End of the Line

     To say the Red Sox' season came to a screeching halt would be a huge understatement, and now, with the hot-stove looming, the World Series starting, without them, it's time to look forward, but first, how about a quick look back at 2009.

     2009 was, for me, basically a lost season. Nobody got significantly better, plenty of guys got considerably worse, and Boston gets swept in three. But here's a short list of Pros that Boston fans can take out of the season.

     - Daniel Bard. With a devastating breaking ball and triple-digit heat, Bard went from depth option to top setup man in a period of four months. The most exciting Sox prospect since Ellsbury, Bard will resume a role in 2010, setting up Papelbon, and continuing the recent tradition of successful young Boston players.

     - Jacoby Ellsbury posts an OBP of .355. Even more heartening, it was a healthy .363 after the break. This is certainly not legendary, but a leadoff hitter who can get on about 37% of the time, hit .300 and steal 70 bases is good enough for me.

     - Bullpen. Saito, Ramirez, Delcamen, Okajima, Bard, and Papelbon will all be back next year, and despite everybody having hiccups at one point or another, they were all great.

     - Victor Martinez. Boston will have an offensive catcher. Read that again. For the first time since 2005, the C will be a threat in the lineup. I'm not a big fan of the catcher hitting third in any lineup, but Martinez is maybe the best hitter on the team, so he'll do nicely.

     Hope you weren't expecting a list of cool moments from the season, because the last four months of the season were pretty lame, and I think we can agree on that.

     Anyways, feel free to drop in for an offseason preview sometime in the next day or so.

     Thanks for coming out,

    -Matt