Time Out for Sports Talk – Defending Champs Getting Ready For Baseball Season!
Todd: It was exactly one year ago today we debuted in this space with a similarly titled post (minus the first two words, of course). Given that this is also our fiftieth column, I thought we’d honor the occasion with another Red Sox season preview, although certainly with a different tone than the one we wrote last year.
Before diving into the fun and games we are known for, it is coming up on the one year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings, as we remember both the innocent lives lost and the dauntless work of the first responders who helped keep that number down to a minimum. Of the latter, we were sadly reminded of those who put their lives on the line earlier this week with the news that two Boston firefighters perished in a blaze that eerily happened just a few blocks from the Marathon finish line. Let’s never forget who the real heroes are, as we now turn our thoughts back to the sports that help serve as a much-needed diversion.
2014 RED SOX SEASON PREVIEW
Todd: Last year we asked whether the Sox could remove the stench of the 2012 season. It’s safe to say that the 2013 World Series champs did that in every way imaginable, taking us all on an incredibly improbable run that ended with another parade of duck boats.
Before asking what the 2014 team can do for an encore, I can’t help but look back at a few things I said from our very first column. My prediction of 85 wins and a third place finish in the AL East was significantly off, but my hope that manager John Farrell would help bring respectability back to the Sox (much like Bill Belichick did with the Patriots) has already come to fruition.
If anything that I wrote in last year’s preview made me chuckle, it was the seemingly throwaway line ‘Then there’s the quandary of what to do with Jackie Bradley Jr.’, as if I had any idea those words would ring even more true this year for the 23-year old centerfielder.
Standing by what I’ve said the last few weeks, Grady Sizemore has been an amazing story this spring, and it appears the one-time star will get through spring training in good health. That being the case, I have no problem with the Sox putting him in centerfield to start the season and seeing how long the ride lasts. With the way both Sizemore and Shane Victorino play the outfield (and the fact they’re both in their early thirties), I wouldn’t be surprised to see at least one of them winding up on the DL before summer. In the meantime, I don’t see any harm keeping Bradley in Pawtucket where he can improve on his hitting and be ready at a moment’s notice to step in when needed. JBJ’s time in Boston will come, and with Sizemore healthy for now there’s no need to rush it.
As for the rest of the Sox, here’s what I’m most curious to watch this season:
Will there be any growing pains for Xander Bogaerts, or will he simply pick up where he left off last October? Regardless, I look forward to watching Boston’s next big star play shortstop every day (and I am especially glad the Sox did not bring Stephen Drew back).
On a similar note, can Jon Lester pick up where he left off in October and truly become the ace of the pitching staff, leaving his stretches of inconsistency in the rear view mirror? I’ll be curious to hear if he and the Sox agree to a long-term contract extension before he starts Monday’s opener in Baltimore.
As I mentioned last week, can Koji Uehara come even remotely close to duplicating his unreal 2013 numbers? The law of averages say he’ll blow a few saves this year, but I think that’s okay with guys like Tazawa and Mujica backing him up in the bullpen.
Is Will Middlebrooks (another beneficiary of not bringing back Drew) ready to break out as a legitimate power threat and ably defend the hot corner? Seriously, how can Sox fans not be excited about the upside on the left side of the infield? That’s not even including the upside possessed by their minor league counterparts, 3B Garin Cecchini and SS Deven Marrero.
Can Felix Doubront, who showed up to Fort Myers in better shape and more focused than he did last year, ready to emerge as more than just a back-of-the-rotation starter? Or are his last couple of spring training starts a harbinger of things to come?
How well A.J. Pierzynski will hold up at age 37 and assimilate himself into both the team and with the pitching staff?
My 2014 prediction: Despite the strength and depth of this year’s roster, I think there were many elements in 2013 that broke just right for the Sox that would seem to be hard to duplicate this year, in part because I think the AL East has improved from top to bottom. So I say the Sox win 91 games, finish second in the division behind the Tampa Bay Rays, and earn themselves a berth in the wild card play-in game. The best news? We’ll still finish ahead of Jacoby Ellsbury’s Yankees!
Mike: Wow, I am so ready for baseball season to begin, it seems like this winter has gone on forever!
Well, with the season just a few days away, the roster is taking shape as the Sox have finally made a decision on centerfield, keeping Sizemore and sending JBJ down to Pawtucket.
It's kind of hard for me to get a handle on this season, because last year came so far out of nowhere. No one could have seriously expected that the Sox would jump from worst to first last season. And that leads me to this season.
My question is how much of last year was an aberration where the team played WAY above its head? Or was 2012 the fluke year, and the team was really closer to the 2013 champs than the 2012 Bobby Valentine disaster.
I want to be optimistic when it comes to the Red Sox, like I am every season. I'm not that worried about the loss of Ellsbury, I never thought there was any way he was coming back here, and frankly he's so injury-prone that even though he's a great player, he's not worth the money that the Yankees are paying him. Let Sizemore start the season and get JBJ some more seasoning before he inevitably takes over during the season.
Another big question for me comes in the bullpen, specifically the closer. After trying seemingly everyone under the sun, they lucked into an otherworldly season from Uehara. LIke Todd said, I think he'll blow a few saves this season, there is no way you can reasonably expect that kind of performance two years in a row. But, if they can get close to what he gave them last season, they will be in good shape.
The other question mark for me is David Ortiz. Sure, he just got his contract security and he's presumably happy. But the fact of the matter is he is getting up there in years, and the best years of his career are likely behind them. He was outstanding in the postseason last year, and there is no way they win the title without him, but do you really want to hang your hat on a slugger that is approaching 40 years old? The dropoff in production is coming from Ortiz, let's just hope it doesn't happen this season.
My 2014 prediction: Now, reading the above you might expect that I am pessimistic about the Red Sox this season. But, honestly, that isn't the case. I actually have high hopes for the team as they get ready for the opener in Baltimore on March 31. I think they will win 95 games, and win a close AL East race over Tampa Bay with Toronto finishing third. As for the Yankees, I don't like what I see there, despite the addition of Ellsbury, I think they have too many obstacles to overcome and they will drop to fourth place in the division this year. But at least they'll have the Derek Jeter retirement tour to look forward to!
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