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.