The Red Sox spring training feels a lot different from last year. Last year, fans and the team were confident they could make a deep playoff run again. It ended up being a season of inconsistencies and eventually they ended up missing the playoffs. There is also the investigation into a cheating scandal from the 2018 world series season going on. The Sox seem confident they are innocent, but it could be a distraction at the moment.

So far this spring training has been focused on the new guys on the team, the prospects the Sox got for trading Mookie Betts. The Sox are 3-8 so far this year which is not great start. There are a few faces missing though so it isn’t time to worry just yet. Chris Sale is most likely to miss the start of the regular season, and Rafael Devers has not shown up to spring training due to the birth of his child.

Andrew Benintendi is a guy who is in need of a bounce back year after a slow one last year. It’s a small sample size, but he is hitting .375 in four preseason games. Jackie Bradley is batting the same, and he’s another guy who needs to step up at the plate with no more Mookie Betts in the lineup.

None of the Red Sox real starting pitchers have pitched in games yet. Spring training is more of a workout to see who is the real deal and who can play in the big leagues. The Sox are going to need some young pitchers to do a lot this season, as they lost Rick Porcello and David Price in the offseason. The Sox as a team are dead in the middle of all 30 teams in batting average at .254. They have the eight most runs scored as well as the fifth most hits in the league.

This season could get interesting. There are a lot of good players on this roster, and it really is up to the pitching and young unproven players to play well if the team wants to make a playoff run.