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The Red Sox are a very good team––one of the best in the MLB this season. After starting the year with a blazing 17-2 start, they’ve fizzled out a bit, weakening their overall record to 28-13 after last night’s 6-5 loss to the Athletics. While a bit of a cold stretch has left them 0.5 games back of the surging Yankees in the AL East, the Red Sox are still one of the top teams in baseball. However, several holes in the Sox roster could spell trouble if Boston wants to take a stranglehold on the AL East come October.
1. Jackie Bradley, Jr.
Since the season began, I’ve been adamant about the fact that Bradley should not be starting. I, among many other Sox fans, was a major proponent for the Red Sox to actually trade JBJ for some prospects and maybe a middle reliever. However, 41 games into the season, we’re stuck watching the same old thing night in and night out from Bradley: abysmal hitting. Some pink-hat fans will claim JBJ’s .171 bat is excusable because of his great play in center field, but it’s my belief that you could plug in just about any guy in left, move Benintendi to center, and see the same--if not better--results.
2. Middle relief
Outside of Craig Kimbrel, there really isn’t a single guy in the bullpen you can trust to send out there in a close game. Kimbrel is supposed to be the closer, but the middle relief in the Sox bullpen has been so bad that Cora has begun sending out Kimbrel more before the 9th inning than I can ever remember. Joe Kelly, Matt Barnes, Heath Hembree, and Carson Smith (just placed on 10-day DL) have been very streaky and walk far too many batters, so it’s tough to really feel good about any of those guys jogging to the mound after Sale has just thrown an eight-inning gem and we’re up 3-1. However, with Tyler Thornburg and knuckleballer Steven Wright returning from injury to join the bullpen soon, the Red Sox are bound for some much-needed change. Whether or not they benefit from these changes will be apparent rather quickly, but if the middle relief department doesn’t shape up soon, Boston could make a habit of losing winnable, close games and fall behind quickly. If all goes awry, we still haven’t seen what Brock Holt can do on the mound (*sigh*).
3. Third Base
Playing the hot corner in the MLB isn’t a particularly easy task. There are some who have mastered the third base position (see Nolan Arenado and formerly Manny Machado), but others can either play the position well and are decent in the batter’s box, or they’re not great defensively but can hit. The Red Sox have a case of the latter in Rafael Devers. Among 19 MLB third basemen qualified for ranking in the fielding percentage stat, Devers is last at .912 so far this season. To me, Devers’ bat is substitutable considering his poor defensive play, but if I’m Cora and want to make an adjustment in the future (once Pedroia gets back), I’d put Nunez at third (career .944 fld% at 3B), DH Devers, put J.D. Martinez in left and Benintendi in center, and deal Jackie.
4. Catcher
The catcher position is one of the most important on the field, so it’s a lot to ask for a guy to be elite both behind the plate and in the box. However, the Red Sox have had a bit of an issue finding a guy who can be even average at bat. Of the three catchers on the roster––Christian Vazquez, Sandy Leon, and Blake Swihart--Vazquez has received the most opportunities with 106 at-bats to Leon’s 47 and Swihart’s 29. However, Vazquez is hitting a putrid .179 with an OPS of .447. Leon hasn’t fared any better, hitting .170, and Swihart has just four hits in his 29 ABs (.138). In the short term, the Red Sox are going to have to hope Vazquez can start producing, but in the long run, they’re going to have to look to other options––most likely in the farm system.
All in all, the Red Sox are still a team that fans should feel good about. They have a solid lineup from top to bottom (one of the best in the MLB), a good starting rotation, and a solid defense. However, a team with a $223M payroll should ideally be much more complete not losing series to the Athletics and Rays this early in the season.
(Stats via Baseball Reference)
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