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What is Sox key or keys to repeating?

Mar 24th, 2008 by Bill Burt

They are loaded. The Boston Red Sox are the team to beat.
We all know the reasons — youth, experience, power, speed, defense and, of course, pitching.
But there is the hangover, which is inevitable in pro sports in the 21st century. It takes a lot of energy to win a championship, as well as keeping away from the injury bug.
The other issue is several teams, including the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels, who are better on paper than they were in 2007. We could add the Toronto Blue Jays, who annually get whacked by injuries, and Seattle Mariners, who added a few key parts, including a Cy Young candidate pitcher Eric Bedard.
The thing is the Sox had several things not go their way for much of last season, including three slumping veterans (Julio Lugo, J.D. Drew and Coco Crisp) as well as subpar, if we can call it that, seasons from MVP candidates David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez.
Ex-Sox first baseman Kevin Millar told me, when the Sox were playing the Indians in the ALCS, the difference between the Red Sox and Yankees was one thing: Josh Beckett.
Is Beckett the key?
Getting to October might be tougher than winning in October, at least it looked that way last season.
What do you feel is the key or keys for the Red Sox doing it all over again?

Posted in Red Sox | Comments

  • John
    The number 4 & 5th starter will be key. Remember early on last year the performance of Julian. He kept them in a lot of games last year and was a solid 5th starter. Getting production from 4&5th this year will be key.

    Bill, need a Joe Fish Night soon.....
  • Matt H.
    I agree with John on all counts. Tavarez really exceeded my expectations last year as much as one could from the 5th spot. What still amazes me is that we had guys struggle- Drew, Crisp, Lugo and "struggle" like Ortiz and yet we were in 1st place from tape-to-tape and won it all.

    I think the Lugo and Drew will have much better seasons this year. A healthy Ortiz will be a boost, too. I'm keeping tempered expectations for Buchholz and to some degree Lester. I really hope those pitch counts can be kept lower.
  • John and Matt
    I agree on 4th and 5th starter, but I'm a little more confident in those spots than most. Wakefield will be No. 4 and will go 5 or 6 innings every game and probably give up two, three or four runs. That means the Sox will be in the game in the key innings.
    As for fifth starter, Buchholz will have the job at beginning. Again, I think he is going to have a very good year, which is 13 or 14 wins. Colon is the backup at No. 4 or No. 5 depending on injuries.
    I still say if Beckett is Beckett and Dice-K picks up his game by at least 10 percent, then Wakefield and Buchholz are big keys.
  • jim-red sox nation west
    Im a little more worried about the pitching than you guys. It looks great on paper but the reality is schilling is already out, Beckett is hurt and we havent even started yet, Bucholz has been getting rocked early, Wakefield doesnt have Mirabelli anymore and we all know what happened when he went to the Padres for that short time. Teams were scoring runs against Wake without even hitting the ball. Lets hope Dice K is better with a year under his belt and Beckett doesnt have a nagging back! GO SOX!!
    Bill, what do you think the B's chances are of making the playoffs? Is every game a huge struggle for them or is it me? They have good defense and no offense. Other than beating Ottawa a month ago 4-0, i cant remember the last time they outscored their opponent by more than 2 goals.
  • Jim
    On Sox: I'm just not ready to give up on Beckett being the best pitcher in baseball this season. He's 27, not 37. So the back will heal about 10 times faster. I don't have the medical report, so I don't know. If Beckett is great, the other guys have to be decent, with the exception of Dice-K, who needs to be very good. I also like Lester a lot. I really do. I believe this is a big year for him. After that? Just be .500 or close to it. I like my chances with Wakefield and Buchholz, another wild card on the team.
    On Bruins: It doesn't look good, which is too bad. The injury to Chara, coming when it did, hurt a lot. They have time to get into the playoffs and it's anybody's call there. Their conference is not terribly strong. It would be nice to see them have success be it the playoffs and a series or two. They have had a good year without their best player, in my mind, Patrice Bergeron. They can't score. It will be an interesting two weeks.
  • jim-red sox nation west
    Hey Bill,
    I think the B's read your blog...above.
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