Needless to say, the 2018 Boston Red Sox are off to a smoking hot start.
Everything seems to be breaking right for the Red Sox, and they find themselves 15-2 through their first 17 games of the season. However, fans of opposing teams haven’t failed to remind Bostonians that not all wins are created equal and that a hot start does not necessarily mean a championship finish. One such critic is Indians fanatic and supposed voice of reason Jake Levin, who wrote a controversial blog demeaning the Red Sox’s 15-2 start. Levin wrote that Red Sox fans need to temper their expectations and remember that World Series aren’t won in April, a point that was well received by Red Sox fans around the baseball community. Unfortunately, Mr. Levin’s take is partially right… the Red Sox’s success has come in a miniscule sample size; when you weigh it against a grueling 162-game major league schedule, it’s clear that they will not be able to win at the ungodly pace that they have begun the season at. With gritted teeth, I can confidently say that the Red Sox won’t win 143 games as they are on pace to do. Jake went on to remind Red Sox fans that the 2018 season isn’t over yet and that a lot of teams haven’t shown their full potential. In this section of his blog, Jake focused on the New York Yankees, whom he predicted would win the American League East leading into the season.
At the time of his prediction, the Yankees winning the AL East didn’t seem so outlandish. The Yankees lineup was--and still is--loaded with talent. Stanton and Judge are obviously the headliners, but players like Didi Gregorius and Gary Sanchez had already proven themselves to be legitimate producers at the MLB level. At the same time, the Yankees pitching was chalk-full of guys who could either be above-average major leaguers or crumble due to inconsistency. In fairness, the same could be said for the Red Sox, who have players like Hanley Ramirez and Mookie Betts; these two provided MVP-caliber performances in 2016 but struggled mightily in 2017. The same can be said for guys like Rick Porcello and David Price, who are former Cy-Youngers but have since fallen off. All in all, The two teams were essentially thought to be neck-and-neck heading into the 2018 season. I gave a slight edge to the Red Sox, as I believed J.D. Martinez would be the feared bat that the Red Sox needed to lift the inconsistent players (Xander, Devers) to their peak performances. I also realized that the potential of the Red Sox starting rotation far and away exceeds than that of the New York Yankees.
Thus far, I have been completely vindicated in my prediction, as hitters like Betts, Bogaerts, Ramirez, and Rafael Devers have produced at absurd levels, while a couple guys with Cy Young capability (Price and Porcello) are off to dangerously good starts. Meanwhile, Yankees players who’ve been wildly inconsistent, such as Aaron Judge and Sonny Gray, have gotten off to scary slow starts. With the individuals and teams trending the way they are, how could anyone possibly still pick the Yankees to win the American League East as Jake Levin seemed to subtly suggest in his April 18th blog? Consider this: As good as the Red Sox have been, they may only continue to get better as All-Stars Dustin Pedroia, Dwew Pomewanz, and Xander Bogaerts have seen limited--or even no--action in the 2018 season. Not even Boston sports-hating ESPN still holds onto the misguided notion that the Yankees are the favorites in the American League, as they appropriately ranked the Sox number one in their last MLB power rankings while sliding the struggling Yankees down to number seven.
Anything could change between now and the end of the season. Players could get hurt, go cold, or a meteor could strike tilted towers, but right now the Red Sox are undoubtedly the favorites in the AL East.
I would like to take this opportunity to give Prospect Jake one (only one) opportunity to rescind his preseason Yankees prediction and pick the Red Sox to be the 2018 American League East Champions. Jake, please be reasonable. Only a hater would argue that the Red Sox aren’t the clear favorites in the AL East after a dynamite offseason and 15-2 start. As a Senior Baseball Writer here at thirdandlong.co (shameless plug), I can only give out so many second chances.
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