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Around the AL East: Most impressive hitters for each team

We are just over a week into the 2018 season and the Yanks have not exactly gotten off to the red hot start they were hoping for. Other than a few home runs, Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez have really failed to put the bat on the ball in the first week, so the Yankees have had to lean towards other players for run production in the mean time.

The Yankees are not the only team in the division that have had to rely on production from other players while their stars try to find their swing. The Rays’ and Orioles’ offenses have not realized the season started, while the Red Sox, and Blue Jays have experienced production from all areas of their lineups.

Yes, the season is still in infancy, but let’s take a look at which players have had the most impressive opening week for their teams.

Baltimore Orioles: Adam Jones

There were not a lot of great options to choose from here as the Orioles have been pretty terrible. The team is hitting a collective .199 on the young season, despite Jones hitting .286. He has seven of the team’s 18 RBI’s and three of their six home runs. In other words, Jones has basically accounted for half of the team’s offense on his own.

Boston Red Sox: Hanley Ramirez

After a mediocre 2017, the 34-year old has gotten off to a relatively hot start this season. In Boston’s first six games, Hanley leads the team with six RBIs. He ranks third on the team with a .310 batting average and has also managed to pick up two stolen bases. Do I expect Hanley to continue to lead the Red Sox lineup? No. Was it fun being able to put Hanley on any list talking about good hitting? You bet.

 New York Yankees: Didi Gregorius

Didi had one of the most historic opening days in Yankees history when he drove in EIGHT runs. He leads the team in average, on base percentage, slugging, OPS, runs scored AND RBIs. Not only does he lead the Yankees but his .957 slugging percentage and 1.474 OPS are good enough to lead the entire MLB as well as being tied for first in RBIs.

Tampa Bay Rays: Denard Span

‘Impressive’ isn’t exactly the right word to describe Span’s performance this far, however, the Rays have been so bad they actually make the Orioles lineup look decent by comparison. The team is hitting a paltry .188 and have scored just 17 runs in their first seven games. Span leads the team in RBI’s and on base percentage, if not for nothing.

Toronto Blue Jays: Justin Smoak

Smoak has gotten off to a legitimate hot start. He leads the Jays in RBIs, average, and on base percentage, including an absolutely devastating grand slam against our Yanks. He ranks fourth in the entire MLB with an .808 slugging percentage, and is tied with Didi for the league lead in RBI’s at nine. Smoak could be on to something here, as he is coming off by far his best year when he drove in 90 runs, smashed 38 home runs, and batted .270 for Toronto.