With the recent conjecture about the Red Sox (with respect to their apparently guaranteed World Series win), I found myself wondering how the team stacks up to the Yankees. No, not the 1927 Yankees that some would say they are poised to unseat as the greatest team ever - the 2011 Yankees. This may be a futile exercise, as the offseason is far from over, but it's worth a quick comparison.
For the sake of clarity, I'll break it down by position. The first set of numbers shall be the player's 2010 production, and the numbers in parentheses represent Bill James' 2011 projections.
Catcher
Jarrod Saltalamacchia - .167/.333/.292, 80 wRC+, 0.1 WAR (.249/.323/.422, .329 wOBA)
Russell Martin - .248/.347/.332, 92 wRC+, 2.1 WAR (.266/.367/.379, .334 wOBA)
First Base
Adrian Gonzalez - .298/.393/.511, 147 wRC+, 5.3 WAR (.285/.378/.512, .387 wOBA)
Mark Teixeira - .256/.365/.481, 130 wRC+, 3.5 WAR (.282/.383/.532, .393 wOBA)
Second Base
Dustin Pedroia - .288/.367/.493, 135 wRC+, 3.3 WAR (.297/.372/.462, .367 wOBA)
Robinson Cano - .319/.381/.534, 145 wRC+, 6.4 WAR (.308/.356/.502, .371 wOBA)
Third Base
Kevin Youkilis - .307/.411/.564, 163 wRC+, 4.2 WAR (.294/.398/.507, .391 wOBA)
Alex Rodriguez - .270/.341/.506, 127 wRC+, 3.9 WAR (.284/.381/.530, .393 wOBA)
Shortstop
Jed Lowrie - .287/.381/.526, 146 wRC+, 1.8 WAR (.270/.361/.467, .363 wOBA)
Derek Jeter - .270/.340/.370, 97 wRC+, 2.5 WAR (.295/.365/.410 .344 wOBA)
Left Field
Carl Crawford - .307/.356/.495, 141 wRC+, 6.9 WAR (.300/.350/.453, .357 wOBA)
Brett Gardner - .277/.383/.379, 123 wRC+, 5.4 WAR (.275/.377/.371, .349 wOBA)
Center Field
Jacoby Ellsbury - .192/.241/.244, 39 wRC+, -0.2 WAR (300/.355/.409, .349 wOBA)
Curtis Granderson - .247/.324/.468, 115 wRC+, 3.6 WAR (.264/.341/.471, .355 wOBA)
Right Field
J.D. Drew - .255/.341/.452, 114 wRC+, 2.6 WAR (.263/.370/.460, .365 wOBA)
Nick Swisher - .288/.359/.511, 136 wRC+, 4.1 WAR (.257/.359/.472, .362 wOBA)
Designated Hitter
David Ortiz - .270/.370/.529, 137 wRC+, 3.3 WAR (.261/.366/.509, .380 wOBA)
Jorge Posada - .248/.357/.454, 122 wRC+, 2.4 WAR (.260/.363/.454, .357 wOBA)
In my mind, it would be somewhat inane to call this anything other than a push. A very haphazard, inexact calculation gives the Red Sox starting line-up a projected .365 wOBA. The Yankees? A .362 wOBA.
As it stands, the Red Sox are a bit younger, and they do have Mike Cameron and Marco Scutaro on the bench (an area where the Yankees remain thin), both of which weigh a bit in their favor. That being said, Jesus Montero is merely a phone call away, and the Yankees have been linked to the Brothers Hairston, either of which would greatly improve the bench.
For now, I would give the Red Sox the slightest of edges, but it remains far too early to posit an informed opinion - and it's entirely nonsensical to compare the Red Sox offense to perhaps the greatest offense of all-time. Check back tomorrow to see how the starting rotation's compare.
