Story preaches truth on Red Sox offense: ‘Man, we have a sick lineup’ initially appeared on NBC Sports Boston
No matter their possibilities within the rugged American League East, the Red Sox no less than know this a lot — they’ll mash.
That was Trevor Story‘s epiphany when he regarded on the lineup card earlier than his spring debut on Wednesday and turned to teammate Xander Bogaerts.
“I looked at the board and I was like, ‘Man, we have a sick lineup, a deep lineup,'” Story informed reporters after singling and driving in a run in a 10-7 victory over the Braves.
Tomase: Advanced metrics can’t quantify what Bogaerts means to the Red Sox
He is proper on that rely, and it is value remembering because the Purple Sox put together to open the season subsequent week in New York with questions on their rotation and bullpen and protection, however no such considerations about what ought to be one in every of baseball’s greatest offenses.
The lineup supervisor Alex Cora despatched out on Wednesday might be what we’ll see towards right-handed pitching, together with subsequent Thursday towards Yankees ace Gerrit Cole on Opening Day. No matter else occurs, the Purple Sox ought to be capable to slug their technique to victories whereas checking out the remainder of the roster.
Once we spotlight the power of the lineup, we’re actually speaking the primary six spots within the order.
Kiké Hernández returns because the leadoff man after a monstrous postseason that noticed him hit .408 with 5 residence runs. However it’s not like his success was restricted to October. He posted an .832 OPS within the second half that may’ve been even higher, besides a bout with COVID left him weakened for many of September. As it’s, from July 1 by way of his analysis in late August, Hernández hit .288 with a .939 OPS. That hitter we noticed rampaging by way of Tampa and Houston was mainly there in July and August, too.
There is a massive change atop the order proper behind him, with Rafael Devers sliding again into the two-hole, no less than towards righties. In the event you consider within the adage of batting your greatest hitter second, then Devers is again the place he belongs. A scarcity of left-right steadiness compelled Devers to hit largely fourth or fifth final 12 months, however throughout a breakout 2019, Devers did most of his harm batting second.
The house of sluggers like Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, and Freddie Freeman, the two-hole is now not about Marty Barrett-style bat management, however energy and manufacturing. Devers ought to present fast thunder.
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If opposing pitchers survive that encounter, their job will get no simpler when Bogaerts steps to the plate. One of the vital quietly productive hitters in baseball, Bogaerts arrived in Fort Myers wanting even larger and stronger, and it would not be stunning if he data his second 30-homer season. At 29, Bogaerts is coming into the section of his profession the place he has seen all the pieces pitchers have to supply and nonetheless possesses the bodily abilities to take advantage of that data.
Batting cleanup, J.D. Martinez is aware of the sensation. His breakout 45-homer season between Detroit and Arizona occurred at age 29 in 2017, and he has saved on producing ever since. Regardless of cooling after a sizzling begin final 12 months, he nonetheless hit .286 with 28 homers and a league-leading 42 doubles. He stays an elite middle-of-the-order menace, particularly if the Purple Sox can add a right-handed hitting outfielder who permits him to remain at DH as a lot as attainable, since he hit simply .222 in 135 at-bats as an outfielder final 12 months.
Subsequent up is Alex Verdugo, final 12 months’s No. 2 hitter who appeared to unlock his greatest strategy within the playoffs and hopes to hold it into 2022. When Verdugo is true, he sprays the ball to all fields, runs into the occasional residence run, and performs with great vitality. He rediscovered his selectivity within the second half after a nasty July, and carried it proper by way of to October.
The lineup supervisor Alex Cora despatched out on Wednesday might be what we’ll see towards right-handed pitching, together with subsequent Thursday towards Yankees ace Gerrit Cole on Opening Day. No matter else occurs, the Purple Sox ought to be capable to slug their technique to victories whereas checking out the remainder of the roster.
John Tomase on Boston’s loaded lineup
Verdugo’s left-handed bat additionally permits Cora to interrupt up his right-handed hitters in entrance of Story within the six-hole. The previous Rockies All-Star batted primarily second in Colorado, and he’ll doubtless return there towards left-handed pitching. However beginning him decrease within the order permits him to ease into the lineup with out fast stress, and it also needs to spring him to make use of his velocity in part of the order the place Cora could attempt to manufacture runs.
We’ll see if the lineup stretches to seven spots based mostly on first baseman Bobby Dalbec, who hit 25 homers final 12 months throughout an up-and-down marketing campaign however is within the midst of a superb spring. If Dalbec can restrict his swing and miss and faucet into his pure energy, the Purple Sox will run seven deep, at which level no matter they get from Jackie Bradley Jr. and Christian Vazquez on the backside of the order might be purely bonus materials.
As Cora thought of his membership’s offensive potential on Wednesday, he sounded giddy with anticipation.
“It’s a good one,” Cora informed reporters. “I know there’s a lot of good lineups out there, but ours is up there, too.”
