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2016 MLB Postseason: Boston Red Sox Team Preview
Strengths
The Red Sox are simply an offensive juggernaut. As a team, they led the majors in runs, batting average, and OPS during the regular season. They have three of the four individual leaders in the AL in batting average (David Ortiz, Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia), and three of the five leaders in RBIs (Ortiz, Betts, and Hanley Ramirez). The ageless Ortiz is a proven postseason performer, and Mookie Betts is a very good bet to win the AL MVP.
There are hardly any easy outs up and down the order. There’s also a lot of balance in their lineup. Ortiz, Betts, and Ramirez supply the pop, but just about everyone puts the bat on the ball, and they also have an element of speed around the bases. Simply put, this team can score in a bunch of different ways, and that’s what makes them so difficult to stop.
The Red Sox bats get much of the attention – and deservedly so – but the Boston pitching staff is a big strength as well. They have a 3.47 ERA since the All-Star break, the best mark in the AL. That pitching is certainly a big reason why the Red Sox are the favorites at +200 to win the AL pennant.
Weaknesses
The Sox pitching staff has strength in depth, but their two biggest names will enter the postseason with a few question marks.
The biggest one is for noted playoff underperformer, David Price. The 31-year-old lefty didn’t live up to his mammoth new contract in the regular season, as he put up his highest ERA (3.99 ERA) since his first full season in the majors.
His playoff struggles have been well documented. He is merely 2-7 with a 5.12 ERA in 14 career playoff appearances (eight starts). Everyone knows how important top-line pitching is in the playoffs, and if Price continues on with his postseason futility, the Red Sox will have a signficant problem on their hands.
Craig Kimbrel has also had some issues of late. The usually automatic closer ended the regular season horribly, with seven earned runs and seven walks in a span of four appearances. The Sox will need to sort out Kimbrel’s command issues before they cost them playoff games.
2016 Key Team Stats
| Category | Stat (LB Rank) |
|---|---|
| Runs | 877 (#1) |
| On Base Percentage | .349 (#1) |
| ERA | 4.01 (#10) |
| Opponent Batting Average | .246 (#7) |
| WHIP | 1.27 (#9) |
Writer’s Prediction
With their all-around excellence, the Red Sox (+550 to win) make it four titles in 13 years as they win the World Series over the Chicago Cubs.
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