🖥 TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE THANKS
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Boston Red Sox: 2017 Team Preview and Fantasy Outlooks

Welcome to our ongoing series of MLB team previews. As part of RotoBaller's ongoing effort to help you win your leagues, we're previewing all 30 MLB teams. For each team, we will take a look at their hitters, pitchers, prospects and offseason moves. Today we dive into the 2017 Boston Red Sox Team Outlook, and preview their potential fantasy baseball contributions.

Boston fans are understandably excited about this upcoming season. They did see a local legend hang 'em up after last year - he'll be back to see his number retired this year - but the team did not sit idly by. They added another ace to their rotation, and it seems like the team is built well on both youth and experience.

Their mission will be to get back to the World Series and win, and there are plenty of players on here who could help your fantasy team do well, too.

Editor's note: for even more draft prep, visit our awesome 2017 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. It has lots of in-depth staff rankings and draft strategy columns. You will find tiered rankings for every position, 2017 impact rookie rankings, AL/NL only league ranks and lots more. Bookmark the page, and win your drafts.

 

Offseason Moves

The biggest offseason move for Boston was adding another big arm to their arsenal of starting pitching - Chris Sale. Yes, Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech could wind up being big studs for the Chicago White Sox sometime in the not-too-distant future, but Dave Dombrowski is in "Win Now" mode. He couldn't get David Ortiz, who is Boston's biggest departure, a final ring before he retired, but he's determined to bring another ring to Beantown. Mitch Moreland will replace Hanley Ramirez at first, who gets to slide into the DH spot. He also brought in Tyler Thornburg, who can help bridge the late innings to get to Craig Kimbrel. In a move that could help a lot if there are injuries to starting pitchers - hi, Eduardo Rodriguez - Dombrowski signed Kyle Kendrick to a Minor League deal.

 

Hitting Overview 

Even with Big Papi's retirement, there's still quite a hitting arsenal with Ramirez, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Dustin Pedroia, and Moreland adding a lefty bat to counter all these switch-hitters. We'll also see if Andrew Benintendi lives up to his hype as an uber-prospect. Sandy Leon will have the job at catcher, though he has to prove that his 2016 was not all smoke and mirrors (or that he didn't make a Joe Hardy-esque deal with the devil for his great stats). A big X-Factor will be if Pablo Sandoval keeps those pounds off and plays like the guy that San Francisco Giants fans loved for many years. Yes, Ortiz's ability to always seemingly get the big clutch hit will be sorely missed, but there's no reason why all the hitters can't keep up putting up their fantasy-friendly numbers - any of the above could hit 20-30 homers and drive in over 100 RBIs. We rank Bogaerts as the third-best shortstop, Betts is the second-best outfielder behind some guy named Mike Trout, and Bradley Jr. is in the Top 25 outfielders. Moreland could be a good late-round pick at first base for depth. There are a lot of Red Sox hitters that can help you this year.

 

Pitching Overview

It goes without saying that Boston now has a Top 3 starting rotation to envy. Going up against any combination of Sale, David Price, and Rick Porcello is not going to be fun. Well, it will be fun for the people who own them in fantasy. Sale and Price are Top 10 pitchers - and although Porcello is ranked No. 107, I think he deserves more respect than that. Also, if Steven Wright can regain the form that he had before he got hurt on a base running play, it could be a Big Four situation. There's also depth in the back with Drew Pomeranz and Rodriguez. Their closer is still Craig Kimbrel, and John Farrell will use people like Thornburg, Joe Kelly, Matt Barnes and some others to get the ball to him in the ninth. Thornburg did have 13 saves in 2016, just in case Kimbrel goes down with an injury. We still like Kimbrel, ranking him No. 4 among relievers.

 

Prospects Overview

Benintendi, who hit a fairly decent .295 in 105 at-bats in 2016, could be the big impact rookie this season. Yes, losing Moncada and Kopech did clear the cupboards a bit, but there are names like Rafael Devers and Sam Travis who could make their names known in Spring Training. But it looks like Benintendi has been given the left-field job for now, and he would need a truly terrible Spring Training to lose that job. Then again, he only needs to look at Rusney Castillo from last year to know that nothing is ever guaranteed in baseball.

 

Conclusion

As usual, this Red Sox team looks loaded for bear with players that could give your fantasy team a big boost. It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of people from Boston loaded up their fantasy teams with their own players. Homerism? What homerism. Of course, it also depends on the size of your league and how many other people are Boston fans too. The positions that could really help you are starting pitcher, second base, shortstop, outfield, and relief pitcher.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Caris LeVert

Upgraded to Available Tuesday
Ron Holland II

Remains Out Against Kings
Robert Williams III

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Jonathan Isaac

Active Tuesday Night
Javon Small

Returns to Grizzlies Lineup Tuesday
Tristan da Silva

Remains Sidelined Against Portland
Goga Bitadze

Out Against Portland
Vince Williams Jr.

Misses Third Consecutive Game
Cedric Coward

Unavailable on Tuesday Night
Aaron Wiggins

Will Play Against Spurs
Ryan O'Hearn

Pirates Agree on Two-Year Deal
Grayson Allen

Absent for Third Consecutive Game
Zach LaVine

to Miss at Least One More Week
Victor Wembanyama

Ready to Take on Thunder
Dwight Powell

Misses Tuesday's Game Due to Illness
Jaden Hardy

Starting on Tuesday Night
DK Metcalf

has Two-Game Suspension Upheld
Klay Thompson

Sits Out Tuesday's Action
Philip Rivers

to Remain the Starter in Week 17
Jonas Valančiūnas

Jonas Valanciunas Active Against Mavericks
Peyton Watson

Ready to Face Mavericks
Jaden McDaniels

Out on Tuesday Evening
Jordan Poole

Herbert Jones Out Tuesday
Max Christie

Still Out on Tuesday Night
George Kittle

Dealing With Mid-to-Low Ankle Sprain
Viktor Arvidsson

a Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Ryan Leonard

Available Tuesday
Tom Wilson

in Danger of Missing First Game of the Season
Phillip Danault

Makes Second Canadiens Debut Tuesday
Collin Graf

Available Against Golden Knights
Jack Eichel

Misses Fourth Straight Game
Vince Dunn

Won't Play Tuesday
Deshaun Watson

Will Not be Activated Off PUP List, 2025 Season is Over
J.J. McCarthy

Ruled Out for Week 17
Rome Odunze

Expected to Return This Season
Christian McCaffrey

Another Monster Game for Christian McCaffrey in Week 16
Brock Purdy

Throws for Five Touchdowns in Week 16
TreVeyon Henderson

in Concussion Protocol, Week 17 Status Unclear
George Kittle

Week 17 Availability in Question?
CFB

Jeff Brohm, Eli Drinkwitz "Names of Interest" for Michigan Head Coach
Timothy Liljegren

to Miss Second Straight Game Tuesday
Will Smith

Out Week-to-Week
Jaccob Slavin

Placed on Injured Reserve, Out Week-to-Week
Seth Jarvis

Considered Week-to-Week
Darren Raddysh

Totals Three Points in Monday's Win
Mason Marchment

Scores Twice Monday
Vince Dunn

Injured in Monday's Win
Rashee Rice

Still in Concussion Protocol, Estimated as Non-Participant on Monday
J.J. McCarthy

Listed as DNP on Monday Ahead of Week 17
Ilya Sorokin

to Miss Tuesday's Game
DK Metcalf

Suspended for Two Games Following Confrontation with Fan
Christian Dvorak

Returns to Flyers Lineup
Elias Pettersson

Still Out Monday
Brandon Montour

to Miss Four Weeks After Hand Surgery
Miles Wood

Available Against Kings
Zach Werenski

Ruled Out Monday
Leo Carlsson

Won't Play Monday
CFB

Byrum Brown Entering Transfer Portal
CFB

Bobby Petrino Joining Bill Belichick as North Carolina's Offensive Coordinator
TreVeyon Henderson

Exits Week 16 Victory with Head Injury
Lamar Jackson

Questionable to Return in Week 16 with Back Injury
Willson Contreras

Shipped to the Red Sox
Quinshon Judkins

Done for the Season with Broken Leg
Nick Chubb

Officially Active Against Raiders in Week 16
Gardner Minshew

Won't Return in Week 16
Woody Marks

Officially Inactive for Week 16
Quinshon Judkins

Carted Off in Week 16, Ruled Out with Apparent Leg Injury
Tua Tagovailoa

Dolphins Hope to Trade Tua Tagovailoa in the Offseason
Brandon Lowe

Pirates Acquire Brandon Lowe in Three-Team Trade
Shane Baz

Orioles Acquire Shane Baz From the Rays
CFB

Darian Mensah Returning to Duke Next Season
CFB

Josh Hoover Linked to Indiana in Transfer Portal
CFB

Arch Manning Agrees to Reduced Compensation for 2026 Season
Michael King

Padres Bring Michael King Back on Three-Year Deal
Logan Webb

Will Pitch for Team USA in World Baseball Classic
Tarik Skubal

Joins Team USA for World Baseball Classic
CFB

Will Muschamp Becoming Next Texas Defensive Coordinator
CFB

Beau Pribula Set to Enter Transfer Portal

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP