With the MLB season only a week old, the Red Sox have been impressive. This isn’t a surprise to many, as they were expected to be a contender this year. After the Yankees acquired Stanton from the Marlins in the offseason, many people picked New York to win the division. So far the Red Sox have lost once in their first ten games and just clubbed the Yankees in their series opener. The Yankees were given the edge because of their offense, but so far this season they’ve struggled while the Red Sox haven’t. Their are many reasons why the Red Sox have been so good, and there are signs they can sustain it for the whole season.
One major question for the Red Sox this offseason was Hanley Ramirez. Last year Hanley struggled when he was expected to be a big part of replacing David Ortiz. So far this year he looks locked in. He already has eleven runs batted in and is hitting well over .300. When Hanley is healthy, he has the ability to be the power bat the Red Sox were missing last year. In the offseason the Red Sox countered the Yankees acquisition of Stanton by signing J.D. Martinez. The Sox big acquisition has yet to show the form he did last year for Arizona down the stretch. As of late he has been better as he settles into Boston. The key for this offense is the Red Sox young core, which includes Mookie Betts, Andrew Beinetndi, and Rafael Devers. Of those three, Benintendi is the only one who has struggled, but in the Sox last five games he is catching fire. Other than the addition of Martinez, the sox didn’t make any major changes. They believe in this young core and so far they haven’t disappointed.
The Red Sox have been so dominate, not because of only their offense, but their pitching as well. The Sox front three of Price, Sale, and Porcello has been special. Sale has been masterful as always, and Price hasn’t given up a run in his first two starts. Entering the season, this group had a lot of question marks. People wondered if Price could regain his dominant form, and it was uncertain which Rick Porcello would show up. All of these pitchers have shown Cy Young stuff, as Sale is the only one of the three not to have won the award. With these three pitching to their capabilities, the Sox offense won’t have to be dominate to win games. The Red Sox are also missing Drew Pomeranz, who last year won sixteen games and finally lived up to his high ceiling.
This team does still have question marks, as their bullpen has struggled. They have also been fortunate, as nine of their first ten games have been against the Rays and Marlins. Both of those teams are not expected to be competitive this year. On Tuesday night the Sox faced a playoff caliber team in the Yankees and looked dominate. Their is still a lot of baseball to be played, and things could change. So far the Red Sox have looked like a team determined to win. The rest of the league could be in for a surprise.
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