Draft prep: Boston Red Sox Outlook

What can you say about the World Champions? ... They're good. And they're good in Fantasy, as well. From Josh Beckett, (top five starting pitcher), to Jonathan Papelbon who leads all closers, to David Ortiz (HR hitter with first-round expectations), to Jacoby Ellsbury (30-base stealer?) -- this team has something for every part of your Fantasy team.

In 2004 and '05, the Red Sox led the majors in runs scored. They dropped back to ninth in '06, but they rebounded to fourth last season. But instead of relying on the big bats of Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, the Red Sox spread the wealth, with Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis also getting in on the action (combining for over 200 RBI). J.D. Drew was a huge free-agent signee, but he didn't come close to the production they'd hoped to see. Coco Crisp played better, but his time in Boston could be short, with Ellsbury (Johnny Damon Pt II) waiting in the wings.

Big Papi's homers took a dip (19 fewer homers than in '06), but not his talent. He still registered career-highs in hits (182), batting average (.332) and on-base percentage (.445). Did his power slip? Not at all. As a matter of fact, he even posted his second-highest slugging percentage (.621).

Manny, however, saw his stats (and Fantasy value) make a sharp decline. In more at-bats than the previous season -- he hit 15 fewer homers, knocked in 14 fewer runs and his batting average was 25 points lower. With that said, he's still one of the cogs of this offense and he's going to see more pitches to hit, as pitchers test him and his decline. He's no spring pollo anymore!

Their pitching staff continues to get better, with the game's only 20-game winner from the past two seasons (Beckett) as their ace. And the noise about Daisuke Matsuzaka has died down a bit, but he's one of just eight pitchers that struck out at least 200 batters. His ERA could lower this season, now that he's acclimated and doesn't have as much hype surrounding him.

Papelbon had another amazing season -- and we rank him as the unquestioned top relief pitcher in baseball despite his youth.

Spring position battles SP No. 5 -- Jon Lester vs. Clay Buchholz

Try being a rookie pitcher on the reigning World Series champions, and then imagine already having a no-hitter on your resume from '07. Clay Buchholz is already a legend in Boston -- and he has just 22 innings of major league experience. He'll be battling with Jon Lester, another great story, for the fifth spot in the rotation, if the Red Sox keep Tim Wakefield in the fourth spot. Both Buchholz and Lester are solid late picks in mixed leagues, even though the former could start the year in the minors. Both should be rotation mainstays by midsummer.

Center field -- Ellsbury vs. Crisp Are you afraid that Ellsbury won't be given the green light enough? (You wouldn't be alone. After all, Boston was 30th in the majors in steals in '06, 28th in '05 and 21st in '04, with only one player stealing more than 20 bases in any of those three seasons (Crisp, 22, '06). Manager Terry Francona showed last season that he didn't mind running when he had players capable of doing it successfully. He let Julio Lugo run free 39 times (caught only six times) and Crisp ran 34 times (also caught just six times). Crisp's playing time dwindled late last season and a trade would do his Fantasy value wonders at this point. Meanwhile, grab Ellsbury as a No. 4 outfielder in mixed play.

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