Before I provide the update on the Red Sox fortunes in my all-time franchise on MLB The Show 19, I thought I'd once again give a brief overview of the premise. The teams in this virtual season consist of the all-time top 50 players for each team with the top 25 occupying the MLB level and the bottom 25 residing at the AAA level. Players were selected based on WAR as the primary sorting tool, but this is by no means a perfect metric so I also considered accolades players received (Gold Gloves, CY Young, all-star appearances, batting titles, etc.) throughout their career along with team/personal accomplishments in the playoffs (World Series appearances and/or championships). Each team has 12 pitchers and 13 position players at both the MLB and AAA levels. At the bottom of this page in the section "Down on the Farm", you'll see the progress of the lower tier of Red Sox greats and their numbers in AAA play. The June leaders for the National League can be found here, and the American League leaders can be viewed here.
The month of June was a nightmare as the Sawx fell to 10-15 and plummeted to a distant second place behind the red-hot Yankees. They only won two series - one against Tampa Bay and one from Toronto. They had a particularly shaky tour through the AL Central posted a dismal 2-8 record against Minnesota, Texas, and Kansas City with the Twins getting the brooms out for the sweep at home, and the Rangers taking 3 of 4 from Boston at Fenway. The Red Sox were shut out 4 times in June as consistent run production never seemed to materialize. The Sawx are 3-7 in their last 10 games. Within the division, their record is 19-16. They are currently 23-18 at Fenway but sport a losing mark on the road at 21-22.
As can be witnessed below, Wade Boggs continued his tremendous season leading the majors in hits and currently sits third overall in batting average. Manny Ramirez has continued to be a reliable offensive presence in the middle of the lineup and is seventh in AL batting average. Ted Williams also had a solid month with 5 homers and 19 RBI while stroking at a .339 clip.
David Ortiz is still freefalling from a run production standpoint with only 2 homers in June and 5 RBI. He needs to go on another hot streak like he did back in March/April when he bashed 13 homers and drove in 29. He is capable of carrying this team on his back, and if Boston has any hope of making a run for first place, he needs to be a huge factor in that resurgence. Bobby Doerr was given the chance to run with the second base position as Dustin Pedroia was sent down spending most of the month in Pawtucket. Doerr's batting average has steadily declined making Pedroia's return an almost certainty. Pesky's versatility will probably keep him up with the big club for now. It will also be interesting to see how long Boston continues to carry Evans and Lynn. Both outfielders have failed to live up to lofty expectations. Looking at the Pawtucket numbers in the "Down on the Farm" section below, Smith and Betts seem to be knocking on the door for auditions with a combined 20 homers and 70 ribbies between them.
Pitching has been the bright spot throughout the month with the starting corps keeping the Red Sox in games. Pedro Martinez is beginning to figure things out and Roger Clemens has been emerging as the ace. Jon Lester is the unsung hero here with the third-best American League ERA. After being banished to the bullpen, Luis Tiant is back in the rotation, but he could be on a short leash as Smoky Joe Wood and Tim Wakefield are solid options. Look for Ellis Kinder to be demoted as Boston needs another lefty or two in the bullpen, especially against the Yankees' potent left side. Another guy who could be boarding the bus with Kinder is Koji Uehara. He just cannot seem to pull everything together, and the loss of confidence is evident back his lack of appearances at the end of the month.
Batting
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