Red Sox: Top-10 reasons to get excited about baseball in 2018

Let’s get in the spirit of baseball season and run down the biggest reasons we should all be excited about Opening Day for the Boston Red Sox.

The grass is green, the flowers are blooming, and the world around us is finally becoming less of a frozen wasteland. Okay, none of that is true, but we are only a little more than a week from Opening Day for the Boston Red Sox.

The beginning of baseball season is one of my favorite times of the year and I want you all to share in my excitement. In that spirit, I present to you the top-10 reasons to get amped up for this upcoming season.

We begin with a pitcher that has yet to give fans many reasons to get excited since his team debut.

Red Sox Nation has yet to really warm up to David Price. The Red Sox, of course, signed Price to a 7-year, $217 million contract prior to the 2016 season. Since then, Price has yet to meet the lofty expectations that come with a deal of that magnitude.

In 2016 Price was good, but not great. His peripherals were solid and he ate up 230 innings, but his ERA still came in just below four and often times it felt like he was getting hit hard.

This past season Price pitched fairly well when on the field with an ERA+ of 135; however, he was only on the field for 74.2 innings.

But this year is going to be different. It wouldn’t be spring if we all didn’t go in with rose-colored glasses, so let’s remember how good of a pitcher Price can be when he’s on. From 2012 to 2015 Price had a FIP of 2.90 and a strikeout to walk rate of nearly five. Those are some ungodly numbers and the man is still just 32 and not that far removed from being an elite pitcher.

If Price can find his old form the Red Sox may have the best one-two punch in baseball this season.