I have spoken to Red Sox officials and they believe they are in a position to win their division. Although their team is young, they have very good hitting with nice starting pitching staff to complement. And I repeat, the Red Sox are very young.

"We drafted this team to win in the future," said Nicka (Red Sox owner) during an interview. "If you look at our roster, we are loaded from top to bottom with quality players who are only going to get better."



When asked about the Red Sox's chances to win this year, being in a weak AL East Division, Nicka said "I wouldn't call the division weak. Yes, it may not be the best division in baseball but there are some quality teams. The Rays have some great hitting and the Yankees have some great starters lead by James Shield. And of course the Orioles have Jesus Montero, who is a natural hitter. But to address your question, I think we actually have a good shot at winning the division. In my mind, we have the best hitting in the division and great young arms to hold our leads. So yes, I wouldn't be surprised if we are atop of the division when September ends. And our players definitely want to win this year. They have made it clear to me that they expect to win the AL East. And with this great group of guys, I don't doubt them.



Nicka made a strong point. The Red Sox have strong hitting and good pitching. The Yankees probably have better starting pitching and a better bullpen but they lack hitters to back up De Aza in the middle of their lineup. The Rays and the Blue Jays have comparable hitting to the Red Sox but the Red Sox have more depth in the lineup. On top of that, the Red Sox have a stronger pitching staff than either team.

The Red Sox's only concern is their youth. Many of their players are in their first years and haven't fully experienced the grueling 162 game schedule. Because of that, players probably won't play the full season and will often have to take a game off after a few games.



In the end, I think this division will come down to a close race between the Yankees and Red Sox which should only add fuel to the fire in this already heated rivalry. It will be interesting to see if the Red Sox's youth will be a problem come August and September.



Nicka doesn't think age will be a problem. "I know this group of guys and they are all mature beyond their years. Age definitely won't be an obstacle in winning our division. I can promise you all that."