Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz
Jared Wickerham/Getty Images
The reigning World Series Champion Boston Red Sox have quietly had a busy offseason.
Fans have witnessed center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia sign with other teams, while the front office has brought in outside talent and appear prepared to promote from within to fill the vacancies. Despite steering clear of big-money free agents, the team has been diligent in preparing for a title defense.
As noted by John Tomase of Boston Herald, the Red Sox are looking to once again build a strong middle class of player, as they did last season. After all, it was this type of patchwork that allowed the Red Sox to lead MLB in team on-base percentage, slugging percentage and on-base plus slugging in 2013—statistics even the most diehard fans would have thought improbable before the season began.
With spring training just about four weeks away, the champs are still facing a few important questions that need resolution. Here is a look at five key spring training storylines as the 2014 season approaches.
All statistics taken from Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
No comments:
Post a Comment