Red Sox Bench

The Red Sox are attempting to recover from a disastrous collapse in 2011. They have opted to employ the band-aid method, leaving the areas that were successful untouched and attempting to patch up the areas that didn't work.  They have a mix of returning and new players competing for spots on their bench.

1.  Fourth Outfielder:  The fourth outfielder position is designed for players who are exceptionally good defensive outfielders.  These players will probably lead bench players in games played though not necessarily at-bats, and will typically be inserted after the seventh inning when the team has a lead to shore up defense in the outfield.  The front-runner for this position is probably OF Darnell McDonald.  McDonald had a season typical of a fourth outfielder last season, batting .236 in 157 at-bats while playing good defense.  He doesn't essentially have any competition for this role.

2.  Utility Infielder:  The utility infielder is usually a guy who can play almost anywhere, but he definitely needs to be able to play both second base and shortstop.  The front-runner for this role appears to be Nick Punto.  Punto batted .278 last season in 133 at-bats for St. Louis and is an adequate fielder at a number of positions.  He doesn't really have any direct competition for the role, although there are a number of middle infielders in camp including IF Jose Iglesias and IF Pedro Ciriaco.

3.  Backup Catcher:  The backup catcher will serve as the reserve to the starting catcher, catching day games after night games and coming in on occasion for defense.  The front-runner for this position appears to be Kelly Shoppach.  Shoppach had a strange season last year, batting .176 in 221 at-bats, although he hit 11 homers in that time and is probably the best defensive catcher in the American League.  He faces competition from C Ryan Lavarnway, C Luis Exposito, C Dan Butler, and C Max St. Pierre.

4.  Backup DH:  The backup DH is usually a guy who's a platoon-type player and a good hitter that can complement the regular DH.  Given that DH David Ortiz swings left-handed, the backup DH will probably be a right-handed hitter who can start on occasion against lefty pitchers.  The front-runner for that role is probably OF Cody Ross.  Ross had a bad season last year in San Francisco, but he has some power and has always been good against lefties.  He faces competition from Exposito, Lavarnway, Iglesias, Butler, St. Pierre, Ciriaco, 1B Mauro Gomez, LF Alex Hassan, RF Juan Carlos Linares, and LF Jason Repko.