[轉錄][外電] 今年紅襪會是史上最強球隊?

[zirca (一葉平凡)]

※ [本文轉錄自 MLB 看板 #1D7yuxge ]

作者: abc12812 () 看板: MLB
標題: [外電] 今年紅襪會是史上最強球隊?
時間: Sun Jan  2 09:00:40 2011

http://tinyurl.com/2asw72u


The Red Sox have won 100 or more games three times in their 110-year
existence.

They will make it four in 2011. But this team has the potential to accomplish
something even bigger than winning 100 games.

The last time the Red Sox reached the 100-win mark was 1946, when they went
104-50-2 and lost the World Series to the Cardinals in seven games.

Prior to that, the Red Sox posted 101 wins in 1915 and 105 in 1912. Both
seasons ended with World Series titles.

Will the duck boats be rolling through the streets of Boston again next fall?

Bookmakers like the Red Sox’ chances. Current odds put them at 9-2 to win
the 2011 World Series. Only the Phillies, at 7-2, are bigger favorites, with
the Yankees not far behind at 5-1 shots.

Championships, of course, aren’t won in January. But championship teams are
built during the offseason, and Theo Epstein has put together a roster that
would make Branch Rickey proud.

Look at the starting lineup.

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Carl Crawford, LF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
J.D. Drew, RF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Marco Scutaro/Jed Lowrie, SS

Speed. Power. Plate discipline. This lineup has it all. Good luck finding a
hole from 1 to 7. Saltalamacchia is a bit of a wild card, but the 25-year-old
could be ready for a breakout season. And whoever is the starting shortstop
-- Scutaro or Lowrie -- gives the Red Sox one of the toughest No. 9 hitters
in the game.

Besides a potent offensive attack, the Red Sox will boast airtight defense,
perhaps the best of any team in baseball.

Turn to the bench, and manager Terry Francona has plenty of options.

Mike Cameron, OF
Darnell McDonald, OF
Marco Scutaro/Jed Lowrie, INF
Jason Varitek, C

Youth, experience and versatility will ride the pine like lions waiting to
hunt. Depth won’t be a problem, especially with players like Ryan Kalish,
Lars Anderson and Josh Reddick on the farm.

In 2010, the Red Sox scored 818 runs (second-most in the majors), or 5.1 per
game. They hit 211 home runs (second in MLB) and posted a .790 OPS (tops in
MLB). The offense, with even more weapons now, could demolish those numbers.

Yet one run is all it might take to win a game on some days with the starting
staff the Red Sox have assembled.

Jon Lester, LHP
Josh Beckett, RHP
John Lackey, RHP
Clay Buchholz, RHP
Daisuke Matsuzaka, RHP

Lester is a Cy Young winner waiting to happen. Beckett will notch more than
six victories. Lackey should be better equipped to avoid the one-bad-inning
syndrome. Buchholz has become a force. And Dice-K might be the best No. 5
starter ever. The Japanese right-hander is the only pitcher in the rotation
who’s never been an All-Star, but this could be the year he ends that streak.

Every Red Sox starting pitcher has something to prove. While the Phillies
might be the popular choice as the best rotation in baseball, don’t be
surprised if people are singing a different tune come October.

When Red Sox starters have to hand the ball to the bullpen this season,
Boston fans won’t have to have to cover their eyes and pray. The weak link
in 2010 could be one of the best relief corps in the business.

Tim Wakefield, RHP
Scott Atchison/Matt Albers, RHP
Hideki Okajima, LHP
Dan Wheeler, RHP
Bobby Jenks, RHP
Daniel Bard, RHP
Jonathan Papelbon, RHP

Okajima is the only known left-handed quantity. But youngster Felix Doubront
has talent and should see some action. Rich Hill, Lenny DiNardo and Andrew
Miller also could contribute.

The right-handers in the mix all bring experience and different styles to the
fire. Need long relief? Call on Wakefield to disrupt hitters’ timing. Need a
middle-inning specialist to get key outs? Wheeler knows how to do the job,
and Atchison proved serviceable last season. Albers could be a diamond in the
rough. Want heat? Jenks and Bard throw seeds. Want to turn out the lights?
Papelbon is pitching for a contract, so trust he will be ready to show he’s
far from washed up.  Reliability and consistency -- foreign concepts to Boston
’s bullpen last season -- will be common words associated with this group.

Every day should feel like Christmas for Curt Young, the new Red Sox pitching
coach. The former A’s pitching coach didn’t have anything close to the
horses he has now, and Oakland’s staff posted a 3.56 ERA last season, the
best in the American League and fourth-best in the majors. Imagine what he
can do with a Grade A collection of arms.

The Red Sox were slated to win about 95 games last year. They won 89 despite
injuries to Pedroia (a former MVP) and Youkilis (a possible future MVP). Add
them back, along with the new players and a healthy Ellsbury, and 100 wins
doesn’t just appear plausible. It seems downright inevitable.

So does a date with history.

The 2001 Mariners won 116 regular-season games to set the American League
record for most wins in a single season and tie the 1906 Cubs for the major
league record (though the North Siders accomplished the feat in 152 games).
Both those teams failed to win the World Series. The Cubs lost to the White
Sox in six games in the Fall Classic. The Mariners didn’t even make it that
far, falling to the Yankees in five games in the ALCS.

The Red Sox have no intention of suffering a similar fate. The way they are
constructed, they could surpass the 116-win mark, but nothing less than a
World Series title will make Boston happy.

The 2011 Red Sox possess all the pieces to have a season for the ages. If
everything falls into place and the breaks go their way, they could do more
than set records and become champions. They could do more than take their
place on Immortality Peak and end up being mentioned in the same sentence as
legendary clubs of the past: the 1929 A’s, the epic Yankees teams of the ‘
30s, the 1970 Orioles, the 1976 Reds.

The 2011 Red Sox could accomplish a feat that has never been done. They could
unseat the 1927 Yankees as the greatest major league team of all time.

--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) 
◆ From: 140.112.25.133
推 k91341379183:左投也太少了吧
→ JacqueJones:傷兵少點 低調點 這樣就好
推 terop:最強我不予置評 拿冠軍 再說吧
推 jshuang:每年都有球隊說最強... 一開賽都掛好幾個   XD
→ vou89kot:呷咖賣，不定因素很多。
推 zxcvbbb:沒錯 我也這麼覺得 明年襪襪應該可以打破史上最多勝紀錄
推 raki:1去年傷 2去年傷 3剛轉隊 4現在傷 5去年傷 6傷沒以往強
→ raki:7固定會傷 8.不傷也抓不到壘包 9.Lowrie不能天天上 幾乎也傷
推 yamatai:請問有沒有人有開季先發九人累計DL天數的大聯盟記錄
推 nicknhit:樓上兩行我真是不得不推....QQ
→ nicknhit:變成樓樓上了   尤其是8.   真是蛋蛋的哀傷
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) 
◆ From: 115.83.2.143
→ zirca:紅襪史上最強球隊！？期待來個900分！百勝吧！
推 highmimi:Theo會不會交易寶貝碰而去簽soriano ...?
推 DOLoveDO:其實我還滿看到交易的，尤其是寶貝碰XD還有4號外野
→ DOLoveDO:有點貴...希望再來個交易
推 highmimi:Soriano是換成吸血鬼當經紀人後就沒消沒息嗎？
→ highmimi:還是吸血鬼就是在等Theo交易寶貝碰,雙方有默契了？
推 Opeth:這些文章都是多講的...讓我們繼續看下去...Zzzz
推 JacqueJones:Soriano想要3年合約 一年/10M以上 能給的球隊看來是不
→ JacqueJones:多 而且現在也簽到Jenks了 Soriano的問題 可以留給其
→ JacqueJones:他隊了
推 dragon2000:一整年健健康康就好
推 MinChuan:不期不待~去年說的史詩輪值後來開季就...冏"
→ MinChuan:先期待能進季後賽XD"
推 bearyou:不能誇....低調模式比較好....
推 OrzXXXqoo:去年的史詩輪值.....爆炸之後連帶著牛棚也爆了
推 esunbank:期待寶貝碰了XD
→ mygoing:算是有史以來最強傷兵隊吧 除了新來的不說 其他全都有傷
推 maikxz:整條打線最健康的竟然是                  J.D. Drew!!!!!!
推 richjf:不要變死屍斑的先發...
推 ruffryders:不要再相信沒有根據的說法了