AGRI Biz

Lefty Jon Lester surrendered three hits and issued two walks as part of a four-run first inning as the Minnesota Twins rebounded from yesterday’s loss with a 5-0 defeat of the Red Sox today in Ft Myers. The Sox wasted a solid scoring opportunity in the top of the first inning. CF Mike Cameron drew a walk off RHP Carl Pavano to open the game but was thrown out trying to ...

Why do so many writers in the baseball universe refer to Kevin Youkilis as over-rated or predict that his career will start to backslide? Many of these pundits point to the fact he had a bad back throughout much of last year, and that back issues tend to linger and never go away—especially for a 31-year-old.  They assume that his back condition will be chronic, and with less time on the field he'll ...

The Minnesota Twins scored one run on two hits off RHP Josh Beckett in the first inning of tonight's Grapefruit League opener at a chilly City of Palms Park in Ft. Myers, FL (it was 45 degrees when the final out was recorded). Afterwards, Beckett and seven relievers shut down the opposing offense on two hits over the final eight innings in the Sox 2-1 win.á Besides Beckett, only LHPs Hideki ...

Victor Martinez has huge shoes to fill behind home plate at Fenway Park. His predecessor was team captain, backstopped two World Series championship teams and is the only catcher in the history of the game to have caught four no-hitters. With Jason Varitek now relegated to part-time duty, many pundits are wondering aloud whether Martinez will prove to be an adequate replacement with the bat and behind the plate. When reviewing MartinezÆ ...

Two years ago, the Red Sox drafted 18-year-old Casey Kelly in the first round of the MLB first-year player draft (pick No. 30 overall) out of Sarasota, Florida. At the time, he was a 195-pound two-sport schoolboy star who had signed a letter of intent to play quarterback at the University of Tennessee. But then the Sox lured him to baseball with their checkbook and a promise that ...

Clay Buchholz: His future's so bright he's gotta wear shades! The first time I interviewed Clay Buchholz (back in 2007), I asked him if he envisioned getting involved with a particular charity when he made it to the big leagues (a la Curt Schilling and his commitment to ALS). Clay told me that he absolutely intended to be involved with charities, especially those involved in the fights against cancer and / or ...

Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon recorded 38 saves and compiled a 1.85 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP last season, yet it always seemed that something just wasnÆt right with him. Pappy had made an adjustment to his delivery in spring training. Consequently, he posted a career-high walk rate (3.2 BB / 9 IP) and a career-low K-BB ratio (3.2). He frequently seemed incapable of recording a 1-2-3 inning. Red Sox pitching coach ...

The Red Sox front office decided not to give free agent LF Jason Bay a four-year contract due to a suspicion that he might experience a knee or shoulder injury during the life of the contract; yet, in the next breath, the Sox gave RHP John Lackey, who HAS suffered injuries during each of the last two seasons, a five-year deal worth $85 million. The organization made it very clear that ...

Many baseball observers believe that hitters most often have their breakout season at 27 years-of-age while pitchers have their breakout season at 26 years-of-age. Clay Buchholz will turn 26 years old on August 14, 2010. As we enter a new season, an old question persists: will this be the year Buchholz establishes himself as one of the best pitchers in the game? Begin Slideshow

A little more than a year ago, I interviewed Josh Reddick for more than an hour out in Arizona. We talked about a lot of things, but mostly we talked about hitting. He spoke at length about how the ballclub was working with him to modify his approach at the plate. Philosophically, the organization preaches plate discipline, but Reddick was (is) a self-described free swinger. His approach at home ...