Spring training is officially under way, and the Red Sox are one of the more interesting teams to watch.
There’s no telling whether this season will yield better results for the Sox. There are still a lot of questions, and after a 69-93 campaign, there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical. One thing that’s certain, however, is that this season’s Red Sox team looks significantly different than last year’s version. And with a number of high character guys joining the mix, the 2013 Red Sox should also be a much more likeable team than a year ago.
The most notable new face is one that really isn’t all that new. Manager John Farrell, who was once the team’s pitching coach under Terry Francona, will be the man tasked with making sure that with new pieces comes new results. There’s really nowhere to go but up after last year’s debacle under manager Bobby Valentine, but given the depth of the American League East, climbing out of the cellar isn’t going to be easy.
Spring training often times isn’t that revealing. But in a season with so many question marks, it will go a long way toward showing us what to expect in a number of areas.
Will Clay Buchholz be healthy? Can Daniel Bard rebound? Is John Lackey really capable of turning his Red Sox career around?
These are just a few of the things to watch this spring. Check out what else you should be keeping an eye on before Opening Day by clicking the link below.
[nesn_media_gallery id=”135627″]
Have a question for Ricky Doyle? Send it to him via Twitter at @TheRickyDoyle or send it here.
