Mark Shapiro
Mark Shapiro
accepting competition definitely five kevin starters takes
With him not accepting arbitration and us having five starters under contract, it definitely takes us out of the Kevin Millwood competition at this point.
definitely great
It's great to see him perform, but he's definitely going to (Triple-A) Buffalo.
approach corner definitely fits game good league local major next played power size
He's definitely played the game the way we want it played. He has the power, size and athleticism combo to be a corner outfielder at the Major League level. His approach fits with our approach, and he's a local kid. It's a pretty good match. But he's still got to go to the next level, which he really hasn't been to yet.
best career definitely
He's definitely an option. This is the best he's pitched in his career with us.
definitely win
He doesn't have a spot, but he definitely can win a spot.
backup best catching compete definitely good hits leader minor prospects ready
He's one of the best catching prospects in the minor leagues. A good receiver, with an above-average arm, he's a leader and he hits with power. He'll come in and compete (with light-hitting Einar Diaz) for the backup catcher's role, but he's definitely major-league ready right now.
clean consistent game played turned
We just played consistent in between the tackles and turned out the first downs. It was a pretty clean game for us.
club spring training
We're very comfortable going into spring training with the club we've got right now.
classic context defines espn historical history news proper sports thirsty
ESPN Classic is going through a transition. They're thirsty to put today's news in its proper historical sports context ... History defines sports. Without that context, today's news wouldn't be as grand.
anybody august coming contending last late looking spring team time year
Every time we go through something, it's a young team and we're going through it for the first time, ... Last year, it was contending late in the season, in August and September. This year ... coming out of spring training, it was the first time anybody was looking at us.
finished good improve left product swing
There's some things left in his swing that he could still improve upon, but nothing dramatic. He's not a finished product right now. But he's going to be a good player.
backward boston depth extremely farm good impressive period pitching players point productive run short small step system
Boston is positioned extremely well for the future. They have a good farm system with upper-level players and a depth of pitching talent. They've rebuilt the farm system from a dilapidated system to a productive one. If they take a small step backward this year, at some point they will go on a run that will be an impressive run. They're a short period away.
good question
Brandon Phillips is going to be a good major-leaguer. The question is when and where.
bob next pitch wants
Bob is an option. We know he wants to pitch next year.