Red Sox vs. Indians Roster Breakdown: OF and DH

Sep 20, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielders Chris Young (30), Jackie Bradley, Jr. (25) and Mookie Betts (50) celebrate after beating the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 20, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielders Chris Young (30), Jackie Bradley, Jr. (25) and Mookie Betts (50) celebrate after beating the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
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Many are torn on whether the Boston Red Sox or the Cleveland Indians are the 2017 AL favorites. Breaking down the roster position by position is how to determine the winner.

Sep 11, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (49) throws against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at U.S. Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Are the Boston Red Sox the team to beat in the American League or is it a Cleveland Indians team coming off of a pennant winning season?

After landing arguably the biggest free agent prize of the offseason, slugger Edwin Encarnacion, many experts and fans alike have boasted the Indians as the AL favorites heading into the 2017 season. Of course, after landing arguably the biggest trade prize of the offseason in ace Chris Sale, many are saying the same about the Red Sox.

To see which playoff contender is truly deserving of the title of American League favorite (which of course means nothing in reality, it’s just for fun), I’m going to do a weekly series, conducting a position-by-position comparison of what the Red Sox and Indians have to offer.

We started last week by breaking down the respective infields for each team. This week, we focus on the outfield and designated hitter spots.

Schedule