Fansided

5 rival players who can derail Red Sox’ Wild Card chase

By Gabrielle Starr |
Sep 23, 2021; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Juan Soto (22) reacts after hitting his second solo home run of the game against the Cincinnati Reds during the seventh inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 23, 2021; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Juan Soto (22) reacts after hitting his second solo home run of the game against the Cincinnati Reds during the seventh inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
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The Boston Red Sox are supposed to have two of the easier final series of the season of any MLB team currently still in the playoff race.

They have two more games against the Baltimore Orioles before a final series against the Washington Nationals. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees have to contend with the Toronto Blue Jays and the already-division-champion Tampa Bay Rays.

Trey Mancini is a threat to the Red Sox’ Wild Card chase

The presumed American League Comeback Player of the Year has continued to be one of the only good parts of a terrible Orioles team.

Trey Mancini beat cancer last year and made a triumphant return to baseball in 2021. In 142 games, he’s hitting .255/.327/.436 with a .763 OPS, 21 home runs, 32 doubles, 70 RBI, and 75 runs scored. He’s one of four Orioles with more than 20 home runs, one of three with 70+ RBI, and one of two with 30+ doubles. Only Cedric Mullins has played in more games for the team this year.

The homegrown Mancini has been with the Orioles since the 2013 draft, and is in his fifth big-league season. He’s always hit the Red Sox well, a lifetime .302 average and 16 home runs against them in 73 career games. His batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, and OPS against the Sox are better than his numbers against any other team he’s faced more than 25 times.

This season, Mancini has three doubles, four home runs, 11 runs scored, and 16 RBI in 16 games against Boston. His first hit of the season even came on Opening Day at Fenway.

In Tuesday night’s series opener, Mancini went 2-for-4 with a run scored. He’ll be the designated hitter on Wednesday, and likely do more damage against the Sox arms.

Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

Cedric Mullins is a threat to the Red Sox’ Wild Card chase

Cedric Mullins is having an insane year after giving up switch-hitting to be a full-time lefty. He’s the first 30-30 player in Orioles franchise history, and one of only two American League players with more than 30 stolen bases this season.

In his first season playing in more than 48 games, Mullins is slashing .297/.367/.531 with a 8.97 OPS in 154 games, and all are career-highs by far. He has 36 doubles, five triples, 30 home runs, 59 RBI, and 89 runs scored, and has become one of the most fearsome bats in the American League.

Defensively Mullins has been robbing Sox batters of homers and extra-base hits all year. At the plate, he has faced the Red Sox 16 times this season and is hitting .348/.411/.530 with a .941 OPS against them. He has 23 hits in 66 at-bats, including seven doubles, a triple, and a home run, not to mention four of his stolen bases.

Nathan Eovaldi will start Wednesday night for the Sox, and Mullins is 5-for-17 against him with a double this season.

Ryan Mountcastle threatens the Red Sox Wild Card chase

Rookie Ryan Mountcastle was one of the Orioles’ top prospects for years (he was their first-round pick in 2015), and is making a solid case for AL Rookie of the Year.

Mountcastle’s defensive struggles led to him moving from the outfield to first base, with Trey Mancini spending more time in the DH role.

In 139 games for the O’s this season, Mountcastle is hitting .258/.311/.492 with a .803 OPS. His 31st home run of the season set an Orioles rookie record, and his 32nd home run came on Tuesday night against the Sox.

Among MLB rookies, he’s tied for third in runs scored (76), fifth in hits (133) and doubles (23), second in RBI (86), and leads all rookies in home runs. Five of those home runs have come in his 14 games against the Red Sox.

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Keibert Ruiz is a threat to the Red Sox’ Wild Card chase

Let’s put it this way: Keibert Ruiz was worth Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. Not on his own, of course, but he was part of the massive trade package Los Angeles sent to DC at the trade deadline.

Ruiz, who made his debut with the Dodgers in August 2020 (and homered in his first big-league at-bat), has actually played better since the trade. In 20 games for his new team, he’s hitting .284/.338/.405 with a .743 OPS. He’s 21-for-74 with eight runs scored, three doubles, two home runs, and 14 RBI. Over the weekend, he homered in back-to-back games, and earlier this month, he had a trio of three-hit games in the span of four games.

Over his last seven games, Ruiz has an OPS over 1.000 with the pair of homers and only one strikeout in 32 plate appearances. As the temperatures cool off, he’s only heated up, and since the Red Sox pitchers have never faced him before, he could spell big trouble.

Juan Soto is a threat to the Red Sox’ Wild Card chase

In fairness, Juan Soto is a threat, period. He’s the player the Nationals will rebuild around, and he’s making an NL MVP case for himself this season.

Soto is hitting .318/.468/.545 with a 1.013 OPS. He leads all of MLB in walks (139), and in on-base percentage for the second season in a row.

The total numbers are great, but it’s his second half that has people talking. Since the beginning of August, he’s slashing .354/.540/.616 with a 1.156 OPS, 11 home runs, eight doubles, a triple, and 35 RBI. Take the RBI number with a grain of salt; the Nationals have a 65-93 record and a -85 run differential, so there aren’t many players on base for Soto to drive in.

Soto is having a historically good season, his on-base numbers putting him in the rarified company of Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, and Rogers Hornsby. According to Sarah Langs, Soto and Williams are the only two players in MLB history to lead MLB in OBP twice before turning 23 years old.

Compared to his overall numbers, Soto’s career numbers are simply fine, a .261/.346/.391 line and .737 OPS in six games. But the way he’s hitting lately, those numbers could skyrocket this weekend, making it hard for the Sox to stay in the hunt.

Next. Why one of the hottest Red Sox bats won’t be on postseason roster. dark

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