Just a quick post today, because not a lot needs to be said on this issue. Namely – the Red Sox failure to make the post-season has nothing to do with their injuries. Nothing. Note that I said “nothing”. In fact, I repeated it, because I didn’t want there to be any misunderstanding. The injuries to MVP caliber players like Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis were absolutely non-factors when trying to figure out why the Red Sox failed so miserably this year.
Here’s why. The Red Sox are currently second in MLB in runs scored. Granted, Youkilis and Pedroia are excellent defenders, but fans who lament their absence are not overly concerned with their defense. They miss their presence in the line-up. It’s their bats that were lacking for the second half of the season. But the Red Sox scored runs. They scored enough runs. They scored the second most runs in all of baseball. More than seven playoff teams.
There is only one reason the Red Sox didn’t make the playoffs this year. Pitching. The under-performance of Josh Beckett specifically is why the Red Sox are ending their season a bit prematurely. Throw in Jonathan Papelbon, the bullpen in general, and John Lackey’s overall mediocrity, and you have your explanation. If those guys did as they were expected to, the Red Sox would have been the five to ten games better that they needed to be to cruise into the playoffs.
Of course, this is not to say that great players like Pedroia and Youkilis don’t have an impact on how a team does — in most cases. Just not with the Red Sox, or for that matter, with the Yankees. Those teams are loaded with great players. Take a couple of way, and there are plenty left. Take Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer away from the Twins and they’re done. While the Red Sox fielded a team with a bunch of Triple-A caliber guys, they also had Adrian Beltre, David Ortiz, and Victor Marinez. They had enough to finish second in runs scored. Again, that wasn’t their problem. Unexpectedly bad and over-priced pitching is what did them in.
Keep in mind, the Tampa Bay Rays starting rotation made a combined 9-million dollars this year. Their payroll was 100-million dollars less than the Red Sox. In fact, six of the eight playoff teams will have payrolls under 90-million dollars. Wouldn’t it be great if the Red Sox could knock 80-mil off their payroll, lower ticket prices by an average of about 25 bucks, and still contend because they managed their club intelligently and efficiently? Too bad that ship sailed a long time ago.
Spend more money! Charge the fans more! That’s the answer. Right?
I really intended that to be a quick post.
