Culture Club: The Red Sox, Post-Papi

Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated, March 15, 2017

Life for the Red Sox without David Ortiz requires group therapy. Nearly every spring training morning, coach Brian Butterfield assembles the players to impress upon them the little virtues of team play by reviewing the previous game with a humorous touch. These sessions are designed to establish the culture of having the right culture, which is why they are known in Red Sox camp as "Culture Culture." ...

Spring training may be too long and sometimes tedious, but it is the incubator of a team's culture. ...

The Red Sox are holding their first camp without Ortiz since 2002. He became one of the most indispensable figures in the game, not only for his bat but also because of his generosity of spirit. Teammates rallied around him, whether in the dugout during a World Series game, in the clubhouse before a big series or after a bad loss, or in one of his many backyard barbecues at which all were welcome. ...

The reigning AL East champion Red Sox now belong to outfielders Jackie Bradley Jr., Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi and shortstop Xander Bogaerts—all younger than 26 ... Last year, Boston fielded its youngest playoff team over a full season since 1975, and without Ortiz, this one could be even younger. ...

Boston is a loaded, deep team, probably a win or two better than Cleveland as the class of the American League. ... [A]t the moment, the Red Sox have no obvious vulnerability. ...

It's been seven years since Boston reached back-to-back postseasons. Each of its past three 90-plus win seasons (2009, '11 and '13) was followed by a retreat—by six, 21 and 26 fewer wins—the next season. The Red Sox won 93 games last year.