Napoli Sizes Up 2014 Sox

Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli made his way to spring training on Tuesday as a World Series Champion, but also more prepared than a year ago.Napoli told reporters that he feels more ready for the season after missing most of spring training last year because of his hip condition. He was also relieved to sign his contract early in the off-season so he could focus on his conditioning program.

As for the 2014 Red Sox, Napoli was sad to see the losses of Jacoby Ellsbury and Jared Saltalamacchia but said he believes the young players waiting to take larger roles are ready to contribute. He was also happy about the signing of veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski.

The beard that became an icon of the Sox playoff run is still on his face with no plans of removing it. Napoli did say one of his personal goals this season is to cut down on his strikeouts.