What The Sox Playoff Roster Should Look Like.

So there's been a lot of speculation as to what the 25 man roster will look like for the Sox as they head into the postseason.  Luckily for the Red Sox, I have all the answers they need.  So without further ado, I give you the Skinny Sports ideal playoff roster...

Starting Pitchers
1. Jon Lester
2. John Lackey
3. Clay Buchholz
4. Jake Peavy

Lineup
1. Jacoby Ellsbury CF
2. Shane Victorino RF
3. Dustin Pedroia 2B
4. David Ortiz DH
5. Mike Napoli 1B
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia C
7. Daniel Nava LF
8. Stephen Drew SS
9. Will Middlebrooks 3B

Bench
1. Johnny Gomes
2. David Ross
3. Xander Boegarts
4. Mike Carp
5. Quintin Berry

Bullpen
1. Koji Uehara
2. Junichi Tazawa
3. Ryan Dempster
4. Felix Doubront
5. Craig Breslow
6. Brandon Workman
7. Franklin Morales

There it is.  The most ideal playoff roster.  I'll begin explaining with the starting pitchers.  Lester has gott abe the number one, since he's been pitching like a true ace for the better parts of the last 2 months.  Lackey, although not as good as Buchholz, has a 2.50 home ERA compared to his 4.50 away ERA; which makes him a much smarter game 2 starter at Fenway rather than a game 3 starter elsewhere.

As for the lineup, I based that lineup assuming they are going up against a right handed pitcher.  Obviously Mike Carp, Johnny Gomes, and David Ross will routinely substitute in for guys like Nava, Salty, and Victorino.

The bullpen will be solidified with Uehara, Tazawa, and Workman in the late innings, although Workman has struggled as of late, which could mean Dempster will be called upon to fill the void.  Breslow and Morales will serve as lefty specialists.  Morales is a bit of a surprise pick, but I like his versatility of throwing gas and being able to work multiple innings.  Doubront and Dempster/Workman also give long relief support.

Now I think the biggest surprise here is the inclusion of Quintin Berry   I like Berry to beat out Jackie Bradley Jr. for the final spot, solely because of a possible pinch runner situation, which seems to always happen at some point during the MLB playoffs.  Berry is REAL fast.  Bradley, not so much.  The popular argument against having Berry on the roster is that Ellsbury's health is in question and so is Victorino's.  But the way I see it is simple...there's no chance Ellsbury isn;t healthy for the postseason.  He;s a Scott Boras client, and Scott Boras clients always *cough..cough* *wink..wink* find a way to be healthy and put up numbers when it really counts.  And is Bradley Jr. really that much better of a hitter right now than Berry?  In 4 AB's as a Red Sox, Berry is 3 for 4 with 4 runs scored and a stolen base that came in a critical moment during their run to win the division.  I mean, if Berry doesn't make the postseason roster as a possible pinch runner, then why did the Sox even sign him in the first place?  Don't forget how important a stolen base can be...

A steal can re-write history.

Are People Getting Excited About The Red Sox Yet?

Serious question. Is anyone else getting baseball fever over this Red Sox team like I am?  Or is September too early for the pink hats to rev the bandwagon engine?  Because if you're not watching Red Sox games right now you're a flat out loser jabroni.  Not a single player on this team is unlikable.  I mean, even John Lackey is getting standing ovations after pitching a good game.  Throw in the fact that the Sox have the most electifying man in The Show closing out every game, and you got yourself some high quality sports entertainment.  Baseball is creeping its way back to Boston whether the haters like it or not.  I can smell it in the air.  Each game feels more and more like a playoff game, and when October rolls around for the actual playoffs I can guarantee the Pink Hats will be out in full force.  I haven't felt this good about the Red Sox since probably 2007.  There's something special about the group of guys we have this year, and you'd be a fool to miss how it ends.