Boston Red Sox 2018 season review: a lot of good and a little bad

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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 28: Eduardo Nunez #36 of the Boston Red Sox holds up the World Series trophy as the Red Sox celebrate defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the 2018 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, October 28, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

The Boston Red Sox were very good last season. In fact, if you didn’t already know, they were the best team in the MLB in 2018.

Interestingly, the Boston Red Sox won the 2018 World Series under the direction of rookie manager Alex Cora, who led the team to a record 108 wins.

The Red Sox have only won 100 or more games a handful of times: 1946, 1915, 1912. The win-loss records in those previous 100-season wins were respectively .675, .669, and .691, which takes away a bit of the glory of winning 108 games, simply because the 2018 team cannot say they had the best record in Red Sox history. It was .667.

What is amazing about the Red Sox 108 wins is that they were not the only team in the AL East with notable wins in 2018. The Yankees won an even 100 games. And, the Tampa Bay Rays won 90 games. Compare this to the AL Central, where the division was won by the Cleveland Indians, who won 91 games. In the AL West, the Astros also won 103 games.

Many of those wins came at the expense of teams like the Baltimore Orioles, who won fewer games than the Red Sox lost.

In the 2017-2018 off-season was highlighted by the J.D. Martinez signing. He joined a team stacked with All-Stars like Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Chris Sale, and Craig Kimbrel. Martinez proved to be just what the BoSox needed to win the last game of the years.

But, Martinez didn’t do it alone. By the time the Sox got to the World Series, they had been firing on all cylinders for some time. And, as the 2019 season approaches, the core of the World Series team will be back to try to do it again.

LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 28: Mookie Betts #50 and J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox celebrate with champagne in the clubhouse after winning the 2018 World Series in game five of the 2018 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on October 28, 2018 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

With 108 wins, the Red Sox did a lot of things right. While this is the most wins in the history of the Red Sox, it is not the most wins in the history of the game. Maybe the team can shoot for that in 2019?

Several things went right for the BoSox, starting with off-season and in-season signings. The notable moves included signing J.D. Martinez on February 26 – after the 2018 spring training began. In late June, Dave Dombrowski picked up Steve Pearce and some cash in a trade with the Blue Jays, who received Santiago Espinal. A month later, Dombrowski acquired Nathan Eovaldi in a trade with the Rays. He also added Ian Kinsler at the July trade deadline.

Eovaldi became an unlikely hero in Game 3 of the World Series where he pitched six innings, beginning in the 12th. Even though the Sox lost this game in the 18th, Eovaldi pitched his heart out in what would become a defining moment in his career. In those six innings, he gave up three hits and one earned run while striking out five batters. In a game that lasted 7:20, he was the most memorable player.

Pearce was another unlikely hero for the Sox. The 35-year-old was named World Series MVP after hitting three home runs in the last two games of the series against the Dodgers. In those final two games, his batting slash was .500/.556/.1.750. In Game Four, his home run and clutch double helped bring the Sox back from a 0-4 deficit. And, in Game Five, he got the game going with a home run off of Clayton Kershaw in the 1st, and he helped finish the game with another one off of Pedro Baez in the 8th.

Then, there was David Price. He joined the Sox in 2016 and had some struggles along the way. But, in the World Series, he seemed to rediscover himself. Much had been made about Price’s inability to get a win in the postseason. But, he proved the critics wrong and got two wins, most importantly, the win in Game 5 where he pitched seven innings and gave up only one run off of three hits.

Betts also went right in 2018. The AL MVP was a must-see player all season. He and Martinez were in a battle all season for batting titles. Betts led the MLB with a batting average of .346. He and Francisco Lindor both scored 129 runs in 2018 – the most in the MLB. He also had the best slugging percentage in the MLB: .640. He did all of this even after missing time for a side injury in June. He not only won the AL MVP, but he took home a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. He also attended his third All-Star Game.

We can’t forget about J.D. Martinez, who came close to winning a Triple Crown – if not for Betts and Khris Davis of the Athletics. Martinez has become one of the best hitters in the MLB – if not the best. His 130 RBI led the MLB and his 6.4 WAR was the best of his career. Red Sox fans are lucky to get to see him play on a daily basis. Not only is he inspirational on the field, but he’s a good person off the field, too.

BOSTON, MA – MAY 17: Hanley Ramirez #13 of the Boston Red Sox looks on during a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on May 17, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

In a season of 108 wins and a World Series trophy, there isn’t much that went wrong. But, with 54 losses on the season, a few things didn’t go the team’s way.

The Red Sox won nearly every series they played. But, three teams had their numbers. The Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, and Oakland Athletics had winning records against the Sox. On a positive note, the Sox won 10 of the 19 games they played against the Yankees.

Another sour note came in the first game of the season as the Rays defeated the Sox by a score of 4-6. After a six-inning gem by Chris Sale to open the season, Carson Smith blew the save and took the loss.

The Sox had only a few losing streaks all season and none of them were longer than three games. The first came in April at the hands of the Athletics and the Blue Jays. The next didn’t occur until August, when the Sox lost two to the Indians and one to the Rays. Then, in September, the Sox lost one game to the Baltimore Orioles, before losing two to the Yankees.

When the Sox lost, they lost badly. Of their 54 losses, 17 were considered blowouts where they lost by five or more runs. Unfortunately, the worst loss of the season was to the Yankees by a score of 1-11 in New York. David Price had a terrible day -giving up five home runs, while Luis Severino didn’t have any earned runs.

But, the ugliest part of the season happened on May 30 when the team released Hanley Ramirez. The former Rookie of the Year had become an albatross with a contract of $22.7 million. After 44 games, his slash was .254/.313/.395 with six home runs and 29 RBI. He was replaced by Mitch Moreland who earned his first All-Star Game invitation. It was as if the Sox knew Ramirez was finished as they signed Moreland in December 2017. Then, Steve Pearce helped out at first after he arrived in late June.

FOXBOROUGH, MA – NOVEMBER 4: Steve Pearce #25, J.D. Martinez #28, Brock Holt #12, and Ryan Brasier #70 of the Boston Red Sox pose for a photograph with rapper 50 Cent before a game against the Green Bay Packers on November 4, 2018 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

Even though the Red Sox have a history of winning the World Series and then falling apart the following season, there’s something about this team that makes this trend unlikely to continue.

The Red Sox are bringing back nearly everyone who helped them win the World Series. In fact, the only difference is that Dustin Pedroia is expected to play second base, so Ian Kinsler was not re-signed. Even Eduardo Nunez is back, if Pedroia has more knee trouble. And, Steve Pearce was signed on November 16, making him one of the first free agent signings of the off-season.

The rotation in 2019 is the same as it was in 2018. Dave Dombrowski did not waste any time in re-signing Nathan Eovaldi. David Price could have chosen to enter free agency, but decided to stay with the Sox.

Barring injuries, the battle for the top of the AL East should be one to watch. The only weakness that the Red Sox have entering the 2019 season is relief pitching. Joe Kelly entered free agency and was ironically signed by the Dodgers. And, Craig Kimbrel is still a free agency. According to Roster Resource, the closing pitchers are Ryan Brasier and Matt Barnes.

Keeping in mind that the Yankees have created a bullpen that could strike fear in even the best hitters, the Red Sox could still have a few moves up their sleeves.