Kuzul

The Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t have Carl Crawford available to help their playoff push this season, but his return in 2013 will help L.A. avoid missing the postseason for a fourth consecutive year. 

Crawford underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow in July, shortly before being traded to the Dodgers from the Boston Red Sox in a blockbuster trade in August. The surgery reduced his 2012 campaign to a mere 31 games played, but he’s expected to be fully recovered by the beginning of June at the absolute latest.

Once Crawford returns, he’ll provide another offensive weapon toward the top of a Los Angeles lineup that’s loaded with All-Star-caliber players. He will give the Dodgers five hitters that have made at least two All-Star game appearances since 2009. 

The Dodgers’ lineup will be tough on opposing pitchers with Crawford hitting out of the two-hole. His ability to get on base and steal bases eliminates L.A.’s need for a traditional leadoff hitter, and his left-handed bat allows Los Angeles to alternate righties and lefties in the first seven spots of the lineup.

Depending on how the Dodgers sort out their crowded left side of the infield, second baseman Mark Ellis and shortstop Dee Gordon are the most likely candidates to bat leadoff for Los Angeles.

If he can make it back into the starting lineup by opening day, Crawford could eclipse his career high of 110 runs scored with Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez and Andre Ethier hitting behind him. 

Skeptics will point out that Crawford’s career has recently been marked by injuries and poor performance. There’s reason for Dodgers fans to believe, however, that his failure to produce in Boston was not the beginning of a career in decline.

Crawford only appeared in 161 games for the Red Sox over the past two seasons while battling a combination of hamstring, wrist and elbow injuries. But he began to show flashes of the player Boston thought it was getting when they signed him to a seven-year, $142 million contract in December of 2010 during his abbreviated 2012 campaign.

He hit .282 with three home runs, 23 runs scored, 19 runs batted in and five stolen bases in 117 regular-season at bats.

Crawford never seemed to be a good fit in the intense media environment in Boston. The Los Angeles market will prove to be a much more comfortable fit for the reserved outfielder, especially with player-friendly manager Don Mattingly on the bench.

Still Just 31, and with his health issues finally behind him, Crawford will prove to be more than just a high-risk salary dump included in the Adrian Gonzalez trade. Dodgers fans will be pleased to see the 2010 AL Gold Glove winner patrolling left field every day. He’ll combine with Kemp and Ethier to give Los Angeles MLB’s most complete outfield.

Crawford’s days of stealing 50-plus bases are likely permanently behind him and the Dodgers would be crazy to let him run free with the plethora of run producers hitting behind him. He still has enough speed to score from first base on doubles hit to the gaps, which is sure to be a common occurrence in cavernous Dodgers Stadium.

With Crawford, Ramirez and a healthy Kemp in Los Angeles for an entire season, the Dodgers will steal more than the 104 bases they swiped this season—the eighth-best total in the National League. That’s a much-needed advantage for an offense that finished second-to-last in the league in home runs with 116.   

While the home run total is sure to go up as well, the Dodgers will never be confused with the New York Yankees and their dependence on the long ball to score runs. Besides, the American League Championship Series exposed the folly in building an offense that cannot manufacture runs.

Dodgers fans shouldn’t expect Crawford to be the same player that he was during his best days with the Tampa Bay Rays. But a .290 batting average with 10 home runs, 65 runs batted in, 105 runs scored and 35 stolen bases is a reasonable expectation for his first season in Los Angeles. 

If Crawford comes anywhere close to those numbers while playing in 145 games or more, the Dodgers will be celebrating a NL West division title and their first postseason appearance since 2009.

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Carl Crawford and his $140 million contract will be moving from the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and—unfortunately for L.A.—his best days are in the past.

The injury-riddled and underwhelming outfielder has been included in a massive blockbuster deal between the Red Sox and Dodgers, joining Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett on the trip out west. As noted by Major League Baseball:

BLOCKBUSTER OFFICIAL: @dodgers acquire Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto from @redsox for 5-player package.

— MLB (@MLB) August 25, 2012

Crawford established himself as one of baseball’s premier outfielders with the Tampa Bay Rays. He batted over .300 in five of six seasons from 2005-2010 and recorded over 180 hits in all five of those campaigns. The only year he fell short of these marks was in 2008, when he missed time due injury.

He wreaked havoc on the base path, racking up 432 career stolen bases. He has led the league in steals four times to go along with four All-Star appearances, a Golden Glove award and an All-Star Game MVP.

That was the player the Rays knew. The Red Sox became familiar with a completely different version of Crawford.

Crawford paraded into Boston along with Gonzalez. He signed a seven-year, $142 million deal prior to the 2011 season, then played in 130 games and managed to hit just .255 during the season.

His poor production was reportedly due to a wrist injury that he had surgery for this offseason. This caused him to miss time at the beginning of the season, and after playing just 30 games in 2012, he has undergone season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Crawford is 31 years old now and is coming off two seasons in which he has struggled due to injury. He is not a young player anymore, and his injuries and age are not encouraging signs for a player whose best quality is his speed.

The Dodgers have now saddled their payroll with $101.5 million over the next five years for Crawford, as noted by ESPN’s Jayson Stark. Crawford certainly could produce better than he did in 2011, but this is an alarmingly risky bet at the price they’re paying him.

Crawford missed out on two years of what should have been his prime due to an unlucky string of injuries. His risk of getting injured again will only grow as he gets older, and like any player, his production will continue drop as he logs more and more games. While this is happening, the Dodgers will still have to keep forking over huge sums of money.

Los Angeles is bringing in big names for a push towards the World Series. Unfortunately, Crawford will not factor into those plans this season or in the future. 

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Carl Crawford was just traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a blockbuster deal. Once he heals from Tommy John surgery, he will return to his All-Star form.

In one of the more shocking moves of the season, Crawford and teammate Adrian Gonzalez now finds themselves in L.A. According to Dayn Perry from CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox have agreed to the following trade:

As anticipated, the Dodgers have acquired first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, right-hander Josh Beckett, outfielder Carl Crawford and infielder Nick Punto from the Red Sox in exchange for first baseman James Loney, outfielder Jerry Sands, infielder Ivan De Jesus Jr., right-hander Rubby De La Rosa and frontline pitching prospect prospect Allen Webster.

So while everyone else is saying Gonzalez is the key piece to this deal, the real key will be how Crawford bounces back from Tommy John surgery in 2013 and beyond.

Crawford should be a better player than he was in Boston. The pressure to be great there is too much for some players, and he could really take a liking to playing in left field at Dodgers Stadium. 

The switch to Dodgers stadium for home games in addition to a manager that isn’t a strict disciplinarian should be the biggest reasons why he returns to the all-star form that he showed in Tampa.

Tommy John surgery can lead to a better player than before the surgery

Not that it is guaranteed to do so for everyone, but Tommy John surgery has led other players to become more well-rounded after having to get the surgery.

The year off is something that can be beneficial for the players who have undergone the procedure, as they can study different ways to attack their opponents once they get back.

A notable example of this is Rick Ankiel. Ankiel is one of the few players who wound up having a solid career after he imploded as a pitcher early on.

He came back and was able to make a switch to center field. He has a career batting average of .244, a slugging percentage of .422 and a career OPS of .729 after the switch. All are solid numbers and an improvement from his early batting when he was a pitcher.

Los Angeles should be a better environment than Boston was for success

Bobby Valentine was supposed to be a stabilizing force in the Boston locker room. He was supposed to be the guy who brought out all the talent on the roster that he could.

However, Valentine has been unable to do so, and the Red Sox were sitting at 60-66 before the trade. Valentine’s overly disciplinarian attitude is something that has led to the downfall of a once playoff-caliber team.

Enter Don Mattingly and the Dodgers veteran clubhouse to the mix. Now Crawford truly does have a stabilizing force for his career to get back on track. 

There’s a ton of talent in L.A., and Crawford isn’t going to be relied on to be the top player like he was in Boston. The Dodgers are able to rely on Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier as their marquee bats, and Crawford should be able to return to his more preferred leadoff role.

The bat will return, but he should feel more at home in left field in Los Angeles

Despite having one of the best bats in the majors for a leadoff hitter in Tampa Bay, Crawford fell off in Boston. He should see a nice return to his numbers as a hitter in the more balanced park in Los Angeles. However, the real improvement will be in his fielding.

Fenway Park is notorious for its awkward dimensions. As shown in the graphic above, Dodgers Stadium’s dimensions are extremely similar to Tropicana Field’s. The more rounded field in L.A. will give Crawford one of the easier fields to patrol.

Despite Fenway having the Green Monster out in left field and more drawn-in dimensions, Fenway can be clunky for an outfielder to navigate. In L.A., Crawford also will deal with more friendly bounces, as he never seemed to truly feel comfortable in the confines of Fenway. That alone will be his return to All-Star form.

Scott Carasik is a featured columnist and trends and traffic writer for Bleacher Report. As a featured columnist, he covers the Atlanta Falcons, NFL and NFL draft. Carasik also is the Falcons analyst at Drafttek, runs the NFL draft website ScarDraft.com and hosts Kvetching Draftniks Radio.

Follow him on Twitter.

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Here are 10 under-26 prospects (in alphabetical order) who are tearing it up in the minor leagues.

Whether any of these talents gets promoted to the majors soon is unknown, but if their numbers are called sometime between late June and early September, be ready to scoop ’em up in 12- 14- or 16-team leagues.

Pitchers

SP Trevor Bauer, Reno Aces (Triple-A)
Age: 21
Parent Club: Arizona Diamondbacks
2012 Stats: 11-1, 2.11 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 104/42 K-BB
Skinny: There’s no time like the present in splurging for a Justin Verlander/Clayton Kershaw/Stephen Strasburg-esque prospect who’s been nearly unstoppable at every level of the minors. (Bauer was recently promoted to Triple-A Reno.) Given the Diamondbacks’ patient approach with super prospects (Justin Upton would be a rare exception), there’s no guarantee Bauer will see a major league ballpark before Sept. 1. However, he could easily force Arizona’s hand with a few more dominant starts in Reno.

SP Tony Cingrani, Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Double-A)
Age: 22
Parent Club: Cincinnati Reds
2012 Stats: 6-2, 1.45 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 91/17 K-BB
Skinny: Cingrani went 13 starts (and 60-plus innings) before allowing more than two runs in an outing. That alone should garner Cingrani (the Reds’ No. 10 prospect) prime consideration to be Cincinnati’s next big callup to the majors, among pitchers. At the very least, Cingrani may be evolving into the organization’s No. 1 pitching stud (fractionally ahead of Donnie Joseph/Robert Stephenson).

SP Jose Fernandez, Greensboro Grasshoppers (Single-A)
Age: 19
Parent Club: Miami Marlins
2012 Stats: 7-0, 1.59 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 99/18 K-BB
Skinny: In recent years, the Marlins haven’t been afraid to promote teenagers in the majors. Of course, Miguel Cabrera and Edgar Renteria were hitters, but Fernandez, a pitcher in the mold of Felix Hernandez, might be too great a force to ignore during the pennant chase.

SP Danny Hultzen, Jackson Generals (Double-A)
Age: 22
Parent Club: Seattle Mariners
2012 Stats: 8-3, 1.19 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 79/32 K-BB
Skinny: It may be just a matter of time before Hultzen—the Mariners’ No. 1 prospect—punches a permanent ticket to Seattle. In his last seven appearances (spanning 44.2 innings), Hultzen has allowed a microscopic two runs (0.41 ERA in that span), while collecting six wins and 45 strikeouts. In the fantasy realm, Hultzen projects to be a high-end No. 2 starter in the majors.

SP Jake Odorizzi, Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple-A)
Age: 22
Parent Club: Kansas City Royals
2012 Stats: 8-2, 2.89 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 81/20 K-BB
Skinny: Odorizzi, who headlines the Royals’ next wave of big-time prospects to Kansas City, would be a welcome sight upon earning an MLB promotion. Since April 23 (covering 10 appearances), Odorizzi has surrendered just 15 runs (2.21 ERA in that span) while racking up seven wins and 74 strikeouts. In the fantasy realm, Odorizzi could evolve into Kansas City’s No. 1 pitcher throughout the decade.

Hitters

OF Jackie Bradley, Salem Red Sox (Single-A Advanced)
Age: 22
Parent Club: Boston Red Sox
2012 Stats: 3 HR, 34 RBI, 53 R, 16 SB, .359 BA, .480 OBP, 1.006 OPS
Skinny: According to The Roanoke (Va.) Times, Bradley will earn a promotion to Double-A ball this week, a nod to his consistent success over the last two months. But with outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford likely rejoining the Boston lineup in the next 30-45 days, Portland, Maine, may be Bradley’s last destination for the season. That aside, he could provide three-category production if given the chance to succeed in the majors.

C Travis d’Arnaud, Las Vegas 51s (Triple-A)
Age: 23
Parent Club: Toronto Blue Jays
2012 Stats: 15 HR, 48 RBI, 42 R, 1 SB, .335 BA, .385 OBP, .987 OPS
Skinny: The Blue Jays already have a solid, young catcher in J.P. Arencibia (nine homers, 32 RBI). But the club can only stash a great prospect like d’Arnaud in the minors for so long. In the last two seasons, d’Arnaud (36 homers, 126 RBI, .319 batting) has separated himself from the pack of under-25 prospects. He’s also built up expectations to the point where he could be a top-10 catcher to open the 2013 season. But that distinction is based on him getting quality at-bats in the majors this season—hopefully in the next three weeks.

2B Jake Elmore, Reno Aces (Triple-A)
Age: 25
Parent Club: Arizona Diamondbacks
2012 Stats: 1 HR, 48 RBI, 60 R, 23 SB, .395 BA, .473 OBP, 1.007 OPS
Skinny: In the course of his 26-game hit streak (May 20-June 17), Elmore has 14 multiple-hit games, 15 steals and a whopping .420 batting average. Hopefully, it’ll be enough to motivate the Diamondbacks to give Elmore a look in the coming weeks, although Aaron Hill just hit for the cycle on June 18.

OF Wil Myers, Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple-A)
Age: 21
Parent Club: Kansas City Royals
2012 Stats: 24 HR, 61 RBI, 59 R, 5 SB, .337 BA, .408 OBP, 1.127 OPS
Skinny: Check out this run of statistical success from May 31-June 17: In that span, Myers notched eight homers, 18 RBI, 23 runs and batted at a .358 clip. As hitters go, Myers could be Kansas City’s next big target to burst onto the scene. As fantasy leagues go, there’s a chance Myers will have outfield and catcher eligibility whenever he breaks through to the bigs. If that’s the case, he’ll definitely be worth rostering in 16-team leagues.

1B Anthony Rizzo, Iowa Cubs (Triple-A)
Age: 22
Parent Club: Chicago Cubs
2012 Stats: 23 HR, 59 RBI, 46 R, 2 SB, .364 BA, .426 OBP, 1.170 OPS
Skinny: Of the prospects listed here, Rizzo is the odds-on favorite to garner the next big-league promotion. In fact, the Cubs recently placed first baseman Bryan LaHair in the outfield, a move that could precipitate Rizzo’s permanent relocation to Chicago in the coming days or weeks.

Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.

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Evan Longoria’s game-winning home run cleared the left field wall just minutes after the Boston Red Sox had lost to the Baltimore Orioles. With that, the historic collapse was complete. 

The Red Sox held a nine-game lead in the American League Wild Card race at the beginning of September. But, a 7-20 record in the season’s last month meant that it was the Tampa Bay Rays who were celebrating the final berth to the 2011 playoffs.

A lot has changed for the Red Sox since that dreadful night.

Terry Francona resigned as the team’s manager and switched places with former ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine, who was hired by the team on December 1. Jonathan Papelbon, Marco Scutaro and Jason Varitek, all key contributors last season, are no longer with the team.

Newcomers—especially Andrew Bailey and Cody Ross—will be important to the Red Sox finding success in 2012. But there are returning players who must step-up, too.

Here are the top five players that must improve on their 2010 efforts if the Red Sox want to return to the playoffs. 

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Do you think the Sizemore family doesn’t matter?

Just ask the Cleveland Indians and the Oakland Athletics, who already have lost one of their own in training camp and been left to scramble for replacements.

The early days of spring training have seen a number of assorted hurts and physical setbacks, some of which are sure to impact the regular season. In reverse order, here are the 20 most significant ones thus far:

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The Boston Red Sox pounded the Chicago Cubs into submission, 15-5, yesterday to win their seventh straight ball game. The Sox have now won 10 of 12, 13 of 18 and 22 of their last 32. They have the best record in baseball since April 16 and, more importantly, they sit just a half game behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East.

How did this happen?

It was just two weeks ago that Red Sox Nation was ready to call it a year and go back to rooting for the Celtics and Bruins in the playoffs. But much has happened in those two short weeks, including Rajon Rondo almost single-handedly beating the Miami Heat with one arm (try getting your kids to believe that one in about 20 years).

The Red Sox, meanwhile, have come together as a team and started playing like the club that everyone and their uncle picked to win the World Series.

The good news? They’re going to get even better.

Carl Crawford

Much of the blame for Boston’s poor start was placed squarely on the shoulders of the $142 million man, otherwise known as Carl Crawford. In reality, at least half the lineup was struggling. The Red Sox hit just .243 as a team in April and Crawford finished the brutal month hitting .155.

Since then, however, the star outfielder has really turned it on. He opened May with an 11-game hitting streak and has his batting average up to .212. He’s hitting .294 so far in May and has a couple of nice game-winning hits on his resume.

He’s still stuck in the eight spot in the lineup and will remain there until further notice, but this is still a perennial All-Star who’s only now beginning to play like one.

Crawford’s worst season in his 10-year major league career was in 2008, when he missed over 50 games and finished with a .273/.319/.400 line. He’s currently at .212/.247/.282. Crawford averages 13 home runs and 53 steals over 162 games. Right now he has one and six, respectively. Clearly there’s room for improvement.

It’s only a matter of time before Crawford unleashes a string of multi-hit games and gives the Red Sox offense yet another weapon.

John Lackey/Daisuke Matsuzaka

The Red Sox felt pretty confident with what they were going to get out of the top of their rotation, and the trio of Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz has certainly delivered so far this season. But the same can’t be said for the back end of the rotation.

Matsuzaka somehow rolled off two consecutive scoreless starts in mid-April, but the rest of the season has been a disaster. He hasn’t made it past the fifth inning in five of his eight starts and has almost as many walks (23) as strikeouts (26). He’s been so bad that the Red Sox couldn’t wait to get him off the field, putting him on the disabled list with a sprained right elbow. He’s not expected back until July, if ever.

Remarkably, Lackey has been even worse. The big righty has a 8.01 ERA and is getting smacked around like he’s playing T-ball. In 39.1 innings he’s surrendered 53 hits and 18 walks. In other words, an opposing batter has a better chance of reaching base than he does recording an out. Lackey’s crap fest earned him a spot on the disabled list alongside Matsuzaka, with what the Red Sox call a sprained right elbow.

It’s almost inconceivable that the two of them can continue to pitch this poorly, but even if they spend the rest of the season sitting on the bench (a trade is impossible at this point) the Red Sox can still take solace in that they have other options.

There’s the ageless Tim Wakefield, who’s already made two serviceable starts this season. There’s Alfredo Aceves, the former Yankee with starting experience. There’s lefties Rich Hill and Felix Doubront, just waiting for their shot to get back on the mound. There’s even the recently signed Kevin Millwood!

If the Yankees can make it through the first quarter of the season with Ivan Nova, Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon in their rotation, then odds are the Red Sox can find a competent pitcher somewhere. 

Bullpen

The Bobby Jenks signing has been a disaster. The supposed seventh inning guy has a 9.35 ERA in 11 games and is currently on the DL with a strained right biceps. Dan Wheeler has been even worse with a 11.32 ERA in 11 games, thanks in large part to the four home runs he’s given up (tied for fourth on the team, including starters). Denys Reyes didn’t even make it through a week with the big club, earning his release after just 1.2 awful innings.

But there is hope on the horizon.

The bullpen has been anchored by Jonathan Papelbon, Daniel Bard and newcomer Matt Albers, but they’ve gotten positive contributions out of other pitchers. Scott Atchison is back after a strong year in 2010 and he pitched three scoreless innings last night against the Cubs. Ditto for lefty Rich Hill, who has yet to give up a run in 4.2 innings.

The Red Sox also recently acquired Franklin Morales, a lefty reliever who has a 3.86 ERA in 14 innings pitched for the Colorado Rockies. And don’t forget former prospect Michael Bowden, who was lights out in AAA Pawtucket and is now just waiting to get his name called.

It’s going to take some time, but the Red Sox have the resources to build a great bullpen.

This may sound like a collection of if’s, but every team in baseball has question marks. The biggest question for the Red Sox early in the season was could they get out of their slump? The answer, of course, was yes.

Now the question turns to guys like Carl Crawford, John Lackey and Bobby Jenks. History suggests that all of these guys will turn it around, but even if they don’t the Red Sox have Plan B already in place.

It’s going to be a fun season.  

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The 2011 MLB season has already shown numerous ups and downs for some of the great players around the league through only the first two months of the year.

High profile commodities who were suppose to be their team’s centerpiece have heavily faltered and seem to be working towards a disappointing 2011 campaign.

The lack of success from these elite players have corrupted not only fantasy teams and their winning ability, but the winning capabilities of previously successful major league squads.

Whether it’s a lack of pitching from a strikeout artist, a speedy outfielder unable to gain his balance on the base paths or an MVP first baseman who’s just starting to come around, the lack of production between the months of April and May is evident.

Wherever you want to start the discussion, hitting or pitching, the conversation of biggest disappointments so far this season will always come to a close with these 20 players.

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The Boston Red Sox had few fans nearly 50 years ago. Fewer admit being fans back in 1963 and 1964. Few fans of today were alive back then. Those seasons were the Dark Ages of Red Sox lore. 

Many have removed the memory of the last time, with great flourish and optimism, the Red Sox brain-trust under Dick O’Connell and owner Tom Yawkey decided to pay big bucks and land one of the premiere players of the National League.

At the time, the newspapers were full of reports about the star of the Houston .45s where he was called “The Home Run King” for his 24 dingers in 1962.

Experts in the Boston media said he was a shoo-in to clobber 30 to 40 home runs over the Green Monster. There were no Monster Seats in those days, only a mesh net and lots of broken windows on Lansdowne Street.

Roman Mejias came to Boston at the same time as another catastrophic star: Dr. Strangeglove, the immortal error-prone slugger named Dick Stuart.  It parallels the Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford situation.

Fans expected home runs galore from the two batters. Stuart came through, and Mejias did not.

Most naïve fans believed the new home run machines would equal the firepower of Mantle and Maris over at the starry Yankee Stadium.

Mejias was an outfield phenomenon that used a three-fingered glove and made spectacular basket catches out in the cavernous center field area.

Alas, it was not to be.

Mejias, a nice fellow, could not buy a hit with the Red Sox, and his batting average was not much higher than his weight, below .230 in 111 games during his first season, and it was .238 in 62 games the next year. After the poor start, his bench time increased accordingly.

Roman hit a handful of home runs, 11 in 1963 and only two in 1964. Soon, he was permanently benched, demoralized and devastated by failures in Boston.

The sad statistics can be found at Baseball Reference.com for those with a sense of cruel irony.

Eventually he went to play baseball in Japan in 1966.  The two years in Boston were like having his heart cut out by the high priests of baseball. His two-year tenure with the Red Sox turned into a career killer for benighted Mejias.

How much he resembles Carl Crawford is a matter not yet decided. The abysmal start of the star from Tampa in 2011 is reminiscent of the problems that first beset Roman. Carl’s numbers are far worse as of one month.

After two years, the Mejias experiment was deemed a total failure by fans, press and Red Sox management, but the evidence that he was not the next big star in Boston was clear and apparent by June 1963, only a few months into the season.

That gives Carl Crawford a bit more time before the coroners of Red Sox Nation put the tag on his big toe.

Let’s hope Carl is not bound for the crypt of baseball legend and folklore. 

Sox fans realize it’s a different era today, and $150 million players tend to hang around like a bad penny, and they can remain hitless wonders—and endless reminders of what should have been.

Crawford will be on the Sox roster for many seasons more than Roman Mejias ever played. So, everyone should root and pull for his success.

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We are close to three weeks into the season, and few things are going as expected. Some teams have players that are surprising, and other teams are simply outperforming their expectations.

Its a long season, and things change, but some of these surprises are legitimate, and have some staying power. Cleveland may not necessarily be in for a major losing streak, and the Red Sox may not be the 100-win team people were expecting.

If nothing else, these starts have exposed to hot-air-balloon expectations placed on some teams and some players before the season started. Time to get real. (organized from worst winning percentage).

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