BOSTON, MA – MAY 22: David Ortiz #34 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates after Mookie Betts #50 scored in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park on May 22, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
It’s tough to find a stat that doesn’t tell you the Red Sox are currently the best offense in baseball. After 44 games the Red Sox are first in all of baseball in runs scored, RBIs, batting average and SLG. They place second in OBP to the Chicago Cubs and third in stolen bases. They also rank number one overall in wOBA and wRC+ proving they are truly the best offense in baseball right now after 44 games.
The Red Sox are currently getting contributions from the entire team, but have been lead so far by Jackie Bradley Jr, David Ortiz, Travis Shaw and Xander Bogaerts who all currently rank in the top 30 in wRC+ in all of baseball. You don’t have to go very far for the other starters though as Hanley Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia and Mookie Betts all rank in the top 70 in baseball for wRC+.
As a team the Red Sox are currently hitting .295 with an OBP of .358 and SLG of .485. The team is nearing the top of the league in homers, but their SLG power comes in all forms as they hold first in doubles by 20 (111 to 91 for the Cardinals) and are currently fifth in baseball in triples. This offense is on a historic pace for runs scored. If they kept up what they have done so far they would score around 924 runs this year. That is in the top 80 offenses of all time and the top 30 since 1950.
So far the team has needed this level of offense as the defense has been average with a UZR of -1.0 putting them right in the middle of the league. The same could be said for the team xFIP of 4.08 that ranks 15th in all of baseball right now. It’s thought to say unless Buchholz gets better soon I don’t expect that xFIP to change. David Price will surely get a better ERA and Steven Wright will fall but xFIP accounts for that so expect that to not swing much without a change in pitchers or swing in results from the pitchers.
Until then they will continue to count on a league leading offense with some of the hottest hitters in baseball. While I expect the run totals to drop a bit from the levels we saw the last few weeks I don’t think pitching will be expected to consistently win games 1-0. If the defense can also improve with players like Bradley currently posting lower than normal defensive stats I bet the team could be even better.