FIRST BASE: Adrian Gonzalez vs. Mark Teixeira. The feeling is the Sox will eventually win this battle. Gonzalez is two years younger and has a .904 career OPS to Teixeiras .913. Teixeira has put up 30 homers seven times and 100 RBIs seven times. Gonzalezs numbers should rise in Fenway Park. Advantage: Red Sox.
SECOND BASE: Dustin Pedroia vs. Robinson Cano. Two of the best in the game. Pedroia is coming back from a broken foot and looking to regain his MVP form. Cano finished third in MVP voting this past season, with a .319 average, 29 homers, and 109 RBIs. Cano is a tremendous hitter with power, a much different player from Pedroia, though his defense is also superb. Advantage: Even.
SHORTSTOP: Derek Jeter vs. Marco Scutaro/Jed Lowrie. Jeter won the Gold Glove, but come on, he has little range. He had his worst offensive season, but no one would be surprised if he returned to the form he showed two years ago, when he had one of his best seasons. Lowrie remains an intriguing player because of his bat; he could be a force at the plate if he gets playing time over Scutaro. Advantage: Red Sox.
THIRD BASE: Kevin Youkilis vs. Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod may have had his worst season, hitting .270 with 30 homers and 125 RBIs but its still better than most. Youkilis is returning from thumb surgery and will embark on a new challenge as the starting third baseman for the entire season. Youkilis is an on-base machine and probably is in a better place in his career than A-Rod. But you cant ignore the ungodly production that one of the greatest players ever still gives you. Advantage: Yankees.
CATCHER: Jarrod Saltalamacchia vs. Jesus Montero. The Salty experiment is based purely on his potential. Montero is a rookie who could be a monster hitter but is a potential liability behind the plate. Monteros upside as a hitter may be higher than Saltys, but right now Salty has the defensive advantage. Advantage: Even.
LEFT FIELD: Carl Crawford vs. Brett Gardner. Crawford is an elite all-around player, and while Gardner is a very good base stealer and hitter, he cant match Crawford as a pure hitter or a power hitter. Advantage: Red Sox.
CENTER FIELD: Jacoby Ellsbury vs. Curtis Granderson. Its difficult to judge Ellsbury coming off an injury-filled season, but if you judged him coming off 2009 70 steals, a .301 average, spectacular defense at times he wouldnt be far from Granderson in terms of all-around effectiveness. If Ellsbury gets it back, hes a game-changer, but until he shows he can, Granderson, as much he struggles at times, can be the more effective player because of the power aspects to his game. Advantage: Yankees.
RIGHT FIELD: J.D. Drew vs. Nick Swisher. Youd prefer Drew to Swisher as your defensive right fielder, even though Drew didnt have that good a year on defense last season. Offensively, Swisher has become the better offensive player (29 homers, 87 RBIs), while Drew had his worst season since 2002 with the Cardinals. Advantage: Yankees.
DH: David Ortiz vs. Jorge Posada. Ortiz is a pure DH and had a good season after a poor start, hitting 32 homers and driving in 102 runs. Posada will have to get used to a new role, while Ortiz is an old pro at it. Advantage: Red Sox.
STARTING PITCHING: Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett, John Lackey, and Daisuke Matsuzaka vs. CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes, and Ivan Nova. Obviously, adding Andy Pettitte and/or Cliff Lee will greatly improve the Yankees situation. But right now, this could spell New Yorks downfall. On the flip side, Bostons resurgence seems very much tied into whether Beckett and Lackey can return to their prominent status. Advantage: Red Sox.
BULLPEN: Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard vs. Mariano Rivera and Joba Chamberlain. Both teams need to add a couple of middle relievers. It could be the strength of those pitchers that determines how good these bullpens will be. Papelbon had a poor season while Rivera may be better than ever. Advantage: Yankees.