3 Red Sox story lines to watch in Spring Training

Photo Credit: Bleacher Report

With Spring Training finally almost upon us (pitchers and catchers report on Thursday), it's time to look at a few of the major story lines to keep an eye on down in Fort Meyers.

 1.) The fitness of Pablo Sandoval: A lot has been made of Sandoval's weight since the team signed before last season, and it was reported last month he supposedly lost weight again. If he has lost weight, it's definitely good news for the Red Sox, but how much of a difference will it make? Who knows, but it will definitely be something to watch in Spring Training.

 2.) Hanley Ramirez's play at 1st base: This has been pounded to death among Red Sox analysts (myself included), but it bears mentioning here: I'm more than a little worried about Hanley Ramirez's defense at 1st base. Hanley showed almost 0 effort in the outfield last season, and I'm worried about how that might translated to 1st. It will definitely be something to watch as Spring Training goes on. Who steps up as the first replacement if Hanley struggles will also bear watching - the first choice in my mind would be Travis Shaw, but we'll see.  

3.) How the starting rotation shapes up: David Price will be the #1 guy. We know that. The rest of the rotation is much hard to tell - I've given my projection for how things will shape up, and I stand by that, but it will still be interesting to watch as Spring Training goes on. It'll also be interesting to see who establishes themselves as the first choice starter in case of an injury.

There you have it. Those are the biggest story lines going into Spring Training in my book. Until then, a friendly reminder - only 8 more days until pitchers report.

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