2007 Red Sox

Despite how many of these World Series Red Sox teams we've posted, they were seen as a real snakebite franchise before 2004! After waiting nearly 100 years for the Curse of the Bambino to be broken, Boston struck oil again a mere three years later. Incredibly, very few of the players on this championship team overlap with their 2004 squad. There's Varitek, Manny, Schilling, Ortiz, Wakefield... and then a bunch of new faces! Rookie sensation Dustin Pedroia, hot-hitting Kevin Youkilis, the intriguing and highly touted Matsuzaka, young arms like Beckett and Lester, and veteran acquisitions JD Drew and Mike Lowell empowered this squad. They won 96 games (101 by the Pythagorean W-L metric, which tends to indicate more accurately how great a Showdown team is) and eeked out an AL East title over the Yankees.

The Red Sox famously pulled another ALCS miracle on this title run. While the 2004 season will always be more memorable because it was from 3-0 down to their greatest rivals, overcoming a 3-1 deficit against a 96-win Cleveland squad that had Cy Young winning CC Sabathia and the Sizemore, Hafner, Martinez core in the lineup. Josh Beckett's incredible pitching in Games 1 and 5 earned him the ALCS MVP and, just like in 2004, the Red Sox breezed to a sweep over the Rockies in the World Series. Since I put out the 2007 Rockies last week, it seems fair to include their World Series rivals so people can replay that title game!

As seen here, David Ortiz was an absolute monster in 2007! And on that note, here's the team!

Lineup: While not necessarily as frightening as some of the monstrous teams we've presented in the past, the 2007 Red Sox will hit consistently thanks to five OB 9 or better hitters (with seven at least an OB 8) and score a lot of runs. Rookie of the Year Dustin Pedroia starts things off with a good OB and extra base potential at 15. He's followed by Youkilis, bringing an OB 10 that's a little dry chart wise but will often add another potential RBI for absolute star David Ortiz. While his .332 average, 35 homers, and 52 doubles didn't win him the MVP, they certainly earned him an absolutely potent card! Opposing pitchers cannot really pitch around him either, as Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell bring above average OB 9 cards up next in the order. Lowell in particular is a deadly #5 hitter and it's not shocking he won the World Series MVP. Sixth is JD Drew, who actually had his worst Showdown card from his prime seasons of 2004-2009, brings a useful OB 8 bat before fan favorite and Red Sox great Jason Varitek brings an OB 8 with good power. Unfortunately his catcher's arm isn't quite what you'd hope for, but his stick plays. Coco Crisp adds speed and much needed defense in the 8 hole, while Julio Lugo is a hilariously inept player at SS. There's no defense, there's absolutely no offense, and although he's got A(22) speed, I honestly think he's the worst player I've made for not only one of these World Series sets, but overall for this blog!! But even with Lugo dragging them down, the fact is this is a very deep lineup that's comperable to the 2017 Astros -- a little less power, but probably more balance overall (and the best overall hitter by a landslide between the two teams in David Ortiz).

Rotation: While normal Showdown teams are constructed with four starters and four relievers, the 2007 Red Sox are getting a rare tweak and five starters since both Wakefield and Lester played too great a role as pivotal players to be left off. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of great, ace-level options. Beckett and Schilling are definitely solid starters as Tier 3 guys, even though Schilling doesn't have a great K range in his older age. This was Daisuke's first season with Boston and he was the #1 starter in Games Started and IP for the team. Then there's Wakefield and Lester, both Tier 4 pitchers with lesser IPs who together make a CG starter! Lester seemed to overtake Wakefield's role after Tim had a disastrous Game 4 in the ALCS. Overall, this rotation is very similar to the 2009 Yankees and definitely helps them match up well against their rivals.

Bullpen: Papelbon is a total stud as Tier 1 closer. He's got no doubles allowed, a giant K range, and 1-18 outs to really lock down the competition (as long as he doesn't surrender charts). He's set up by another very good reliever in Okajima, whose got high control to keep opponent's bats at bay. Finally there's Timlin, who's a good but not spectacular Tier 3 option. While not the lights out group of a 2015 Royals, there are no glaring weakspots and either Lester or Wakefield provides a high IP bullpen option that's practically unheard of for Showdown. Since they're under budget, it seemed like a really fun wrinkle to add.

Overall: This Red Sox team clocks in at 4,990 points (just under the 5000 pt cap), even with their unorthodox (for Showdown) five starting pitcher format. They've got a balanced lineup that's good 1-7 although they struggle defensively. The rotation leaves something to desired, even with that fifth starter option. The bullpen is probably their strongest unit thanks to Papelbon. Really, this is a team that's very similar to the 2009 Yankees, but with a slightly less deep lineup and rotation. Should be fun putting them up against their famed rivals!