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They were supposed to have one of the most dangerous lineups in the game.Two-time batting champion Nomar Garciaparra. Switch-hitting Carl Everett. And Manny Ramirez, the savior of a franchise. The Big Three appeared in exactly 14 games together. How about Manny and Nomar? 16 games. Did Manny, Nomar, Carl and Pedro ever play in the same game this season? No, not one game.
Here's how Derek Lowe summed up a miserable 2001 season:
"Every team has its disputes. Some of ours were blown out of proportion but we did some crazy things. Too crazy. Camaraderie in baseball is very important. If you don't have it up to the level of other teams, it's going to be tough. When you have distractions, it makes for a long year. A lot of guys have been getting ready for the end of the year for some time now."
Best Pitcher: Hideo Nomo. Aptly nicknamed The Tornado, Nomo kicked off his Red Sox career in style, throwing a no-no at Baltimore on April 4. The 33-year-old right-hander led the team with 13 wins, two complete games, two shutouts, 198 innings pitched and an AL-best 220 strikeouts. Nomo edged Roger Clemens and Mike Mussina to keep the strikeout title in the family; Pedro won it the previous two years. A lousy September (1-4, 6.59) left a blemish on his record. The workhorse of the staff becomes a free agent and could fall out of Boston's price range.
Best Position Player: Jose Offerman, without a doubt. He's a five-tool guy. Just kidding! Here's our Man: Manny Ramirez. Manny did what the Sox asked him to do: hit the ball hard and drive in runs. Ramirez hit .306 with 41 homers and had 125 RBI without much protection. Yes, Manny's numbers plummeted in the second half (.259, 15, 41), but all things considered he had quite a remarkable season under
trying circumstances. Ramirez's hamstring limited him to 55 games in the field (all in left); he didn't make an error and had one assist. Trot Nixon, who took over for Carl Everett in center, probably is the best "true" position player, but Ramirez's knack from driving in runs makes him the man.
Grading the Manager(s): Joe Kerrigan vs. Jimy Williams. We'll miss choice quotes like "Manager's Decision" from Williams. The Red Sox under Williams (65-53) were in contention. Even minus Pedro Martinez and Nomar Garciaparra, they still had a shot at the Yankees. But GM Dan Duquette finally got Williams with his "General Manager's Decision," firing Williams on Aug. 16. In a decision that may very well end his run in Boston, Duquette rolled the dice and tabbed pitching coach Joe Kerrigan (17-26), who had no experience at any level as a manager, to replace Williams. Kerrigan soon discovered the same problems that plagued Williams: too many injuries, too many high-priced vets and too many egos in the majors' smallest clubhouse. While Williams will be remembered as the glue that held this mess together, Kerrigan will be remembered as the pitching coach/manager who lost 13 of 14 games from Aug. 25 to Sept. 9, effectively ending a once promising season in short order. Grades: Williams, B-; Kerrigan, D-. Because Kerrigan inherited a team on the verge of collapse, we couldn't label him a complete failure. But he certainly made a compelling case.
Most Improved: Trotman (Trot) Christopher Nixon. The 27-year-old outfielder,
who ripped his teammates for giving up in September, hit career highs in
virtually every offensive category. In 148 games, Nixon was second only to
Ramirez in homers (27) and RBI (88). Nixon led the team with 100 runs and had a .376 on-base percentage, batting mostly in the top three spots in the order. Kerrigan, if he's around next year, might make Nixon a captain -- something the Sox could use.
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Most SB allowed (majors)
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1. Red Sox
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223
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2. Orioles
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157
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3. Yankees
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146
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Biggest Weakness:
Base stealers. The Sox couldn't hold them, and they couldn't run either. Boston allowed a major-league worst 223 stolen bases this year. Sox runners had an AL-low 46 steals. Nomo (52 steals), Tim Wakefield (32) and Frank Castillo (27) were among the top five offenders in the league in stolen bases allowed. Catcher Scott Hatteberg threw out only 12 of 127 runners (9.4%).
Gaining Momentum: He appeared in only 13 games, but Casey Fossum might be a key contributor next year. The lean left-hander with a lively, 90-plus mph fastball and sharp curve could be used as a starter or reliever. The
23-year-old Fossum went 3-2 with a 4.87 ERA, making seven starts. He ended
the season on a sour note, though, getting shelled by the Rays.
Kicked off The Island: The Sox should buy out the contracts of Mike Lansing ($6 million salary/$1.25 million buyout), Troy O'Leary ($5.35M/$300,000) and John Valentin ($6.4M/$600,000). Say goodbye to free agents Rod Beck (Tommy John elbow), Dante Bichette and Darren Lewis. Anyone want
Offerman or Everett? Offerman somehow thinks he deserves to play every day and Everett, well, who knows what he wants. Jurassic Carl had support from Duquette until he went ballistic on Kerrigan.
Marty Bernoski is an associate editor at ESPN.com.
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