01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, February 1, 2011

By BRIAN MacPHERSON Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON –– With all of the talk about the tumbling ratings for Red Sox games on NESN, even with the excitement surrounding the acquisitions of Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, a strong start in April would give those ratings the type of boost the ownership group would like to see.

“We root for the Celtics and we root for the Bruins, but they are very competitive programming in April and May,” Red Sox chairman Tom Werner said before a town hall meeting with fans on Monday night. “It’s important, I think, for us to get out of the box early. There’s enormous excitement and anticipation. If we don’t play well in April, it’s not the end of the world — but it sure would be nice to come out strong.”

It’ll be up to manager Terry Francona to make that happen.

The Red Sox last season finished April at 11-12, their first sub-.500 first month since 1996. The Red Sox went 15-6 and 16-8 in April in their World Series seasons of 2004 and 2007, respectively, and they’ve finished over .500 in every other April since Theo Epstein took over as general manager in 2003.

For that reason, the slow start of a year ago isn’t ringing alarm bells on Yawkey Way.

“April and May are usually very good months for us,” Epstein said. “We’re not going to abandon the principles of preparation that have been the core of our spring-training routines under Tito just because we had one year where we got off to a bad start. Can we emphasize certain things and remember what we’re all about and have a strong spring training? Absolutely. If we start to see a pattern where we get off to slow starts, maybe we’ll take a closer look at how we’re approaching it. But we’ve been, traditionally, very strong starters.”

A year ago, a Red Sox team with high expectations stumbled badly out of the gate, losing two out of three to the Yankees at home and enduring a demoralizing four-game sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays in mid-April.

David Ortiz’s struggles, who hit .143 with a .238 on-base percentage in April, drew as much attention as anything else. Francona raised eyebrows at times by pinch-hitting for Ortiz against left-handed relief pitchers for the first time since Ortiz became one of the legendary sluggers in Red Sox history.

Francona has a history of sticking by players in whom he believes — most notably Dustin Pedroia, who bounced back from a terrible April in 2007 to win Rookie of the Year honors.

But the presence of Mike Lowell on the bench made that difficult for Francona last season, especially with the way Ortiz was struggling.

“Back in Pedey’s first year, he was hitting .140,” Francona said. “But we were winning and our other guy was (Alex) Cora — and Cora was an extra player. He knew that. Last year, we’re sitting with Mikey Lowell as a guy that’s the other side of that equation. It was like a perfect fit. You’ve got a guy that’s not hitting lefties, you’ve got a guy that’s done that his whole life, it would be kind of hard not to use him a little bit. I don’t think I would’ve been doing my job. … I lost a lot of sleep over that. We always tell guys the night before if they’re playing (the next day). It’s something that we do, and I’m real comfortable with it. I remember one night in New York, I think (CC) Sabathia might’ve been pitching, and for one of the few times since I’ve been here, I had to go out and tell the guys, ‘I don’t know. We’ll call you tomorrow.’ Maybe in some places that’s normal, but it really bothered me. It was a lot of anxiety for an April game.”

Ortiz has never hit lefties extraordinarily well, but he has seen his numbers tumble sharply against lefties in the last three seasons. In 200 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers last season, Ortiz hit .222 with two home runs — and he struck out 57 times.

“For David to be successful — and I see his numbers against lefties, believe me, I do — you can’t just sit him because I don’t know if he’d have as much success against righties,” Francona said. “I know we believe that.”

There’s a chance — a pretty good chance, given the track record — that Ortiz again might struggle coming out of the gate. But Francona doesn’t intend to treat his popular designated hitter any differently than normal next season.

“He actually got a lot of at-bats last spring,” Francona said. “He wanted more. He always prepares pretty well. He’s really good about communicating with me in spring training about his at-bats. There will be games when I say, ‘You had enough?’ and he’ll say, ‘No, I need another one.’ He’s pretty good about gauging himself. … For whatever reason, the last two years have been horrendous starts. Thankfully, he’s pulled out of it.”

The Red Sox never really pulled out of the hole they dug for themselves in April a year ago, thanks in large part to injuries. A fast start this season would go a long way toward alleviating the type of panic the Red Sox saw in their fans when Victor Martinez signed with the Detroit Tigers in late November.

“The first month of the season, we started out so bad,” Francona said. “I felt like I probably could’ve done some things different. You take the roster you have, how to make the most of it. … I always do what I think’s best. I try never to lose sight of the big picture. If I had to do it all over again, I don’t know if I was right or not.”

The left-field wall at Fenway Park won’t be the only monster in Boston. Say hello to Adrian “Gonzilla” Gonzalez.

The Red Sox’ new first baseman isn’t 37 feet tall, but by the end of his playing days in New England, if everything goes according to Theo Epstein‘s plan, Gonzalez will be the source of more tall tales than Paul Bunyan, Big Papi and The Kid combined.

Gonzilla is the new nickname Red Sox fans have given their new first baseman. In a vote on NESN.com, Gonzilla beat El Padre 56.9 percent to 43.1 percent to win the nickname competition.

Paht deserves credit for coming up with the name, and Red Sox fans figure to be seeing and hearing “Gonzilla” many more times over the next couple of days, weeks, months, years and decades — in headlines, during broadcasts, on bumper stickers, billboards and T-shirts.

Going, Going, Gonzilla.

Gonzilla, Baby, Gone.

Gonzilla With the Wind.

Gonzilla Strikes Back.

Gonzilla Raids Again.

Return of Gonzilla.

Gonzilla for President.

Gonzilla Eats Yankees for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

The list of possibilities is endless. Feel free to leave your own creative ideas for the uses of “Gonzilla” in the comments section below.

The fun has just begun.

April 1 at Texas, 4:05 p.m.

April 2 at Texas, 8:05 p.m.

April 3 at Texas, 3:05 p.m.

April 5 at Cleveland, 7:05 p.m.

April 6 at Cleveland, 7:05 p.m.

April 7 at Cleveland, 12:05 p.m.

April 8 N.Y. Yankees, 2:05 p.m.

April 9 N.Y. Yankees, 1:10 p.m.

April 10 N.Y. Yankees, 8:05 p.m.

April 11 Tampa Bay, 7:10 p.m.

April 12 Tampa Bay, 7:10 p.m.

April 13 Tampa Bay, 7:10 p.m.

April 15 Toronto, 7:10 p.m.

April 16 Toronto, 1:10 p.m.

April 17 Toronto, 1:35 p.m.

April 18 Toronto, 11:05 a.m.

April 19 at Oakland, 10:07 p.m.

April 20 at Oakland, 3:37 p.m.

April 21 at L.A. Angels, 10:05 p.m.

April 22 at L.A. Angels, 10:05 p.m.

By Evan Drellich / MLB.com | 01/25/11 10:00 PM EST

BOSTON — Despite all the Red Sox gave up to land a top-flight first baseman, despite Jose Iglesias’ injury-riddled season, both club and player still made it.

Iglesias, the 21-year-old shortstop who’s drawn comparisons to Hanley Ramirez, is the Red Sox’s lone representative on the annual MLB.com Top 50 Prospects list, revealed Tuesday night on MLB Network. He checked in at No. 42, three spots higher than he did in 2010.

A native of Cuba who signed a four-year, $8.25 million deal in September 2009, Iglesias was limited to just 70 regular-season games between Class A and Double-A in ’10, his first Minor League season. He still hit a combined .295 with a .339 on-base percentage and 13 extra-base hits in 261 at-bats, but the missed time means his arrival at Fenway, at least in any permanent way, has been pushed back.

“Last year was a challenge, just because of the amount of time he lost,” Red Sox director of player development Mike Hazen said. “I think we’ll approach it the same we kind of went into last year: Coming into big league camp, he’ll probably get a lot of reps early, just because he’s the young shortstop in big league camp, which will be great for him. We’ll see where he’s at.”

Iglesias’ potential remains immense, and the Top 50 nomination is a reminder that despite what the Sox gave up to bring in Adrian Gonzalez — prospects Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo and Reymond Fuentes — there’s depth to their farm system.

  1. Mike Trout, Angels |   2. Jeremy Hellickson, Rays |   3. Bryce Harper, Nationals |   4. Domonic Brown, Phillies |   5. Dustin Ackley, Mariners |   6. Aroldis Chapman, Reds |   7. Mike Moustakas, Royals |   8. Eric Hosmer, Royals |   9. Jesus Montero, Yankees | 10. Julio Teheran, Braves | 11. Desmond Jennings, Rays | 12. Kyle Drabek, Blue Jays | 13. Michael Pineda, Mariners | 14. Mike Montgomery, Royals | 15. Jacob Turner, Tigers | 16. Wil Myers, Royals | 17. Freddie Freeman, Braves | 18. Jameson Taillon, Pirates | 19. Zach Britton, Orioles | 20. Shelby Miller, Cardinals | 21. Mike Minor, Braves | 22. Casey Kelly, Padres | 23. Martin Perez, Rangers | 24. Manny Machado, Orioles | 25. Chris Sale, White Sox | 26. Brandon Belt, Giants | 27. Matt Moore, Rays | 28. Brett Lawrie, Blue Jays | 29. Jarrod Parker, D-backs | 30. Jonathan Singleton, Phillies | 31. Jordan Lyles, Astros | 32. Gary Sanchez, Yankees | 33. Tyler Matzek, Rockies | 34. John Lamb, Royals | 35. Manny Banuelos, Yankees | 36. Lonnie Chisenhall, Indians | 37. Jake Odorizzi, Royals | 38. Nick Franklin, Mariners | 39. Aaron Hicks, Twins | 40. Kyle Gibson, Twins | 41. Wilin Rosario, Rockies | 42. Jose Iglesias, Red Sox | 43. Tanner Scheppers, Rangers | 44. Dee Gordon, Dodgers | 45. Devin Mesoraco, Reds | 46. Brett Jackson, Cubs | 47. Chris Archer, Rays | 48. J.P. Arencibia, Blue Jays | 49. Yonder Alonso, Reds | 50. Christian Friedrich, Rockies |

MLB.com’s Top 50 Prospects features only those who would receive rookie status in 2011 and is compiled from industry sources, taking into account skill sets, high upsides, closeness to the Majors and potential immediate impact to their teams.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, Iglesias was 19 when the Red Sox signed him, and he arrived as a top-flight athlete with a slick glove. Not since Ramirez was traded has Boston had a shortstop this dynamic in its farm system, and not since Nomar Garciaparra was traded have the Sox had a fixture at the position in the bigs.

Iglesias has a quick bat, but didn’t display much in the way of patience last season, striking out 57 times while drawing only 15 walks. He hasn’t shown power yet, either, but at Double-A Portland, he was often playing against competition several years older. Injury also took its toll: a stray pitch that found his right hand at the end of May landed him on the disabled list.

When he did face younger competition in a brief New York-Penn League stint, Iglesias came out of the gate with a nine-game hit streak, and he hit .350 in 13 games.

Defensively, Iglesias struggled at the start of the season, making seven errors by May 5. He settled, though, and didn’t make another miscue until nearly six months later in the Arizona Fall League, where he finished with three errors in 17 games.

Even when counting the AFL, Iglesias totaled just 87 games last season, and that’s really the most important stat for him going into 2011.

“He went through the second half of the season, the last month of the season, then in the Fall League and held his own and did well,” Hazen said. “I know he’s really motivated, talking to him this offseason about coming in in shape, making a good impression, knowing that he lost all that time last year.”

The Red Sox could be aggressive and send Iglesias to Triple-A Pawtucket next season, or return him to Portland, at least for the start.

Said Hazen: “We’re going to evaluate him over the course of Spring Training, and [we're going to do] what’s going to be best for him this coming season.”

« Astros, Wandy Rodriguez Agree To Long-Term Deal | Main | Duchscherer “Pretty Much 100 Percent,” Wants To Start »

By Mark Polishuk [January 25, 2011 at 5:54pm CST]

The Red Sox “made multiple offers” for Jose Bautista during the Winter Meetings, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.  Boston “never got the sense that the Blue Jays were serious about a deal” and Rosenthal reports that several other clubs inquired about Bautista’s availability as well.

One would think that the Sox would’ve had to pay a premium to extract Bautista from their division rivals, but needless to say, that trade would have completely altered the shape of the offseason.  Let’s play alternate reality for a moment and explore how a Bautista deal would have affected Boston’s two biggest winter moves…

• The Adrian Gonzalez trade.  Rosenthal notes that the Red Sox were specifically looking for an outfielder (Carlos Beltran and Magglio Ordonez were also options), so a Bautista deal would’ve kept Kevin Youkilis at third base and left Boston looking for a big bat at first.  It’s hard to see Theo Epstein, however, cleaning out his farm system for the sake of two trades, when Boston has the finances to simply sign a big-name free agent.  It’s also possible the Jays would’ve wanted some of the prospects that the Sox sent to the Padres for Gonzalez.  That said, the Red Sox had been interested in Gonzalez for so long that they surely put him at a higher level of importance than acquiring Bautista.
• The Carl Crawford signing.  Bautista’s presence would’ve made Carl Crawford‘s signing unnecessary, unless the Red Sox were prepared to move J.D. Drew or just keep a $14MM player in a bench role.  If Crawford doesn’t land in Boston, that has a domino effect on several other teams; for instance, if Crawford instead had signed with the Angels, then the club wouldn’t have hade a need for Vernon Wells.

BOSTON -– As the Boston Red Sox prepare to head to Fort Myers to begin the 2011 baseball season, the team is partnering with NESN to host a special town hall style meeting for fans on Monday, Jan. 31 at 7:00 pm. The 2011 Red Sox Town Hall presented by Bigelow Tea will feature a lively and interactive conversation between fans and Red Sox executives.  It will be held at WGBH’s Calderwood Studio, and televised in its entirety on NESN at 9:00 pm.

The Red Sox executive panel is expected to include chairman Tom Werner, president/CEO Larry Lucchino, executive vice president/general manager Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona. NESN’s Tom Caron and Heidi Watney will serve as hosts for the one-hour event.

“This town hall event is an example of our commitment to have an honest dialogue with fans,” said Red Sox chairman Tom Werner.  “It will give fans the chance to ask any question, and members of ownership and the front office will be on hand to provide the answers.  We’ll all benefit from this important conversation.”

 ”Red Sox fans are very excited about the upcoming season and with good reason thanks to the addition of [Carl] Crawford and [Adrian] Gonzalez to the lineup,” said Sean McGrail, NESN president and CEO. “We see it as our responsibility to give fans unparalleled access to the team. This event is one way that fans can interact directly with the people who call the shots for the Red Sox.”

Fans throughout Red Sox Nation can participate in the 2011 Red Sox Town Hall by submitting questions in advance via NESN.com/townhall.  A complete recording of the town hall event will also be posted on NESN.com/townhall immediately after it airs on NESN. Due to the limited space, in-studio audience attendance will be by invitation only. 

Media interested in covering 2011 Red Sox Town Hall should contact the Red Sox Media Relations office at 617-226-6613.