Red Sox Line-Ups With 4+ Regular LH-Batters
Posted by Steve Lombardi on December 9, 2010
How many times have the Boston Red Sox had 4+ batters in a season qualify for the batting title?
Here's the list:
| Rk | Year | Tm | Lg | #Matching | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2003 | Boston Red Sox | AL | 4 | Johnny Damon / Trot Nixon / David Ortiz / Todd Walker |
| 2 | 1985 | Boston Red Sox | AL | 4 | Wade Boggs / Bill Buckner / Mike Easler / Rich Gedman |
| 3 | 1949 | Boston Red Sox | AL | 4 | Billy Goodman / Johnny Pesky / Ted Williams / Al Zarilla |
| 4 | 1930 | Boston Red Sox | AL | 4 | Cedric Durst / Russ Scarritt / Phil Todt / Earl Webb |
| 5 | 1928 | Boston Red Sox | AL | 4 | Buddy Myer / Doug Taitt / Phil Todt / Ken Williams |
| 6 | 1916 | Boston Red Sox | AL | 4 | Larry Gardner / Dick Hoblitzell / Harry Hooper / Pinch Thomas |
| 7 | 1915 | Boston Red Sox | AL | 4 | Larry Gardner / Dick Hoblitzell / Harry Hooper / Tris Speaker |
| 8 | 1909 | Boston Red Sox | AL | 4 | Doc Gessler / Harry Lord / Amby McConnell / Tris Speaker |
| 9 | 1908 | Boston Red Sox | AL | 4 | Doc Gessler / Harry Lord / Amby McConnell / Denny Sullivan |
.
So, will 2011 be the first time that the Red Sox have five such batters?
December 9th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
"So, will 2011 be the first time that the Red Sox have five such batters?"
Gonzalez, Crawford, Drew....
The acquisition of Crawford is the final nail in Ellsbury's coffin, and Kalish will be the fourth OF at best and most likely won't get enough time to qualify.
Forgot about Ortiz for a second, but he probably won't see many lefties, so if he qualifies, it won't be by much.
December 9th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
The 1915-1916 Sox had a Babe Ruth in the rotation. That added a formidable 5th lefty every fourth day. Ruth led the Sox in HR outright in 1915 and was tied for the lead in 1916.
December 9th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Only the 1980 Sox had no left-handed batters who qualified for the batting title. Fred Lynn missed qualifying by 34 plate appearances.
December 9th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
#1, you think the red sox are going to give up on Ellsbury? I really doubt that. I anticipate a trade of Drew or Cameron.
December 9th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Cameron could be dealt. Or he could be an expensive 4th OFer. Kalish will NOT be a 4th OFer-------they want him to get ABs, so that means Pawtucket for him until September call ups.
December 9th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
I think Boston would have used Ellsbury as a chip if they needed to in order to get a coveted player, like an A-Gon. They won't likely move him just because they have depth in the OF, though.
December 9th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Man the Red Sox are going to be good.
December 9th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
crazy idea:
trade drew, scutaro, and prospects to kc for grienke, gordon. then go out and sign a cheap RHB defensive SS, or trade a starter for him and a prospect.
drew for gordon saves $ on the lineup and gordon's batting totals improve in fenway. grienke gets pitching help to sox, and you can unload salary from another pitcher.
December 9th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
crazy idea:
how about some team not named the Yankees or Red Sox automatically get the top 5 free agents every single &*#^$Q#@*& year
December 9th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Ellsbury burned his bridges playing the diva role last year.
Plus, he's not that good to begin with.
And don't forget Darnell McDonald is in the mix for a reserve OF role as well.
If the acquisition of Crawford is going to take at bats from anyone, it's Ellsbury.
December 9th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
"Man the Red Sox are going to be good."
Really? They lost Beltre (OPS .919) and Martinez (OPS .844) and added Crawford (.851) and Gonzalez (.904). Are they really going to improve on a team that came nowhere near the playoffs? Well, they might if they can stay healthy, but their off-season moves don't seem all that signficant.
December 9th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
"They lost Beltre (OPS .919) and Martinez (OPS .844) and added Crawford (.851) and Gonzalez (.904). Are they really going to improve on a team that came nowhere near the playoffs?"
Context is important, as Gonzalez is moving from the game's best pitcher's park to one of the game's best hitters parks, Beltre was likely to regress significantly even if he stayed, and OPS significantly understates Crawford's value on offense, never mind defense. And then there's the fact that the Sox were in contention in the final week of the season (not exactly "nowhere near" the postseason) despite an incredible run of injuries.
December 9th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
They were in contention in the final week? They were 6.5 games out with 7 games left with one week to go? Yes, injuries were the story last season, but replacing Martinez and Beltre doesn't solve that problem.
December 9th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Keep in mind most (if not more) the defense the Sox are getting with Crawford, they are losing with Beltre. Also, Gonzalez/Crawford versus what Martinez/Beltre did last year isn't exactly a huge difference. I would rather have Gonzalez/Crawford going forward, but just in terms of what the Sox did in 2010 versus what they will do in 2011, I don't see their offense or defense upgrading all that much. They were second in the league in runs scored last year after all.
The only way the Red Sox win the East is if their pitching staff is better then it was last year. They only had four guys with an ERA+ over 100.
December 9th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
If the Red Sox do trade Drew they, most likely, would have to pick up a big chunk of his $14 million salary. Makes more sense to hang on to him for the final year of his contract and explore a deal involving Ellsbury. Let Cameron platoon with and groom Kalish.
December 9th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
Beltre's loss at third will be felt, but a GG lefty first baseman and a speedy GG left fielder at Fenway will erase his memory. Martinez will never be more than what he is, an above average DH.
December 9th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
Wow. Some people here seem to be thinking the AL East is going to be as tough next year as it was this year. Personally, I can't see that happening. The Yanks keep getting older, and one of these years, that bubble has to burst. The Rays lost like their entire team. The O's are still the O's, and the Jays have no pitching. I can't see how the Sox aren't the favorites right now, especially if they can get Bucholz over 200 innings.
And:
Adrian Beltre - 141 OPS+
Victor Martinez - 122 OPS+
Carl Crawford - 134 OPS+
Adrian Gonzalez - 152 OPS+
I'd say the new guys are better. The only problem is that they're not replacing the old guys (in terms of defensive position, I mean).
December 10th, 2010 at 2:16 am
2010:
Pedroia - Injured, missed 85 games
Youkilis - Injured, missed 60 games
Ellsbury - Injured, missed 140 games
Plus Carl Crawford + Jacoby Ellsbury's speed should = 100+ SB total
missing from 2010 Red Sox.
Adrian Gonzalez in a hitters' park instead of Petco Park, & now he is supported by better hitters than in SD: Youk, Pedroia, Crawford, Ortiz, etc.
The 2011 Red Sox will have the best lineup in MLB and will easily outscore the 2010 Red Sox, the Yankees and every other team in MLB.
December 10th, 2010 at 11:34 am
NYTimes ran a timely table today showing the platoon splits of Boston's 5 lefty-hitting regulars (including Gonzalez & Crawford). Unfortunately, they showed only the 2010 splits. Here are the career numbers, showing OBP vs. LHP/RHP, then the same for OPS:
-- Crawford: .315/.346 ..... .697/.817
-- Gonzalez: .338/.382 ..... .783/.919
-- Ortiz: .331/.395 ..... .795/.972
-- Drew: .358/.397 ..... .780/.921
-- Ellsbury: .359/.339 ..... .752/.747
Gonzalez did hit .337 against lefties last year, but without any real increase in his HR rate. Ortiz and Drew were (famously) awful vs. LHP last year; their career splits are more normal, which still represents a significant gap. Surprised to see that Crawford has a big split; his career HR rate vs. LHP is about half his rate against righties.
December 10th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
The Red Sox have the edge in pitching and defense, maybe bench as well.
But when you count the eight regulars who run out every single day, the Yankees are still better.
December 10th, 2010 at 11:49 pm
After the Yanks back up the Brinks truck to Lee's house I say the Yanks and Sox are clearly the two best teams in baseball, and that the edge can't really be given to one or the other of them. Even if Beckett continues his decline, Dice-K continues to be hit or miss, if Burnett continues to pitch as if he has a secret case of Alien Hand Syndrome, even if Posada can't stay healthy, even if Varitek's massive regression over the course of the season continues, even if Gonzo's shoulder isn't 100%, even if Ortiz and Teixeira have a secret bet on who can suck the longest to start the season, even if ... and so on.
What I see happening is the AL East getting back to 'normal', NYY/BOS 1-2, in some order, an AL West and AL Central team getting assassinated in the ALDS, and the first "proper" ALCS since The Comeback.
'bout time.
December 11th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
None containing Yaz and only one with Teddy Ballgame.
December 12th, 2010 at 9:32 am
"None containing Yaz and only one with Teddy Ballgame."
I didn't check the Williams years, but some of these are close:
1975
Yaz: 674 PA's
Doyle 337 PA's
Lynn 605
Carbo:407
Cooper: 333
1976
Miller: 313 PA's
Yaz:636
Lynn:566
Cooper:483
Doyle 461
December 13th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Two biggest needs on offense. Two decent RH bats to platoon with Papi and Drew. Cameon will be needed to spell Ellsbury.For Drew, I would sign Reed Johnson who has a lifetime .400 plus OBP against lefties. For Papi? Manny! Even Manny realizes this is the role he is still capable of.As Papi's pal, David might not get his nose bent out of shape during games that he sits.Manny,healthy,at Fenway,against lefties only, would give the Sox a prolific DH.Another idea would be to trade Ells for Mike Napoli. A 20 plus RH, HR bat behind the plate would go along way to helping agains't lefties in the AL East.For the Halos, they need one more good outfielder which Ells would provide.