No. 19: 2015 Red Sox (78-84)
The Red Sox made some big splashes in the offseason, including signing Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez and trading for Rick Porcello. It could not have turned out worse. Sandoval (.658 OPS, -1.2 WAR) and Ramirez (.291 OBP, -1.2 WAR) were two of the worst players in baseball.
Still, the offense wasn’t the problem, as Boston scored more runs than all but three teams in the majors. What really killed the 2015 Red Sox was an atrocious starting pitching staff. Porcello, who was expected to be the team’s ace after posting a 3.43 ERA the year prior in Detroit, was pounded to the tune of a 4.92 ERA.
The rest of the rotation wasn’t much better, as Wade Miley (4.46 ERA), Joe Kelly (4.82 ERA), and Justin Masterson (5.61 ERA) were similarly lit up. The terrible rotation overshadowed breakout seasons from Mookie Betts (.291 average, 18 HR, 21 SB) and Xander Bogaerts (.320 average), and another outstanding performance from David Ortiz (37 HR, 108 RBI).
The Red Sox actually finished strong, as a youth infusion led by Jackie Bradley Jr. and Travis Shaw helped the Red Sox to a 34-26 record over the final two months.