Best leadoff man remains just out of Cora’s reach
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Through Friday, the Red Sox were third in the majors in runs scored.
Remarkably, that has happened despite having the worst on-base percentage at the leadoff spot (.284) in the major leagues. The league average is .338.
It makes little sense, and you wonder how long the Sox can get away with having a series of weak hitters leading off.
The championship teams of 2004 (Johnny Damon), 2013 (Jacoby Ellsbury), and 2018 (Mookie Betts) had dynamic leadoff hitters.
The 2007 team tried Julio Lugo atop the order to start the season but gave up on that in mid-June. Terry Francona tried different players the rest of the season before settling on Dustin Pedroia for the playoffs.
Alex Cora, a member of the 2007 team, is reliving Francona’s dilemma. He started the season determined Kiké Hernández would have the job but has since given opportunities to Christian Arroyo, Marwin Gonzalez, and Danny Santana.
It’s been a four-headed monster with no teeth. J.D. Martinez has come to the plate with men on base only 45 percent of the time. It was 63 percent in 2018.
“We’re working on it. Trying to find good matchups,” Cora said Saturday before the Sox played the Kansas City Royals. “Hopefully the guy we put in the leadoff spot comes through. We’re trying to be consistent, but we haven’t been.
That’s real.”
The Sox tried Santana on Saturday. He came into the game hitting .118 with a .211 OPB. He has batted first more this season (seven times) than he did from 20172020 (four times) with the Twins, Braves, and Rangers.
Sale has a plan: Chris Sale has his next bullpen sessions scheduled for Tuesday and Friday. With Worcester on the road, he will likely continue his rehab work with Double-A Portland at Hadlock Field.
Sale has picked up the pace in his comeback from
Tommy John surgery in recent weeks.
According to Cora, Sale is scheduled for his first session of live batting practice July 1. A typical spring training progression would be two rounds of facing hitters before starting a game.