Part II; The Outfield, Papi, and the Bench

As promised, the 2008 Red Sox preview continues. If you missed Part I on the Infield you can either scroll down or click here.

In Part II as the headline gave away I'm dealing with the Outfield and Big Papi. Truth be told, I really do not want to talk about the entire bench. I mostly just wanted to talk about "The Mayor" so that's the new game plan. Regarding the potential minor league call-ups, I really only see two that have a shot at making an impact.

So, here we go:

Backup 1B/DH: Sean "The Mayor" Casey: Here's a pickup that I am absolutely thrilled about. He's definitely past his prime, and the expectations aren't exactly sky high. Casey was signed to keep the clubhouse loose and having fun. But more importantly, I'm 99% convinced he was signed to be the new bartender at Cask & Flagon on off nights. Casey is the 2008 version of Kevin Millar. He's there to throw down a few beers with Timlin, Wakefield, and Youk. He's there to help out Tek as a new veteran leader on and off the field that the players look to for advice. But mostly, he's there to help Papelbon become more efficient with his "Bud Light Box Hat." I don't have any stat predictions for The Mayor, but I'll say this: we signed a guy that will have a ridiculous cult-following throughout Boston before interleague play starts.

Backup OF, Bobby Kielty: Actually I don't have much for Big Red either. He was clutch last year and did a great job filling in when needed. Let's just hope for the same in 2008.

Backup CF, Coco Crisp: I think we all know it by now...Coco's tenure as our CF is over. So let's use this as a "Goodbye Coco and thanks for the memories."

Thanks for the numerous, ridiculous game-saving catches you made last year. Bottom line is you easily saved us 5 or more wins with your glove. And Boston won the division by 2 games. Without those 5+ wins you hooked us up with in the field, not only do we lose the division, but we don't even make the playoffs.

And on a personal note, thanks for the night at Game On! when you totally screwed me over and didn't sneak me into the VIP section (story in here somewhere). I'm still not completely over it but whatever; I ended my feud with Domino's so we can bury the hatchet. Good luck wherever you end up and please make sure they have a solid lefty reliever to send back our way.


Now onto the starters:

RF, JD Drew: No need to get into JD's 2007 season. Yes, he sucked. Yes, he was overpayed. Yes, WEEI was way too proud of themselves for the "Nancy Drew" nickname. And yes, he looked like he played with absolutely zero urgency (kinda like Manny on Valium).

But the grand slam in Game 6 of the ALCS has to be one of the highlights of the 2007 season for the entire team. That one swing alone turned him into a Boston hero. Suddenly, all was forgiven. And don't forget that JD's numbers from September through the end were excellent. And, I'm reading that JD now appears to be comfortable in the clubhouse. He's friendly, he's talking to everyone, AND he's tearing Pedroia apart with the ball-busting.

On pure talent alone, JD could be one of the best in the game. With no distractions and with a crowd that finally isn't calling for his head, look for big things from JD. (.295/30 HR/40 2B/95 RBI/.410 OBP)

CF, Jacoby Ellsbury: I can't remember in my baseball lifetime a kid that came up and made such a huge impact so fast. Ellsbury came up and lit a fire under everyone's asses. I'm still not completely over the night he scored from 2nd base on a wild pitch. I have never seen that at any level, even when Greech was our backstop. Just insane speed from this kid.

And if he doesn't step in for Coco in October I don't think we're having another Rolling Rally through the city. At this point, Ellsbury is expected to be the next legend of Boston sports. I almost feel bad for him with how high the bar has been set. So far, he's lived up to the hype and the pressure with no problems. Let's hope that continues. (.310/45 2B/12 3B/12 HR/.435 OBP/ 100 runs). Yes, I fully expect the legend to grow.

DH, David Ortiz: Here's a line for you: .332 avg./.445 OBP/.621 SLG/35 HR/52 2Bs/117 RBI. That was Ortiz's 2007 campaign and he played the entire season with a bad knee and a bad shoulder. Put a glove on him in the field (just to shut up the media) and he's easily the MVP runner-up (sorry, I can't give him the MVP, A-Rod was insane last year).

Now Papi is coming into spring training healthy after surgery, and has grown out the hair to have a shorter version of Pedro's hair-do from the last few years. Yea, you know, that weird Geri-curl thing? It's back and Papi is rockin' it.

We're looking at a line like this from Papi: .310/.430/.645/45-48/30-35/120+. Sadly, that is only going to be good enough for 2nd in the MVP Race because...

LF, Manny Ramirez: Look up some offseason stories on Manny. Gammons has said he's been an absolute maniac in the weight room. Suddenly Manny is ridiculously motivated. Plus, he's talking to the media again (shows he's finally happy), and in October after a walk off BOMB he said the words "When you go out hurt, and you do something like that...that's when you know you a bad man."

So he's happy, he's confident, he's been working out like a madman, he's a bad man, and just in case everyone forgot...MANNY'S IN A CONTRACT YEAR!! (sort of, there's options for 2009 and 2010, but basically Manny is playing for cash this year).

If you add all those things together you're looking at an MVP season from Manny. That's right, MANNY RAMIREZ WILL BE THE 2008 AL MVP. I'm not even predicting numbers for him because I'm too excited to think rationally. A triple crown from Manny wouldn't shock me in 2008. He's happy and he wants money...How the EFF do you pitch to Manny in 2008?


So there you go. We're through parts I and II. We're looking at great things for the Sox so far. The young legend continues to grow, JD becomes a fan favorite for a full year, the Dirt Dogs add another partner for car bombs, and the Sox have the MVP and runner-up hitting in the 3-4 slots in the order.

Up Next...the Pitching Staff. Feel free to hit up the comments section or email us at thesportshub@gmail.com.