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3 reasons why the Red Sox offense is struggling to begin the 2022 season

By Sean Penney

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 6: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox follows through on a home run against the New York Yankees during the AL Wild Card playoff game at Fenway Park on October 6, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 6: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox follows through on a home run against the New York Yankees during the AL Wild Card playoff game at Fenway Park on October 6, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) /
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Red Sox OF Alex Verdugo
FT. MYERS, FL – MARCH 24: Alex Verdugo #99 of the Boston Red Sox warms up during a spring training team workout on March 24, 2022 at jetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

The Red Sox aren’t the only offense struggling

The Red Sox were third in the majors with a .261 batting average last season, which leads us to believe that something must be wrong when they are hitting a meager .225 so far this year. However, the decline is part of a league-wide trend.

Only 11 teams currently own a batting average above .240 this season, down from 18 teams a year ago. The league has seen a steeper drop in the power department with only nine teams producing a slugging percentage above .400, down from 21 teams last year.

The Blue Jays lead the majors with 22 home runs, putting them on pace for 222. That total wouldn’t have cracked the top-five last season and is well behind the pace for the league-leading 262 homers that Toronto tallied in 2021. Only 10 teams have hit 16+ home runs this year, which would be about an average of one per game for most clubs. Only three teams hit fewer than 162 homers last year so if the league maintains its current pace, the majority of teams will hit fewer than last year’s worst lineups.

It’s hardly unusual for run production to be suppressed early in the season when many teams are playing in colder weather. The ball tends to fly further when the weather heats up so offensive production will inevitably improve as we head towards summer.

This doesn’t fully explain Boston’s struggles considering how poorly they compare to their peers across the majors. However, the decline isn’t as drastic as it appears when put into the proper perspective.

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