Red Sox History: Ranking every squad of the 21st century

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BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 09: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates after hitting an inside the park home run in the ninth inning against the Houston Astros during game four of the American League Division Series at Fenway Park on October 9, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

No. 12: 2017 Red Sox (93-69)

Everything was difficult for the 2017 Red Sox. They were last in the AL with 169 home runs, and no batter had an OPS+ over 108. The offense sorely missed David Ortiz, as Mookie Betts batted just .264 while Xander Bogaerts (.746 OPS) and Jackie Bradley Jr. (.726 OPS) regressed from 2016.

Mid-season reinforcements such as Rafael Devers (10 HR in 38 games) and Eduardo Nunez (8 HR, .321 AVG) helped the Red Sox finish in the top 10 in runs scored, but they couldn’t compete with the firepower of the Astros and the Yankees.

This lack of offense was especially unfortunate because the pitching staff was one of the best in baseball. After coming over from the White Sox in the offseason, Chris Sale was as good as advertised, leading the majors with 308 strikeouts and finishing 2nd in the Cy Young voting. Drew Pomeranz was terrific as well, winning 17 games with a 3.32 ERA, while Eduardo Rodriguez (4.19 ERA) and David Price (3.38) were solid, albeit in injury-shortened seasons. Craig Kimbrel bounced back with 35 saves and a 1.43 ERA, while an elite bullpen helped the Red Sox go 15-3 in extra-inning games.

Despite the pitching staff’s success, the Red Sox were easily dispatched by the eventual champion Astros in the ALDS.

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