There is no disputing the fact that the Boston Red Sox were low in most experts' opinions to win their division let alone the World Series. Team chemistry seems to have played a big role. But now what will happen to that chemistry?
The Boston Red Sox today signed catcher A.J. Pierzynski to a one year contract. He will replace the departing free agent Jarrod Saltalamacchia. (he with the longest name in baseball history). The question of economics is understandably a significant reason in the signing. Salty is 28 and is looking for a long term contract. Brian McCann nabbed 85 million in his Yankee signing. Although Salty may not put up McCann's power numbers, Saltalamacchia posted a .338 OBP, good for sixth among starting catchers. He also hit 54 of the 70 extra base hits for the Red Sox in 2013.
Clearly the 8.5 million spent for A.J. will be peanuts compared to what Salty gets. The point is Boston has two prospects that may be major league ready in 2015 so management wanted to find a spot for one of them so A.J. is a short term fix. Or is it? His former manager of the 2006 Chicago White Sox Ozzie Guillen said, "If you play against him, you hate him. If you play with him, you hate him a bit less." He has been dubbed " The Captain of Chaos" by former teammate Paul Konerko. The big platinum haired blonde, former quasi pro wrestler wanna be, is widely regarded as baseball's bad guy. In June 2012 he was voted baseball's # 1 most hated player in the game by Men's Journal.
He has been accused of being "mean" to guys on his own pitching staff and treating players with less than 5 years of experience as peasants. In 2006 he had a famous collision and fight with then Cubs catcher Michael Barrett in which A.J. was deemed the aggressor. On May 28, 2007, in a game versus the Minnesota Twins, Pierzynski twice ran down the first base line with his feet on the inside of the base, likely making contact with Twins first baseman Justin Morneau's foot with his spikes. The Twins were outraged but A.J. was not ejected.
All of this begs the question whether this volatile personality will ruin the chemistry on the Sox team. In my humble opinion, the answer is a resounding no. Has he matured? I don't know but his appearances as a baseball analyst seemed to have curtailed some of his bravado. More importantly, it must be emphasized that A.J. played an enormous role in his White Sox winning the 2006 World Series. He was an All-Star catcher that season. Players don't have to love one another to win. Just ask the Oakland A's of the early 70's or the Yankees of the late 70's. Chemistry often comes from winning or trying to out do the guys on the team that you don't like.
A.J. at 36 is not the same man as he was in 2006 or even 2012 when he won the Silver Slugger award. Last year he had his lowest OPB at .297 largely because of his paltry walk percentage. But the man is durable, a leader, and a guy who loves to win.
So my answer is no to the question I posed. He is not the reason the Sox will not repeat. The loss of Napoli, Drew, and Ellsbury will be the primary reasons. Sure there is great promise in Jackie Bradley Jr. and Xander Bogaerts, and maybe even Furcal will sign, but the losses are too great. And the competition is better in Texas and maybe even Detroit. If the Sox don't win it again, it won't be because they lost their chemistry. It's because they are now a team in transition and a bit old in the tooth.
