FORT MYERS, FLA. -- On Saturday night, when Red Sox manager Alex Cora was asked to compare this year’s Spring Training to the camp that preceded Boston’s World Series title in 2018, he gave the championship year squad a post-Grapefruit League grade of “A++.”

This year?

“It was a ‘B’ camp, that’s the grade I give them,” Cora said.

For the Type-A overachievers out there, while the grading may seem a tad harsh, Cora’s evaluation arrives with a measured sense of optimism, akin to a professor who knows that more potential lies within his students.

“Defensively, we’re a lot better than previous years,” Cora reiterated on Sunday prior to Boston’s final Grapefruit League game against the Braves. “Offensively, the walks -- I’m very excited about that. We’re grinding at-bats, we're getting on base. We hit the ball out of the ballpark too, I think, numbers-wise. Ran the bases well, stole a few bases.

“This is a fun group, man. We’re athletic, and we’re going to push the envelope. We should be OK."

With the calendar before Opening Day becoming tighter and tighter, the Red Sox still are a ways away from having their 26-man roster completely settled. Opt-out clauses and injury considerations (Vaughn Grissom and Rob Refsnyder resumed taking batting practice on Sunday) mean that Boston likely won’t know its exact makeup until the final exhibition games against the Rangers at Globe Life Field early this week.

What is known -- and has been for a while -- is that the youth movement is on the verge of taking control in Boston. Brayan Bello, at just 24 years old, was named the Red Sox’s Opening Day starter for their matchup against Seattle. Triston Casas, a fellow 24-year-old, will be tasked with holding down the middle of the order next to Rafael Devers after finishing third in the American League Rookie of the Year award voting. Center field could be manned by the 23-year-old Ceddanne Rafaela, whose defensive wizardry and potential have captivated the Red Sox brass.

Combine that with the veteran presence of Trevor Story in the middle infield, Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin in the back end of the bullpen and Nick Pivetta in the rotation and there’s a sense that Boston has an exciting brackish mix of youthful vitality and experience.

“The veterans bought into the concept, but this is more teaching, more hands-on, than in the past,” Cora said. “Every year it’s been kind of a veteran group, but this one is a lot younger, very athletic. There’s things that we can do, but we’ve got to be careful -- because it’s not about getting the license to mess up. That was in Spring Training. We actually told them, ‘Push the envelope, see how far we can go.’ And they did an outstanding job.

“Just playing clean baseball, and playing good baseball. But it starts in Seattle. That’s the bottom line.”

Final tune-ups at JetBlue
With luggage and equipment funneling out of the home clubhouse at Boston’s Spring Training facility in Fort Myers, it’d be understandable if some Red Sox players already had one foot out the door on their final day of Grapefruit League action. But for those taking the field in a 5-5 tie against the Braves, it was business as usual for getting prepared for Opening Day.

Kutter Crawford finished off a stellar camp with a tough outing, tossing 5 2/3 innings and striking out five while allowing five runs on eight hits. Slated to slot into the No. 3 spot of the rotation in the absence of Lucas Giolito, Crawford ran into some trouble for the first time this spring, facing what figures to be the Braves’ Opening Day lineup. In his five spring appearances, he had a 3.72 ERA, with a solid 1.09 WHIP thanks to issuing just two walks in 19 1/3 innings of work.

Much of the spring was centered on Crawford building up the pitching volume -- and the confidence -- to break through his perceived ceiling at the beginning of the third time through the order, while maintaining the quality of his stuff.

“That third time through the order is not going to be perfect,” Crawford said. “That’s the part where pitching gets a little bit harder. Whenever I give up a base hit or get somebody on, getting through that inning with a little bit of traffic, for me, that’s what helps me build my confidence.”

Also making their last appearances in Grapefruit League play were veterans Jansen and Martin, each of whom had slow progressions in Spring Training. Both tossed scoreless frames against the Braves, notching a strikeout each.

With their availability for Opening Day having been in question, Cora and the Red Sox plan to keep a watchful eye on the duo’s health over the next few days, especially when trying to nail down the roster’s configuration.

“[Pitching depth with] where we’re at with the roster is very important,” Cora said before the game. “How much we [would] love Kenley and Chris to pitch today, be healthy tomorrow, pitch again in Texas, be healthy again. If that’s the case, we’ve still got to protect them.”