Will Red Sox make playoffs in 2012? Yea

Bobby Valentine is about to benefit from a greater windfall than the Mega Millions.The Boston Red Sox will reach the American League playoffs, thanks to the fact that the Sox’ top performers are mostly injury-free, which could not be said of past seasons. (We’ll address that “mostly” part in a moment.)Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury, two stars whose aches and pains cost the Sox some runs in recent years, are presumably healthy. Josh Beckett, the starter who struggled down the stretch last year, may have dodged a bullet if his thumb is OK and he can start against Detroit Saturday ? and Clay Buchholz is back from an injury, too.Thus, the Sox are poised to enjoy the success they should have had in 2010 and 2011. In 2010, Ellsbury played just 18 games and Youk saw his season end in injury. Last year, Ellsbury returned to hit .313 with 89 runs scored in 123 games ? but Youk once again couldn’t finish the season due to injury. Boston missed the playoffs in both 2010 and 2011.The 2012 Sox are not completely injury-free. Carl Crawford and John Lackey are out ? and so is Jonathan Papelbon’s successor, Andrew Bailey. Yet the Sox might withstand these losses. Crawford struggled in his first season here last year; Lackey compiled a 6.02 ERA in 2011. Bailey’s absence will admittedly hurt ? unless Alfredo Aceves can step up.Sports are as much about who’s out as who’s in. Maybe the Boston Celtics would have won a few more NBA championships if Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins hadn’t gotten injured. Maybe the New England Patriots would have won another Super Bowl if Rob Gronkowski had played at 100 percent.Well, the Sox are mostly present and accounted for in 2012. And that means “Mega Manager” winner Bobby Valentine will hit the playoff jackpot.Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].