It feels like the Red Sox should name something inside or outside of Fenway Park after Rich Hill at this point…
Let’s look at it another way: Rich Hill now has double the number of stints with the Red Sox than the team has World Series titles in the same timeframe since a then 30-year-old Hill first joined Boston for the 2010 season.
Now, a nearly 44 1/2-year-old Hill is reportedly set to join the Sox for the fourth time in his career — this time on a minor league deal. Hill most recently pitched here in 2022 and also in 2015 after spending parts of three consecutive seasons here from 2010-12.
Clearly, the Red Sox love themselves some Rich Hill. Why exactly so much love for a pitcher who owns a career ERA of 4.01 and posted a 4.27 ERA in his most recent go-around with Boston two years ago?
Well, it’s comes back to an old Belichickian mindset: the best “ability” is “availability.” Another version of that Bill Belichick mantra that he was actually quoted as saying is “dependability is more important than ability.”
Hill is indeed “available.” But will he be “dependable?”
Nevertheless, here we are, and a pitcher approaching 45 years of age is riding in on a white horse to save the day in the wake of previous aging franchise savior James Paxton’s likely season-ending calf injury.
I don’t remember Hill pulling a Tom Brady and promising to play until he’s 45. But, again… here we are.
The re-re-re-re-signing of Hill is, of course, nothing short of a move made in total desperation.
None of this is intended to be a knock on Rich Hill the person, who is about as cordial and professional an individual — not to mention a bonafide competitor — as you’ll come across in all of sports.
But, as I like to say, the facts are the facts. This is a 45-year-old pitcher we’re talking about here — and one who hasn’t pitched in the majors this year. If it was unwise for the Red Sox to hitch their hopes to a 35-year-old pitcher, how much more unlikely is it that a pitcher a full ten years Paxton’s senior is going to produce a favorable result?
While it is only a minor league deal, I would be more surprised than not if Hill didn’t find his way onto the big league roster given the injury to Paxton coupled with the inconsistencies of the pitching staff at large.
Hill is certainly another (we assume healthy?) needed body, and one with the knowledge of a seasoned pro. Perhaps his veteran savvy will account for something and allow him to have some sort of an edge against the competition? There’s also the fact that he’s signing in late August and can empty the tank for a one- to two-month run.
Could the Sox catch lightning in a bottle here? It’s possible. I also said it was possible with Paxton, too. So, let’s file this one under “possible,” but not “probable.”
It’s a straight up “Hail Mary” by Craig Breslow, Sam Kennedy and Co. — and it feels like it has as much a chance of working as one tossed by Mac Jones to Devante Parker…
Triston’s back
Triston Casas’ injury and rehab saga was anything but “uneventful” — as you’d generally hope the process would be.
There were wildly varying timetables from three to nine weeks — it took nearly 17 weeks, as it turns out. There was the addition of the term “dry swings” to our baseball vernacular. And there was a curiously drawn-out rehab stint that had even Casas’ manager openly opining why his promising young first baseman wasn’t back yet.
On Friday night, the moment we had all been waiting for finally arrived.
Casas played in his first major league game in nearly four months in Baltimore, batting third and going 1 for 5 with a pair of strikeouts. Fortunately, the Sox didn’t need their former star prospect to contribute much in what turned out to be a wild 12-10 win…
But Alex Cora had no problem putting him smack dab in the middle of the order, and on Saturday said the 24-year-old lefty is no longer on the trainer’s report and will be a full go moving forward.
Two days prior, I watched in person as Casas appeared in his final rehab game with Triple-A Worcester. He left no doubt to anyone watching that he was at least physically ready, launching a big two-run homer off Lehigh Valley’s Kolby Allard and playing a solid first base — even being forced to go into a full split after an errant Bobby Dalbec throw from third.
“After (that) at-bat, something just popped in my head and told me I was ready to go,” Casas told reporters pregame. “Nothing more than that. Literally in the middle of the game, I told the trainers I’d be OK if this was my last (rehab) game.”
For Casas, the primary focus was getting back to a point of comfort with his swing.
“It’s good enough to come out and play a hundred percent,” Casas said. “My bat speed numbers are back to what they were before. That was what I was worried about the most is whipping the bat around at major league speeds, and I’m right back to it.”
Interestingly, Casas indicated that he did not wait until he was pain-free before making his return to the majors.
“You know, the pain is what it is,” he said. “It’s not going to bother me from playing the game that I need to.”
The timing on that comment is interesting, given that not a few weeks ago he described the pain he was still feeling as being like “someone is stabbing me in the ribs with a knife.” That’s quite the jump in only about two weeks’ time…
Did Cora’s frustrated comments or a perhaps a prod from within the organization get to Casas? Was Casas taking his sweet time after the team didn’t go out of its way to reward him with a preseason contract extension as it did for Brayan Bello and Ceddanne Rafaela? Or did Casas simply experience significant healing in that timeframe?
We don’t know for sure, and we likely won’t know during this juncture of the season. The whole experience was different, which I suppose is par for the course with Casas. He’s admittedly different, and he’s OK with it…
First impressions
Now, on to the real reason I was in Worcester this week…
The Triple-A promotions of top Red Sox prospects Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel made for an exciting week and led to a fun impromptu trip to Polar Park.
(As I said to a PR official and another colleague while I was there, I will always have a special place in my heart for McCoy Stadium and Pawtucket… but man, Polar truly is the quintessential modern-day minor league park).
I already broke down my thoughts on the “Big Three” introductory press conference and their approaches to pressure. But after the words were said and the cameras were turned off, it was time to go play baseball.
Anthony and Teel made their Worcester debuts right away on Tuesday night against Lehigh Valley, while Mayer has yet to debut with the WooSox as he recovers from lower back inflammation.
We’ll save judgment for Mayer until he, you know, actually plays a Triple-A Game. But it’s officially fair game to dive into the performances of Anthony and Teel, who now have five and four games apiece under their belts respectively.
Anthony began his Triple-A career with a bang, going 3 for 4 with four total bases, including a double in his first at-bat. Unfortunately, Anthony hasn’t had much success since — actually, any — while going 0 for his last 15 as of Saturday night.
Teel went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his Tuesday debut and has just one hit in 13 Triple-A at-bats.
None of this should be surprising: it’s the next level and they’re facing a lot of “Four-A” caliber players who are often back and forth between major league roster. It’s going to take a little time to adjust.
So save for judging them by the numbers, let’s put the old “gut feel” element into play. My take? Both Anthony and Teel look like they have bats that seem pretty closer to major league ready, and Anthony’s ahead of Teel.
I really liked Anthony’s aggression, as right out of the chute, he pushed a hit that most would probably settle for a single on and turned it into a double. He’s definitely a guy with a lot of tools in his arsenal. He played a crisp center field when I watched, even sliding to make a nice play in the early stages.
Teel looked comfortable behind the plate, as well. Watching him in the battery with Shane Drohan — who, by the way, clearly has power stuff, but command is clearly a big issue for — he looked like he had the poise of a major league catcher.
Given the chance to throw out his first runner, Teel’s throw down to second base wasn’t quite in time — but his pop time and throw strength appeared just fine to my eye. With the catcher position being what it is across the board in the majors these days, I think Teel would fit in fine sooner rather than later in a platoon with a right-handed hitting Connor Wong.
All in all, I was encouraged by what I saw and experienced in both skill and poise from Anthony and Teel.
The future, indeed, appears bright…
Duran thoughts
In the time since I last jotted down my thoughts in this Sunday space, Jarren Duran had himself quite the week.
And not in a good way.
Duran’s use of a homophobic slur directed at a fan at Fenway Park in a hot mic moment has been well-documented, so there’s no need to relive the play-by-play.
After being handed a two-game suspension by the Red Sox, Duran met with reporters and issued his second apology after initially issuing one through the team the day before.
I was asked for my thoughts on the situation during this week’s BSJ Live Q&A, and here they are: Obviously, what Duran said was unacceptable. His words were hurtful, ignorant, and just plain dumb. He was punished, and rightly so.
Duran has since served his penalty in the form of a two-game suspension — with his salary from those games being donated to the LGBTQ+ cause — and is now back with the team. He played a prominent role in Friday’s high-scoring win, finishing 3 for 5 with a double and a solo homer that would hold up as the winning run.
Whether or not one believes his apology is up to each individual, but he’s served his punishment and has moved on. The same goes for whether or not you feel his punishment was severe enough — and whether or not you are able to move past on a personal level.
Factually speaking, the situation is now in the past, and all he and the team can do is move forward.
What is yet to be determined is if Duran, who has struggled with thin skin when it comes to jeers from fans, will cross the line again. His prior actions suggest that that is indeed a realistic possibility.
And furthermore, how this will impact Duran’s reputation throughout the game remains to be determined as well. It’s entirely possible the teams now look at Duran and his history of confrontational behavior and language and decide that he’s not a player worth building around — and that may very well include the Red Sox.
All of those factors remain in play, but they aren’t things we’ll know the answer to today, tomorrow, next week or before the end of the season.
That’s why, for now, all we can do is move ahead.
Jimmy does it again
Let’s end things on a positive note, shall we?
The annual WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon took place this last week, and the collective generosity of the region remains worth of celebration. The event raised nearly $4 million — $3,905,029, to be precise — this year.
Baseball is important to a lot of us. It’s obviously important to you, because you’re here reading this column. And it’s obviously important to me, because I’m here writing this column and have devoted my entire professional life to covering it.
But there are things that are just bigger than baseball, bigger than sports, and this is, of course, one of them. To be able to combine baseball with a cause so worthy as this each and every year is always heart-warming.
It is, without question, the most impactful off-field event that the Boston Red Sox, WEEI, NESN, et. al take part in each and every year.
I’ve always thought it would be nice to see 98.5 The Sports Hub join in on a day or two of the action. How powerful would it be to see programs like Toucher & Hardy and The Greg Hill Show, Felger & Mazz and Jones & Mego with Arcand coming together on the same airwaves to support a cause that’s bigger than ratings, bigger than sports?
I have no doubt that The Sports Hub donates to the Jimmy Fund and supports plenty of charitable causes in their own right. I’m truly not questioning their dedication to their community. But I’ve always thought that would be a cool idea to come together and send a message to the community at large about what matters.
It was truly a week worth celebrating — and it always will be.
Gethin Coolbaugh is a columnist for Boston Sports Journal. Follow him @GethinCoolbaugh on X/Twitter.