Kuzul

While there are still two-and-a-half months left in the 2013 regular season, it is not too early to look ahead to what the Boston Red Sox‘s starting nine will look like on Opening Day next season.

There will be some new faces, but many of the options the Red Sox have are already signed to long-term deals or are young, athletic players who could make a huge difference in the playoff race.

Let’s see who is in the starting lineup come Opening Day for 2014.

All stats via ESPN.com and Baseball Reference as of Aug. 19.

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I know that I have recently written that Andrew Bailey will get a chance if he starts to pitch well, but Koji Uehara is just phenomenal in the closer’s role for the Boston Red Sox.

In his last three save chances, Uehara has yet to allow a runner on base and has totaled six strikeouts in those three innings of work. He is 3-for-3 over that span and has only one blown save all season.

What is amazing about Uehara is that he does not have the velocity many closers have. He throws about 89-90 mph, but is very deceitful in his delivery and has a nasty splitter that hitters usually can’t pick up after watching the fastball go by a couple times.

Many batters have even swung through his fastball as if it were in the mid-to-upper-90s.

Uehara may need a day off after three straight days of work in the closer’s role, but remember he is 38 years old and the wear and tear of too much work is something the Red Sox do not need for another “could-be” closer in the near future.

With a 1.91 ERA and 48 strikeouts through 33 innings of work, Uehara is definitely making a case to be the closer until the end of the 2013 season for the Red Sox. His 0.79 WHIP is second among relievers with at least 30 innings pitched.

Uehara also happens to be a very emotional/high-energy guy out of the bullpen. After a strong outing or getting out of the jam, he always high-fives everyone on his squad.

That type of reaction is what the Red Sox need out of their closer. The type of emotion that makes it exciting to watch the closer come in and not worry about walks and homers that could lose the game.

Bailey’s struggles have mainly been because of the location and movement of his fastball. He may have been back to throwing 95-96 mph in his latest outing, but he is still throwing his fastball flat and straight out over the plate. He missed his location and Edwin Encarnacion took him out to dead center for another allowed homer.

The former Oakland Athlethic has now allowed seven home runs in 2013 and that makes it very nerve-racking to have him in as closer.

If Uehara continues to be solid as the closer, then Bailey will have to just be another piece of the bullpen that the Red Sox have relied upon all season long. Or the Red Sox will have to find a way to place Bailey on the DL if he continues to struggle.

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The Boston Red Sox may have lost eight of their last 10 games, but with a 22-16 record, thety only trail the New York Yankees by two games and the Baltimore Orioles by one game in the AL East.

With a quarter of the season in the books, the Red Sox still have plenty to prove in one of the toughest divisions in MLB. Nevertheless, there have been several bright spots mixed in with the bad and multiple signs of hope for this team going forward, such as its pitching staff.

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The Boston Red Sox have not made the playoffs since being swept out of the postseason against the Los Angeles Angels in 2009 and now have a real chance to make it back in the playoffs with a wide open AL East.

The ESPN Boston writers all predict that the Red Sox will make the postseason, Lester and Lackey will have strong years and that Jacoby Ellsbury will be healthy and flourish in his year before he is expected to hit free agency.

The Red Sox have all the right pieces to make into the postseason in 2013. They have veteran leaders with the likes of Ryan Dempster and Shane Victorino who have come in and will likely be voices in the clubhouse all season. 

Also, the younger stars, such as Dustin Pedroia and Will Middlebrooks, are making strides to stay healthy and will be part of the offensive juggernaut that is the Red Sox, who finished sixth in the AL in runs scored in 2012. They could score even more if everyone plays many, if not all, of the 162 games.

The real question marks on this team are David Ortiz and Mike Napoli. Both can hit the bar far, but can they play over 120 games in 2013?

Ortiz has to take five to seven days off to relieve some inflammation in his heels and Napoli has some issues with his hip, but has so far showed no sign of injury. If both can put up at least 25 home runs each, then it should be a top-three offense come the end of the 2013 season.

The AL East is wide open with injuries to the New York Yankees and the other teams not really up to par offensively. The Toronto Blue Jays may be in the mix, but that depends on team chemistry.

Another factor for the Red Sox is the starting pitching, In 2012, the Sox finished with a 4.70 ERA. That was third worst in the AL, and the AL leader was at 4.78. 

It all comes down to Lester and Lackey to right this ship.

Lester needs to bounce back in 2013 with over 16 wins and an ERA under 3.50 for the Sox to stay in contention. Lackey needs to pitch around .500 with an ERA under 4.50 to be the fourth starter for this team. It may take awhile to get used to seeing him start every fifth day, but it will be an interesting season to watch.

Another big topic is the health and success of Ellsbury in 2013.

After being out most of 2012 with a shoulder injury, Ellsbury has looked decent this spring. He is hitting .227 in 22 at-bats with no stolen bases this spring. Once he starts reaching base effectively, expect manager John Farrell to run him into the ground.

The young center fielder has some competition with Jackie Bradley Jr. hitting .517 with an OBP of .618, and that should motivate him, along with his pending free agency at the end of the season. He could possibly put up numbers close to 2011, but I say at least a .290 average with 24 home runs and 45 stolen bases is likely.

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The Boston Red Sox had a terrible 2012 season with a 69-93 record. The upper management hope to bounce back with a new manager and new veteran players to get back into the postseason in 2013.

The Red Sox not only need to win more games, but pitchers and batters need to to step it up in 2013 if the team has any chance of making the playoffs.

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It is all but official now.

Kevin Youkilis is about to sign a contract with the New York Yankees pending a physical, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.

To clarify on Youkilis and #Yankees: Two sides in agreement, one year, $12M. Deal almost certainly pending physical.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 11, 2012

Yes, this does mean that Youk is handing in his old Sox for new pinstripes, but not a single Red Sox fan needs to consider Youkilis a traitor.

The former Red Sox infielder really was something special for his first club since the 2004 season. He was the heart of that lineup, thanks to his gritty at-bats and his ability to drive pitch counts up of opposing pitchers. The Red Sox could not wait for him to get completely healthy after returning to third base in 2012.

That is what ended it for the 33-year-old.

This gave Will Middlebrooks the chance to shine, and the rookie third baseman took full advantage of the situation. When Youkilis came back from his injury, he struggled to hit the ball or even get on base. This gave the Red Sox full reason to deal the struggling infielder in June to the Chicago White Sox.

With the White Sox, Youkilis still struggled with a .236 batting average but hit 15 home runs and had an on-base percentage of .346. This was a major upgrade over the four homers and the .315 OBP that he put up with the Red Sox from April to when he got traded in June.

Yes, the Yankees have basically signed the former Red Sox infielder already, but it is no reason for Red Sox fans to be upset.

Youkilis did not fit on this team anymore and he had a lot of trouble staying on the field over the past couple of seasons.

Plus, he is starting to get too old to play third base everyday. The Yankees will soon learn that with a huge $12 million hit on their payroll for a season, it will likely end for him when Alex Rodriguez returns after healing from his hip injury.

Overall, Red Sox fans need to be smart about this move and realize that it was the best deal for Youkilis and that it just so happens to be their rivals that dropped the ball to sign him. Yes, he will see his old teammates 18 or so times a season now and fans should show him the courtesy by not booing him.

After all, he did win two World Series with this ball club.

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Tim Wakefield is the current fifth starter for the Boston Red Sox and would not be a starter if the MLB Playoffs started today. Wakefield is going for his 200th win yet again tonight, but getting this win does not mean he will gain a spot on the 2011 MLB Playoffs roster—or does it?

There are only 25 players on the active roster at a time until September when there are 40 allowed on a roster. In the MLB Playoffs, there are 25 players only per round and if someone gets hurt, then you can replace them with a player that was called up on or before August 31. This means you can replace a starter or bullpen relievers for each round if someone is pitching and/or batting terribly. Therefore, if the Boston Red Sox need a long reliever, then Tim Wakefield is their guy in the 2011 MLB Playoffs

Tim Wakefield can also be a great middle reliever and late-inning guy, but since he is a starter and a veteran I believe he should not have to earn a spot on the Playoff roster. He is one of those pitchers who can help a club whether going a third of an inning or going a complete game. The Boston Red Sox really need to believe the 45-year-old will help them win in the postseason.

Wakefield goes for win number 200 again Saturday night against the Kansas City Royals. He has tried four times for this milestone, is 0-2 in those starts and is left with the lead in a couple of them, but the bullpen has let the lead slip away.

The Boston Red Sox rely on Tim Wakefield a lot and his 200th win would mean the world to them as much as it does to him. He has played with the Sox since 1995 and has done everything for them and even had 15 saves in 1999.

According to mlb.com, he has 185 wins with the Red Sox and is seven wins away from Cy Young and Roger Clemens, who both have 192 wins, for the most in team history. He will most likely retire once he ties or passes them. His record for the 2011 season is 6-5.

Do you think Wake should pitch in the 2011 Boston Red Sox playoff run?

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