2012 saw the Boston Red Sox suffer through their worst season since 1965 when they finished with a record of 62-100. Last season the Red Sox finished in last place in the American League East with a record of 69-93 as they were 26 games behind the New York Yankees. Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington knew that wholesale changes had to be made and he set out to accomplish that. After one dismal season, the Red Sox parted ways with manager Bobby Valentine who clashed with some of his players during his tenure with the club. Cherington brought in John Farrell as the Red Sox new manager. From 2011-2012, Farrell was the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, but from 2007-2010 he served as the pitching coach for the Red Sox.
Through 67 games this season, the Red Sox find themselves in first place in the AL East as they are 41-26. At the same point last season the Red Sox were only 34-33. Farrell has brought back the “calm” culture that was prevalent from 2004-2011 under former Red Sox manager Terry Francona.
Farrell’s first chore was to fix the Red Sox starting pitching. The Red Sox team earned run average was 4.70 last season which was 12th in the American League. This season the Red Sox team earned run average is 3.84 which is 7th in the AL. Farrell’s impact can really be seen in starting pitchers Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester. Last season Buchholz was 11-8 with a 4.56 earned run average while Lester was 9-14 with a 4.82 earned run average. This season Buchholz is undefeated. Buchholz’s 9 victories are tied for first in the AL while his 1.71 earned run average is tops in Major League Baseball. Lester is 6-3 with an earned run average of 4.12 as his 72 strikeouts are 15th in the American League.
Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz is an icon in the city of Boston as he helped the team win two World Series Championships in 2004 and 2007. Ortiz won’t be sending Valentine anything for Christmas as he was happy to see the embattled skipper leave town last season after he called Ortiz out publicly for not playing through an Achilles injury.
Ortiz hit 23 home runs in 90 games last year, but he has come back revitalized this year. The man that is affectionately known as “Big Papi” leads the club in home runs with 13 and he is second in on-base percentage on the team at .394.
The Red Sox team batting average of .273 is second in the AL as they are led by second baseman Dustin Pedroia who owns a .327 batting average on the season. Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury leads the American League in steals with 29 while new Red Sox such as outfielder Shane Victorino and first baseman/catcher Mike Napoli have added to the Red Sox winning ways. Victorino won a World Series Title in 2008 with the Philadelphia Phillies while Napoli was a member of the Texas Rangers when they won consecutive AL Pennants in 2010 and 2011.
What is most impressive about Farrell’s turnaround with the Red Sox is that the team currently owns the best record in the American League despite playing in the toughest division in baseball. As of late the teams in the AL East tend to beat up on each other, but so far the Red Sox have found a way to climb to the top of the mountain. The Red Sox just finished a series that saw them win two out of three games from the Tampa Bay Rays which was highlighted by a 14-inning thriller that saw Boston prevail 10-8 at Tropicana Field in Tampa. Now the Red Sox are preparing to embark on a four-game series that starts tonight against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. The Orioles currently are 3.5 games behind the Red Sox as both teams are attempting to sustain momentum heading into next month’s MLB All-Star break. The Rays are 5 games behind the Red Sox as these two teams will clash at Fenway Park in Boston next week.
Farrell has his hands on this quick turnaround for the Red Sox. Last June the playoffs were an afterthought in Boston, but this team looks like it could potentially do some damage this year.
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