Why Sox Fans Can Breath Easy

With Jason Bay out of Beantown and the term "run prevention" congesting the airwaves in Boston, fans and media alike are wondering if the Sox are going to have enough pop and power to get them over the Yankees and Rays in the AL East.

Here's my two cents. I think the Sox will be fine. Last year the Sox scored 872 runs, 119 of which were driven in by Jason Bay. Now, one might think that is a big chunk of runs, and respectfully so. However, Kevin Youkilis drove in 94 and David Ortiz, despite the slow start, knocked home 99.  As for Youkilis, he is only thought to drive in more runs as the clean up hitter for the Sox and David Ortiz is forced to knock more in or he'll be out of a job. Also, the Sox will get a full season of Victor Martinez who's 2009 RBI total was 108 and will eliminate Jason Varitek's .209 batting average. Newcomer Adrian Beltre is expected to thrive at Fenway with the hitter friendly Green Monster beckoning in left. Speaking of the outfield, JD Drew, who is projected to bat in the seven hole, is going to offer a lot of pop at the end of the Red Sox line up as well as Marco Scutaro, who led off for the Jays last year, as a solid guy to turn over the line up.

The starting pitching is what really offers the most relief this year, no longer do we have to experiment with the likes of Brad Penny and John Smoltz. Instead, Theo opened his wallet and paid big for John Lackey, a guy who can really make the Sox a threat during the season and during the playoffs.  That threat will be led by Josh Beckett, a guy who has the stuff to win around 20 games and set the tone for a big series. Next up, Jon Lester, the big left won't make it any easier for opposing hitters and is hoping to improve on his 15-8 record from last year and furthermore will split the two big nighties in Beckett and Lackey to make the rotation that more potent. Next in line is the big acquisition, John Lackey. The former ace of the Angels rotation joins the previously mentioned Beckett and Lester to add the third ace to the Sox rotation.  In a way, Lackey adds another Beckett type of arm to the Sox rotation, both guys share the same mentality and same work ethic to make the Sox a real contender. The next projected arm is Tim Wakefield.  The 43 year old knuckleballer is going to really throw off the opposing offense when they see a 55-60 mph knuckle ball dancing towards them after seeing 80-90 the previous day(s). Wakefield will loom to keep that knuckle ball dancing in the 4 hole of the Sox rotation. Last, but certainly not least, is Clay Buchholz who is though to be a guy who will really come into his own and be a nice end to the Sox pen.

Something that seems extremely overlooked is the Sox bench.  The Sox will have one of the most versatile guys on the bench that I can recall in Bill Hall.  Here's a guy who can play every position except first and catcher and will be a great bat off the bench. Two years ago, in Milwaukee, Hall hit 35 bombs as an everyday player proving that he can be a very potent bat off the bench. Jeremy Hermida is a guy who was traded for early last off season from Florida where he was thought to be the next best thing. However, Hermida didn't pan out in Florida and looks to refine his game in Boston as the fourth outfielder. Another player that will ride the pine for the Sox this year is the captain, Jason Varitek. The thought process behind resigning Tek to play off the bench is to keep his bat fresh. Tek had a hot start last year with the bat and if Theo's strategy works then Tek will prove to be a key bat off the bench and a good game caller/defense men when Martinez needs the day off or is playing else where. Lastly, pending any trades, Mike Lowell will round out what is, what I think, the best bench in baseball. Lowell, who still believes he can be a starter, will be a terrific bench bat and although less mobile can play a good thirdbase and, more recently, firstbase. Lowell will also offer protection if Ortiz doesn't hit or gets off to a slow start. 

With the defense, pitching and the overlooked bats ready to go Sunday night, the 2010 Red Sox are going to run out a great team, night in and night out. In my opinion, this season is going to be the most exciting in recent memory because better pitching and defense leads to closer games, closer games lead to a more exciting and enjoyable finish. So rejoice Sox Nation, your going to have a great team and that is why you can breath easy.