Last season, the Boston Red Sox set a club record with 108 wins and were the best team in the MLB from wire-to-wire, losing just two games in the postseason on their way to the ninth World Series title in franchise history.
No team has repeated as a World Series champion since the Yankees dynasty in the late 90s and early 2000s won three straight from 1998-2000 as one of the greatest teams of the modern era. But with the return of young position players along with a strong starting rotation, the Red Sox are poised to climb the mountain once again in 2019.
Here are five reasons why the Boston Red Sox will repeat:
1. The lineup
The Red Sox boasted the most high-powered offense in the majors last season, scoring 876 runs while possessing two of the most lethal bats in the game in AL MVP Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez. And after a historic 2018, the lineup will look almost identical in 2019.
Betts and Martinez will anchor the offense again this season, but the Red Sox can put a hurting on opposing pitchers from both sides of the plate.
At just 24-years-old, Andrew Benintendi had his best season in the majors and established himself as one of the elite corner outfielders in the game, posting a 4.3 fWAR and 122 wRC+ while also swiping 21 bases.
Similarly, shortstop Xander Bogaerts had his best season, driving in 103 runs amidst a 133 wRC+ and 4.9 fWAR season despite playing in just 136 games, his lowest total since his rookie season in 2013. It is hardly unrealistic to think that both Benintendi and Bogaerts could each top 30 home runs when healthy, and their presence at the top of the lineup provides ample protection for Betts and Martinez.
Outside of Boston's “Big Four,” Rafael Devers provides some added pop. And the ability to platoon the likes of Mitch Moreland and Steve Pearce gives manager Alex Cora plenty of options on a daily basis.
If center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. can find more consistency and increase his walk rate (just 8.6 percent in 2018), he offers another blend of speed and power that can make this Red Sox lineup tough to handle.
The Red Sox also have some pieces to look to upgrade the catching position at the deadline, as Boston posted the worst positional WAR at the backstop of any team in the league, according to Baseball-Reference.
2. Is the monkey off Price's back?
Although he is unlikely to recapture the form that made him a perennial Cy Young contender, David Price seems to have shaken the proverbial postseason monkey from his legacy.
After a tough start in Game 2 of the ALDS against the New York Yankees, Price dominated the rest of the postseason.
Despite warming up in the bullpen for multiple innings in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros and rendering his starting status uncertain for Game 5, Price was unequivocal in his determination to close out the series. He threw six scoreless innings and struck out nine to send Boston to the World Series.
And in the Fall Classic against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Price was nothing short of mesmerizing. He earned the win in Game 2 with another quality start, then threw 2/3 innings of relief work in an epic Game 3 before closing out the series with seven innings of three-hit ball on (essentially) one day of rest in Game 5.
Boston's rotation looks strong again in 2019. They re-upped Nathan Eovaldi on a four-year, $67.5 million dollar contract and still offer the services of Cy Young candidate Chris Sale as well as Rick Porcello, Eduardo Rodriguez and Steven Wright.
But Price may be the key. Having shown that he can handle the demands of postseason baseball, the lefty could be primed for a big year in 2019, one that could spur Boston to another run deep into October.
3. The bullpen is better than it looks
Much has been made about Boston's need to upgrade the bullpen in this offseason, but president of baseball operations Dave Dombroski has been insistent on his comfort level with the unit dating back to last season, when he also told NBC Sports Boston that :other priorities” took over at the trade deadline.
The Red Sox lost postseason hero Joe Kelly to the Dodgers in free agency. However, they still appear to be the front-runners to re-sign closer Craig Kimbrel given the decreased market interest and his high asking price of a six-year deal. In all likelihood, Boston will bring him back on something closer to a four-year deal.
The biggest factor in Boston's bullpen is the depth. Converted starters like Matt Barnes and Tyler Thornburg will get plenty of innings alongside the likes of Heath Hembree and Ryan Brasier.
Throw in the ability to move Wright, Rodriguez and or Eovaldi to the bullpen in the postseason, and Boston has options in terms of long and middle relief.
It is crucial to recall that this was the first taste of the postseason for guys like Hembree and Brasier, which should be a boon for them moving forward considering that they were solid when called upon last October.
Sure, Boston does not employ a bullpen unit with a lot of mileage and experience, but they have quality and depth. They still need a more reliable left-handed arm, but Rodriguez helps fill that void, and it could be a need that they address at this year's deadline.
4. Has the rest of the AL improved enough?
The Yankees added James Paxton, Adam Ottavino and D.J. LeMahieu to the fold. The Astros signed Michael Brantley, Robinson Chirinos and Wade Miley while the full-time arrival of the likes of Kyle Tucker and Josh James is fairly imminent. And the young nucleus in Tampa Bay looks more dangerous every year.
But are these additions enough to unseat the Red Sox, whose roster remains nearly identical to the year before?
The argument could be made that young stars like Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres could help the top dogs in the American League improve in 2019, but it is hard to imagine any team unseating Boston barring unforeseen circumstances.
5. The intangibles–Alex Cora
Alex Cora was fortunate enough to take over a loaded roster as a rookie manager in 2018, but he showed the kind of moxie and confidence in his guys that might be more expected of a veteran skipper.
Cora was unafraid to stick with Kimbrel to get tough outs in the ALCS and the World Series. He showed unwavering faith in Price and was fantastic in managing utility players like Eduardo Nunez, Brock Holt and Pearce.
His confidence at the helm should only grow in his second season at the helm, which is a scary proposition for the rest of the league.
The presence of a steadied and determined manager cannot be understated. The combination of managerial excellence and young talent has propelled the Chicago Cubs and Astros to world titles in the past, and now the Red Sox are primed for a run of continued success with Cora calling the shots.
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