As far as the offense goes, the club is stacked. Lugo and Youkilis should both provide 12-14 home runs, bat around .285 and combine for 120 rbi's. The meat of the lineup includes Ortiz, Ramirez and Drew, arguably the best 3-4-5 hitters in baseball. Then the questions begin. In the 6 hole is Varitek. Can he find the old form of a consistent slugger? If he has close to the offensive stats from 2006, the lineup may begin to slide. Lowell should have a solid year. If he had numbers similar to 2006 the team will thrive. Coco Crisp is the wild card. If he is healthy, there is no reason why he can't hit .300 and hit 20 homers and 80 rbi's. Pedroia is a rookie and power numbers are not needed as long as he hits above .275.
Pena is the 4th outfielder. If he gets 400 at bats, which he probably will, he should hit 25 homers and knock in 90 runs. Though it sounds like much, he should be Manny's successor in due time. Hinske and Cora are solid veterans that will help off the bench, especially the latter of the two. Mirabelli provides insurance for the veteran Tek'.
So, thus far, the club has a great staff, great closer, capable lineup and questionable pen......how about the defense?
It's unlikely the team will lead the league in defense again. Gonzalez and Loretta are gone, as is Nixon. In their place are Pedroia, Lugo and Drew. Only Lugo is a significant downgrade, but he's worked hard this off season on correcting the problems. Defense shouldn't be a problem.
In summary, the club should win 95 games. They're in a tough division and the bullpen has some questions. If Lester, Hansen and Delcarmen are ready to contribute in July and on, watch out for a team that will then lack nothing.
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