MLB Opening Day 2012: Boston Red Sox and Other Teams with the Most to Prove

It's Opening Day—or it was last week in Japan, or was yesterday, or it is on Friday or Saturday for some teams—but regardless, baseball season has finally begun. Kind of.

The Cardinals and the Marlins kicked off the 2012 season on this continent on Wednesday, ending months of hypothesizing about whether this year will be different from the last for teams that had less than ideal 2011s. Now, it's time to see, for real, what this season has in store.

It may be early—very early—but many teams already have great expectations to live up to, even in the first week of the season. Here's a look at some of the teams with the most to prove.


Boston Red Sox

By now, you know that the 2011 season for Boston ended with the biggest collapse in baseball history. The Red Sox started 2011 with incredibly high expectations—some even expected them to challenge the 1927 Yankees as the best team in the history of baseball—but they limped out of the gates, going 2-10 throughout the first two weeks of the season.

Then, of course, they surged through the summer months and headed into September with a nine-game lead over the Rays in the wild card race. After losing 18 of their last 24 games—including the regular-season finale—they lost their playoff spot to Tampa.

Boston must prove there's a reason they fired Terry Francona, let Theo Epstein head to the Chicago Cubs and allowed Jonathan Papelbon to go to the Phillies without even making him an offer. If they lose even their first game of the season, the rumblings will begin in Boston: Is it happening again? Are they going to go a week without winning their first game again?

The Red Sox can do themselves a big favor by eliminating the pressure and winning their first bout at Detroit on Thursday.

Miami Marlins

With a new name, a new manager and a new stadium, the Miami Marlins began the season with a 4-1 home loss against the defending champion Cardinals on Wednesday. In a new age where the Marlins have a fiery manager and (hopefully) a sellout every game, they need to give the fans something to watch.

Likely, they weren't expecting what they got on Wednesday night.

Miami didn't even register a hit until the seventh inning and it didn't get a chance to use its brand new animated home-run sculpture. That has to change if the Marlins hope to retain any of the attention they're getting because of their abundant offseason changes and supposed upgrades.

Last year, Miami drew over 40,000 fans for its home opener, but finished last in the National League in attendance. This can be blamed on poor play. To make sure that doesn't happen again, the Marlins need to come out of the gate strong—a lot stronger than they did on Wednesday night—and keep Miami excited.


Oakland Athletics

Never has interest in the A's been higher. And it only took a Hollywood blockbuster that chronicled the plight of the team and general manager Billy Beane and earned over $75 million and lots of Oscar acclaim. Now that the world will be watching the real-world version with a renewed enthusiasm, Oakland needs to give the fans something to see.

In 2011, the A's went 74-88 for third place in the AL West, marking the fifth consecutive year they finished .500 or worse. They haven't made the playoffs since 2006, when they were swept in the ALCS by Detroit.

Bob Melvin will take the reigns in Oakland for his first full season as manager—he replaced Bob Geren in June—and after the team traded Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez in the offseason, there aren't a lot of Moneyball-esque pitchers to root for anymore. In what objectively looks like it'll be another mediocre season for the A's, a strong start could fuel a team in desperate need of a playoff berth this year.