Preview and Prediction for the 2012 Red Sox
There is no doubt that heading into the 2012 season the Red Sox have some questions to answer. Can they rebound from last year? Will Bobby V be a good fit? How is the rotation going to shape up? Answering these questions will be the key to success for this 2012 Red Sox team.
First off, let's address the elephant in the room. Can they rebound from last year? The answer is yes. This team is simply too talented to fall by the way side again and not, at the very least; make the playoffs. The success of this season will depend on leadership in the club house more than years past. It is going to be important for guys like Adrian Gonzalez to take on more of a leadership role, in order to provide some stability in a club house that has had some character issues. We know that Pedroia and Ortiz will continue to be vocal, but as we saw last year it is going to take more than just those two, too maintain the order and consistency that is needed for a season of success. That brings me to my next question. Will Bobby V be a good fit?
After the collapse, there is doubt that this club needed a change at the helm. Players began to take advantage of the freedom that Tito gave them throughout the season and over the years. Once that trust was violated, there was no turning back; a change had to be made. Since he was hired, many fans and analyst's alike have questioned whether Bobby V was the right choice. I'll be honest, at first I wasn't crazy about the decision. But, when you take a step back and look at all the variables involved; Bobby V could be the perfect guy for the job. The biggest issue this Red Sox team had last year was discipline and Bobby V's managing principles are based on discipline. It was no secret last year, that a number of Red Sox player's did not take the workout's seriously. Valentine has already instituted a tougher regime this year and has emphasized that players will no longer be, "just going through the motions" because that is how bad habits develop. As we saw last year, old habits die hard. It is going to be important for Valentine to develop working relationships with the players in order for him to get the most out of them. There needs to be mutual respect and a mutual understanding, "if you work for me, I'll work for you." If Valentine gains the respect of his players and gets them to believe in what he preaches this could be a very dangerous Red Sox team in 2012.
Pitching. The epicenter of the most infamous collapse in baseball, and maybe even major sports history. In order for the Red Sox to get back on track they need to figure out their rotation. First off, Lackey is gone for the year and Dice-K is still recovering from Tommy John Surgery. You have to think that Beckett is still going to be your number 1, even given his terrible performance last September. He has shown that when in shape, by the way he came into camp looking great; he can be a legitimate number 1 guy. Next up has to be Lester. Lester has quietly become one of the best left handed starters in the game, having him and Beckett is a great start to any rotation. Third is more than likely going to be Clay Buchholz. If this guy can stay healthy he is more than a solid number 3 starter. This is a guy that had 17 wins back in 2010 and an ERA under 2.50. The key for him is to stay in shape and stick with the regimen. This will give him some consistency and hopefully allow him to build up the strength in that back again so he can give you a solid 175 innings. The fourth spot in the rotation is where things get tricky. With the addition of Andrew Bailey and Mark Melancon, it looks like Daniel Bard is going to have a shot to compete for a spot in the rotation. For any of you that don't know, Bard was actually a starter for three years at the University of North Carolina. While there, he posted a career ERA of 3.91 so he has had some success as a starter. The key for Bard is going to be confidence. If he can show Valentine and the Sox pitching staff that he has confidence in all of his pitches this Spring Training, with the arm that this kid has; there is no reason he shouldn't be able to compete for a starting spot. Finally, there is Alfredo Aceves. This guy was a godsend for the Red Sox pitching staff last year. He was able to come in for some middle relief work, late game situations, he even made some spot starts for the Sox last season. Given the chance, I think Aceves has the potential to give the Red Sox double digit quality starts and out of the 5 spot in the starting rotation; I'll take that. FYI, for any of you that don't know, a quality start is when a pitcher throws at least 6 innings and doesn't give up more than three runs.
Look, we all know that this team can hit. They were first in runs scored, on-base percentage and slugging percentage last season. So, as long as the rotation can hold up and pitch to their potential for an entire season and the starting 9 stays relatively healthy; this Red Sox team has a chance to make some noise come October.
Prediction for the 2012 Red Sox : 98-64
Be sure to check out, www.redsoxlife.com all season long in order to stay up to date on the latest Red Sox news.
First off, let's address the elephant in the room. Can they rebound from last year? The answer is yes. This team is simply too talented to fall by the way side again and not, at the very least; make the playoffs. The success of this season will depend on leadership in the club house more than years past. It is going to be important for guys like Adrian Gonzalez to take on more of a leadership role, in order to provide some stability in a club house that has had some character issues. We know that Pedroia and Ortiz will continue to be vocal, but as we saw last year it is going to take more than just those two, too maintain the order and consistency that is needed for a season of success. That brings me to my next question. Will Bobby V be a good fit?
After the collapse, there is doubt that this club needed a change at the helm. Players began to take advantage of the freedom that Tito gave them throughout the season and over the years. Once that trust was violated, there was no turning back; a change had to be made. Since he was hired, many fans and analyst's alike have questioned whether Bobby V was the right choice. I'll be honest, at first I wasn't crazy about the decision. But, when you take a step back and look at all the variables involved; Bobby V could be the perfect guy for the job. The biggest issue this Red Sox team had last year was discipline and Bobby V's managing principles are based on discipline. It was no secret last year, that a number of Red Sox player's did not take the workout's seriously. Valentine has already instituted a tougher regime this year and has emphasized that players will no longer be, "just going through the motions" because that is how bad habits develop. As we saw last year, old habits die hard. It is going to be important for Valentine to develop working relationships with the players in order for him to get the most out of them. There needs to be mutual respect and a mutual understanding, "if you work for me, I'll work for you." If Valentine gains the respect of his players and gets them to believe in what he preaches this could be a very dangerous Red Sox team in 2012.
Pitching. The epicenter of the most infamous collapse in baseball, and maybe even major sports history. In order for the Red Sox to get back on track they need to figure out their rotation. First off, Lackey is gone for the year and Dice-K is still recovering from Tommy John Surgery. You have to think that Beckett is still going to be your number 1, even given his terrible performance last September. He has shown that when in shape, by the way he came into camp looking great; he can be a legitimate number 1 guy. Next up has to be Lester. Lester has quietly become one of the best left handed starters in the game, having him and Beckett is a great start to any rotation. Third is more than likely going to be Clay Buchholz. If this guy can stay healthy he is more than a solid number 3 starter. This is a guy that had 17 wins back in 2010 and an ERA under 2.50. The key for him is to stay in shape and stick with the regimen. This will give him some consistency and hopefully allow him to build up the strength in that back again so he can give you a solid 175 innings. The fourth spot in the rotation is where things get tricky. With the addition of Andrew Bailey and Mark Melancon, it looks like Daniel Bard is going to have a shot to compete for a spot in the rotation. For any of you that don't know, Bard was actually a starter for three years at the University of North Carolina. While there, he posted a career ERA of 3.91 so he has had some success as a starter. The key for Bard is going to be confidence. If he can show Valentine and the Sox pitching staff that he has confidence in all of his pitches this Spring Training, with the arm that this kid has; there is no reason he shouldn't be able to compete for a starting spot. Finally, there is Alfredo Aceves. This guy was a godsend for the Red Sox pitching staff last year. He was able to come in for some middle relief work, late game situations, he even made some spot starts for the Sox last season. Given the chance, I think Aceves has the potential to give the Red Sox double digit quality starts and out of the 5 spot in the starting rotation; I'll take that. FYI, for any of you that don't know, a quality start is when a pitcher throws at least 6 innings and doesn't give up more than three runs.
Look, we all know that this team can hit. They were first in runs scored, on-base percentage and slugging percentage last season. So, as long as the rotation can hold up and pitch to their potential for an entire season and the starting 9 stays relatively healthy; this Red Sox team has a chance to make some noise come October.
Prediction for the 2012 Red Sox : 98-64
Be sure to check out, www.redsoxlife.com all season long in order to stay up to date on the latest Red Sox news.
