BoSox Injection
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Position breakdown of how Red Sox stack up against AL East competition

By Daniel Fox

BOSTON, MA - JULY 25: Enrique Hernandez #5 of the Boston Red Sox slides home safely ahead of the tag by catcher Gary Sanchez #24 of the New York Yankees to score the go ahead run during the eighth inning of Bostons 5-4 win at Fenway Park on July 25, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JULY 25: Enrique Hernandez #5 of the Boston Red Sox slides home safely ahead of the tag by catcher Gary Sanchez #24 of the New York Yankees to score the go ahead run during the eighth inning of Bostons 5-4 win at Fenway Park on July 25, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) /
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Red Sox 2B Christian Arroyo
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 18: Christian Arroyo #39 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after hitting a two run home run against the Houston Astros in the third inning of Game Three of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park on October 18, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Red Sox second baseman vs the AL East

  • Brandon Lowe, Rays (10)
  • Gleyber Torres, Yankees (7)
  • Christian Arroyo, Red Sox (5)
  • Cavan Biggio, Blue Jays (3)
  • Rougned Odor, Orioles (1)

With Marcus Semien leaving the Blue Jays for Texas, Brandon Lowe becomes the best second baseman in the division. Lowe followed up his breakout 2020 season by finishing second among all second basemen with 39 home runs and third in RBIs (99) and OPS+ (142). He enters 2022 as not just the best hitter on the Rays, but as one of the best left-handed hitters in the American League.

Gleyber Torres was also expected to be considered among the best second basemen in baseball, but two straight down seasons have caused his stock to fall significantly. After leading all second basemen with 38 home runs in 2019, Torres has hit just 12 home runs over the last two years. That power outage, along with his -10 Outs Above Average defense at shortstop, has made him almost unrecognizable from the apparent budding superstar he was three years ago. The Yankees can only hope that a move back to second base can help him return to the player he once was.

Christian Arroyo might have only played 57 games for the Red Sox last year, but he may have had more signature moments than any other second baseman on this list. Overall, Arroyo slashed .262/.324/.445 and produced 1.4 WAR. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but they’re a clear victory for a guy with 85 career games spread across four seasons entering 2022.

The last two spots go to a pair of power hitters with very different styles. Cavan Biggio got displaced by Semien in 2021, but he still posted a solid 12.6% walk rate. He will return to the keystone position looking to recapture the magic of his rookie season (.234/.364/.429). Rougned Odor, meanwhile, is as a free-swinging as it gets, as evident by his career 5.8 BB rate. He signed a one-year deal with the Orioles before the lockout to provide a stopgap to a younger player.

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