2014 Bill James Projections - Mike Carp

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2011: 79 games, .276 BA, .326 OBO, .466 SLG, 12 HR, 46 RBI
2012 projection: 79 games, .258 BA, .327 OBP, .442 SLG, 11 HR, 40 RBI
2012: 59 games, .213 BA, .312 OBP, .341 SLG, 5 HR, 20 RBI
2013 projection: 61 games, .252 BA, .329 OBP, .410 SLG, 5 HR, 19 RBI
2013: 86 games, .296 BA, .362 OBP, .523 SLG, 9 HR, 43 RBI
2014 projection: 126 games, .257 BA, .330 OBP, .436 SLG, 13 HR, 49 RBI

Oh, the life of a fourth outfielder/backup first baseman. Mike Carp played the most games in his career last season, and Bill James and his crew are projecting him to blow out that personal best in 2014.

Carp was an important role player last season - he played in just over half the regular season games, and had just eight plate appearances in the postseason (where he had exactly zero hits, but it was a light hitting postseason for everyone not named Ortiz).

Bill James' projection for playing time could be curtailed if the Grady Sizemore experiment pans out, but Carp's outfield versatility should keep him around.

I often catch myself thinking of Mike Carp as much older than he is: he won't be 28 until almost July, and because of his age and limited playing time, he's under team control for a few more years.

2014 Bill James Projections - Jake Peavy

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2011: 7-7, 18 starts, 111.2 IP, 4.92 ERA, 24 BB, 95 SO
2012 projection: 8-5, 19 starts, 123 IP, 3.51 ERA, 29 BB, 121 SO
2012: 11-12, 32 starts, 219 IP, 3.37 ERA, 49 BB, 194 SO
2013 projection: 14-9, 31 starts, 211 IP, 3.20 ERA, 47 BB, 200 SO
2013: 12-5, 23 starts, 144.2 IP, 4.17 ERA, 36 BB, 121 SO
2014 projection: 11-7, 25 starts, 163 IP, 3.31 ERA, 39 BB, 150 SO

It's been a long time since Jake Peavy won his Cy Young Award, and he hasn't been able to come close to matching the dominance of that 2007 season since. Nevertheless, he's a solid starter, and despite the howling from some corners of Red Sox Nation when we sent Jose Iglesias to Detroit in the three team deal that brought us Peavy, his short time in Boston has been successful.

There always seem to be murmurs of a trade surrounding Jake Peavy, and this year has been no different. The Red Sox have six legitimate starters on their roster right now, so somebody is likely to be the odd man out, and Peavy could be a free agent as soon as next season. (His contract includes a $15 million player option, but it will only vest if he reaches certain unlikely milestones.)

Assuming Peavy sticks around through 2014, and he lives up to Bill James' projections, he'll be a reliable starter. Whether he's actually worth the $14.5 million he'll be paid is another question entirely, but I'd hazard a guess that the Red Sox ownership is perfectly content to pay him for his contributions for the 2013 World Championship - I know I am.

Padded caps for pitchers?

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According to a story on ESPN, Major League Baseball has approved the use of padded caps for pitchers starting this season. Considering the sheer magnitude of innings pitched in a single season, line drives that hit the pitcher in the head are very rare - but incredibly scary whenever they happen.

The protection would come in the form of foam and plastic padding inside pitchers' caps, adding about half an inch to each side of the cap, and an inch on the front. ESPN has a video up on their site showing a few major league pitchers trying on the caps, and from a distance it would be difficult for fans to tell the difference.

The caps would be optional at first, but widespread adoption would likely lead to a new rule in years to come. Major League Baseball certainly isn't dealing with the same concussion PR-nightmare the NFL is, but they're still taking steps to allow their players to protect themselves.

Among the players interviewed, Yankees lefty CC Sabathia said he would wear the new cap, even though he's never been hit in the head in his illustrious twelve year career."You can never be too safe," he said. "Especially with the way guys are hitting the ball these days."

No word yet on whether any Red Sox pitchers will decide to take advantage of the new protective headgear - but I would guess the front office would support such a protection for their investment.