2017 Pre-Season Profile: Boston Red Sox

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The Boston Red Sox saw the retirement of one of their all-time greats in David Ortiz in 2016.  Will 2017 be a let down year, or will it see the emergence of the next generation of all-time Red Sox greats?

My 2016 Predictions

2nd in AL East

David Price will spend time on the DL in 2016.

2016 Results

93-69, 1st in AL East, lose in ALDS

The Red Sox had a great season in 2016.  After a disappointing finish in the cellar in 2015, the team bounced back, led by a farewell campaign from David Ortiz that Hollywood couldn't have written.  Led by their 40 year old slugger, and some young new stars, the Red Sox won the division.  Once in the playoffs, they ran into the buzzsaw that was the Cleveland Indians.  As for my Fearless Prediction, it appeared to just be premature.  I said the workload of David Price was going to catch up with him.  After leading the league in innings pitched in 2016, Price is starting the 2017 season on the DL which might result in Tommy John surgery.

Additions / Subtractions

The biggest subtraction is obviously the loss of David Ortiz.  Despite what many people hoped, he did indeed retire.  He has been replaced in the lineup by Mitch Moreland, a defense-first first baseman that allows Hanley Ramirez to inherit the DH spot.  Otherwise, the lineup didn't change much.  As far as their pitching goes, the Red Sox once again won the lottery.  After signing the biggest fish last season in David Price, they traded for the biggest fish on the market this year in Chris Sale.  They gave up a good portion of their farm system to get him, but get him they did.

Most Important Hitter

Pablo Sandoval

The success of Pablo Sandoval's season might be more important to Pablo Sandoval than the Red Sox.  After signing a big free agent contract with the Red Sox a few years ago, Pablo Sandoval has been an epic disappointment.  His 2016 season was defined by being overweight, breaking his belt on a swing, and a season-ending injury that dd the Red Sox a favor because now they had an excuse not to play him.  After several attempts to fill the third base hole last season did not work as well as they had hoped, the Red Sox are giving The Artist Formerly Known as Kung Fu Panda one more chance to show why they paid him so much money.  If this season goes well, Sandoval will be a candidate for Comeback Player of the Year.  If this season goes poorly, not only will the Red Sox move on, but Sandoval's career will most likely be over.

Most Important Pitcher

Rick Porcello

Entering the 2016 season, everyone was talking about how the Red Sox signed David Price.  However, it was Rick Porcello that got the headlines by the end of the season, winning the AL Cy Young.  Now the Red Sox have added Chris Sale to the top of the rotation, giving them three established aces.  At least that is the hope.  More times than not, when a top-notch pitcher changes teams the first season is a bit of a letdown.  At the same time, David Price is on the shelf with no guarantee that he pitches at all this season.  Rick Porcello is going to be counted on as the stabilizing force in that rotation to hold it together no matter what happens with Sale and Price.  For someone who just had his first elite season, that might be too lofty a task for Porcello.

Player to Watch

Andrew Benintendi

This is an easy one.  The only reason he still qualifies as a rookie was an injury last season that kept his game total down below the limit.  However, Benintendi burst on the scene in 2016, showing he was ready to break out and be a star.  This season, he is the Opening Day rightfielder for the Red Sox.  He will not only be a fun rookie to watch, but he is being counted on to join their young core of Betts, Bogaerts, and Bradley.  Add Benintendi to that ... talk about the new "Killer B's!"

2017 Prediction

1st in AL East, win the World Series

This team is loaded.  Their lineup is possibly the best in the league, led by Mookie Betts, who has the potential to join Mike Trout as the two best players in the league.  Their pitching is elite and deep, even if David Price ends up not pitching this season.  This new core of stars had a taste of the postseason last year, and now they are ready to take it all the way.  If they are able to stay together, this might be the making of a dynasty.

Fearless Prediction

Chris Sale will win the AL Cy Young.  Mookie Betts will win the AL MVP.

Sale's career has been building to this.  He has been on this slow rise to dominance, but has yet to break through as the best pitcher in the league.  I think the biggest reason for this is the fact that he has yet to play on a team good enough to support him.  The White Sox have yet to contend since Sale's career has taken off.  Now he is on one of the most talented rosters in the league.  Combine that with Sale's dominance in the prime of his career, and this could be a special season for Chris Sale.  For Mookie Betts, his career has been building as well.  Last season, he took second in the MVP voting to Mike Trout, however he is close to eclipsing and possibly passing Trout.  Winning Cy Young, MVP, and the World Series is rare, but not a far-fetched prediction considering the circumstance.

2016 Pre-Season Profile: Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox won the 2015 offseason last year, but it did not lead to success in the 2015 season.  A lot of people are saying the Red Sox won the 2016 offseason.  Will it lead to more success than it did in 2015?

Last Season

My 2015 Prediction: 2nd in AL East, WILD CARD, lose in Wild Card Game

2015 Result: 78-84, 5th in AL East

The Red Sox really struggled their way through the 2015 season, mainly due to disappointing seasons from their two big money acquisitions over the offseason.  Pablo Sandoval was average at best, and the Hanley Ramirez outfield experiment was a colossal failure.  Add to that a medical leave for their manager for cancer treatment, and 2015 was a year the Red Sox were happy to get past them and forget.

2016 Additions / Subtractions

The 2015 offseason for the Red Sox was a home run.  Is there something better than a home run?  If so, that's what the 2016 offseason has been.  Ramirez and Sandoval had question marks coming in with their big deals.  The guys they brought in this year do not.  David Price has been one of the most consistently dominant aces of this decade, and Craig Kimbrel has been the best closer of the decade.  Price solidifies the ace-less rotation, and Kimbrel moves the aging Koji Uehara to the 8th inning and, along with the underrated acquisition of Carson Smith, adds some quality depth to the bullpen.

Most Important Hitter

Jackie Bradley, Jr.

This could also be last year's two busts (including Hanley, who will be learning how to play 1st base this year), however Boston started to make a shift to a new young core last season, and Jackie Bradley, Jr. is one of the cornerstones of that new group.  They have been waiting for Bradley to be ready for several seasons now, and 2015 finally saw him produce in a way that lived up to some of the hype.  Now they are counting on him to be their everyday centerfielder with youngsters Mookie Betts and Rusney Castillo flanking him.  Jackie Bradley, Jr. needs to have a productive 2016 if the Red Sox are going to have a productive offense this season.

Most Important Pitcher

Rick Porcello

At the top of the rotation, you know what David Price will bring, and Clay Buchholz is a solid number two.  However, added to the lists of 2015 disappointments was Rick Porcello, who was acquired from the Tigers for Yoenis Cespedes before the 2015 season.  Porcello has all the skills to be an All Star pitcher, but he struggled to stay in the rotation for a cellar-dweller last season.  He needs to show the skill that made a Cespedes-for-Porcello trade a smart move for the Red Sox.

Player to Watch

Brian Johnson

One of the Red Sox top prospects is this lefty.  He was able to get his big league debut in 2015 before a freak injury prevented him from getting more experience.  The Red Sox seem set in their rotation, but injuries always happen.  Even without injuries, the Red Sox will want to get this 25 year-old in the big league mix sooner rather than later.  An honorable mention for this spot is Deven Marrero, a middle infielder bound to see some time when the inevitable injuries to either Dustin Pedroia or Pablo Sandoval come.

2016 Prediction

2nd in AL East

The Red Sox look much better off this year than they did last year.  Thanks to guys like Price and Kimbrel, they have a chance to compete for the division.  I have them finishing second and coming up short on a Wild Card spot, but that could very well end up getting one of those spots.  Either way, it shouldn't be another cellar finish for the Sox.

Fearless Prediction

David Price will spend time on the DL in 2016.

David Price has thrown over 200 innings every season since 2010 with one exception.  That is a huge workload for one of the most durable pitchers of this generation.  That much wear and tear on a pitcher is bound to lead to an injury somewhere along the way.  It might not be a major injury, but it will be enough to see him miss some time.  He will be 100% for the stretch run though.

2015 Pre-Season Profile: Boston Red Sox

Okay, it may not be pre-season anymore, but I can still give a season preview.  The Boston Red Sox went from worst (2012) to first (2013) to worst again (2014).  Will 2015 bring another bounce back year?

Last Season

71-91, 5th in AL East

The Red Sox followed up a magical World Series run in 2013 by falling back down to earth and the cellar of the AL East.  No one has had such up and down swings in recent memory.  With the talent level of their roster, it's a mystery how they are able to drop that low every other year.  It's like they are turning into the odd-yeared version of the Giants.

2015 Additions / Subtractions

The Red Sox were extremely active this offseason.  After signing two of the biggest free agents this offseason, Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval, to bolster their offense, they brought in Rick Porcello, Justin Masterson, and Wade Miley to strengthen their starting rotation.  The Red Sox roster is completely retooled and revamped and ready to make another push in 2015.

Most Important Hitter

Pablo Sandoval

Kung Fu Panda rode a mediocre season and a heroic postseason in 2014 to a big contract signing in 2015 with the Red Sox.  The Sox paid him to be the postseason hero, and they need him to be that level of player for this signing to be worth it and for their season to be a success.

Most Important Pitcher

Clay Buchholz

Clay Buchholz had some serious issues in 2014.  Now that Jon Lester has moved on, they need Buchholz to be back to his All Star form and be the ace of their staff.

Player to Watch

Rusney Castillo

He may not be starting on the Boston roster this season, but Cuban defector Rusney Castillo has the potential to be the next Cespedes or Puig by the end of the season.  Inevitably, someone in that outfield is going to get hurt, and Castillo will get his shot.

Prediction

2nd in AL East, WILD CARD, Lose in Wild Card Game

It is time for the Red Sox to bounce back in 2015.  They may not make their way all the way back up to the top of the division and the league, but a playoff birth is definitely a possibility this year.  We will see how long this window of opportunity stays open with an aging David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, and Sandoval and Ramirez not being young.  I give them maybe three more seasons before they have to start all over again (which I guess they had to do this year).