Who needs a diversion?
I can't think of a better place to look than spring training, where the grass is always greener!
Things I am looking forward to:
1. A dominant defensive outfield and a top tier defensive infield.
2. 3 potential aces, 1 potential future ace (buch), and 1 japanese import with talent who is pitching for pride this season.
3. A bounce back year from Big Papi. He has one big year left in him.
4. A-Gon at the deadline.
5. V-Mart being the team MVP and a clutch hitter.
6. Beltre finiding his Fenway stroke a la Mikey Lowell in 2007.
7. Paps dominating after letting down the team in an elimination game last year. (Plus he is pitching for money and respect)
8. A fun double play combination in Pedey ans Scutaro
9. Jacoby Ellsbury threatening 100 steals with his legs being saved from the outfield shift.
10. A JD Drew contract year. Count on a more aggressive hitter with runners on base.
11. Winning with alot of home grown talent.
I really could go on forever. It's spring training! Bask in the positive energy!
I want to revisit what I said last year and update for this year!
1. A great defensive outfield and pretty good defensive infield
2. Bounce back years from Beckett and Lackey. Cy Young for Lester. Anything from Dice-K (he's our 5th starter)
3. Another solid year from Big Papi. I know I said he had one more big year last year but with more protection in that lineup, I think we could see similar numbers to last year. Maybe even better.
4. A-Gone! I thought we would get him eventually but I am so pumped about this guy. It is scary what this guy is capable of in Fenway.
5. Salty has some upside. You never know. I like what Francona says. At worst this kid is going to call the game and handle a pitching staff. At best we've got a switch hitter with power.
6.Well I was right about Beltre last year. We dont have a player like that this year. It's kind of nice. Although in this line-up, I can see Carl Crawford going bonkers hitting .310 15 hrs 110 rbi 50 steals 130 runs Gold Glove left fielder.
7. Paps pitching for money. I know I said this last year but I dont think this guy is done. A potentially dominant bullpen Paps, Bard, and Jenks can all make bats miss. Dan Wheeleer has been dependable and solid for years. I think hes our new Mike Timlin.
8. Pedroia! Holy cow are you kidding me! He is healthy and no one is talking about this guy. He was an MVP! It speaks volumes for the amount of exciting star power we have on this team.
9. Ellsbury healthy. He got a lot of flack last year but he still remains one of the most exciting players in the game (along with Crawford). Not alot of pressure on him this year. He can even hit 9th!
10. A JD Drew contract year. Count on a more aggressive hitter with runners on base. Haha...copy and paste. I was wrong about it being a contract year last year. This is the year!
11. Winning the AL East with a combination of home grown talent and great FA signings.
Once again I could go on forever. This is such an exciting year for Red Sox fans!