The defending champion Boston Red Sox return most of their 2018 team this season, but they still have to answer some questions before Opening Day.
As winter fades and the clean scent of springtime begins to permeate the air, as the days grow ever longer and the world slowly wakes from hibernation, baseball returns to us. New grass, fresh as the hopes of fans and players around the country, will soon be trampled under cleats and flattened by rolling baseballs. But, before we celebrate Opening Day, fight through the doldrums of summer, and finally come hurtling down the fall stretch that leads us to the 2019 World Series, we must first take stock of the new landscape of baseball in Spring Training.
The Boston Red Sox, coming off a commanding post-season performance which saw them lose just three games in October, seem to be in excellent shape. While repeating as champions will never be easy, the Sox have as good a chance as any team to represent the American League in the Fall Classic.
They return the vast majority of the core that won it all just a few months ago, and the members of that core have new, invaluable experience. However, like any team, there are some questions that Boston must answer this spring. Here are five things to watch for as the Red Sox come together in Spring Training.