Where Do Baltimore Orioles Outfield Rank Among Star-Studded AL East?

2. Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox Outfielders: Andrew Benintendi (LF), Jackie Bradley Jr. (CF), Mookie Betts (LF), J.D. Martinez (DH), Brock Holt, Rusney Castillo, Steve Selsky, Aneury Tavarez

I had a momentarily lapse of judgment and forgot Martinez is for the Red Sox now. And, once I remembered, I seriously contemplated putting them in first over the Yankees.

But, having two of the top five players in the game means something, even if the depth level isn’t quite comparable.

Benintendi was second in the Rookie of the Year vote to Judge last season and is a star in the making for Boston. An adequate outfielder with speed, Benintendi stole 20 bases for the Red Sox last year, in addition to 20 home runs, 26 doubles, 84 runs scored, 90 runs batted in and a .271/.352/.424 slash line. His WAR of 2.6 has him well on his way to being a top player for the Red Sox.

His fellow corner outfielder is already a star for Boston. Betts was an All-Star last year for the second year in a row and finished sixth in the MVP race. His dWAR was 2.6, and his offensive WAR was 3.3, one year after he led the league in WAR.

Betts hit .264/.344/.459 with 24 home runs, 46 doubles, 26 stolen bases, 102 runs batted in and 101 runs scored. He has speed, power, defense, he is a fantastic player, and possibly underrated. With Martinez in the lineup, it will help provide protection and will allow Betts to continue to excel.

Bradley, on the other hand, followed up a strong All-Star campaign in 2016 with a disappointing season for the Red Sox. He hit .245/.323/.402, all close to his career slash line of .239/.318/.407. The power was down in 2017, and he just didn’t seem the same.

Then, there is the Red Sox prized new addition. Martinez smashed his way to a .303/.376/.690 line with 45 home runs, 26 doubles, 104 runs batted in and 85 runs scored between the Detroit Tigers and the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017. The scary part is that neither of those locations is hitters parks, and he could do some major damage in the AL East.

Martinez will never be confused with a Gold Glove winner, which is why he will be the primary DH, but he has the potential to play the outfield if needed due to injury or to give some guys a break.

Holt, the Red Sox utilityman, is rumored to be on the trade block, and Castillo has been a massive disappointment, so there are some questions should a significant issue crop up in the Red Sox outfield.