Red Sox: Mr. Mendoza welcomes several Red Sox to his club
The Boston Red Sox are ripping through the schedule with 21 wins and the hitting has revived, but a few dark clouds exist thanks to the Mendoza Line.
The Red Sox now have four players who have entered the infamous realm of the Mendoza Line. Just what is the Mendoza Line? The name derives as an “honor” to former Pirates shortstop Mario Mendoza whose futility with the bat was clearly demonstrated in his career. Mendoza in a five-year span hit a sub .200 in four of those seasons.
Since then the Mendoza Line has become a cherished companion to players, fans, and the media to pinpoint though its terminology the absolute absence of any threat of offensive mayhem. Mendoza did manage to successfully finish his career with a .215 average in 1,456 plate appearances. Despite his offensive ineptness Mendoza had a nine-year MLB career.
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The Red Sox can now celebrate the end of April addition of four members to the Mendoza Line. This is amazing for a team that is on an offensive binge compared to 2017. The current collection of Red Sox hitters are leading the American League with a .273 average and that despite the lead weight encased in certain parts of the batting order.
The most pronounced this season is Jackie Bradley who has now drifted below the Mendoza Line with a paltry .195 average with the expected regarding other associated number. A .600 OPS! Bradley is supposed to be a difference maker on defense – frankly, I consider his defensive capabilities somewhat overstated – but if you worship metrics Bradley has a -2.5 UZR/150.
Bradley is well noted for prodigious slumps that are invariably followed by equally prodigious demonstrations of line drives scattered around and out of the park. Red Sox Nation has resigned themselves to this inconsistency, but just how long will this one last? After a .249 average in 2017 it may be approaching decision time on Bradley.
Our catching duo is in a two-fer situation: They can’t hit and the defense has slipped. With Sandy Leon, the Mendoza Line is an old friend since he paid a visit with Washington in 2014 and Boston in 2015. But Leon caught fire in 2016 and hit .310 to be followed by a return to near Mendoza Line with a .225 in 2017. Now Leon is sequestered at .129 and I expect no escape.
Fellow backstop Christian Vazquez has managed to shock many with his .290 of last season. Was it an illusion? Was it an anomaly? There were doubters since it was certainly out of character for Vazquez to hit so well. Now Vaz has sunk to .187 and the catching duo is last in MLB in just about every offensive category for catchers.
Last on the list is the rust collector himself – Blake Swihart. Past history shows Swihart has offensive promise, but one must play with some degree of regularity and Swihart has not. With Leon and Vazquez’s currently creating a new infamous line that will be sub-Mendoza Line it may be time to give the .150 hitter his shot.
The Red Sox also have another player on the cusp of futility in Tzu-Wei Lin. Lin arrived and got hot and that has since turned to frigid with Lin at the .207 mark. Thankfully no other Red Sox players are approaching the Mendoza Line, but the season is still young. And that goes both ways as a few hits can have a player exit the Mendoza Line.