The Never Weres

What is this feeling? Why do I feel like this? After half a decade of hating the moves that the Red Sox front office has made…I am optimistic? I remember these days. Spending a ton of money. Having a guy I am excited to watch pitch every five days. The lineup doesn’t drop off significantly after the cleanup hitter.

Opening Day can do that to a person. With Garrett Crochet set to make his Red Sox debut on Thursday, things are looking up. This is a genuine Cy Young candidate who can lead a staff. Adding him to the top of the rotation slots everyone into a more natural fit. Tanner Houck as a number 2? Yes, please. Walker Buehler and Brayan Bello as mid-rotation guys? Yup.

The lineup started to round into shape last year. Jarren Duran, last year’s All-Star Game MVP, is back at the top. Rafael Devers, who had a rough start to his spring, has accepted the DH role and is in his prime. The biggest offensive signing, Alex Bregman, will hit third and probably have 1 million doubles at Fenway. Triston Casas is healthy and with a full season will hopefully reach his full potential. I think he could easily hit 40 homers. Trevor Story is back at short. Luckily, there is a slew of prospects to slide in if he gets hurt again. Wilyer Abreu looks to build off a rookie campaign where he won a Gold Glove. Connor Wong isn’t going to wow you. You know what you’re getting with him. Kristian Campbell is starting the season with the Red Sox. This is the most exciting non-Crochet development out of Spring Training. Ceddanne Rafaela will only play Centerfield this year which may help his bat. He had a good year as a rookie but had the worst chase rate in baseball last year.

Kristian Campbell adds so much excitement to this season. He shot up the prospect boards last year. The crazy thing about it is that Roman Anthony is a higher-rated prospect (the number 1 overall prospect in baseball). Add in Marcello Mayer and there is a chance that three rookies could be contributing to the team this summer. But not in a desperate we need to fill positions way. In a these guys are future stars and faces of the franchise way.

The bullpen is going to be a work in progress. I am not sold on Aroldis Chapman as the closer. He hasn’t held that position for an entire season since 2021 and has bounced around the last few years. Liam Hendriks is coming off the double whammy of Cancer and Tommy John surgery. So let’s wait a little bit before we pass judgment on him. My pick would be Justin Slaten as the closer. I like the amount of red on his Baseball Savant page.

Garrett Whitlock is going back to his fireman role, which I think fits him best. It could turn into a strong back of the bullpen is Hendriks regains his old form.

I think I do this every Opening Day. I look for some way to find a path to the playoffs. But this year, with the Yankees in injury hell, the Orioles deciding not to help out their young stars, the Blue Jays not being able to land the last two big free agents, and the Rays playing in a minor league stadium all year, I can see this team making the playoffs and if the rotation shakes out and stay healthy. Maybe even a deep run.

Photo by Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn