Red Sox First Half Season Recap
The Red Sox are in first place in the AL East with a record of 50-39. I can say that I expected this team to be in first place at the break, because I did. But I didn’t think they would be in first the way they are. The big reason they are in first place is because the Yankees pretty much plummeted. Who would’ve thought that the Red Sox weren’t going to run the East and that they’d be in first place because the Yankees had to face injuries and pretty much fell apart. Let’s start with the roster. We’ve had some injuries, but not a ton which is good. At catcher you have Sandy Leon, and Christian Vazquez who split time behind the plate. It’s been mainly Sandy Leon this year and he’s been hitting the ball well, he has a .244 average with 5 home runs and 22 RBI’s. Only 5 home runs and 22 RBI’s isn’t great, but it’s good for a guy who’s not a big name in the bigs. Over at first Mitch Moreland has been good all year, he’s been a great addition to the lineup. He’s hitting .257, with 12 home runs and 41 RBI’s. He started off the season really hot, roping doubles. At second base is Dustin Pedroia who has been awesome. He leads the team in batting average at .303, he has 4 homers and 41 RBI’s. His power hasn’t been great, but his defensive ability and contact hitting has been phenomenal. Xander Bogaerts has been a good hitter and is tied for the highest batting average on the team with Pedroia at .303, he also has 6 home runs, and 41 RBI’s. Again another player that his power numbers aren’t good, but his defensive play and contact hitting is good. Two of my favorite players are two of the newest guys on the team. Deven Marrero and Tzu Wei Lin. Marrero and Lin are both very pleasant surprises. The rookies are known for their hitting, but they’ve shown their offensive ability. Marrero is hitting .225 with 3 home runs and 20 RBI’s. Lin is hitting .333 with 2 RBI’s. Marrero has taken over at third base for Pablo Sandoval who went on the DL with an inner ear infection. Sandoval was very bad, so bad that they should cut him asap. Moving into the outfield, Andrew Benintendi was expected to be in the Rookie of the Year conversation, but Aaron Judge has taken that spot. Benintendi is hitting .279, with 12 home runs, and 51 RBI’s. His power numbers are down but his defensive play and clutchness has made up for it. Jackie Bradley Jr. has been the same way. He is hitting .280, with 12 home run and 38 RBI’s. Mookie Betts has been the best offensive player so far this year. He is hitting .272, with 16 home runs, and 53 RBI’s. Hanley Ramirez is about to go on a tear right now. So far he is hitting .261, with 13 home runs and 34 RBI’s. The power numbers are most definitely down. Mookie leads the team in home runs with 16, which is not a lot. The defense has been phenomenal though. Another thing that has been phenomenal is Chris Sale. This guy is an animal. 11-4 record, 2.75 ERA, and 178 strikeouts, which leads the MLB. Craig Kimbrel has been pretty good too, he’s got a 1.19 ERA, 68 strikeouts, and 23 saves. One thing that hasn’t been that great is the bullpen. Joe Kelly has been the only reliable reliever. The hard throwing righty has a 1.49 ERA, with a 3-1 record and 26 strikeouts. The rest of the bullpen is on and off. Some key aspects the Sox need to look to trade for before the deadline is some relievers, and a third baseman. People have been talking about another starting pitcher, but I wouldn’t say that’s an urgent need. E-Rod will be coming of the DL soon so the rotation won’t need that much help. Who would’ve thought that this pitching staff would lead the Sox in the first half of the season? If the offense can get going in the second half of the year the Sox could run away with the AL East title.
