Post by Boston Red Sox on Feb 25, 2019 6:45:10 GMT -5
-- Boston, MA
The Red Sox have been struggling to get star power on the team consistently, missing All-Star game attendance by any players for 2 years straight, and 3 years ago only seeing one player go. This year it all changed with the surging Sox having 4 players representing them in the All-Star game.
1B Cecil Cooper is having a resurgence in Boston, and through the All-Star break is tied for the lead in .OPS with .970 with Yankee rival Gorman Thomas. He's second in batting average behind fellow teammate and All-Star Wade Boggs with a .340 average, finishing his slash at .397/.573, with 20 doubles and 14 home runs, putting him in the top 10 in both categories. If the season ended today he would have a great argument for the MVP award.
SS Wade Boggs saw his second All-Star appearance this season as the defensive wizard seems to have put the pieces back together after his breakout year in 1982 that was followed by a disappointing following two years comparatively. He's leading the league with a .347 average and in hits with 108. With a career high .866 OPS thus far into the year, it could be time for Wade to finally shine.
3B Gary Gray is another resurgent force in the Red Sox lineup, sporting a career high OPS of .821 in the first half. At 32, his first All-Star appearance was surely a career highlight. Gray is leading the league in RBI's with 60, and has slugged 15 home runs, only 6 less than his career high in an entire season. His .297/.341/.480 slashline may not be sustainable for him, but he can coast to a career best year if he plays at 75% of his current production for the remainder of the year.
LF Jim Rice is following the trend of having a career year in this lineup, hitting .307/.344/.536 with 24 doubles (2nd in the league) and 11 home runs. Good for an .880 OPS, he's also still a real threat on the bases with 23 steals in 27 attempts. Rice is in the top 10 in runs and triples as well, making him as much of an all-around threat on the offensive side as the ball as you're going to find anywhere.
The Red Sox have been struggling to get star power on the team consistently, missing All-Star game attendance by any players for 2 years straight, and 3 years ago only seeing one player go. This year it all changed with the surging Sox having 4 players representing them in the All-Star game.
SS Wade Boggs saw his second All-Star appearance this season as the defensive wizard seems to have put the pieces back together after his breakout year in 1982 that was followed by a disappointing following two years comparatively. He's leading the league with a .347 average and in hits with 108. With a career high .866 OPS thus far into the year, it could be time for Wade to finally shine.
