Boston Red Sox 2007 MLB Preview

The Red Sox line up does not look as strong as it has in the past but they are hoping to best the Yankees this year with their pitching and great seasons from their home run hitting all stars David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez.

Catcher Jason Varitek is 35 and fading fast toward retirement. His defense is dropping, and his OPS+ plummeted an entire 40 points. The injury to his knee didn't help him over the summer either. However, Varitek should still show some resilience even though his reign as the best offensive catcher is over.

Many Red Sox fans were impressed with the 91 walks that first baseman Kevin Youkilis drew last year and fans are waiting for more of the same. Dustin Pedroia finally has a chance to shine this season. Though he hasn't performed well when given his chance, some serious improvements should come from him this year. He can't possibly due worse than his .191 batting average from '06. Third Baseman Mike Lowell is commonly regarded as a wizard with a glove as long as the ball is within range. Lowell catches a good amount of balls that come into his zone, but lacks in range. At the plate he hit a respectable .284 with 20 home runs last season. He should be a pretty solid 7th slot hitter.

Julio Lugo is the lead off hitter and shortstop for the Red Sox in '07. He hit .278 with 12 home runs and 24 stolen bases last season. These are decent numbers but the Red Sox would like more out of their lead off hitter. Certainly this is a position where they lag badly behind the Yankees because the Yanks employ perennial all star Derek Jeter at SS. Actually if you look at the entire infield of the Yankees vs. the infield of the Red Sox you will see that the Yankees have a huge advantage at the plate when it comes to these positions.

DH is one of the few positions where they Red Sox actually look to out perform the Yankees offensively. Last year David Ortiz hit 54 home runs with 137 RBI and was incredible in clutch hitting situations. The Red Sox also have a solid advantage in left field where all star Manny Ramirez plays. Ramirez hit .321 with 35 home runs last year. Ortiz and Ramirez will be the 3rd and 4th hitters in the line up this year.

The Red Sox center fielder is named Coco Crisp. Certainly the funniest name in major league baseball history but Crisp is a pretty average player other wise. He should be hitting 8th this season. He hit .264 with 22 SB last year.

The pitching rotation is where the Red Sox are resting their hopes. Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka is expected to not only contribute but to be one of the best pitchers in the major leagues. He dominated the Japanese leagues and should be very good in the majors as well. In fact he may be even more successful in the major leagues because big league batters won't be used to his unusual techniques. The Red Sox also have future hall of famer Curt Shilling on the staff as the ace. He had a below average year last year by his standards but still went 15-7. If all of the Red Sox dreams come true they'll be adding the legendary Roger Clemens to the staff before the year is done. This would make the staff quite imposing.

The Red Sox also have Jonathan Papelbon to come in and close out their opponents. He had an incredible 0.92 ERA last season.

I predict this is the year the Red Sox finally beat the Yankees in the AL East and I think they have a very good shot at the World Series.