Batting Order: The Red Sox were forced to give up serious offensive fire power (Jacoby Ellsbury, Nomar Garciapara, Adrian Gonzalez) to stay under the salary cap, but the Bo Sox still managed to remain formidable at the plate. Dustin Pedroia is an elite second baseman and lead-off hitter, setting the table for a line-up full of high On-Base hitters. Carl Everett, Manny Ramirez, and David Ortiz combine for a fearsome heart and should drive in a plethora of runs. Youkilis, Stanley, and Scutaro lack serious pop, but they should get on base consistently and help the Red Sox stay near the top of division in runs scored. Overall, a solid line-up that should produce a couple All Stars.
Rotation: The bread and butter of this team, the rotation may be the best in the American League. Pedro Martinez is the Cy Young favorite on paper and he's followed by two elite starters. Josh Beckett is a fantastic third starter and could be a sneaky All Star candidate when all is said and done. With a tier 3 starter in the 4 spot, the Red Sox lack glaring weaknesses in their rotation and should chew up lots of innings, keeping their three man bullpen fresh.
Bullpen: The Red Sox only carry three relievers, forcing the 2 IP arm of Alfredo Aceves to be counted on often. Derek Lowe will start in the closer role and should be lights out in the ninth. Overall, the 'pen is a great compliment to this great cast of starters. Boston has decided to trust that pitching wins Championships, a belief that these boys are eager to prove.
Outlook: Missing the playoffs would certainly be a disappointment for the Red Sox, as they've assembled elite pitching alongside very solid hitting. The computer power rankings my cousin and I ran are very high on these guys and it would be shocking if they weren't in the thick of the pennant conversation near the end of the season.
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