Victor Martinez Signed by Detroit Tigers: Projecting Red Sox' New 2011 Lineup
Free agent Victor Martinez signed with the Detroit Tigers earlier today, and it sent ripples through the Red Sox organization, as they will miss his production and his ability to work with the Boston pitching staff.
Replacing a guy like Martinez won't be easy, but the Sox will have to formulate a plan to come up with his lost production from the catcher position and also find a way to compete in the vaunted AL East division.
With Martinez out the door, this will also shift the Red Sox lineup some and will create new opportunities at different positions for players who didn't have them in the past.
Catcher: Jarrod Saltalamacchia
1 of 9
With the veteran Martinez now officially gone from the Sox, this leaves the door wide open for the 25-year-old backstop Saltalamacchia.
"Salty" has a lot to live up to, as he will have to try replace an All-Star catcher and impress the Boston management enough to show why he should be the Red Sox's catcher of the future.
The former first-round pick should get many chances to improve his career .248 batting average and 23 lifetime homers, as there isn't much competition at the catcher position on the current Boston roster.
DH: David Ortiz
2 of 9
Ortiz is once again the clear favorite to lock down the DH position for Boston this season, as he will be looking to build off of a rebound season in '10.
Big Papi hit 32 homers and drove in 102 runs while hitting .270 and racking up his sixth All-Star selection in the middle of the Red Sox lineup.
His limited fielding range, increasing age and unlimited power potential are all big reasons why he will be the starting DH once again for Boston in 2011.
1B: Prince Fielder
3 of 9
This prediction might come as a surprise to some for the Red Sox lineup projections in 2011.
Adding Prince Fielder is definitely not out of the question, as Boston has already expressed interest in the Brewers slugger, and with Kevin Youkilis possibly moving to third and Victor Martinez not around to play first anymore, Fielder could be their man.
Prince would be a huge upgrade to the Red Sox lineup if they could get him and could help put them in the driver's seat of the AL East with his arrival.
.png?w=256)
2B: Dustin Pedroia
4 of 9
The speedy Pedroia is still considered by many as the future at second base for Boston and should be fresh after undergoing season-ending surgery in '10.
Pedroia brings many things to the table at his position, including excellent range and a strong ability to get on base with his high career OBP of .369.
Expect him to not only be starting once again for the Red Sox next season, but with him being at full health again, he should return to All-Star form.
SS: Jed Lowrie
5 of 9
With Boston already taking calls to trade incumbent Marco Scutaro, I don't think that they are comfortable with him starting again in '11, and this will hand the starting job over to his backup, Jed Lowrie.
Lowrie is only 26 years old and played very well in his shortstop audition that he put on during the '10 season.
He has a fielding percentage of .993 in 98 career games at short, and his .287 average in 55 games last season shows that he can hit as well.
3B: Kevin Youkilis
6 of 9
This might also be a surprise to Boston fans, as "Youk" has started most of his Red Sox games at first base throughout his career in Beantown.
Youkilis is easily the best and most versatile infield defender for Boston, and the switch to third shouldn't be much of a transition since he has already logged 219 starts at the hot corner in the past.
Also, with Adrian Beltre likely leaving Boston, Youkilis could step in and provide the same kind of production at third that Beltre had last season, and the Red Sox would not skip a beat in their offense or defense.
LF: Jacoby Ellsbury
7 of 9
Ellsbury is easily one of the fastest outfielders in the majors, as he has piled up 136 stolen bases in just three-plus seasons.
He is also one of the best defensive outfielders in all of baseball, as he has committed just two errors in 344 career games.
Ellsbury, like many in this Red Sox projected '11 lineup, is coming off a season-ending injury, so he will have something to prove at the beginning of the season. However, his talent level is through the roof, and once he gets back on the field at 100 percent, there will be no one taking his outfield spot for a while.
CF: Mike Cameron
8 of 9
Sixteen-year vet Mike Cameron finds himself as the projected starter at center field in a solid defensive outfield for the Red Sox.
With Ellsbury manning left field, Cameron will get a chance to add on to his 1,745 career games in center, and when fully healthy again, he is still one of the better outfielders in the league for his age.
Boston will likely be monitoring Cameron's progress, as he is getting toward the end of his career, but he appears to be the starter for the middle of the Sox's outfield defense.
RF: J.D. Drew
9 of 9
Drew had a down year in '10 average-wise, as he only hit .255, but still produced respectable power numbers with 22 homers and 68 runs driven in for the year.
He also continued to prove that he is a reliable outfielder for Boston, as he committed only one error in 133 games at his right field position in '10.
There is some talk that the Sox might go after Justin Upton of the Diamondbacks, but other than a few more stolen bases, I don't see how the Red Sox think that Upton will provide more production than Drew at this point in their careers.
.png?w=480)
