Roster Projection 1.0 - what will the Red Sox look like in April?

Photo Credit: Over the Monster

Before the Red Sox kick off the season in April, I'm going to try and project what the Red Sox roster will look like when Opening Day finally rolls around. This will be the first of several throughout Spring Training since players could get hurt, under- or over-perform expectations, etc. Without further ado, I give you my pre-Spring Training roster projection.

 Outfield: The outfield is the toughest projection to make as far as starters go, because there is such a logjam of talent in the outfield, but here's how I see it shaping up at the start:  

Starters (Left to Right): Chris Young, Mookie Betts, Rusney Castillo Betts was by far the easiest one to choose, as he is probably one of the most promising young players in baseball right now. Aside from his .291 average and 18 home runs, he also posted his highest fielding percentage in center field (.990), so barring an injury. Chris Young, the new signing from New York, will likely start in left. He posts his best fielding percentage in left (.996), but he's also only played 152 games in left, compared to 947 in center field. However, I do see the center field job as Mookie Betts' to lose at the moment, so I think the team will build around that assumption going into Spring Training. Rusney Castillo will likely round out the outfield. He showed flashes of what he can do last season, and I also think the Red Sox will want to avoid making him the most expensive minor leaguer in history. I think Castillo will start the year as the Red Sox right fielder, where he's played the most in his young Red Sox career.  

Bench: Jackie Bradley Jr., Brock Holt
Bryce Brentz and Jackie Bradley Jr are the two guys are the only other outfielders on the 40-man roster right now. However, the Opening Day roster will be trimmed to 25 and, at the moment, Jackie Bradley is the one assured of a major league spot - his glove is fantastic, even if his hitting needs some work. If any of the 3 starters go down with an injury, he'll be the first one off the bench. Right now, Brentz should spend another year down in AAA Pawtucket, and maybe next year, he'll be ready to start at a major league level. The Red Sox also have Brock Holt, who can fill in just about anywhere, so there's really no room for Brentz at the moment.  


Infield:
  
Starters: Hanley Ramirez (1B), Dustin Pedroia (2B), Xander Bogaerts (SS), Pablo Sandoval (3B) This one was pretty simple. Barring a major injury between now and Opening Day, this is what the infield will look like. 3 of those guys have big contracts (Pedroia, Ramirez, Sandoval), and Xander Bogaerts is the most promising young shortstop in the game. As far as Ramirez goes, management has made it clear he'll start at first, so that's beyond a doubt at this point. Sandoval should get another shot, assuming the rumors of him losing weight are true.

 Bench: Brock Holt, Travis Shaw Brock Holt, as I mentioned above, can play just about anywhere, and Travis Shaw will be the first off the bench if the Hanley at 1st experiment goes wrong, so not much question there.  

Catcher: Blake Swihart, Christian Vazquez I do think Swihart gets the Opening Day nod, at least until Vazquez is 100%. And even then, I think they'll be platooning it during the regular season, depending on who's pitching and how they develop with each individual pitcher. DH: David Ortiz. No questions there.

Starting Lineup: This is what the lineup would look like, assuming this holds true: 1.) Mookie Betts, CF 2.) Xander Bogaerts, SS 3.) David Ortiz, DH 4.) Hanley Ramirez, 1B 5.) Pablo Sandoval, 3B 6.) Dustin Pedroia, 2B 7.) Rusney Castillo, RF 8.) Blake Swihart/Christian Vazquez, C 9.) Chris Young, LF

Starting Pitchers: David Price, Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello, Eduardo Rodriguez, Roenis Elias I already tried my hand at projecting the rotation, and I stand by what I said in that. To read that, click here.  

Bullpen: Koji Uehara, Craig Kimbrel, Carson Smith, Joe Kelly, Junichi Tazawa, Stevan Wright, Robbie Ross Right now, 5 of those guys are locks to be on the Opening Day roster - Koji, Taz, Kelly as a long reliever/spot starter, and the new acquisitions, Kimbrel and Smith. As for the other guys, they all had their struggles last year - but, then again, who didn't last year? However, I do think the bullpen will be the most improved part of the team, with Kimbrel taking over the closer slot from Koji. That will take the pressure of Koji, and I think he'll return to his 2013 form.

So, there you have it. That's my 25 man Opening Day roster projection for the Red Sox. This isn't close to perfect, and I'll do at least a couple more during Spring Training, as I see how players are doing.

Who starts at catcher - Swihart or Vazquez?

Photo Credit: Boston Herald

The Red Sox have a dilemma - now that Christian Vazquez is back from Tommy John's Surgery, who will be the Red Sox starting catcher in 2016? Blake Swihart got most of the reps in 2015, but will that be the case in 2016? The Boston Herald suggests that Swihart will get the majority of the starts at catcher, at least to start:

If we could guarantee Vazquez would be 100 percent recovered from Tommy John surgery, I would guess Vazquez. But since he might not be ready until May or June, it’s hard to see him playing every day by July. If Swihart’s offensive ability continues to improve as the Red Sox think it will and he can add value to the team as a first baseman or third baseman, it’s not crazy to say he might play one of the corner positions later this year or in 2017. But with the uncertainty around Vazquez, I expect Swihart will catch the most games for the Red Sox this year.

Personally, I would agree with the Herald and say Blake Swihart has the edge for the regular starting job at the moment, but I would say it's 50/50 if Christian Vazquez can stay healthy. They both have potential, and if Christian Vazquez can stay healthy, I like the idea of moving Swihart to a corner infield position and possibly dumping Hanley Ramirez or Pablo Sandoval if neither of those guys improve. Twitter - @C_Frederick1016