The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox finished the 2021 season with identical records and faced off in the AL Wild Card game. Boston won the game and went on to reach the ALCS before ultimately losing to the Astros. The prospect of the Red Sox and Yankees reestablishing their rivalry as two of the best teams in baseball excited fans for the 2022 campaign. While the Yankees have held up their end of the bargain, it is safe to say that the Red Sox have not.
The Red Sox are currently sitting in last place in the AL East. They are the owners of the second worst record in the AL. Boston is laboring and many aren't sure why. After all, the Red Sox feature one of baseball's deepest lineups.
Today, we are taking a look at the main reasons Boston has failed to get things going in 2022.
2 Reasons for the Red Sox atrocious 2022 Start
The Lineup Should be Good, but it isn't
The Boston Red Sox have a number of big time names in their lineup. If a fan were to take a look at the batting order they would assume the Red Sox are one of the better teams in baseball. But only 3 hitters are producing at a high level right now.
Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, and JD Martinez are all posting big numbers so far this season. Each of them has a batting average of over .290 and an OPS is in the 800's. But the rest of the Red Sox lineup has faltered in 2022.
Trevor Story, Alex Verdugo, Bobby Dalbec, and Kike Hernandez standout as the main struggling performers.
Story was signed by Boston to a huge contract over the offseason. However, his first season hasn't just gotten off to an underwhelming beginning, it has been nothing short of disastrous. Story has yet to hit his first home run and is slashing .194/.276/.269 with a .545 OPS. Moving from Colorado to Boston has proven to be a difficult adjustment for the former All-Star, and Boston fans have already begun to voice their displeasure.
Verdugo and Dalbec are young bats who many believed were primed for breakout seasons in 2022. But Verdugo is barely hitting over .200 while Dalbec's average is sitting at an ugly .139 clip. Dalbec is also second on the team with 28 strikeouts behind Story's team leading mark of 35.
And then there is Kike Hernandez. He is slashing .176/.252/.284 to go along with one home run. His versatility is important, but Boston needs him to heat up at the dish.
The remainder of the Red Sox' lineup has labored as well and they need to start hitting before they dig a hole that is too deep to climb out of.
The Red Sox Never Addressed their Pitching Woes
Even when they were playing a quality brand of baseball a season ago, the Red Sox pitching had question marks. The team did not address (other than a few minor moves) their pitching woes entering the 2022 campaign. And their unwillingness to add key arms has been a major reason for their frustrating season up to this point.
Nathan Eovaldi is the constant. The right-hander has an ERA of under 3 and leads Boston in strikeouts. Garret Whitlock is a young arm with loads of potential as well.
But the rest of the Red Sox staff has not pitched great. Rich Hill and Michael Wacha have fared well but they are limited veterans who aren't going to make or break a season.
Tanner Houck and Nick Pivetta have been hit hard so far in 2022. The Red Sox need them to step up and pitch well.
As for the bullpen, they are 23rd in bullpen ERA as of this story's publication. Yikes.
The good news for Red Sox fans is that the season is young. The team will attempt to pull it all together before it is too late.
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