PREDICTIONS

[youkilis rules]

according to jayson starke on espn, over the last two years the big three with the 2nd highest winning % is oakland's hudson-zito-mulder with a ridiculous .667 %. the 1st best is out pedro-schill-lowe with an AMAZING .725% (!). That said, if you assume 97 games started by the big 3 (3/5 of games) then .725% is 70 Ws. Wakefield and KimRoyo can EASILY have a .570% giving them 37/65 wins. 70+37=107. Since we know these startes obviously wont start all 162 games, and there will be injuries and brainfarts and such, I say you subtract 7 wins, giving the Sox a season total of 100 Wins.

[FourZeroSix]

People are underestimating our rotation and how huge of a deal Schilling will be. Pedro, Schilling and Lowe could all win 20 easy. In fact, they all did it 2002. Why not again with our lineup and a bolstered bullpen?

[dirtdogman5]

Exactly. Why not an 100 win season? Is there any evidence strongly suggesting the Sox can't win 100 games? The only thing I can think of is that the division is so tough that they all beat up on each other.

[CalvnHobs6]

The AL East is going to be the division to beat. The O's restocked, the Blue Jays are nasty, the Yankees and Sox are a given, and Tampa Bay has some serious potential (proven by beating the Yanks opening day). The Sox SHOULD get 100 wins, but you never know, considering 75 of their games are against the East.

[soxin04]

I dont think the number of wins for each starter matters but what does matter is the number of losses by each starter. If the big three all get 20 wins I will be very surprised. However if one of them loses 10 games, that will not surprise me. This is because it is very hard for an offense - even the sox' offense to put up awesome numbers night after night.

Bronson Arroyo could be the biggest surprise of the year and will probably be in the rotation all season regardless of when Kim comes back. Arroyo=underated

the sox will get 100 wins and win the division and the series

[FourZeroSix]

Wins for pitchers don't matter at all. It's a glam stat.

The Sox won't have to put up awesome numbers night after night. It will rest more on what the Bullpen does with their leads than anything else. It will actually be easier on our offense... they won't need to produce as many runs with Pete, Schill and DLowe in there because more often than not, they can shut the opposition down.

[Sinix]

I say 100 wins, hands down. Folke should get 40+ saves, and Tim/Embree/Williamson will get +/- 10 wins in non-save situations.