Three-time Silver Slugger Carlos Delgado offers Alex Cora advice about the team’s offense woes
Three-time Silver Slugger Carlos Delgado offers Alex Cora advice about the team’s offense woes
The Red Sox rank 20th in the league with a .229 batting average
The Red Sox offense is struggling mightily at the plate this season. Manager Alex Cora’s offense ranks towards the bottom in many offensive categories. To begin the season, Boston ranks 20th in batting average (.229), 29th in walks (52), 26th in on-base percentage (.279), 25th in home runs (13) and 23rd in runs (81).
What was considered to be the strength of the team has been just the opposite.
“The bottom line is we’ve got to swing the bats,” said Cora during the Orioles series. “We had a horrible month in April. We didn’t do our job.”
One of the big concerns is the lack of walks at the plate. Boston has been over aggressive at the plate resulting in poor at-bats. Opposing teams can sit back and pick apart any batter in the Red Sox lineup because their lack of being selective at the dish.
All-Star Xander Bogaerts is the only player that seems locked in at the plate. Bogaerts is hitting .369 on the season but his lack of power at the plate is slightly concerning. He has only hit one home run in 84 at-bats this season.
Former big league first baseman Carlos Delgado weighed in on the Red Sox hitting woes. Delgado texted Cora and offered advice on how to help.
"When we go through stuff like this, I like talking to him because he has a different perspective,” Cora said. “This guy hit [473] home runs. but the mental side of it made him great. Carlos said it perfectly, 'Don't be in that rush to make an out. What's the point? If you get your pitch, great. But if you don't, just take it. Get the at-bat going and then see what happens 3-1, 3-2, 2-0.’ We haven't been able to do that.
It’s important to note that MLB batting averages across the league are down. J.D. Martinez offered his theory as to why the offense is struggling.
“I think the shortened spring has something to do with it,” said Martinez. “I don’t think a lot of guys got to tweak (their swings). During Spring Training, you always see guys tweaking. I feel like you want to struggle in spring because that’s when you get to try to see if it works.”
The Red Sox have Monday off and will look to rebound as they return home to Fenway Park. Boston will play host to the Los Angeles Angels, but, they may catch a break with Shohei Ohtani dealing with a groin injury.
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