The Red Sox won 108 regular-season games en route to a World Series title in 2018, yet that incredible level of success wasn’t enough for Boston to earn the top spot in ESPN’s Major League Baseball power rankings leading up to the 2019 campaign. Instead, the Red Sox ranked No. 2 back in March, trailing the Houston Astros, whom Boston defeated in last year’s American League Championship Series.
Well, it turns out ESPN’s skepticism — however small — was justified, as the Red Sox have experienced both lows and highs in recent months. As a result, Boston’s place in ESPN’s power rankings has changed several times from week to week, with the Red Sox now sitting at No. 7 as MLB enters the All-Star break.
The teams ahead of Boston, from No. 1 to No. 6, in the rankings published Monday: Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Astros, Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Rays.
That’s four American League teams, including two from the AL East, which shows how much work Boston has to do in the second half in order to reestablish itself as a championship contender. The Red Sox, despite their talent, simply haven’t met expectations to this point.
Here’s what ESPN’s Dave Schoenfield wrote about the Red Sox in the most recent power rankings, which actually saw Boston jump up from last week’s No. 8 designation:
With Xander Bogaerts added as a replacement to the All-Star Game, the best player based on first-half stats not to make it in either league is probably Rafael Devers. He’s also one of the most improved hitters in the game, cutting his strikeout rate from 24.7% to 15.9% while hitting more line drives and fewer pop-ups. If he can improve his chase rate, the 22-year-old could become one of the game’s elite hitters and enjoy many All-Star trips in the future.
Boston enters the break with a 49-41 record, nine games behind the first-place Yankees (57-31) and 2 1/2 games behind the second-place Rays (52-39). The Red Sox are two games behind the Cleveland Indians (50-38) for the AL’s second wild-card spot, with the Oakland Athletics (50-41) also just ahead of them.
