FORT MYERS, FL - After a disappointing 2015 season the Red Sox return to spring training looking like a potential playoff team. It will be hard for them to be as bad as they were last year, especially with a shiny new Ace to anchor their rotation, but it isn't unreasonable to think they could fall short of the playoffs.
SPRING ANSWERS
Papi's Last Go : After looking like he might be done in 2012, and struggling to start 2013, David Ortiz has produced three very productive 30-100 seasons. It's looking like 2016 will be his last as the slugger announced that he will retire after the season. No matter how he playing this year, he will be on everyone's list as a potential Hall of Famer. He will be missed in 2017, hopefully he will walk away after a successful season.
Will Big Papi go out on top?
Outfield Starters : There was no question Mookie Betts would lock down a starting position, but it was the CF-LF starters that became a battle. Jackie Bradley Jr. managed to secure a starting position and will man CF with Betts sliding over to RF. It took some time, with Manager Jon Farrell waiting until the last weekend before Opening Day, for Rusney Castillo to get the nod over fan-favorite Brock Holt. Farrell has been putting some pressure on Castillo, and it looks like he's ready to give Castillo one last shot to show why the Red Sox paid so much for him.
SUMMER QUESTIONS
Who's On Third? : It didn't surprise anyone, but Pablo Sandoval came to camp out of shape and looking like a free agent signing that Boston would like to take back. He was almost a lock at 3B prior to the start of spring training, but he really opened the door for Sam Travis to take his job. Sandoval did enough to open the season as the starter, but he's a cold streak away from ceding the job to Travis. This is a position battle that will extend into the season.
Starters Not Named David : David Price is obviously the Boston Ace, but after that it drops off rather quickly and gets very scary from there. Clay Buchholz has shown that he can pitch at a high level, but he is so injury prone and will probably fail to start 30 games (a mark he has never hit in his career) that it's hard to depend on him for a full season. Joe Kelly and Rick Porcello might be serviceable, but they could also be hit so hard they get moved to the pen. Edwardo Rodriguez is untested and there isn't much in the farm system to replace him if he fails. FanGraphs has Boston projected for an 88-74 season, but that could fall apart very quickly if this staff doesn't come together in the brutal AL East.
Can Price recapture the magic of his 2012 AL Cy Young season?
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
Boston Red Sox Depth Chart - 2016
- Catcher
- B. Swihart
- R. Hanigan
- First Base
- H. Ramirez
- D. Ortiz
- Second Base
- D. Pedroia
- B. Holt
- Third Base
- P. Sandoval
- T. Shaw
- Shortstop
- X. Bogaerts
- B. Holt
- Left Field
- R. Castillo
- B. Holt
- Center Field
- J. Bradley Jr.
- C. Young
- Right Field
- M. Betts
- C. Young
- Starting Pitcher
- D. Price
- C. Buchholz
- R. Porcello
- J. Kelly
- E. Rodriguez
- Relief Pitcher
- R. Elias
- M. Barnes
- R. Ross Jr.
- C. Smith
- J. Tazawa
- Closer
- C. Kimbrel
- K. Uehara
- Designated Hitter
- D. Ortiz
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