With their four game World Series sweep of the Colorado Rockies, the Red Sox are not only the best team in baseball but also establishing themselves are a model franchise for big-market clubs. The Red Sox have an impressive balance of youth and veteran players, and now have significant World Series experience throughout the organization.
After not making the playoffs in 2006, the Red Sox reloaded and never looked back. They were the best team in baseball for the entire 2007 season accomplishing that feat while incorporating seven rookies, inexperienced or new players: Daisuke Matsuzaka (age: 27), Hideki Okajima (32), Jon Lester (23), who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma last season and is the comeback story of the year, Kason Gabbard (25), Clay Buchholz (23), Dustin Pedroia (24), and Jacoby Ellsbury (24). Gabbard was traded at the trade deadline to the Rangers for Eric Gagne, a calculated gamble that did not pan out for the Sox, but the team did not skip a beat.
The Red Sox roster also includes several young, talented and signed players, including Jonathan Papelbon (26), Kevin Youkilis (28) and Manny Delcarmen (25). Their veterans are also inked: Josh Beckett is under contract through 2009, David Ortiz and Julio Lugo are inked through 2010, and J.D Drew signed through 2011 this past off-season. Manny Ramirez has one year left with two option years after that.
The only question marks are Mike Lowell, who is 33 (aging in Boston’s eyes) but hit .324 and drove in the 120 runs in 2007, and Curt Schilling, who showed he still has some gas left in the tank. Not bad for a team that just won two out of the last four World Series.
1 comment:
2 out of 4 ain't bad. They still play in the tough AL east though.
The key is Beckett. Without his dominance they would have lost to Cleveland. He won 4 of their 11 playoff games.
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