Bullpen....Yikes !

I'm actually pretty optimistic about the bullpen, Boone Logan is lights out against lefties, and I think Matt Thorton will come around, he was solid last year, but a few awful outings raised his era (a lot like Jon Garland, just from the pen').

Scott Linebrink has looked awesome this spring, and if Octavio Dotel stays healthy, he's one of the filthiest guys in the league, and we all know what Bobby Jenks is.

Ehren Wassermann needs to be in the 'pen, Nick Masset just doesn't have the control to be successful at this point, overall I think we have a pen that could range from good to elite.

It's better than last season, and I love our closer.  I'd rather see Wasserman too.  I don't see Thorton and McDougal struggling as much as they did last season either.  I don't think the bullpen is going to be as lights out as 2005, but it will be much improved over last season.

There is very little reason to think this bullpen will be better than it was in 07. People can say it can't be worse, but wishful thinking is just that.

The worst ( or very close to ) pen in the majors from 07 could end a being worse than last year due to the loss of 200+innings starter that was not replaced. The sox have no one to eat those innings & they will fall to the pen. With one starter that gives you 7 innings it's a safe bet the innings by the pen will go up this year.

The additions of Dotel & Linebrink are questionable at best. Dotel has not looked anything close to even average for 4 years and Linebrink has been going down for 3 years. To sign him to 4 years at almost 4 times the average relievers contract is flat out irresponsible and reaks of desperation on the part of a GM who reinserted his foot in his mouth after way too many promises went unfufilled during the offseason. Linebrink moving from a good defensive team in the biggest park in the majors where his numbers have been going backwards annually for 3 years & bringing him to the smallest park in the majors looks like trouble.

But they still have Jenks.

Gavin Floyd, John Danks and Lance Broadway (if one of the two suck) are fully capable of pitching 175(danks)-200 innings.

The additions of Dotel & Linebrink are questionable at bestLinebrink still pitches 91-97 with his fastball and has good sink on it, Dotel only needs to stay healthy.

Dotel has been hurt the past four years, and Linebrink pitched better in Milwaukee than San Diego last year, both of those places had awful infields, and our infield defense looks very strong (Crede-Cabrera-Uribe-Konerko).

Mike MacDougal had a 1.80 era with us in 06, so he obviously can be dominant.

Boone Logan is still really young, so he'll more than likely improve.

Matt Thornton is durable, and had a really good year in 06 also, everyone had a down year last year, so I expect him to bounce back to a sub-4.00 era.

Ehren Wassermann looks very good, and he's started to throw a bit more overhand(if you can call it that) to lefties, and he's done well against them this spring.

 fully capable Gavin Floyd, John Danks and Lance Broadway (if one of the two suck) areof pitching 175(danks)-200 innings.If this team is relying on Gavin Floyd they are in bigger trouble than I thought. Danks pitched 140 innings last year and got worse as he went on.They can pull out the "he's young"  garbage for his decline all they want, but the stats support otherwise.I believe the more a one pitch thrower like Danks pitches the more trouble he will be in. He fooloed players the first time around and got pounded after that. The classic offseason red flag of "he's working on a new pitch" is almost always a sign of trouble coming.If we are waiting for the 200+ to be taken up by him, it will be a long wait.

Yes, Dotel has been hurt for years, that is my point. Linebrink has benn giving up more Home runs and striking out fewer as he goes, both bad signs for anyone pitching at the cell.

The infield D for the sox looks great the way it is, but does anyone expect them to keep Uribe & Crede there? Once they turn it over to Fields & Ramirez the trouble begins.

As for the rest of them. I hope you are right, but I see a bullpen that may log more innings than any other in the league and even a good one will break down when over used.

Broadway looks to have some great potential but looks to be at least a year away. I hope they don't rush him through this year.

Danks throws 2 fastballs, a change, and a sick curve (which was his defining pitch in the minors, I don't know why they don't have him throw it more).

I agree with you on Broadway, he looks like he could be a stud, but he's 25 now, and I think he should be given a chance.

Yes Danks throws other pitches, but his 1st strike, 3rd strike @ 2-0 pitch always appeared to be his fastball. I think that is why his numbers drop so far after a player see's him a couple times.

      &nbs p;      &n bsp;           BA     OBP  ;  SLG  OPS   BABIP

1st PA in G   .238  .322   .485   .807   .237

2nd PA in G  .287 .341   .493   .833   .309

3rd+      &nbs p;       .370   .425  .587 .1.012  .434 

WSworld...The Sox bullpen may log more innings than any other in the league?  Are you kidding me?  Buehrle and Vazquez are practically locks to get 200+ innings.  Contreras has pitched over 180 innings 3 seasons in a row.  The Sox top three starters are right there with the Indian's top three starters in innings pitched.  You actually believe the Sox bullpen is going to log more innings than the Royals, Orioles, Rangers, or Rays?  Pleeeeassse.  Go sell crazy somewhere else.

Danks a one pitch pitcher?  The kid throws a mid 90s fastball, a plus curve, a decent change up, and now a cutter.  Where do you get that he is a one trick pony?  Most rookies tail off the second half of the season because they are not used to the work load.  Danks was no different.  And for pitchers learning new pitches...As soon as Esteban Loaiza came to Chicago in 2003, he added the cut fastball to his resume, and he became a 21 game winner that season, so I fail to see how adding another pitch to your arsenal is a "red flag".  The way I see it, and extra pitch can help a pitcher mix it up more to help him last longer in a game and still give different looks after facing hitters for a 3rd or 4th time in a game. 

The Sox may not have the best staff in the league, but they are far from the worst, and truth be told, I'd rather have the Sox staff than say the Tigers or the Yankees.

Eghh.

I'd rather have our staff than the Tigers, even though Verlander is a monster, but the Yankees guys are pretty damn good.

Pettite and Wang are awesome, but Musina is just about done, and the verdict isn't out yet on the two kids they have at the bottom of the rotation.  Considering their payroll, I'm not impressed.

People go back to the Loaiza but because he's one of the only guys it ever worked for. Every year the young guy who gets pounded the second half throws out the "new pitch" that will save the day. In most cases it just doesn't happen.

Thats my point, he needs more , because what he has now is getting through the order once and then he's getting lit up. As teams see him more I'm not sure the first time through will be as good either, as we saw in the 2nd half of last year. My post above shows his numbers vary clearly.

I'd rather have the Sox staff than say the Tigers or the YankeesThe Yanks? come on..

Personally, I'd rather have Mark and Javy, Mussina and Contreras are a wash, but Phillip Hughes was considered the best pitching prospect in baseball, John Danks has a very high upside, but Hughes is at a whole other level than him right now, Ian Kennedy is a much more polished pitcher than Gavin Floyd at this point too.

OK sea_fan, you've done a great job of pointing out that I'm a bit of a homer.