Filling in the Blanks

As the Red Sox square off with the lowly Mariners for game one of today's double-header, Sox fans can look ahead a couple days to the biggest series of the season so far. Six back from both the division and wild card spots, Boston heads to Tampa for a three game series against a Rays team that has won 11 of their last 14 games. With 30 games to go, unless Boston sweeps it is hard to see them snagging a playoff spot, much ado to their injury woes. But that isn't the issue I am addressing. The problem with the Red Sox is how boring of a team they have become. And the fans certainly agree. TV and radio ratings have been down as much as almost 40% over the course of the season, even while the team stands at 18 games above .500! Much of this can be attributed to injuries to star players, such as Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia. Sox nation has also been distraught by the horrid pitching, notably from the bullpen. Nothing was done at the trade deadline, and there has been speculation since the beginning of the season that Theo Epstein was using 2010 as a “transition year” by waiting for the future stars to mature in the minors. Ultimately, there are two glaring weaknesses the Red Sox roster possesses.

The first is the lack of an “attractive” player. Since the departure of Manny Ramirez, the Red Sox have lacked that marquee name that casual baseball fans come to the ballpark to see. Youk, Pedroia, Lester, Bard, Ortiz, and Beltre all have had terrific seasons and any team would love to have them, but the fact is that none are marquee players. Players that would fall under this category are more along the lines of Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, Joe Mauer, Mark Texieria, Roy Halladay, Tim Lincecum, Prince Fielder, Johan Santana, or CC Sabathia to name a few. Even up-and-coming superstars, like Joey Votto, Ike Davis, Austin Jackson, Stephen Strausberg, Evan Longoria and Josh Johnson bring in fans with their aura. As Red Sox fans with two World Series victories since 2004, we are jaded and expect big names from the outrageously high payroll the team boasts. As a team that can afford top players, Sox fans expect to see ace quality starting pitchers, and sluggers that hit 40 home runs without breaking a sweat. It is true that since the conclusion of the 2004 World Series, only 33 players have hit 40 or more home runs in a season. Manny did it for the Sox in 2005, and Ortiz in 2005 and 2006, but since 2006 only Ortiz and Jason Bay have reached even the 36 home run plateau. This year? Ortiz leads the team with 27 home runs, good for tenth in baseball. But that isn't enough for the fans. Home runs lead to higher scoring, more exciting games, both of which the Red Sox have had plenty of, but they lack the “big-name” presence in their lineup since the departure of Manny.

The second glaring yet overlooked weakness is the lead-off spot. The Sox had the third best average in the MLB from the lead-off spot in Johnny Damon's final year in 2005. He led-off almost every game, and batted .312 with a healthy .363 OBP. Since then, the Red Sox have tried numerous players in the one spot, only to come up short. In order from 2006 to this season, Sox lead-off hitters have batted .260, .266, .256, .276, and .266 for the season. They have experimented with Youkilis, JD Drew, Coco Crisp, Julio Lugo, Jacoby Ellsbury, Pedroia, and Marco Scutaro, none of which have worked out consistently. Even more important than average in OBP by the one hitter, in which the Sox have also faltered. Since 2006, Ellsbury/Scutaro/Lugo have led off the most, and the Sox haven't ranked higher than 22^nd in the MLB in lead-off OBP. Any baseball fan knows you can't score runs if there is no one on base, and although they won the World Series in 2007 with poor leadoff production, the statistics do not reflect the late-season call-up and postseason heroics of Jacoby Ellsbury, leading to the false notion that he was the future of the Red Sox in the one hole.

The solution to both of these problems? It remains to be seen, but I have a few suggestions as you will see in the upcoming post. Until then, wish the Sox much luck.