2009 Boston Red Sox Predictions

Written by Jason Lowry

Red Sox Baseball Its been a pretty quiet offseason for the Boston Red Sox considering the money the Yankees have spent this offseason on free agents. The Rays wound up beating the Red Sox in the final game in the ALCS, and that kept the Red Sox out of the World Series for the 3rd time in 5 seasons. The biggest move the Red Sox have really made was during the middle of last season, when they traded arguably their best hitter in Manny Rameriz, and let the rest of the league know that they could win without him. The Red Sox might have been quiet, but have made some quality moves that could put this team back on top in 2009. They added starting pitchers Brady Penny and John Smoltz and added some depth in the outfield with Rocco Baldelli. Here is a closer look at the 2009 Boston Red Sox and my thoughts on where they will finish in the AL East this season.

Offense:

While Dustin Pedroia impressed everyone in 2007 when he hit .317 while helping the Red Sox win a World Series, there are few that thought he would be an MVP candidate in 2008, let alone win the award, but thats just what he did, hitting .326 with 17 home runs and 83 RBI with 20 stolen bases. The Red Sox are hoping for another monster season from their starting second baseman, and right next to him is 1B Kevin Youkilis, who had a career year hitting .312 with 29 home runs and 115 RBI, while finishing 3rd behind Pedroia and Justin Morneau in the AL MVP race. The Red Sox are hoping to get a healthy David Ortiz in 2009, as he had just 23 home runs with a .264 avg. in 109 games in ’08. The Red Sox got Jason Bay in the Manny deal, and he hit 30 home runs with 101 RBI between the Pirates and Red Sox last season. In right field, J. D Drew is always an injury concern, but the addition of Baldelli should help soften the blow if J.D. goes down. Drew managed to hit 19 home runs with 64 RBI in just 109 games last season. Jacoby Ellsbury has a ton of potential, and while his average dropped from .353 to .280 he still stole 50 bases while splitting time with Coco Crisp in center field. With Crisp is gone, Ellsbury could be given the whole season to show what he has to offer to this team. Mike Lowell is still the man at third base, and though his numbers were down, he still hit .274 with 17 home runs and 73 RBI in just 113 games. Jason Varitek was awful at the plate last season hitting just .220 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI, but his leadership capabilities seem to be more important to this team than his stick, as he was resigned for at least another year. That leaves the battle at short stop between Julio Lugo and the young phenom Jed Lowrie. Lugo looks like to have the early edge but any kind of slip up and Lowrie will likely take over.

Pitching:

Unlike the Yankees, starting pitching going into the offseason was not a problem for the Red Sox, but the addition of Brad Penny could be huge for this team, as Penny was a 16 game winner in both 2006 and 2007, but was just 6-9 with a 6.27 ERA while battling shoulder problems in 2008. Josh Beckett is the ace of this staff, and he had a pretty mediocre year for his standards going just 12-10 with a 4.03 ERA after winning 20 games in 2007. Jon Lester had a breakout season in his first full stint as a full time starter, as he went 16-6 with 3.21 ERA. That wasn’t the best the rotation had to offer in 2008, as Daisuke Matsuzaka was brilliant in his 2nd season going 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA. The final spot in the rotation will likely go the veteran knuckle-baller Tim Wakefield, who was 10-11 last year, but keep a close eye on the veteran John Smoltz and the youngster Clay Buchholtz, as both could step in if needed, and Smoltz might be in once his shoulder gets strong enough. The bullpen is headed by one of the best closers in the game in Jonathan Papelbon, who converted 41 of 46 save opportunities, his career best in saves for a single season. Getting the ball into the hands of Papelbon should be no problem with main set-up men Justin Masterson, Hideki Okajima, and Takashi Saito, but don’t be surprised if Smoltz ends up working out of the bullpen this season, as he is a proven closer from his days with the Braves. This pitching staff is solid from top to bottom, and it will be key in keeping up with the Yankees high powered offense and what looks like excellent starting pitching as well.

Prediction: 2nd in AL East

As good as we think the Yankees are going to be this season, the Red Sox will be right behind them in the East, and though we might have the Yankees better suited to do better in the regular season, we really like the Red Sox chances of matching up with the Yankees in the postseason to go to the World Series. They better be on their game though, cause the Rays are gonna be right there as well.

Archived Season Previews:

2010
2008

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