Boston Red Sox: 10 Bold Predictions for the Second Half

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The unknown drives baseball fans nuts.

They want to know who will win the World Series, the MVP, and the CY Young. In reality, any predictions are sheer guesses.

We are about halfway through the season, and the Red Sox have given us some scares and some moments of brilliance.

At the beginning of the season, fans thought the Red Sox were done. They said that the team had overpaid for Crawford and that the Red Sox pitching was overrated

After much criticism the Red Sox started to show why they were picked by many to win the World Series.

As the season is getting into full swing, here is a list of bold predictions for the Red Sox this season.

10. Carl Crawford Will Hit .300

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Red Sox fans are probably losing sleep every night thinking about Carl Crawford.

With the money he’s receiving, his numbers are horrendous. Crawford is too good to be hitting .243 this year. Crawford has hit around .300 his entire career—his lowest batting average was during his rookie season in 2002.

Since then, Crawford has hit at least .273. I think the nation would accept a .275 average this year, but he can do better.

In addition, Crawford has only eight steals this season. With the exception of 2002 and 2008, Crawford has at least 47 steals in a season.

9. Adrian Gonzalez Will Win MVP

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If it weren’t for Jose Bautista, Gonzalez would be a possible Triple Crown threat. I still am very skeptical of Bautista because I can’t see him having two great seasons in a row—he was almost a bench player.

Gonzalez has the career numbers to back up the claim he will win MVP. He has more RBIs then Bautista (Gonzalez 75, Bautista, 58) and a better batting average (.348 Gonzalez, .331 Bautista).

Bautista has the edge over him in home runs (28 compared to 16), but Gonzalez plays for a contending team and Bautista doesn’t. Voters sometimes consider a team’s year-end rank.

8. Josh Reddick Will Replace J.D. Drew

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J.D. Drew has been an anomaly his entire career. He has moments of greatness, and then moments where he looks like he has never picked up a bat before.

This may be the last straw for Drew this year.

The Red Sox have given Drew plenty of opportunities throughout his mediocre time with the team. Reddick has all the potential in the world to help the Red Sox in future years.

7. Josh Beckett’s Numbers Will Go Down

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Beckett has put together a Cy Young-type of season, but it won’t last.

Right now, he has a 2.12 ERA , is 7-3, has opponents batting .178 against him, has pitched 106 innings and has 91 strikeouts. Those are some great numbers for Beckett and if he keeps up this pace, it would be the best pitching performance of his career.

Beckett has had too many injuries, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back on the disabled list before the season ends.

6. Bobby Jenks Will Bounce Back

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Well, the good news is that it can’t get much worse for Jenks.

If you’re going by career numbers, Jenks is having by far his worst year. He has a 6.75 ERA, and opponents are batting .333 against him.

I think adjusting to a non-closer role has been hard for Jenks, but as he gets used to it, expect things to change for the better.

5. Kevin Youkilis Will Sit Out Most of the Year

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This is kind of random, I know.

Youkilis is having so many injury issues as of late, and it seems like bad luck is in the cards this year. He is a key contributor to the Red Sox, and it would be a huge blow to the team if he got hurt.

He not only helps with hitting, but his fielding is solid and he tires pitchers out because he takes so many pitches.

4. Dustin Pedroia Will Win a Silver Slugger Award

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It will be a difficult task beating out Robinson Cano, but these are bold predictions.

Pedroia is kind of flying under the radar this year. He has eight home runs (tied for 4^th among American League second basemen), 39 RBIs (3^rd among AL second basemen), 61 walks (1^st), 16 steals (2^nd), 50 runs (4^th), 89 hits (2^nd) and is batting .277 (3^rd).

If Cano starts to slump, then Pedroia is the obvious choice for the Silver Slugger.

3. David Ortiz Will Hit 40 Home Runs

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Wow! Just last year and this year, people were talking about benching Ortiz because his numbers were going down.

Well, he proved everyone wrong.

This year, he has 17 home runs. Big Papi is starting to look like his old self again. It doesn’t hurt hitting behind Kevin Youkilis or Adrian Gonzalez, either.

2. The Red Sox Will Have a Losing Record Against the Yankees From Here On Out

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The Red Sox have dominated the Yankees this year, posting an 8-1 record against them.

They have completely outplayed the Yankees in every facet of the game: the Red Sox have 60 runs compared to 37 from the Yankees; Phil Hughes is now back on the Yankees roster, making a world of a difference; and some of the slumping Yankee hitters will start to pick up like Mark Teixeira and Brett Gardner.

It doesn’t matter how bad the Yankees look on paper. At the end of the year, they are always at the top of the division.

1. The Red Sox Won’t Make the Playoffs

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Wait, what?

Yes, it's true. The Red Sox will not be able to reach the playoffs this year. There are many reasons this statement will be true.

One, they have no chemistry. In order to build a good team, the way players interact with other teammates is important.

Another reason the Red Sox won’t make the playoffs is the fact that too many players are underachieving, and this disappointing performance is spreading like a virus. For example, Jon Lester, John Lackey, and Dan Wheeler. These players are not playing anywhere near their usual standard.

Instead of two teams coming from the East, I think the Tigers or Indians will take the wild-card spot. It is amazing what determination can yield, and the will to win is strongest in Cleveland and Detroit.