The Boston Red Sox have been one of the worst teams in baseball in 2014, and their offensive ineptitude is a big part of the reason why.
It’s been a dramatic turnaround for a team that ranked as baseball’s best offense in 2013. The Sox are 27th in runs with 483. They’re tied in fifth from last with just 94 homers. They’ve hit just .243/.316/.367 as a team, and their lack of extra-base pop is rivaled only by their lack of creativity on the basepaths.
Fortunately, with good health, a step forward from some young players and fast adjustments by new acquisitions, 2015 could bring just as dramatic a chance for the good.
Forecasting the Red Sox’s 2015 lineup at this point is a tall task. It’s unclear exactly who will be on the roster next year, and we’re not sure of any offseason targets the Sox may be eyeing. In fact, the Sox could sign Rusney Castillo in the next few days, according to MLB Trade Rumors, which would dramatically change the composition of the lineup from the get-go.
But if we assume the Sox will focus on pitching this offseason and leave their lineup relatively intact, we can start to estimate which players will see the most time at specific slots in the batting order. More useful than simply identifying where each starter will be on Opening Day is predicting who will spend the most time at each lineup position throughout the 2015 season.
With that in mind and restricting ourselves to players currently in the Red Sox organization, let’s take a look at how 2015’s lineup could stack up.