AL East

Terry Francona has been given a Ferrari and is expected to drive it into the winner's circle. But to maximize the potential, he will need to take good care of it throughout the rigors of a 162-game schedule.

It would be hard to really screw up this lineup, as stacked as it is, but there are some changes that need to be made to make sure the team runs like a well-oiled machine. He's got the pieces, now its time to put them in the right places.

It's that time of year again. The time when managers pull out their stat sheets, turn on the computer and enjoy the smell of virtual hot dogs, peanuts and beer (okay, maybe not that).

It's fantasy baseball season.

My focus here today is on two players, Jed Lowrie and Jarrod Saltalamacchia of the Boston Red Sox, and what their potential fantasy impact could be in 2011.

Previously The Fantasy Fix reviewed and gave projections for the 2011 Yankees rotation. Now its time to dive in and analyze the Pinstripes positional players.

Mixed League Rotisserie Auction Values in Parentheses

CATCHER: Russell Martin ($7)

Yankees stud prospect Manny Banuelos may be just 19 years old, but his pitching arsenal already resembles that of a 10-year MLB veteran. Add to that a presence on the mound that screams “I belong here,” and the teenager has all the tools for superstardom.

The path to the major leagues for Jesus Montero, not to mention Austin Romine, just got a lot easier.

I've found, in my two-plus decades of baseball fandom, that the key to spring training coverage is to arm yourself with a ruthless filter.

The quicker you understand that 70 percent of news that comes out of camp is utter crap, the better off you'll be.

This isn't meant to be a dig on the beat writers on the scene—they're doing their job properly by and large, reporting on the minutiae of the day-to-day activities of each camp.

The 2010 bullpen of the Tampa Bay Rays was one of the best in the Majors, if not the best in franchise history. Now all the names that made that possible are gone, vanishing faster than you can say "Tropicana."

Now we step into 2011, with new and much less recognizable faces in the pen. There's a lot to be asked about this new bullpen, but not a lot to be expected of it.

Ted Simmons ranks among the better offensive catchers in baseball history. Simmons appeared in 1,770 games as a catcher and in 40 games as an outfielder. He was the designated hitter 276 times and pinch-hit 216 times.

Over 21 seasons, Simmons hit .285, with a .348 on-base average and a .437 slugging average. If Simmons had been a solid defensive catcher, he would be in the Hall of Fame.

Gary Carter (lifetime .262/.335/.439) had some solid offensive seasons, but he also had some poor ones.

The New York Yankees are often accused of buying success. In fact, when other teams spend big money on star players, the Yankees' name will often be invoked.

However, the late George Steinbrenner and his New York Yankees don't get enough credit for the players who have come up through the farm system.

When it comes to Major League Baseball, it’s difficult to be a knuckleball Nostradamus when so many uncontrollable factors factor into your predictions.

Whether it’s a pitching staff plagued by injuries or a set of super slumps latching onto your middle-of-the-order stars, a team can go from playoff contender in the preseason to underachieving underdogs by September.

But, like all couch GMs, I have my own bold set of prophetic thoughts for my team, so move over meteorologists, because here’s my 2011 Boston Red Sox forecast.