AL East Round Up: A Quick Look at the Numbers

facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox are a mess. They could be called the busiest team in the AL East during the offseason. They attempted to overhaul their rotation. They splurged on Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. And, what has it yielded thus far? A last place spot and 9 games under .500. Perhaps the only good news is that they sit just 7 games back of the division lead. 

More from Toronto Blue Jays News

The offense sits 12th in the AL with 242 runs scored. Their average of .246 is good for 10th. In a division that is carried by offense, the Red Sox are in an unfamiliar position of not getting enough production. They’re leader, David Ortiz is hitting just .226/.305/.399 with 8 HR and 25 RBI. Now, it has been said in the past that Big Papi is a slow starter, but it is now the middle of June. That can’t really be the excuse, can it? Has age finally caught up with him? People have been saying it each of the last few years and he proves them wrong. Is this the year they’re right? And, the expensive duo they Red Sox brought in? Ramirez and Sandoval have combined for 19 HR and 55 RBI. That’s not actually that bad.

No, the real problem in Beantown is the pitching. They have the worst ERA in the American League at 4.40. For a while, it was the Blue Jays, but thanks to some improvements in that area, the Jays have relinquished last spot to the Sox. Despite this high ERA, the Sox are actually the recipients of 31 quality starts. Yet, their rotation is nothing to write home about. They’ve had 4 starters make 12 or more rather uninspiring, inconsistent starts. And, while a starters win/loss record is not the be all, end all when it comes to valuable stats, not one Red Sox starter has a winning record. Not one. Oh, but wait! There’s more! The Red Sox are 13th in saves with just 14 and the bullpen has put up a 3.70 ERA.

While no season can be written off this early in the season, it is starting to feel like the Red Sox may want to start looking ahead to next year. One question on the minds of Blue Jays fans is whether manager John Farrell will be around to see next season.

Next: Episode 23 of Jays' Nest Podcast