2007 record
96-66, World Series champions

Projected batting order
1. 2B Dustin Pedroia:
  .317 BA, .380 OBP, .442 SLG, 8 HRs, 50 RBIs in 2007
2. 1B Kevin Youkilis:
  .288 BA, .390 OBP, .453 SLG, 16 HRs, 83 RBIs in 2007
3. DH David Ortiz:
  .332 BA, .445 OBP, .621 SLG, 35 HRs, 117 RBIs in 2007
4. LF Manny Ramirez:
  .296 BA, .388 OBP, .493 SLG, 20 HRs, 88 RBIs in 2007
5. 3B Mike Lowell:
  .324 BA, .378 OBP, .501 SLG, 21 HRs, 120 RBIs in 2007
6. RF J.D. Drew:
  .270 BA, .373 OBP, .423 SLG, 11 HRs, 64 RBIs in 2007
7. C Jason Varitek:
  .255 BA, .367 OBP, .421 SLG, 17 HRs, 68 RBIs in 2007
8. CF Jacoby Ellsbury:
  .353 BA, .394 OBP, .509 SLG, 3 HRs, 18 RBIs in 2007
9. SS Julio Lugo:
  .237 BA, .294 OBP, .349 SLG, 8 HRs, 73 RBIs in 2007

Projected rotation
1. Josh Beckett, 20-7, 3.27 ERA in 2007
2. Daisuke Matsuzaka, 15-12, 4.40 ERA in 2007
3. Curt Schilling, 9-8, 3.87 ERA in 2007
4. Tim Wakefield, 17-12, 4.76 ERA in 2007
5. Jon Lester, 4-0, 4.57 ERA in 2007

Projected bullpen
Closer: Jonathan Papelbon, 37/40 saves, 1.85 ERA in 2007
RH setup man: Manny Delcarmen, 2.05 ERA in 2007
LH setup man: Hideki Okajima, 2.22 ERA in 2007

The new guys
David Aardsma: The right-hander started the 2007 season in strong fashion for the White Sox, leading American League relievers in strikeouts, but he faltered the rest of the way. Aardsma will battle for one of the final spots in a loaded bullpen.

Jonathan Van Every: The left-handed-hitting and throwing outfielder will battle for a spot off the bench. The Minor League veteran can play left field and center field, but he has never played in the Major Leagues.

Prospects to watch
Clay Buchholz: Yes, he threw a no-hitter against the Orioles on Sept. 1. But more than that, Buchholz has an impressive arsenal of pitches that figures to leave even the best hitters off balance for the next several seasons. There's a chance Buchholz will open the season at Triple-A Pawtucket, but you can be sure he will find his way to Fenway Park before long.

Justin Masterson: The lanky right-hander has a nasty sinker and an air of professionalism. This figures to be a key year in Masterson's development. Don't be surprised if he gets called up at some point during the season.

Jed Lowrie: The next Pedroia? Like Boston's AL Rookie of the Year second baseman, Lowrie doesn't impress anyone with his physical stature. But he is a spunky line-drive hitter. Lowrie can play shortstop and second base.

Returning from injury
Wakefield: Not being able to perform in the World Series because of back and shoulder injuries was a crushing blow to Wakefield. The knuckleballer has had a good offseason, and the Red Sox are confident the injury is behind him. In case you missed it, Wakefield tied his career high in wins last year with 17.

On the rebound
Drew: The best part of Drew's first season in Boston was the end. He hit a huge grand slam in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series and also had a solid World Series. But Drew struggled for the majority of the regular season, and the hope is that he will be more comfortable with a full year of Boston under his belt.

Lugo: Just like Drew, Lugo battled with his swing all year long. To his credit, he remained a cheerful presence in the clubhouse. The Red Sox envisioned Lugo as a leadoff hitter, and by the end of 2007, he was the No. 9 hitter. If Lugo can be less anxious at the plate, he should rebound.

Long gone
Eric Gagne: The former National League Cy Young Award winner struggled mightily in his brief tenure in Boston, unable to make the adjustment to a setup role. He'll go back to closing in Milwaukee.

Eric Hinske: He was a team favorite for his selfless attitude, but it appears the Red Sox are going in another direction for a backup corner infielder. Hinske has yet to sign with another team.

Bobby Kielty: He hit the big home run in Game 4 of the World Series, but unless the Red Sox trade Coco Crisp, it's doubtful that Kielty would find enough playing time to make a return venture to Boston worth his while.

2007 hitting leaders (min. 200 at-bats) Avg.: Ortiz, .332 OBP: Ortiz, .445 SLG: Ortiz, .621 Runs: Ortiz, 116 RBIs: Lowell, 120 Hits: Lowell, 191 2B: Lowell, 52 3B: Coco Crisp, 6 HR: Ortiz, 35 SB: Lugo, 33

2007 pitching leaders (min. 30 IP) IP: Matsuzaka, 204 2/3 W: Beckett, 20 L: Matsuzaka and Wakefield, 12 Win %: Beckett, .741 S: Papelbon, 37 ERA: Papelbon, 1.85 K: Matsuzaka, 201 K/9: Papelbon, 12.96 WHIP: Papelbon, 0.77

Triple play: Three questions that need answers

1. Who will start in center?
Ellsbury is the logical answer, but Crisp is the established starter. If Ellsbury shows some growing pains and Crisp regains the groove he had in Cleveland, the outcome could be the opposite of what everybody expects. Manager Terry Francona loves Crisp's defense, and Ellsbury might be better equipped to handle a backup role. Keep an eye on this one.

2. Who will break camp as the fifth starter?
Two of the best young arms in baseball -- Lester and Buchholz -- will battle it out for the final spot in the rotation. It's likely that both pitchers will log plenty of innings in 2008, but it might only be feasible for one of them to break camp.

3. Will Manny get back to being Manny?
Sure, Ramirez put up numbers last year that a lot of players would love to have. But even he admitted he was never quite right at the plate in 2007, at least until October. This is a contract year for Ramirez, as the Sox must decide by November whether to pick up his option for 2009. Ramirez intensified his offseason workouts by going to the Athletes Performance Institute in Tempe, Ariz.

The bottom line
The Red Sox need to simply stay healthy to break camp as the favorite to win the World Series. This is a team that has an ideal mix of talented youngsters and core veterans. Keeping the pitching staff healthy will be the key. If they are successful in that, everything else should take care of itself.