By Marc Thaler
Sports Editor

Normally, placing any value on a player’s Spring Training production is preposterous. Grapefruit League action traditionally means nothing. All that matters is whether the usual Red Sox suspects report for duty on the diamond.

If players are taking their cuts in the cage, shagging fly balls in the outfield and (begin laughing now) talking about the team chemistry that’s building, slow starts in the Sunshine State hold no significance.

Keith Foulke smashes that entire line of thinking to pieces.

Boston’s closer wasn’t just bad last year. He was horrible. But far worse than Foulke’s poor performance on the mound was his attitude off the field.

The 2005 campaign didn’t start well for Foulke. His meltdown began in the season’s second game when, in the Bronx, he gave up a game-winning home run to Derek Jeter in the last of the ninth.

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Later that year, it was clear the former lights-out closer lost his capability to slam the door on opposing lineups. Whatever the reason for Foulke’s futility, Boston’s last line of defense erased every bit of goodwill he’d built with fans following his magnificent mound work in the previous postseason.

The true MVP of the ’04 Fall Classic acted like a teething toddler in ’05, eventually ending his year prematurely when his season was clearly beyond salvage.

Fast forward to Fort Myers, Fla. Traditionally, players return to work with a clean slate in the eyes of fans. However, it’s not much of a leap to suggest Keith Foulke won’t be painting on a blank canvas this spring.

Foulke has a lot to prove, and he’ll be without the luxury of having more than a month to make mistakes. He’s one of many members of the ’06 Red Sox that represents a high level of uncertainty.

But unlike pitchers with previous health issues like Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett, or a host of new everyday players unfamiliar with the scrutiny associated with Boston baseball, Foulke can’t afford to sputter.

It’s also in the pitcher’s best interest to start fast in Florida for another reason. Once the regular season begins, Foulke won’t have any time to ease back into his role as closer, considering the Red Sox start on the road against the Texas Rangers.

Should the Sox hold late-inning leads in any of those first three games from April 3 to 5, Foulke will have to record the final outs against a lineup that can certainly swing the stick.

The Rangers’ 865 runs placed the team third in the American League in ’05, behind only the Red Sox and Yankees. Likewise, the club’s 1,528 hits was third behind the same two teams.

Specifically, the Rangers have the reigning A.L. batting champion. Shortstop Michael Young hit a league-best .331 last season. Texas also has Mark Texeira, the A.L.’s fourth-best homerun hitter in ’05. The switch-hitting first baseman clubbed 43 round trippers.

It’s safe to say the Texas Rangers are a formidable threat at the plate. And Foulke wasn’t able to fool anybody a year ago. In fact, the closer’s blown save in Texas on July 4 was his final appearance before Boston placed him on the disabled list.

More than any other player on the Red Sox roster, Keith Foulke could be the biggest key to success in ’06. Considering his margin for error is dangerously close to zero, that’s an enormous burden to place on a player who won’t have time to warm up with the weather.