Boston Red Sox: Five players primed to bounce back in 2018

Which players from the Boston Red Sox are looking to rebound in 2018?

Last season appeared to be a good one for the Boston Red Sox. A 93-69 finish and a division title are accolades most teams would kill to boast. Alongside the development of future star Andrew Benintendi and the seamless change of “sox” for Chris Sale, it appeared as if the season went well from the outside.

But, things were not so peachy.

The postseason was a disaster for a second straight season. The team was ousted from the first round by the eventual World Champs in just four games. The starting pitching decided not to show up (no starter went past five innings), and the offense was dismal.

In the regular season, things were not all they were cracked up to be.

The progress many of the younger guys in this team’s core nucleus made in 2016 was halted in 2017. Steps back were taken by many. There was never a clear leader, and when we were told that Dustin Pedroia was that guy, the Manny Machado incident made us question it all.

There was drama. David Price seemed always to be picking fights with media members, most infamously Dennis Eckersley, one of the team’s color analysts

The drama, missed expectations, and inconsistent play culminated in the firing of then-manager John Farrell.

Through all the ups and downs of 2017, there’s some hope for 2018 around the Red Sox. Though they’re phasing out of the Giancarlo Stanton talks, they’re becoming more active in trade talks for other power bats such as Jose Abreu. Alex Cora, the new manager, played in Boston and provided new optimism, a unique voice, and most importantly, a new direction.

To go along with the hopes being high for the upcoming season, these five guys are primed for bounce-back seasons in 2018.