2010 Red Sox Preview

I'd like to preface this post by saying that I'm not a member of Red Sox Nation.  I don't have a membership card, wear a Sox army hat, or own a copy of Daisuke's greatest hits(that's not a joke, they actually released a CD of his favorite tunes).  I also realize that Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline was written about a girl(albeit an 11 year old...kinda creepy), and not for all the yahoos that belt it out every 7th inning at fenway.  However, unlike all of the pink hats, and frat boys that have sent the bandwagon into overload, I understand the game, the team, and their outlook for the upcoming campaign.  And, contrary to my obnoxiously biased opinions on everything Celtics and Patriots, my take on the sox has the potential to be much more objective.

It's no secret that pitching is crucial in baseball, especially in the AL East, where quality arms are needed on a nightly basis to combat some of those high-powered offenses, like the Rays and Yankees.  Luckily for the Red Sox they can likely lay claim to owning the best staff in the game, with Beckett, Lester, and Lackey headlining a deep rotation.  If they can stay healthy, that trio is going to give opposing managers fits, as each guy has the stuff to be an ace on any team.  Although the newly acquired Lackey is going to steal a lot of attention this spring, Beckett is still the ace of the staff, and the most dominant of the bunch when he is "on".  The southpaw, Jon Lester, will provide a different look in between Lackey and Beckett's starts, and the ability to take the ball into the 9th inning, which is a welcoming thought for the entire bullpen.  Rounding out the rotation will be some combination of Matsuzaka/Bucholz/Wakefield, depending on availability and matchups.  It will be interesting to see who is going to be the odd-man out, and, if any, or even all three of those guys could be making appearances out of the pen.  Speaking of the bullpen, I'm expecting a big year from Jon Papelbon, whose numbers were down considerably from previous seasons.  If Papelbon continues to decline, which isn't out of the question considering the short shelf-life of guys at his position, look for the sox to start giving Daniel Bard some opportunities to close-out games. 

For all of the optimism surrounding their pitching staff, there are a great deal of questions concerning the position players heading into the 2010 season.  The team's brass seemed to employ a change in philosophy this offseason, opting to bring in some players that will help shore of the defensive aspects of the game, while (hopefully) not conceding offensive production in the process.  With Beltre replacing Lowell, Scutarro taking over the revolving-door at short stop, and Mike Cameron roaming center field, the Sox will have the look of a new club come opening day.  Offensively, I think this team is going to be extremely well balanced, getting quality production throughout the order.  The only potential void is in the power department, where we used to enjoy the perks of an Ortiz/Ramirez tandem.  Those days are obviously over, but that doesn't mean that some of that slack can't be picked up by the likes of Youkilis, and Martinez.  And as long as Pedroia and JD Drew continue to produce this club should be able to score enough runs to support their pitching staff.

The good news for all you baseball fans is that we have 678 games for all of these questions to be answered, and scenarios to be played out.  Baseball has a looong season, which is one of my main concerns with the sport, but I digress.  There are a couple of things that I know for sure.  First, this team is going to make the playoffs.  Second, they will go into a major slump at some point during the early summer, at which point everyone will freak out and abandon ship, forgetting this happens EVERY year.  Finally, I'm certain that I will want to scream everytime I hear Sweet Caroline or Shippin up to Boston, ugh, I'm already dreading it.  Anyways, it's prediction time.  I'll go with 98 wins, which is good enough to win the division, and eventually the world series.