The Lewis Locker room Podcast: Episode 2

The Lewis Locker room is back with some great original content! Listen to Alan Bonneau tell the world that the Pittsburgh Penguins would trade Sidney Crosby for Tuukka Rask and David Pastrnak (claims he wasn't high but still unsure). Listen to some fiery talk about Drew Pomeranz and what he can bring to the Red Sox. Then hear some stories like how Mike Napoli fell on a coffee table and couldn't play baseball for four months (OOTP affiliated). As always, like and share, leave us a comment telling us how we did, what you would like to see discussed in the future, and enjoy!

Remembering Andy Marte as part of the Boston Red Sox Organization

          

Former third baseman Andy Marte with the Braves

Rest in Peace Andy Marte Oct. 21, 1983- Jan. 22, 2017

          Former major leaguer Andy Marte died in a car crash early this morning while in the Dominican Republic. Marte was a former top prospect, ranking in baseball’s top prospects four times throughout his career and as high as ninth overall, per baseball America. Marte spent a brief amount of time with the Boston Red Sox in 2005. This is a memory of Marte as part of the Red Sox farm system.

            The Red Sox played to a 95-67 record and were swept by the eventual World Series Champions Chicago White Sox. They had signed shortstop Edgar Renteria to man the position the previous offseason. Renteria had a decent line of eight homers, 70 RBI and nine stolen bases while he maintained a .276 batting average in his one season with the Red Sox. However, Renteria’s defense was horrible, committing 30 errors and garnering boos at Fenway Park. Red Sox ownership was also disappointed with Renteria’s performance, which lead to ownership, acting without a general manager, trading Renteria to the Atlanta Braves for third base prospect Andy Marte.

            The trade received high praise for the Boston Red Sox. Many writers believed Andy Marte had a huge ceiling, while hardballtimes.com quotes some saying “Marte is a future All-Star, a possible hall of famer.” I remember the ownership group saying Marte was the type of players you could start a team with.

            I remember little about what sports talk shows and baseball beat writers had to say, for I was only 10 at the time of the trade and didn’t listen or read much from those two products. However, I remember liking the trade because Marte could hit a lot of home runs and I liked players that could hit home runs. I had never seen the Red Sox trade a major-league player for a top prospect before. Marte was the first prospect I had ever seen the Red Sox “sell” and acquire a minor leaguer (During the 2014 season I saw much more of the team “selling”).

            Marte’s Red Sox tenure didn’t last long.  Forty-nine days later, the team shipped Marte off to Cleveland along with pitcher Guillermo Mota, catcher Kelly Shoppach, and cash for center fielder Coco Crisp, catcher Josh Bard and pitcher David Riske. This came after Theo Epstein’s return to the Red Sox as general manager, who wanted to trade Marte to the Devil Rays for Julio Lugo (Epstein would later sign Lugo via free agency).

            Marte never panned out to his top ten prospect in all of baseball status, struggling to stay on major league rosters throughout his entire career. If Theo Epstein never took a hiatus from the team, who knows what would have happened, whether he would have traded for Marte and/or traded him away. Maybe if the Red Sox kept him, he would have fulfilled his potential.

            However short his Red Sox tenure was, Marte played a big role in the history of the Red Sox organization. When I and most others think of the decade of the 2000s, the Marte trade(s) come to mind. Marte will forever remain in the history of the 2000s decade for the Boston Red Sox. He will be missed amongst the baseball and baseball writers community. Taken too soon, rest in peace Andy Marte.

The Lewis Locker room Podcast: Episode 1

     I have created a podcast in conjunction with the blog! The Lewis Locker room is the podcast for the people about all the major sports. It features myself (Adam Lewis) as the host with Ben Lewis and Alan Bonneau featured. We hope to make this a regular thing!
     Let us know what worked, what didn't work, what you want to hear and what you would like to change. This is a work in progress and we hope to make it better every episode!

What Would a 2016 Fantasy Football Redraft Look Like?

If you’re like me, you ended your 2016 fantasy football season out of the playoffs and wishing you drafted player X over play Y.

As fantasy football participants, we all love to discuss what we would do if given the chance to redraft. Now that the 2016 season is over, some saw the likes of second round pick Jamaal Charles produce nothing (I fall into this category) while others reaped the benefits of late round selections of Matt Ryan, Dak Prescott and Jay Ajayi (I drafted none of these players).

Given the ability to start over, who would you target with your first round selection? Follow along as I complete a redraft of the first round in a standard, 10 person ESPN fantasy football league.

1.      David Johnson, RB Arizona Cardinals

Hard to see this 1,239 rushing yards and 16 touchdown running back go anywhere but first in a redraft. Johnson scored 313 points on the season, scoring 10 or more points in every week but week 17. Johnson was the most consistent fantasy option on the year and also put up the most points for a position other than quarterback.

2.      Ezekiel Elliott, RB Dallas Cowboys

It is hard to predict how much rookies will contribute fantasy-wise, but Elliott finished as the second best fantasy running back with 1,631 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, good enough for 280 fantasy points. Being a rookie, most owners took caution, as he had an average draft position of 10 before week one. Those that took Elliott probably reaped the rewards with a new champion trophy.

3.      Le’Veon Bell, RB Pittsburg Steelers

2016 was the year of the running backs. Bell put up 1,268 rushing yards with seven touchdowns even after missing the first three games of the season. If he played those three games, Bell easily would have been the best fantasy option on the year. Down the stretch, I believed Bell to be the best fantasy option as he scored 20 or more fantasy points in four of the last seven games he played (Bell didn’t play in week 17). He also scored 47 points in week 14.

4.      Aaron Rodgers, QB Green Bay Packers

Call me crazy for ranking a quarterback this high, but Rodgers was the real deal in 2016. Rodgers put up more fantasy points than any other player, scoring 365 points throughout the 2016 season. Rodgers also had three weeks with 30+ points and 11 weeks with 20+ points. He also finished the year with a 40-7 touchdown-interception ratio, which makes for a reliable option.

5.      LeSean McCoy, RB Buffalo Bills

Not much went right for the Bills this season other than McCoy’s fantasy production. McCoy finished the year with 238 points, the third most among running backs. McCoy also had a pretty consistent season with his only blunders coming in weeks seven, eight and 17 where he scored one, zero and one point(s) respectively. After coming off a season with multiple leg injuries, it made sense that McCoy would bounce back in the 2016 season.

6.      Jordy Nelson, WR Green Bay Packers

The first receiver off the board and surprise, surprise, it is someone not named Antonio Brown or Odell Beckham Jr. Nelson ranked as the number one receiver in points, scoring 200 total points on the year. He also stayed consistent throughout the year, scoring 10 or more points in a game nine times this season while another three times Nelson scored nine points. Going off most boards in the second round, Nelson was somewhat of a steal.

7.      Matt Ryan, QB Atlanta Falcons

Not one of the more famous names of the NFL, Matt Ryan had himself an MVP caliber season and it showed in fantasy football. Ryan put up 334 points this season while putting up 10 or more points every week. Ryan was a consistent and reliable option this season. Traditionalists would not take a quarterback this early, let alone two so far, but the consistency is too much to pass up on.

8.      DeMarco Murray, RB Tennessee Titans

Murray was another steal this season as he went off the boards in most drafts during the fourth round. He finished the year with 1,287 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, good enough for 229 points. Murray was also consistent throughout the season scoring 10 or more points fifteen times while scoring a touchdown in eight games. He scored a touchdown every week from week six until week 10. Murray made fantasy owners very happy this season.

9.      Antonio Brown, WR Pittsburgh Steelers

Brown scored 193 points this season without playing in week 17, ranking him as the third best wide receiver. Brown was a little more consistent than Mike Evans who scored the second most points among receivers, giving him the nod as the second receiver off the board. Brown had nine weeks where he scored a touchdown and three weeks where he scored two or more touchdowns.

10.  LaGarrette Blount, RB New England Patriots

Another running back rounds out this redraft. Blount was the model of consistency (something I value greatly) scoring one or more touchdowns in all but one game. Blount finished the year with 218 points with only 1,161 rushing yards to his 18 touchdowns hindering his fantasy production. Still, Blount ranked as the sixth best option for running backs when it comes to points. Blount had a career year, which bodes well for fantasy owners.

Thoughts on the Encarnacion Signing: How Much Will it Really Impact the Indians

Now that the Edwin Encarnacion signing has settled, I have been able to distinguish my thoughts on the matter. The first thing is that Encarnacion needs to fire his agent. After he declined the Toronto Blue Jay’s deal of four years, $80 million guaranteed, he got less in Cleveland’s three year, $60 million deal. But that is beside the point and if you want to read an article about the subject matter, I direct you to Jarred Carrabis’s article here.

            The purpose of this article is to distinguish what this does for the Cleveland Indians which in fact, it does not impact their team and World Series chances as much as every other sports writer says. Yes, they did just get a 40 home run hitter in an already good lineup and will get two top pitchers back next season. But as a whole, this signing does little for the team.

            With signing Encarnacion, the Cleveland Indians will not bring back Mike Napoli. At first, it seems like a no brainer, anyone would trade Napoli for Encarnacion. But dive into the statistics and it doesn’t make for a huge upgrade. Last season, Napoli hit 34 homers and 101 RBI, along with a .239 batting average. Encarnacion hit 42 homers, tied for most of his career in one season, and 127 RBI, the most he has hit ever in a season. His batting average is relatively similar, coming in at .263 and he gets on base relatively the same amount as well. Encarnacion had a .357 On base percentage last season while Napoli had a .335 On base percentage. In 600 at-bats, that’s a difference of getting on base 13 more times.

            Encarnacion’s bat replaces Napoli’s, not adds to it. Statistically, there isn’t a whole lot more going on. Encarnacion knocks in more runs and hits more homers, but the team’s record get any better than the 94-67 record the Indians had last season? Maybe by a couple of wins.

            The hope with this signing is that Encarnacion adds to the post season production that in reality, was terrible for the Indians last post season. The team’s best hitters hit .230 or worse (Jason Kipnis .230, Carlos Santana .192, Napoli .173) while Fransisco Lindor was the only consistent hitter, hitting .310 with two home runs and six RBI. I say consistent because Kipnis did hit four well timed home runs and eight RBI. Encarnacion adds his four home runs and 14 RBI to the mix, along with his .280 batting average.

            The main focal point here is that most believe that by getting back two of their better pitchers in Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar for next season fully healthy, it makes for a viable World Series Champion. I don’t necessarily believe the two pitchers will have a huge impact. If you watched last postseason, you saw manager Terry Francona perfectly use his bullpen and starter Corey Kluber to dominate each matchup. The two starters probably help the cause but I don’t put faith in them until I see them pitch in the post season. I have seen too many pitchers pitch well during the season and flop in the post season (see David Price, Clayton Kershaw).

            The Indians picked up a 40 home run hitter at a relatively cheap price at $20 million per season. Encarnacion’s bat adds consistency to the Indian’s lineup. Time will tell if it brings a World Series ring to Cleveland. My guess is that the team performs well again in the 2016 season. They probably win the division and make some noise in the playoffs again. However, I don’t believe the move makes them the best team in baseball and in fact, I wouldn’t even say the Indians win the World Series in 2016. If they do, Francona’s ability to navigate their bullpen wins it for them not Encarnacion’s bat.

Should the Red Sox consider Rich Hill?

Rich Hill has had an interesting journey in the MLB and with the Boston Red Sox. Once a promising pitcher with the Chicago Cubs, Hill pitched to an 11-8 record with a 3.92 ERA in 32 starts during the 2007 season. His career command issues and arm injuries derailed his career ever since that season.

Hill eventually signed on with the Red Sox in 2010 as a starter. The team eventually converted him into a reliever where he performed well. In 2012, Hill had a 1.83 ERA in 19 innings before he suffered yet another arm injury.

Hill eventually was phased out of the MLB and into independent baseball. In 2015, he came back to the MLB with the Red Sox where he rejuvenated his career. He pitched to a 1.55 ERA in 29 innings with 36 strikeouts in four starts.

This season Hill has been hindered by blisters, starting only 20 games. But he’s pitched well in those 20 starts, going 12-5 with a 2.15 ERA with 129 strikeouts in 110 innings. The main point however, is that Hill is currently signed only for this year.

The Red Sox have another chance at acquiring Hill via free agency. The team needs starting pitching. It makes sense.

However, the age is a factor. At 36 years old, Hill will most likely command a multi-year deal, that is a two year, maybe three year deal worth upwards of $10 million per year. Personally, I see him getting a two year, $28 million-dollar deal. For a 36 year old pitcher, a lot that could go wrong, especially with a guy that has had multiple injuries in his career. This doesn’t even mention the Red Sox need to fill a void that David Ortiz leaves, a void that doesn’t come cheap. The team has a lot of money tied up in pre-existing contracts as well, which makes money somewhat tight with the franchise.

But I think the Red Sox should spend the money on the Hill. They need starting pitching. It showed in the postseason. No starting pitcher had a quality start or made it out of the fifth inning. This is horrendous.

However, Hill has pitched well in the NLCS in his one start so far, going six innings with six strikeouts and getting the win. He showed he has the capability to win in the playoffs with his start.

The Red Sox need a quality starting pitcher. With the inconsistency of Steven Wright, Clay Buchholz, and Eduardo Rodriguez, combined with the average quality pitching from Drew Pomeranz, the Red Sox have few solid options. Hill would be a consistent option for the Red Sox. If they spend money, they should consider Rich Hill as a third option after David Price and Rick Porcello.

The Red Sox skipped out on Hill last season. They shouldn’t make the same mistake this offseason.

Pomeranz More Successful Bet than Espinoza

Dave Dombrowski stayed up late Thursday night wheeling and dealing, sending MLB’s 14^th ranked prospect Anderson Espinoza to the San Diego Padres for left handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz.

The trade should not come as much of a surprise to Red sox fans. Dombrowski has a history of trading prospects for established major league talent.

Still, the price for Pomeranz, the fifth overall pick in the 2010 MLB draft, seemed high. A pitcher without much history who caught on as a starter in San Diego—home to a pitcher’s ballpark—currently has an 8-7 record and a 2.47 ERA in 17 starts, pitching 102 innings while striking out 115. Most would attribute his season to a “career year” and something he will never accomplish again.

I disagree with that notion, siding with Dombrowski on this trade.

Pomeranz began his career with the Colorado Rockies after being traded by the Cleveland Indians for pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. He had little success in Colorado, as most pitchers do, pitching to a 4-14 record and 5.20 ERA in 34 games (30 starts). After then being traded to the Oakland Athletics, Pomeranz began to assert himself as a big league pitcher. In his age 25 season, Pomeranz had a 2.35 ERA in 20 games (10 starts) with 64 strikeouts in 69 innings. The following year Pomeranz pitched 86 innings in 53 games (9 starts) and had a 3.66 ERA and 82 strikeouts.

Now in his age 27 season, Pomeranz has continued his success with the Padres. He is what some would call a “late bloomer,” similar to pitchers R.A. Dickey, Koji Uehara (to an extent) and player Jose Bautista. At 27 Pomeranz, how is much younger than those named, is just finally living up to his 5^th overall selection.

I don’t blame Dombrowski for wanting this guy. I don’t blame him for trading Espinoza for him either.

At 18 years old, Espinoza is nothing but a lottery ticket. He has great promise, with great signs of success. He can hit 95 mph regularly on the radar gun with his fastball, warranting a comparison to Pedro Martinez. But how many 18 year old pitchers receive the comparison to Martinez? A lot and not many of those pitchers live up to the hype.

At 18 years old, a lot can change from Espinoza that no one can project. Getting Pomeranz is a more secure bet on a pitcher who has already had success at the major league level.

Dombrowski has also had a successful track record of acquiring/dealing pitching. He traded away pitchers Jair Jurrjens, Andrew Miller and Burke Badenhop while acquiring Max Scherzer, Joakim Soria, Anibal Sanchez and David Price. Although Miller has panned out much later in his career, and was traded for Miguel Cabrera—a move we would all make—Dombrowski has a great track record with his pitchers. I believe that Dombrowski knows more than the public about Espinoza. This is why I agree with the trade.

Although it feels rather sad for Red Sox fans to be giving up a player who could become an ace, Pomeranz was a much needed addition to the rotation. The Sox needed a reliable pitcher to give six quality innings each start if they wanted to compete for a playoff spot and in the playoffs. The price might seem hefty now, but in a couple years, Sox fans will be glad they made the deal.