Red Sox offensive production starts with the letter B

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Boston Red Sox fans should be excited to see what the Sox offense can do in the post David Ortiz era, led by the four B’s.

There’s no question that losing David Ortiz was going to be a significant blow for the boys in Bean Town. The numbers speak for themselves. The Boston Red Sox did just lose one of the most prolific power hitters that Major League Baseball has ever seen. A sure bet to make the Hall of Fame, Big Papi’s shoes are going to be difficult to fill.

Insert the four B’s – Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley and Andrew Benintendi.

Batting starts with ‘B’ so naturally it makes sense that the Red Sox future should start with the same letter. Pitching starts with ‘P’ so again, it makes sense that the Red Sox pitching staff includes David Price, Rick Porcello and Drew Pomeranz . Article to follow.

Not to mention the Red Sox have Eduardo Rodriguez and acquired the best available arm in Chris Sale via trade this past off-season, a move further bolstering an already impressive starting rotation to make it one of the best if not the best in all of baseball.

Getting back to the offense, let’s take a closer look at the four B’s that will be linchpins in Boston’s lineup for years to come.

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Mookie Betts

Mookie Betts (B1) took the league by storm last season as a true leader and ended up losing out to Mike Trout in the race for the 2016 American League MVP Award.

Betts was simply put, a man on a mission. Every single one of his numbers went up except for his total number of triples, which went down slightly, and doubles, which remained the same. He almost joined the 30/30 club, missing it by 4 stolen bases. Betts was so on point that he almost led the league in every offensive category.

He had 122 runs, one short of the Trout’s league leading total. Betts also had 214 hits, two short of Jose Altuve, who led the league. Betts had 42 doubles for the second season in a row, six short of David Ortiz, who had 48 to lead the league. Betts finished with 113 runs batted in, good for 4th in the AL, just 14 behind teammate and league leader, Big Papi. Furthermore, Betts had a 9.6 WAR just 1 full point behind Trout.

It seemed to be either Mookie Betts or Mike Trout all year long for the MVP award, something to watch for in 2017.

Xander Bogaerts

Xander Bogaerts (B2) also had an incredible season where he saw a rise in most of his offensive categories but none larger than his home run jump going from 7 in 2015 to 21 in 2016, a 300% increase.

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Bogaerts also stayed healthy, which was another reason for him playing in almost every game last season. He had over 700 plate appearances, a first in his career and had over 600 at-bats for the second consecutive year. He also managed to get 190+ hits and over 30 doubles for the 2nd year in a row.

Bogey did see his batting average take a dip however. In May, Bogey had 49 hits and hit .395. He only had 50 hits for a .227 average over the course of both August & September. That’s a substantial difference from May.

I also think it’s important to mention that while he wasn’t a huge stolen bases threat, he still managed to get 13 last year. Maybe Bogey gets 20 and hits the 20/20 club. It’s possible. What’s more likely? Bogey hitting over .300 again.

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Jackie Bradley Jr.

Jackie Bradley Jr. (B3), or JBJ as he’s commonly referred to now.

Bradley seems to have finally found his groove after his 4th season in the bigs. JBJ was someone who was lauded for his glove more than his bat, but that changed during the 2016 season. Bradley’s numbers all saw a jump with his home run and runs knocked in totals raising the most brows.

Andrew Benintendi

Andrew Benintendi (B4) is the newest addition the B’s. Okay I’ll admit it. First off, Benintendi has the most exciting name in Boston since Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Just how some have butchered his name, Benintendi will butcher opposing pitching.

He’s still rookie eligible and is considered the top prospect in baseball and front runner for the ROY Award at the end of the season.

Benintendi only had 105 at-bats last season. Considering his numbers from last year and what he’s been able do so far in Spring Training, the Red Sox are ready to see what he can do. In Spring Training so far Benintendi is hitting .409 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI’s. This includes a span when he went 6-for-7 with 4 doubles and a home run, while adding 4 RBI’s against the Atlanta Braves. Sox fans are ready to see Benintendi contribute this season.

Next: David Price is more than just a baseball player

From ending last season on a bit of a low note and losing David Ortiz to retirement, the Red Sox have a lot to look forward to going into 2017. The Red Sox have the four B’s in the line up and an All-Star pitching rotation ready to go. They’ve also got a rejuvenated Pablo Sandoval coming back this year. It’s good to see the Panda healthy and in great shape. Barring any setbacks, the Red Sox will be one of the more dominant teams in baseball with a sure bet shot to make the playoffs. 2017 is certainly shaping up to be a great year for the Sox and their fans.

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