Alex Bregman’s Silver Slugger nod is a reminder of Red Sox offseason needs

Third baseman Alex Bregman is Boston s only Silver Slugger Award finalist this year That says a lot about the Red Sox who were a top offensive crew in several metrics but were also felled by their bats in crucial spots throughout the year and in the postseason But first Bregman who is up against Cleveland s Jos Ram rez and Jos Caballero whom the New York Yankees acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays at the pact deadline Ram rez looks like a lock to take home his sixth career Silver Slugger when winners are stated on Nov Through games the Guardians stalwart star hit with a OPS hits doubles home runs runs and RBI He only struck out times and drew nearly as various walks Caballero only leads the group in stolen bases he swiped this year to Ram rez s and Bregman s one Bregman and Ram rez posted identical on-base percentage and both were All-Stars this season but Boston s third baseman fell significantly short of the frontrunner in every other standard offense metric Missing seven weeks due to a quad strain Bregman only played in games in his age- season He collected hits doubles home runs runs RBI and batted with a OPS He drew walks and only struck out times Bregman s tremendous performance before his injury padded his overall stat line for the season He was batting with a OPS doubles and home runs in games when he exited the unit s May competition In games from his July return through the end of the regular season he batted with a OPS doubles and seven home runs During the three-game Wild Card series at Yankee Stadium the seasoned playoff star was one of Boston s only productive bats for with a double run batted in three walks and two strikeouts but he went hitless as the Red Sox were shut out - in the third and final match While players and their teams should not necessarily be judged on individual award nods snubs wins or losses Thursday s announcement is a reminder of a key reason why the Red Sox fell short this year and what the front office must do this offseason Especially because their lone Silver Slugger finalist is planning on opting out of the remaining two years of his three-year million contract The Red Sox had the third-most runs RBI on-base percentage stolen bases Wins Above Replacement and offensive WAR of any American League company this year They finished second in hits triples batting average and hard-hit percentage and fourth in walks slugging percentage OPS and total bases For the eighth year in a row the Red Sox led the AL in doubles and all of MLB for the seventh time in that span a byproduct of calling Fenway Park home Yet Boston s home runs were below league average and behind the leading Yankees The Red Sox loaded the bases times fourth in the AL but only the Yankees left more runners on bases Two to be precise If the Red Sox want to make a deeper postseason run next year they will need more power in their lineup Story snubbed Trevor Story who can also opt-out of his contract this offseason is arguably the most of snubbed Red Sox participant in the Silver Slugger category The American League Silver Slugger finalists at shortstop are Toronto s Bo Bichette Houston s Jeremy Pe a and Kansas City s Bobby Witt Jr Witt Jr leads the trio with games played but Story matched his total The Sox shortstop scored more runs and stole more bases than Bichette and Pe a Story amassed hits more hits than Pe a Bichette only leads the finalists in batting average an impressive and Pe a holds the top spot in on-base percentage But Story outdid all three finalists with home runs and RBI Major League managers and coaches base their Silver Slugger votes on chosen of the sport s majority of recognizable statistics batting average on-base percentage and slugging percentage Yet they are also supposed to consider a participant s offensive value to their club and Story was arguably the majority valuable Red Sox hitter this year He tied for the preponderance games played and led his teammates in hits runs homers RBI and steals