Andrew Miller (AP)

With the 30-day window for his minor league rehab assignment coming to a close, Red Sox management faced a critical decision regarding Andrew Miller — whether to call up the 26-year-old left-hander or, if not, to either expose him to waivers (where he could have been claimed by another team) or explore his trade value. Ultimately, that dilemma became less difficult when right-hander Aaron Cook suffered a gashed left knee during his start on Saturday.

On Sunday, Cook landed on the disabled list, with the left-handed Miller taking his place on the active roster as he joins the team Sunday for its game against the Orioles.

The call-up to the Red Sox marks the culmination of a rehab stint that ended in Triple-A Pawtucket in which Miller was building up for the season following a hamstring injury incurred during spring training. Miller, who made 12 starting appearances with the Red Sox last season, worked out of the bullpen for Pawtucket. In his time with Boston’s Triple-A affiliate, Miller pitched in 10 games, logging 11 innings with a 5.73 ERA.

On initial review, Miller’s minor league statistics may look uninspiring, but they don’t tell a full story as Miller proved he was downright dominant and overpowering in certain aspects of the game. In those 11 innings Miller pitched, he had 23 strikeouts, which comes out to more than two strikeouts per inning. Additionally, opposing batters posted just a .105 batting average against him.

“I feel like I’ve been throwing the ball well,” Miller said. “It took a while to get back up here, I feel like I used almost every day available, but like I said, I’m happy to be here and hope to help contribute.”

Against left-handed batters, Miller was even more remarkable. In five innings of work against lefties, Miller struck out 13 batters and had opponents hitting a paltry .063 (1-for-16). Given those numbers, manager Bobby Valentine suggested that Miller will likely be used as “our first left-hander out of the bullpen and I’d like it to begin with getting left-handed hitters out.”

Miller has spent most of his career as a starter. Though he has relief experience, most of it was as a long-man or represented an on-the-fly transition while having pitched his way out of the rotation during the season. That being the case, this year represents the first time that the left-hander has been able to prepare for relief work entering the year. Miller said that making the change and coming out of the bullpen was a smooth transition.

“I felt good coming out of the bullpen so far,” Miller said. “I’m interested to see how it goes for an extended period of time.”

But even with those strikeout numbers and opposing batting averages, Miller has still struggled in a crucial aspect of his game — command. The former first-round pick of the Tigers gave up 14 walks in 11 innings, a number which is dwarfed by his strikeout totals, but is still a cause for concern. Read the rest of this entry »

Will Middlebrooks (DVM Sports/Courtesy Portland Sea Dogs)

After a month in the spotlight in Triple-A Pawtucket, Will Middlebrooks may be ready for his closeup.

With third baseman Kevin Youkilis having been sidelined for the last three games by a stiff back, the Red Sox’ top prospect likely would have been in line for his call-up on Tuesday, but a minor thumb issue (he jammed the digit while swinging over the weekend) resulted in Middlebrooks sitting out of Monday’s game, and the Sox wanted to verify that he was fine before a possible promotion. That led to the decision to add Jose Iglesias to the big league roster on Tuesday to provide infield depth behind Mike Aviles and Nick Punto.

Middlebrooks returned to the Pawtucket lineup and went 0-for-4 on Tuesday, but was deemed healthy. And so, the 23-year-old is now available for a recall and could receive a summons to the majors as soon as Wednesday, pending a determination about the health of Youkilis, according to an industry source. Assuming that Youkilis remains sidelined, it appears likely that Middlebrooks — who is hitting .333 with a .380 OBP, .677 slugging mark and 1.057 OPS, along with nine homers in 24 games — will be in line for his first major league summons.

Middlebrooks told WEEI’s Dennis & Callahan Show on Tuesday morning that he’s ready if called upon.

“Personally, I’d love to say yeah, I am [ready],” Middlebrooks said. “I came in here with a sense of urgency. I wanted to come in and show everybody that I’m a good player, and that it wasn’t just a freak year last year.”

TRIPLE-A PAWTUCKET RED SOX: 8-3 LOSS AT TOLEDO (TIGERS)

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– While the opt-out clock for Aaron Cook has been a focal point, the rehab clock for left-hander Andrew Miller is also close to expiring. His 30-day rehab assignment concludes on May 6, at which point the Red Sox will have to make a decision about whether to call him up. He had one of the most dominant outings of his stint in Pawtucket on Tuesday, striking out five (while walking two) in two innings. He punched out all three left-handers whom he faced.

Miller remains as puzzling as ever. He has been overpowering when in the strike zone, striking out 22 in 10 innings while limiting opponents to a .113 average. However, he has walked 13.

The reality is that he is too talented for the Sox to give up on him. There is a chance that Miller could become a pitcher like Matt Thornton, a towering lefty with lightning stuff but drastic command issues. Thornton walked well over six batters per nine innings in the majors and minors between ages 26 and 28, but after an organizational change (a move from the Mariners to the White Sox) paired him with Chicago pitching coach Don Cooper, he emerged as a dominant left-handed power arm. Since 2006 (his age 29 season), Thornton has 10.0 strikeouts and 3.0 walks per nine innings.

Miller has the stuff to follow a similar transformation, but the reality is that Thornton represents an atypical case of a pitcher who was able to find his command after enduring severe challenges on that front early in his career. Still, the upside of Miller remains undeniable, and outings such as Wednesday’s reinforce that point, underscoring why you don’t walk away from a player of his ability. Read the rest of this entry »

Aaron Cook has a 1.89 ERA in five Triple-A starts. (AP)

It is, Red Sox pitching coach Bob McClure told reporters, a good problem to have. Both Felix Doubront and Daniel Bard have looked very promising in the rotation, and so there is certainly no rush to replace either. Meanwhile, Aaron Cook has been terrific in his minor league stint with Triple-A Pawtucket. After allowing three runs in 6 1/3 innings on Saturday, he has a 1.89 ERA in his five starts for the PawSox.

Cook looks like someone who can help a big league rotation right now. But it remains to be seen how he could squeeze into the Red Sox rotation, barring a move of Doubront or Bard to the bullpen. And now, Cook has a May 1 opt-out of the minor league contract he signed this winter (with a $1.5 million big league salary) that looms should the Sox not call him up by Tuesday.

McClure told reporters that Cook’s shoulder has been healthy enough that a bullpen role might be a possibility, but as of yet, there have been no substantive conversations between the pitcher and club about pitching in relief. Indeed, given his past shoulder woes, while the Sox will discuss the possibility of adding Cook to the ‘pen (a pitcher with excellent groundball rates could be an interesting asset in situations with runners on base), the team might be disinclined to do so out of concern for the right-hander’s health.

One consideration worth noting: The Red Sox do have a stretch of 20 games in 20 days that starts on May 4. If there was a time to go to a six-man rotation while keeping the pitching staff on a fairly normal schedule (five days’ rest between starts, with an extra day of rest that could be beneficial as the Sox look to regulate the innings of Bard and Felix Doubront), this would be it.

A decision is looming on the right-hander. While the outcome is unknown, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the only way in which the Sox can add Cook to their major league staff would involve some creativity, either with the structure of the pitching staff or with Cook’s role.

TRIPLE-A PAWTUCKET RED SOX: 6-4 LOSS AT COLUMBUS (INDIANS)

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– In his last minor league outing prior to his May 1 opt-out date, right-hander Aaron Cook allowed five hits (four singles and a double) and three runs in 6 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out a season-high five. Uncharacteristically, the sinkerballer had just five groundball outs.

In five starts in Triple-A, Cook is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA while allowing one homer and holding batters to a .217 average in 33 1/3 innings. He has struck out 13 and walked 11, but more significant than his strikeout numbers is the fact that, Saturday’s outing aside, he recorded groundball outs in volume and showed both solid velocity (up to 92 mph) and excellent movement on his sinker during his minor league assignment that suggested that his shoulder is healthy.

– Left-hander Andrew Miller recorded a pair of strikeouts while allowing a groundball single to left-hander Lonnie Chisenhall. It marked just the second time in 14 plate appearances that a left-handed hitter made contact against Miller in his Triple-A assignment.

– Right-hander Alex Wilson made his second relief appearance, entering in the middle of the eighth inning (the Sox seemingly wanted him to enter with a runner or runners on base for the first time, but a homer led to a bases-empty situation) and recording two quick groundball outs.

DOUBLE-A PORTLAND SEA DOGS: 9-1 WIN VS. READING (PHILLIES)

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– Right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka had seven strikeouts (all of the swinging variety) while permitting three hits (a triple and two singles), walking two and allowing one run in a rehab start for Double-A Portland. It was the right-hander’s second rehab outing in his return from Tommy John surgery. The Portland Press-Herald reported that his fastball registered as high as 93 mph. Sox manager Bobby Valentine told reporters that the right-hander could be moving up to Pawtucket next.

– Bryce Brentz recorded his first steal of the year on a day when he went 1-for-3 with a single and a walk. Though hardly a base-stealing threat (he swiped three bags last year), Brentz did work during the offseason to improve his speed so that he could be a better baserunner.

HIGH-A SALEM RED SOX: 3-2 WIN VS. CAROLINA (INDIANS)

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– Center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. went 1-for-3 with a double and was hit by a pitch, giving him six straight games of reaching base at least twice. His .473 OBP now leads the Carolina League. Bradley also stole a base, his sixth of the year.

– Right-hander Ryan Pressly allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in six innings while striking out six. Though he has struggled to an 8.87 ERA while repeating at Salem (where he went 6-11 with a 4.50 ERA last year), the right-hander’s stuff is more impressive than his numbers might suggest. Aaron McFarling of the Roanoke Times noted two intriguing aspects of Pressly’s outing on Saturday: First, his last pitch of the night was clocked as a 97 mph fastball. Secondly, he was wearing someone else’s pants.

SINGLE-A GREENVILLE DRIVE: 6-5, 12-INNING LOSS AT LAKEWOOD (PHILLIES)

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– Keury De La Cruz came up a double shy of the cycle, delivering a single, homer and triple while driving in three. On the year, he is now hitting .301 with a .370 OBP and .521 slugging mark, and his seven walks in 81 plate appearances suggest strides in his plate discipline (he had just 10 walks last year in Lowell in 312 plate appearances). The 20-year-old has shown above-average power for his age, and if he can combine that with strides in his approach, his ensemble of tools makes him an intriguing (albeit little-heralded) prospect. He leads Greenville in average and OPS while ranking second in slugging and extra-base hits (8).

– Right-hander Jason Garcia, in his first start of the year, punched out seven in four innings while allowing one run on one hit. In 17 1/3 innings this year, the 19-year-old has 22 strikeouts.

Stolmy Pimentel

Aside from Alex Wilson, who is now transitioning to the bullpen in Pawtucket, the Red Sox’ pitching prospects are concentrated between Single-A and Double-A. Stolmy Pimentel, even after a disastrous 2011 campaign at Portland, is a significant part of that, and so it was notable that his season got off to a strong start on Friday.

TRIPLE-A PAWTUCKET RED SOX: 4-1 LOSS AT COLUMBUS

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– Andrew Miller has now made seven appearances during his rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket. He’s only allowed runs in two of those, yet particularly in comparison to the straight line progression of Rich Hill, it feels like considerably more than that. On Friday, Miller did record three strikeouts (all swinging) in an inning of work, but after he blitzed through two strikeouts to start the inning, he allowed a two-out walk and a two-run homer (the first longball he’s given up during a rehab assignment that is now more than three weeks old).

Miller’s stuff remains good enough that he’s struck out an average of more than two batters per inning in Triple-A (15 in 7 1/3 innings), and he’s permitted just three hits while holding opponents to a .115 average. Still, he’s been an adventure, with 11 walks.

One aspect of Miller’s relief work does merit consideration: He has faced 12 left-handed hitters. Just one has put a ball in play, as Miller has eight strikeouts, three walks and one ball in play (a flyout) against lefties.

– Mark Melancon allowed a single in a scoreless inning of work, striking out two. He now has four scoreless appearances in which he has given up four hits while striking out eight and walking none. Of the 13 outs he has recorded, all have come either via strikeout (8) or groundball (5).

– For just the fourth time in 21 games, Will Middlebrooks failed to reach base, going 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. He has struck out five times in nine plate appearances over his last two games.

Read the rest of this entry »

Will Middlebrooks (DVM Sports/Courtesy Portland Sea Dogs)

He did it again.

For the sixth time in eight games, Will Middlebrooks went deep, this time taking Yankees prospect Adam Warren deep to right-center in a display of the opposite field power that has been a hallmark of his emergence as a top prospect. The 23-year-old went 2-for-5 with that homer (his ninth of the season), and though he struck out three times (a season-high in strikeouts, and just the second time this year that he’s struck out more than once in a game), his numbers remain extraordinary.

Middlebrooks is hitting .377 with a .429 OBP, .729 slugging mark and 1.221 OPS along with nine homers and 27 RBI. His three strikeouts on Wednesday notwithstanding, he’s controlling the strike zone in impressive fashion, having walked seven times and punched out just 13.

All of this comes at a time when big league third baseman Kevin Youkilis has gotten off to a difficult start. After going 1-for-4 against the Twins on Wednesday, Youkilis is hitting .204/.267/.296/.563. Middlebrooks has almost as many homers (9) as Youkilis has hits (11).

And so, it has become a popular line of thinking to suggest that the Red Sox should call up Middlebrooks and let him displace the incumbent. How much thought have the Sox given to such a scenario?

“There’s been no talk of that,” said a team source this week. “None.”

Why not? A few reasons.

First, there’s the question of sample size and track record. Youkilis has a great one at the big league level, having been an above-average everyday player for six seasons while performing at an offensive level matched by only a handful or so of players over the last four years. If the slow starts of David Ortiz in 2009 and 2010 offered any lesson, it was that you remain patient with players capable of producing at an All-Star level. If Youkilis is able to rebound to perform at his more customary .900-plus OPS levels going forward, then the odds are that few players — whether Middlebrooks or anyone else — can match such an impact in the lineup.

Similarly, the incredible performance of Middlebrooks represents something that has occurred in a small stretch. Just as it would have been a mistake to judge him from his 16-game struggle in Pawtucket at the end of last year, when he hit .161/.200/.268/.468, it would also be premature to get carried away with what he’s done in 19 games this year. He has shown a great deal of progress, both in his command of the strike zone and in the fact that he is now maturing to the point where he’s adding pull power to his prior gap-to-gap power approach, but to promote him now might risk a challenging transition to the majors given the relatively limited number of plate appearances that the 23-year-old has had against the most advanced minor leaguers. Read the rest of this entry »

Some prospects are uncomfortable with “top prospect” status. A few years ago, Lars Anderson suggested that the prospect hype machine created something of a fishbowl existence that was hard to comprehend, and that magnified the challenges of his struggles. Casey Kelly and Jose Iglesias had challenging years in 2010 and 2011, respectively, after receiving the “top Red Sox prospect” accolade.

Will Middlebrooks, it would seem, is different. He asserted himself as the top prospect in the Red Sox system by the middle of last year, and rather than shrinking from the title — which became somewhat official this offseason, when he was recognized by virtually every prospect list as the top mix of tools and projectability in the minor leagues — he has blossomed under the spotlight.

The 23-year-old is enjoying a memorable run at the start of 2012, which continued with yet another home run on Monday for Triple-A Pawtucket. He has clubbed five homers in six games and eight on the year. He is hitting .371 with a .413 OBP, .757 slugging mark and 1.170 OPS, an eye-opening run that has cemented the view of him as an above-average third baseman in the making, someone who will hit for excellent power while delivering above-average defense at third base.

As for his top prospect label, Middlebrooks treats that in measured fashion, a task in which his fellow minor leaguers are helpful.

“I catch a lot of grief for it,” Middlebrooks said this spring of the top prospect tag. “It is what it is. I don’t pay attention to it.”

He is more concerned about his continued growth as a player. His satisfaction comes not from being regarded as the top minor leaguer in the Sox system, but instead in the fact that he is making steady, discernible strides as a player that have brought him to this point.

“It feels good to get some recognition for the hard work you put in, but sometimes you’re beating your head against the wall and not getting anywhere. It’s good to see progress,” said Middlebrooks. “[The move up the prospect charts] just means I bust my ass every year to get where I want to be. I’m not there yet. I’m not even close.”

He may not be where he wants to end up, but he is getting close to the big leagues, and doing everything he can to further his progression to get there. Red Sox infield coach Jerry Royster raved about the defensive strides that Middlebrooks made at third base in his month in big league camp this spring, while offensively, his game has gone to another level as he has combined his opposite field power with an increased comfort jumping on pitches on the inner half of the plate and driving them out to left and left-center.

His performance in Triple-A this year is reminiscent of the one that Ryan Lavarnway had a year ago after he was promoted to Pawtucket midseason and blasted 13 homers in his first 32 games, positioning himself for a call-up to the majors just over two months after he’d been in Portland.

Read the rest of this entry »

Fenway Park in 1946 (AP)

It is an extraordinary day in the life of a ballpark, as Fenway Park prepares to become the first American sports venue to observe its 100th birthday. It is a day when an address and a building will relegate to parentheses the two big league teams with the largest payrolls (the Yankees and Red Sox).

“It’s the baseball land of Oz,” Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said of the ballpark that he now calls home. “People dream about this place.”

Valentine recalled how, when he visited Fenway as the manager of the Rangers (in the ’80s and early ’90s) and again with the Mets (who came to Fenway for interleague games between 1997-2002, when Valentine was their skipper) that Fenway Park felt “old.” No longer, he suggested. The park has undergone renewal and feels vital, no more so than on Thursday, when over 54,000 fans came to the open house to wander through the park and connect with its many nooks and crannies.

“I would say that this ballpark has created as many memories for people in this area and around the world as any venue in the world,” said Valentine. “Today, there’ll be a memory created for me and everybody else who’s here today.”

As for the nuts and bolts of the Red Sox roster…

– The Red Sox gave some thought to having Jon Lester start on Sunday, which would have been the scheduled day for Daniel Bard to start. However, the Sox are going to stick with Bard as the scheduled starter for Sunday night (a day with heavy rain in the forecast) with Lester slated for Monday. A couple factors weigh into that. Part of the equation is the desire to keep Bard on a regular starter’s routine as he adjusts to his new role. More significant, however, was the fact that Lester required 80 pitches for just two-plus innings in his most recent start on Tuesday, and the Sox wanted him to have an extra day of rest.

“Throwing 80 pitches in two innings, that’s like throwing 150 pitches in eight, or more. It might even be more strenuous,” said Valentine. “To have him throw a bullpen yesterday, I don’t think that was the proper thing to do. I think that extra day of rest is exactly what he needs at this time. It’s a combination. I think if it was a rainout, it would be a much bigger, easier situation.”

– Left-hander Andrew Miller, coming off an outing on Thursday in which he threw just 20 of 50 pitches for strikes, will remain in Triple-A Pawtucket. He will no longer work on scheduled days, but instead be used whenever PawSox manager Arnie Beyeler sees fit. Read the rest of this entry »