It’s almost March and the first spring training game is mere days away…and as always hope springs eternal in Red Sox nation. Will this year be another magic fall in the Hub, or will fans spend much of that time waiting to see the condition of newly crowned girly man Tom Brady?

With much of the roster set before a ball was thrown or pine tar was rubbed on a a bat, this is a very different Spring for Tito and Theo. Much of the Spring will be spent making sure players are recovered from injury like Lowell, Ortiz and Beckett. The players’ overall condition will be checked with particular attention paid to Ellsbury and Drew.

Many in the nation groaned when those first pictures of Beckett appeared coming out for camp last spring. Much has been made of the good condition many of the Sox are in this spring. Special note has been made of Lugo, Ortiz and Becket. All good news for Sox fans and bad news for the AL East.

Other than the bullpen, much of the team is set but let’s just make a short review of the positions in question. Third base and short stop are without a doubt the question spots in the infield. Lowell is said to be recovered from hip surgery but has seen very little action in cleats not to mention game action. His condition directly relates to the short stop position. I see Lugo coming out of camp as the starter, with Lowrie backing up short and third. While Youk can more then ably play third, there is no reason to start the season with one more moving piece than you have to. Lowrie did very well in his time after Lugo’s injury and in a way, the Sox management was lucky to get an extended look at him without upsetting the team. Lowrie started off well but a nagging injury may have slowed him in October (or pitchers found a hole). What maybe best for the Sox is to start Lowell off slow with Lowrie playing a couple games at third each week for the first month or so of the season and have him play short one day a week for Lugo– mixing AB based on percentages as best they can. This will allow the Sox to showcase Lugo for a possible in season trade should an injury occur, as well as take some pressure off Lowrie. Keep in mind Tito has been very loyal to veteran players in the past.

Catcher is pretty much locked up with Tek now BUT the question remains who will back him up and how much will they play? I don’t think anyone questions the wisdom of having Tek take a few more off days during the season to try and keep him more prepared for November. The REAL question is will the Sox carry three catchers in anticipation of hitting for Tek more in the late innings, something Tito has been very reluctant to do in the past? For this battle, I see two catchers to start the season if for no other reason than to allow the bullpen time to settle. If they go with two, Bard has to be the leader in that race as long as he does not crash catching Wakefield in the preseason.

Next update we will look at the outfield.