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Boston Red Sox
Overall: 68
Title track: 17
Ownership: 39
Coaching: T91
Players: 34
Fan relations: 39
Affordability: 109
Stadium experience: 45
Bang for the buck: 122
Change from last year: +32
Call it a comeback. A year after their second consecutive last-place AL East finish nearly caused them to slip out of the top 100 in The Mag's Ultimate Standings, the Red Sox won the division and surged 32 places. They ranked 16th among MLB teams, a sign that good times are rolling again on Yawkey Way.
What's good
Besides a 17th-ranked title track (no one in Boston has forgotten 2004 ... or 2007...or 2012), a 34th-place showing in players is the Red Sox's best rank. The really remarkable thing? A year ago, their roster ranked 103rd. In the annual pursuit of winning, principal owner John Henry (ranked 39th) has never been afraid to spend, but this year's worst-to-first turnaround can be attributed more to the maturation of a talented homegrown core led by Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. than the club-record payroll. Even after the disappointing ALDS, the future is bright for the Sox: That group figures to remain intact for several years and should keep the Red Sox competitive, even without franchise icon David Ortiz.
What's bad
Winning isn't easy, as the Red Sox learned with three last-place finishes in four years from 2012-15. As Boston fans know, it isn't cheap, either. With the highest average ticket price ($54.79), beer ($7.75), parking ($35) and caps ($25) in MLB, Sox fans get the least bang for their buck among 122 teams in our Ultimate Standings (this year's 93-win team will go a long way toward fixing that next year). The average cost of $84.46 per game at Fenway Park is 65 percent greater than the MLB average of $51.06, but at least the Red Sox aren't the least affordable baseball team to watch. That distinction, Sox fans will be glad to hear, belongs to the Yankees.
What's new
In his first full season as president of baseball ops, Dave Dombrowski acted swiftly and decisively to address holes on the roster. But while Dombrowski got credit for the Red Sox's on-field success, new team president Sam Kennedy received equally high marks for improving the overall experience at the ballpark. The Red Sox jumped 51 spots in fan relations, and they rank ninth in Major League Baseball. Likewise, they surged 28 spots in the stadium experience at historic Fenway Park, which remains perhaps the Red Sox's most powerful drawing card.
Next: Milwaukee Brewers | Full rankings