Red Sox’s Mitch Moreland Assesses Bizarre Start To Season At Plate

Mitch Moreland leads the Boston Red Sox with 12 home runs.

He also has the second-lowest batting average (.231) and on-base percentage (.319) among qualifying players on the roster. He has three more home runs than he does singles.

So when asked how we would assess his season so far, the first baseman wasn’t sure how to answer.

“Well, that’s an interesting question, isn’t it?” Moreland said, via The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham. “I’m not really sure.”

Moreland is producing runs, driving in 29 thus far, but his average flirted with dipping below .200 as recently as last week. He was batting .209 heading into Boston’s series against the Seattle Mariners (He went 4-for-7 with a pair of dingers in two games vs. the M’s).

“Somebody told me this was the most productive start I’ve had, and at the time I was hitting .217,” Moreland said. “I was thinking to myself, ‘Man, the game has changed.’

“But I guess if you look at it, it really has been, as far as production. It’s been there. But the batting average is a little bit different.”

Moreland is a career .251 hitter, so he really is just one good week away from reaching his career average. Meanwhile, his OPS (.908) is well above his career .762.

The first baseman also is hitting just .182 on balls put in play and has been a victim of defensive shifts throughout the season, hitting .181 in defensive shift situations.

Moreland’s run production has been mightily valuable for the Red Sox as they turned around a horrendous start, but in order for Moreland to remain a middle-of-the-order player, he will have to find out how to be a bit less all-or-nothing at the dish.