2. Arguably the best closer in the game today
Any championship baseball team needs a shutdown closer to enter the game in the ninth inning and slam the door. The Red Sox have one of the best closers in the league in Craig Kimbrel, and if they are going to win another World Series title, they need Kimbrel to be nothing short of lights out.
Kimbrel is an intimidating figure on the mound. He rarely ever cracks a smile, he has the long, bright red beard that makes him look like he belongs in Boston, he has an unusual stance on the mound that makes sense only for him, and he has an absolute bazooka for a right arm. That’s why he fires fastballs past hitters at 100-plus miles per hour while they swing at air.
The Red Sox need Kimbrel to do exactly that in October. While he oftentimes makes short work of the hitters he faces, he sometimes struggles to find the strike zone, and sometimes those hitters are able to catch up to him and crank the ball out of the park. Kimbrel had a stretch in August when he gave up runs in a just about every appearance he made.
Of course, that coincided with what was probably Boston’s biggest slump of the season, which is just something that happens in baseball. Usually when the Red Sox need Kimbrel to be dominant, that’s exactly what he is.
Boston might not have a super reliable bullpen, but if Kimbrel can be the lights out closer that he usually is, it might just be enough to win them a championship.