Boston Red Sox 3 most interesting leadoff options in 2023
Since the trade of Mookie Betts the Boston Red Sox have not had a consistent, dependable leadoff hitter.
Twenty-two different players have assumed the role of leadoff hitter and even though they have some big shoes to fill with Betts being their comparison, none have come close to his type of production.
Boston Red Sox have many different options for the leadoff spot
Honorable Mention– Jarren Duran:
Duran came up and had his time with the Boston Red Sox as their lead off hitter. If you came to me just five/six games intro spring training and asked if I thought Duran was going to be the leadoff hitter for the Sox, I probably would’ve said no, but I would’ve hesitated.
With the emergence of Ramiel Tapia this spring, I don’t even know if Duran is poised to crack the opening day roster, let alone the leadoff spot.
I like Duran and it wouldn’t surprise me if we saw him with the team at some point in the season, but I don’t think picking him as a leadoff hitter candidate would be smart with Tapia tearing it up with the team down in Fort Myers.
Option 1- Masataka Yoshida:
This offseason, Boston went out and signed the 2x Pacific League batting champion to a hefty contract that most were calling an overpay. While I don’t believe he is an overpay, he still very much as to prove that he is worth that contract.
The 4x NPB All-Star is currently helping lead his Japanese squad to WBC victories with his .400 batting average and his 10 RBI to go along with that. Not to mention his OBP is sitting pretty at 1.189.
When Yoshida first arrived in Boston, many thought that he was going to be the leadoff guy and many still believe that as it could be the case. However, he is not the only player on this Boston Red Sox team that could bat leadoff for the Sox.
Option 2 – Triston Casas:
Casas is another great option for the leadoff spot. So far this spring he’s batting .382 with a .432 OBP, and a 1.079 OPS. He’s picking up where he left off last year in really showing us his discipline at the plate.
Plate appearance after plate appearance, Casas is making the opposing pitcher work, often working a full count even if he’s down 0-2. The rookie is good at a lot of things when he’s standing in the batters box, but what impresses me the most is he always seems to find a way to get on base.
He doesn’t need to hit bombs over the monster of doubles into the right-center gap, because he’s so good at tracking pitches he’s just as likely to draw a walk from a seven pitch at-bat as he is to hit a line drive single to left field.
Casas being in the one spot of the lineup wouldn’t be a horrible thing in my opinion and I think he is another stellar choice for that position.
Option 3 – Kiké Hernández:
Since Betts left, Kiké has hit out of the leadoff spot the most out of everyone on the Red Sox with 161 games.
The thing about Kiké leading off is that there are no surprises since we’ve seen it so often. We know what to expect from Kiké when he’s leading off the game and we can bet on him doing a good job. But if the Red Sox want to be competitive this season, they’re going to need the leadoff hitter do a great job.
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Enter Kiké Hernández.
Hernández has been in the league for as long as anyone now and he understands just as much as anyone the importance of having a solid lead off hitter. With his leadership coming into play this season more than ever, it’s safe to say that he’s going to be up for the challenge.
I would bank on one of these three players hitting out of the leadoff spot come March 30 and if I were to try to guess who it would be I think Casas has the best chance and would make the most sense.
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I think having Hernández hit a little later in the lineup would be smart to provide some depth for this Red Sox offense and as for Yoshida, having him leadoff on a brand new team in one of the most passionate sports city in his new country would be setting the man up for failure. Take some of the pressure off of Yoshida and have him bat in the 3 -5 range where not all the eyes are on him come March 30 in Boston.
It’s going to be interesting to see how Cora plays with this lineup and where it finally settles come June/July when the lineup is (hopefully) firing on all cylinders.