The Red Sox Wednesday, March 14, 2018

* The Boston Globe

Finally, a bright outlook for Red Sox lefty

Alex Speier

FORT MYERS, Fla. — For the friends of Brian Johnson, it’s become absurd to the point of amusement. The lefthander’s professional career has represented a succession of unfortunately timed events and hardships that have prevented him from getting extended major league opportunities.

The litany of woes seems almost impossible to comprehend: a liner off the face in his 2012 pro debut; elbow discomfort that emerged just before his 2015 big league debut and prevented him from pitching later that year, when a two-month rotation audition was his for the taking; a carjacking in the offseason following that year; anxiety and depression that had him considering retirement in 2016; another liner off the head in early 2017.

While Johnson had experienced some big league success, he more often has spent time trying to work his way back to the mound while watching others get the opportunities that might have been his.

“It’s always a running joke, even with my buddies at home, that if anything bad is going to happen, it’s going to happen to me,” Johnson chuckled Tuesday afternoon, referencing the “Bad Luck Brian” Internet meme. “It’s along those lines.”

Yet this spring may represent a change of fortune. A who has been either sidelined or struggling is now healthy and pitching well in a spring where the Red Sox appear likely to open the year with two or possibly three starters (Eduardo Rodriguez, Steven Wright, perhaps Drew Pomeranz) on the disabled list. Johnson, meanwhile, is throwing well and likely to make the big league roster as a player who is out of minor league options, and throwing well.

On Tuesday, he took another step. In a minor league camp game against players who are mostly ticketed for the low levels, he faced 16 batters and allowed no runs, one , and no walks while striking out 10. Over 62 pitches, he threw 48 strikes while getting 13 swings and misses, with whiffs coming on his , curveball, and changeup.

The ability to execute his pitch mix, sequences, and location over five suggested a pitcher who is in the later stages of preparation for a chance to contribute to the big league rotation. Johnson acknowledges a sense of possibility before him.

“For sure you can kind of sense the season coming along; it’s exciting,” said Johnson. “You see the writing on the wall. With a couple guys being down, you know you kind of sense it — this is the time to kind of seize the opportunity.”

The Red Sox want him to do just that. President of operations Dave Dombrowski said that, even with penciled-in rotation members expected to open the year on the DL (with anticipated April returns), the team is satisfied with the state of its rotation depth.

Even at a time when free agent starters (such as Alex Cobb) remain available, Dombrowski said the Sox don’t anticipate any additions. Johnson and Hector Velazquez represent a big reason for that.

The idea of leaning on a pitcher like Johnson for rotation depth represents a potentially important development for a Red Sox team that has struggled to produce homegrown starters. Johnson, who went 2-0 with a 4.33 ERA in five fill-in starts last year, could represent part of a turnaround.

“We’re trying to develop our own starters,” said Dombrowski. “We think we can do that.

“Of course you always like to promote from within as much as you possibly can, but you’re not just giving positions to people. He did a nice job for us last year. We think he’s ready to contribute here.”

That outlook, in turn, bodes well for Johnson, a native of Florida who may have a chance to pitch in his home state against the Rays or Marlins in the first week of the season. For a pitcher who has already encountered a career’s worth of misfortune, the change is refreshing.

“It just kind of feels like the stars are aligning,” said Johnson. “I’m excited. Baseball is fun. That’s the biggest thing. At one point in time, it wasn’t fun. It was a drag coming to the field. I’m excited to come to the field every day.”

A step for Maddox Righthander Austin Maddox, sidelined as a precaution early in the spring with soreness in the back of his shoulder, threw one against the minor leaguers, his first game activity of the spring. He threw nine pitches (seven , one changeup, one ), eight for strikes, and struck out two. “It’s definitely a step in the right direction,” said Maddox. “I’ve been champing at the bit. I’m a competitor and I want to be out there and I want to help the team. It’s tough to sit back sometimes but obviously in the back of my mind I know it’s the right move. It’s not the time to push it. It’s too early. We have the whole season ahead of us.”

Sale on the hill Lefthander is on tap to start against the Twins Wednesday, his second Grapefruit League contest of the spring. , whose scheduled Grapefruit League debut last Saturday was canceled because of the threat of rain, is finally scheduled to pitch in a big league game Thursday against the Blue Jays. “I’m looking forward to it, for sure,” said Price. “This is the best I’ve felt in on March [13] probably ever.” . . . Red Sox minor leaguers who were part of last year’s — the Single A South Atlantic League champions — received their championship rings in a ceremony in Fort Myers Tuesday.

Holt holds on Sunday represented a procedural checkpoint in the spring training calendar, the day by which teams could place players who are on the 40-man roster but with nonguaranteed contracts on unconditional release waivers while being responsible for just 30 days of termination pay. That group typically encompasses arbitration-eligible and pre-arbitration-eligible players.

Some scouts have been curious to see whether the Sox either cut Brock Holt — who is hitting .357/.438/.429 in six spring games but has been sidelined by a minor abdominal stiffness and on Sunday left a game after being hit above the elbow by a pitch — or option him to the minors. The curiosity stems from the fact that Holt will receive a $2.225 million salary if in the majors — at a time when the Sox have less expensive utility options ( and Tzu-Wei Lin).

However, the Sox did not put any of their players on release waivers Sunday. Any player on the 40-man roster who is released during the duration of spring training would now be entitled to 45 days of termination pay (approximately one-fourth of his salary).

Tommy Harper says Yawkey’s philanthropy doesn’t outweigh the racial harm

Dan Shaughnessy

FORT MYERS, Fla. — is 77 years old and first worked in in 1960. Blessed with speed, power, and smarts, he was a big-league All-Star who hit 31 homers for the Brewers in 1970 and held the Red Sox’ season record for stolen bases (54) for almost four decades.

He played three seasons for Boston and has also served the team as a , consultant, and equal opportunity employment officer. He was traded by the Red Sox in 1974, and has been fired by the team three times since 1979.

In 1986, Harper accepted an out-of-court settlement from the Red Sox after filing a federal discrimination lawsuit against the ball club when he was fired for blowing the whistle on the club’s practice of allowing the Winter Haven (Fla.) Elks Club to allow admission to white Red Sox players at the exclusion of black and Hispanic players. In 2010, Harper was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame.

Today, Harper serves the club as a player development consultant (along with , , Tony Cloninger, and Dick Berardino) and spends two weeks every year working with players and staff at spring training. I caught up with Harper Monday to talk about the Red Sox’ campaign to change the name of the street that runs in front of .

It was Jersey Street when Fenway was built in 1912 but was changed to Yawkey Way shortly after Red Sox owner Thomas A. Yawkey died in 1976. Last August, current Red Sox owner John Henry said he is “haunted” by the racist legacy of Yawkey and proposed changing the name of Yawkey Way.

Henry (who also owns the Globe) declined to discuss the initiative in his spring training press conference, but two weeks ago the Red Sox officially petitioned the Boston Public Improvement Commission to change the street’s name back to Jersey Street. The committee is expected to review the request at a meeting Thursday.

Yawkey owned the Red Sox from 1933 until his death in 1976. Under him, the Red Sox were the last major league team to integrate, bringing Elijah “Pumpsie” Green to the majors in 1959, 12 years after first played for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

In 1945, the Red Sox held a tryout for Robinson and two other black players, but the workout at Fenway Park was not a serious exercise. It was a sham orchestrated to appease an open-minded Boston City Councilor who had power over Yawkey’s request to play Sunday games at Fenway.

Local folklore holds that during the tryout someone yelled, “Get those niggers off the field.” In numerous retellings, the comment has been assigned to Yawkey, but no one alive knows the truth, and the Yawkey Foundations have gone to great lengths to establish that Yawkey probably was not even in Boston on the day of the tryout.

According to Howard Bryant in his book “Shut Out: A Personal Story of Race and Baseball in Boston,’’ as late as 1958 the Red Sox did not employ a single black person at any level of the organization. This included groundskeepers, janitors, and concessionaires.

The fact that the Sox were the last team to integrate, compounded by Yawkey’s cast of unenlightened employees (former Red Sox pitcher insisted that /GM Michael “Pinky” Higgins was racist) has contributed to the narrative that the Red Sox were a bastion of institutional racism in the Yawkey years. Harper’s 1986 discrimination case came under the watch of Yawkey hires John Harrington and .

Former Red Sox CEO in 2002 spoke openly of the club’s “undeniable legacy of racial intolerance.’’

Harrington, trustee of the Yawkey Trust until the team was sold to Henry’s group and now chairman of the Yawkey Foundations, acknowledged to the Globe in 1997 that “we had some difficulties with some great young men of African-American heritage,’’ then offered, “We’ve patched those up.’’

Harper disagrees, claiming he was fired twice by the club for pushing back against institutional racism. Harper says he never received an apology or admission of wrongdoing from anyone associated with the Yawkey regime.

In this spirit, I interviewed Harper to get his feelings about the initiative to erase Yawkey’s name from the street.

These are some excerpts:

“I don’t have a problem with anyone saying that because of his philanthropy, they ought to leave his name there. I’m neutral. But if you combine his philanthropy with his ownership, you’re going to have a problem.

“What the commission has to figure out is, why is the street named for him? Why is he in the Hall of Fame? It’s because of the money. Gillette Stadium is called Gillette Stadium because of the money. There was some controversy when the Roxbury Boys and Girls Club was going to be named the Yawkey Club of Roxbury.

“When you put something out for naming rights, they get the cash, they get the name. I don’t have a problem with that. So if you donate to a hospital and donate a wing, you get your name on the wing. I have no problem with that. But then you turn around and say that [Yawkey] was a great owner, I have a problem with that.

“If you want to say that they should keep the name on the street because of his philanthropy, OK. But it cannot be both. There’s a distinction. The man never won nothing in 43 years. If I understand your point of view, then you have to understand my point of view that there’s never, in the history of the Yawkey administration, has there been an apology.

“Everybody wants to admit that there’s this regretful past. But no one wants to assess blame. Everyone says he’s such a great owner, but never apologizes for that past. They just say it happened and forget about it.

“But it’s our livelihood. When they accused me of things in 1985, they affected my livelihood, but I didn’t get a phone call from one person, including John Harrington. You can tell me all you want about philanthropy. But don’t tell me that in 1950 they were trying [to integrate the team].

“You can’t pick and choose. History is what it is. Does philanthropy outweigh the harm done to African- American players? Does it? In my opinion, it does not.

“There is inconsistency in members of the bringing the Robinson legacy to middle school students then going back to Red Sox offices located on a street that honors a man who stood on the wrong side of history and added to Robinson’s pain.

“I did not know Mr. Yawkey. The man was invisible. If you say to me that you know him and you know him as not being a bigot or a racist, I have to accept your word. I don’t know. That’s why I stay away from calling anybody a racist because I don’t know.

“I can only go by policy, whether it’s written or unwritten. I can only go by what I know. The history. Does that outweigh the philanthropy? If you are going to say they are going to keep the name, you are telling me that the racial history did not outweigh in Boston what he did with his money.

“It’s not me tarnishing Mr Yawkey’s reputation. It’s the people he hired, the people who tolerated the Elks Club thing for 12 years. If you hired them, that’s on you. Was Haywood a racist? I don’t know.

“All I know is when I went to them and complained about the Elks Club, they fired my ass instead of accepting the truth. I can’t call or Jean Yawkey a bigot, but I can tell you that no one came to my defense. They did not intercede. They did not say, ‘This has got to stop.’

“Whatever caused John Henry to feel the way he feels, I have no idea. I haven’t talked to him. I don’t know why John Henry’s haunted. I haven’t talked to anyone. I don’t have a side.

“And I’m good with it either way. If is angry [if the name changes] and he’s saying Mr. Yawkey was OK with him, or , that’s fine. I’m just telling you how I feel and I’m not trying to persuade anyone else. These are my feelings that I don’t talk to anyone about.

“It’s the commission’s decision. It’s not mine. What I’m saying is that you cannot say it was benign neglect, that Mr. Yawkey was never around. The responsibility goes to the ownership. Whatever happens at Fenway Park eventually winds up at the owner.

“I’m not in agreement that Mr. Yawkey yelled that horrible thing during the tryout. I’ll give him that. But don’t tell me he tried to integrate the team. Were the Red Sox scouts just inept? It’s not an individual act by Yawkey against African-American people. There are no comments that indicate that he had a racist attitude.

“But institutional racism is what kept Jackie Robinson out of the game. It was all the owners in conjunction with each other to form a gentlemen’s agreement. But like Howard Bryant says, after 1947, the Red Sox didn’t get the memo that it’s over.

“If that committee wanted to know all the facts, they’d be sitting with me, talking. They’d talk to Reggie Smith. Instead, they’re interviewing [Yawkey’s] friends . . . If you want to know the particulars and you are investigating the history, you just can’t look at the [Yawkey] Foundation statement. It’s full of [expletive].’’

* The Boston Herald

What’s different for Hanley Ramirez this season?

Michael Silverman

FORT MYERS — The question tripped an alarm in Hanley Ramirez’ mind.

“You’re trying to get me to say something about the coaches or manager last year. I know that’s what you want me to say, I know you,” he said.

I get it.

Ask a player what’s different with him and the team the year after the manager and coaching staff are let go, and he might suspect, like Ramirez did, that the questioner wanted him to say something negative about last year.

Sure, if Ramirez chose to say something negative about manager John Farrell and the coaches, I wouldn’t stop him.

But that wasn’t what I was fishing for.

All spring, Ramirez has been telling reporters he’s going 30-30 this year, meaning hitting 30 home runs and stealing 30 bases. He’s done it once in his career — 33 homers, 35 stolen bases — but that was a decade ago, in 2008 when he was 24 years old. One could mention, as Ramirez reminds me, that the year before that, he hit 29 homers and stole 51 bases as a 23-year-old.

Fine, let’s bend and break the decimal system and give Ramirez two 30-30 seasons.

He’s 34 years old now. He hit 23 homers last year and stole exactly one base.

He had offseason shoulder surgery, he’s changed his diet and he has been a sunny, positive presence all spring.

He never complained last year about playing hurt, but he and his teammates are radiating optimism this spring.

My question stands. We confer, and agree that it’s possible to talk about differences without going negative. And so Ramirez opened up — positively, about how he enjoys playing under new manager , respects president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and, above all, feels healthy.

“Everybody is different the way they do things — now, I can come and just work the way I like to work,” Ramirez said. “What I mean is, Alex is different and John last year was different. There’s nothing bad with that — there’s just a difference.

“It’s just us, relaxing. Alex has been doing a pretty good job keeping us loose.”

Ramirez went deeper into why Cora suits him.

“What he’s doing right now, he’s trying to keep your mind relaxed — even if you go 0-for-4, you might carry it,” Ramirez said. “He’ll go and tell you, ‘That’s OK, come over here, this is what happened, yesterday on that ground ball or on this at-bat, you’re doing this.’ He’s doing that. And that shows you that he wants you to get better every day. And that’s a good sign when we have a manager like that. He’s watching everything, (batting practice), when we’re doing ( fielding practice) — if we do something wrong, he’ll wait and come up to you. ‘What do you think if you do it this way?’ You go and do it and say, ‘Yeah, that’s easier.’ So, that’s really good when you have good communication with your players.

“Me and him, he keeps telling me, ‘You’re doing this, you’re doing that,’ and I come back the next day and fix that. And I’m doing better. He’s on top of me. And that’s good because he knows the player I am and the player I can be. I like that, I like that challenge.”

Ramirez appreciates that Dombrowski said all winter he expected a return to power by Ramirez because the shoulder surgery was a success.

“He knows the player I am, 100 percent,” Ramirez said. “He knew what was going on, and we kept everything between me and him. And I love that. I respect him like he respects me. He knows if I don’t have that, the player I can be. He’s pretty good.”

Cora and Dombrowski get Ramirez. They know him.

But does he feel as if the fans know the true Ramirez? He doesn’t care about them getting to know the off- field Ramirez. But on the field? He’s averaged 24 home runs a season with the Red Sox, with a .328 on- base percentage and .457 (and five stolen bases).

That’s not good enough for Ramirez. Even though he’s been playing hurt, that’s not good enough. That’s why he’s talking about performing like a 24-year-old again.

“I play through it, I don’t give a (expletive), I don’t care if I die on the field,” he said. “That’s what I choose — play baseball.

“When people know that you’re a good player and expect to be at that level and you don’t do it, they should get mad — that’s what you get paid for. And on the other side, you know that you’re supposed to be on that level. And you know in your mind that you’re fighting through something to get to that level.”

And because he’s healthy, Ramirez can aspire to putting up numbers like his 24-year-old self.

“Honestly I don’t feel 34. I feel younger than that,” he said. “I’ve been working my ass off in the offseason.”

So, to get back to 30-30 — how about Ramirez gets real and eases up on the side of the equation.

“Why not — you think it’s hard, 30 steals?” he said.

He laughed when I said I sure did.

“Maybe,” he said. “And hopefully it is, because that means I’m not going to be hitting many singles, just doubles and homers, you know?”

But he’ll stick with 30 stolen bases anyway.

A guy’s got to dream.

“Mentally, that’s where I want to be, 30 steals,” he said, and then paused. “If I get 40, that would be amazing.”

Stock watch -- who’s rising and falling in Red Sox camp

Chad Jennings

It’s been a month since Red Sox camp opened, which means it’s time to take stock of all we’ve learned.

J.D. Martinez is on board, Eduardo Nunez is back, and Alex Cora is getting his managerial feet wet. Some players have improved their stock, others have slipped backward, and still others have checked boxes on both sides of the ledger.

Here are 15 names from Red Sox camp along with whether their stock seems to be rising, falling or fluctuating this spring.

RISING

David Price

So far, so good with the elbow. He hasn’t pitched in a game yet, but there’s no indication that’s a problem. He also seems more at ease and less confrontational after offering something of an olive branch when camp opened.

Andrew Benintendi

Before camp opened, Cora named Benintendi his No. 2 hitter, and the young left fielder has only solidified that spot with a .435 batting average and five extra-base hits. He’s physically bigger than last year, and right now, he looks better.

Eduardo Rodriguez

As of December, even Cora thought it would be a while longer before Rodriguez got on a mound. But the young lefty faced hitters Monday, and depending on how quickly the Red Sox want to push him, it seems he could be ready sooner than expected.

Blake Swihart

Out-of-options players are always in a weird spot, but Swihart’s is especially odd because he’s trying to make it as a third and limited utility man. It’s an unusual role, but he’s making a strong case with his .371 average and nine extra base hits.

Bobby Poyner

Ever heard of him? Maybe not, but Poyner is a left-handed reliever coming off a nice year in -A and Cora has singled him out repeatedly as a young pitcher who’s caught his eye. He was barely on the map, but now he’s on Cora’s radar.

FALLING

Mitch Moreland

The .118 batting average is bad, but so is the fact Cora seems committed to giving Hanley Ramirez a considerable opportunity at first base. Moreland came into camp at least a platoon starter at first. Now he might be more of a bench player.

Brock Holt

He’s been injured again, Nunez is back to play second base, and the Red Sox’ early struggles in the field might lead them to prefer a defensive specialist as their backup infielder. That seems to favor Deven Marrero or Tzu-Wei Lin while hurting Holt, who can be optioned.

Drew Pomeranz

Not falling in a big way, but that early forearm injury has kept him from facing hitters since March 2. It’s unclear whether he will be ready when the season starts. Last thing he needs before free agency is another injury shortened season.

Robby Scott

His 6.23 ERA is due to one bad game. That’s not the issue. Cora has claimed he doesn’t need a left-handed reliever, the Red Sox have signed veteran lefty Tommy Layne, and Roenis Elias has converted full time to the bullpen. Scott doesn’t stand out quite as much.

FLUCTUATING

Rafael Devers

The kid is crushing the ball. He’s hitting .344 and slugging .688, and that’s surely the most important thing. But his defense is very much a work in progress. Needs work on his positioning, Cora says. Two errors are just the tip of the iceberg.

Hanley Ramirez

His playing time took a hit when Martinez signed, but he’s still getting regular turns in the No. 3 spot in the order, and Cora doesn’t seem to be turning away from him completely. Ramirez is not the everyday DH, but he’s not a true backup either.

Xander Bogaerts

Kind of like Devers, Bogaerts has been outstanding at the plate, but he’s had issues in the field. Not so much because of mistakes, but because he’s adjusting to Cora’s new shift philosophy. Moving to the other side of second base has been a challenge.

UNAFFECTED

Mookie Betts

Two hits in 20 at-bats, but good luck finding someone in Red Sox camp who’s worried about the team’s best player. Six walks against five suggest Betts is seeing the ball just fine. The timing will come.

Dustin Pedroia

The situation seems to be exactly as everyone expected. Pedroia is drawing rave reviews for his commitment to the rehab process, and Opening Day was always a pipe dream. He’s not particularly close to game action, but that isn’t surprising.

Michael Chavis

Disappointed? Sure. Negatively affected? Probably not. Chavis suffered an oblique injury the day before exhibition games began, and never got to play before being sent down, but he was never going to make the team anyway. He’s still the top prospect in the system.

* MassLive.com

Red Sox leader: Is it Pedroia? Sale? J.D. Martinez? 'I don't think you can put it on one or two guys'

Christopher Smith

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- When retired, seemed like the obvious veteran to assume the top leadership role in the Red Sox clubhouse.

But his "that's not me, that's them" comment in Baltimore after reliever drilled slugger Manny Machado in the head with a pitch April 23 marked the first of many occasions in 2017 when the media called Pedroia's leadership into question.

Some local columnists called for Chris Sale to take the leadership reigns. By the end of the season, David Price -- despite his deteriorating relationships with then-manager John Farrell and the local media -- gained a major influence in the clubhouse.

Things must be different in 2018. Who will step up? Sale? Pedroia? J.D. Martinez? Price? Someone else?

How about 10 different players?

"I don't think you can put it on one guy or two guys," Mitch Moreland told MassLive.com. "I think it's the group collectively that we have in here that makes this team cope so well and have so much fun day in, day out. That's what it's got to take. That's what it's going to take to overcome certain things and continue to get better as the season goes on."

Moreland is right on the money.

Ortiz certainly increased his leadership role when needed. Nothing exemplified it more than his dugout speech in Game 4 of the 2013 :

Big Papi RALLIES his teammates during Game 4 of the

Still, don't forget the oodles of columns written during 2013 about the leadership David Ross, Jonny Gomes, Shane Victorino and even Mike Napoli provided.

The 2004, 2007 and 2013 World Series teams each featured numerous leaders. The rosters were filled with high character baseball players who knew how to keep the clubhouse loose at the most stressful points of the season.

Leaders on the 2004 team included , Pedro Martinez, Ortiz, , , Trot Nixon, , , , and . entered midseason and immediately provided energy and a clubhouse voice. He embraced the experience of playing in Boston.

Leaders on the 2007 club included Ortiz, Varitek, and Alex Cora.

The 2013 leaders included Victorino, Ross, Ortiz, Jake Peavy, Ryan Dempster, and John Lackey.

Pedroia pointed out the Red Sox became successful in the early 2000s with multiple leaders.

"Not only did they have Tek but they had David, Trot Nixon. They had Johnny Damon," Pedroia said earlier in camp. "There were a ton of core players that were leaders. And then you look at the next championship they won. They had David, Tek, Mike Lowell, Alex. There's multiple leaders. And then '13, there's multiple leaders."

This year's clubhouse has the potential for a similar mix of high character players.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski not only added offense by inking free agent J.D. Martinez to a five-year, $110-million deal and re-signing Eduardo Nunez at the beginning of spring training. He added character. Lots of it.

Nunez and teammates were cracking up laughing during batting practice on one of the backfields at JetBlue Park a few weeks ago.

Nunez's teammates seemed to be telling him a ball he hit traveled farther than he thought. He kept questioning it in surprise and laughing as he stood there in the batter's box.

This small exchange made me realize Nunez's impact on this team is so much greater than just his bat, which also is significant. He batted .340 with four homers, five doubles and 16 RBIs in 22 games at Fenway Park last year.

He brings an edge and similar intensity to what Victorino and other members of the 2013 club did.

We saw it last year when Nunez bunted against Yankees starter CC Sabathia, his former teammate and friend. Sabathia called the Red Sox "weak."

Nunez responded, "If I have to bunt four times in a row, I'll do it. I don't care if he's mad or not."

"Obviously, having types of guys like Nuney or Pedey coming in here all fired up, or J.D. talking hitting, or Sale, his intensity you get, all that stuff. Joe Kelly acting crazy. You see a ton of different personalities and a ton of different diversity in the game," Moreland said. "And when you can put that all together, and have the group like we have here, you can't put a price on that. That's what it's about. This team definitely has that."

Manager Alex Cora thinks Martinez's clubhouse presence will be felt through him providing information to other hitters and his example of hard work/perseverance.

"There's something about him as far as game information and getting ready that he's going to help a lot of these young guys," Cora said. "I'm not saying they didn't prepare. But there's a difference between the way he prepares and others. The information he has. The notebook. ... The iPad and all the stuff. He believes in it and he's been very successful.

"Let's be honest: From where he was four years ago to who he is now, there's something good about him and people should listen to him and take what might work for you. I do believe he's going to make a difference in that clubhouse."

Red Sox's Mitch Moreland certainly had to work hard and play with the same chip on his shoulder J.D. Martinez did to earn his two-year, $13-million deal.

Like Martinez, Moreland is a hard-nosed player. He had to grind to make it to the majors as a 17th-round college draft pick.

He should be more willing to speak up when something needs to be said this year now that he already has been here for a season and no longer is on a one-year contract.

The younger players could learn from Moreland's personality. He doesn't pay attention to what is said and written in the media. He embraces everything that comes with playing in Boston.

"Obviously the fan base is great," he said. "When you're doing well, they're 100 percent behind you. And that's the way you want it to be."

Cora said Hanley Ramirez can be a leader.

Mookie Betts has leadership ability, too. He has showed glimpses of it since spring training 2016 when, as a pre-arbitration player, he took all his teammates to dinner on his dime.

Price needs to do what he said: He must become a faucet, not a drain. Admitting he was a drain in 2017 was a major step for him already this season. He can be one of the leaders. We saw Lackey's positive presence in 2013 after he received major criticism in 2011 for fried chicken and beer.

"It's not one guy in baseball," Pedroia said. It's me. It's Mookie. It's Bogey (Xander Bogaerts). It's Jackie (Bradley Jr.). It's Benny (). It's our team. So we have to be together and know that."

Yawkey Way renaming: Hearing with City of Boston to restore name to Jersey Street scheduled for Thursday

Jen McCaffrey

The petition to restore Yawkey Way to Jersey Street will be heard by the City of Boston's Public Improvement Commission on Thursday.

The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Boston City Hall and is one of several items on the agenda for the day.

In late February, the Red Sox officially announced they had filed a petition with the city in conjunction with property owners on Yawkey Way to restore the name of the street to Jersey Street, its original name.

The idea to rename Yawkey Way was posed in August when team owner John Henry told the Boston Herald the club wanted to separate itself from the racist history of former team owner Tom Yawkey.

The Yawkey Foundation issued a scathing statement on the attempt to rename Yawkey Way.

* ESPNBoston.com

No 'bandwagon fan': How newest Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez celebrated his 19th birthday at Fenway

Scott Lauber

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Mayra Bazavilvazo wanted to do something unforgettable for her brother on his 19th birthday. So, in the summer of 2006, she gave him the gift so many of her friends from dental school at Boston University would give for a special occasion.

She got him tickets to a game at Fenway Park.

It wasn’t just any game either. It was the Boston Red Sox versus the in the late August heat of a pennant race. And the seats weren’t just any seats. They belonged to Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell, whose brother was doing his residency in the same dentistry program as Bazavilvazo.

"If you're going to go to Fenway and experience it for the very first time, what a better way to do it than having it be a Red Sox-Yankees game?" Bazavilvazo said by phone. "My brother is a student of the game in every way, shape or form that you can imagine. I always tell him, 'You eat, sleep, dream everything baseball.' It has always been that way. The opportunity was too good to pass up. He loved it."

Twelve years later, J.D. Martinez will be spending many more days at Fenway. And as Boston's new $110 million slugger, it's expected he will create even better memories at the 106-year-old ballpark.

Martinez, 30, was exactly the player the Red Sox needed to add to their lineup. They finished last in the in home runs last season, and he's coming off a career-best year in which he went deep 45 times in 432 at-bats and led the majors with a .690 slugging percentage. And Martinez needed the big- spending Red Sox, too, especially with few teams willing to offer nine-figure contracts during a historically thrifty offseason.

But to hear Martinez and Bazavilvazo tell it, this union was preordained for reasons that go beyond prodigious home runs and an escalating payroll. It goes back to Aug. 21, 2006, the day Martinez turned 19. And truth be told, it extends years before that, back to when his friends teased him for wearing a Red Sox jersey in the hallways of a high school in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

"Oh yeah, I was a Red Sox fan at the time. They were nasty," said Martinez, who also identifies as a "Tom Brady fan" and, though he isn’t much of a football aficionado, regards the New England Patriots quarterback as the best player ever in that sport. "That's when they had Pedro [Martinez] and Manny [Ramirez] and Papi (David Ortiz).

"I told Pedro this story: I used to wear a freakin' Pedro Martinez jersey because it had 'Martinez' on the back. I would wear it every weekend when I was in middle school or a [high school] freshman. We'd go bowling or something and I'd be wearing my Pedro jersey. My friends used to make fun of me. They called me a bandwagon fan."

Bazavilvazo, eight years older than Martinez, knew of her brother's fandom. He was a pretty good player, too. The Minnesota Twins drafted him in the 36th round in 2006, and if he had signed, he probably would've celebrated his birthday on the road with a rookie league team in Florida. Instead, he decided to honor his scholarship to Nova Southeastern, a Division II program in Fort Lauderdale.

Back then, Red Sox tickets were hard to come by -- and Red Sox-Yankees tickets were downright impossible. The Red Sox snapped an 86-year championship drought by winning the World Series two years earlier and were in the midst of an 820-game sellout streak.

Bazavilvazo had already purchased weekend Red Sox-Yankees tickets online when Victor Lowell mentioned his brother wasn't planning on using his seats for the Monday matinee finale of that series. Lowell need not say anything more. Bazavilvazo bought plane tickets and whisked her baseball-loving brother to Boston to see not one but two games.

"I didn't even know Mike Lowell," Martinez said with a laugh. "I mean, I knew him, but I didn't know him personally. I’m waiting to see him so I can tell him."

The seats for the Monday game on Aug. 21 -- Martinez's actual birthday -- were sweet: section 21 in the grandstand, just to the left of home plate. But before Martinez even walked through the turnstiles, he could tell there was something unique about Fenway Park.

"I remember I was like, 'There's events going on outside the stadium before you walk in? What the heck?' " he said, referring to the sausage stands and souvenir shops that fill the neighborhood streets around the ballpark. "It was totally different. I was like, 'These people are nuts up here. I love it.' "

The Yankees won, 2-1, to complete a five-game sweep. For the record, Lowell went 0-for-3, Ortiz 1-for-3 with a walk, and Wily Mo Pena homered. Ramirez left the game with cramping in his right hamstring. Batting ninth and playing for the Red Sox: Alex Cora, now Martinez's manager.

But it was something else entirely that stayed with Martinez all these years.

"Kettle corn. That's what I remember most," he said. "The kettle corn behind right field, they would stir it with a bat. I was like, 'What the heck is going on?' "

Said Bazavilvazo: "I bet he's looking forward to having that kettle corn again."

Martinez has been back to Fenway several times over the years. He went 2-for-4 with a double in his Fenway debut on May 18, 2014, with the . In seven career games there, he's 12-for-39 (.444) with two doubles and two walks.

As one of the top sluggers in baseball over the past four years -- and now, one of the highest-paid , too -- Martinez can share a laugh with Pedro Martinez about the jersey that once hung in his closet. And he's eager to see Lowell, a close friend of Cora's who came to Red Sox camp as a guest instructor only a few days before Martinez signed his five-year contract, and thank him in person for those tickets.

Mostly, though, Martinez says he's ready to match the passion of the fans he met outside Fenway Park on that summer day in 2006.

Seeing the Sox play at Fenway made an impression on Martinez that has lasted more than a decade. "This is what baseball is about." Courtesy of Mayra Bazavilvazo Baseball is different in Boston. It's not for everyone, as big-ticket free-agent busts and Pablo Sandoval can attest. Bazavilvazo can vouch for that, too. As a student, she lived in the city's South End and remembers Victor Lowell occasionally being bothered by critics "talking crap" about his brother.

"That's unfortunately part of it, but the pluses, there's no fans in baseball like it," said Bazavilvazo, who owns a dental practice in Newport Beach, California. "When he signed, basically I told him, 'You're not in Kansas anymore,' because it's a whole new ballgame, no pun intended."

And after seeing it from the perspective of the fans in the seats, Martinez insists he's ready for it.

"I grew up in Miami watching baseball down there, so you could see it from one extreme to the next," Martinez said. "It was like, 'Well, this is what baseball is about.' "

* WEEI.com

Brian Johnson: 'It just kind of feels like the stars are aligning'

Rob Bradford

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Brian Johnson dominated a group primarily made up of Single-A hitters Tuesday on Field 2 at , striking out 10 of the 17 batters he faced (8 swinging). But that wasn't the biggest takeaway from the lefty's day. It's what he said moments after the tune-up that truly stood out.

"It’s always a running joke even with my buddies at home that if anything bad is going to happen, it’s going to happen to me. I think Dane Cook actually did a thing on ‘Bad Luck Brian’ or something. It’s along those lines. It just kind of feels like the stars are aligning," said the lefty hurler. "I’m excited. Baseball is fun. That’s the biggest thing. At one point in time, it wasn’t fun. It was a drag coming to the field. I’m excited to come to the field every day."

The days of baseball not being fun for Johnson have been well-documented.

He was hit in the face with a baseball in his first year of pro ball. He has battled elbow issues. There was a car-jacking. And, of course, the months missed due to anxiety issues in 2016.

Now, with just more than two months left in spring training, Johnson has found that light at the end of the tunnel. He is seemingly on the verge of making the Red Sox' Opening Day roster as a member of the team's starting rotation.

"I would say, you never want to just assume, but I’m definitely mentally preparing for that," said Johnson of getting a spot on the initial 25-man roster. "But I was preparing for that last year. You always want to have goals. Every spring your goal is to strive to be who you want to be. In that sense, it’s the rotation. So, yeah, I would say I don’t want to assume I’m in the rotation, but my goal is to make the rotation."

Even though it was against inexperienced opponents, Tuesday did nothing to derail his goals. With the status of Drew Pomeranz, Steven Wright and Eduardo Rodriguez still in doubt due to their own respective health concerns, Johnson would seem to have a pretty good chance at perhaps even making a start in the initial series against the Rays 155 miles from his hometown. ("Having that opportunity, I assume a lot of my friends and family would be there. It would mean a lot," he said.)

Armed with the confidence of some major league success last season, and a few key slight adjustments, Johnson has been offering the appearance of a confident major league starter throughout camp. The performance, along with his contract situation (he is out of options), is making it sure seem like the 27- year-old's luck is about to change.

"You see the writing on the wall," he said. "Obviously, the no-options thing matters. But you know, with a couple guys being down, you know you kind of sense it – this is the time to kind of seize the opportunity. You kind of see that. that’s the biggest thing for me."

These Red Sox need some questions answered

Rob Bradford

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Red Sox are going to be a good team. A strong case could be made they are going to be even better than the Yankees. But there is some cleaning up to do before March 29.

Consider Tuesday the calm before the storm. The Red Sox had an off day. When they come back Wednesday there will be 15 days before the games count for real, and that is what we call crunch time. The coaching staff knows it. The front office knows it. It's why watching the sloppiness in Dunedin -- albeit with a roster made up of a lot of back-ups -- should have offered another layer of discomfort.

They potentially have the top-of-the-rotation pitchers needed to immediately be in the postseason conversation. Their lineup, with the addition of J.D. Martinez, has the potential to be as deep as any in the American League. And a bullpen that helped navigate more extra-inning wins in baseball a season ago figures to only get better with the addition of Carson Smith and Tyler Thornburg.

That doesn't mean as we sit here there aren't potential warts.

Watching virtually each and every one of these exhibition games, here are some concerns that are hovering over the Red Sox:

1. INFIELD DEFENSE

Alex Cora admitted this issue prior to Monday's game, and then proceeded to watch his starting third baseman, Rafael Devers, mishandle a very manageable high-hopper just to his left.

Devers' inconsistency isn't due to lack of effort. He can be found prior to team workouts in the back fields with Carlos Febles and others getting reps in. But he has to take a jump forward in the coming weeks. Part of the equation is simply gaining confidence, while another piece has to be a continued vigilance with his conditioning.

The evolution of Devers might be easier to take if there wasn't another member of the infield who could potentially require a late-inning defensive replacement. Right now, that other guy would be Eduardo Nunez. Nunez's range was never going to be close to that of Dustin Pedroia, but early returns suggest his return from a knee ailment might be making the difference even more noticeable.

And we aren't even talking about the likes of Xander Bogaerts getting used to his new shift responsibilities (which has, at times, been awkward), or Hanley Ramirez trying to find his defensive form of two years ago. Deciphering what they can do here has to be the top priority heading towards the opener at Tropicana Field.

2. BASERUNNING

We can talk about the 81 guys getting thrown out last year, but so far there's a bunch who are getting whacked down in Florida, as well. And this time the problem hasn't been in relation to aggressiveness, but just carelessness. Getting caught in -downs. Getting picked off. That sort of thing. The first part of spring training should be a wake-up call in this respect because no matter the altered philosophy, the baserunning has to be better.

3. ROUNDING OUT THE ROTATION

This is potentially a short-term issue, or one that could bite the Red Sox later in the season.

With the physical uncertainties of Drew Pomeranz, Eduardo Rodriguez and Steven Wright, the Sox could very well enter the season with the likes of Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez as members of their rotation. Johnson has been for the most part pretty good. Velazquez? He simply didn't look like a major league starter Monday.

While it would seem that the Red Sox might be able manage without having to rely on Velazquez heavily in the first few weeks, the whole dynamic raises the issue of organizational starting depth. Johnson is out of options, so he would be perceived as the guy first in line. But after that? For me, Justin Haley -- who was very good in his three innings Monday, and held a 2.60 ERA in seven starts with -A Pawtucket last season -- should leap-frog Velazquez.

After that, well, let's say it's going to be a work in progress.

4. THE OUT-OF-OPTIONS GUYS

Blake Swihart. Deven Marrero. Johnson. All can be fits on the 25-man roster. All would certainly not pass through waivers if designated for assignment. But all can't be considered slam dunks for roster spots.

Swihart has shown to be a legitimate major league hitter, who can legitimately play both catcher and first base, and maybe some outfield. He is actually quick enough that pinch-running isn't out of the question, as well. But the problem is that the positions Swihart would be most valuable at are already deep on this roster. Perhaps he could integrate himself into another infield spot, but then you're using a spot that you might need for an established defensive solution at second base, shortstop or third base.

Marrero has been Marrero. Great fielder. Offensively, a question mark. There has been an adjustment to his approach -- standing upright instead of leaning over -- and perhaps that will pay dividends as the season progresses. But the bat still isn't at the level of, say, a Brock Holt. Here's the thing: The Red Sox might need a defensive-first guy more than ever thanks to the aforementioned infield question marks. That's where Marrero might find his opportunity, perhaps getting the nod over Tzu-Wei Lin simply due to roster flexibility.

And what should we make of Johnson's existence after his eventual rotation run comes to an end? Will they identify him as the lone lefty in the bullpen. That might work. But the problem is that there isn't really anything to draw on when it comes to how he might adapt to such a role.

5. WHICH RELIEVERS ARE GOING TO GET LEFTY HITTERS OUT?

Roenis Elias had a golden opportunity Monday. Coming off an excellent outing Friday, the lefty cruised through his first two batters with a new side-winding approach against lefty hitters. Then, after putting a runner on, he got the chance to show the ability to get out an established major league left-handed hitter in Curtis Granderson in a tight spot. He walked him. The inconsistency of Elias continued.

Robby Scott has faced similar fates, looking great at times only to not quite get the job done.

Mention Bobby Poyner's name, on the other hand, and the coaching staff and front office will be quick to sing his praises. So much so that if the Red Sox were to prioritize taking a lefty (other than Johnson) in the bullpen, it would be the guy who hasn't pitched above Double-A.

Perhaps they do go without a lefty, with all three of the southpaw candidates (again, not including Johnson) having the ability to be sent to the minors. But the problem with that is that other than Craig Kimbrel, none of the righties are really known to be weapons vs. lefty hitters, with the possible exception of Smith. It's always a nice option to have.

Maybe I'm being picky, maybe not. But I do know that finding these answers should be weighing heavily on the minds of this organization's decision-makers in the next two weeks.

* The Boston Sports Journal

Xander Bogaerts undergoing a makeover at plate and in the field

Sean McAdam

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Not since the late 1990s, when , , and were all about to enter the prime of their respective careers, has baseball boasted so many terrific young .

From Francisco Lindor to Carlos Correa to Corey Seager, the position rests in good, talented hands.

It’s easy to forget, too, that not so long ago, Xander Bogaerts seemed poised to be part of that elite group. Before he turned 24, he had twice won Silver Sluggers, emblematic of being the best offensive player at his position. He hit .320 in 2015 and in 2016, posted an .802 OPS and was chosen to start in the All-Star Game.

Then, 2017 happened. Bogaerts saw his numbers decline in virtually every offensive category. His homers dropped by more than half, while in the field, his errors increased.

This spring, Bogaerts is undergoing something of a makeover. Infield instructor Carlos Febles and quality control coach Ramon Vazquez have worked intently on his defensive game, and new hitting instructor Tim Hyers has tweaked his stance some and gotten him to make some adjustments at the plate aimed at unlocking some untapped power.

His new manager, Alex Cora, a shortstop by trade once himself, believes Bogaerts hasn’t come close to tapping his potential.

“He can put himself in position to be up there with the elite shortstops,’’ said Cora. “Xander Bogaerts is one of the best shortstops in the league.’’

“I think I was up there, before last year,’’ said Bogaerts. “Last year was a step backward and I’m looking forward to turning that around and having a good year again. I know what happened, I know what went down, I know the reason (for the decline). I should have a little confidence going into this year; it’s not something I can’t do (to be regarded with the best).’’

But first, there is work to be done. ______

Bogaerts’ 2017 season was going well enough halfway through when disaster struck on July 6 at Tropicana Field. Bogaerts got drilled in the right hand by a pitch from Tampa Bay’s Jacob Faria. He left the game immediately, but remarkably, returned to the lineup two days later.

The hand, however, hindered him greatly. Before being struck by the pitch, Bogaerts had a slash line of .308/.363/.455. But thereafter, his numbers cratered. Over the next 50 games, he batted just .197 with two homers and a paltry .563 OPS.

In retrospect, it’s easy to understand why.

“My hand wasn’t right,’’ Bogaerts said. “I tried to force it; I shouldn’t have done it. Once I got hit, I knew I wasn’t going to hit home runs. I had to adjust. I had to be a little more patient, try to hit the ball on the ground and beat some balls out because that’s the only way I could survive.’’

Bogaerts thought he was doing the right thing by trying to play through the injury. He now knows better.

“I would say I would not do it again’’ he said, “after the pain and dealing with the pain and playing in a big league game, I would not do that again. I would not. I would make sure I got healthy again because there wasn’t a lot I could do. I was hitting with one hand – take (the right) hand off the bat and try to hit with one hand. If there was contact with the ball with that hand on the bat, it was not good at all. You really can’t do much with one hand in the big leagues.’’

Along the way, Bogaerts fell into some bad habits mechanically and adopted a far too passive approach. No Red Sox hitter swung at fewer first pitches than Bogaerts, and that lack of aggressiveness hurt him. Hyers has tinkered with his stance and also impressed upon Bogaerts the importance of being ready to attack good pitches early in the count.

“I’m just trying to stay through the ball,’’ said Bogaerts, “and not cut the ball. Just try to stay through the ball with a lot of backspin, get it up in the air, line drives. (The goal is) not reaching out too much. Stay up, have good posture, be more upright in the box so I can recognize (pitches) better.’’

“I’m just trying to get his legs back underneath him,’’ explained Hyers, “so he’s more grounded and get his posture up so he can work behind the ball. He’s driving the ball more. I think he chased sliders away last year, trying to do too much. You never know how injuries can force you into some bad habits.

“If you don’t feel like you can get your swing off, that holds you back. It can cause you to fall back and try to ‘keyhole’ pitches. In the past, his lane and path was much bigger.’’ ______

Offense is only part of the renovation taking place this spring. Bogaerts committed 17 errors last year, and according to Cora, was guilty of some “lazy’’ throws at times. As such, Bogaerts is working on improving his decisions, take better angles to balls and cut down on the mental mistakes.

“I’m focused on reading balls better ‘ said Bogaerts. “Last year, I made a lot of errors on in-between hops. The other day, I had one against Tampa. But you just try to get the best hop possible and then try to make a good throw over there. Taking care of the ball is so important.’’

“I’ve got to get better. Every year, you’ve got to get better. I’m at a point now where I want to be one of the best, so you’ve got to really try to minimize mistakes. Last year, I made a lot of stupid errors. Balls I should not have thrown, where the guy was going to be already safe and I threw it and the ball went in the dugout and he takes second base.’’

Bogaerts shakes his head at the memory of some throwing errors that were entirely preventable.

“Stupid, stupid stuff,’’ he said. “By this time, I should learn about the stupid stuff and not do it as often. It kills me. I hate it. I knew a lot of them (were like that) and I’d be like, ‘Damn, why did you do that?’ You wish you could rewind the game and not do it again. But that’s how the game is – you’ve got to make the plate then, or you get charged with an . At this point, I’m trying to be more conscious and not do stupid stuff like that.’’

Bogaerts doesn’t possess great range and defensive metrics may never rank him among the best at his position. But he can cut down on mistakes and be a more reliable infielder.

‘We’re trying,’’ said Vazquez, “to get him more square before he makes his throws and try to stay away from making those errors on routine plays. Basically, we’re trying to clean everything up so he can execute the routine plays every time. Middle infielders usually have good hands and on routine plays, they can get a little lazy – they drop down a little and all of a sudden, the ball sails more than you expect. Things like that.

“It’s all about his footwork. All those hops in between sometimes you get to a spot and you get lazy and wait on a ball rather than keeping your feet moving. Never think a play is going to be too easy. We want that mindset with him.’’ ______

If Bogaerts can incorporate the changes in the field and at the plate, there’s more potential to tap.

“I see him as an all-around hitter,’’ said Cora. “Xander’s a guy that can hit for average, can get on base, can hit the ball in the gap and can hit the ball out of the ballpark. He’s a good hitter. I’ll remind him that he’s good.’’

Bogaerts, without appearing immodest, seems to understand that instinctively.

“I know when I’m healthy, what I can do,’’ he said with a hint of determination. “ It’s a new year. Last year’s over with. This is a new year.’’