By Andrew Marcus
Sportswriter for Montgomery Media
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Follow me on Twitter @amarcus515 |
To help pass the time between now and the start of the 2012 Major League Baseball season I am going to be examining a different team every day. Starting with the Astros, working toward the Phillies. I will give you my projected starters, breakout and bust players, each team's X-Factor and top prospect.
PROJECTED LINEUP
CF Jacoby Ellsbury
2B Dustin Pedroia
1B Adrian Gonzalez
DH David Ortiz
3B Kevin Youkilis
LF Carl Crawford
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia
RF Cody Ross
RF Cody Ross
SS Mike Aviles
PROJECTED ROTATION
Jon Lester
PROJECTED ROTATION
Jon Lester
Josh Beckett
Clay Buchholz
Daniel Bard
Aaron Cook
PROJECTED BULLPEN
Closer - Andrew Bailey
Set-up - Mark Melancon
Closer - Andrew Bailey
Set-up - Mark Melancon
Top Prospect -Will Middlebrooks (3B)
Breakout
Daniel Bard - The latest trend in Major League Baseball is to bring a top prospect up from the minors and stick them in the bullpen for a few years to get acclimated to the league and watch the innings limit. Bard is the next player to get his chance at a starting spot and with three quality pitches and body built for 200 innings, the former eighth inning guy has a chance to have a solid first year in the rotation. I can see double digit wins and and 160 strikeouts pitching in Fenway with the run support he is bound to receive.
Bust
Daniel Bard - The latest trend in Major League Baseball is to bring a top prospect up from the minors and stick them in the bullpen for a few years to get acclimated to the league and watch the innings limit. Bard is the next player to get his chance at a starting spot and with three quality pitches and body built for 200 innings, the former eighth inning guy has a chance to have a solid first year in the rotation. I can see double digit wins and and 160 strikeouts pitching in Fenway with the run support he is bound to receive.
Bust
Jacoby Ellsbury - If you think the Red Sox center field is going to put together another MVP type season you will be sorely disappointed. He still may garner all-star consideration, but I can see a drop in batting average, home runs, RBIs, and runs scored. The stolen bases will still be there, but he probably does not have the best odds to win MVP in 2012 on his own team. Those odds belong to Adrian Gonzalez.
X-FACTOR
Clay Buchholz - The list starts with Kevin Youkilis and Carl Crawford, but contains Jacoby Ellsbury and Adrian Gonzalez. They are players with an injury past and all players that first year manager Bobby Valentine needs to stay healthy to make the September collapse ancient history. But out of all the injury prone Bostonians, Buchholz may hold the swing vote to the season. If the righty can make his 30 starts this season and give the Red Sox a solid threesome atop the rotation they could go from a Wild Card contender to the best team in baseball.
LAST YEAR'S RECORD:90-72
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| Can Dustin Pedroia and The Red Sox forget about last year's collapse |
PROJECTED FINISH: 2nd in the American League East
***THANKS FOR READING MY TEAM BY TEAM OUTLOOKS TO HELP PASS THE TIME
***THANKS FOR READING MY TEAM BY TEAM OUTLOOKS TO HELP PASS THE TIME
Check back tomorrow for the Arizona Diamondbacks
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