 Relief Pitchers

We finish up our fantasy baseball rankings by ranking the 75 best relief pitchers.

The top of the relief pitcher rankings are loaded with closers with secure jobs. There are also some sleepers on the list since a ton of closers start out the season on shaky ground or in a committee role.

The Yankeess demoted Aroldis Chapman late last season. He starts the season as closer, but does Dellin Betances find his way back into the role this season?

My rankings are based on a standard 5×5 league. If you have any specific questions about a different league, email me BobbyMcrib@gmail.com.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Boston Red Sox

The AL East is always a cut-throat division. Teams tend to make really bold moves just to show their fanbase they are trying to compete. The Red Sox have made some bad moves in the past when trying to keep up with the Yankees (Carl Crawford, Dice K), but they usually know when to go for it.

The Red Sox definitely ‘went for it’ by giving up a lot of prospects for starter Chris Sale. They have him under contract for three more years, so it’s not like they gave up a ton for just a rental player.

Pablo Sandoval arrived at Spring Training in great shape. Can he maintain this weight or will it be an issue again by the All Star break?

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Boston Red Sox.

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2016 MLB Season Preview: Boston Red Sox

The AL East can be a cut-throat division. The Yankees and Red Sox battled back and forth the last decade. The Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays have had competitive seasons during that span too, but Boston and New York always seem to bounce back quick if they have a bad season.

Boston has been known to make bold moves. The boldest move this offseason was when they made a Godfather offer to David Price. The rumor is their offer was much, much bigger than any other offer. I guess the Red Sox didn’t want to lose out on Price to the Yankees or another American League contender.

Will Boston trade for another starting pitcher before the trade deadline?

Here is the 2016 MLB season preview for the Boston Red Sox.

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Review: “Closer” by Kevin Neary

In baseball, the closer position is still the newest position in baseball. The term didn’t come into the baseball lexicon until the 1970s.

In today’s game, having a good closer has been part of the equation for success. Even though a closer’s role has changed greatly since its inception. Today’s closer only pitch one inning at most. Closers like Bruce Sutter and Goose Gossage (both in the Baseball Hall of Fame) often pitched multiple innings.

Closer by Kevin Neary and Leigh A. Tobin chronicles the careers of various closers over the years. They break down closer in three different eras (“The Early Years”, The Transition Years” & “The Modern Day Closer”).

We review Closer and let you know why this book is a must-have for every baseball historian. Continue reading →