Instead of shuffling between 1B and 3B this season, 30-year old righty swinging Kevin Youkilis will be able to focus on playing 1B. He played in 136 games for he Red Sox last season and he was 150 for 491 (.305 avg, .961 OPS) with 99 runs scored, 27 homers, 94 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Youkilis is turning into one of the better players in the American League. In his last four years with the Red Sox, Youkilis is hitting .296 with an average of 93.8 runs scored, 39 doubles, 21.3 homers and 91 RBIs per season. He also takes one for the team once in a while as he has been plunked with 52 pitches the last four years. Youkilis is also a Gold Glove-type defender at first base as he only made 1 error there in 78 games for the Red Sox last season. Youkilis seems to keep getting better so expect a big 2010 out of him.

When Youkilis needs a day off either Victor Martinez or Mike Lowell (if he’s still with the team) will replace him at 1B. Martinez played 70 games (66 starts) at 1B last season for the Indians and Red Sox and he made 3 errors. He is getting better there defensively. Lowell didn’t play any games at 1B last season for the Red Sox but the thinking is that he would be able to learn it and do a decent job there.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR 1B IN 2010: A