The Boston Red Sox received much offseason hype after the addition of Alex Bregman and the expected debuts of their top prospects.
Despite their additions and returns, including a healthy Trevor Story, who's played just over one season's worth of games since he signed with Boston in 2022, the Sox are experiencing many of the same issues they struggled with last season. Their insane number of early strikeouts immediately comes to mind.
Besides their series against the Cardinals, the Red Sox have been pretty well kept off the scoreboard by opposing pitchers in the first weeks of the campaign. Kevin Gausman, in particular, made quick work of Boston's bats on April 9, when he allowed just one run and fanned 10 Red Sox at a freezing Fenway Park. Boston finished that night with 14 strikeouts compared to Toronto's four.
It's well established that the Sox have been striking out a lot, but have other teams struggled just as much? (Spoiler alert: No.) Here's how the MLB standings would look on April 14 if striking out was the goal.
MLB Standings ordered by strikeouts: Red Sox swing and miss even more than you think
Team | Number of strikeouts |
|---|---|
Boston Red Sox | 165 |
Colorado Rockies | 160 |
Los Angeles Dodgers | 151 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 151 |
Detroit Tigers | 148 |
Atlanta Braves | 146 |
Chicago Cubs | 145 |
New York Yankees | 145 |
San Francisco Giants | 143 |
Miami Marlins | 138 |
Milwaukee Brewers | 138 |
Seattle Mariners | 138 |
Cincinnati Reds | 137 |
Los Angeles Angels | 134 |
Chicago White Sox | 131 |
Houston Astros | 131 |
Washington Nationals | 128 |
Cleveland Guardians | 127 |
Minnesota Twins | 126 |
Kansas City Royals | 125 |
St. Louis Cardinals | 125 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 124 |
Baltimore Orioles | 122 |
Texas Rangers | 122 |
Athletics | 113 |
Tampa Bay Rays | 113 |
Toronto Blue Jays | 113 |
New York Mets | 110 |
Arizona Diamondbacks | 104 |
San Diego Padres | 103 |
Before the start of their April 14-16 series with the Rays, the Red Sox lead MLB with 165 strikeouts in 17 games, which averages out to 9.7 strikeouts per game. The Rockies come in a close second in terms of total Ks, but they've played two fewer games than the Sox, so their average of 10.67 strikeouts per game is actually higher.
Still, the Red Sox are far higher up the ranks than they should be, especially compared to some of their American League East rivals. The Rays and Blue Jays are tied for the fourth-fewest strikeouts, along with the A's, and the Orioles are tied with the Rangers for the fifth-fewest. If Boston hopes to place at or near the top of the division this season, it needs to get on base far more often, but the Yankees' placement is proof that strikeouts aren't everything. New York has struck out 145 times, but hit 28 homers and scored 95 runs. Meanwhile, the Red Sox have recorded 12 homers and 77 runs.
Even Boston's most consistent bats have struggled early on this season. Triston Casas, who usually has an impeccable eye for the strike zone, has racked up 16 strikeouts and four walks in 15 games. Jarren Duran has more strikeouts than he does hits 16 games in, with 19 and 16, respectively. Rafael Devers' rough start has been well-established, and although he's mostly fixed his average, he still leads the team with 25 Ks.
There are still some bright spots in the Sox's batting order, though. Wilyer Abreu has played just as many games as Devers, but has only fanned 12 times. Ceddanne Rafaela, who posted a 22nd-percentile strikeout rate last year, is up to the 79th percentile this year, with nine strikeouts in 15 games. He's still not making great contact, however, and is batting just .220/.291/.260.
Something has to change at the plate for the Red Sox to be successful in a tight AL playoff picture. They finished the 2024 season with the third most strikeouts in MLB (1,570) and they seem to be headed for a similar fate this year. It's still early in the season and the Sox may still be warming up, but they need to shake their over-aggression at the plate and find a way to see the ball better soon.