No Way Jose

Dear Bobby V and Boston Sports Media,

Damn it you bastards did it again. I tried not to get sucked into it this time but you've succeeded and here we are, I hope you're happy. Stop lobbying for Jose Iglesias to start the season in Boston, he's not ready. Let me repeat myself: Jose Iglesias is not ready to play in the Majors he needs more time in AAA. All last season the same media members and talk show callers that were ripping Crawford for being terrible offensively are now clamoring for a 22 year old with only 760 professional at bats and a .240 avg hit AL East pitching from day 1. Iglesias will never hit for power or a high average his value lies solely in his defense. Iglesias is a defensive wizard, scouts grade a players tools (throwing, running, fielding, hitting for average and hitting for power) on 20-80 scale with a 50 being the MLB average and 80 being the elite of the elite. The rarest tool to get an 80 grade is shortstop defense and Iglesias has it. His bat on the other hand lags far behind his glove and while he has shown a better approach this spring he is potentially too valuable to risk having him start the season in Boston. Calling Iglesias up before he's ready could permanently damage his confidence and when then happens you can lose a player forever regardless of their physical ability (see Craig Hansen).
Starting in Boston
Pros: He hits at least the bare minimum needed for him to not be a detriment and the Iglesias era begins and we all go back to complaining about John Henry's soccer team.
Cons: He struggles mightily, his confidence is crippled and he gets sent down to AAA and his development is set back for months or maybe even a year.
Starting in AAA
Pros: He continues to develop his bat and his confidence at the plate until he gets called up when he's ready or because of injury.
Cons: He proves right out of the gate he was ready anyway and then he gets called up brimming with the confidence of his success and we miss out on maybe a month of his defense.

After weighing the pros and cons of each option it's very clear the Red Sox could lose way more than they could gain by having Iglesias start in Boston, whereas having him start in AAA there's very little downside because Mike Aviles is more than capable of being an average overall shortstop. I hope this letter has convinced you to take a deep breath and have patience with the kid until he's ready.


Sincerely,
Future Jose Iglesias



P.S. If Iglesias does refer to himself in the 3rd person he's probably so confident and cocky anyway he won't get discouraged by a bad start at the plate and the Sox should have him start in Boston

The Traveling Bard

To start or not to start? It's an easy question to answer with respect to Daniel Bard; KEEP HIM IN THE BULLPEN! Moving young players from the bullpen to the rotation is sketchy business as is but in Bard's case it could be disastrous. We all saw this first hand with Joba Chamberlain. As you all remember Joba came up with the Yankees in 2007 and dominated out of the bullpen, then the 'Joba Rules' kicked in. The Yankees attempted to protect his arm by having him begin the season as a starter then move him to the bullpen to limit his innings. In 2008 it was successful but since then the wheels have fallen off. Joba has struggled with consistency, overall effectiveness and injuries since then. All of these issues can be attributed either directly or indirectly to his fluctuating innings totals and his change in role. It's been well documented that Bard struggled greatly in his final season as a starter while he was in the minors; 6.42 ERA, 61.2 IP, 55 HITS, 56 BB, 38 Ks. For those of you who aren't partial to statistics those numbers make Lackey's 2011 season look palatable and Bard did that in A ball not the majors.
After that horrendous season the Red Sox organization lowered his arm slot slightly and transitioned him to the bullpen where he has flourished at every level. Bard has never had great control, before or after his mechanics were altered. Minor control problems in the bullpen turn into huge ones in the rotation, walks lead to runs, runs lead to long innings which leads to short outings which leaves you with a depleted and vulnerable bullpen. Daisuke round 2 anyone? Bard is most valuable to the Red Sox as Andrew Bailey's set up man with Mark Melancon. Bard was clearly overworked and burnt out last September, Melancon will be the perfect complement to him as a 7th inning guy and set up man when he needs a night off. The bullpen, baring injuries, should be one of the best in the AL with Bard but without him the quality depth could become a major flaw of this team.
The original idea for Bard to become a starter came from Lucchino, not Cherrington, not Epstein, not someone in baseball operations, it came from a businessman, that alone should be an indicator on why it's bad idea. You all know I'm one to tell you "I told you so" as I did with calling out A-Gon early last summer, so when Bard winds up in bullpen either before the season starts or for the second half after he bombs in the rotation expect another "I told you so."