Boston Red Sox Slugger Tyler O'Neill on Pace to Post Bizarre, Historic Stat Line

Barring an explosion in the final week of the regular season, Tyler O'Neill is set to make history with the 31 home runs and 61 RBI he has delivered for the Boston Red Sox this season.

Sep 11, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Tyler O'Neill (17) his a three run home run to win the game against the Baltimore Orioles in ten innings at Fenway Park. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The 2024 regular season is winding down, as are the Boston Red Sox's playoff chances.

With eight games left on their schedule and superstar third baseman Rafael Devers hitting the injured list, the Red Sox are 5.0 games out of the third and final AL Wild Card spot. Barring some kind of miracle, baseball in Boston will come to an end on Sept. 29.

That doesn't mean that the next eight days of action will be meaningless, however.

Outfielder Tyler O'Neill, for example, is looking to round out a resurgent year before he hits free agency for the first time in November. He is currently hitting .244 with an .859 OPS and a 2.7 WAR through 109 games.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale noted in his most recent Sunday column that O'Neill has only driven in 61 runs, despite hitting 31 home runs, detailing just how historic that stat line is.

As it stands, the only Red Sox player with over 30 home runs and fewer than 80 RBI in a season is Felix Mantilla. Mantilla had 30 home runs and 64 RBI in 1964, which is tied for the fewest RBI in a 30-home run season in MLB history.

According to Baseball Reference, the lowest RBI-to-home run ratio ever – minimum 20 home runs – belongs to Barry Bonds. Back in 2001, Bonds only had 137 RBI to go along with his record-breaking 73 home runs.

O'Neill can break Bonds' record if he hits four more solo home runs without driving in any other runs. Even if his ratio stays where it is, O'Neill would join Bonds and Curtis Granderson as the only players in MLB history with at least 25 home runs and an RBI-to-home run ratio under 2.00.

The Red Sox have a doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, which is scheduled to get underway at 12:35 p.m. ET. O'Neill is not in the lineup for game one, however, as manager Alex Cora said he is dealing with back tightness.

O'Neill has not been ruled out for game two on Sunday or Boston's upcoming road series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

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