The projected Opening Day lineup is also missing a few members from 2014 as the stark comparisons can be seen below. I included the DH on the 2015 side as that's the way the batting order will probably look at Yankee Stadium. Napoli likely won't start in Philadelphia as there is no DH in the National League parks.
2015 2014
Betts CF Nava RF Pedroia 2B Pedroia 2B Ortiz DH Ortiz DH Ramirez LF Napoli 1B Sandoval 3B Carp LF *Napoli 1B Sizemore CF Victorino RF Bogaerts SS Bogaerts SS Pierzynski C Hanigan C Middlebrooks 3B
The ever verbose Curt Schilling decided he would weigh in on the "ace" label as it applies to Buchholz and decided that there is no correlation between the two. Schilling, who knows a thing or two about being a staff stopper with his years in Philadelphia and Arizona, feels that Clay lacks the mental and physical commitment for this type of responsibility.
Then another storied ace from Boston's past, recently elected Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, rushed to the side of Buchholz and said this type of confidence that the Sawx have bestowed on Clay will have a positive effect and he can use this to his advantage.
He’s a freak,” Martinez said. “He’s a guy that can move the ball to any side of the plate and do it effectively. I think Buchy has all the tools that any pitcher wants to have. It’s just a matter of him staying healthy and being able to put all those things on display.”
The Boston brass has decided to forego the assertion that a proven number one front man is necessary to play October baseball despite the fact that in all of their previous championship seasons, one was clearly established. So far, the quartet of Masterson. Miley, Porcello and Buchholz have registered a combined 3.20 ERA in their spring fling which is promising. Joe Kelly hit the DL and owed an atrocious 11.05 ERA but he said he's going to win the Cy Young Award, so we're probably OK there.With regards to Schilling and Martinez's take on Clay, my money is on Pedro's assessment, simply because I have no choice. This type of "fragile mind, fragile body" has plagued Clay throughout the course of his big league career, but he has the ability to be an upper rotation kinda guy. Can he be number one? Well, we're about to see, so buckle up and hang on!
Manager John Farrell has an embarrassment of riches on the offensive side of the ledger. We had a small sampling of this "quick strike" offense last Thursday when Boston hung a seven spot on the board in the sixth inning in an 8-5 victory. I like to call it the "Conga Line Attack".
One of the main cogs of this juggernaut is cleanup man, Hanley Ramirez. NESN color analyst Jerry Remy had viewers salivating with his contention that Hanley's swing was reminiscent of Manny Ramirez's power stroke. Hanley led the Sawx in the spring with 12 RBI, but he is a converted outfielder and that game against the Twins was telling for another reason - Hanley looked like Manny with the leather. These growing pains will need to be tolerated, but hopefully, they won't rear their heads in many close games.
The rejuvenation of Mike Napoli was also a welcome sight this spring. He was second to Hanley with 11 RBI and mashed 6 homers which led the team. He also tied the great Mookie Betts in OBP with a superlative .467. I look forward to seeing these moon shots as the season progresses. Loved that broken bat shot!
Mike Napoli shattered his bat and still hit a moonshot over the Green Monster. #RedSox (GIF) pic.twitter.com/pqF45t0mMJ
— Joon Lee (@iamjoonlee) March 31, 2015
One of the biggest question marks of this 2015 season could be the bullpen. Sox management hinged their hopes on spaghetti-legged Koji Uehara to clean things up on the winning side. Now, those assumptions fall into disarray and uncertainty. Koji was hit hard in the latter part of 2014 as he was dealing with injuries and was removed from the closer role. This spring was not encouraging as he didn't fool anyone in his 3 innings giving up 7 hits and 2 runs then hit the DL with a bad hammie. I still don't see the logic with extending Uehara as he has just celebrated his 40th birthday and is the oldest player on the roster. In reality, he could never top his historic 2013 run with the most dominate closer performance in Red Sox history, and with his difficulties with health last year, it seemed best to part ways with him. In any event, I hope he regains some semblance of his 2013 form as Edward Mujica doesn't inspire confidence at the back end. I do like the fact that the bullpen has a heavy port side presence in Breslow, Ross and Layne, and all three had a tremendous spring. Alexi Ogando did show he still has giddy up on the radar gun, but he didn't have a glorious spring. Farrell will have to show his managerial chops early on and play the matching game with his lefties so as not to expose himself to left handed power. Varvaro is also tough on lefties and dazzled this spring as well. I fear Tazawa might be on the downside already, and his workload will need to be monitored.
Finally, it was truly the "Spring of Mookie" as the youngster had a coming out party that defied expectations. With his lightning quick hands, he led in batting average with a .429 mark and in OBP (along with Nap). He also totaled the most extra base hits and has shown to be a quick study in the nuances of center field. Pablo Sandoval went as far as to say that if Willie Mays walked in their clubhouse door, he wouldn't be able to take center field from Betts. High praise indeed, but Mookie has a ways to go yet before he's mentioned in the same breath as one of the most dynamic players ever to lace up a pair of cleats. With his lofty accomplishments in Grapefruit League action, this will fuel consistent expectation when they begin playing for keeps. All eyes will be on this burgeoning superstar, and I hope he can handle the peaks and valleys of the baseball fishbowl in Boston. Early returns are very favorable.
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