Beast Mode

David Ortiz has a "good vibe" about the 2019 Red Sox:

I have an even better feeling this year than the feeling I had last year and I told you guys how good I felt about the ball club last year. You can see on the players' faces the experience that they went through during the playoffs, what they learned and how confident you feel about what you did. As a player I can tell you that plays a big role the following season. ...

Repeating is hard. But I also believe it depends on who comes on board and how tight you keep your ball club. Teams have a tendency to make moves. I also noticed last season, with the Houston Astros, that injuries play a big role with teams also. Everybody's healthy here, thank God. Everybody's good to go. Everybody's in unbelievable shape. That's not an issue here. So, why not? The confidence level is better than last year. They're in beast mode and it's beautiful. I love seeing it. ...

These guys are locked in. I was listening to their conversation [at the batting cages] for about half an hour. I didn't say anything. I just heard them talking about mechanics, hands, approach, and this and that. What that tells you is these guys are not trying to miss a beat. They're not trying to waste time. ... Mookie doesn't want to be good. He wants to be perfect. That's what makes him so good. That kid, I don't know if he learned a lot from me but I learned more from him. ... [J.D. Martinez is] the one who everybody getting tips from. He's a psychopath. This dude is at another level of being good and wanting to be better.