What Happened to the Red Sox?

From first to worst; a transition that no team wants to make. But with their loss today, the Red Sox were officially eliminated from any chance of winning the American League East, and currently sit in the basement of the division. A team fueled by the spirit of "Boston Strong" in 2013, had all the charisma and talent needed to inspire the city and bring a championship to Beantown. But the 2014 team is nothing like the team of yesteryear, and has made a lot of Red Sox fans call into question if last year was a fluke.

Well Worth the Investment: Roberto Hernandez

Newly Acquired SP/RP Roberto Hernandez

On December 18, 2013 it was reported that the Phillies were indeed inking Roberto Hernandez to a 1 year deal with a base salary of $4.5 million.  Included in the deal, are several incentives of varying amounts based off the amount of innings pitched by Roberto in 2014.  Hernandez was coming off a rather poor 2013 with the Tampa Bay Rays, turning in a 4.89 ERA at seasons end.  What he did provide the Rays with was innings every 5th day in the rotation.  This kind of pitcher was sorely missed on the 2013 Phillies' squad.  Going along with Bert's ability to eat up innings all year, he has a very healthy career 57.1% ground-ball rate, a stat that plays well within the confines of hitter friendly CBP.  I'd say the Phillies' front office realized that information, along with the fact the NL and more specifically the NL East is a much easier league & division to pitch in, and decided that Hernandez was their man for the 5th spot in the 2014 rotation.  

Getting the Call: Moving Up to the Majors

Every kid who has ever played catch in their backyard has had the dream of hearing their name being played through the PA system. For many young baseball talents, that day may not be far away as baseball is the only professional sport from the big four in America that allows players to be drafted out of high school. This has allowed for talents such as Mike Trout and Bryce Harper to make their debuts at the ripe ages of twenty and nineteen, respectively. Bringing up Trout and Harper at young ages has not effected them in the slightest, as they are both All-Stars, and are the faces of their respective franchises. Here are some young players who have a shot to get the "call of their life" this year, and possibly turn their team's season around: