Red Sox: Where does the lineup rank among AL playoff teams?
Ranking the lineups of each time in the American League playoffs. Where do the Boston Red Sox fall among the competition?
When the Boston Red Sox made the playoffs in years past, they always featured a lineup that could batter and bludgeon you to death behind long balls, doubles, and extra-base hits galore.
There were the mid-2000’s with David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez smashing their way to World Series titles, 2013 with Ortiz again, and last year with Ortiz, Mookie, and Hanley leading the charge.
Now, in their first year of the post-Ortiz era, the Red Sox have used a much different formula to forge their path to October. Behind their reliable 1-2 punch in Chris Sale and Drew Pomeranz, along with one of the best bullpens in franchise history, the Red Sox have scrapped and clawed their way across the plate 785 times and scored 4.85 runs per game – both good for just 10th in the league, and 9th among the 10 playoff teams.
In order to find playoff success this fall, the Sox will need to turn the offense up a tick to hang with the big bats that remain in the American League playoff picture. While they’ve hung with these teams in the regular season, posting a combined 15-18 record against New York, Cleveland, and Houston, their offensive stats still fall far behind.
With that in mind, let’s see how these Red Sox bats rank when it comes to their playoff opponents.
One of the biggest storylines this past offseason was who in the Red Sox lineup would step up in the absence of David Ortiz. Would it be Hanley Ramirez now that he could slide into the DH role? How about Mookie Betts, coming off the heels of his 2016 campaign that saw him finish runner-up to Mike Trout in the AL MVP race? Well, unfortunately, neither of them – nor anyone else – put together anything resembling a standout offensive performance.
This year the Red Sox relied on aggressive base running, doubles, and stolen bases to put runs on the board. It was the first time in recent memory the team took more of a small-ball approach to scoring as opposed to waiting for the three-run home run. Without any player on the roster hitting 25+ home runs, in what equated to the year of the home run across the league, that the Red Sox still managed to win 93 games, the AL East, and stay in the top half of the league in terms of offense is quite the accomplishment.
For what this group lacked in home runs and slugging, ranking both 27th and 26th out of 30 teams in each category, they made up for in bases stolen, OBP, and doubles, coming in at 6th, 12th, and 7th in those respective categories. While they scored runs in a manner far different than the other three teams left in the American League playoff picture, the fact that this group went 22-19 in one-run games and 15-3 in extra-innings contests proves they can put together runs at the most crucial times.
It may be unconventional in this newfound era of long ball dominance to count on doubles, steals, and savvy base running to push your way through October, but it’s worked for these Red Sox so far. With this new small ball identity they’ve crafted for their offense, we shouldn’t be so quick to count them out yet.
This is where the offense really jumps up a notch. The New York Yankees come in at No. 3 behind the bats of their Baby Bombers. Before this season started, many predicted the Yankees would be good, however – not nearly as good as they so quickly became. While Gary Sanchez continued to build on his impressive power we saw on display in 2016, Aaron Judge burst onto the scene setting rookie records left and right on a day-to-day basis.
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Aside from these two young power bats, the Yankees won 91 games with the help of a phenomenal unheralded offensive season from Didi Gregorius, and consistent contributions from the likes of Starlin Castro, Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, Matt Holliday, and the deadline addition of Todd Frazier. A dominant force in not just the American League, but MLB as a whole, the Yankees ranked second in OPS+, slashed .262/.339/.449, posted the third-best team OPS at .785, hit the most home runs in the league, and posted the 2nd most runs per game at 5.30.
With the big power in the middle of their lineup, the Yankees will look to live for that three-run homer throughout the postseason – something they’ve already done once already. Unlike the Red Sox, the Yankees follow the old baseball adage of, “a bloop, a blast, and then the three-run HR.”
Much to Orioles fans dismay, Earl Weaver would love the way this Yankees team approaches the offensive side of the game. Their leadoff hitters get on, and then their power bats bring them in. Simple as that. They don’t hit doubles, triples, or even really steal many bases. This Yankees team is built to beat you with the home run. As long as their opposition can prevent the big blast, the Yankees will be vulnerable this fall.
The Cleveland Indians come in at No. 2 thanks to their deep, dynamic, and powerful lineup. After the heartbreak of Game 7 last fall, the Indians find themselves in the playoffs once again, and this year’s edition of the Tribe might be better than lasts. Coming in at sixth in the league in runs and runs per game with 818 and 5.05, the Indians marched their way to another AL Central title on the back of their historic 22-game win streak.
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While Corey Kluber seems to be stealing a lot of headlines these days with the way he finished his season on the mound, the Indians want to remind you that they also no slouch when it comes to the lumber. Looking to defend their American League pennant, the Indians slashed a collective .263/.339/.449, good for the fifth best team average and second best team on-base and slugging percentages in the league. With the second-best OPS and fourth-best OPS+ among teams in the MLB, the Indians are a daunting task for any starting pitcher 1-9.
By adding Edwin Encarnacion last winter and Jay Bruce in August, the Indians were able to slot two big-time power bats into the heart of their lineup. Add in another sparkling season from young SS Francisco Lindor and an MVP-type campaign from 3B Jose Ramirez, the 2-4 spots in the lineup just got that much harder to navigate. But wait – there’s more! I’d be remiss if I failed to mention the on-base abilities of lead-off hitter Carlos Santana and the recent returns of CF Michael Brantley and 2B Jason Kipnis. Now that the Cleveland lineup is back to full strength for this October run they’ll be able to do everything well offensively. We should all be terrified.
Lastly, we come to the Houston Astros, the most well rounded offensive group in the league. When it comes to the Astros, it’s difficult to find many offensive statistics where they don’t rank in the top 5, or even the top 3. They lead the majors in runs per game, runs scored, doubles, batting average, on-base, slugging, OPS, OPS+, and total bases. They only fell short of leading the league in home runs by three. Oh, and they won 101 games. They’re a force in the truest sense.
Behind the MVP front-runner in Jose Altuve, the Astros bring a bevy of offensive firepower at just about every position. Their weakest everyday hitter is Carlos Beltran. Yeah, just a guy with historic postseason numbers who’ll very likely have his name called in Cooperstown someday. Casual. After that, you’re looking at 9 other regulars with OPS+’s over 100. To put that into perspective, the 2017 Red Sox only have 3 regulars carrying an OPS+ over 100.
The only silver lining the Red Sox can carry with them into Game 1 with them really is the fact that they themselves brought the best offense in baseball with them into October last year and were promptly swept by the Indians. After that, there’s not much else.
Next: Ranking AL playoff team starting rotations
The Astros can beat teams in so many different ways. Whether it’s with the long ball, small ball, station-to-station baserunning, and more, Houston will be willing and able to take advantage of any and all offensive opportunities presented to them. Any team they come across will certainly have their hands full 1-9, and if the Red Sox just so happen to miraculously make their way to the ALCS they’ll have certainly earned it.