Red Sox Opening Day Thoughts

Today marks the first Red Sox Opening Day without Big Papi, David Ortiz since 2002. For anyone my age or younger it’s a humbling situation because Ortiz has been the only constant for the majority of my Red Sox fandom and is with the likes of Brady and Paul Pierce as some of the most influential athletes in Boston’s storied history.

But Ortiz definitely left the Red Sox in the best possible situation as the 2017 squad is looking extremely strong. Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts headline the future of this organization and the sky is the limit for both of these guys. The Sox had the best record in the American League after July 1st and despite getting swept by the Indians in the Divisional Round of the playoffs there is a lot of positives to take from the season. Part of the issue with the playoffs, I think was that the reality of David Ortiz’ retirement became much more of a distraction than it should have. With a young and inexperienced team I think the pressure got to them too much and it ended up hurting the team. This season they have some playoff experience and added another ace to the staff in Chris Sale from the Chicago White Sox.

Hanley Ramirez did a SPECTACULAR job in his first year at first base (or better than expected) but has made the move to DH to replace Ortiz. Mitch Moreland was acquired from the Texas Rangers and will get the start at first as well as bat 5th. Moreland is a very solid player on defense who can hit 20+ HRs a year and will be a solid middle of the bat behind Ramirez.

And back by popular demand (just because of his ridiculous contract) is Kung Fu Panda himself, Pablo Sandoval. He was put on the disabled list last year because he was too fat of a shoulder injury and he’s looking to get back to the level that earned him a World Series MVP with San Francisco. If he can return to form he will be a huge addition to the bottom of the lineup.

This season will be a good one for sure and expectations are high for the boys of summer. Today marks the beginning of a 6+ month adventure that has the potential to end with nothing but glory. It will be weird not to “34” in the lineup but the future is bright for the Red Sox.

Let’s play ball!