There was a litany of reasons why the Red Sox crashed and burned in 2019 and the media and fans spent the entirety of the season debating them. Alex Cora’s lackadaisical spring training, complacency, injuries, down seasons from Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, Andrew Benintendi’s regression, and a patchwork bullpen that got overtaxed early in the season and became more ground down the longer the season went on all contributed to the disappointing season they had.
When the dust settled, a fuller assessment showed that the offense ended up being fine, ranking fourth in the American League in runs scored, first in hits and doubles, second in walks and OBP, and top 10 in every other offensive category.