Entering the 2017 season, the Boston Red Sox were viewed by many as the favorite to represent the American League in the World Series. A stacked rotation and a young, talented lineup lent a great deal of credence to that idea. So far, the rotation has, more or less, lived up to expectations (even without David Price). In particular, Chris Sale has been otherworldly. However, as we come to the end of April, one thing has become rather astoundingly clear: the Red Sox offense lacks a spark.
Boston Red Sox Offense needs a Spark
Caveats
Let’s get a couple things out of the way right now. Yes, it is still very early in the season. After just one month, it’s not necessarily time to hit the panic button. The team was also missing about half of its starters for the first couple weeks due to a flu outbreak, injuries, and travel issues. Given that, and given the caliber of the hitters the Sox have, there is every reason to believe the Red Sox will eventually turn things around.
Concerning Lack of Runs
However, with all that said, the lack of run production in the early season is still incredibly concerning. Currently, the Sox rank 26th in the league in runs scored, and 25th in RBI. Last season, Boston finished first in Major League Baseball in both categories. Yes, they lost a huge source of run production in David Ortiz. But, even without Ortiz’s bat, the offense should look much better than it does.
@Marc_Bertrand take Ortiz’ 127 RBI from the 2016 Sox total 878 runs. 751 would have been good enough for 10th of 30 MLB teams.
— Tim Brown (@RoctexterNY) April 28, 2017
Which still puts them above average, even with the assumption that they replaced David Ortiz in the lineup with somebody who has batted .000 https://t.co/CWbVtXPdBa
— Marc Bertrand (@Marc_Bertrand) April 28, 2017
It’s not that the Red Sox aren’t hitting; they are. They rank ninth in total hits and fourth in team batting average. Six players who see regular time have batting averages at .268 or above, and four are above .300. For whatever reason, the Red Sox simply can’t seem to hit with runners in scoring position, or put together an extended rally.
Power Outage
The other glaring issue leading to the lack of run production is the absence of home runs from Boston’s game. Third baseman Pablo Sandoval, currently on the disabled list, leads the squad with a whopping total of three. Two players have two, and four have one. Yes, new first baseman Mitch Moreland has 11 doubles, and that should eventually lead to more home runs, but no other player has more than five. Boston sits at 13th in total doubles, but would be tied for 27th without Moreland, and dead last in homers.
This, once again, stands in stark contrast to the offense of a year ago. Boston hit the most doubles and the ninth-most homers in baseball last season. Seven players hit double-digit homers in 2016; five hit 21 or more. Two of those players, Ortiz and Travis Shaw, are no longer with the team, but the remaining power should have shown itself by now.
Where’s the Spark?
The Red Sox offense is just missing a spark. They need someone they can rely on to get the big hit when it’s needed, someone the fans and players can trust to pick the team up. That guy was Ortiz for 13 years. He’s gone and, as much as we might wish otherwise, isn’t coming back. Hanley Ramirez, Mookie Betts, Moreland, or someone else has to take over that role. Some people say there’s no such thing as “clutchness”. Those people are wrong.
The talent is there and, in the end, talent tends to win out. Yet, if they don’t find a way to score runs soon, they’ll dig themselves into a hole that might be too deep to climb out of. At the very least, the pitching staff deserves better from the Red Sox offense.
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