There’s so much to talk about with the Red Sox and, today, we’re going to share four thoughts on the team. The Red Sox entered their series with the Houston Astros on Thursday Night with a 21-13 record which is tied for first place in the American League East with the Baltimore Orioles. The Red Sox haven’t just been winning. They have been blowing teams out with an offense that has been head and shoulders above any other team in the American League. The Sox have scored 196 runs which is 30 runs more than any AL team. They have scored double digit runs in the past three games. The Red Sox have had many of their veterans step up with big years including David Ortiz, Hanley Ramirez, and Dustin Pedroia. The big story has been the young players continuing to develop into strong every day players including Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley, Jr, and Travis Shaw. We could write an entire post on any of these players. However, we’re going to break it down by four thoughts on the team after the first 34 games.
1. This Red Sox offense may be as good as the 2003 and 2004 Red Sox teams. You may remember that those Red Sox teams were loaded with offensive talent from top to bottom. Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Trot Nixon, Kevin Millar, Bill Mueller, and Jason Varitek all had major contributions. In 2003, you can also include Nomar Garciaparra. The 2003 team had eight players with at least 85 RBI. This current Red Sox team has seven players on pace to get over 85 RBI. They’re right there. Can they keep it up? Time will tell…
2. Dustin Pedroia is the MVP of this team. I know. There are guys on the team with better numbers. Take your pick. Ortiz. Bradley. However, who is the most valuable? Who would they miss the most if he wasn’t playing? It’s Pedroia. Not only is he putting up the great numbers, but he is a great influence on the young players on the team. No one works harder. He sets the example for his teammates. In addition, he did John Farrell and Carl Willis’ job of figuring out what was mechanically wrong with David Price! We laugh about it, but what other player would take the time to do that? His influence goes far beyond what he does on the field.
Pedroia is the Patrice Bergeron of the Red Sox.
3. The Red Sox may have two #2 starters. The story in Spring Training was that the Red Sox had the ace in David Price. However, there was no #2. Rick Porcello is 6-1 with a 3.11 ERA. Steven Wright is 3-3 with a 1.52 ERA. Granted, this likely will not continue at this pace especially for Wright. However, could anyone have imagined that the Red Sox would have three candidates for this spot in mid-May if you include Eduardo Rodriguez? Imagine what this rotation could be if Price figures it out. This leads us to…
4. The Red Sox are going to win the AL East this year. The Red Sox are the deepest team in the division. We discussed their offense being elite. Their bullpen, with the addition of Carson Smith, should prove to be very good. With the addition of Eduardo Rodriguez, the rotation will be good enough to win this division. The Orioles are there right now, but they simply don’t have the talent to match this Red Sox team. How far can the Red Sox go from there? That’s going to depend on the front end of their rotation.
All is good in Red Sox Nation. Well, at least except for David Price’ struggles. At least he now has a pitching coach/second baseman.