The collegiate squads of Northeastern University and Boston College got a thrill facing the Boston Red Sox in a spring training exhibition. Manager Terry Francona told the media that he thought facing college teams was a better way to get ready for Grapefruit League than a inner-league scrimmage. The Red Sox were able to use a lot of pitches and get a lot of guys on the roster multiple at bats. David Ortiz hit a two-run homer against Northeastern for the Sox in route to a 15-0 win. Boston College scored a run on the Red Sox in the fifth inning of their match up thanks to a Spencer Payne single. The Red Sox kick off spring training competition on Friday against the Minnesota Twins.

Most MLB teams this year will be jealous of the Red Sox’s starting rotation of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Clay Buscholtz. Beckett, Lester, and Lackey could easily all be aces on a lot of teams in the Majors with all three capable of making runs at the Cy Young this year. Matsuzaka won 18 games in 2008, but had a down season last year with his ERA ballooning up to 5.76 in 2009. Should Matsuzaka recapture his good form than American League batters will be in a lot of trouble this year. Buscholtz will likely round out the lineup and last season he went 7-4 last season and is looking to take a big step forward in 2010. The bullpen will be lead by knuckle-baller Tim Wakefield (who went 11-5 as a starter in 2009) and dominant closer Jonathan Papelbon. If the Red Sox offense can perform better than last year, expect Boston to have a better season. The Red Sox pitching staff is talented, experienced, and deep. Here’s hoping they light up pitching mounds all season long.

The Red Sox announced they’ve signed pitcher Joe Nelson to a minor league deal for the 2010 season. Nelson will be heading to Fort Myers, FL to join the Red Sox’s spring training and compete for a spot in the bullpen. The 35-year-old was a Red Sox previously from 2002-2004, but only saw three major league appearances. Since then he’s bounced around the major and minor leagues with streaks of both good and bad form. His “Vulcan” pitch is his trademark change up pitch named after the death grip of “Star Trek” fame. Nelson has pitched his way onto to big leagues rosters before as was the case in 2008 when he won a spot on the Florida Marlins.

After a good year pitching in 54 innings with a 2.00 ERA, Nelson earned a deal with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. After getting off to a good start to the 2009 season, Nelson underwent a terrible month of May where he had a 8.53 ERA.  The right hander had offers from other teams, but felt that the Red Sox’s current roster make up gave him the best chance to make a MLB team in 2010. Nelson will have plenty of competition this spring in Florida, but don’t be surprised if you see his name on the Red Sox roster come opening day.

Jeremy Hermida signed a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox bypassing arbitration proceedings. The 25-year-old outfielder was traded to the Red Sox from the Florida Marlins where Hermida played for five years. The deal is worth $3.345 million as left handed batter will add some diversity to the Sox’s batting lineup. Hermida batted .296 in 2007, but also led the league in errors made by right fielders with 9 errors committed. His batting numbers have dropped off since hitting .259 with 47 RBI’s in 2009. On the upside his fielding has progressed since 2007 committing only one error in 120 games last season. Hermida will come into Spring Training as the fourth outfielder behind Mike Cameron, J.D. Drew, and Jacoby Ellsbury. Let’s hope the kid can bring his bat back to 2007 and keep his glove from last year.