'08 Outlook for Hideki Okajima

'07 Season: Okajima played a large role in the success of the Red Sox last season. He was not expected to be a great player when he arrived from Japan but quickly became the setup man. He was selected to the American League All-Star Team and won the TYIB Setup Man of the Year Award. Okajima's strange release and mixing up of speeds confounded batters and made him nearly unhittable for a large part of the season. He became fatigued down the stretch and was given time off by Tito which allowed him to be ready for the playoffs. In the post-season he had a 2.45 ERA in 11 innings.

'08 Outlook: Oki found his control last year but was not as good in the second half of the season, some of that has to be attributed to fatigue but it was also a sign that American League batters were getting a second look at him. He has proven he can be a dominant setup man but also showed some signs of weakness. It will be very hard for him to repeat his accomplishments of last season and I would expect some rough outings from him in '08. If he can maintain his control he will still be a good setup man but he will come back to earth a little. Tito needs to use him a little less next season to avoid the fatigue, having Delcarmen in the pen will help. Overall he should continue to be a good option for Boston but fans need to be prepared for a few implosions in '08.