Boston Red Sox 2003 season preview

As the weather gets warmer and the grass begins to grow, every baseball fan knows this is the portent of another fabulous season of the National Pastime.

For a Boston Red Sox fan, this usually joyous time of year is accompanied by feelings of doubt.

This upcoming season marks the 85th year since the last Red Sox World Championship in 1918.

Every year Sox fans try the hardest to believe that this will finally be the year they snap the curse of the Bambino. However, this year there is reason for optimism, with the addition of a new battle plan.

The promotion of baby-faced 29 year old Theo Epstein as the new General Manager, and the strategy of being thrifty when shopping for spare parts, has the Red Sox looking more talented and having more depth then ever before.

Epstein went out and acquired a lot of low cost players with certain similar statistical qualities, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Here's a look at each position.

Catcher

Mainstay and relative veteran on the team, Jason Varitek is one of the key leaders on the ball club.

Varitek, always a steady and fiery leader, provides a cool head on and off the field. He is also one of the best defensive catchers in baseball, being able to effectively call a game and catch a wide range of pitches from the flame throwing Pedro Martinez to the sinkerball connoisseur Derek Lowe.

Varitek also provides an average bat (.266 10 61) and should continue to progress as he gets more comfortable at the plate after his 2001 elbow surgery.

Doug Mirabelli is the backup, and mainly gives Varitek days off and catches knuckleball specialist Tim Wakefield. He will probably be the last option off the bench when he doesn't start.

First Base/DH

First base and DH could be the revolving doors for the Red Sox this season, as they could have as many as four capable candidates for the positions.

It has been reported that new acquisition Kevin Millar will start the year at first.

Millar was part of an international scandal in the off-season, when the Red Sox were able to get him out of a previous contract he had signed with the Japanese Chunichi Dragons. He is one of Epstein's favorites because of his ability to get on base and drive in runs. He was signed to a two year deal and could find time at first base and at the DH slot.

Another candidate for playing time at first base is Jeremy Giambi, an on base percentage machine who got on base at a .410 clip last season. Giambi, the younger brother of the infamous Yankees slugger Jason, should provide another offensive weapon for Boston. He could play at first or in the outfield this season, as well as his slated opening day DH position.

Second Base

Second base was another position that management wanted to upgrade during the offseason.

Todd Walker fit the bill as the kind of sparkplug the Sox wanted to play at second this season. Last season Walker hit .299 and had 56 extra base hits, a major upgrade over the incumbent Rey Sanchez. Walker also provides an above average glove and had an excellent .989 fielding percentage last season.

Shortstop

The soul of the Red Sox lies at the shortstop position and it is currently manned by one of the best players in all of baseball.

Nomar Garciaparra goes beyond superlatives as his jaw-dropping skills are without description. Last season he put concerns about a wrist problem to bed as he had an outstanding season. This year he seems even more determined to lead Boston back to the post-season and is poised to improve upon his already superb 2002 numbers (.310 24 120). Many pundits believe he could return to the 30-homer plateau and reclaim the batting title, and that is just what it might take to help Boston overtake New York and capture the division crown.

Third Base

The hot corner could be a position of controversy throughout the 2003 season.

Shea Hillenbrand, an All-Star last season, was featured in many trade discussions this past off-season, but will start the season at third base for the Sox. Hillenbrand had a red-hot spring hitting over. 400, and if he can be a little more patient at the plate, he could have a breakout season.

However, if Hillenbrand starts slowly, steady glove man Bill Mueller could step in and be a nice fit for the team. Mueller was a free-agent pickup and is a lifetime .286 hitter who can also draw a lot of walks. He has a career .370 on base percentage.

Outfield

Compared to the jumble that is the Red Sox infield, the outfield is relatively established and may be subject to little tinkering.

Manny Ramirez, a guy who simply loves to hit, mans left field. And does he ever hit. Last year, despite missing over a month with a hand injury he still finished first in the league in batting average, on base percentage, had 33 home runs and 107 RBI. A full year from Ramirez could be pivotal to Boston's championship hopes.

The speedster, Johnny Damon, also battled though injuries, but still had an outstanding first season in Boston. Damon, who patrols center like a hawk, is on of the premier leadoff men in the game and plays terrific defense. Fully recovered from a knee injury which slowed him in the second half of last season, Damon should be able to continue his success.

Playing right field in Boston is no easy task, yet Trot Nixon does an exemplary job. Nixon also was able to hit 24 home runs and drive in 96 teammates last season. However, he still struggles against southpaws and lacks the month-to-month consistency of the elite players. Manager Grady Little has said that Trot may sit this year vs. lefties.

Starting Pitching

The 2002s Red Sox rotation was the strength of the team.

This season, with the shifting of Tim Wakefield to the rotation full-time and the expected maturation of young southpaw Casey Fossum, the rotation looks even stronger.

The top two pitchers on the staff are two of baseball's best hurlers -- Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe.

When healthy, Martinez is the best pitcher on the face of the earth. With a nearly untouchable combination of a fastball and a lights-out changeup, Martinez has the ability to throw a no-hitter every time he picks up a baseball.

Lowe, the polar opposite of Martinez, is just as effective. Lowe relies more on his ability to get hitters to make mistakes, instead of blowing gas past them. A converted closer, he had a terrific first year as a starter going 21-8. Lowe, who almost exclusively throws a sinker that seems to drop off a table when it reaches the hitter, can be just as baffling as Martinez to try to scratch out a run against.

Bullpen

One of the new strategies employed by the Sox this season is to eschew the traditional role of the closer. To do this, they brought in three new arms to go along with two holdovers to form a quintet of pitchers able to get a tough out at any time.

New additions Mike Timlin, Chad Fox and Ramiro Mendoza provide many options in the late stages of a game. Taking into consideration Alan Embree and Bob Howry, the Red Sox now have one of the deepest bullpens they have ever had.

The bullpen was one of the areas in which the Sox struggled last season, and the new acquisitions should help to turn it around.

All in all, the Red Sox seem primed to continue their ascent to the elite teams in baseball. After winning 93 games last season, the expectations are even higher. The key questions will be -- can the team stay healthy, and how will the new acquisitions fit in the clubhouse?

With a little luck, the Red Sox have the talent to overtake the Yankees this season and make a serious charge to get back to the World Series.