The Boston Red Sox always seem to have a different core of players at the heart of their championship teams. They went from Manny and Pedro to Youkilis and Beckett to Victorino and Lester. There’s been one constant in their titles – David Ortiz. But while Ortiz remains the same, his cast of characters continues to change.
David Ortiz
Is there anything that Big Papi can’t do? After looking done following the 2007 World Championship, Ortiz has rebounded and reaffirmed his role as one of baseball’s most dangerous hitters when he’s healthy. In 2013, he hit .309/.395/.564 with 30 homers en route to his third ring. What can the 38-year old possibly do for a follow-up?
If the Red Sox win their fourth World Series with Ortiz in the fold this year, I wouldn’t be surprised if he walked away from the game, content with his place in history. But if they don’t, Ortiz is just 69 homers from 500 – that’s two or possibly three healthy seasons from him. Imagine that resume – 500 homers, three (and counting) World Championships, and the title of “best designated hitter ever” (with all due respect to Edgar Martinez). That’s pretty solid.
Jon Lester
The 30-year old Lester has been the embodiment of consistency for the Red Sox, starting 30 games six straight seasons, failing to crack 200 innings just once over those six years, and posting an ERA under 4.00 in five of those six seasons. He’s been Boston’s rock during a time when Clay Buchholz and Josh Beckett dealt with a never-ending series of injuries and during a period of transition from the Pedro/Schilling/Wakefield era.
And 2014 may be his most important season yet. Lester is the rock of a rotation that features John Lackey, Jake Peavy, Buchholz, Felix Doubront. None of those names inspire quite the same amount of confidence as Lester, and he needs to continue to perform at a high level to ensure that the Red Sox are contenders this year once again.
Mike Napoli
I think I’ve given up trying to solve Mike Napoli – the guy is a better version of Adam Dunn. He walks a lot, he strikes out a lot, and he can hit the ball real far. Oh, and he can actual play defense and hit for a decent average too. Napoli’s one-year deal with the Red Sox last year was one of the best bargains of the winter, and they rewarded him with another two years (at a much higher salary, of course) this winter.
Napoli brings something to the Red Sox lineup that they haven’t had since the heyday of Manny Ramirez – a solid compliment to David Ortiz is Boston’s lineup. Ortiz was seemingly reborn this year with Napoli next to him in the order, and the duo’s continued success will be a big part of Boston’s success or failure in 2014. If one part fails, the other likely will as well.
Shane Victorino
Victorino’s deal with the Red Sox last winter was roundly bashed as an overpay, and a signing that didn’t make much sense for the Red Sox. We all ate crow when Victorino hit .294/.351/.451 in 2013 with 15 homers and 21 stolen bases, conjuring up images of his prime years with the Phillies.
But he’s now 33, and whether or not that 2013 season was a last hurrah for him remains to be seen. Victorino had a great Postseason for Boston and was a key contributor for them all season. The Red Sox have enough outfield depth to survive a disappointing year from Victorino, but if he struggles and Grady Sizemore goes down (like we all expect eventually), Boston could be faced with the prospect of starting someone like Daniel Nava in center field, which isn’t exactly an ideal scenario for them.
