Red Sox need to start fast to begin the season
Boston has an easy schedule to begin the 2023 season
Heading into the 2023 Major League Baseball season the Boston Red Sox are projected to finish in either fourth or fifth in the AL East and miss the playoffs. It is hard to blame those projections after winning only 78 games last year and losing their star shortstop in Xander Bogaerts this offseason.
There are positives heading into the year such as Masastaka Yoshida coming off a very productive WBC, a proven closer in Kenley Jansen, and winning veterans in Corey Kluber, Adam Duvall, and Justin Turner. However, the positives or negatives will ultimately be determined in wins and losses. Luckily for the Red Sox their first three opening series lines up for a fast start.
The Red Sox begin the season at Fenway Park facing the Baltimore Orioles and the Pittsburgh Pirates for 3 games each. After that they go on the road to face the Detroit Tigers.
According to Fangraphs the Red Sox are projected to finish with a below .500 record at 77.5 wins. The Orioles, Pirates, and Tigers are all projected below that.
Getting out to a record of no less than 6-3 will be key if the 2023 Red Sox want to prove the doubters wrong. If the Red Sox struggle to beat up on the “bad” teams then how can anyone be confident they will handle business against playoff contenders.
The next time the Red Sox play a team below them in the rankings is 14 games later against the Orioles again. To have the usual fan excuse of “it’s early” when a team gets off to a bad start, will be difficult to get behind in a year of uncertainty.
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