3 hitters who can bring much-needed power to Red Sox lineup in 2023

The Boston Red Sox have overhauled their lineup for the 2023 season. While there are some exciting new additions to look forward to watching this year, we're left to wonder where the power production will come from in this revamped offense.

Power (or lack thereof) was a problem for the Red Sox in 2022

The Red Sox were below average in the power department last season, ranking 20th in the majors with 155 home runs and 17th with a .152 ISO, per FanGraphs. Spending half their games in the friendly confines of Fenway Park helped maintain their tradition of leading the majors in doubles and boosted their slugging percentage to a respectable .409, which ranked 9th in the majors.

Boston was starved for the long ball though. Rafael Devers led the team with 27 home runs but he was the only one who cracked 20. Trevor Story tied for second on the team with 16 despite being limited to 94 games by two separate stints on the injured list. Story could add some pop to the lineup for the stretch run but he's expected to miss most of this season recovering from elbow surgery. J.D. Martinez (16 home runs) and Xander Bogaerts (15) bolted in free agency over the winter.

That's three of the top four home run hitters from last year's lineup who we can't count on to be among the team leaders this season. How will a club that was already struggling in this department make up for those loses?

Justin Turner should sufficiently replace Martinez in the designated hitter role. His 116 OPS+ last season was nearly identical to Martinez's (117). The power is beginning to fade for the 38-year-old though. Turner's 13 home runs last season represented his lowest total in a full season since 2014. Turner can still hit and should rack up plenty of doubles at Fenway but the Red Sox aren't counting on him to be a home run threat.

Masataka Yoshida has a reputation for being an excellent contact hitter but it remains to be seen if the home run power he displayed in Japan will translate to MLB. Yoshida has shown an impressive ability to hit the ball hard to all fields even if none of those balls cleared the fence during his brief time in camp before departing to join Japan for the World Baseball Classic. The Red Sox are optimistic about what Yoshida's bat can bring to the lineup but it would be premature to expect him to be among the top power threats.

While the pair of high-profile newcomers might only provide modest power, the Red Sox have a few hitters who should deliver in the middle of the lineup.

A Red Sox rookie with major power potential: Triston Casas

First base was a wasteland for the Red Sox last season. Boston ranked 28th in the majors at the position with a .210 AVG, 24th with a .369 SLG, and 22nd with 25 home runs. The emergence of Triston Casas will lead to first base being among the most significant upgrades the Red Sox made for this year.

Casas had his first taste of the big leagues at the end of last season. While his woeful .197 batting average suggests he struggled to adapt to the higher level, there were encouraging takeaways from his introduction to the majors.

Triston showed a keen batting eye with an elite 20.0 BB% during his brief time with the Red Sox. His penchant for drawing walks resulted in a strong .358 OBP despite the disappointing AVG. His knack for getting on base will keep him in the lineup through the expected slumps that most rookies endure as they adjust to this level.

He hasn't hit more than 20 home runs in a season at any of the minor league levels but he has posted a slugging percentage of at least .480 in each of the last three years, including a .500 SLG in the minors last year.

He only hit 12 homers in Triple-A last year but he was limited to 76 games by an injury in addition to his time away for the Olympics. Casas led Team USA to a silver medal by leading the tournament with three home runs. Casas hit five home runs in only 76 at-bats with the Red Sox last season, proving he's capable of taking major league pitchers deep.

Triston Casas' swing focuses on driving the ball and getting on base, but the hulking first baseman has the raw power to leave the yard without swinging for the fences every time. The 23-year-old is expected to develop into a power threat and we should see him begin to emerge in his first full season.

A Red Sox outfielder with an impressive power-hitting track record: Adam Duvall

The Adam Duvall signing flew a bit under the radar during the eventful off-season for the Red Sox, but he has tremendous power upside. The veteran outfielder has three seasons with 30+ homers under his belt, including a career-high 38 in 2021.

Duvall underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist last July, limiting him to only 86 games. His 12 home runs were the fewest he has hit in any season in which he appeared in at least 50 games.

Duvall has been above average with a Hard Hit rate of over 40.0% in each of the last three seasons and he ranked in the top 10% of the league in Max Exit Velocity in two of the last three years, per Baseball Savant.

His right-handed bat helps balance a Red Sox lineup that is otherwise more left-hand dominant, and his pull-heavy approach makes Duvall a great fit for Fenway Park where he can target the Green Monster. Duvall has a 33.5 Pull% for his career. Nine of his 12 home runs last season were blasted to left field.

Duvall's profile is similar to Hunter Renfroe, another right-handed pull hitter who the Red Sox acquired in the wake of a down season. Fenway helped Renfroe turn in the best year of his career in 2021, and it just may do the same for Duvall.

Now that he's healthy, expect Adam Duvall to return to the 25+ homer threat that we've seen in the past.