The Boston Red Sox won the American League East in 2017, but that didn’t stop them from adding one of the biggest bats on the free agent market in J.D. Martinez.
After fizzling out in the ALDS against the World Series-champion Houston Astros, Boston will be hoping Martinez will help new manager Alex Cora’s group get over the hump in 2018.
Here is how we predict the Red Sox lining up on opening day March 29 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Batting order
RF – Mookie Betts
LF – Andrew Benintendi
1B – Hanley Ramirez
DH – J.D. Martinez
SS – Xander Bogaerts
3B – Rafael Devers
2B – Eduardo Nunez
CF – Jackie Bradley Jr.
C – Sandy Leon (Christian Vazquez if Chris Sale doesn’t pitch)
With Dustin Pedroia on the disabled list to start the season, Cora will almost certainly tap Betts to bat leadoff. The outfielder spent 81 games atop Boston’s order in 2017 and will force opposing pitchers to bring their A game right out of the gate. Benintendi appears to be a lock to bat second and the 23-year-old will be looking to build on an impressive rookie season in which he posted a .352 on-base percentage with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.
The three-hole is where things start to get interesting in Boston’s lineup. Cora has reportedly tipped his hand that he’ll give Ramirez a look to start the season despite the fact the Dominican Republic native posted the worst batting average of his career last year. They’ll have more options with the linuep when Pedroia returns, but for now it appears Ramirez will be batting third.
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Martinez figures to slide into the cleanup spot and he should take advantage of the small AL East ballparks. The slugger posted a ridiculous 1.066 OPS with 45 home runs last season with the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks and should thrive in Fenway Park. Bogaerts will likely hit behind Martinez, per Cora, although the two-time Silver Slugger would be a candidate to jump to third should Ramirez falter in the role. Former Red Sox manager John Farrell pencilled Bogaerts into the three-spot more than any other batter in 2017.
Devers appeared in 58 games for the Red Sox last season and was a huge boost to a team with question marks at third base. He had a strong .819 OPS in 240 plate appearances after his call-up and if you’re someone who likes to read into spring training numbers, the 21-year-old looks poised for a true breakout 2018. Devers is hitting the cover off the ball this spring to the tune of a .974 OPS.
The bottom three spots have the potential to be fluid, but it appears as though Cora will trot out a trio of Nunez, Bradley and the catcher spot (probably Leon if Sale gets the expected opening day nod on the mound) in that order. Nunez is an interesting choice to hit seventh as he would make for a strong option in the nine-hole due to his ability to get on base and his potential to do some damage with his legs. For now it looks like Boston will give him some burn in the seven-hole.
From there, Bradley will look to bounce back from a disappointing 2017 campaign in a lower-pressure (is there such a thing in Boston?) position in the batting order. He was an all-star in 2016 but saw his numbers drop across the board last year. Rounding things out will be the catching duo of Vazquez and Leon, the latter of whom is Sale’s personal catcher and will therefore likely figure into the lineup on opening day. Both catchers are decent offensive options with Leon just one year removed from a .310 batting average. Even though he probably won’t start on March 29, Vazquez should get the bulk of the work behind the plate. The backstop’s 2017 slashline was a very solid .290/.330/.404 over 99 games.
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