Advanced Stats Reveal Hidden Reason For Red Sox's Poor Offensive Start

Advanced Stats Reveal Hidden Reason For Red Sox's Poor Offensive Start originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Despite improving over their last few games , the Boston Red Sox have been one of the worst offensive teams in baseball this year.

Entering play on Tuesday, the Red Sox still rank below average in numerous offensive categories. They rate 22nd in runs per game, 21st in home runs, 16th in batting average, 19th in OBP, 13th in slugging and 15th in OPS, contributing to their MLB-worst 2-8 record . Boston's issues with runners in scoring position have played a large role in the team's rough start, but advanced stats show that poor plate discipline has been a major factor as well.

According to FanGraphs, the Red Sox have some of the worst plate discipline metrics in baseball this year. Not only do they rank near the bottom of the league when it comes to swinging at pitches in the strike zone (less than 60 percent), but they also have one of the highest chase rates on pitches outside the strike zone (around 35 percent). Every team's O-Swing% and Z-Swing% so far this season (basically swing decisions in number form) The Red Sox have had far and away the worst swing decisions so far this season, and it's not particularly close pic.

twitter. com/RiMdGNlau2 — Nyanasaur (@Nyanasaur) April 5, 2026 That's a bad combination that typically leads to more strikeouts, fewer walks and a lot of weak contact. Sure enough, Boston has the fifth-lowest walk rate and the ninth-highest strikeout rate in baseball.