Spring training check-up on the 2009 Red Sox

March 7, 4:18 PMBoston Fantasy Sports ExaminerMatthew Zecchino

Previous

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Boston Fantasy Sports Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Well...

Spring Training has been rocking and rolling for around a month now, and it's important to do a little check-up on the Red Sox, and see what the fantasy outlook has in store for the once-over of Boston's baseball superstars.

• Ortiz seems healthy, from reports in the Boston Herald, and his desire to play in the World Baseball Classic.
• Mike Lowell has been taking batting practice and is hopeful to be ready to go on Opening Day. 
• Pedroia and Youkilis are enjoying the preparations for Team USA in the WBC, in a different way.
• Bay, I’m sure, has plans to make Bostonians continue to forget about the antics of their former left fielder. 
• Beckett looks healthy and more like he did in the 2007 postseason, and looking forward to the season. 
• Lowrie is pushing Lugo to succeed at shortstop... if Lugo can't do it, Lowrie can step in.
• J.D. Drew says he’s fine… yeah, he actually did.
• Lester looks for an encore to a superb 2008, and Dice-K looks to replicate his sub 3.00 ERA. 

By all accounts, the Red Sox seem all set to go into the 162-game season, ready to tear up the diamond.

Now, we all know that isn’t exactly true, and there are always some smoke and mirrors with players, the media, and general information. With that said, appearance speaks volumes (my mother always used to tell me that actions speak louder than words). Everyone at least looks healthy, and that alone should mean a lot to the Fenway Faithful.

Now I would like to take a quick dive into the more important side of this article -- the fantasy flip-side -- and take a look at the projected line-up (and the respectful projected fantasy output):

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF - 100 runs, 8-10 triples, 50+ steals, .280 AVG
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B - 100 runs, 15 HR, 15 steals, .310 AVG
3. David Ortiz, DH - 90 runs, 30 HR, 100+ RBI, .270 AVG
4. Kevin Youkilis, 1B - 100 runs, 20+ HR, 100+ RBI, .300 AVG
5. Jason Bay, LF - 100 runs, 30+ HR, 100+ RBI, .285 AVG
6. J.D. Drew, RF - 80 runs, 15 HR, 80 RBI
7. Mike Lowell, 3B - 80 runs, 15 HR, 80 RBI
8. Julio Lugo/Jed Lowrie, SS - 70 runs, 8-10 HR, 15 steals
9. Jason Varitek, C - 40 runs, 10+ HR, .270 AVG 

1. Josh Beckett, SP – 15+ wins, 200 innings, 190 K’s, 3.70 ERA
2. Jon Lester, SP – 15+ wins, 200 innings, 170 K’s, 3.30 ERA
3. Daisuke Matsuzaka, SP – 15+ wins, 200 innings, 170 K’s, 3.50 ERA
4. Tim Wakefield, SP – 12 wins, 150 innings, 110 K’s, 4.00 ERA
5. Brad Penny/Justin Masterson, SP – 10 wins, 130 innings, 4.10 ERA 

… and the bullpen (fantasy relevant only):

Jonathan Papelbon, CL – 3-4 wins, 60+ innings, 35 saves, 75 K’s, 2.00 ERA
Takashi Saito, RP – 3-4 wins, 60+ innings, 5 saves, 60 K’s, 3.00 ERA

Looks good on paper… personally, I can’t wait to see it materialize in reality. Here’s to you, ’09 BoSox.

Mouth, out.