Forget last year. Forget the 93 losses, the last-place finish and the dysfunction that was the failed Bobby Valentine experiment.
The Red Sox have moved on, led by a no-nonsense manager in John Farrell who sees a team capable of not only contending but winning the American League East, and are eager to start anew.
“It will be fun, back to everybody having zeroes and starting over, starting fresh after last year,” Opening Day starter Jon Lester said. “Last year is behind us.”
Nearly six months to the day after last year mercifully ended at Yankee Stadium, Boston was back in the visitors’ clubhouse yesterday following a light workout in preparation for this afternoon’s opener against the rival Yankees.
“Our guys, starting at the final day of last season, were looking forward to rewriting the story that unfolded last year,” Farrell said.
They are back with a number of new faces, from first baseman/catcher Mike Napoli to outfielder Shane Victorino and hot-shot prospect Jackie Bradley Jr. Another new addition, shortstop Stephen Drew, is out with a concussion, but the Red Sox will still be relying on a few familiar names, such as David Ortiz, who won’t join the team for a few weeks due to an Achilles injury, and Lester, today’s starter.
The southpaw struggled much of last year, but entered this spring with a new outlook, enthused by tweaked mechanics he began working on late last season such as starting more upright on the mound and throwing downhill. Lester threw the ball extremely well in the spring, to the tune of a 3-0 record and 0.75 ERA in 24 innings pitched, and is the team’s clear ace.
“He was just reestablishing the strengths he has and it was encouraging to see that become more consistent with each outing,” Farrell said. “He was very sharp start to finish.”
Partly because of last year’s struggles and the Red Sox giving young players a chance when in the past they have signed veterans to fill such holes, expectations have been lowered. Very few prognosticators are picking Boston to reach the postseason.
And while nobody was making any guarantees otherwise, the Red Sox feel confident in the group they had in The Bronx.
“People don’t expect much of us or say we’re probably not the top team in the division, but we can go out there, do it and have fun and show people that we are,” Victorino said.
It’s not just the Red Sox who are being picked to miss the postseason. The Yankees, likewise, are considered longshots as well, besieged by age and injuries. The Rays, Blue Jays and Orioles are considered the AL East favorites.
“I think our division is obviously one of the toughest in baseball, and I think it’s up to who stays healthiest, who has the most consistent starting pitching,” Lester said. “I think that’s what it’s going to come down to. You could flip a coin and point to any team at the top and any team at the bottom. It’s going to be a rat race and we’re going to have to play 162 to figure it out.”