Boston Red Sox Favored To Win Division

Last season, the Boston Red Sox began the year with expectations of once again contending for a World Series Championship. While they were competitive with the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays for the National League East, injuries caused them to fall short of their goals. With a major trade and several key free agent signings, the Red Sox are heavily favored to land in the 2011 Fall Classic and seemingly only injuries could derail their lofty expectations.

Manager Terry Francona leads a team that was beset by injuries in 2010. Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Cameron, Josh Beckett, and Kevin Youkilis all missed significant time due to a myriad of injuries. They are all recovered though heading into 2011 and Francona also has new pieces that have been added to the puzzle as well.

Second baseman Dustin Pedroia injured his foot and it eventually required surgery. The injury cost Pedroia half of his season as he finished with just 302 at bats in 75 games. In 2009, Pedroia hit . 296 with 15 homers, 72 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases while hitting at the top of the batting order. A healthy Pedroia would be a huge contributor and igniter of the offense in 2011.

Adding another dynamic bat, the Red Sox signed free agent outfielder Carl Crawford away from division rival Tampa Bay. Crawford, with a combination of speed and power, slides into the third slot in the batting order behind Pedroia and Ellsbury and will be on base often in front of the middle order hitters Gonzalez, Youkilis, and David Ortiz.

Injuries were not just limited to the batters last year as the pitchers also battled injuries and subpar seasons. It began with former ace Josh Beckett. After throwing 212 innings and winning 17 games in 2009, Beckett crashed to earth last season as injuries limited him to just 6 wins and 128 innings. A return to form is key to the teams hopes in 2011.

Youkilis will likely bat fifth with David Ortiz hitting sixth in the order, giving the team plenty of veteran run producers throughout the lineup. Veteran outfielder J. D. Drew, catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and short stop Marco Scutaro round out the order.

Fans might also be concerned about Daisuke Matsuzaka durability and consistency going into the new season. At age 30, Matsuzaka has many innings under his belt from his time in Japan. Over the last three season, Matsuzaka has averaged just 127 innings and 10 wins, a far cry from his tantalizing 2008 season when he went 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA. Last year Matsuzaka threw 153 innings and won 9 while losing 6 games, but his ERA was up to 4.69 and his WHIP jumped to 1.37 as his walks were up.

Fortunately, the Boston Red Sox have new emerging aces Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz to anchor the starting rotation, and they have also made key additions to the bullpen and lineup that should put them in position to win it all in 2011.

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