HITTER TO WATCH:

Jacoby Ellsbury is the best option for the center field job, but the presence of Coco Crisp is an obstacle. Ellsbury can fly, hit for average and work the count, but don't expect much power.

PITCHER TO WATCH:

Clay Buchholz announced his arrival by throwing a no-hitter in his second big league start. He's got one of the best changeups in the game and a plus curveball, and he's an outstanding athlete, too.
-- Keith Law, Scouts Inc.

JUST THE FACTS

• Dice-K is just getting warmed up. Insiders say catcher Jason Varitek had Daisuke Matsuzaka throw too many fastballs in 2007. Dice-K's strength is his ability to throw any pitch in any count, so look for more breaking stuff this season.
• Help wanted. After cutting Doug Mirabelli, the Sox are looking for a better backup in case the 35-year-old Varitek breaks down. Meanwhile, who catches Tim Wakefield?
• J.D. Drew won't make excuses. Teammates think he struggled last year because he was concerned about his young son, who had hip surgery in July. The Sox hope the Drew who hit .314 in the postseason is here to stay.
• Papi can preach. David Ortiz has grown into the leadership role once filled by Kevin Millar. Big Papi can keep Manny Ramirez in line and still lead the AL in OBP.

HEARSAY

"Jon Lester is a back-of-the-rotation guy," an AL scout says. "If he was the difference between getting Johan Santana or not, they made a mistake."

HOUSE CALL

"I still find it hard to believe the Sox have won two World Series in my lifetime. Even after all the success of late, I expect them to break our hearts again. I can't explain it." -- Rep. Mike Capuano, D-Mass.
-- Buster Olney

How many games will the Red Sox win in 2008? Do they have the top lineup, rotation, bullpen or manager in their division? Did they do the best job improving their team in the offseason? Register your vote.

AL East poll page

SLEEPER

Dustin Pedroia doesn't run and doesn't slug, but his eye, contact and line-drive rates are elite. If you don't draft one of the top second basemen, wait a while, fill other positions, and be happy with the batting average and runs scored Pedroia gets you.

BUST

Jason Varitek gets by on name recognition, but gone are the days of 20 homers, 70 RBIs or an average better than .260. He hasn't posted an OPS over .800 for two years, and he's entering his age 36 season, a traditional fall-off for catchers.
-- Christopher Harris

INJURIES

No team likes to start the season without their ace. But that's just what the Red Sox are doing, given that their season is already under way in Japan, while Josh Beckett remains stateside to protect his aching back. Beckett developed back spasms after losing his footing on the mound in early March and gave everyone a scare. His rehab has been smooth thus far, yet the team opted to play it safe by keeping him off of a long plane ride and by placing him on the 15-day disabled list to delay his start. It appears that he will be ready to go by the end of the first week of April.
-- Stephania Bell