The Boston Red Sox: A Season In Review
Now that the Boston Red Sox season has ended it’s time for reflection. The Red Sox season ended in a loss falling to the Houston Astros 5-4 in game 4 of the American League Division Series. This Red Sox season was filled with lots of ups and downs, ending with an identical outcome to the year before. In both seasons, the Red Sox finished with a 93-69 record and lost the ALDS with both a lack of effective pitching and a lackluster performance from the team’s offense.
On June 27, the Red Sox took the lead in the American League East for the first time. The Yankees stayed close behind all season but couldn’t catch the Sox. The Red Sox clinched the AL East on September 30th, in the second to last game. The Sox made some key moves throughout the year that helped them fix some of their issues and propelled them to their second consecutive AL East title. Utility man and speedster Eduardo Núñez joined the team via trade in July to fill the gap at third base, though rookie phenom Rafael Devers took over the 3rd base position in August.. After being traded to the Sox, Núñez went on a tear. John Farrell made it clear that he wanted Eduardo Núñez in the lineup everyday. His versatility let Farrell play Núñez confidently at three of the infield spots: 2B, 3B, and SS. He injured his knee on September 9th while attempting to steal a base. He was never able to recover fully from his injury. In game one of the ALDS, after hitting a ground ball to the Astros’ third baseman, he wasn’t even able to make it all the way down the first-base line before collapsing in pain after re-aggravating his knee, a sad way for such a vital piece of the Red Sox offense to end his season.
David Price had trouble pitching throughout the season and spent a lot of the season on the disabled list. On September 14, Price returned from a seven week stint on the DL as a reliever. He proved to be an important part of the Red Sox bullpen in the postseason, pitching 4 shutout innings in game 3 of the ALDS while striking out 4 and only walking 1. While Price pitched more effectively in the postseason than in the regular season (usually it is the opposite for Price), the rest of the pitching staff seemed to pitch much better in the regular season than in the playoffs. This arguably has been the biggest hurdle in the Red Sox’s chances of making it past the ALDS in the postseason. Last season, the Red Sox starting pitchers combined for an astonishingly low 11.2 innings pitched in the entire ALDS. Throughout the ALDS this season, Red Sox starters combined for 11.1 innings over 4 games. Last year, Red Sox starters had more innings pitched in 3 games than Red Sox starters had over 4 games in this past season’s ALDS. The statistics speak for themselves: for the Sox to win another World Series they need pitchers that are able to perform well in both the regular season and the postseason.
In their first season without soon to be Hall-Of-Fame slugger David Ortiz, the Boston Red Sox had the fewest home runs in the entire AL and were 4th worst in all of Major League Baseball. With David Ortiz, the Red Sox had the 9th most home runs in the league. Though with many fewer home runs, the Red Sox still finished with an identical record to last season. Their offense is filled with young talent that, in the coming years, could flourish into a lethal force at the plate. With rising stars in the outfield like Andrew Benintendi (23), Jackie Bradley Jr. (27), and All-Star right fielder Mookie Betts (25), the Red Sox offense could be bolstered this offseason with big name free agents including Eric Hosmer, a three-time Gold Glove winner and winner of the All-Star Game MVP in 2016, and outfielder J.D. Martinez, an All-Star and recipient of the Silver Slugger award in 2015. Both look like they could fit right in with this Red Sox lineup. You can find even more young talent in the infield with 20 year-old Rafael Devers at third-base, and shortstop Xander Bogaerts (25). With even more talent in the minor leagues like first baseman Sam Travis (24), the Red Sox offense seems like it can stay a dominant force for many years to come.
Eduardo Núñez hits free agency this offseason and, with how he performed for them down the stretch, the Red Sox would love to have him back. There are many things for Dave Dombrowski to consider this offseason, including how he wants to fill the void at first-base with Mitch Moreland also headed for free agency, and whether he wants to re-sign players like Núñez or go after big name players like J.D. Martinez or reliever Wade Davis. Dombrowski will have a lot of decision making to do this offseason, though one of the biggest decisions has already been made.
After the Red Sox were eliminated from the playoffs, the next day news broke that John Farrell had been fired. He will not be returning for the 2018 season, after leading the Sox to a World Series win and back-to-back AL East pennants. Boston reminded people how ruthless a sports city it is. The Red Sox have filled the managerial role with Astros’ bench coach and former Red Sox infielder Alex Cora. Now we’ll see how the Red Sox will look when they return to action next season, and how their play will be affected by a new manager at the helm.