What is it going to be like for the Red Sox this season without the beloved David Ortiz, better known as Big Papi? Honestly, the Sox are going to do just fine.

To start off, let’s look at the pitching, which is a powerhouse. The Sox have left-hander Chris Sale, who is 74-50 with a 3.00 ERA. Boston needs good pitching to rake in the wins. With Sale, Rick Porcello, and David Price in the rotation, the Sox are in pretty good standings. These three are the strongest pitchers we have. They’re aces.

Now, what can we expect from Pablo Sandoval? He’s been putting in work and losing weight. As reported during spring training, his left-handed swing has been good.  Fellow teammates have reported that they have noticed significant improvement when compared to last season. The Red Sox did not sign a third baseman, so it is more than likely that Sandoval will be starting. This season, he is bouncing back.

And for the record, there is no need to worry, Red Sox fans. We still have the dynamic duo of Mookie Betts and Dustin Pedroia, who had 200 hits and 100 runs in the 2016 season. They made history last year; the last duo to achieve this for the Sox was Adrian Gonzalez and Jacoby Ellsbury in 2011.

Betts made the 2016 season his most successful when he won the Silver Slugger Award and the Gold Glove Award. Betts has 31 home-runs, 113 RBI’s and an average of .318. Last season, Pedroia had an average of .318, 15 home-runs, and 74 RBIs.

There’s also Jackie Bradley Jr. to consider, who contributed to the team last season when he hit 26 home runs. He is an amazing outfielder, who had 87 RBI’s last season, with an average of .267.

To take a look at the big picture, we have Manny Ramirez at first, Pedroia at second, Xander Bogaerts at shortstop, Pablo Sandoval at third, and Sandy Leon as catcher. We have a good infield.

The Red Sox outfield is young and strategic. We have Betts in right field, Bradley Jr. in center field, and Andrew Benintendi in left field. Last season, Benintendi did not play that much, but had an average of .295, 14 RBIs and 16 runs in a total of 34 games. He definitely has potential for this upcoming season.

MLB analysts have predicted that the Red Sox are going to do well this season. Bleacher Report has reported that the Sox will come in first in the American League East with a record of 97-65. Last season, the Sox won the American league East title with a record of 93-69, but were beat later on by the Cleveland Indians.

The last time the Red Sox won a World Series was in 2013. And over the past five years, the Red Sox have won two American League East titles. The Red Sox constantly continue to be a team that has potential. The only concern they currently have is with the strength of their two pitchers, Tyler Thornburg and closer Craig Kimbrel. They’ll have to work on strengthening them up.
Overall, the Red Sox have a good combination on both their offense and their defense. Therefore, I believe they will be very successful this season. Without a doubt.