The Boston Red Sox won the World Series at 11:17 p.m. on Oct. 28. With workhorse Dave Dombrowski at the helm as president of baseball operations, preparations for the 2019 season likely began at 11:18 p.m.
By all accounts, I fall into the “new age” category of baseball writers and thinkers. I frequent Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs often, I believe in the value of analytics and sabermetrics and I know more about WAR (wins above replacement) and Twitter than I do about lefty/righty matchups and scouting. “Moneyball” is my favorite movie, for goodness’ sake.
In Game 5 of the World Series, the Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 at Dodger Stadium Sunday night, allowing them to win the World Series 4-1 in games.
The last time these two teams faced each other in the World Series was 1916, when Babe Ruth was pitching for the Red Sox and the Dodgers were still known as the Robins. Suffice it to say, this is going to be a good series. So who’s got the edge? Let’s dive in.
The most important acquisition the Sox made last winter came on Oct. 22: signing Alex Cora to a three-year contract to become the 47th manager in Red Sox history.
This year, I am particularly interested in that final question: How do we define value? What’s the difference between being the best and being the most valuable, and which deserves the MVP award? With an intriguing MVP race unfolding between Boston Red Sox teammates Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, I want to enter the conversation.
