The Boston Red Sox are off to a fantastic start in 2016. After two years in the cellar of the American League East, Boston currently has the most wins in the AL and are in a virtual tie for first place in the division. They have the best run differential in the AL (+57) and have five everyday starters hitting over .300. A sixth, Dustin Pedroia, is hitting .299. But while the Red Sox continue to tear the cover off the ball, the pitching is leaving a lot to be desired. From ace David Price on down, the Sox staff has been spoiled by the run support. Is it time to cash in on some of these hot hitters to solidify the staff? Or should the management at Fenway Park let it ride and hope that the hitting regressing and the pitching progressing towards the mean will still produce results?
David Price is 6-1, but he has not had the makings of the $200 million man the Red Sox splurged on this winter. He’s struck out a league best 70 batters, but those that are making contact with opposing bats are getting hit on a rope. His low walk count is keeping his 5.53 ERA from being even uglier. The key stat for Price though has been the aforementioned run support. The southpaw has been the beneficiary of the most support in the American League, at 6.89 runs per start. He’s said to have fixed the problems he’s had with his delivery, but nearly seven runs a game is a tough ask to maintain for an entire season.
Joining Price on that list of most supported starters is Rick Porcello and Clay Buchholz. While Porcello is has continued his image revival from late last year through the first month and change, his 6 runs of support per game have allowed him to attack the zone more ferociously than last season. Clay Buchholz gets the fifth most run support at 5.63 per, but has squandered said support on numerous occasions. Steven Wright gets a measly 4 runs per game, but he has been the most effective Red Sox starter thus far. And even at a run and a half behind his colleagues, Wright gives Boston the only foursome of starters in the top 30 of run support in the AL.
But what about those providing all that support in putting crooked numbers up on that Green Monster scoreboard? While the Red Sox continue to look for answers internally pitching-wise, their tremendous hitters could be their salvation.
Jackie Bradley Jr. is in the midst of a 24 game hitting streak. He’s hit .402 with 6 home runs during this improbable run, the tenth longest in team history. For the season, he’s hitting .338 with 7 homers and 32 RBI and an MLB-best 4 triples. To put it in perspective, Bradley thus far is half way to his home run total from the past three years combined. His previous career high in batting average was last year at .249. Bradley has always been lauded for his defense, but this sudden power surge and on-base ability has given him more value than ever.
Another player playing vastly above his head at the moment is Travis Shaw. Even before he was splitting belts, Shaw had won the Red Sox third base job outright from Pablo Sandoval. A utility guy a season ago, Shaw has flourished with positional stability. He’s hit .318, third best among AL third basemen, with an OPS of .941. After a fairly productive rookie campaign, the Mayor of Ding Dong City is on pace to best even his best of minor league seasons.
David Ortiz is doing typical Big Papi things on his retirement tour. Xander Bogaerts is fulfilling the promise that so many had for him as the jewel of the Red Sox youth movement. Dustin Pedroia is once again the Laser Show. None of these men are getting a change of address this season. Bradley and Shaw have made themselves commodities in a market starved for players of their ilk. The Red Sox have an uber-utility man in Brock Holt to fill in the gap before the rapidly rising Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers make it to the Show. Selling high on Bradley and Shaw before their inevitable slumping makes the most sense. They can bolster their pitching in the present while not completely selling out the future.
If you were Red Sox management would you cash in? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter at myself @TREVORutley or the site @sportsftb.