Red Sox Opening Day!

It the most wonderful time of the year- Red Sox opening day. There's nothing like it. Every baseball season brings a promise of a new beginning, an opportunity to start fresh. For Boston fans, we certainly would like to forget the last two years and we desperately need this team to bring the Fenway Faithful a reason to hope.

We have, after all, become accustomed to competitive baseball teams. So every spring we ask our selves: is this team as good as the 04 or 07 squads? It's really a pointless question, however, because so much can change in a 162 game season. The best we can say is whether or not the team looks like it can compete in a tough division. And I think we can.

There are a few reasons to feel good about this team. The player that has me most excited is Jackie Bradley Jr. For Sox fans who have been living under a rock this past spring training, Bradley is a stud rookie who after a few short weeks of great hitting went from playing left out on opening day to starting in left field today. The 22 year-old outfielder had an on base percentage of .509 while he slugged .613. I know, it's only spring training, but if a guy already has a tendency to get on base, by balls or by hits, he's going to carry that ability forward. Patience at the plate is a virtue far too many hitters don't have, so I think the Sox are wise to recognize what this kid can bring to the lineup.

A lot of pundits have already written this team off, but there are other reasons to be optimistic about the Red Sox this year. These include, but are not limited too, the starting rotation and our infield. The front office made what some would call lackluster moves this offseason, but they might just work out. The pitching staff this year could provide a consistent defense against an AL East filled with good hitters. Jon Lester will be a great frontman, as both he and Clay Bucholz need to be back to their days of dominating opposing teams. The question marks for the rotation will be Ryan Dempster and John Lackey. Will Dempster's age (36 in may) be a problem for him down the stretch? Can Lackey ever get himself back to his old form? If these two are anything close to their better years, the Sox could be in good shape.

But you're not a real team unless you can score runs. Despite an injury plagued season that resulted in a last place divisional finish, the Sox actually scored the 8th most runs in baseball last year; only the Yankees scored more in our division. Throughout the last decade, Boston has been a team that can score a lot of runs, so can we do the same this year? In addition to what-could-be a great outfield, out infielders will contribute a lot offensively. Mike Napoli and Dustin Pedroia have proven to be great hitters, we'll need them at their best this year if we want to compete in the east. Additionally, Stephen Drew is not his brother, so that only means good things. And let's not forget, Will Middlebrooks was out-hitting Mike Trout before he hurt his wrist last year.

So with the right combination of hitting and pitching (I mean, every team wants that) the Red Sox could be a wicked good team. It's going to be a long season, but a season am I looking forward to. The AL East is a tough division to compete in. Toronto just re-tooled their entire lineup, and the Orioles want to prove that last year wasn't a fluke...and Tampa always plays Boston hard. Fortunately for Red Sox Nation, the one team in the worst shape for opening day is the New York Yankees.