Boston Red Sox: Grading the team after their fast 2021 start
By Rick McNair
The overview of the Boston Red Sox is so far, so good
The Boston Red Sox have been competitive in the first seven weeks and have maintained a hold on first place and certainly giving the impression of playoff potential. As with all teams, there are weaknesses and that is where a farm system, solid scouting, and a few dollars in the cupboard can help.
The lineup produces as Boston is one of the best offensive teams in baseball. I see that as somewhat of an illusion. There are holes and the bottom four have weighed down the overall offense. Some of that may just be adjustment factors and some may not. There is no five-tool igniter on the offense.
You live and die on the diamond with pitching and so far the living has been good – very good. A pleasant surprise. Pitching is essentially defense and so is having the gloves to prevent runs. This is in my view, not a great defensive team. I do not see any Gold Glove Awards coming to Boston after the season.
Another issue is speed or just base running. There have been some startling successfully aggressive baserunning and all too often some bonehead mistakes.
What the Red Sox need to do is start to be far more productive at home. This is surprising and generally goes against Red Sox history when they have a winning record.