2003 Pawtucket Red Sox
From SoSH
Contents |
2003 Pawtucket Red Sox Season Ending Report
Final Record: 83-61
How did Pawtucket do?
Simply said, Excellent.
The Pawsox won the Northern Division of the IL with an 83-61 record (the best record in the league)... the most wins a Pawsox team has ever had.
The Pawsox won the first playoff series (3-2 over wild card and division foe Ottawa Lynx) before losing in the Governor's Cup finals to the now 2-time Defending Champions Durham Bulls.
Notable Moments
Well, Kevin Youkilis tied the Modern Minor League Record for consecutive games getting on base at 71... the final 9 games in his first AAA games.
On August 10th, Bronson Arroyo pitched the 4th Perfect Game in International League history... the Pawsox 2nd in 4 years (Tomo Ohka - 2000)
3 Players (Anton French, Lou Collier, Bronson Arroyo) played in the AAA All-Star game. Both French and Collier played the entire game, and both hit HRs.
3 Players (Lou Collier, Andy Abad, Bronson Arroyo) were named to post-season International League All-Star team
Bronson Arroyo was named the International League Pitcher of the Year.
Buddy Bailey was named International League Manager of the Year
Andy Abad and Bronson Arroyo were named the Pawtucket Player/Pitcher of the Year by the Red Sox.
Freddy Sanchez (sadly departed) was named one of the Top 5 Prospects in the International League by Baseball America
The 10 Millionth Fan entered historic McCoy Stadium (during the Ben Mondor era)
2 Players (Adrian Brown/Bronson Arroyo) made the 25 man roster for the Boston Red Sox in the American League Division Series.
Players
First, a preamble... As is the case with most AAA teams, most of the players can not be considered prospects. Oddly, the Sox had a large number of prospects this year due to promotions late in the season (and for the playoffs). I will first go through the "prospects".
- Freddy Sanchez: Certainly the most hyped of the prospects in Pawtucket coming into the season, this middle infielder did not dissapoint in the first couple of months... earning a promotion to the Red Sox in June/July... where he studied the bench. He was eventually demoted back to Pawtucket, and was traded to Pittsburgh in the trade for Jeff Suppan (and, essentially, Scott Sauerbeck) at the trade deadline. Freddy showed a good batting eye (31 walks/38 Ks), some power (22 XBH/72 H), good control of baserunning (8/8 in SBs) and excellent defense (only 4 errors despite playing 3rd, SS and 2nd Base). Final Pawsox Line: .341/.430/.493
- Angel Santos: I am actually not so sure Angel should be considered a prospect... on the other hand, he is younger than Freddy Sanchez. Angel did not start out very well for the Pawsox, with a large amount of strikeouts (50 in 214 ABs) and not enough hits (51 in 214). He was traded to Cleveland (for Jamie Brown) (and eventually got back to the Majors). Final Stats: .238/.339/.346
- Kevin Youkilis: After an excellent year in Portland, Kevin got the bump up to Pawtucket and started out oddly... he could not get a hit, yet he reached base in his first 9 AAA games (to gain a tie with Kevin Millar for the longest Minor League on base streak (modern era). He was never able to show great hitting prowess (at least not during the regular season... he seemed to start snapping out of it in the playoffs)... but did have a couple of dramatic hits, including a walk-off Grand Slam HR.
All of this being said... I think one can parse the month in Pawtucket as bad or not so bad depending on your particular view point. I am going to parse it in a good way...
1) Kevin never lost his eye, and his OBP was .130 points higher than his batting average helped by 18 walks and 3 HBPs in 32 games. He struck out a bit more often than one would like, but that was still only 21 Ks (equal to the amount of times reaching base by means other than the hit). 2) He was able to get the 71 game record despite getting promoted to AAA in the middle of the streak. 3) Every player goes through a hitting slump. It can not be considered unusual that Kevin slumped after a) a 71 game OBP streak, b) a bump to a higher level, c) Playing 10 games in 7 days (3 doubleheaders) the week he got bumped to Pawtucket (including back-to-back doubleheaders, one in Portland and one in Pawtucket)
All that being said, the negative proposition (that he has hit a level he can't break through) has some merit and cannot be simply dismissed. Final Pawsox Stats: .165/.295/.248
- Jorge De La Rosa: This lefty got a call-up to the Pawsox in August, and had 5 regular season starts (and 1 Post Season start). He had problems with his innings (as he had in AA) averaging less than 5 innings per start... and gave up too many baserunners (39 in 24 innings). However, he wasn't overwhelmed and pitched quite well in the 5th (and deciding) game of the first playoff round. Final Stats: 1-2, 3.75 ERA
- Anastacio Martinez: A weird strange trip for Anastacio, as he was traded from Portland to Pittsburgh... and then was traded back and placed in Pawtucket. In his 8 regular season games for the Pawsox, he was nothing short of excellent... giving up only 15 baserunners in 14 innings... and struck out 15. He did give up 2 HRs, the only small negative. He pitched very well in the playoffs as well. Final Stats: 2-1, 1.93 ERA
- Kelly Shoppach: Got called up from Portland simply for the Pawsox playoffs. Played in a couple of games, and had a couple of hits... his first ones in AAA.
Now for the AAAA/Filler players. I am not going to comment on players who played mostly at the major league level (Casey Fossum/Brandon Lyon) or rehabbed at Pawtucket (Jeremy Giambi,Robert Person,Matt White) or the large group of players who were quickly dispensed (Charles, Izquierdo, Foster, Glaser, Kaye, et.al). I should also note that the large majority of the players here are not likely to be part of the Red Sox organization next year (as is usual in AAA).
- Andy Abad: Had an excellent year en route to being named to the IL Post-Season All-Star team and got promoted to the Majors in the September Callups where he recorded his first Major League Hit. Like most of the players who were brought in for the PawSox, he showed excellent plate skills (55 walks/67 Ks), decent gap power (51 XBH/35 Doubles). He was not particularly speedy, hitting into a team high 15 GIDPs. He led the team in RBI (93) and walks (55). Final Stats: .304/.372/.462
- Adrian Brown: This Rule 5 draftee had an interesting year for the Pawsox. Adrian has no power (24 XBH/136 Hits), decent batting eye (48 Walks/81 Ks), good speed (34/45 SB/SBA)... but a very high number of GIDPs for a man of his speed (10). He led the team in Runs Scored (81). Final Stats: .282/.347/.359
- Lou Collier: A AAA Allstar, Lou had a short stay in the Majors this year... where he mostly sat on the bench. Played both middle infielder and Outfield. Lou had more power than I realized (37 XBH/115 Hits, 19 Doubles, 14 HRs)... and a decent batting eye (32 Walks/8 HBPs). He Ked more than one would like (94)... and did not show a good use of speed (8/15 SB/SBA, 13 GIDP). Final Stats: .293/.354/.469
- Trace Coquillette: Trace started the year with the Pawsox, got demoted to Portland, and then came back to Pawtucket where he excelled down the stretch. He showed doubles power (21 2Bs), a decent on base rate due to him getting hit a lot (17 walks/12 HBPs)... he played both 2B and the Outfield and only hit into 1 DP. He did strike out 65 times, however. If there is one player from this group I would like to see in the Pawsox uniform next year, it is Trace. Final Stats: .305/.376/.459
- Chris Coste: Third String catcher of little offensive value... he did pitch out of the bullpen twice in September.
- Cesar Crespo: Another of the Middle Infielder/Outfielder group... and another player who showed good double power (and occasional HR power), decent walk rate (40), too many Ks (93), and weird speed stats (13/21 SB/SBA, 14 GIDPs). Final Stats: .267/.323/.404
- Andy Dominique: Started the year in Portland... but became the primary Catcher for Pawtucket once he got the promotion. Showed excellent power (31 XBH (18 2B, 13 HRs)/88 Hits), good batting eye (22 Walks/7 HBPs/45 Ks). As a catcher, he did well to have a good SB% (2/3), but did hit into 10 GIDPs. While he will lose his primary job as catcher to Kelly Shoppach... He should be brought back to be the backup catcher, Regular DH and occasional 1Bman. Final Stats: .304/.364/.502
- Kelly Dransfeldt: Came into the organization mid-season... and played as he had before coming to the Sox. Overall, he showed decent power, decent batting eye, but an overall lack of hitting. Not likely to be back next year. Final Stats: .210/.274/.355
- Anton French: As our own FelixMantilla would say, Anton is Fast. How fast? He hit more TRIPLES (10) than Doubles (9). He stole 40 bases (in 52 attempts) and only had 4 GIDPs. I have heard that a large number of his singles were of the bunt variety. He walked 30 times and Ked 61. Final Stats: .293/.357/.404
- Bill Haselman: The other primary catcher... showed nothing offensively. Is now an old wiley catcher who will be playing the AAA veteran for years to come. Final Stats: .225/.247/.311
- Earl Snyder: Was the primary third baseman for the Pawsox after being claimed off of waivers from the Indians last winter. Had an awful start of the year... but an excellent August which helped the Pawsox into the playoffs. Earl was the biggest power threat on the team with 48 XBHs (against 119 hits). He led the team with 22 HRs. On the other hand, he only had 24 walks and led the team with 113 Ks. Final Stats: .255/.299/.454
- Julio Zuleta: Started the year in Pawtucket before deciding to take a contract out and sign with a Japanese Major League team. In many ways, he was similar to Earl Snyder... Power (23 XBH/56 Hits), lack of walks (13 (but 8 HBPs)), and a lot of Ks (47). Final Stats: .275/.336/.505
- Hector Almonte: Had an excellent start of the year as the Pawsox closer before being promoted to Boston and having some success and failures. Was eventually designated for assignment, where he decided to become a free agent and move to Montreal. Final Stats: 3-0, 9 Saves, 1.73 ERA, 16 Hits/6 Walks in 26 Innings, 28 Ks in 26 Innings.
- Bronson Arroyo: Had an excellent year for the Pawsox and likely earned a spot in the Boston Red Sox rotation to start next year. This former Pirate, he showed excellent control... walking only 23 batters in 149 2/3 innings... while striking out a batter per inning (155). He was occasionally wild (10 HBP, 9 WPs)... but was pretty good at avoiding the long ball (9 HRs). Final Stats: 12-6, 3.43 ERA
- Jamie Brown: Had a fine end of the season once he joined Pawtucket. As with many of the pitchers... he showed excellent control, walking only 5 in 51 2/3 Innings. He only gave up 40 hits while striking out 39. Final Stats: 4-1, 1 Save, 2.26 ERA
- Bruce Chen: The well traveled man... Bruce was claimed off of waivers by the Sox in the middle of the year, and joined the Pawsox rotation in the middle of the season. Bruce, as typical, was an enigma... he walked only 15 in 85 innings, struck out 73, gave up only 80 hits... but 12 of them were HRs. Final Stats: 5-5, 1 Save, 4.24 ERA
- Dicky Gonzalez: Dicky was a decent starter for the Pawsox, but had similar tendencies to Chen. He walked only 29 in 151 2/3 innings... but did give up 180 hits, 13 for HRs. Final Stats: 8-8, 4.04 ERA
- Bryan Hebson: Bryan came to the Pawsox late in the season and showed enough to have the Sox send him to the Arizona Fall League. He gave up only 6 walks in 26 1/3 innings, also giving up 17 hits and striking out 22. Final Stats: 2-1, 2.73 ERA
- Ryan Rupe: Ryan had a much better year than I was aware of... he walked only 19 in 102 innings, gave up only 93 hits and struck out 77, He did give up 11 HRs. Final Stats: 8-4, 3.26 ERA
- Rudy Seanez: Was demoted from Boston... and did nothing to solidify his place in the Red Sox organization. He pitched 20 games prior to being released from the Sox. Final Stats: 2-2, 3 Saves, 6.10 ERA
- Andy Shibilo: Started the year in Pawtucket prior to being demoted to Portland. Final Stats: 2-1, 4.76 ERA
- Jason Shiell: Jason had a good year in Pawtucket after coming back from the Red Sox. In 26 innings, he gave up only 26 hits and 6 walks, striking out 22. Final Stats: 3-2, 2 Saves, 2.42 ERA
- Paul Stewart: Another one of the starters for the Pawsox... had a year that looked better than it actually was. Although he went 6-8 with a 4.30 ERA... He allowed 21 UNearned runs. He was also the worst of the starters in terms of control, as he walked 42 in 121 1/3 Innings and struck out only 76. He gave up a team high 16 HRs.
- Kevin Tolar: Another pitcher who had time with the big club, Kevin excelled as the Loogy for the Pawsox. While he did have trouble with the walk (17 in 31 2/3 innings), he only gave up 19 hits. He also struck out 34. Final Stats: 5-1, 4 Saves, 2.27 ERAs
- Steve Woodard: Started out as a starter for the Pawsox, but become one of the better relief pitchers for Pawtucket. Although his overall numbers are not pretty, he was quite good down the stretch for the Pawsox. Final Stats: 6-7, 2 Saves, 4.69 ERAs
Full Roster
| Batting Statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Player Name | Age | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | HBP |
| Andy Abad | 31 | 134 | 504 | 78 | 153 | 35 | 3 | 13 | 93 | 0 | 3 | 55 | 67 | 4 |
| Adrian Brown | 29 | 122 | 482 | 81 | 136 | 16 | 3 | 5 | 32 | 34 | 11 | 48 | 81 | 0 |
| Earl Snyder | 27 | 130 | 467 | 61 | 119 | 25 | 1 | 22 | 71 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 113 | 8 |
| Cesar Crespo | 24 | 132 | 465 | 69 | 124 | 31 | 3 | 9 | 58 | 13 | 8 | 40 | 93 | 0 |
| Lou Collier | 30 | 103 | 392 | 58 | 115 | 19 | 4 | 14 | 69 | 8 | 7 | 32 | 94 | 8 |
| Anton French | 28 | 98 | 314 | 51 | 92 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 22 | 40 | 12 | 30 | 61 | 1 |
| Andy Dominique | 27 | 79 | 289 | 42 | 88 | 18 | 0 | 13 | 57 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 45 | 7 |
| Bill Haselman | 37 | 79 | 280 | 37 | 63 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 46 | 0 |
| Trace Coquillette | 29 | 68 | 233 | 36 | 71 | 21 | 0 | 5 | 30 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 65 | 12 |
| Kelly Dransfeldt | 28 | 66 | 214 | 29 | 45 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 53 | 3 |
| Angel Santos | 24 | 70 | 214 | 25 | 51 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 20 | 9 | 4 | 32 | 50 | 1 |
| Freddy Sanchez | 25 | 58 | 211 | 46 | 72 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 25 | 8 | 0 | 31 | 36 | 2 |
| Julio Zuleta | 28 | 55 | 204 | 28 | 56 | 11 | 0 | 12 | 49 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 47 | 8 |
| Kevin Youkilis | 24 | 32 | 109 | 9 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 21 | 3 |
| Chris Coste | 30 | 29 | 96 | 5 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 0 |
| Frank Charles | 34 | 20 | 72 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 1 |
| Chad Mottola | 31 | 21 | 72 | 11 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 1 |
| Justin Headley | 28 | 12 | 38 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| Jeremy Giambi | 28 | 10 | 35 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 15 | 0 |
| Jim Goelz | 27 | 8 | 26 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Lamont Matthews | 25 | 7 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| Donny Leon | 27 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Pitching Statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Player Name | Age | W | L | ERA | G | GS | CG | SH | GF | SV | IP | H | R | ER |
| Dicky Gonzalez | 24 | 8 | 8 | 4.04 | 27 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 151.2 | 180 | 77 | 68 |
| Bronson Arroyo | 26 | 12 | 6 | 3.43 | 24 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 149.2 | 148 | 66 | 57 |
| Paul Stewart | 25 | 6 | 8 | 4.3 | 27 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 121.1 | 133 | 79 | 58 |
| Ryan Rupe | 28 | 8 | 4 | 3.26 | 20 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 102 | 93 | 50 | 37 |
| Steve Woodard | 28 | 6 | 7 | 4.69 | 31 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 94 | 103 | 55 | 49 |
| Bruce Chen | 26 | 5 | 5 | 4.24 | 16 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 85 | 80 | 44 | 40 |
| Ryan Cameron | 25 | 1 | 3 | 4.79 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 56.1 | 56 | 32 | 30 |
| Jamie Brown | 26 | 4 | 1 | 2.26 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 51.2 | 40 | 17 | 13 |
| Andy Shibilo | 26 | 2 | 1 | 4.76 | 38 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 45.1 | 46 | 26 | 24 |
| Justin Kaye | 27 | 2 | 2 | 2.49 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 4 | 43.1 | 37 | 16 | 12 |
| Chris Elmore | 26 | 2 | 2 | 5.24 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34.1 | 37 | 20 | 20 |
| Kevin Tolar | 32 | 5 | 1 | 2.27 | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 4 | 31.2 | 19 | 9 | 8 |
| Tom Davey | 29 | 1 | 2 | 3.45 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28.2 | 28 | 14 | 11 |
| Bryan Hebson | 27 | 2 | 1 | 2.73 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 26.1 | 17 | 9 | 8 |
| Hector Almonte | 27 | 3 | 1 | 1.73 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 9 | 26 | 16 | 5 | 5 |
| Jason Shiell | 26 | 3 | 2 | 2.42 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 26 | 26 | 11 | 7 |
| Jorge De La Rosa | 22 | 1 | 2 | 3.75 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 27 | 14 | 10 |
| Rudy Seanez | 34 | 2 | 2 | 6.1 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 20.2 | 20 | 14 | 14 |
| Bob Howry | 30 | 2 | 1 | 1.06 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 14 | 2 | 2 |
| Anastacio Martinez | 22 | 2 | 1 | 1.93 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 12 | 3 | 3 |
| Hansel Izquierdo | 26 | 0 | 1 | 11.48 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13.1 | 21 | 17 | 17 |
| Casey Fossum | 25 | 1 | 1 | 3.46 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 11 | 5 | 5 |
| Scott Aldred | 35 | 2 | 1 | 4.63 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11.2 | 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Eric Glaser | 25 | 2 | 1 | 4.82 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 | 9 | 5 | 5 |
| Ramiro Mendoza | 31 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 2 |
| Brandon Lyon | 24 | 0 | 0 | 3.24 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8.1 | 7 | 3 | 3 |
| Robert Person | 33 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7.2 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Kris Foster | 29 | 1 | 1 | 7.11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.1 | 14 | 5 | 5 |
| Matt White | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| James Johnson | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Coste | 30 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Mike Gonzalez | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Chad Fox | 32 | 0 | 0 | 13.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.1 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
External Sources
| Modern Pawtucket Red Sox Teams |
|---|
|
1973 |
1974 |
1975 |
1976 |
1977 |
1978 |
1979
|
