Boston Red Sox's Killer B's Have Been Biggest Strength So Far In 2016

The plan the Boston Red Sox have been cultivating for years finally appears to be coming to fruition. The Red Sox have been hoping that a group of young position players could fuel their success, and now that is happening, as the team’s so-called Killer B’s of Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. have been Boston’s biggest strength thus far, carrying the Red Sox to first place in the AL East.

To be fair, David Ortiz is in the midst of a magnificent final season in the big leagues and has carried much of the offensive load for the Red Sox this season. But the catalyst for Boston’s success in 2016 after finishing last in the AL East last season has been the team’s young position players who are all starting to live up to their potential. Considering the disappointing performance from much of Boston’s starting rotation, the Red Sox have needed production from their young players, and they have delivered.

Bogaerts was good last year, but he has taken things to another level this year, hitting .345 with five home runs. He is blossoming into the star the Red Sox always hoped he would become. Betts is continuing to produce at a high level and showing more power than he did last season, already hitting nine home runs, putting him on pace to eclipse last year’s mark of 18. Then there’s Bradley, whose recent 29-game hitting streak speaks for itself. That hit streak has put the struggles he had early in his career far in the rear-view mirror, setting the stage for Bradley to become one of the top center fielders in baseball.

Of course, Boston’s success this season can be chalked up to more than just the Killer B’s, as Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and Travis Shaw deserve plenty of credit for helping the Red Sox score runs. But it’s hard to deny that the performance of Bogaerts, Betts and Bradley have ignited the team and been the driving force in Boston sitting atop the AL East. The Red Sox have been expecting big things from them for many years, and all three are finally fulfilling the plan Boston has always envisioned.

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