It Ain't Millar Time Anymore

What are the Boston Red Sox going to do about what has become a huge problem at first base? I realize Kevin Millar is one of the core “idiots” and his presence is important in the clubhouse, but how much longer can the Sox keep that bat in the five hole, or the lineup for that matter? Listen, this guy only has six extra base hits this year and a couple of those have come since Sunday morning. That translates to about 30-35 over a full season which pales in comparison to the 56 and 54 he hit the past two seasons. With his extra base hits down, Millar is slugging just .336 which puts in the same neighborhood as Jason Giambi (.325) and Scott Hatteberg (.360). That isn’t a bad neighborhood – it is a damn slum. This production is simply not acceptable, especially from a guy who is tasked with protecting David Ortiz. That pretty much covers Millar’s offense and there is no sense getting into his glove and footwork which are both sub-standard. So what can be done about this problem? Well, John Olerud is on the way, but is he much of an improvement? Hardhat has a great glove, but his bat is not close to what it once was. Further, he doesn’t present a great platoon option as Millar is really struggling against lefties this year. So if Millar can only hit against right-handers, what role will Olerud have other then being a defensive replacement? So what other options are there? Well, internally, there doesn’t seem to be much help on the way. I guess Kevin Youkalis could be a spot replacement but Kevin is certainly not an everyday player. So that leaves the Sox looking elsewhere.

With the Reds falling apart, speculation has turned to possibly bringing in Sean Casey or Adam Dunn. Casey is a nice lefthander who is probably expendable, but he doesn’t exactly excite you with his power. On the other hand, he is a good contact hitter who can put the ball in play. Dunn, on the other hand, has plenty of power, but having him in the same lineup as Belhorn and Varitek is a lot of strikeouts. Further, Dunn may cost a lot since he is young, fairly cheap and sports a huge slugging number. He also isn’t a natural first baseman so there is a liability there. I think a better option, albeit an expensive one, is up in Milwaukee where the Brewers may be interested in moving Lyle Overbay to make room for Prince Fielder. Cecil’s kid isn’t exactly killing the ball down at Nashville right now but the Brewers are extremely high on this kid, or at least they were coming into the season. If the Brewers fall out of this thing by July 1, could Lyle be had for perhaps Hanley Ramirez? That would take care of the problem.

The other possibilities in the NL – which is where a solution most likely would originate - don’t seem too appetizing. I guess J.T. Snow could become available if the Giants summer of discontent continues, but he is a west coast guy and I am not sure he would be thrilled coming East. He is basically a clone of Olerud anyways. Todd Helton? No shot – that contract is massive. Jeff Bagwell could be made available later this year, but he is broken down at this point in his career. In fact, he just went on the DL today with a busted shoulder. That is not an option. Nick Johnson is young and cheap and therefore not going anywhere while Jim Thome is old and much too expensive. That basically takes care of the NL and the prospects in the AL are not too hot. Mike Sweeney is a possibility, but his commitment is always in question and there is no telling how he would play in a media circus like Boston. Don’t count on that. And that basically concludes the menu. The options aren’t great other then one of the Reds or Mr. Overbay and rest assured, Overbay will be costly. So what is the moral to the story? Well, perhaps Olerud comes in and hits. Conversely, perhaps his presence gets Millar going. I wouldn’t bank on either. Well, if things don’t get better, why not put stone glove at first and go out and find a DH. That may be easier then finding a guy who has to be plugged into first. Having Papi out there is a pretty scary thought but desperate times require desperate measures. We aren’t there yet, but if Kevin Millar is still slugging under .350 on July 1, it will be time for a change.

The Idiots Also Happen to be Cheap

It was reported last night that Red Sox Kevin Millar, Billy Mueller and Mark Belhorn have agreed to throw five dollars a day into a charity pool until one of them hits a blast. Five dollars? What kind of outlay is that? If these guys went Jackless for the next 100 days, some lucky charity is going to receive a not so impressive $1500. I sure hope NESN misreported that number because that is pretty damn embarrassing for three guys who make $3.5, $2.5 and $2.75 million per year respectively. I don’t know about Mueller but as far as the other guys go, it may be smart to save their money since there is no telling whether they will ever be paid to play baseball again after this season. If these guys wanted to be charitable, Belhorn would donate $1000 per strikeout, Millar would chip in $1000 per broken bat foul and Mueller would cough up $1000 for every game he misses due to that balky knee. Such a bet would raise some serious coin. Guess what – Millar hit one out last night so some Boston Charity is in line for a $15 payday.

Relax Folks - Its Just a Couple of Dinged Up Feet

If you listen to the defeatists on WEEI, you would think Curt Schilling and David Wells will be out until at least the all-star break. Where are these doom and gloom projections coming from? One guy has a sprained foot and the other has a bone bruise around the ankle. These are injuries that a general practitioner could handle, yet to hear some describe the situation, the two injured players should be seeking out the nation’s best orthopedic surgeons. These are not injuries that need corrective surgery and they are not injuries that require extensive rehab. More importantly, we are not talking about elbow, shoulder or back injuries here. We are talking about a couple of dinged up feet. Okay, I understand Nomar’s spring training injury last year was characterized in similar terms and he ended up missing 50 games, but that was an extraordinary situation. I am not saying the Sox are not going to be without the services Schilling and Wells for a period, but if one of these guys isn’t back by May 15th, I would be a bit surprised. After all, by the 15th, each of these guys would have had three full weeks or R&R and that seems like plenty of time for bruises and sprains to heal. Moreover, it now looks like Wade Miller will be ready on the 8th, so the need for these guys to return will be at least halved come next Sunday, provided Miller is ready to go. Listen, would I prefer having Curt performing at his 2004 best? Of course I would, but this is not the end of the world. There is a contingency plan and his name is Wade Miller. I may be a bit to optimistic on Wade, but this guy has the ability to step in and fill one of the holes. As for the other spot, we are talking about two or three unexpected starts from John Halama. While those starts will be torturous to watch, it won’t be the end of the world.