Red Sox for real?
We are now a quarter of the way through the 2021 Major League Baseball season and the Boston Red Sox hold a slim 1.5 game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays in the division. If you asked most baseball experts who would be atop the AL East come mid May – many would have said Yankees by a nice margin. Welp – the team from Boston doesn’t care much for ‘so-called’ experts predictions!
Pitching staff consisting of many names most baseball fans wouldn’t recognize and a lineup with some star power, some new faces and some projects/prospects, Red Sox have found themselves with a 25-17 record. They currently have a +45 run differential! That is fourth best in all of baseball.
The production from this lineup has been best in baseball. With 217 total runs scored – that is 1st in the league and only four teams have scored over 200 runs. Before going on the IL (injured list), Kike Hernandez was starting to find a rhythm at the top of the order and setting the table for big bats behind him. He is set to make his return soon. Rafael Devers currently leads all of baseball with 34 RBIs. The young talented third baseman has fit in nicely as part of the core of this team. JD Martinez has bounced back from an absolute dog shit 2020 season. He is currently hitting .342 with 10 homeruns, slugging .605 and an OPS of 1.025 – if you don’t know baseball stats, this is real good!
Alex Verdugo has been another solid player for the Sox this season. His defense in centerfield will not be anywhere close to what JBJ was, but let’s face it – no one is! His numbers don’t jump off the page but they are above average. Batting average sits at .279 with 5 homeruns and an OPS of .784. We all know he will be forever tied to Mookie Betts and to him, that isn’t fair. The kid can flat out play. He is a great character too for the locker room.
It would not be right to type up a Red Sox blog without mentioning the ‘Captain’, Xander Bogaerts! The man has been the rock of this core. Offensively, he is consistent. He is putting up close to JD numbers as a shortstop. Currently hitting .344, slugging .609 and an OPS of 1.013, he is insane this season.
If I told you before the season started that Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta, Garrett Richards, Martin Perez and Eduardo Rodriguez would lead one of the best teams in baseball you would have probably throat punched me. But here we are! Nick Pivetta has been an absolute stud. He holds a 5-0 record with 3.16 ERA and 1.172 WHIP. Rodriguez is close behind him with a 5-1 record and a 4.15 ERA. After missing all of 2020 season due to a serious health scare from COVID-19, Eduardo has come back to dominate. Also, keep in mind, this pitching staff gets Chris fucking Sale back mid season. Will he be the same 2018 Chris Sale, only time will tell. All reports are he is on schedule to return and feeling very confident in himself. One would think adding an arm like that into your staff will only make everyone else better!
Are the Red Sox for real? I think so, and the rest of the league is starting to think the same way.
I would like to thank my good friend Matt Charette for taking all these photos for me! I appreciate it bud.
