The Saturday, March 16, 2019

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Why Rafael Devers may be primed for a big season

Peter Abraham

TAMPA, Fla. — Rafael Devers happily made the short flight from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico in December when Red Sox manager Alex Cora invited him to work with kids at a baseball clinic.

Cora knew the 22-year-old Devers would be a hit with the young players. But he also wanted to sit down with Devers and impress on him just how important he was to the Sox.

The trip also included a Marc Anthony concert and some time getting to know Cora’s family.

“He spent 48 hours in Puerto Rico and he learned a lot from the island,” Cora said.

Devers carried those lessons into , his performance standing out in what has otherwise been an uninspiring camp for the Sox. The has hit .438 through 12 games with four extra-base hits and a 1.094 OPS.

Devers was 1 for 3 on Friday during a 14-1 loss against the Yankees. But there also were two misplays in the field that served as a reminder he remains very much a developing player.

“I’m trying to look the best I can out there,” Devers said.

Devers made a significant impact over 58 games as a rookie in 2017, posting an .819 OPS and playing what amounted to average defense. The Sox saw him blossoming into an All-Star caliber player.

But last season was a disappointment from the start when Devers reported to spring training heavier than the team wanted. He then hit .240 with a .731 OPS and struck out 121 times in 450 at-bats.

His defense dropped off, too. Based on negative-13 defensive runs saved, Devers was one of the worst third basemen in the game. He also committed 24 errors. The Sox felt that because Devers had to work extra in spring training to lose weight, he was worn down once the season started.

Devers played better in the postseason but started only eight of the 14 games and sat out three entirely.

With third base prospects and Bobby Dalbec working their way into Triple A and Double A respectively, Devers also faced competition. That was why he was summoned to Puerto Rico.

“We challenged him,” Cora said. “He made a commitment. He got a strength and conditioning coach in the Dominican, a nutritionist in the Dominican. He did the same thing [for spring training].

“He understands. He sees the guys around him, how they go about their business — J.D. [Martinez], Mookie [Betts], Jackie [Bradley Jr.] — and you learn from them. He’s only 22. Sometimes we take him for granted but he’s only a kid and he’s still learning.”

Just how much Devers has improved athletically was apparent in the second inning on Friday when Miguel Andujar grounded a ball slowly down the line with two outs.

Devers fielded a tricky hop while charging in, used the base to push off and made a strong throw to get the out.

But with the bases loaded in the second inning, Devers showed some inexperience. When D.J. LeMahieu hit a slow ground ball his way, Devers looked to the plate then dropped the ball when he turned to first.

The throw was late and Devers was charged with an error. The Yankees went on to score four more runs.

“In that situation just get one out,” Cora said. “We don’t have to get the out at the plate, just get one out and move on. That put us in a bad spot.”

Devers failed to square up on a ball later in the game that was ruled a hit.

“I worked a lot on my defense in the offseason,” he said. “I made it a point to work a little extra on it.”

There’s no question the effort is there. When the Red Sox were off on Monday, Devers was at the clubhouse at 8 a.m. to work out in the weight room with Xander Bogaerts then run some sprints.

“It was actually Xander trying to catch up with Devers,” Cora said. “He’s in a really great place. I’m very proud of Raffy.”

Cora has tinkered with a lineup that would have Devers hitting third, meaning behind Betts and ahead of Martinez. It’s hard to imagine a more advantageous spot for any hitter.

“It’s a big job but it’s one that I’m ready for if given the opportunity,” Devers said via translator Daveson Perez. “I’m ready for whatever position they want me in.

“Mookie and [leadoff hitter ] will get on base a lot and having the production of J.D. behind me will mean a lot of chances.”

Said Cora: “I think it’s too early for me to decide how we’re going to go there. But so far so good. I love that the fact that’s staying in the middle of the field. He’s not trying to hit homers. He’s getting a few two- strike hits. He likes the spot.”

Devers is often compared with Andujar, a 24-year-old Dominican who also debuted in 2017 and last season had an .855 OPS while struggling at third base.

“I don’t want him to be Andujar; I want him to be Raffy Devers,” Cora said. “I think he has the potential — and everybody knows it — to have a monster year offensively.”

Red Sox seem a bit arrogant with this bullpen issue, and other thoughts

Dan Shaughnessy

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Picked-up pieces from another 10 days hunkered down in the Fort:

■ The Red Sox are a wagon. They have 22 of 25 players back from a 119-win season. They have the best starting staff in baseball. They will score a ton of runs. Most of the competition in the American League stinks. The Sox are going to make the playoffs, even if everything goes wrong. They are vulnerable in only one area, and we all know what that is . . . the bullpen.

The bullpen wasn’t great last season, but Craig Kimbrel was out there, and so was hot-and-cold Joe Kelly. Now both are gone and the Sox have not addressed this area.

It feels a little arrogant. It feels as if the Sox worked it out last year and feel they are smart enough to work it out again in absence of all evidence.

Please don’t tell me that they fixed things in the playoffs and therefore they can fix things now. The reason they fixed things in the postseason was because they used starters Chris Sale, Rick Porcello, David Price, and Nathan Eovaldi NINE times out of the bullpen in October. That is not a sustainable system for the 162- game season.

So what do you say, Dave Dombrowski?

“I think we’ll be ready,’’ answered the Sox baseball boss. “A few of the guys we haven’t seen. . Ryan Brasier. Heath Hembree. We haven’t seen much of them. We just need to get them out there and have them ready, which we still have a couple of weeks to do.

“Any time you have unknowns . . . I still think we have ability out there. We have some guys who have been successful at the major league level. I understand there’s no proven closer and until somebody gets out there and does that, there’s always an uncertainty, but we think we have enough ability there to get the job done.

“We know why this gets so much attention. It’s hard to say anything about our starting rotation. It’s one of the best in baseball. Our positional players — we led the league in runs scored — and our defense was good and almost everybody is back.

“So the one area where there’s any change is the bullpen. With rare exceptions, bullpens seem to get a lot of focus when I talk to other clubs. It’s an area that is kind of up and down from year to year and gets a lot of attention in that regard. We’ll be fine out there, I believe. Give the guys a chance and we’ll see what takes place.’’

■ I’m not a fan of baseball’s anything-for-a-buck partnership with big-time gambling. The DraftKings connection was bad enough, but now MLB demands that managers send in the daily lineup cards 15 minutes before it public. It’s outrageous and begs for corruption. How can MLB keep punishing with all this going on?

■ Also not a fan of relievers being required to face at least three batters (or finish a half-inning), which will start in 2020. It’s artificial and tampers with legitimate strategy.

■ Stunned by the lengths parents go to in order to get their kids to elite colleges and universities? Perfect College Match, a company that helps high school get college scholarships, reports parents scheduling unnecessary Tommy John surgery for their sons in hopes that the boys will come back throwing harder than before. Nice.

■ Quiz: Kenley Jansen will become the all-time leader in games pitched for the Dodgers when he gets into his eighth game this season. Who holds the current record? (Answer below.)

■ Theo Epstein to the New York Times: “In the second half [of 2018] we completely fell apart offensively.’’ The Cubs boss said it probably was an anomaly, but added, “If not, then we’re not who we think we are, and we’ll have to make sweeping changes. We’ll find out this season.’’

■ Aaron Judge plans to eliminate his distinctive leg kick when he has two strikes on him.

■ I believe the Red Sox would have won the 1986 World Series if didn’t suffer a season- ending injury in September. Seaver compiled a 3.80 ERA over 16 starts with the Sox after Lou Gorman acquired him for Steve Lyons (Cy Young for Psycho) in midsummer.

■ After Carl Yastrzemski noted that producers of the “Impossible Dream” record cut off his head in the album’s cover illustration (Yaz said it was to prevent them from paying him royalties), a reader asked if the album art was conceived by the late Eddie Stanky. It was Stanky, you old-timers will recall, who foolishly called Yaz “an All-Star from the neck down’’ in 1967.

■ Why we will always love the : In the first days of spring training, the Post ran a piece from Tampa on ’s latest injury. The article included a photo of Ellsbury in a batting cage with a cutline (file photo — of course!). Ellsbury, who signed a seven-year, $153 million contract in 2013, has missed 290 of a possible 810 games with the Yankees thus far. GM Brian Cashman said he expects Ellsbury in camp any day now.

■ Some of us are legitimately happy to see Alex Rodriguez engaged to Jennifer Lopez. Then there’s attention-seeking Jose Canseco, who fired off a series of vile tweets charging A-Rod with cheating on J-Lo. Every outrageous Canseco missive is accompanied by a phone number in case you to want hire Jose for a boxing match or maybe a kid’s birthday party.

■ The Red Sox attempted to simulate the left-field wall at Fenway when they built JetBlue Park. But Fenway South is nothing like the real thing. The wall in Fort Myers has fans seated behind netting in the upper third of the faux Monster. “I hate it,’’ says Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi. “They got that net right in the middle and that screws up everything. The other day there were two balls off the net, and one dropped straight down and one shot back toward right. It’s not very realistic.’’

■ One more note on Benny. Born in Cincinnati in 1994, he has been a Bengals fan his whole life. This is not easy. “I’ve never seen a playoff win, not in my lifetime,” says Benintendi. “Marvin Lewis had 16 years. You’ve got to win in the playoffs and he had seven chances at it. I still root for them even though it’s tough sometimes.’’

■ Julia Ruth Stevens, the adopted daughter of Babe Ruth, died last week at the age of 102. She was a delight. She spent much of her life in New Hampshire and threw out a ceremonial first pitch at Fenway in July 2016 to mark her 100th birthday. When I asked her about the back in the late 1980s, she said, “Daddy never would have done something like that.’’ Years later, she said, “Mostly I think it’s a myth, but it is a coincidence definitely that there’s been many, many, many years since the Red Sox managed to win a World Series.’’

■ There’s a sign on the Sox clubhouse wall offering car shipping for Sox players who want their spring vehicles moved to Boston after the team leaves spring training. There’s a specific fee assigned to what type of vehicle the player wants shipped and it states that the car should have no gas and contain “no more than 200 pounds.’’ When Manny Ramirez saw that sign in 2004, he asked one of the clubbies, “What about me? I weigh 205. That’s more than 200 pounds.’’ The clubbie informed Manny that he would not be inside the car during transport.

■ Check out Danny Knobler’s “Unwritten: Bat Flips, the Fun Police, and Baseball’s New Future.’’ Meanwhile, Bud Selig’s memoir, which had no less than three ghostwriters (including Red Sox exec Dr. Charles Steinberg), is due out this summer. Careful not to drop it on your toe.

■ Great moment at Alex Cora’s postgame press conference Tuesday at JetBlue. As the manager was attempting to explain his team’s six-game preseason losing streak, video of his epic 18-pitch at-bat (which culminated with a ) magically came on the television in the interview room. Cora quickly switched the topic and narrated his epic at-bat against the White Sox in 2004. “You foul pitches off and then you hit homers,’’ he said.

■ A national media person asked me what I think of the prospect of Epstein someday coming back to Boston to buy the Red Sox.

■ Quiz answer: .

Friday’s spring training report: Yankees tee off on Red Sox

Peter Abraham

SCORE: Yankees 14, Red Sox 1

RECORD: 6-13-1

BREAKDOWN: The Sox were held to six hits and committed two errors that led to six unearned runs. They also were 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position and struck out 10 times with one walk . . . The Sox are 0-8-1 in their last nine games and have been outscored, 61-20. Their last victory was on March 5 . . . Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge was 2 for 2 with a three-run homer off minor leaguer Adam Lau.

PLAYER OF THE DAY: Jenrry Mejia pitched a scoreless third inning, retiring the side in order. His fastball velocity got up to 93 miles per hour. Mejia has appeared in five major league games and allowed two earned runs on three hits over five innings with two walks and six . The 29-year-old righthander is in minor league camp trying to return from a three-year absence due to PED suspensions.

NEXT GAME: The Sox return to Fort Myers to host the at 1:05 p.m. Saturday. Chris Sale is the scheduled starter. The game will be on NESN and WEEI-FM 93.7.

Ryan Lavarnway still at it on a minor-league deal with Yankees

Peter Abraham

TAMPA — Ryan Lavarnway, once the Red Sox catcher of the future, found it a little unusual the first time he tried on a Yankees uniform.

“For a long time I thought these were the bad guys. It took some getting used to,” Lavarnway said Friday before catching three innings for the Yankees against the Sox. “It’s another historic franchise with unbelievable history, but those colors felt weird the first time.”

Lavarnway was drafted by the Red Sox out of Yale in 2008 and made his major league debut in 2011.

He hit two home runs against the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 27 of that season, helping the collapsing Sox to a much-needed victory. But the Sox were eliminated the next day.

Manager was fired; general manager Theo Epstein resigned and Lavarnway hit only three more homers for the Red Sox before the Dodgers claimed him off waivers following the 2014 season.

Lavarnway has since been, at least on paper in some cases, with the Cubs, Orioles, Braves, Blue Jays, Athletics, Pirates, and now the Yankees on a minor league contract.

In all, he has played 146 games in the majors over seven seasons.

“There were a lot of ups and downs in my Red Sox career,” said Lavarnway, who appeared in 25 games for the 2013 team and came away with a World Series ring. “I think about it from time to time. I wish the downs could have gone differently. But I have good memories.”

At 31, Lavarnway still enjoys playing and hopes the Yankees will provide an avenue back to the majors. He’s roughly fourth on the depth chart behind Gary Sanchez, Austin Romine, and Kyle Higashioka.

“What else would I want to do? I love it; I love playing,” Lavarnway said. “I love the competition and that every day and every pitch is a new and different challenge. I feel like I have lot of good baseball in me.

“I know Red Sox fans won’t like to hear this, but I’d like to win another ring. That’s why I keep going.”

Porcello skips Yankees Rick Porcello skipped the Yankees and pitched in the Triple A game against Tampa Bay in Fort Myers.

The righthander went with what amounted to four innings and threw 75 pitches, 49 of them strikes. He allowed three runs on six hits, all singles, while facing 17 batters. Two of the plate appearances ended mid- count when Porcello hit his pitch limit for the inning. He struck out four and walked two.

Porcello, who said that he would make one more Grapefruit League start on Wednesday before pitching in an exhibition game against the Cubs in Arizona next week, is pleased with the state of his preparations.

“The buildup feels great,” said Porcello, who incorporated his full mix of pitches and topped out in the low 90s. “Honestly, I was really happy with the way I felt going 75 pitches today and that I felt as strong as I did at the end of it just physically speaking.”

Christian Vazquez caught Porcello and was 0 for 3. Tzu-Wei Lin was 1 for 2 with a double and a walk.

Spot starters spotty Hector Velazquez started against the Yankees and threw 38 pitches over 1⅔ innings. He allowed four runs, one earned, on three hits and a walk.

“A little bit off the plate. I didn’t think the split was good today,” manager Alex Cora said. “There’s a few things he’s working on as far as his stride.”

The Red Sox plan to use a No. 6 starter in Oakland on April 2 and Cora has said Velazquez and are the only candidates for the job.

They have combined to allow 17 earned runs on 28 hits over 13⅓ innings in spring training. Johnson is scheduled to pitch again on Sunday.

Wilson in pinstripes Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson arrived at Yankees camp on Friday for a two-day stint.

An accomplished college player, Wilson was a fourth-round pick of the Rockies in 2010 and played parts of two seasons in the minors. He gave up baseball for football in 2012.

The Rangers acquired Wilson in the Rule 5 draft in 2013. The Yankees obtained his rights last year and Wilson had one at-bat in a spring training game.

On the football front, Wilson said he was “shocked” the New York Giants traded Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns.

He also has counseled University of Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, a first-round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics who decided to focus on football and is projected to be one of the first picks of this year’s NFL Draft.

“His time is now. He’ll do a great job; he’s a great quarterback,” Wilson said. “He has a great mind-set. He’s a great baseball player, too. . . . In terms of him playing in the NFL and playing for a long time, I think he’ll be able to do that.”

Brasier ready to go Righthanded reliever Ryan Brasier is scheduled to appear in his first game on Saturday. He was held back because of an infected toe. Cora said Brasier would pitch every other day and should be ready for the regular season . . . Steve Pearce, who homered twice Thursday, doubled on Friday and was robbed of what would have been at least a double when Brett Gardner made a leaping catch against the wall in center . . . The Sox will use the bulk of their regular lineup on a daily basis starting on Monday . . . Dustin Pedroia is likely to play Saturday . . . worked his first game of the spring for NESN. Remy, who is making his way back from a reoccurrence of lung cancer, will do several more games in spring training then take some time off before the home opener on April 9.

. . . Cora staked his claim as father of the year by arranging tickets for the Ariana Grande concert in Boston next week as a birthday present for his daughter Camila, who turned 16 on Thursday . . . Quixotic presidential candidate Howard Schultz was on the field for batting practice and chatted with several Yankees.

* The Boston Herald

Mookie Betts a renaissance man of competition

Tom Keegan

FORT MYERS — As everyone knows, the only man in American League history to win the World Series and to earn MVP, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards in the same season has talents that extend beyond the plate, the field and the bases, of which he stole 30 in 36 attempts in 2018.

Not even Betts claims to know what common threads tie his ability to play all aspects of baseball at such a high level to being such an accomplished bowler that he was honored for becoming the first MLB player to roll a 300 in a Professional Bowlers Association competition, and to having a brain quick enough to solve the Rubik’s Cube in well under two minutes.

“I have no earthly idea,” Betts said Thursday from in front of his locker at JetBlue Park. “I have no idea. I’m sure other people would be able to analyze that better than I would. I just do whatever I can to be good at it.”

We’ll take a stab at it. Let’s start with what contributed to him being the best baseball player in the world in 2018. He’s a seven-tool player, meaning he has the head and the heart for the game, as well as the ability to hit, hit for power, run, throw and field.

How did he become such a great bowler?

“I’ve been doing it my whole life, so it’s something I definitely enjoyed doing with my family,” Betts said.

Bowlers choose small targets. Per Betts, don’t look at the pins. Look at the boards between the arrows and choose a target.

But which board between which arrows?

“It just depends on what’s on the lane,” Betts said. “Different roll patterns change your targets. We don’t bowl on the same lane every single time. Big differences.”

Such as?

“The amount of oil that’s on there, where it is, there are a lot of differences,” Betts said.

The ignorance of non-bowlers never ceases to amaze bowlers, but at least they’re nice about it.

The greatest bowler in the world?

“Jason Belmonte out of Australia,” said Betts, who has met him at multiple tournaments.

Nice guy?

“Oh yeah,” Betts said. “Pretty much all bowlers are nice dudes.”

As for the source of Betts’ prowess with the Rubik’s Cube, he said: “I just kind of remember getting the algorithms through doing it so much in high school. That’s not something I practice on. That’s something I just do to pass time. If I’m not doing anything at home I may grab one and do it.”

Algorithms. That’s one of those words I’ve heard repeatedly and until now never bothered to look up, figuring it would fly so far over my head it would serve no purpose but to frustrate me yet again for having spaced out through the vast majority of my academic career.

Algorithm, per dictionary.com: “a set of rules for solving a problem in a finite number of steps, as for finding the greatest common divisor.”

So back to the original question: What are the common threads that enable Betts, an accomplished high school basketball player, to excel in so many different disciplines?

It starts with his mind. Clearly, he picks up on things quickly, stores the information forever, calls upon it quickly and vividly, and juggles thoughts seamlessly. You don’t at such a young age — Betts turned 26 last Oct. 7 — hit .346 with an OPS of 1.078 without great pitch recognition, which entails having exceptional visual systems and a mind with massive and detailed storage capacity.

Obviously, Betts has terrific mental and physical balance. His brain must have an undefeated bouncer at the door, keeping all unessential information from entering.

“Concentration is probably the most consistent thing going through there,” Betts agreed.

And how does one work on sharpening those skills?

“Concentration? I’m assuming doing all those things you’re working on it,” Betts said. “I don’t purposely do it.”

Betts, ideally equipped to set aside MVP hoopla, appears primed for another big season.

Yankees’ towering strength in the bullpen exposes Red Sox most glaring weakness

Michael Silverman

TAMPA – Before the Red Sox’ pitching staff gave up 14 runs and 14 hits to the Yankees, Alex Cora was asked about what stands out in his mind about the Bronx Bombers.

He brought up their size.

“They’re tall and big and strong and we’re tiny,” said Cora. “They’re big, man.”

After Friday’s 14-1 shellacking, Cora’s comment about the size difference between the Yankees and Red Sox rang especially true – not because the ninth consecutive loss by the Red Sox happened to be the most one-sided yet. And not because the Yankees were responsible for it

What the trip to Tampa highlighted was the stark contrast between one key component of the teams. It’s not the rotation or the offense – the Red Sox have an arguably slight advantage with each.

No, it’s the Red Sox’ bullpen that suffers in comparison with the Yankees, and their difference exposes – more and more each day – the most glaring weakness of the defending world champs.

It’s not just that the relievers in the Yankees bullpen actually tower over Red Sox relievers – Dellin Betances is 6-foot-9, new addition Adam Ottavino is 6-5 and Aroldis Chapman is 6-4.

It’s much more that a Yankees’ strength became so much stronger this offseason with the addition of Ottavino and Zack Britton, while the Red Sox’ still closer-less bullpen became that much weaker with the loss of Craig Kimbrel, Joe Kelly and Steven Wright and the addition of … Jenrry Mejia?

Now, before all the Red Sox bullpen defenders out there bring up last October, when the much maligned 2018 relievers turned up big-time in the playoffs, let’s not confuse the postseason with the regular season.

That mostly standout performance from the bullpen against New York, Houston and Los Angeles featured heroic relief appearances from each starter in addition to a real and sustained uptick in performance from nearly every reliever not named Kimbrel. Savvy and well-planned deployment of the bullpen by Cora led to the bullpen’s resurgence, fueled to some degree by a pre-playoff presentation of all the negative stories and no doubt headlines written by the team’s followers.

Given Cora’s magic touch, the worries in this particular column at this particular stage of spring training easily cpuld prove to be so much needless twaddle, more nonsense from one more sideline warrior.

But really, if everyone’s not concerned by now about the state of the closer-less Red Sox bullpen, then nobody’s paying that close attention.

Perhaps that’s the nature of spring training. We all are lulled by the swaying palm trees and the constant recitation that everybody’s just “getting their work in.” There’s nothing technically wrong or untruthful about that viewpoint.

Still, let’s not lose sight of what’s in store for the Red Sox beginning March 28. Their starting rotation is going to have just merged onto the highway after their long, slow approach. Nobody’s going to be going too deep too soon early in the season, which is going to direct immediate attention to the depth and quality, or lack of those two elements, in the bullpen.

Hector Velazquez got roughed up by the Yankees (four runs, three hits, in 1-2/3 innings) on Friday, and Brian Johnson (14.40 ERA) is struggling. The two are the key long-men in the Red Sox’ bullpen plans, and they are not showing well to date. But let’s not only go off spring training results.

It’s the names on the roster and the announced plans for them that matter in mid-March – and for as long as the names and plan remain the same.

The Red Sox have Ryan Brasier and Matt Barnes pegged as the leading candidates to be the closer in some kind of high-leverage, job-sharing work-plan.

Maybe that’s going to work out just fine, and the high fungibility factor the Red Sox place on relievers will work in their favor like it did with Brasier last year.

But when you come to George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Red Sox plan literally and figuratively stands in the shadow of the Yankees.

“I don’t know how you guys felt about their bullpen last year but I thought it was a super bullpen like everybody’s saying, so (in 2019) I think it’s the same dinner – with different condiments.” Cora said. (Departed David) Robertson was a good reliever, and we’re going to have to face him whenever we play the Phillies, but he was really good against the Red Sox last year. Zack, I think he’s going to be better, of course, having a regular offseason, Chapman, when healthy, he’s one of the best. It’s not that we’re surprised. We knew they were good last year. We knew they were going to be good this year. They won 100 games. In a non-historic season, 100 games, you don’t play that wild card game. For everything people say about them last year, I think (manager Aaron) Boonie did an outstanding job. They were great. We expect the same thing this year.”

The Yankees still are in chase mode when it comes to the Red Sox this year.

Except when it comes to their bullpen.

There, there is no comparison.

Rafael Devers looks as if he will find sweet spot as No. 3 hitter

Michael Silverman

TAMPA – The idea that Rafael Devers could hit third in the Red Sox’ powerful lineup has been discussed all offseason and early spring.

With the Grapefruit League beginning to wind down, Devers’ more disciplined approach and impressive results at the plate are making the decision easier and easier for Cora.

Nothing’s final yet but nothing seems to stand in Devers’ way to land in the coveted spot hitting in between Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez.

“He looks good, he looks good,” said Cora of Devers, who is hitting .438 (14-for-32) after going 1-for-3 in the Red Sox’ 14-1 wallop of a loss to the Yankees on Friday. “I think it’s too early for me to decide how we’re going to go there but so far, so good. Love the fact that he’s staying in the middle of the field. He’s not trying to hit homers. He’s been able to get a few two-strike hits and he can do that. If you tell him, he likes the spot. I told him in December when he went home for those clinics, I said ‘What do you think about hitting between Mookie and J.D.?’ He was like, ‘There’s a lot of RBIs there.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s go.’ ”

After the game, Devers’ eyes lit up at the mention of hitting third.

“It’s a big job but it’s one that I’m ready for if given the opportunity — I’m just ready for whatever position they put me in the lineup, the best feeling for me is just to be in the lineup, period,” said Devers. “Yeah, Mookie and Benny are two guys that get on base a lot and having the protection of J.D. behind me leads to a lot of chances.”

Cora is not worried about Devers becoming overwhelmed.

“No, no, no, not him,” said Cora. “What I saw in the playoffs, kind of like, ‘Yeah, he gets it.’ Maybe you challenge him and everything slows down.”

Two days after he was scratched with a tight back, J.D. Martinez made the 2-plus hour drive to Tampa to play right field and bat third.

Obviously, the back issue was virtually a non-issue.

“He’s in that mode now of getting at-bats and getting locked in for the season,” said Cora. “Yeah, we take care of guys, but I know how it works, the madness, whenever he wants to play he’ll let me know. I’ll bring him on road trips, we’ll probably play him more than any other guy. He’ll be ready to go March 28.”

Andrew Benintendi hit an impressive leadoff first-pitch single, but he is going to take a day on Saturday to focus on a swing that has looked off-balance and unsure this spring. Coming into the game, Benintendi was 4-for-26, with just one extra base-hit, a double, no walks and seven strikeouts.

“The plan was to send the three to Bradenton all together but we talked a little bit about how he feels and where he’s at,” said Cora. Saturday “is going to be a heavy day for him.”

The plan was for Benintendi to join Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. in Bradenton Sunday for that split- squad game, but he will get the day off. The three outfielders should start playing together on Monday. Cora wants the infield to also begin playing more frequently together but as always with an eye towards avoiding over-use.

“At the same time we have to make sure we don’t get caught up with playing everybody a lot the last week because last year, (Rafael) Devers was a little banged up going into Tampa, there were a few guys that played a lot and they felt it early,” said Cora. “We’ll map it out but as far as at-bats, I try to compare our guys to other teams and it seems like we’re on the same page with other teams so that’s always good.”

Ryan Brasier (pinky toe) is going to make Grapefruit League debut on Saturday.

Cora said Dustin Pedroia, who played in a minor-league game on Thursday, is doing well.

“There was a lot of action yesterday with him, I know he ran to first twice, he had like four or five groundballs,” said Cora. “He made a sliding play to his left, got up quick, made the play. Texted him last night and, you know, whatever – he’s ‘great, I’m good.’ Let’s see how he feels today and then we’ll make a decision what we’re going to do tomorrow. It was good.”

Potential Presidential candidate and Starbucks magnate Howard Schultz, wearing a “True” T-shirt, spent the entire batting practice behind home plate, hobnobbing with both Yankees and Red Sox, including Alex Cora, J.D. Martinez, Tony LaRussa, Reggie Jackson and Aaron Judge.

Russell Wilson, Seahawks quarterback and sometimes Yankees minor-leaguer, spoke with Schultz as well.

14-1 shellacking by Yankees extends string of spring training W-L futility for Red Sox

Michael Silverman

TAMPA — A definitively one-sided 14-1 loss to the Yankees on Friday extended the Red Sox’ winless streak this spring to nine, a stretch in which they have been outscored, 71-20.

A year ago, Cora emphasized winning spring training games as important.

This year, the 6-13-1 team is being outscored and outpitched regularly.

Cora is not alarmed.

“I really, honestly, as far as what we’re trying to accomplish in spring training, I’m comfortable with it,” said Cora. “Today you saw the at-bats were a little bit better. (Steve) Pearce (1-for-2 the day after hitting two home runs against ), seems like he’s locked in right now. (Andrew) Beni(ntendi, who’s been struggling) got on, Rafi, (Devers, who has been hitting well), he got a base-hit going the other way – those are the things, you pay attention to it, the progression of the at-bats. I think it started with (Twins’ Jose) Berrios, he made 66 pitches in 3-1/3 (innings start on Wednesday when the Red Sox scored two runs on four hits), that was good. You can see offensively, we’re starting to pick it up.”

Pitching-wise, they are not, especially on Friday.

Starter Hector Velazquez got roughed up for four runs – one earned run – and three hits in 1-2/3 innings. And Bobby Poyner got lit up for five runs off four hits in two-thirds of an inning. And Erasmo Ramirez: three runs – one earned run – off three hits and a walk in two innings.

“(Velazquez’) velocity was good, 93, 94, made some pitches, the pitch count in that inning was getting way up there,” said Cora. “I don’t think the splitter was good today but we have to protect him, I don’t want to push him to over 30 pitches in one inning. We had to move on.

“Pretty similar to last year with Hector, he pretty much found it in his last start in Sarasota, there’s a few things he’s working on, obviously his stride, with the fastball, actually his fastball is a lot better than last year velocity-wise, but you still have to execute. We have X amount of days to leave spring training, so we’ve got to start executing pitches.”

The defense made two errors.

“We were sloppy today, a little sloppy,” said Cora. “We kicked the ball all over the place, you don’t like to see it no matter who you are, the starters, the back-up guys or the call-ups, we like to play clean baseball.”

And back in Fort Myers, Rick Porcello allowed three runs on six singles and two walks against Tampa Bay minor-leaguers in a simulated game. Porcello threw 75 pitches, 49 for strikes.

One positive note: reliever Jenrry Mejia had the sole clean inning of the game, with one .

“Velocity was up, too, today he was at 93, there was one slider he got away with it on one of the strikeouts,” said Cora. “He looked better. Big cutter, seems like they’re not picking up the spin of his balls, it was a good outing for him.”

Mejia, who has big-league experience as well as three PED suspensions, is getting better and could become a factor in the make-up of the bullpen.

“You can see it, you can see it,” said Cora of Mejia’s improvement. “He pitched good in winter ball, seems like little by little the velocity’s getting up there, he started at 90 his first outing here, today was up to 93, he faced some good hitters today, so it was a good one.”

* MassLive.com

Jerry Remy returns to Boston Red Sox broadcast Friday on NESN/Boston 25; Boston faces New York Yankees

Christopher Smith

Jerry Remy, who’s returning from his sixth relapse with cancer, will work his first spring training game of 2019 on Friday.

The Red Sox NESN analyst will be in the booth for Boston’s Grapefruit League game vs. the Yankees in Tampa Bay. This marks his 32nd year with NESN.

The game is on Boston 25 and NESN at 1:05 p.m.

“I’m doing really good,” Remy said earlier this week. "I went through radiation at the end of last year. I’m in a trial right now. I feel as good as I’ve ever felt. So hopefully it stays that way for a while.”

NESN announced Aug. 7 that Remy had been diagnosed with cancer again, his sixth relapse. The 66-year- old was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2008.

Remy announced in November he is “cancer free.”

* RedSox.com

Devers determined to build a breakout season

Ian Browne

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Red Sox had their first and only off-day of Spring Training on Monday, and it would have been a great day for a 22-year-old third baseman to sleep in.

That's what Rafael Devers surely would have done last year or the year before. But it is a newly committed Devers entering his third season in the Major Leagues, and never was that commitment more clear than Monday.

"[Devers] and Xander [Bogaerts], they showed up at 8 o'clock in the morning to go to the gym, and they were running sprints," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "People saw them and everybody was surprised. It was actually Xander trying to catch up with Devers, as far as the workouts and all that. He’s in a great place, man. I'm very proud of Raffy."

Devers, who went 1-for-3 in Friday's 14-1 loss to the Yankees, has a different look about him this spring. And it has nothing to do with his .438 batting average in Grapefruit League competition.

The physical part is obvious. He is noticeably trimmer, and it is paying off. That could be seen in the bottom of the first inning against the Yankees, when Devers got a tricky hopper over the bag and made a strong throw across the diamond from an off-balanced position to nail Luke Voit at first. Cora had referenced a similarly athletic play that Devers made on Thursday against the Tigers.

"I worked a lot on my defense in the offseason and made it a point to work a little extra on it and just trying to look as best as I can out there on the field and just in general," Devers said.

The mental part is also easy enough to spot. Devers has a constant joy and energy about him as he goes though the monotony of Spring Training.

"I just feel 100 percent right now," Devers said.

The momentum started in the winter.

"He made a commitment," Cora said. "He got a strength-and-conditioning coach in the Dominican, a nutritionist in the Dominican. He's doing the same thing here in Fort Myers, so he understands. You see the guys around him, how they go about their business, J.D. [Martinez], Mookie [Betts], Jackie [Bradley Jr.], and you learn from them. He's only 22. Sometimes we take him for granted. He's still a kid, and he's still learning.”

One thing Devers learned last year was that you can't get into shape during Spring Training. That approach led to Devers serving three stints on the injured list due to nagging injuries.

"We challenged him," Cora said. "I think [trainer] Brad [Pearson] brought up a good point at the end of the season that he always, when the season started, he was always in shape. Sometimes it took him longer. And it was in Spring Training.

"Instead of just going through his progressions, it was that and you'd have to do a little bit more. And then during the season, it gets to the season where you get tired because of what he did in Spring Training. It's not like it was fat camp or stuff like that. He was a few pounds overweight, just a little bit. More sprints, more cardio, and then toward the end of the season, he felt it. This year, it's been the other way around. It's just a regular camp working on his swing and working on his defense. He made a commitment."

If Devers continues to impress, he could spend his share of time hitting third in Boston's loaded lineup. That would be after Betts and in front of Martinez. Forgive Devers if his eyes light up at the thought.

"It's a big job, but it's one that I'm ready for if given the opportunity," Devers said. "I'm just ready for whatever position they put me in the lineup. The best feeling for me is just to be in the lineup, period."

Devers hasn't hit his ceiling yet, but his manager has a pretty good idea of what it could look like.

"I think he has the potential -- and everybody knows it here -- to have a monster year offensively,” Cora said.

Rivals in Bronx looking like Boston's big hurdle

Ian Browne

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Red Sox, who have visions of repeating as World Series champions this season, were looking across the field on Friday at the toughest obstacle they will face in trying to reach that goal.

The Yankees won 100 games last season and were somehow underappreciated. That's what happens when you are in the same division with a team that won a franchise-record 108 games and rampaged through the competition (including a certain team from the Bronx) in October.

For the Red Sox, winning the American League East again could be as daunting a task as trying to win the World Series again.

The Yankees, who romped, 14-1, on Friday with many of Boston's regulars back in Fort Myers, still have a dangerous lineup that includes Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

"The Yankees have a good lineup, but I also think we have a good lineup," said Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers. "It's baseball. Anything can happen. I think we're going to get off to a good start like we did last year, and we'll just see what happens during the season."

New York's bullpen was dominant last year, and it might even be better after re-signing July trade acquisition Zack Britton and adding Adam Ottavino. The rotation will be without Luis Severino for the first month of the season, but they've gained talented lefty James Paxton.

"We knew they were good last year. We knew they're going to be good this year," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "They won 100 games. In a non-historic season, you win 100 games, you don't play that Wild Card Game. For everything people say about them last year, I think [manager Aaron Boone] did an outstanding job. They were great. We expect the same thing this year."

In the , the Yankees put a big scare into Boston by stealing Game 2 at Fenway Park to even the series. But the Red Sox put a 16-1 pounding on them in Game 3, then escaped with a 4-3 thriller to take Game 4.

Not much separates these two teams in terms of talent. They are both loaded with stars and with depth. Each series this season will be a must-see event.

The clubs will see each other next on April 16, when they tangle for a two-game set in New York. The Sox go to New York at the end of May for a four-game series. They meet on the neutral ground of London for MLB's first venture into Europe on June 29 and 30. The Yankees finally come to Fenway Park on July 25- 28 for four games. It's back to Yankee Stadium for the rivalry Aug. 2-4, then the season series wraps Sept. 6-9 with four games at Fenway.

You get the feeling another October matchup could be in the cards ... but it will be interesting to see which team has to sweat out a Wild Card Game to get there.

"We're not taking anything for granted," Cora said. "Honestly, we're just preparing for a grind."

Cora not worried about record It has been 10 days since the Red Sox won a Grapefruit League game -- they're 0-8-1 over that span. But Cora doesn't read anything into it, due to the way he has deployed his personnel this spring.

By design, the Sox have eased their starting pitchers, key relievers and even some position players into the mix. Players are just starting to accumulate a regular workload, as Cora has been very mindful of his team's extended October last year.

"Teams do things differently, but obviously in our situation, Chris [Sale], David [Price], Nate [Eovaldi], [Rick] Porcello, they've been pitching a lot their whole careers," Cora said. "You have to save their bullets and hopefully the plan we have in place is going to pay off just like we did last year. A lot of people were set up a little differently in Spring Training, but those guys were able to pitch in April and be dominant, and they were able to do cool things in October because we saved a few bullets in Spring Training and early in the season."

The starting position players will start playing every day beginning on Monday, though Dustin Pedroia will stay on a more conservative plan as he completes his comeback from a left knee injury.

Mejia sharp Righty reliever Jenrry Mejia again was called up from Minor League camp, and he turned in a strong inning for the Red Sox on Friday, striking out one and retiring all three batters he faced.

"Velocity was up, too, today he was at 93, there was one slider he got away with it on one of the strikeouts," Cora said. "He looked better. Big cutter, seems like they're not picking up the spin of his balls, it was a good outing for him."

After failing three PED tests, Mejia was banned from baseball for life on Feb. 12, 2016, but he was conditionally reinstated last July. Mejia last pitched in the Major Leagues in 2015. He seems to be getting back into a rhythm and could help the Red Sox at some point.

"He pitched good in winter ball, seems like little by little the velocity's getting up there, he started at 90 his first outing here, today was up to 93, he faced some good hitters today, so it was a good one," Cora said.

Up next Sale makes his Grapefruit League debut on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. ET in Fort Myers against the Braves. The ace lefty did have what amounted to a start on Monday, but it was in a Minor League game. It will also be a big day out of the bullpen, as Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier and Tyler Thornburg will all see action.

Get ready to watch what may be best OF ever

Mike Petriello

The Red Sox outfield in 2018 was -- and this should really go without saying -- just fantastic.

Mookie Betts had an all-time season on his way to winning the Most Valuable Player Award. Andrew Benintendi improved in almost every way from the 2017 that placed him second in the Rookie of the Year balloting. Jackie Bradley Jr. won his first Gold Glove and showed signs of offensive life down the stretch. And their "fourth ," at least when he wasn't in the lineup as ? That was J.D. Martinez, who merely smashed 43 home runs and finished fourth in the MVP balloting himself.

They were great, clearly. Just looking at production during games played in the outfield, so not even counting Martinez' time at DH, the Red Sox outfielders were first in average (.300), on-base percentage (.380), slugging percentage (.518), OPS (.899), wOBA (.381), wRC+ (139), Wins Above Replacement (18.6), and ... well, you get the point. The Red Sox won 108 games and the World Series. The outfield was a big part of why.

They were so great, in fact, that they ranked as one of the best collections in history. That's fun enough, but let's also ask the far more interesting question: What do the 2019 Red Sox have to do to have the best outfield of all time?

It won't be easy. But it's not impossible, either. Here's what they're up against.

The 2018 Red Sox outfield was already historically remarkable

There's a tricky aspect to all of this, obviously. What's an outfielder, and when? Do we count all 614 of Betts' plate appearances, or just the 592 he had while playing outfield? If we do take all of his times to the plate, what do we do about Martinez, who had only 249 plate appearances in the outfield corners, and 400 more as a designated hitter? Different sites approach this differently, meaning you'll get different numbers to the same question.

For our part, we wanted to try to be as accurate as possible. At Baseball-Reference, they allow you to split a team's positional production by something closer to actual playing time, so the best-in-baseball -- by nearly double! -- 10.6 Wins Above Replacement the Red Sox compiled in right field, for example, isn't just Betts. It's also the limited time spent there by Martinez, Bradley, , Brock Holt and each of the seven Boston players who spent time there.

It wasn't easy to go back a century. We did it anyway. Looking at it this way, the 2018 Red Sox outfield was ... the 15th-best in baseball history. Sort of.

The "sort of" is because there's no real meaningful difference in tenths of a point of WAR, so the 2018 Sox are essentially in a big tie around 19 WAR for something like ninth place. That's especially true because defensive metrics may not be perfect now and they're certainly less reliable as we go back in time, but because fielding is such a big part of what made the 2018 Sox outfielders so good, we can't look at hitting only, so that's why we're using Wins Above Replacement.

This list makes sense, clearly. Of course Babe Ruth's 1927 Yankees, arguably the most famous baseball team of all time, top the list. (Really, this list is full of various historic Yankee teams, from the Ruth era to the DiMaggio teams to the famous Maris/Mantle club of 1961.) Those 1980 A's had 21-year-old Rickey Henderson stealing 100 bases with a .420 on-base percentage and Tony Armas smashing 35 homers. Maybe you don't think about the 1962-63 Giants very much, but that team had Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Felipe Alou at the height of their powers in the outfield.

Merely being in this conversation says a great deal about just how good the Red Sox outfielders just were. Now we have a target to hit, which is three to four more wins. What do the 2019 Red Sox need to do to get there?

What the 2019 Red Sox outfield can -- and will need to -- do better

1. Bradley's offensive breakout needs to be for real.

Bradley's been around Boston for so long that when he made his Red Sox debut back in 2013, he was playing left field next to Jacoby Ellsbury. Mike Napoli was the first baseman, and Jon Lester was pitching. Now entering his seventh season in Boston, his tenure so far has been full of ups and downs, with a dreadful year in 2014, solid ones in 2015 and 2016, and inconsistent ones in 2017 and 2018.

Maybe, after all this time, it's not realistic to expect a sustained new level of offensive production, but it does feel different this time. As we investigated in January, Bradley is one of 2019's most obvious breakout candidates. He's got elite, 96th percentile hard-hit rate, and he spent time this winter working with Craig Wallenbrock, the hitting coach who helped improve Martinez, Chris Taylor and others.

Remember this wild quote that he gave to WEEI in December?

"This is the first time I heard any of this stuff. What I've been taught my whole life is completely wrong. It's scary to say that, but it's wrong. I feel fortunate enough to make it this far doing it wrong."

Imagine how talented you must be to feel like you're "doing it wrong" and still be the center fielder on a World Series winning team. In the second half, Bradley hit a strong .269/.340/.487 (about as good as Freddie Freeman). For what little Spring Training is worth, he's slugging .591. We're in on this.

We're not going to go nuts and turn him into Aaron Judge or anything, but let's say he can take 2016, his previous best hitting season, and perform that way for a full season, when he was worth +5.5 WAR. His .267/.349/.486 from that year is almost exactly what he just hit in the second half, anyway. With his defense, it's not crazy.

• Bradley's 2018 outfield WAR: 2.1 • Bradley's best-case 2019 outfield WAR: 5.5 • Bradley's net change: +3.4

• Boston 2019 outfield WAR added: +3.4

So, that's a good start. Throw in a career year from Bradley into last year's outfield, and we're already there. Except...

2. Betts needs to perform at or near his 2018 level

... this is unfair. This isn't a reasonable expectation to have for anyone. Betts just put up a season that was very literally one of the greatest of all time, and if you think it's hard to do that once, think about how hard it is to do that multiple times. Only Ruth, Bonds, Mays and Mantle have put up multiple years like this. (This is why Mike Trout has far surpassed Bryce Harper in the "game's greatest player" conversation, because Harper has had one historic year, while Trout does it every single season.)

But we're trying to get the Red Sox to the best outfield of all time, right? And no one believes that Betts' 2018 was some sort of fluke, right? No, it's not fair at all to expect that Betts can put up another season like he just did, but it's not out of the question that he can. For our purposes, he'll have to do something like it. You don't top the 1927 Yankees without some historic performances.

Even so, let's be reasonable and downgrade him slightly. The reasonable and somewhat more conservative ZiPS and Steamer projections have him down for a seven-win season. We're trying to have fun here, so we'll still say nine. It'll still be a great season. Just a somewhat less-great season.

• Betts's 2018 outfield WAR: 10.5 • Betts's more reasonable but still absurd 2019 outfield WAR: 9.0 • Betts's net change: -1.5 WAR

• Boston 2019 outfield WAR added: +1.9

3. Martinez does, too.

This one's a little easier. We're now five years into Martinez's well-documented career rebirth as one of the most dominating sluggers in the game. It's true that his .330/.402/.629 in 2018 was impressive, but it's also true that it's not that much better than the .305/.374/.594 line he's put up dating back to 2015. Barring serious injury, there's little reason to expect anything different this year, or any additional time in the outfield.

• Martinez's 2018 outfield WAR: 2.5 (remember, we're not counting DH time) • Martinez's 2019 outfield WAR: 2.5 • Martinez's net change: 0.0 WAR

• Boston 2019 outfield WAR added: +1.9

4. Benintendi has more or less the same season

Benintendi had a good 2018, not an elite one. There's nothing wrong with .290/.366/.465 to go with 16 homers and 21 steals, obviously. Plus, he may get more time atop the lineup this year, ahead of Betts. That should gain him a few more plate appearances over the course of the year. That's all good.

But for all of his obvious talent, it's difficult to realistically forecast a sudden extra breakout, in part because he was already good, and in part because a 31st-percentile hard-hit rate is below average. Put another way, similar names to him in terms of 2018 hard-hit rate were Neil Walker, Dansby Swanson, Adeiny Hechavarria and the injured versions of Carlos Correa and Kris Bryant.

He has above-average plate discipline, obviously, and he's not even 25 until July. It's possible there's more yet to come. But the Steamer and ZiPS projections each expect something like the exact same season he just had. It was a good one. We'll go with that too.

• Benintendi's 2018 outfield WAR: 3.9 • Benintendi's 2019 outfield WAR: 3.9 • Benintendi's net change: 0.0 WAR

• Boston 2019 outfield WAR added: +1.9

5. The other guys have to give you something, or at least not hurt you

Assuming health, there's not a lot of extra playing time available here. Last year, Swihart, Holt, Steve Pearce, Sam Travis and Tzu-Wei Lin combined for just 122 outfield plate appearances and 0.0 WAR. The depth chart hasn't changed much, so expect more of the same. They don't really have to add much, though it'd be nice. They just have to not be a negative. Seems reasonable.

• Backups 2018 outfield WAR: 0.0 • Backups 2019 outfield WAR: 0.0 • Backups net change: 0.0 WAR

• Total Boston 2019 outfield WAR added: +1.9

* * *

So: If that's what happens, that Bradley blows up, that Betts has another great season, that Benintendi, Martinez and the rest stay about the same, then we're looking at 20.5 WAR, or basically tied with the '63 Giants for the third-best outfield of all time. If Betts really does repeat all of his 2018 season, or if Benintendi takes a step forward, the '27 Yankees would be in reach.

It's not likely. It's not probable. Just about everything would have to go right, with no injuries. It's not so much that this is going to happen, because it probably won't. It's that you can even have this conversation with a straight face. The 2018 Red Sox outfield was so, so good. The 2019 version could be something historic.

* Bostonsportsjournal.com

Healthy again, Eduardo Nunez re-discovers his joy for the game

Sean McAdam

FORT MYERS, Fla. — It usually doesn’t take long to determine if Eduardo Nunez is in the Red Sox clubhouse.

Gregarious by nature and fun-loving, Nunez’s high-pitch cackle can often be heard above the din as players prepare for games or engage in spirited card games or conversations with one another.

But last year, it became harder for Nunez to enjoy himself. A lingering right knee injury from the previous year had healed enough to pass muster with the Red Sox, who signed him to a unique deal in spring training, but not enough, it turned out, for him to be himself on the field.

And so, as sheepish as it may now feel for him to reveal, there were days when the reported to the ballpark with a sense of dread. As a career unaccustomed to everyday status, the chance to play nearly every day should have been welcomed.

Not last year, however. Not with his knee aching, his plate approach compromised and his defensive range all but eliminated.

Playing? Ugh.

“It got to the point,” said Nunez, “that sometimes I would come to the field and I saw my name (in the lineup) and I was like, ‘(expletive) – I have to play today.’ It was that bad. Some days, Alex (Cora) would ask me, ‘Do you want a day off?’ And I would tell him, ‘Yes, I need a day off for my knee.’ With the (early season) weather, a lot of games, I didn’t even feel like I could run.

“It was hard to perform at a high level, especially on this team. There’s a lot of good players and they were healthy. And to play at 40 percent, I couldn’t compare myself to them. But we had good communication and good relationships, and they picked me up a lot last year.”

There were times last year when Nunez faced two options, neither of them appealing: he could play at a greatly reduced level, or he could beg out of the lineup. Neither was easy to accept.

“It was really tough,” confirmed Nunez. “At some point, I wanted to tell the trainers, ‘Send me to the DL; I can’t do it anymore.’ But I told myself, ‘Keep playing, you can handle it. Wait for (Dustin) Pedroia (to be activated).’ That was in my mind. I was waiting for him. I figured when he came back, I could to go to the DL for two or three weeks. But he came back, and he was here for two days.”

At this, Nunez’s laughs heartily at the absurdity of all. Here he was, hoping that Pedroia was coming to the rescue and that his return would allow Nunez the time to properly rest and strengthen the knee without absorbing the day-to-day punishment that came with playing games.

But Nunez put his faith in the wrong player. In Pedroia, he found the one player in the organization whose knee was worse than his own. After playing three games, Pedroia went back on the DL on the first weekend of June and didn’t play again for the entire season.

And so, Nunez gamely played on. Second base was never his strongest position to begin with, but with Pedroia absent, it was the Red Sox’ position of need.

“Defensively, I was so limited,” he said. “I’d take that first step to a ground ball and I couldn’t even try to dive, because I knew if I tried to dive, I couldn’t get up. I would just have to pass and it hurt myself and it hurt the .”

At the plate, it was no better. Without a strong base in the batter’s box, Nunez was incapable of handling any pitches in the lower half, or anything inside.

“A slider finishes inside,” he said. “The sinker finishes inside. The changeup finishes inside. And any low pitch, I was barely able to swing because I couldn’t bend down with my knee. Every at-bat, I’d see three or four pitches down in the zone. I think they knew I was going to hit the ball on the ground, and soft.”

Instead, Nunez had to rely totally on his upper half, as though his feet were planted in cement rather than the batter’s box. He could produce no torque with his lower half and had to utilize only his hands to generate bat speed. Result? Lots of weakly hit ground balls.

Gone was any notion of driving the ball into the gaps. In 2017, splitting time between the San Francisco Giants and the Red Sox, Nunez produced a slugging percentage of .466; in essentially the same number of at-bats last year, Nunez slugged just .388.

Occasionally, he would manage to forget the knee and step up with a big at-bat. But mostly, the season was about survival.

“For six months, it’s hard to play like that,” he said.

The only consolation was that the team was winning at a record-setting clip.

But for Nunez, it was a long, arduous process. He would report to the ballpark at 1 p.m. for a 7 p.m. start and immediately begin 90-minute treatment on the knee. Then, there would be some work in the weight room to attempt to strengthen the muscles around the strained ligament in his right knee. Then, after batting practice, there was more treatment.

By game-time, Nunez was frequently exhausted.

Nunez’s efforts to get on the field didn’t go unnoticed in the Red Sox clubhouse. His teammates expressed profound respect for his willingness to do all he did just to get on the field.

“They would say, ‘We know what you’re going through and we have your back,’ ” said Nunez.

For a brief window in late August, Nunez seemed to be healthier. The knee had grown stronger and he could again drive the ball at the plate. He homered three times in the span of five games. But not long after, he rolled his ankle, creating another nagging injury with which to deal.

Still, Nunez soldiered on. Things reached an almost comical state in Game 3 of the World Series in Dodger Stadium. Nunez wasn’t in the starting lineup, but pinch-hit mid-game for third baseman Rafael Devers. As the marathon game wore on, Nunez’s knee and ankle worsened to the point where he could almost literally not stay on his feet.

A series of pratfalls — in the batter’s box, behind the mound, in foul territory, on the bases — had him stumbling around awkwardly like some baseball version of Buster Keaton. At one point, the absurdity became such that, as Cora came out to check on him, prone on the Dodger Stadium infield, Nunez begged for reinforcements.

“I told Alex, ‘Let me just hang out in the dugout (during the rest of the inning) and see how my ankle reacts,'” recalled Nunez. “And he told me, ‘We don’t have any more players – you have to play.’ I was in the dirt, at third base, laughing. I said, ‘Are you kidding me? I was like, (expletive).’ I felt so bad and I was in so much pain, that I wanted to come out of the game. And he told me I couldn’t.

“I kept falling down, falling down, falling down again. I felt embarrassed at some point.”

The longest game in World Series history was longer for Nunez than for anyone else.

After the postseason, Nunez finally had time to rest and rehab the knee. This spring, for a change, baseball isn’t something to be endured.

“I can enjoy everything that I do here now,” said Nunez. “Last year, I didn’t enjoy anything. I was worried about everything — running, hitting, catching, everything. Right now, I just do my thing and enjoy it. I don’t have to force anything. I can work on my swing, I can work on my timing, I can work on my pre- pitch — whatever I want to do. It’s fun to be here.”

Nunez has his pride. He could poke fun of himself last year — he famously watched deadline trade acquisition Ian Kinsler make a sparkling play in the infield in his first game with the Sox and proclaimed to his teammates: “Finally, we’ve got a second baseman!” — but the season was a challenge.

He can’t wait to remind everyone what he’s capable of on the field.

“For sure,” he said. “I want to eliminate what people have in their mind about me. Last year, they’d see a play and think, ‘Oh my God — if Pedroia was here, he’d make that play.’ They forgot I couldn’t move. They forgot I couldn’t even dive.’ They thought I was lazy. But I couldn’t say anything.”

Now, he has nothing for which to apologize. He is, again, himself, with things to prove.

“I can’t wait,” he said of the anticipation he feels as the season approaches. “I’m so excited. I want to show my staff, Alex, what I can do. They haven’t seen it yet. I can’t wait to show them. They know what I can do, but they haven’t seen it yet.

“I want to personally show them what I can do.”

* The New York Post

Red Sox minimalist approach to bullpen could be their fatal flaw

Ken Davidoff

TAMPA — Alex Cora sized up the Yankees, if you will, on Friday.

“They’re tall and big and strong, and we’re tiny,” the Red Sox manager said at George M. Steinbrenner Field. “They’re big. I still remember during the fight [last year at Fenway Park], toward the end, it was [Giancarlo] Stanton, [Aroldis] Chapman, [Dellin] Betances, [Aaron] Judge and [bullpen coach] Mike Harkey. I was like, ‘Oh, my God.’ Thank God it was baseball and not too many punches were thrown.”

Ah, but don’t mistake such height praise as a faux pumping-up of the opponent a la Lou Holtz in his Notre Dame days, when he could make a Division III squad sound like the 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Red Sox believe they can repeat as World Series champions, and they insist that even their minimalist approach to bullpen construction — a striking contrast to the Yankees — will work out perfectly fine.

“We’ll figure it out. We’ll find ways,” said Cora, who registered as brilliant a rookie season as arguably any manager/head coach in North American sports history. “If somebody has to step up, they did it last year. I don’t think it’s going to be any different this year.”

The Yankees’ 14-1 blowout of the Bosox on Friday started with a four-run (one earned) attack — punctuated by Aaron Judge’s second-inning, three-run blast to right-center field — on starter Hector Velazquez, who will be a reliever in the regular season. Cora cited Velazquez prior to the game as one of the multi-inning guys who can reconcile two unfavorable Red Sox realities:

After pushing their starting pitchers considerably last October, from Nathan Eovaldi’s six innings of relief in World Series Game 3 to David Price starting twice on three days’ rest to Chris Sale taking the ball around a stomach ailment that hospitalized him, they don’t want to push those guys too hard at the outset of the season.

They are down two veteran relievers from last year’s group, with Craig Kimbrel remaining unsigned (the Red Sox, trying to avoid additional luxury-tax penalties, have steered clear of him) and Joe Kelly gone to the Dodgers. The Red Sox’s most notable bullpen addition was former banned Met Jenrry Mejia, who threw a 1-2-3 third inning and has a chance to stick.

Velazquez now owns a 9.72 ERA in eight Grapefruit League innings. Brian Johnson, the other multi-inning guy Cora cited, sports a 14.40 ERA in five innings this spring. Matt Barnes, potentially the closer, sits at 13.50 in two innings. Ryan Brasier, last year’s big discovery, hasn’t pitched in any games, with his rollout set for Saturday.

“It’s part of what we mapped out,” Cora said. “I think I said this [the day the Red Sox won the World Series], people are going to be upset with us that guys are not going to pitch, but there’s a reason. … You take a look at what has happened the last few years with teams that have played all the way until the end, there’s a few red flags that we saw, a few things that we feel like if we keep doing what we do, they’re going to be in good shape this season.”

In offering that the Yankees’ 2018 bullpen was quite good, with the departed David Robertson (11 shutout innings) particularly tough against the Red Sox, Cora called the 2019 version “the same dinner with different condiments.”

“For everything people say about them last year, I think Boonie [Aaron Boone] did an outstanding job,” Cora said. “They were great. We expect the same thing this year.”

“The Yankees have a good lineup, but I also think that we have a good lineup,” Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers said through an interpreter. “…I think we’re going to get off to a good start like we did last year. We’ll just see what happens during the season.”

Maybe the Red Sox are so stacked elsewhere, so smart everywhere, that they can buck the trend of super- bullpens and put their tiny bullpen back on a duck boat parade. Even for this successful group, though, it sure feels like an unnecessary risk.

* The USA Today

MLB power rankings: Yankees out to topple champion Red Sox

Jesse Yomtov

After winning 108 games and their fourth World Series title in 15 years, you might assume the Boston Red Sox would be the clear favorite again heading into the 2019 season.

Alas, that's not how life goes in the American League East.

Victimized in an AL Division Series by their biggest rivals after a 100-win season of their own, the New York Yankees went out and dramatically improved this winter.

In their quest for a 28th championship, the Yankees traded for starter James Paxton, added three-time Gold Glove winner and 2016 batting champion DJ LeMahieu to the infield mix and bolstered the already- dominant bullpen with the signing of Adam Ottavino.

Meanwhile, Boston largely stood pat. The club retained the services of World Series heroes Nathan Eovaldi and Steve Pearce, but the Red Sox haven't (yet) brought back closer Craig Kimbrel and it's unlikely the team's opening-day roster will have a single new player.

The next six months will tell if the Yankees can claim their first division title since 2012, but New York starts the 2019 season atop the USA TODAY Sports' power rankings, as voted on by a panel of eight writers and editors:

1. New York Yankees

Managed to make the bullpen even stronger with Adam Ottavino signing.

2. Houston Astros

Added even more depth in the offseason — and their top prospects are on the way.

3. Boston Red Sox

Will they regret not being more active this winter?

4.

Six consecutive NL West titles and still nothing to show for it.

5. Philadelphia Phillies

"Trust the Process" seems to have also been applied to the city's baseball team.

6 (tie). Washington Nationals

Expect to get tired of hearing "are they better without Bryce Harper?"

6 (tie). Cleveland Indians

Corey Kluber is still here — and their title window is still open.

8. St. Louis Cardinals

Just how good will Paul Goldschmidt be in his contract year?

9. Atlanta Braves

It's going to be pretty tough to repeat as NL East champs.

10.

What will Christian Yelich do for an encore?

11.

Joe Maddon's contract year should be an interesting one.

12. Tampa Bay Rays

Tommy Pham hit .343 with 1.071 OPS after a trade from St. Louis.

13. Colorado Rockies

With Nolan Arenado extended, there's no cloud hanging over the team.

14. Oakland Athletics

Top prospect Jesús Luzardo could be the rotation's savior.

15.

As per usual, hopes hinge on the health of the pitchers.

16. Minnesota Twins

Quietly got a lot better this winter.

17. Pittsburgh Pirates

Starling Marte set a career high with 20 homers last season.

18.

Worth keeping an eye on how they handle rehabbing Shohei Ohtani.

19. San Diego Padres

Manny Machado is here, and Fernando Tatis Jr. shouldn't be far behind.

20. Cincinnati Reds

This team is vastly improved and could be a lot of fun.

21.

Robbie Ray found his groove after a rough first half (5.03 ERA).

22.

A lot of high-priced veterans for a team in full rebuild mode.

23. Toronto Blue Jays

Counting down the days until Vladimir Guerrero Jr. makes his debut.

24. San Francisco Giants

Madison Bumgarner hoping to avoid another freak injury.

25.

Crucial year for Yoan Moncada after ugly 2018 (217 strikeouts).

26. Texas Rangers

Joey Gallo vs. the Mendoza Line is one of MLB's most fascinating subplots.

27. Detroit Tigers

Miguel Cabrera has 465 homers – will he get to 500 this year?

28. Kansas City Royals

If you really like stolen bases, keep an eye on this team.

29. Miami Marlins

2018 wasn't as bad as expected, but this year could be quite terrible.

30. Baltimore Orioles

Their only goal this season is to not lose 120 games.