30 Teams in 30 Days: Boston Red Sox

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To say that the 2011 Boston Red Sox season was a roller coaster that ended with a thud for their fans would be an understatement. In between the disasters know as April and September, the Sox actually played pretty good baseball. They looked like one of the strongest teams in the league, as they were predicted to be when the season began.

For whatever ill tidings the regular season had in store for the Red Sox, that’s not what we (well, most of you) care about. What we want to know is how they did as fantasy individuals. The good (Ellsbury, Gonzalez) were good and the bad (Lackey, Dice-K) were awful. Fortunately for both fantasy and real life Sox fans, Ellsbury, Gonzalez and the offense are back, while Lackey and Dice-K are gone.

In “30 Teams in 30 Days,” the Fantasy Baseball Cafe will preview each team in Major League Baseball on a daily basis. In addition to projecting starting lineups, rotations and closing situations, the Cafe will identify potential targets for 2012 fantasy baseball drafts.

Offensive Starters

Unsettled: The Red Sox are employing the always-popular-with-pitchers “Veteran Utilityman” strategy at shortstop, with Mike Aviles and Nick Punto both in camp. Neither one can do anything special. Keep an eye out for Jose Iglesias; if the Sox are convinced he can hit .240, he will become the starter. He is someone you want to avoid in fantasy as the bat is light, but the defense is special. In right field, the Sox go into camp with several contenders for the job; along with Ross, they have the newly acquired Ryan Sweeney and Darnell McDonald, a fixture on the bus ride between Boston and Pawtucket. The guy you need to be ready for though is Ryan Kalish, who had laburm surgery and has not yet begun swinging a bat but is expected back in June. With no long term options around, keeper league owners should take notice.

Target: Dustin Pedroia. Gonzalez is awesome, but 1B is deep. Ellsbury should have been MVP, but I would realistically expect some regression. At a thin 2B position however, Pedroia continues to be a model of consistency with career highs in HRs, RBIs, and SBs, along with more than 100 runs and another batting average over .300. There is a drop-off after the top three fantasy second basemen; if you believe in position scarcity, you shouldn’t wait any longer than the third round to call Pedroia’s name (or spend an extra $1, depending on your format).

The Rotation

Unsettled: The final two spots. Daniel Bard is making the transition from dominant set-up man to starting pitcher. I understand the need for starting pitching depth, but the reason Bard was moved to the bullpen was because the last time he was a starter, it was what could politely be called a disaster. In 2007 in the minor leagues, he let loose 27 wild pitches over 75 innings and had more walks than strikeouts. He is dominating as a reliever, so why mess with something that isn’t broken?

The Red Sox have a lot of (and I use the term loosely here) competition for the fifth starter job. Vicente Padilla. Aaron Cook. Andrew Miller. There should never be a need to own any of them.

Target: Josh Beckett. Yeah, that’s right. For all the Popeye’s and Bud Light, Beckett actually had a pretty good season with high Ks, low BBs, and a sub-3.00 ERA backed up by keeping his HRs down. I don’t expect Beckett to be an ace again like it’s 2007, but if he maintains that skill set, he should provide a better return on investment than teammate Jon Lester, who will have better fantasy numbers but will cost more to acquire.

The Bullpen

Chasing Saves: The Red Sox made a couple of trades to help shore up their bullpen with the loss of former closer and Red Sox hater agitator Jonathan Papelbon to Philadelphia. They jumped in on the fire sale in Oakland to acquire their closer, Andrew Bailey. Health is a legitimate concern, as he hasn’t topped 50 innings in either of the past two seasons. Prior to that deal, they dealt away a real shortstop in Jed Lowrie to acquire former Astro closer Mark Melancon. He doesn’t miss as many bats and can walk more guys than you’d like your relievers to, but he is a strong ground ball pitcher, so if the Sox do him some favors for 60 to 70 innings, he should be serviceable.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, the way the Red Sox finished 2011 and the tumultuous offseason that followed has left the players eager for redemption, and in turn, we as fantasy players can reap the consequences. Their offense has fantasy gold waiting to be mined, and you never know, you could find a gem in the bottom third of that rotation.

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