The Red Sox Need To Make Some Lineup Changes Immediately
The Red Sox have scored two runs or less in 13 of their first 19 games this month, averaging 2.3 runs per game, which means it’s time to start shaking things up in the lineup.
Here are the updated numbers with runners in scoring position after the Red Sox went 0-for-6 on Thursday night: .199/.289/.348. Their batting average is the worst in the American League, second worst in baseball; their on-base percentage is the worst in baseball, and their slugging percentage is the second worst in the American League. Here’s what the Red Sox have to do to fix this catastrophe.
Move Dustin Pedroia to the leadoff spot: Yeah, I know that Dustin Pedroia hates leading off, but guess what? It’s what’s best for the team, so suck it up. Out of 176 qualified players in the MLB, Pedroia ranks 164th in batting average with runners in scoring position (.154), 168th in on-base percentage (.222), and 170th in slugging percentage (.179). However, with the bases empty, Pedroia is hitting .283/.383/.467, with his on-base percentage ranking 11th in the American League. Pedroia also has a .500 on-base percentage this season when he leads off an inning.
Ironically, Boston’s leadoff hitter Mookie Betts has been the polar opposite. Betts is hitting .217/.268/.400 with the bases empty, and .290/.342/.419 with runners in scoring position, so it only makes sense to put him in a spot in the lineup where he’ll get more opportunities to hit with men on base, but I wouldn’t exactly propose a flip-flop between the two. I think there’s someone better suited for the two-hole.
Move Xander Bogaerts up to the two spot: Xander Bogaerts has primarily been hitting out of the 8th spot in the order this year, where he’s hitting .289/.336/.430 and is definitely worthy of a promotion in the lineup. I think that Pedroia and Bogaerts make the perfect combination atop the Red Sox lineup to set the table for the middle of the order.
Move Mike Napoli down in the order: This situation has been extremely puzzling for me. How do you go from having a 1.342 OPS in spring training to what Napoli has become this year? I get that it’s spring training, and spring training numbers don’t matter, but the power that he displayed (6 HR in 40 ABs) really made it seem like we were on the verge of seeing a monster season from Napoli. That’s obviously not the case, as out of 176 qualified players in baseball, Napoli ranks 173rd in batting average (.178), 156th in on-base percentage (.274) and 167th in slugging percentage (.310). Napoli has been hitting in the fifth and sixth spots in the batting order, but that can’t happen anymore until he figures it out. One of those spots in the order should now be occupied by this next guy.
Call up Rusney Castillo: What the fuck is going on here? The Red Sox rank dead last in all of baseball at the right field position in every statistical category you can think of, hitting .156/.255/.241. Meanwhile, the Red Sox are paying Rusney Castillo to mash baseballs for the PawSox. The rumor was that Castillo was going to join the Red Sox after the birth of his child, and then I look up and he’s in the lineup for the PawSox last night. What the fuck are we waiting for? Can he really be worse than anything we have up here now? I guess not, because they’re already the worst team at that position and you can’t be worse than the worst. Yeah, Shane Victorino has been hot lately, but he got scratched from the lineup on Thursday night with a strained vagina. It’s nice to see Victorino string together a few hits, but he’s made it very clear that you can’t depend on him every day. Get Castillo up here now.
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