990WBOB
  • WBOB Radio
  • Crush Cancer
  • Past Casts
  • Weather
  • Contact
  • About
    • WBOB Press Releases
    • Join Our Team!
    • CHARITY GALA

Sox vs. Yankees: The Rivalry Re-Sparked

8/11/2017

Comments

 
Picture
A lot of people say the rivalry is dead. It’s not the same as it used to be. The two teams haven’t been going down each others throats as often lately.

In 2017, both teams are playing strong baseball. As of writing this, the Boston Red Sox hold a three game lead over the New York Yankees in the American League East, with the Yankees holding a two game lead for the first wild card spot. Is the rivalry back?

Both of these teams have relatively new looks, even from just a couple of seasons ago. Chris Sale has been the sure fire Cy Young winner to date, and Yankees rookie Aaron Judge has been the rookie of the year. Mookie Betts is a perennial All-Star, while Gary Sanchez is one of the most exciting offensive catchers the game has to offer. With a series ahead this coming weekend, one has to wonder.

​Who has the edge?


Catcher: Vazquez / Leon vs. Sanchez:

For a catcher to hit .280 through 66 games is impressive. Usually catchers are mostly in the lineup for the defense, but Christian Vazquez is having a fine season as the primary Red Sox catcher. But he’s not doing what Gary Sanchez is doing. Gary is providing his team with runs. So far, he has seventeen home runs on the season, third amongst all catchers in the majors. But the catchers in front of him have played in twenty-two more games. Sanchez is the best power hitting catcher the game has to offer.

Edge: Yankees

Infield: Moreland, Pedroia*, Devers, Nunez, Bogaerts vs. Carter, Castro*, Frazier, Headley, Torreyes, Gregorious:

Chris Carter is only even on the Yankees because of injuries. It’d be an insult to any major league regular to say he is better. Moreland is no exception. He gets on base well above Carter’s rate, and doesn’t strike out nearly as often despite leading the Red Sox in strikeouts. Each team is currently without their all-star caliber second basemen. Todd Frazier hasn’t been a star at the hot corner, while Devers has wowed the masses in his limited time in the majors. Bogaerts is hitting a very respectable .280, but Didi is blowing that season out of the water. Nunez has been playing top notch baseball this season, while Headley has caused the Yanks to make trades to try replacing him. There is a lot of talent in both of these infields, but one team has the edge.

Edge: Red Sox

Outfield: Betts, Benintendi, Bradley vs. Judge, Ellsbury, Gardiner, Frazier


The win, dance, repeat crew offers a lot to be excited about. The three youngsters are three guys all capable of playing center field. We don’t really analyze defense, but defensively you could make the case that they have the best outfield in the game. On the offensive side of the ball, they have a lot of potential. JBJ isn’t a superstar with the bat, but Mookie provides some of the best at bats in the big leagues. Benintendi hasn’t been great, but the potential is there.

It means a lot more though when a young player taps into that potential. Aaron Judge has been amazing, taking the nation’s largest city by storm. It might partially be due to a short porch, but Gardiner is having a tremendous year with nineteen homers. Jacoby has turned into somewhat of a scrub since his days in Boston, however, I am a big fan of Clint Frazier’s. I think when all is said and done he can be a very special player. He swings his bat so quickly. If Betts was hitting the way he was in the first half, if Benintendi was hitting like the rookie of the year he was expected to be, there might be a conversation here.

Edge: Yankees

Starting Pitchers: Sale, Price*, Porcello, Rodriguez, Pomeranz, Fister vs. Tanaka, Severino, Gray, Garcia, Montegomery, Sabathia

The Red Sox rotation is really strong. When you have enough rotation depth to consider not including last year’s Cy Young winner in Rick Porcello in your four-man postseason rotation, that says a lot. Chris Sale’s stat line causes me to drop my jaw almost every time he takes the mound. Strikeout after strikeout is recorded, and he doesn’t give up a ton of runs. Since that incident with Farrell, Pomeranz has been really good, I have a lot of faith in Rodriguez to put together solid numbers if he’s healthy. David Price was a very reliable pitcher before returning to the disabled list.

Tanaka hasn’t been overly impressive this year. The only thing that has been entertaining about watching Tanaka has been reading Mike Parente’s twitter roasting Tanaka after every start. Severino has more than made up for him though. His ERA currently rests below three runs per game, finally living up to that top prospect hype. Sonny Gray is a welcomed addition to the team, bringing his ERA down two full runs from last season before being traded to the Bronx. Combined, these teams would be able to put up one of the best rotations in the game. They are two separate pitching staffs though, and I think one is better.

Edge: Red Sox

Bullpen: Kimbrel, Kelly, Reed, Barnes vs. Chapman, Betances, Robertson, Warren

If we were to name the top relief pitchers in all of baseball, Kimbrel and Chapman both would appear near the top of the list, Two elite guys who for the most part know how to get batters out. How fast does Chapman throw? Yeah. Joe Kelly has been a star this season, and Betances has been a reliable bullpen arm for a while now. The Yankees have three arms capable of closing games. I do think Betances gets too much heat for his poor performances, and I think the Red Sox bullpen is a lot better than it gets credit for. But one of these pens is a little stronger.

Edge: Yankees

Overall, I think each of these teams are phenomenal. Both of them have a chance to contend for the world series not just for this season, but for the next few. They each have a strong core of you
ng players, who should re-spark the rivalry into one that will once again become the best in all of sports. As for my opinion of who is better?

You’ll have to tune into Psycho Sports Mondays at 6:30 to find out!


Read More 990WBOB

  • Being on the Right Side of History is Not a Part Time Gig
  • Liquid Lunch: The Taste of Bright
  • 8 Stupid Things I Believed as a Libertarian
Comments

    WBOB
    Original
    ​Reads

    Picture

    Unbiased, Unfiltered. WBOB's Original Reads feature our brightest and boldest personalities, offering their two-cents on the goings on of news, sports, politics, entertainment, and business. -- Are our opinions always PC? Nope. Are they always perfect? Nah. But, are they always 100% authentic? Absolutely!


    LISTEN
    ​TO WBOB ORIGINAL PODCASTS

    Picture
    Listen to
    ​Past BOBCasts

    WBOB 
    Best Reads
    Brought To You By
    TripAdvisor.com

    Picture

    Celebrating David Clyde: A Wild Passionate Friend To All


    Picture

    Search 
    The Archives


    Reads From Our Friends

    Picture

    The Best Game Development Tools: How to Make Your Own Game


    Contact Us
    [email protected]


    Archives

    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

Search For Your Favorite WBOB Author,
​or BobCast

990WBOB 
An Independent Media Outlet.

The views opinions and thoughts expressed do not  reflect those of 990WBOB, its management or its staff. All Rights Reserved 990WBOB.com 2007-2020
​
Contact WBOB HERE
Photo from nzhamstar
  • WBOB Radio
  • Crush Cancer
  • Past Casts
  • Weather
  • Contact
  • About
    • WBOB Press Releases
    • Join Our Team!
    • CHARITY GALA