Boston Red Sox keys to repeat as World Series Champions

With opening day underway for most of the league, what are the keys to how can the 2019 Boston Red Sox repeat as World Series Champions?

The roster has been trimmed, the lineups and starters have been selected, and the uniforms will be hanging in the locker rooms. With the feel of America’s pastime renewing itself for another hectic season, all eyes will be on the title defense of the Boston Red Sox. Will they be the first team to repeat in nearly two decades?

While it is most noted that the organization had a subliminally quiet offseason, everyone will want to know how it panned out. The Red Sox recently extending Chris Sale to a 5-year, $145 million contract, signed relief pitcher Jenrry Mejia to a minor league deal, re-signed Nathan Eovaldi to a four-year deal, and world series MVP Steve Pearce to a one-year deal, while also acquiring Colten Brewer, another piece to the bullpen. While mainly resigning players from the 2018 squad, they made a couple of additions that could help boost this ball club.

While every team will have their strengths and weaknesses, what will be the fate of this team? For starters, the bullpen has been a pain in the side for this team over the last couple of seasons. As of now, there is no solidified closer on the roster. The departures of Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelley certainly will leave a gap in the later innings for sure (there is still a small window to re-sign Kimbrel). Alex Cora will have to turn to bounce-back seasons from Tyler Thornburg, Heath Hembree, and Carson Smith. How they manage the biggest flaw will be a huge factor in how they win games throughout the stretch. In addition to keeping them in close games.

Another huge factor will be how certain players can grow upon 2018. Rafael Devers, Steve Pearce, along with Jackie Bradley Jr. and Xander Bogaerts will be heavily monitored for different reasons. The most consistent part of Devers and Pearce offensively was being inconsistent. As awkward as this sounds, both players had the hottest of hitting sprees, mashing the ball while producing runs and getting on base. Then there were the weeks of agonizing, and terrible at-bats. Being patient at the plate, while capitalizing on good pitches will be the key to the offensive battle for the corner infielders.

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Bradley and Bogaerts will also need to outperform every season they’ve had to date. Both players will be able to hit the free agency market within the next two years. While where they choose will be pure speculation, both players realize the title defense is worth more than the distractions that will soon follow. Let’s hope JBJ and Bogey work on offense and defense respectfully.

Another key piece to this talented team is J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts. Both players became an offensive nightmare for opposing pitchers from all teams. These two All-Stars will set the tempo for how the offense will shape up throughout the season. Look for Betts to make another strong push for another AL MVP title. His trajectory is on the incline, and he hopes to keep it that way for years to come. J.D. will continue the dominance that he has shown over the last three seasons. As his hitting evolves, he uses his knowledge to make others on the team better, which makes the team better.

With the keys to success being laid out, the question is, what can we expect from this Red Sox club? While we don’t have all of the answers yet, one thing is for sure. They are the defending champs until the final out in October is made and it’s their race to lose.