The Boston Red Sox offense is red hot thanks to Chili. Chili Davis, Red Sox hitting coach, has made baseball great again for Boston’s offense.
So why is no one talking about Chili ? Well, until tonight, when NESN aired a pre-recorded interview with color commentator, Jerry Remy and Davis awkwardly shoehorned into the middle of the game.
Nevertheless, the former second baseman for the 1975 Red Sox, Remy, will not steal my thunder. Davis deserves a serious standing ovation for the 180 turnaround he has made with this offense. Last May Boston, with all of the same players, the Sox had 10 wins and 19 losses. This May they are 18-10. 180, right? Absolutely! It appears like the Sox acquired a whole new fleet of batters. Instead, they did one better, taking what they had and improving it.
Davis is the catalyst for these improvements.
The Boston offense is alive. Here are a few snapshots from May. David Ortiz has crushed a number of home runs in the hopes of cracking the home run record in his final year with the team. Mookie Betts hits three home runs in one night and leads the team in stolen bases. Jackie Bradley Jr.’s approach at the plate from swing mechanics to plate patience has been an awakening. It is working for him. Bradley Jr. had a 29 game hitting streak for much of the month of May, and was named American League Player of the Month on June 1st (the same day his daughter was born). Xander Bogaerts, Travis Shaw, and Dustin Pedroia are all hitting for power and are able to hit with runners in scoring position. Bogaerts has a 25 game hitting streak. The entire team’s offensive statistics are completely off the charts boasting 70 home runs and 305 RBIs and slashing .296/.360/.496.
Every night the offense carries a struggling starting rotation and bullpen. The offense has helped to make the starting pitchers and an okay bullpen look better than it should. There is nothing that Davis can do about the pitching. Perhaps a motivational speech to the pitching coach, Carl Willis, might help? Now, there is a guy who is trying to do a lot with very little talent.
The change in the Red Sox offense is so dramatic that I am surprised so few people have asked how it came to fruition. Fans are relieved that their team is at the top of American League East, and do not question the how, nor the why. Or wonder about the man behind the history-making turnaround? Seems strange to me. Many Sox fans know well enough not to question why something is happening for fear it may stop.
How did Chili do it?
Davis knows a thing or two about what it means to be an offensive force. He knows his way around the batter’s box. He was a switch-hitter for the majority of his career. He hit a career 350 home runs and earned a startling 1372 RBIs over 19 years in the league. Even as his star began to dim, he still maintained his ability to make good contact with the ball, evidenced through a consistent batting average of .274/.360/.451 and an OPS of .811.
He still got on base. Davis knew how to put himself at an advantage with the bat in hand.
Now, he is quietly imparting this wisdom to all of the players in the Boston lineup. And Red Sox Nation could not be happier about all the positive offensives changes.
