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The Boston Red Sox have had trouble of late producing through power. But they've done just fine for themselves through singles and doubles.
The Boston Red Sox have been searching for power since the start of the season. To fix their massive power outage, some believe that they must trade for another big bat. Others believe that guys such as Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez and Xander Bogaerts will finally start mashing the ball. I recently called National Grid to ask if they could help fix the Red Sox's power outage and even they didn't have a solution.
But there may not need to be one.
The Red Sox are currently on a three-game win streak. On Sunday, they avoided getting swept by the Oakland A's and beat them 12-3. On Tuesday, the Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers 11-6. Last night, the Sox beat the Rangers 9-4.
In that span, the Red Sox scored 32 runs, won all three games and hit one home run. That's right: just one home run, and it came from Mitch Moreland.
Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Up to this point in the season, the Red Sox are tied with the San Francisco Giants for last in MLB in home runs with 38 of them. The Washington Nationals, who lead the league in homers, have 69.
Clearly, the Red Sox are not hitting for power. Betts leads the team with seven home runs. Ramirez is right behind him with six, and Moreland and Andrew Benintendi are tied with five. Ramirez will eventually heat up, Betts is already catching fire and Bogaerts, who currently has no home runs, should start hitting for power very soon.
Though some home runs would help, these past three games have proved that the long-ball isn't desperately needed.
In the 12-3 win on Sunday, the Red Sox had 15 hits and only three of them were for extra bases (three doubles). In the 11-6 win on Tuesday, the Sox had 12 hits and again, they hit just three doubles. In the 9-4 win last night, the Red Sox had 12 hits and this time only had one double.
Noticing a trend here? It isn't so much small-ball that's winning them games, but a more contact-oriented game is getting the job done. Through the way in which the top of the order has been set, it's clear that the Red Sox are putting more emphasis on getting on base rather than sheer power.
Betts has been moved into the leadoff spot with Bogaerts batting third. Betts leads the team in homers while Bogaerts has none. Typically, a person leading the team in home runs would bat third or fourth in the order to drive in the guys getting on base at the top. But the Red Sox have taken a much different approach.
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Bogaerts is batting .329 and has been very consistent since the beginning of the season. Betts is batting .281. Manager John Farrell would rather have the powerless, consistent hitter batting third and the powerful, less consistent hitter batting leadoff. It's a puzzling move, but it's been paying dividends. Part of the reason is due to Betts being much more comfortable in the leadoff spot and Bogaerts feeling comfortable in the third slot. Nonetheless, their placement has worked despite the lack of power.
Though their power numbers are down, their on-base percentage ranks fourth in MLB at an impressive .340. They rank sixth in hits with 407. They also rank fifth in doubles with 86 of them. Yes, there is clearly a power outage. But they're still hitting and getting on base, which is what is manufacturing their runs.
In the movie Moneyball, when a scout would bring up a player, Billy Beane would famously ask a simple question: "Does he get on base?"
Beane would like this Red Sox club, because if he were to ask that question about this team, he would get a resounding yes. They get on base and they are scoring runs.
The power will come.
