Josh Beckett takes to the mound this afternoon, giving us something to watch other than stretching and batting practice. Even though the games today won't be broadcast (although tomorrow night's game with the Twins will), we'll get our first competitive look at the 2008 squad. Yeah, it's Boston College (I'm refraining from commenting here...), and yeah, there will be several faces that we won't see this year unless you pay a visit to Pawtucket or Portland, but that doesn't really matter. It feels like baseball is here, and there is an odd sense of ease in Red Sox Nation. The quiet off-season comes to an end, and we look towards our title defense with optimism in a team that remains largely the same. Let's take a closer look...
- Pitching: It would almost be enough to just type Beckett, Matsuzaka, Wakefield, Lester, Buccholz, Okajima, Papelbon here and move on. I don't ever remember feeling this way about a Red Sox pitching staff. Even with the injury to Schilling, this group is scary good. It is a nice blend of youth and experience. You have an undisputed ace (who I still think should have won the Cy Young), you have Daisuke going in to year 2, where the spotlight on him is no quite so bright and he has a better idea of how to approach the Major League season, you have Wake being Wake, and you have the best closer in baseball. Add to the a crew of young starters who have some innings under their belts now and a solid core of role playing guys (Tavarez, Delcarmen, Snyder, Hansen, Timlin) and some young guys who could be brought up (Masterson, Hansack, Bowden). Plus the additions of David Aardsma and possibly the weighty Bartolo Colon give them some guys to look at. And to top it all off, you don't have Eric Gagne.
- Infield: Let's see...Gold Glove Youk at first, Rookie of the Year Dustin Pedroia at second, and WS MVP Mike Lowell at third. You have the light hitting but solid fielding Julio Lugo at short, utility middle infielder Alex Cora, and The Mayor Sean Casey as a back-up at first (which not only gives you the guy voted by the players as THE most likeable guy in baseball, but a solid array of options for giving both Youk and Lowell a few days off here and there, plus a solid lefty bat for pinch hitting roles). Hard to believe, but the Sox got better in the infield. And I still think Jed Lowrie is going to be better at short down the line than he's sometimes given credit for.
- Center Field: I'm giving this it's own spot, for the obvious reason that it is the one spot that is "up for grabs" if you buy the party line being spouted by Tito and Theo. But honestly, is there anyone out there who doesn't believe that Jacoby Ellsbury will be roaming the nooks and crannies that are center field at Fenway? I've always liked Coco Crisp, and I think he deserves to be a starter...somewhere else. But I'm hoping, as many of the self-professed experts are, that Coco stick it out and shuts up for a while, getting enough at bats filling in to raise his market value and to allow the Red Sox baseball ops guys to determine what we really need to get in return for him. Needless to say, we're getting speed, defensive prowess and base running expertise from center this year. And if all goes according to plan, a future All-Star filling up the box scores.
- Left & Right: Manny Being Manny. We know exactly what we're getting here, so I won't even go into it. 30 & 100, and several head scratchers. J.D. Drew. Well, which Drew will we see? Regular season Disappointin' Drew, or post-season "Oh, you wanted me to hit too" Drew? Only time will tell. I'll say this, he' serviceable at worst and as long as your expectations from his bat are low, he won't disappoint. At least he showed he can stay healthy for an entire season. Plus you've got super solid Bobby Kielty back and Brandon Moss just biding his time for a call up. Again, we've lost nothing and have the possibility that Manny goes nuts (in the good way) trying to lock himself into the club picking up his option and that J.D. has a calendar that has 7 Octobers on it.
- Catcher: We've got the Captain. Varitek may be getting old, he may not be the best hitter anymore, but he's the best in-game manager in baseball and brings out the best in the pitching staff. He doesn't get rattled, and if the pitchers listen to him, they'll win games. Remeber Schill's one-hitter? He freely admits if he hadn't shaken off 'Tek, he'd probably have snagged that elusive no-no. Toss in Wake's personal catcher, Doug Mirabelli, to catch the knuckle, and (I feel like a broken record) again, we've lost nothing. Toss in the fact that Kevin Cash has shown that he can catch the knuckle in a pinch, and I'm good here. We know we're not getting a lot of hits out of this position, but go look at Varitek's number with runners on in the late innings. When it matters, he'll come through.
- Manager & Coaching: Tito got his extension, and has been the best manager in baseball over the last few seasons. He got a great staff around him and the players like these guys. What more is there to discuss?
- Organization: I love theses guys. Collectively, they have given Red Sox Nation the Christmas gift that keeps on giving. A winning baseball team full of classy guys, colorful personalities, and they've saved Fenway Park. Just keep doing what you're doing and the Nation will keep growing.
So there you have it, the innaugural REALLY BIG Red Sox Preview. If you had any fears, I hope they have been quelled. If the fever hadn't kicked in yet, I hope it has now. It's baseball season. Put me in Coach, I'm ready to play.
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