Sean Casey Looking good in a Sox hat. (AP Photo)
The Boston Red Sox welcomed aboard 1B Sean Casey to the team yesterday as he was all smiles while being introduced to the media. Casey signed a one-year $800,000 contract and will be the primary back-up for Kevin Youkilis. I like the idea of continuing the trend of having a solid veteran presence backing up Youk at first, and think Casey should do a decent job in the same vain as John Olerud & David McCarthy.
Casey's bat doesn't quite have the same pop that it used to, however he did manage to bat .296 in 453 AB's with Detroit last year and is a solid .301 hitter for his career. Casey's ability to get on base is decent with an OBP of .353 in 2007, and if he can be patient behind the powerful lineup that will lie ahead of him he should see that number creep up quite a bit.
It looks like the 13 year vet is coming to Boston for a similar reason most players come to teams like the Sox and Yanks, and that's to win.
"It's all about getting back there and winning a championship. We were so close there in 2006, but to have that feeling that we had, going through the playoffs, that was the first time in my career I was like, 'This is what people feel. This is what the Red Sox and the Yankees, the teams that get to the postseason a lot, and the Braves, this is what they feel. This is what it's all about.'
"It's all about winning."
Also being announced yesterday was that all hustle reserve, Bobby Kielty, will be coming back to the Sox for at least Spring Training. Kielty and the Sox have come to terms on a one-year, nonguaranteed deal for $800,000, with incentives worth an additional $300,000. Kielty's most famous moment in a Red Sox uniform, and possibly his career, was what ended up being his game winning homerun in Game 4 of the 2007 World Series.
Kielty being invited back will add a lot of headway to the more then likely trade of Coco Crisp as the Red Sox outfield is beginning to look awfully crowded (Manny, Jacoby, J.D., Crisp, & Kielty). I'd expect the trading of Crisp to be one of the top storylines coming out of Ft. Meyers along with the eventual Japan trip.
All in a all a good day for the Red Sox, and with what happened this weekend (I'm still on a personal SportsCenter ban...) some good ol' baseball is exactly what I needed. Exactly one week to go today, and it sure couldn't come sooner!
Casey "at the Bat" has finally arrived in Boston. I have been a fan of Sean's for quite some time, and I think this is a great move by both parites. He will be a solid back-up for Youuuuuk. Sean has great numbers and will mesh wonderfully with this group of players. Sean will be wearing Jimy Williams old number 22...so lets hope this ends better than Jimy did.
Posted by: gdubs850 | February 11, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Hah, good insight on the Jimy Williams pull!
From everything I've read and everyone I've talked with Casey is made up of very solid character (a la Mikey Lowell) which bodes well for the team in gerneral.
Posted by: Derek Hixon | February 11, 2008 at 11:49 AM
Us Bostonians love the redheads! Scal is a fna favorite with the Celtics. Keilty is going to be a fan favorite after a full season under his belt with the local 9. Being from the area is a bonus!!
-gdubs850
Posted by: gdubs850 | February 11, 2008 at 11:53 AM