Coming into the season, the Red Sox seemingly had unprecedented depth in their pitching rotation, with Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka as the starting 5.

Still, the team had Tim Wakefield and Alfredo Aceves available for spot-starting duties, as well as Felix Doubront waiting in the wings we call Triple-A.

Despite their multitude of pitching options, the squad’s starting rotation fell into a state of disrepair from the start of the season, as Daisuke Matsuzaka suffered a season-ending injury (requiring Tommy John surgery), while John Lackey struggled mightily.

As the season progressed, Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester found themselves on the DL, as Buchholz’s injury has now seemingly compounded into one that is potentially season-ending.

The Sox found themselves in a situation where they required more pitching depth, as they called on Kyle Weiland and Andrew Miller to make starts.

The situation has very clearly proven Red Sox GM Theo Epstein’s core belief that “you can never have enough pitching.”

Now, onto the grades –

Josh Beckett:

Key Stats: 2.20 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 9-4 W-L

One of Beckett’s best seasons has come during this 2011 campaign. If the season were to end today, Beckett would have easily set new career bests in terms of ERA and WHIP. A front-running Cy Young candidate, Beckett has dominated hitters over the course of the entire season.

Most importantly, Beckett has pitched his best games during Boston’s biggest games, as he boasts a 3-0 record with a 0.86 ERA against the Yankees, and a mind-boggling 0.00 ERA against the Rays.

Grade: Beckett has carried this Red Sox rotation, and has been a model of consistency, dominance, and success. A

Jon Lester:

Key Stats: 3.23 ERA, .232 OPP BA, 11-4 W-L

After a career year last season, Jon Lester set the bar of expectations extremely high, as the Red Sox turned to him as the “ace” of the rotation. He has not disappointed. Although not the ace (that title has been given to Beckett) of the staff, the lefty has had great success with his impressive 3.17 ERA.

Lester has faced his share of adversity this season, including a stint on the DL as well as a May with a 5.50 ERA, but is quickly regaining his 2010 swagger.

In his first two starts after coming off the DL, Lester went 13.1 innings while allowing just 3 runs (2.02 ERA), striking out 14 and giving up just 11 hits. If he continues on his current path, the Red Sox will have one of the best 1-2 punches in the league.

Grade: Lester’s time on the DL and occasional dud performance is all that is preventing Lester from being considered elite. B+

Clay Buchholz:

Key Stats: 3.48 ERA, 6-3 W-L

Buchholz put up phenomenal numbers last season, in what was easily his best year. The Red Sox were probably not expecting a replica of last season, but they were certainly expecting more from the oft-injured right hander. Buchholz’s season may be in jeopardy due to a nagging back injury, and it doesn’t help that the injury is putting an otherwise successful year at risk.

With a 1.29 WHIP and a 3.48 ERA, Buchholz was on his way up when he got hurt after a fairly rough start to the season. In his final 9 starts, the Red Sox were 8-1, with the lone loss coming in a 3-2 pitching duel against the Cleveland Indians during which Buch gave up 2 runs in 7 1/3 innings.

His stuff is clearly nasty, and when he’s on, he’s tough to beat, but his key will be getting back on the mound to assist the Sox in the postseason.

Grade: Injuries have derailed an otherwise promising season, but part of being a good pitcher is staying healthy. B-

John Lackey: 

Key Stats: 6.11 ERA, 10-8 W-L, .300 OPP BA

For the better part of the first half of the season, fans and media were quick to jump on the “dump Lackey” bandwagon, and they had reason to do so. The righty started off the season in abysmal fashion as he struggled in nearly every game he stepped on the mound.

After missing part of May, Lackey seemed poise to make a healthy return and regain control of his pitches, but he failed to do so and continued getting bashed.

With his reputation at stake, however, Lackey managed to string together several solid starts, and at this point in the season looks to be ready to pitch at the level at which he was expected to perform.

In his last four starts in July, Lackey was 4-0 with a 2.52 ERA with 21 strikeouts. That being said, Lackey took a step back in his first August start as he gave up 5 runs in 6 2/3 innings pitched, but if Lackey can go out and pitch even decently during the majority of his starts, the Sox will be thankful.

Grade: Although he has improved of late, Lackey has had a very, very difficult season. C

Daisuke Matsuzaka:

Key Stats: 5.30 ERA, 3-3 W-L, 1.47 WHIP

Daisuke was clearly affected by his elbow injury which required him to receive Tommy John surgery. With the exception of two phenomenal starts against Toronto and Tampa Bay (15 IP, 0 ER, 12 K’s, 2 H), Matsuzaka struggled, getting out of the sixth inning only once.

Oft-injured, consistently inconsistent, a model of mediocrity for much of his career, Daisuke may have thrown his last pitch in a Red Sox uniform.

Grade: Inconsistent with a few dazzling performances, lost a season because of injury and thus cannot contribute. D+

Tim Wakefield:

Key Stats: 4.99 ERA, 6-4 W-L

Wakefield’s mediocre season has been fairly magical because of his pursuit of 200 career wins. He has consistently kept the Red Sox offense in games, and has done everything Terry Francona has asked of him.

Grade: His professional nature and chance at 200 wins has been great to watch, and he has certainly earned his success. B-

 Liked this? Follow me on twitter @neso17

Image Credits: redsoxjersey.net

Both teams made early, generally inexcusable errors, while both C.J. Wilson and Jon Lester did not have complete command of their pitches, often missing their spots.

For the Red Sox there was certainly a lot of bad (considering they lost the game), but a lot of positives came from Game 1 as well.

I’ll start with the negatives, so we can end on a positive note!

Negatives

1. Jon Lester pitched poorly. He recorded zero strikeouts for the first time in an outing since 2008, and gave up three home runs for the first time in his career.

The silver lining? He was able to tough out 5 1/3 innings, and he seemed to gain command towards the end of the game, retiring six straight batters at one point.

2. Daniel Bard pitched an atrocious game. Part of it can be attributed to his lack of velocity on his fastball (most of his pitches were around 95 MPH, instead of 99 MPH), but even with the decreased velocity Bard was missing his spots.

The velocity will come as Bard continues to ramp up from the offseason, and he is the type of pitcher who will throw a streak of scoreless innings, but then have a horrible game. He got the bad game out of the way early…

3. Carl Crawford aand the bottom third of the lineup combined for zero hits. Crawford’s zero is not concerning, given that he has never hit C.J. Wilson well, batting .133 against the pitcher for his career.

Positives

What is concerning is that the bottom three hitters (Mike Cameron, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Marco Scutaro) had no hits. Keep in mind, Cameron is a career .260 hitter, and Saltalamacchia only hit .167 last year.

Scutaro is not worrying, since he has been a consistent on-base guy and is a patient hitter, but when J.D. Drew is not playing against lefties, the Sox have a major hole with Cameron and a fairly unproven Salty.

If Salty can put up decent numbers and get on base consistently, say higher than a .335 OBP, then the problem will be less significant, but he is certainly a question mark.

Now, on to the positives:

1. David Ortiz hit a home run. Enough said given his struggles in the early-goings of the past two seasons.

2. Jacoby Ellsbury is back. He was a monster during the Spring, and his torrid hitting is carrying into the season. He looks comfortable again.

3. The Sox lineup is unquestionably one of the most dangerous in the league, and if the bottom hitters can get on-base then the offense should have no problems.

To sum it up there was a lot of bad, but a lot of the negatives can be attributed to early-season rust evident on every team, and the Red Sox certainly have a bright season ahead of them.

Liked this? Follow me on twitter @neso17

Image Credits: Junko Kimura/Getty Images, SI

At this point, I really cannot tell you how frustrating it is to be a Red Sox fan. I see the Sox, and I see an exceptional team which has the second highest payroll in the majors. Well, with the second highest payroll, we should definitely have made more of a splash in the postseason, as opposed to being swept out like a small dust particle by the Angels’ broom stick.

I mean, having the second highest payroll is great, except that you keep coming in SECOND place in terms of signing the great players, like Mark Teixeira or A.J. Burnett or even C.C. Sabathia.

Sure, the Sox had a strong farm system, producing the likes of Ellsbury and Lester, but the Red Sox had too many inconsistencies both pitching and hitting-wise. During the off season, we’ll see what the Sox do to address their needs.

But, congratulations Joe Girardi. It takes a lot to manage three All-Star caliber pitchers and a lineup that could very well be the American League All-Star team. It seems coincidental that the moment that hell freezes over, the Yanks take home the World Series trophy.

It’s just a whole lot of frustration. My most hated team in all of professional sports outdid the Sox. It took them nine years, but they did it. Maybe the Sox can play up to expectations next season, as in Jon Lester and Josh Beckett coming out strong, Daisuke remembering what a baseball is, at the lineup is at full strength with Vmart and hopefully Jason Bay.

Or will it be the other way around? Will the Angels get rid of the monkey on their back, and start a post season run against the Red Sox?

Position by position, this is NESO’s breakdown of the Red Sox’ 2009 ALDS.

Position	Red Sox' Player	Angels' Player	Winner
1B	Kevin Youkilis	Kendry Morales	Kevin Youkilis
2B	Dustin Pedroia	Howie Kendrick	Dustin Pedroia
SS	Alex Gonzalez	Erick Aybar	Erick Aybar
3B	Mike Lowell	Chone Figgins	Chone Figgins
LF	Jason Bay	Juan Rivera	Jason Bay
CF	Jacoby Ellsbury	Torii Hunter	Torii Hunter
RF	J.D. Drew	Bobby Abreu	Tie
DH	David Ortiz	Vladimir Guerrero	David Ortiz
C	Victor Martinez	Mike Napoli	Victor Martinez
Pitching (Starting and Bullpen)	Lester, Beckett, Buchholz, Matsuzaka, Papelbon	Lackey, Weaver, Kazmir, Saunders, Fuentes	Red Sox (Starting and Bullpen)
Manager	Terry Francona	Mike Scioscia	Terry Francona
Verdict	Red Sox	Angels	Sox Win in Four

First Base:

Kendry Morales vs. Kevin Youkilis

Kendry Morales has more home runs than Youkilis and more RBI, but both share an almost identical batting average. Youk sits at .305 with Morales at .306. However, Kevin Youkilis has a far better On Base Percentage.  Youk’s OBP this season was .413, a significant 58 points higher than Kendry Morales’ .355.

Morales clearly has an advantage with the power numbers, but in the postseason, and in tight late inning games, getting on base will be the deciding factor.

Also, Morales has struggled in limited post season appearances. First off, a negative factor for Morales is just that: He does not have nearly as much playoff experience as Youkilis. Kendry has played in seven career post season games, Youk in 26.

Also, Youkilis has played better in October.

Home runs and RBI would be useless to compare, as Youk has a clear advantage based purely on the fact that he has played more games. However, Kevin has a .333 career post season batting average to Morales’ insignificant .231. Yes, Morales has improved vastly this season, but that improvement does not necessarily contribute to more postseason success.

Look at A-Rod. Even on Roids, Rodriguez struggled in clutch situations. Morales may certainly produce this year, but that is an if.

Lastly, Youkilis has a .998 fielding percentage with one error to Morales’ .994 with eight errors. Miscues on playable ground balls will give the opposing team free base runners, and with both teams posessing base stealing speed (majorly Figgins on the Angels, Ellsbury on the Sox), the team with less miscues will have a slight advantage.

That seems obvious, doesn’t it? Of course it does, and it should, but there is an advantage nonetheless.

Overall:

Morales has put up more electrifying numbers over the season, but Youkilis is a consistency freak with exceptional fielding abilities. If  (again that’s a big “if”) Morales can produce like he did during the regular season, then I would give him a slight advantage over Youk, but he will be facing top pitching everyday and will be unable to whale on weak pitchers. Plus, Kevin simply has more experience.

Advantage: Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox

Second Base:

Dustin Pedroia vs. Howie Kendrick

This head-to-head match-up is clearly dominated by Pedroia. In an “off-year” for PD, where he hit .296, he still had more hits, home runs, RBI, and stolen bases than Kendrick. Not to mention his higher fielding percentage (PD was at .990 with Morales at .988), higher batting average (Kendrick batted .291) and higher On Base Percentage.

Not only statistical dominance over the season, but also over the past postseasons. Pedroia has a .262 post season average (albeit not great) to Kendrick’s weak .148.

Granted, Pedroia’s worst playoff hitting experiences came against the Angels, but he does have more experience than Howie and still possesses a higher average.

Overall:

Dustin Pedroia dominates Howie Kendrick in all major hitting and fielding categories, both regular season and post season.

Advantage: Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox

Shortstop:

Alex Gonzalez vs. Erick Aybar

Erick Aybar, at first glance, would seem to be better offensive player than Alex Gonzalez, as he hit .312 with five home runs. Gonzo, when playing with the Red Sox, hit five home runs (the same amount as Aybar in 1/3 the amount of games) and batted .284.  Alex is a much better defensive shortstop than Aybar, as he fielded .994 to Erick’s .983.

I do think Aybar is a better overall player than Gonzalez, as he bats with a high average, but people must remember that Gonzo has fared completely differently offensively with Boston thus shrinking Aybar’s offensive advantage.

In the postseason, neither player has fared very well, both batting under .200. Although Gonzalez does have an edge (.165 to .105) the fact that he’s batting .165 really nullifies the advantage.

Overall:

Neither hitter possesses great power or speed, but Aybar hits with a higher average. Gonzalez is definitely the better defensive player, and as stated previously that is a major factor in the postseason.

Advantage: Erick Aybar, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but by less than a hair.

Third Base:

Mike Lowell vs. Chone Figgins

Mike Lowell is characterized by his grit, consistency and clutch hitting ability, but his overall numbers have dipped since his 2007 campaign. Chone Figgins on the other hand is in the prime of his career, and possess sensational baseball abilities all around.

He batted .298 this season to Lowells’ .290. Mike Lowell did amass more home runs and RBI, but Chone Figgins is a lead-off hitter who’s roll on the team is to get on base and dominate the base paths.

Lowell has an inferior OBP to Figgins, and it isn’t even worth bringing up Lowells’ steal numbers in respect to Figgins’. (For the record, he had 2). While caught 17 times, Chone still managed a very respectable 42 steals.

Defensively, Lowell used to be a better player, but as they say, father time is undefeated, and the two currently possess near equal fielding percentages (both around .967).

Lowell is a better post season player than Figgins’ is in terms of statistics, but both are experienced enough to make the necessary big plays. Lowell (discounting last post seasons at-bats when Lowell was essentially hitting on one leg), is about a .275 hitter. However, Figgins is a .205 hitter.

Overall:

Despite Lowells’ higher power numbers and similar batting average, Figgins is a more valuable player, as he is a key asset to the Angels team and is a sensational table setter for the rest of the lineup. Plus, his base stealing ability will terrorize the Red Sox’ team which has been unable to catch runners stealing bases.

Advantage: Chone Figgins, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but mainly based on his base stealing ability which will work well against Boston.

Left Field:

Jason Bay vs. Juan Rivera

Juan Rivera has a higher batting average than Jason Bay (.287-.267) but Bay has more RBI, home runs, stolen bases and a significantly higher OBP (.384-.332). Also, Bay has not made an error this season, whereas Rivera committed two.

Essentially, Rivera has a higher batting average, but that’s it.

Overall:

Batting averages are important in the postseason, but Jason Bay has performed at a much higher statistical level in every other category, including OBP, meaning that Bay still manages to reach base more often than Rivera.

Advantage: Jason Bay, Boston Red Sox

Center Field:

Jacoby Ellsbury vs. Torii Hunter

There’s not much to compare here. Hunter holds an advantage in nearly every offensive category, with the exception of course being stolen bases.

Jacoby Ellsbury is a more electrifying player, with 70 steals to Hunters’ 18, but Hunter is as good a fielder as Ellsbury, and while his batting average was lower (.299 to Jacobys’ .301), he has a higher OBP and more home runs. Furthermore, Hunter has better postseason performances than Ells.

Overall:

Essentially, Ellsburys’ role with the Red Sox is similar to that of Chone Figgins’ with the Angels, as a table setter. Ellsbury is developing into a sensational leadoff hitter, and his major weapon is obviously his speed. He will wreak havoc against the Angels’ pitching staff, but Torii Hunter is simply a better offensive player than Jacoby currently is. Hunter is more of a threat, but if the Angels overlook Ellsburys’ ability, he will do damage.

Advantage: Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Right Field:

J.D. Drew vs. Bobby Abreu

As with anything concerning J.D. Drew, health plays a large factor.

Drew batted .279, less than Abreu’s .293, but Drew managed to have a higher OBP than Bobby, as he ended with .392. Abreu ended at .390.

J.D. is a better outfielder in terms of fielding, and if he plays like he did towards the end of the season he will be a major force. Drew has not been as good in the post season as Bobby, but Drew has enough postseason experience to keep him composed during times of pressure.

Overall:

Bobby Abreu is a huge asset to the Angels, and is a large reason for their recent jump in on base percentage and walks, as he has influenced them in terms of working the count. Drew is a better player if healthy, but again, that’s a big issue with J.D.

Currently, Drew is healthy, and his offensive numbers were comparable to Abreu’s. Drew gets on base more and is a better fielder, but Abreu’s impact on his team is massive.

Advantage: Tie. J.D. Drew is healthy and while he does have more home runs and a higher OBP, he has a lower batting average and has not influenced the Red Sox nearly as much as Abreu has influenced the Angels, something that cannot be overlooked.

Catcher:

Mike Napoli vs. Victor Martinez:

Victor Martinez is a far better offensive player than Mike Napoli. He batted .330 to Napolis’ .272 and hit 23 bombs to Mike’s 20. Also, his OBP was 30 points higher than Napolis’, as Victor ended at .381. Martinez is simply more of an offensive threat.

Defensively, neither are exceptional catchers, but Napoli has a slight edge becuase of his ability to throw out runners. While he’s not great, Napoli is a bit better than Martinez defensively, but that advantage can be easily overlooked when you see that Martinez plays an average first base and has much better offensive numbers.

I’m not too much of an RBI guy, because I feel that a lot of RBI comes with a lot of players getting on base ahead of you, meaning that it is not a solely individual stat like the home run or batting average. However, Martinez had 108 RBI, which is significantly more than Napoli’s 56. Even if Mike had as many plate appearances as Vmart, he would still be well short of Martinez’s mark.

While Jason Varitek is no longer the main man at catcher, he is still a presence calling the game, and may play when Beckett is pitching. When he calls games, Angels hitters will need to focus harder, as Tek’s preparation and skill at managing a game is spectacular. His batting and fielding are well worse than what they used to be, but because he’s not going to be starting the majority of the games, he does not hurt Martinez’s case.

Overall:

Martinez is not quite the defensive catcher that Napoli is, but Napoli is not nearly the offensive player and threat that Martinez is.

Advantage: Victor Martinez, Boston Red Sox

Designated Hitter:

David Ortiz vs. Vladimir Guerrero

Ortiz had a horrific first half, but since his first home run on June 6th, he leads the Majors with home runs. Guerrero batted .295, but again, Papi in the second half of the season is a different player than in the first half, so his .238 average is tinted.

The fact is, Papi is on a hot streak, and has success against the Angels in the past. Think back to…… Every post season the Sox have played against the Angels. Exactly, Papi is great against them.

He has also had success against the Angels’ closer Brian Fuentes, something that may prove useful come late game situations.

Overall:

Guerrero is no slouch at DH, but Papi has been playing better as of late the majority of the league, and his clutch postseason hitting cannot be overlooked.

Advantage: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox, but only by a little

Starting Pitching:

Game 1:

Jon Lester vs. John Lackey

Lester pitched more innings, had a better ERA (3.41 to 3.83), threw more strikeouts, and had a better record. Hard not to go with the guy that not only performed better in the regular season, but has also proven himself in the playoffs.

Overall:

As previously stated, Lester had a better season and has proven himself to be a better postseason pitcher.

Advantage: Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox

Game 2:

Josh Beckett vs. Jered Weaver

Jered Weaver performed slightly better than Beckett in the regular season, but not by much. Plus, Beckett’s stats are slightly tinted by a back injury which he pitched through, causing his ERA to be higher than it should. Nevertheless, Beckett had more K’s and wins, with less losses.

Also, Beckett is one of baseballs’ best postseason pitchers, and has dominated the Angels in the postseason. Beckett did have late season back issues, but he is expected to be fully healthy for the postseason.

Overall:

Beckett and Weaver both had similar seasons (Beckett finished with a 3.86 ERA and Weaver with 3.75), but Beckett had more wins and less losses than Weaver. Plus, Josh’s postseason dominance is hard to argue against.

Advantage: Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox

Game 3:

Scott Kazmir vs. Clay  Buchholz

Clay finished the season exceptionally well, going 4-1 with a 2.87 ERA, but Kazmir has had success against the Sox in Fenway over his career. He is 2-2 with a 1.73 ERA.

Kazmir has postseason experience, going to the World Series with the Rays, but this will be Buchholz’s first postseason start.

Overall:

Buchholz ended the season extremely well, but Kazmir’s postseason experience is very valuable for a pitcher to have.

At this point, I’d say Kazmir has the advantage just because of his experience and success at Fenway, but if Buchholz is able to hold is own he is a dangerous pitcher.

Advantage: Scott Kazmir, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, again though, by a hair

Game 4:

Daisuke Matsuzaka vs. Joe Saunders

Daisuke had an atrocious first part of the season, but after coming off the DL he’s been great, going 3-1 with a 2.22 ERA. Plus, Daisuke will be well rested and healthy going into the playoffs, and he is a great post season pitcher. He has participated in big Sox’ post season games and has pitched Japan’s biggest game in the World Baseball Classic.

Saunders was 16-7 with a 4.60 ERA, (both better than Daisuke) but Matsuzaka came into his own after coming off the DL.

Overall:

Matsuzaka is one of the best “pressure pitchers”. Saunders isn’t bad himself, but Matsuzaka certainly will be more composed.

Matsuzaka has been healthy recently so he’ll be pitching like the Daisuke we’ve seen over the past few weeks, if not better.

Advantage: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox

Bullpen:

The Red Sox had the second best bullpen in the AL this year in terms of ERA. They are deeper than the Angels with Jonathan Papelbon, Billy Wagner and Hideki Okajima along with the young flamethrower Daniel Bard.

Brian Fuentes, the Angels’ closer, piled up a lot of saves this year, but he gives up a lot of runs. Ervin Santana, a previous starter for the Angels, has been pushed to the bullpen, so he will be able to eat up innings if he needs to pitch in a long game.

The Red Sox have had success against Fuentes in the past, and this year should be no different.

Overall:

The Sox have as much depth but overall more skill in their bullpen, and the addition of Billy Wagner has only strengthened the already strong unit.

A major factor here is that Jonathan Papelbon is just better than Brian Fuentes, both in the regular season and the post season. Paps has yet to give up a run in his postseason career.

Advantage: Boston Red Sox

Bench:

Casey Kotchman is a great player at first base, and is certainly capable of starting (he did with the Angels). Nick Green and Jed Lowrie have both been plagued by injuries this year, but they are average hitters and average defenders with average speed.

However, the Angels major weapon of the bench comes in the form of Gary Matthews Jr. and Maicer Izturis. Izturis is a great hitter who can play a good short stop or second base. Izturis hit .300 this year, and he has enough speed to steal the occasional base (13). Matthews’ major strength is fielding, as is an amazing outfielder and possesses good speed.

Overall:

The Sox have more depth, and about the same amount of skill as LA. Kotchman started on the Angels, and he is a consistent player.

Matthews Jr. is weak at the plate, but Izturis is capable of doing damage.

Advantage: Tie. Both teams feature benches which have average hitting, but the Angels have an excellent fielder in Matthews Jr. Nick Green and Lowrie are both average defensive shortstops, but Jed Lowrie has had success against the Angels in the past, as last season he had a game winning hit in the playoffs against LA.

Manager:

Mike Scioscia vs. Terry Francona

Francona has won two World Series over the past 10 years, Scioscia only one. Francona has won two World Series through the Angels, but the Angels have never beaten the Sox in a playoff series.

Both are great managers, but Francona knows and remembers what winning tastes like, whereas Scoscia is still thirsty for a win against Boston.

Terry knows what it takes to beat Anaheim, and while Mike is a sensational manager, I do not believe that he is as strong as Francona.

Advantage: Terry Francona, Boston Red Sox

The Verdict:

The Red Sox in Four.

It will be a more competitive series than in previous years, but the Sox simply have an overpowering 1-2 punch in Lester and Beckett, and Buchholz has pitched well this season. Also, Matsuzaka is a sensational big game pitcher, and I think he’ll be the pitcher of the deciding game four (which as I said, the Sox will win).

Also, the Sox’ lineup features a bunch of hitters who have high OBP’s, something that Angels hitters have just begun to become accustomed to.

The Angels’ bullpen has not been able to control the Boston lineup in the past (especially this season) and Boston features great power hitters and speed with some batting average guys in between.

The Angels are a good team, but the Sox are stronger.

Pitching: The Dream Redsox Rotation

1. Cy Young: Is there really any debate? Young is not only the best pitcher in Redsox’ history, but the best pitcher in the MLB’s history. The most prestigious pitching award, the Cy Young Award, is named after this great. Cy is the only player ever to win 500 games. He also threw a no-no in 1908, while being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937. It is said that Young was one of the hardest pitching players in baseball history, as his catcher Chief Zimmer supposedly put beefsteak in his glove to protect his hand. Cy’s career ERA was 2.63, and he pitched 76 shut-outs over the course of his career..
2. Smokey Joe Wood: Joe Wood was a brilliant pitcher with Boston, his best season coming in 1912, when he went 34-5 with a 1.91 ERA. In that same year he won an MVP award. His career ERA was one of the best in history, as it stood at 2.03. Wood was the first pitcher in history to record double-digit strike outs in a World Series game, with 11. He could easily have won more than 117 games, but he suffered a broken thumb in 1913, and had to pitch through pain the rest of his career. He sat out the 1916 season thanks to the thumb injury, and never fully regained full strength.
3. Pedro Martinez: Not only was Pedro able to put up dominant stats while playing for the Sox, such as a career ERA of 2.91, but he also did something that many other Sox’ greats were not able to do: Bring a championship to Boston. Pedro was a huge part of the Sox’ ’04 campaign, including the legendary comeback against the Yankees. Pedro is no longer what he used to be, and is on his way out of the league, but he put up a 214-99 record over 16 seasons in the majors. His best season came in 1999, when he went 23-4 with a 2.07 ERA. He won the AL pitching triple crown award that season, as well as one of his three Cy Young awards.
4. Mel Parnell: Mel was not as dominant as the above mentioned pitchers, but he did win his fair share of games with Boston, including a 25-7 1949 season, when he posted a 2.77 ERA. Mel was a two time All-Star, and compiled a career ERA of 3.50 despite a tough rookie campaign.
5. Roger Clemens: Whether or not Roger took steroids, he was the most dominant pitcher of his ERA. The reason he’s only at number five is because I thought that a man who might have cheated the game of baseball should have to suffer consequences. Still, Clemens has the record for most strikeouts in a game with 20, had a 3.12 career ERA, and has compiled 354 wins to only 184 losses. He has won six Cy Young Awards, and was the 1986 MVP when he went 24-4 with a 2.48 ERA.

Honorable Mention: Tim Wakefield is not a dominant pitcher by any means, but he truly embodies a Red Sox player, and his ERA is a respectable 4.32 to go along with 185 career wins. Also, he was important in the 2 Sox’ WS runs.

Closer: Who Pitches One Dominant Inning the Best?

Jonathan Papelbon, far-and-away. Dick Radatz could have made it competitive, but he did not have a long enough career to be considered. Throughout most of the early-mid 1900′s, there was not much need for closers, because pitchers would consistently pitch complete games. However, as arm fatigue and health factors were inspected by team doctors, bullpen pitchers became more of an importance. Jonathan Papelbon has become the best closer in Red Sox history. In his rookie of the year winning first season, Paps saved 35 games, while posting an amazing ERA of 0.92. Over the course of his career, he has 127 saves, with an ERA of just 1.88. Also, he led the Sox’ bullpen in 2007 when they won a world championship. The most amazing thing, is that Papelbon has only been in the league for 4 years, meaning that he will continue to improve and build upon his already great numbers.

Catcher: Fisk or Tek?

This was the hardest position to choose, because both Jason Varitek and Carlton Fisk were imperative to the team. Also, both players are so, so effective, but in very different areas of the game.

Varitek is invaluable behind the plate, and has caught four no-hitters in his time with the Red Sox. He puts up decent offensive numbers, with a career batting average of .262 along with 171 homers.

Carlton Fisk had similar average numbers, as he batted .269. There was great disparity between their home run numbers, as Fisk launched 376. Carlton was a better offensive player than Tek, and  has won more awards, including rookie of the year and a gold glove, but the all-time catcher is Varitek, because of what he brings to the pitching staff.

When Fisk was catching, he’d go out and talk to the pitcher, who spoke the same language as him. Varitek needs to go out and talk to a guy like Josh Beckett, who wants to dominate the world, one day, and then the next, talk to Daisuke Matsuzaka, who barely speaks any English.

Also, Fisk put up 376 long balls over a 22-year career, while Varitek has only played for 12 seasons. Granted, Tek will probably not even hit 300 home runs, but I definitely expect him to break the 225 barrier.

Another reason I chose Tek over Fisk was because of the fact that Tek did something Fisk didn’t, win a World Series.

Two, in fact.

Fisk certainly had his fair share of big hits, his most memorable being in 1975, when he pushed his game winning home run fair, but he never, not once, was able to win a WS.

Third Base: Who plays the Hot Corner:

Wade Boggs was a pretty easy choice here.

Over the course of his career, he won 8 Silver Slugger awards, a Rookie of the Year Award, hit 118 home runs and posted a batting average of .328.

Boggs was not only a great hitter in terms of average, but he also was able to make contact, as he never struck out more than 70 times in a season.

I would loved to have put Mike Lowell here, as his 2007 season was one of the best by a Sox third baseman, but the fact is that Wade Boggs won slugger award after slugger award, and Lowell didn’t have nearly as much offensive consistency as Boggs.

Lowell was a better defender, but Wade greatly improved over the course of his career.

Short Stop: The Man Who Dominates the Infield

This positional battle was between Nomar Garciaparra and Joe Cronin, with Julio Lugo getting some thought (for those who didn’t realize, Julio was a joke), but Nomar wins out pretty easily. Garciaparra has more home runs than Cronin did (228-170) and a better career batting average (.313-.301).

Garciaparra has compiled a rookie of the year award and a comeback player of the year award so far in his career, and while he still plays in the league, a more awards are not likely. Still, he is the greatest Sox shortstop to ever play his position, because he hit for average and power, one season hitting 35 home runs while posting a batting average of .323.

He, too, was hard to strike out, and had a couple 20 steal seasons.

Second Base: Consistency is a Must

Dustin Pedroia could hold this position in the future, but for now, Bobby Doerr is the sure fire pick.

Doerr was in the running for eight consecutive MVP awards while compiling a career home run total of 223. His career batting average was not too impressive, but still solid, as it stands at .288. He is a MLB Hall of Famer.

I really think that Pedroia can challenge Bobby for this position, but Pedroia is still young in his career, so has not had the opportunity to put up the same numbers. Pedroia has won an MVP award and a Rookie of the Year, the latter is one Doerr never won. In 10 years, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pedroia as the Red Sox’s all-time second baseman, based on what he’s done so far in his career.

First Base: Overlooked by Many in terms of Defensive Value

Many would choose Mo Vaughn here, I would like to go with Kevin Youkilis. Youkilis has not played in the league nearly as long as Vaugn did, but still, I think he has done more for the Sox than Mo. Yes, Vaugn could come in and hit 40 home runs, but he struck out over 150 times a couple times in his career, and his batting average sat at a lowly. 259. Youk has hit 75 homers over 3 1/2 full seasons, and is a far better defensive first baseman than Mo Vaugn. Youk’s average is .293, and has helped win two world series for the Sox. Jimmie Foxx could have won out here with 534 home runs, but he did not play long enough in a Red Sox uniform to be considered a Red Sox great.

Outfield: The top five

I was going to select players by their outfield position, but I just couldn’t because so many left fielders would be overshadowed by the great Ted Williams. Thus, I decided to choose the best five outfielders in Sox history.

1. Ted Williams: Is there really any debate here? Possibly the best hitter to every play baseball, He won 2 MVP awards out of the 18 full seasons he played. Also, he was the last player to have a full season of .400 batting average, as he hit .407 in 1953. His career batting average was .344, and he hit 521 home runs. Most sluggers strike out a lot, right? Not Ted. He never struck out more than 65 times in a season. Williams could have played more, and maybe even reached 600 home runs, but he served time in the Army during World War II, so four years of his career were lost.
2. Carl Yastrzemski: He had the best season of any Red Sox playerever in 1967, when he hit 44 homers, 121 RBI and posted a .326 batting average. He earned a triple crown that year, as well as oan MVP award. His career batting average was a respectable .285, but he hit 452 home runs and carried the 1967, “Impossible Dream Team” Boston Red Sox.
3. Tris Speaker: While he played most of his career in Cleveland, he accomplished most of what he was remembered for in Boston, a career best .386 batting average. He wasn’t much of a power hitter, but he hit 117 over the course of his career. Speaker was one of the best player in the history of the league at preventing a strike out, as he only shiffed 220 times out of almost 10,100 at bats.
4. Jim Rice: who put up a .298 batting average and 382 home runs. He won an MVP award, but his lack of longevity really hurt him, as he only played 15 seasons in the majors, of which four he performed at a fairly low level. However, Rice is in the baseball Hall of Fame, which is a major accomplishment
5. Dwight Evans: His career batting average was .272, but he won 2 silver slugger awards over the course of his career along with 8 Gold Gloves. He also hit 385 home runs. He was a great fielding outfielder, as he posted a career fielding percentage of .987.
6. Honorable mention: Reggie Smith: .287 batting average, 314 home runs, and a gold glove award. Reggie never hit less than .300 in a full season with the Red Sox.

Designated Hitter:

David Ortiz, by far. No other Designated Hitter has done as much as Ortiz has. David has the most home runs of any Sox player in a single season with 54.

The Future:

Here are some guys who I would love to see make this list one day:

1. Dustin Pedroia, who I already mentioned
2. Jacoby Ellsbury, speed and a knack for hitting, could be a great center fielder
3. Jon Lester, has thrown a no-hitter once, and came close to a perfect game recently
4. Clay Buchholz, perhaps the most coveted Red Sox young gun, he too has thrown a no-hitter
5. Josh Beckett, if healthy, he puts up dominant numbers as he did in ’07. If he can remain with Boston and play at a high level long enough, he could certainly take a guy like Mel Parnell’s place.

There you have it, the All-Time Red Sox team. Wouldn’t you just love to face them?

Stats from Baseball-Reference.com

In terms of Papi’s struggles, the Red Sox offense has been doing fine without his presence, as they are in the top 5 in almost every offensive category, including average and home runs. Whether or not David will hit 30+ home runs is yet to be determined, but I know that Ortiz is a competitor, and will continue to battle out his situation. He will hit at least 15 homers this season.

The starting pitching for Boston started off absolutely horribly, with the exception of Tim Wakefield. Wakefield has continued to make quality starts, while Brad Penny is becoming more comfortable in Boston. Josh Beckett has shown his dominant self, as he has gone 2-0 with a 2.67 ERA over his last four starts. Daisuke Matsuzaka is back from the DL, and he figures to give Boston 5-6 innings of solid pitching on a consistent basis, similar to what he did last year. As he continues to develop, he may start going deeper into games. Jon Lester has had trouble thus far in the season, but he will climg out of the rut he’s in and get into a groove, similar to what he did last year.

At short stop, Julio Lugo figures to be the starter, but missed a significant portion of the season so far. He has been putting up good offensive numbers so far, and his speed on the base paths is an added bonus. His defense has been bad, and while he’ll never win a gold glove, he will be more consistent.

As you can see, the Sox are in first place despite three major problems. However, these problems are fixing themselves, and if the Red Sox can continue the season with consistent offense and a dominant bullpen (ERA of 3.03 is best in the majors), their starting pitching will line itself back up, as will struggling players. Also, Mark Kotsay and John Smoltz will soon be thrown into the mix, adding depth and skill at their respective positions. Not only is Smoltz on the horizon, but so is Clay Buchholz, who threw a near perfect game at Pawtucket (AAA) two days ago.

When the team is fully straightened out, they will be dominant, and if the Yanks continue to have problems with Joba Chamberlain, Mariano Rivera and Chien-Ming Wang, they don’t have enough depth to fix their problems.

I had previously believed that New York would take the AL East, but with the teams playing the way they have, I now believe the Sox will win the AL East. The Red Sox are deeper than New York, with a better bullpen, starting pitching and defense. Good pitching always beats good hitting, and the Sox have enough offense to stick with the best teams in the league.