What to expect from the Red Sox in 2014

Originally Posted on The Maine Campus via UWIRE

The 2013 season for the Boston Red Sox went exponentially better than most people could have ever dreamed.

Winning the World Series after what happened the previous two seasons seemed like a distant, far off fantasy that the team could only begin to rebuild toward. But, with a great season from ownership and the front office, all the way down to players and managers, the Red Sox were the last team standing. The real question now is, how do they follow it up? Here are some very — very — early predictions for the 2014 Boston Red Sox.

The beards will be gone

The 2013 Boston Red Sox will forever be remembered for their facial hair. The beards brought the team together and gave them a form of brotherhood that they could rally behind. The beards will be gone this year. Outfielder Jonny Gomes has already said that he is already thinking about new team building ideas that can help bring the team together again this year. There may be a few players who will keep their beards like Mike Napoli, but for the most part they will be gone. Look for the Sox to come up with some new crazy symbol to rally behind this year.

Xander Bogaerts will win American League Rookie of the Year

The 21-year-old phenom from Aruba enters the season looking to find a starting roster spot on the Red Sox for opening day. Bogaerts started to impress Red Sox fans in the minor leagues, and then ended up playing a key role in not only the final stretch of the regular season, but also in the playoffs. Bogaerts has an immense skill set and can play either shortstop or third base effectively. He also shows flashes of great power, as he has the ability to drive the ball to any field. Give this kid a full year to play and he has a chance to hit .300 while putting up 25-plus home runs and 100-plus RBIs. Bogaerts is the next big thing, and he should prove it in an award-winning 2014 season.

2013 overachievers will come back to Earth

2013 saw many players overachieve for the Red Sox. Players like Daniel Nava, Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara all played pivotal roles for the Red Sox in both the regular season and the postseason. But this year these players should come back down to Earth and play more like the utility players they are. It was just a year ago that Uehara was a washed up reliever whom nobody wanted, and then in a few months he’s in the running for World Series MVP. The Red Sox overachieved in 2013. Look for more of these players to play more like their career averages in 2014.

The Boston Red Sox will not repeat as World Series Champions

Unfortunately, I cannot see the Red Sox repeating this year as World Series champions. I truly believe they overachieved last year due to a strong sense of brotherhood along with the emotional push they got from “Boston Strong” and the Boston Marathon bombings. I do believe that they will make the playoffs, but they will be eliminated in either the American League Divisional Series or the Championship Series. Repeating as champions is extremely difficult for any team regardless of talent and depth, and I’m not totally sold that the Red Sox can overcome that obstacle.

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