After taking a back seat in the Al East in 2007 with a third place finish, the Red Sox were poised for a return to supremacy and did just that with a return to the playoffs. One team stood in their way though, no not the Yankees, but the Tampa Bay Rays. This time around, it will be a three team race to decide the Al East between the Red Sox, Rays and Yankees.
The Red Sox made whatever stops necessary to contend and ultimately win the division title.
To start, the Red Sox added even more depth to their already solid bullpen, with the addition of career Atlanta Brave, John Smoltz. And Smoltz has shown that he can pitch out of the bullpen as a closer, set-up man, or even a spot starter. Whatever the case, Smoltz will be ready and the Red Sox will be even better.
Staying with the bullpen, the Red Sox have a flame throwing closer in Jonathan Papelbon. He can always be counted on to get the final three outs of any game. Then the Sox have Hideki Okajima, one of the better set-up men in the league. The Red Sox also added Takashi Saito and Junichi Tazawa, and will fill out the ‘pen nicely.
As for the starting rotation, it will be led off by Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Jon Lester. Those three are solid pitchers, can give the bullpen a rest on any given night, and most importantly, they are consistent in what they do.
The final two spots can be filled out with, newcomer John Smoltz or Brad Penny, or veteran knuckle-baller Tim Wakefield and Clay Buckholz. Whatever the Red Sox decide to do they win in this situation no matter how they want to fill out their rotation.
The more likely scenario to be seen will be Brad Penny and Clay Buckholz in the four and five slots. John Smoltz will be back in June after shoulder surgery and will pitch out of the bullpen. Tim Wakefield is really getting up there in age, and cannot throw the fastball or really any other pitch besides the knuckle ball, with good velocity. The only way Wakefield gets back into the rotation is if youngster Clay Buckholz struggles in his first few starts.
That means the Red Sox have Buckholz or Wakefield, either or, available from the bullpen. Pitching most certainly won’t be a problem at all with this edition of the Red Sox.
The Red Sox infield could emerge as one of the best offensively and defensively, led by 2008 Al MVP Dustin Pedroia, and Kevin Youkilis. Pedroia is one scrappy batter and a tough out, and will mostly likely bat out of the leadoff spot or two hole. In the past three years Youkilis has improved on his power numbers and should easily hit thirty homeruns this season.
Julio Lugo is a very good player to have at the bottom of the batting order, and is one of the best shortstops in the game. With him and Pedroia, turning double plays will be as easy as baking cookies.
The third base position could present a problem. The opening day starter will be Mike Lowell, but his hip was nagging him all year long, and that affected his numbers. With the emergence of Jed Lowire from last season, the Red Sox should still be okay.
The outfield is good to go as well, and Canadian Jason Bay fit in very well with the Red Sox, the city and adjusted to playing at Fenway Park. Bay may not be Manny Ramirez and the threat he always represents, but Bay gets the job done, and efficiently.
Centre field spot will be occupied by the speedy Jacoby Ellsbury, and defence won’t be a problem at all. Ellsbury should also improve on his offensive numbers as well, and if he can get on base on a more consistent level, he could bat higher in the order. When he gets on base, he could tear up the base paths, and his 50 stolen bases and 98 runs scored are proof enough.
The final outfield spot will go to JD Drew who finally put up a proper season since joining the Red Sox, but could still do much better like in his days with the Dodgers. One player who can give Drew a run or any other outfielder, is newly signed Rocco Baldelli.
Baldelli missed a huge chunk of last season, but when he returned he found his form and was a dangerous bat off the bench for the Rays and their playoff run. With time, Baldelli will get his conditioning back up and could be an everyday starter if he produces like he did before his injuries.
Catching and DH wise, there are no worries at all. The savvy veteran Jason Varitek is back, but offensive production from him will drop, and will need a solid back up. David Ortiz is one of the best clutch hitters in the game, and will bat out of the four hole. Whoever bats ahead or behind him, they will get pitches to hit.
This Boston team is destined for another playoff run, and with the AL East even tougher, making it to the finish line will be extremely satisfying, and the Red Sox have the team to do it.
POSITIVE --> PITCHING, BATTING, AND THE DEPTH AT BOTH POSITIONS.
NEGATIVE --> RUN PRODUCTION FROM THEIR CATCHERS. VARITEK CAN STILL PLAY, BUT CAN’T PUT UP NUMBERS LIKE HE DID IN THE PAST.
X-FACTOR --> WITH SO MANY SOLID PITCHERS AND BATTERS, A HEALTHY MIKE LOWELL CAN MAKE OR SOMEWHAT HURT THE BATTING ORDER. WITH BAY, ORTIZ, PEDROIA, AND YOUKILIS, LOWELL CAN BE THE SOLID FIFTH BAT IN THAT LINEUP, AND MAKE BOSTON EVEN TOUGHER.
SLEEPER PICK --> BRAD PENNY. HE WILL NOT BE RELIED ON AS HE WAS IN LOS ANGELES, AND NOT A LOT OF PRESSURE WILL BE ON HIM WITH SO MANY GOOD ARMS AHEAD OF HIM IN THE ROTATION. LOOK FOR PENNY TO THROW SOME HEAT, AGAIN.
PREDICTION --> WILL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS, EITHER AS DIVISION CHAMPS OR AS ONE OF THE WILD CARD WINNERS. ANOTHER 93 TO 97 WINS WILL BE POSTED.
The opinions and thoughts expressed in this or any other article written by 12nadnuk are of his thinking and what he thinks is correct or close to it in the sporting world. If there are any problems by anyone, 12nadnuk is open for rebuttal and what not, and honest criticism. There is also a comments section, so feel free to post what is on your mind about the article. Thank you for reading.
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