Kuzul

With a brand new World Series championship banner hanging on Yawkey Way, the Boston Red Sox have some pretty big shoes to fill as we move towards the 2014 MLB season.

This year, fans will be treated to an injection of youth with Xander Bogaerts likely taking over as the everyday shortstop and Jackie Bradley Jr. in center field.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia took his talents to South Beach and veteran backstop A.J. Pierzynski has been brought in to fill the void.

To get the closest and most accurate projections possible, the following statistics were compiled and compared, ultimately creating an equation to help determine how each player will perform in 2014.

The stats consist of basic offensive numbers: games, at-bats, runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, stolen bases and batting lines.

Generally, to reach a conclusion on each stat, players were evaluated on their performances against every team the Red Sox will face in 2014. Those figures were compared to players’ career numbers, as well as other variables, such as home-versus-away numbers.

These are the results. 

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Sasquatch hunters would lose their minds if they happened across Fenway Park. The men of the 2013 Boston Red Sox own some of the gnarliest beards in baseball, and it’s about time we settle the argument of who has the best. 

I mean, seeing as how these players went through all of the trouble and weeks (hours when it comes to Jonny Gomes) to grow these things, we might as well judge them. 

From the scraggly to those who would make The Most Interesting Man in the World happy, we have you covered. 

Never before have a group of men been so lauded for merely not shaving. It’s time to celebrate laziness and superstitious playoff facial hair. 

We will also give you a non-baseball comparison of the first thing we think of when we see each beard. Feel free to play along. 

Now let’s see those mugs. 

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After a dramatic two-game split in Boston, the Detroit Tigers return home for a crucial Game 3 in the first of three consecutive games to be played at Comerica Park.

Despite a late-game collapse in which Detroit allowed five Boston runs over the final two innings of Sunday’s Game 2 loss, a combined one-hitter from Tigers’ pitchers in Game 1 gives Detroit a theoretical chance to win the ALCS at home.

Before looking too far ahead, here are four keys for the Tigers in Tuesday’s Game 3:

1. Start strong

Detroit’s starting pitchers have been outstanding during the playoffs, and especially so far in the ALCS. Game 1 and 2 starters Anibal Sanchez and Max Scherzer combined for 13 scoreless innings, surrendering only two hits while striking out 25 Boston batters.

Game 3 starter Justin Verlander pitched 15 scoreless innings against Oakland in the ALDS, allowing six hits and recording 21 strikeouts in two starts. And no, those numbers don’t come from a video game.

Verlander pitched just once against the Red Sox during the regular season, allowing four runs and seven hits in only five innings pitched on June 23. The Tigers Game 3 starter admitted that despite getting roughed up earlier in the season, his game plan against the top-ranked Red Sox lineup hasn’t changed:

“I think the only way you combat that is be aggressive,” Verlander said in a press conference on Monday. “Throw a lot of strikes and pound the strike zone.”

2. Dirks’ Day 

The starting left fielder for most of the regular season, Andy Dirks will make his first start of the postseason on Tuesday, batting ninth in Jim Leyland’s lineup.

Dirks batted .256 in 131 games during the regular season with 9 home runs and 37 RBIs, but is only 3-for-26 (.115) since September 21. Dirks has the potential to provide a noticeable upgrade at the plate from struggling utilityman Don Kelly, who started Game 2 in left field and is 0-for-4 in the ALCS.

3. Contain Boston’s 1-4 hitters

Not surprisingly, Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino, Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz are huge factors in Major League Baseball’s top scoring offense. But the high percentage of the Red Sox offense coming from their 1-4 hitters is alarming.

Four of Boston’s seven hits on Sunday came from the first four, and five of Boston’s six runs were driven in by Pedroia and Ortiz. Ellsbury, Victorino and Ortiz lead the Red Sox in batting average—batting .375, .333, and .300, respectively—while Pedroia is fifth, batting .261.

The four have scored 19 of the team’s 32 runs during the playoffs and have recorded 18 of 28 RBIs. If Verlander has success against Boston’s first four, the Red Sox will have to rely on Jarrod Saltalamacchia for offense, and the slumping bats of Stephen Drew, Jonny Gomes, Will Middlebrooks, and Mike Napoli.

4. Fix the bullpen

Despite an impressive performance in Game 1, the Tigers bullpen struggled mightily in Game 2, allowing all six Boston runs and ruining a career outing for Scherzer. Tigers relievers Al Alburquerque, Drew Smyly and Joaquin Benoit have postseason ERAs of 9.00, 6.75 and 5.79, respectively.

That should explain everything.

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Dustin Pedroia and the rest of the Boston Red Sox head into the MLB postseason as one of the hottest teams around. Win or lose, the star second baseman will have the support of wife Kelli and his wonderful family. 

As is the case this time of year, the heroics taking place on the field will captivate viewers. However, the camera has been known to catch the loved ones in the stands who are no strangers to the stress provided by the playoffs. 

One such person is Kelli Pedroia.

Husband and wife both attended Arizona State University and married in 2006. They have since welcomed two boys to their family, Dylan and Cole. 

What many might not know is that Kelli is a fighter. As recounted on Boston.com, she was diagnosed with melanoma when she was 18 years old.

Since that time, she has worked to raise awareness of the dangers of tanning beds and salons and the potential of harm from tanning outdoors. 

She wrote about her story for Melanoma Foundation New England’s website, which is well worth the read. She recalled summers bathing in the sun and her first trip to the tanning salon, wanting to duplicate the bronzed look of her friends. 

Sadly, her efforts delivered harrowing news in June 2002. 

I learned quickly that melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. At the young age of 18 I was the youngest patient my doctor had ever seen with it. I was ushered off to oncologists, dermatologists and surgeons all for this little mole that I got from laying out in the sun. When it was over and done I had a chunk taken out of my right thigh the size of a large egg and lymph nodes taken out of my groin area to make sure that the cancer hadn’t spread. Trust me, those scars that are permanently on my body were not worth the self image I felt I needed to live up to with a tan. My results came back perfectly clear, all the cancer was gone.

The cancer would come back two years later, and skin had to be removed from her clavicle and neck. Thankfully, she is healthy these days and proclaims to be cancer free. 

That hasn’t stopped her from not only raising awareness of her own personal plight but also championing other causes that afflict others. 

Back in 2007, Pedroia and other MLB wives helped amyotrophic lateral sclerosis research by participating in the 25-mile bike ride, “Positive Spin for ALS.”

More recently, she joined other Boston Red Sox wives in a fundraiser fashion show that aided the Red Sox Foundation, and she sat as a judge for the Big Sisters of Boston’s annual “Running with Bridesmaids” event. 

We hope she finds time amid a busy schedule to sit back and enjoy her husband’s latest jaunt into the MLB postseason. 

Red Sox nation will no doubt shower their boys with praise and applause, but we encourage you to throw a little Kelli’s way while you are at it. 

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The announcement, confirmed by Bob Nightengale of USA Today, of a new, seven-year, $100 million contract extension between Dustin Pedroia and the Boston Red Sox is a boon for both parties, giving Pedroia a lucrative, long-term extension while supplying the organization with cost certainty moving forward.

From Pedroia‘s perspective, the contract is significant, allowing the franchise player to remain in Boston well into the twilight of his career. By eliminating the 2014 and 2015 options from his contract, the 29-year-old will enter his early 30s without the weight of contract years or year-to-year performance hovering over his game.

Over the course of baseball history, second basemen, most recently Chase Utley, Roberto Alomar and Jose Vidro, have faded when hitting their early 30s. If that happens to Pedroia, his long-term earning potential can’t take a hit with a new, guaranteed contract.

While Pedroia will benefit greatly, the Red Sox front office, assuming healthy and solid production from Pedroia during the deal, will come across as the real winner here.

The ability to lock up a player like Pedroia, a former MVP worth at least four wins per season during every 140-plus-game season of his career, for $14.3 million annually is a win-win deal, but it looks even better when taking a look at the future payroll commitment currently allotted in Boston.

Or, in other words, the lack of payroll commitment moving forward.

Pedroia‘s new deal gives the team payroll flexibility next winter, potentially allowing the front office to keep free-agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury or first baseman Mike Napoli.

More importantly, the cost certainty of Pedroia‘s deal, as opposed to option years and free agency for the franchise cornerstone, will give Boston the ability to reach for true star power in future free-agent classes.

Looking years into free-agent classes can be a fruitless exercise, but for the sake of fun, here are some names that may hit the open market after the 2014 or 2015 seasons: Clayton Kershaw (post-2014), Miguel Cabrera, Jason Heyward, Aroldis Chapman, Chris Davis, David Price, Matt Wieters and Mat Latos (post-2015).

Heading into the 2016 season, with the assumption of Clay Buchholz‘s $13 million option being exercised, Boston has only $27.3 million committed to two players: Buchholz and Pedroia. If all goes to plan, two All-Star-level contributors will be playing in Fenway Park for way under market value.

Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington cleared hundreds of millions of dollars off the books last August in a roster purge with the Los Angeles Dodgers. That move set the stage for the low-risk, high-reward offseason of 2012-13, vaulting the Red Sox to the top of the AL East standings.

It also set the franchise up to reward Pedroia and keep maximum flexibility moving forward.

The 2013 Red Sox are a good team because of smart, efficient payroll maneuvers. By re-signing Pedroia now, months before Robinson Cano rewrites the market for star second basemen, Boston is setting itself up to be major free-agent players again very soon.

Comment below, follow me on Twitter or “like” my Facebook page to talk all things baseball!

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The Boston Red Sox have reportedly agreed to a seven-year, $100 million contract extension with superstar second baseman Dustin Pedroia.

Rob Bradford of WEEI.com broke the news on Tuesday:

Pedroia and Red Sox have agreed in principle on extension. Starts in 2015 goes to ’21. Comes down to approximatey 7 years for $100 million

— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) July 23, 2013

This lucrative deal runs through 2021 and doesn’t go into action until the conclusion of next season. However, it virtually guarantees that he’ll end his career in Boston. The 29-year-old was just named to his fourth All-Star team, his first selection since 2010.

Although the Red Sox have gone three consecutive seasons without making the MLB playoffs, Pedroia has displayed admirable consistency amidst the team’s struggles. He has become a Boston staple after showing his durability and commitment to the team.

When playing deep into October was not a tangible possibility last season, he still opted to finish the remainder of the year in spite of a broken finger on his left hand.

Even on Opening Day this season, he tore an ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, but he has still been gutting it out. That’s the type of effort and determination Pedroia has played with in his seven seasons in Boston, and it’s a big reason for the fans holding him in such a high regard.

As the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year, Pedroia immediately burst onto the scene and was a key contributor to the World Series title in that memorable postseason.

Pedroia is batting .308 with six home runs and 57 RBI in 2013 thus far. He has remained a great contact hitter and stellar fielder, which is why the Red Sox rewarded him with such a massive payday.

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The Boston Red Sox and Dustin Pedroia are on the precipice of an agreement that could make the face of the franchise the highest-paid second baseman in Major League Baseball.

According to Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan, the two parties are deep in negotiations, but nothing is imminent. The current parameters of the deal, of which the length and annual figure have yet to be finalized, could put Pedroia north of $100 million.

Sources close to the situation told Passan that the two sides are working under a tentative framework of a $20 million annual figure over five or six seasons. The negotiations reportedly picked up steam at the All-Star break, where Boston brass and Pedroia‘s representatives began moving quickly to hammer out a deal.

Though moving quickly, both parties have plenty of time to come to terms. Pedroia is under Boston’s control for the next two seasons, set to make $10 million in 2014. The Red Sox have the option to pick up Pedroia‘s $11 million salary for 2015. It’s unclear whether the extension would then begin in 2016 or whether the current deal would be ripped up, with Pedroia‘s contract starting anew in 2014.

The agreement, if struck during the regular season, would make Pedroia the highest-paid second baseman in the league by a significant margin. Texas Rangers star Ian Kinsler currently has the highest annual salary at $15 million, which also represents the highest value in major-league history for a second baseman, per Baseball Prospectus.

No matter where Pedroia‘s deal falls under the current spectrum, it is likely to dwarf the current record. Pedroia‘s run at the most lucrative contract for second basemen will likely be short-lived, as the Yankees‘ Robinson Cano will hit the open market and could become the highest-paid middle infielder in baseball history. (Passan notes that Cano’s bidding will likely start in the $200 million range.)

That said, there are plenty MLB observers who would argue Pedroia has been as valuable to the Red Sox as Cano to the Yankees. 

The 2008 American League MVP, Pedroia is a four-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner. Since bursting onto the scene as a rookie during Boston’s 2007 World Series run, Pedroia has become nearly as synonymous with the franchise as David Ortiz.

The 29-year-old Pedroia is in the midst of another fine season, hitting .316 with six home runs and 56 RBI before the All-Star break. AL All-Star manager Jim Leyland selected Pedroia to the team, his first such honor since 2010.

Pedroia‘s Red Sox have been one of the most surprising stories of baseball’s first half, surging to a 59-39 record and a 2.5-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East through Friday. Boston was expected to have a second consecutive subpar season after trading Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett to the Los Angeles Dodgers last August, a move that freed up a massive chunk of salary for the free-spending Sox.

If Passan‘s report holds true, it seems the Red Sox are planning to use some of that money to lock up one of their city’s favorite stars.

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In the American League East are two elite second basemen in line to get paid: Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees and Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox.

Now we have an idea as to who’s going to be paid first, which naturally means we have to ponder what it could mean for the other guy.

If you haven’t heard the latest yet, it sounds like Pedroia‘s the guy who’s going to be paid first. The word from Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports is that he and the Red Sox are discussing a contract extension that could exceed $100 million over five or six years. That would make him the highest-paid second baseman in history.

At least until, you know, Cano hits the open market this winter. He’s going to become the richest second baseman ever no matter what happens with Pedroia. About the only thing Pedroia can do with an extension is help Cano raise the bar to the level he wants it at.

Yes, the door is still technically open for Cano to sign an extension with the Yankees, but it was easy to believe Jon Heyman of CBS Sports when he reported in June that free agency is a “very likely outcome” for Cano. The man himself even let it slip to Chris Dell of the New York Daily News that he’s going to be a free agent “either way” at the end of the season.

Cano’s situation sheds light on Boston’s urgency to re-sign Pedroia.

Taking an $11 million option for 2015 into consideration, he’s under club control for two more years beyond 2013. But the Red Sox are playing it safe, as they could either wait for Cano to set the market for elite second basemen in free agency or go ahead and do it on their own terms with an extension for Pedroia.

They’ve got the right idea in doing so, and they also have the right kind of figure in mind.

A contract worth $100 million or more over five or six years would put Pedroia in the range of $20 million per year. That’s a bit more than the $15 million per year that the Texas Rangers gave Ian Kinsler last year, but that’s OK. Contract values do tend to inflate, and Pedroia has both age and numbers working for him in comparison to Kinsler.

Pedroia is now in his age-29 season, whereas Kinsler signed at the start of his age-30 season. Put side by side, their career numbers look like this:

For the uninitiated, ISO stands for isolated power and is essentially a slugging percentage that ignores singles. Here it confirms that Kinsler is the better power hitter, but not to such a degree that it makes him the better overall hitter.

So yeah, $20 million sounds reasonable for Pedroia, and it’s a figure that ought to agree with him, seeing as how he’s only making $10 million this year and next. And in light of his upcoming free agency, a $20 million-per-year deal for Pedroia ought to agree with Cano as well.

It’s already a given that Cano is going to get at least $20 million per year when his next deal comes. He certainly won’t settle for anything less. But since he’ll obviously be looking to get as much money as possible, it won’t hurt if he has Pedroia‘s contract to point to while saying, “You want me? Beat that!”

And if it comes to that, Cano will have a couple of legs to stand on. Namely, numbers and health.

One significant edge I believe Pedroia has on Cano is his defense.

Cano is easily among the game’s best defensive second basemen, but FanGraphs will vouch that there’s a huge gap between him and Pedroia in fielding runs above average since 2007, Pedroia‘s rookie season. Pedroia also holds a significant edge in defensive runs saved.

But offensive numbers are the ones that pay the bills and attract the big bucks, and that’s where Cano has Pedroia beat handily.

Pedroia has the edge in on-base percentage, but Cano’s huge edge in power is worth something in this case. What’s more, Cano can brag that his power is only getting better while Pedroia‘s is getting worse. Cano has an ISO of .233 since the start of the 2011 season, compared to .153 for Pedroia.

Cano and his people (i.e. that one rapper guy and others) may already be treating $25 million per year as a realistic goal. Said goal would likely only become more realistic if Pedroia inks a $20 million-per-year contract, as Cano would be able to sell his power as being worth an extra $5 million per year.

But we’re not done here. Another notion that Cano can sell prospective bidders on is the prospect that he’s going to age better than Pedroia.

He may already be a year older than Pedroia, but Cano’s injury history is a lot cleaner. He hasn’t been on the disabled list since 2006. Per Baseball Prospectus, Pedroia has lost almost 100 games to the DL since 2010, and the Boston Herald reported in May that he’s playing this season with a torn ligament in his thumb. 

And let’s face it, you only need to watch the two guys play to conclude that Cano is the safer long-term investment. Pedroia plays recklessly, going all-out all the time. For lack of a better word, Cano plays smoothly. If Pedroia is the Jeep of second basemen, Cano’s the Cadillac.

This is going to be particularly relevant if Pedroia inks a six-year contract that would take effect after the two years he’s already under club control. In that scenario, the Red Sox would be tied to him through his age-37 season in 2021. 

A free-agent contract that would take Cano through his own age-37 season would only be a seven-year deal. I say “only,” of course, because Joel Sherman of the New York Post mentioned last October that Cano would be looking for a 10-year deal. He’s kidding himself if he actually thinks he can get something like that, but him being able to set the floor for his next contract at seven years would be good enough.

Seven years at $25 million per year would, after all, be a $175 million contract. For some perspective, that’s $100 million more than the current record for a second baseman (held by Kinsler).

Cano would do even better than that if he were to get the right teams involved in a bidding war. One of those between the Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers would be perfect, as it would involve a team with a need and lots of money (Dodgers) going up against a team with lots of money and an even bigger need (Yankees). In such a bidding war, more years and more money could come Cano’s way.

So…what happens if the Red Sox only ink Pedroia to a five- or six-year deal that would take effect immediately and only lock him up through 2018 or 2019?

Best guess: Nothing that would hurt Cano.

Even if it comes to that, the Red Sox and Pedroia will still have set an annual average value for Cano to beat. And while the precedent wouldn’t be set for Cano to get a long-term deal, such a precedent isn’t necessarily required given Cano’s optimistic aging outlook and, indeed, the fact that he should be negotiating with several teams rather than just one. The team that wants him the most will be willing to do an extra year or two.

It all goes back to what I said earlier about Cano not really needing Pedroia to set the bar in order to set his own bar this winter. He’s going to do that anyway.

All Pedroia can do is make it a little easier for him to do so.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference unless otherwise noted.

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Boston sports fans coming off their Stanley Cup hangovers are beginning to notice the Red Sox again, and what they are seeing is a team defying all expectations.

In fact, the Sox are on pace for one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in franchise history.

With exactly half the season (81 games) gone, the Red Sox entered last night’s game against the Blue Jays with a record of 48-33. They then won again, and assuming they keep the same pace through the second half, they would wind up with a mark of 96-66—a 27-game improvement over the dreadful 69-93 season turned in by the last-place Boys of Bobby Valentine in 2012.

That dramatic of a win differential in back-to-back seasons has not occurred in Boston since the MLB schedule expanded to 162 games in 1961. The closest were the “Impossible Dream” Red Sox, who went from a 70-92, ninth-place finish in 1966 to, one year later, a 92-70 mark and the seventh game of the 1967 World Series.

As with all things baseball, numbers tell a big part of the story. Here are some that help define the Red Sox resurgence.

All stats are through Friday, June 28.

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Old school baseball. It means no batting gloves, choking up on the bat and not being afraid to get your uniform dirty. Over the years, the game of baseball has lost some of that “tough-as-nails” mentality, as players hide behind body armor and pitch counts.

But even in today’s game, there are some players that embody the old-school approach, players such as Dustin Pedroia. The Red Sox second baseman is just one example of a player that is a throwback to yesteryear. Here’s a closer look at Pedroia and some other old-school ballplayers.

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