systems can’t seem to agree."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Red Sox StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Red Sox NewsYahoo Red Sox Team PageYahoo Red Sox ReportYahoo Red Sox Depth ChartYahoo Red Sox TransactionsYahoo Red Sox PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub 鉁昍ed Sox AnalysisLooking at some projection disagreementsFive hitters on whom the projection systems can’t seem to agree.EDTShareTweetShareShareLooking at some projection disagreementsJasen Vinlove-USA TODAY SportsThe Red Sox are right in the swing of spring training Paul O'Neill Jersey , as the starting rotation is starting to get set on Saturday and the everyday players are beginning to get into a bit of a rhythm at the plate. Of course, as much as we want to apply meaning to spring training performances, we know well enough by now that we can’t tell much. There are hints about what could be coming down the road if you know what to look for, but generally speaking we (myself included) probably overblow spring performance. It’s just so tempting!The smartest way to try and figure out what is going to happen in 2019 is honestly to just not even try. Baseball is going to surprise us every year. That’s just the way it work. If you really want to try and get a feel for who is going to do what in the upcoming season, though, projection systems are for you. As I and many others have said many times, no one is expecting these to be perfect. It’s just a guiding point based on carefully constructed algorithms by very smart people. Sometimes, the projection systems generally agree on what will happen in coming years, but there are times when the different systems have different ideas for how certain players will perform. So, stealing an idea from our sister site Pinstripe Alley, let’s take a quick look at a handful of hitters on whom three projection systems (ZiPS, Steamer and PECOTA) can’t agree.Dustin PedroiaZiPS OPS: .705Steamer OPS: .733PECOTA OPS: .769It’s not too much of a surprise that there would be a fair amount of disparity when trying to project Dustin Pedroia. The veteran second baseman and former AL MVP has played in only 108 games over the last two years, including only three in 2018. He’s coming off a major knee injury and entering his age-35 season at a position that does not traditionally age well. That’s a lot of question marks! Even the most optimistic projection isn’t really expecting Pedroia to get back to his old levels, as a .769 OPS would be the third lowest of his career. It’s probably safest to keep expectations low and hold out for a pleasant surprise if he does reach that PECOTA level.Rafael DeversZiPS OPS: .800Steamer OPS: .805PECOTA OPS: .763Here we don’t have major disagreement between all three of the systems, with ZiPS and Steamer projecting essentially the same OPS from Boston’s young third baseman in 2019. However, PECOTA doesn’t see the same kind of breakout from Devers http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey , instead seeing a modest 32-point improvement compared to 2018. Devers is a very popular breakout pick in 2019, and I would certainly take the over on PECOTA’s projection here. It’s worth noting, though, that Baseball Prospectus’ system is generally more conservative than other systems. That can be frustrating, but it’s a good reminder that not every popular breakout pick is actually going to work out. That said, Devers is totally going to work out.Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY SportsSteve PearceZiPS OPS: .779Steamer OPS: .815PECOTA OPS: .767A lot of the projection for Pearce would, I’d assume, have to do with what kind of role he’s going to play in 2019. The veteran first baseman is traditionally a platoon bat who mashes lefties, and if the vast majority of his at bats in the coming year are with a southpaw on the mound, I’ll take the over on possibly all of these projections. However, I think it’s likely he takes a good chunk of at bats against righties as well, and while he’s just fine against them it would still bring down his overall projection. The difficult thing for projection systems here is that Pearce is going to turn 36 shortly after the regular season begins and he’s coming off the second best season of his career. Generally, you can’t expect that to keep up at his age, but watching him last year and knowing his playing time will be managed well I think he has a better chance than an algorithm would give him.Mitch MorelandZiPS OPS: .733Steamer OPS: .767PECOTA OPS: .746I was a little surprised that there wasn’t a more uniform opinion from the computers on what Moreland would do in the coming year. While he can be very inconsistent month-to-month, running hot and cold throughout the year, his end-of-season production is roughly the same every year. His career OPS is .757 and he’s been within 12 points of that mark in each of his two years with Boston. I’ll put my money on another year right around the league-average for the Red Sox left-handed first baseman http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey , which would likely put him right around the midpoint between Steamer and PECOTA.Eduardo NezZiPS OPS: .717Steamer OPS: .743PECOTA OPS: .727Here is it worth noting that projection systems don’t really know about injury, but only know of the affects of the injury on the statsheet. That’s not to say Eduardo Nez recovering from injury is the only reason he struggled in 2018, but I think it’s fair to posit it was at least a factor. It’s also worth mentioning that, prior to 2018, he had three straight seasons with an OPS of at least .758. Even the most optimistic projection is not confident he can get back to that level. I’m not sure he’ll get all the way back there either, but I think I’ll take Steamer’s projection here over the others. In 11 postseason games with the Dodgers, Machado has 11 hits, with three doubles, three home runs and nine RBI.As the cleanup hitter in the Los Angeles order, Machado needs to continue that production to steal a game in Boston on Tuesday or Wednesday.If there's any player who understands the ins and outs of Fenway Park and the Boston pitching staff, it's Machado, who is a .278 hitter in his career at Fenway.As long as the players in front of him in the order continue to reach base, Machado should be able to drive in a few runs in Boston to set the stage for success at home in Games 3, 4 and 5.Price, Sale Benefit From Extended RestHaving more than three days off at this stage of the postseason is unheard of.With Game 1 of the World Series coming five days after the Red Sox clinched the American League pennant with a 4-1 ALCS win over the Houston Astros, Chris Sale and David Price will start the first two games of the series on full rest.Since Sale wasn't used after Game 1 of the ALCS http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey , he is the likely starter for World Series Game 1, with Clayton Kershaw in line to oppose him in a heavyweight battle of the game's top pitchers.Sale is 15-8 in his career on six or more days of rest, and in those outings he's produced a 1.67 ERA and 0.937 WHIP.Charles Krupa/Associated PressPrice, who earned his first postseason win as a starting pitcher in Game 5 of the ALCS, will enter Game 2 on a normal five days of rest.The Red Sox will be in position to win both games because of the long starts turned in by Sale and Price, and since both pitchers are left-handed, it presents a set of lineup decisions for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to make.Los Angeles' deep lineup is more than capable of holding its own against Sale and Price, and if Roberts employs a similar strategy from the NLCS, David Freese, Yasiel Puig and Taylor are locks to start.Since there isn't much history between the Red Sox aces and the Dodgers lineup, Sale and Price should thrive during at least their first time through the Los Angeles order as they attempt to set the tone for the series. Series Prediction:Boston in seven.Given how strong both pitching staffs and lineups are, the margins will be slim.Winning on the road will be key for both sides, and expect at least one road victory out of both franchises.Game 7 at Fenway Park should be quite the spectacle, and the Red Sox will benefit from a pitching combination led by Sale to win their first championship since 2013.Follow Joe on Twitter, JTansey90.