One of the most epic rivalries in all of the MLB is returning with more force than ever before. The AL East gives us two competitors ready to showcase their talent in the dogfight for the division title. The Yankees, filling with phenoms, are ready to make their case while the experienced Red Sox will showcase why they deserve their 3rd straight division title. This will undoubtedly be one of the closest races in 2018 and will be reported on consistently throughout the year. These are my takes before the season begins.
The Yankees have been exponentially growing the past 2 years due to GM Brian Cashman. He acquired Aroldis Chapman, Tommy Kahnle, David Robertson, Giancarlo Stanton, Brandon Drury, Sonny Gray, and Gleyber Torres among others. He is the definition of a managerial genius. This offseason, he has acquired such talents as Stanton, Drury, and Neil Walker. The Red Sox acquired only J.D. Martinez. So you can see where the worry bubbles.
Stanton vs Martinez
Stanton and Martinez were the biggest offseason additions for the Yanks and Red Sox. They’re both great hitters who primarily hit for power as you can see by their amount of home runs. Last year, Stanton and Martinez had a combined home run total of 104. But they compare differently when you look at their individual stats.
Giancarlo Stanton
.281 AVG, 59 HR, 132 RBI, .376 OBP, .631 SLG, 1.007 OPS
As you can see from the stats above, Stanton had an incredible 2017 year. However, it was a career year. He increased his home runs by 32 and RBI by 58. His AVG, OBP, SLG, and OPS also had dramatic increases. I personally think it had something to do with how the balls are made. The leader in home runs in 2016 was Mark Trumbo with 47, then Stanton shattered that with 59. Also, more home runs were being hit in 2017 than ever before. Giancarlo is an incredible power hitter, but I don’t think these stats will hold up. However, Stanton’s help to the Yankees will definitely be very noticed by the MLB. If you combine Aaron Judge’s, Gary Sanchez’s, and Stanton’s home run counts from 2017, it totals to 144. That’s 16 more than the entire Giants team and 7 less than the entire Pirates team. He’ll definitely help them in their attempt to travel to the World Series. Also in 2017, Stanton had a 98.8% success rate in 1312.1 innings in the outfield.
“Through Labor Day, the home run rate across the majors was at an all-time high of 3.3 percent, which is to say that about one out of 30 plate appearances ended with a bang. Compare that to the 2014 season, when the home run rate leaguewide was 2.3 percent, which works out to one every 43 plate appearances.” -ESPN senior writer Eddie Matz
J.D. Martinez
.303 AVG, 45 HR, 104 RBI, .376 OBP, .690 SLG, 1.066 OPS
Martinez also had a spectacular season with the Diamondbacks and Tigers last year, as you can see from the stats above. He also had somewhat of a career year, although he only had 432 AB compared to Stanton’s 597. His last year above 550 AB, he had a .282 AVG, 38 HR, 102, RBI, and an .879 OPS with the Tigers. The guy is a great hitter to any team and has shown that in his recent years. Some of his poor defense also isn’t a problem, as he can play at DH for the Red Sox, a position they’ve needed to refill since the loss of David Ortiz. His impact on the Sox will certainly help, as their outfield has needed a power hitter to get some more runs against juggernauts like the Indians or Astros. Last year, Martinez had a success rate of 98% in 945.2 innings with the Tigers and D-Backs in the outfield.
The Red Sox and Yankees have similar strengths when it comes to the rotation. Their best pitchers, Chris Sale and Luis Severino, had similar stats. Sale had a 2.90 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP with the Sox while Severino had a 2.98 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP with the Yanks. Sale had a much better K/BB at 7.2 while Sevy had a 4.5. Drew Pomeranz and Sonny Gray compare very similarly. Pomeranz had an ERA of 3.32 and a WHIP of 1.36 with the Sox compared to Gray’s 3.55 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with the Yanks. Gray also had a higher K/BB at 2.7 compared to Pomeranz’s 2.5. Rick Porcello and Masahiro Tanaka also compare well. In 2017, Porcello had an ERA of 4.65 and a WHIP of 1.39. Tanaka had an ERA of 4.74 and a WHIP of 1.24. Tanaka had a better K/BB however, as he had a 4.7 while Porcello had a 3.7. David Price and C.C. Sabathia also compare well. Now, Price is 5 years younger than Sabathia, as he’s 32 while Sabathia is 37. Last year, Price had a 3.38 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP while Sabathia had a 3.69 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. This may seem like a no-brainer, but Price only pitched 74.2 innings while Sabathia pitched 148.2. Price had a better K/BB at 3.2 while Sabathia had a 2.4. Finally, Eduardo Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery compare well. Both Rodriguez and Montgomery are very young, but in 2017 Rodriguez had a 4.19 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP while Montgomery had a 3.88 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Rodriguez has a better K/BB however, as he had a 3 while Montgomery had a 2.8.
As you can see, the rotations are extremely similar in skill and strength. The thing that the Yankees truly outshine the Red Sox in is the bullpen. To show this, I’ll compare the amount of relievers on each team who had less than a 3 ERA while pitching over 40 innings in 2017. The Red Sox had 2 while the Yankees had 5. Now, you can add one to the Red Sox if you count Tyler Thornburg who didn’t pitch at all in 2017 due to right shoulder impingement, but had a 2.15 ERA in 67 innings pitched in 2016 with the Red Sox and Brewers. The Yankees also have one more reliever with an ERA under 2 while pitching 40 innings than the Red Sox, as they have David Robertson and Chad Green while the Sox have Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel and Green were likely the best pitchers on the Sox and Yanks last year. Kimbrel had a 1.43 ERA in 69 innings and Green had a 1.83 ERA in 69 innings. Kimbrel had a better K/BB at a mind-blowing 9 while Green had an incredible 6.1. The Yankees definitely have an overall better bullpen than the Sox, but the Sox have a much better closer.
The Red Sox outshine the Yankees in the infield. At first base, the Sox have Mitch Moreland and the Yanks have Neil Walker. In 2017, Moreland had a .246 AVG, 22 HR, 79 RBI, and a .769 OPS while Walker had a .265 AVG, 14 HR, 49 RBI, and an .801 OPS. At second base, the Sox also get the advantage, as they have both Dustin Pedroia and Eduardo Núñez. In 2017, Pedroia had a .293 AVG, 7 HR, 62 RBI, and a .760 OPS. Núñez had a .313 AVG, 12 HR, 58 RBI, and an .801 OPS. The Yanks have Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Wade. In 2017, Torreyes had a .292 AVG, 3 HR, 36 RBI, and a .689 OPS. Wade hasn’t played in the majors, but in AAA he had a .310 AVG, 7 HR, 31 RBI, and an .842 OPS. Pedroia outshines all of the second basemen in defense, as was able to field the ball at second base tremendously, as he had a 99.5% success rate in 834.2 innings. At shortstop, the Yankees have Didi Gregorius while the Red Sox have Xander Bogaerts. In 2017, Gregorius had a .287 AVG, 25 HR, 87 RBI, and a .796 OPS while Bogaerts had a .273 AVG, 10 HR, 62 RBI, and a .746 OPS. Gregorius has better defense however, as he had a 98.2% success rate in 1174.2 innings. At third base, the Sox have Rafael Devers and the Yanks have Brandon Drury. In 2017, Devers had a .284 AVG, 10 HR, 30 RBI, and an .819 OPS while Drury had a .267 AVG, 13 HR, 63 RBI, and a .764 OPS. However, Devers had 222 AB while Drury had 445. Drury also had a 97.7% success rate in 947 innings.
At catcher, the Yankees definitely take the advantage. At the position, the Yankees have Gary Sánchez and the Sox have Christian Vázquez. Last year, Sánchez had a .278 AVG, 33 HR, 90 RBI, and an .876 OPS. Vázquez had a .290 AVG, 5 HR, 32 RBI, and a .735 OPS. Defensively, Vázquez gets the vote, as he threw out 42% of batters who tried to steal against him in 771 innings while Sánchez threw out 38% of batters who tried to steal against him in 881 innings.
In the outfield, each have their own individual strengths. In left field, you have Brett Gardner for the Yanks and Andrew Benintendi for the Sox. In 2017, Gardner had a .264 AVG, 21 HR, 63 RBI, and a .778 OPS while Benintendi had a .271 AVG, 20 HR, 90 RBI, and a 776 OPS. Defensively it’s close, as Gardner had a 100% success rate in 1188.2 innings while Benintendi had a 98.2% success rate in 1319.1 innings. In center field, you have Aaron Hicks for the Yanks and Jackie Bradley Jr. for the Sox. In 2017, Hicks had a .266 AVG, 15 HR, 52 RBI, and an .847 OPS while Bradley had a .245 AVG, 17 HR, 63 RBI, and a .726 OPS. In the outfield, Bradley gets the nod, as while both had a 98.7% success rate, Bradley played 1204.1 innings in the outfield while Hicks played 689.2. In right field, The Yanks have Aaron Judge and the Sox have Mookie Betts. In 2017, Judge shined with a 284 AVG, 52 HR, 114 RBI, and a 1.049 OPS while Betts had a .264 AVG, 24 HR, 102 RBI, and an .803 OPS. In defense, Betts gets the advantage as he had a 98.7% success rate in 1389.1 innings while Judge had a 98.2% success rate in 1238.2 innings. I won’t compare DH, as I already did above with Stanton and Martinez.
As you can see, it’s a very close race. Personally, I believe the Yanks will barely outreach the Sox. The main reason is for the bullpen, as the amount of pitchers with incredibly low ERAs on the Yanks is mind-boggling. There are other things, as the rotation is neck and neck and the outfield is kind of close, although Judge gives the Bronx Bombers a huge boost. The Sox definitely take the infield, as the combination of .290 AVG hitters and home run guys they have is enough to make any team impressed while the Yanks have a decent infield, but the loss of Castro hurt. The catching situation is also not even close, as Sanchez is easily a top 3-5 catcher in the MLB while Vázquez is still proving himself to the Sox. It all depends on guys like Tyler Thornburg, the stud reliever who’s rejoining after missing 2017, and certain rookies. I mean, Devers came out of nowhere and really helps the Sox after they traded away Travis Shaw to Milwaukee.
The MLB Enthusiast 