It feels as though the rest of the country has yet to catch up to the Boston Red Sox.
Sure, they might be holding off on passing judgement before the fact that Boston is actually good becomes undoubtable, but at this point it feels as though people aren’t paying attention. That includes you, ESPN.
The worldwide leader dropped its latest Major League Baseball power rankings Thursday, completely disrespecting the Red Sox in doing so. Boston ranked No. 10, behind the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros and San Diego Padres, all of who they have a better record than.
Here’s how ESPN’s Joon Lee explained their placement:
Following a four-game sweep of the division rival Blue Jays, Boston continued its hot streak with a series win against the Phillies on the road before splitting a two-game series with the Braves. Outfielder Masataka Yoshida took American League Player of the Week honors for May 1-7 after hitting .480 (12-for-25) with two doubles, two homers, eight RBIs, a walk, seven runs scored, an .800 slugging percentage and a .519 on-base percentage. Meanwhile, first baseman Triston Casas is showing some flashes at the plate, collecting five hits in 15 at-bats over the past week.
That’s nice. So why in the world are the Red Sox placed 10th?
Boston has the sixth-best record in Major League Baseball right now and hasn’t lost a series dating back to April. The Red Sox have gotten contributions up and down the roster, with this past week alone being a showcase of their young depth, surging stars and history-making veterans. That, somehow, hasn’t been enough for them to break into the single-digits. The most infuriating part of that? The Yankees sit at No. 9.
That’s right, the Bronx Bombers are ranked ahead of the Red Sox despite having a worse record and having lost three of their last five series. Sure, Aaron Judge is back, but it’s also looking like their prized free-agent signing Carlos Rodon could be out for a while with what has been described as a “chronic” back issue.
If the Red Sox are going to want to garner more respect, it looks like they’ll have to do one thing. Keep on winning.
