Josh Beckett

The 2010 season for the Boston Red Sox was riddled with injuries and inconsistency. The club struggled to an 89-73 record and a third place finish in the competitive American League East. 

The Sox front office looked to revamp their rosters, and create a buzz around Boston, with an offseason spending spree. With the additions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford the Red Sox will enter 2011 with the highest payroll in all of Major League Baseball.

It's hard not to be giddy with anticipation right now if you're a Boston Red Sox fan. 

Coming off a frustrating season in which the team finished 7 games back in the AL East and had to watch the playoffs on their flat-screen TVs just like the rest of us, the Red Sox went out and acquired Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, two of the most coveted players in the game, both in the early part of their prime. 

After defeating the Yankees in 2003 as a member of the Florida Marlins, Josh Beckett officially became an ace. While his ’03 season was impressive in its own right (3.04 ERA, 142 IP), his dominant post-season performance gave him the stage he needed to show the world how great he could be.

This season you saw some new names with the Boston Red Sox. So what names will be heard again when Opening Day comes? This is who to expect in Boston for the 2011 MLB season. This also looks at the Derek Jeter rumor around the middle, and what you should expect of the Yankee captain. The Red Sox struggled due to injury in 2010, but expect many players to return to form, and see some players attempt to kick start their career once again.

It's official: free agent catcher Victor Martinez has signed a 4 year, $50 million deal with the Detroit Tigers, leaving a noticeable void behind the plate for the Boston Red Sox.

Josh Beckett suffered through one of the worst seasons of his career.  All you have to do is look at the numbers to understand just how bad it was:

6 Wins
127.2 Innings
5.78 ERA
1.54 WHIP
116 Strikeouts (8.2 K/9)
45 Walks (3.2 BB/9)
.349 BABIP

Before we get into specifics, Beckett has coincidentally alternated good and bad years dating back to 2005.  It’s odd, for sure, but it actually is a fact.  Just look at his ERAs:

Mike Lowell will be honored tonight by the Boston Red Sox with "Thanks, Mike Night", as we say goodbye to the consummate professional after 13 remarkable seasons. Lowell has announced that he will retire at the end of this season.

It's been a tumultuous year for the once slick-fielding third baseman. Lowell has been on the verge of being granted his outright release multiple times throughout the season, and has had to endure being relegated to the bench for the first time in his career.

There are several managers in Major League Baseball who have put together a solid case for Manager of the Year. I have selected my top three front runners for the award.

As of now, Josh Beckett’s ERA stands at 6.51, while his WHIP sits at a career-worst 1.54. After returning from the disabled list, Beckett seemed to settle into a groove, culminating in a spectacular eight-inning performance in which he only allowed one run to the Cleveland Indians.

Since that game, Beckett has thrown 9 2/3 innings while allowing four home runs, 13 earned runs, and 21 hits. Ugly, ugly numbers.

Today's 2-1 win over the Yankees may have saved the Red Sox' season.  Traveling to New York to play a four game set with the Bronx Bombers, it looked very bleak for the Sox.  The Yankees were ready to send a knockout blow and send the Red Sox ten games back with a sweep.  But the Sox wouldn't have it.