Red Sox Report Card: 1st Half

I've watched a lot of Red Sox baseball this year. I wish I hadn't. That's not true, I don't regret a second of it. Eh, maybe a couple seconds here and there, but I was always going to be watching, regardless of the on-field product.

If I had to describe the season so far in a sentence, this wouldn't be a very long blog...

It's been a season full of ups and downs. It's hard to put your finger on how this team has performed. It's easy to say they're bad, given recent results and their record against the AL East, but they're also just outside the wild card and haven't been healthy since the beginning of the season. They're consistently inconsistent, but the season isn't over. Lotta baseball left.

I titled this "Red Sox Report Card" but I won't be giving grades because I think there's more nuance to it than that. I am, however, requiring you print this out, have your parent/legal guardian sign it, and return it to me via mail. Or else.

Alright, let's recap, position by position.

Starting Pitching

Pitching was always a concern heading into the season. It became even more of a concern when a bus carrying the entire rotation got in a massive accident, putting everyone on the IL and delaying the filming of the new Garfield movie. That didn't actually happen, but it felt like it did. All you need to know about the rotation is that in a four game series against the first-place Yankees, the Sox started Josh Winckowski, Connor Seabold, Kutter Crawford, and Nick Pivetta. Actual MLB players Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha, Rich Hill, Garrett Whitlock, and Chris Sale have all spent time on the IL, and the rotation has been patchwork for most of the season. Tanner Houck also moved to the pen following the vaccine fiasco and never transitioned back.

With all that being said, the rotation is 19th in the league in both ERA and IP (4.14, 463.1). It's not great, but it's also not that bad, considering what they've dealt with. Winckowski has been an innings eater, Crawford has flashed serious potential, and Seabold has flat out stunk. Brayan Bello made his very anticipated MLB debut but was very underwhelming in his two appearances. I think he needs some time to learn to "pitch" rather than "throw" and he'll really shine, if that makes any sense.

As for the established guys, Wacha has been the biggest surprise, turning in a ton of high quality outings. Pivetta had a stretch where he was lights out, but quickly came back to earth. Hopefully the all-star break can get him back to the best version of himself. Rich Hill has met (low) expectations. He grunts a lot when he pitches, and I find that annoying so I'm docking a few points.

Going forward, Eovaldi is back from the IL, with Wacha and Hill close behind him. While Sale is unfortunately once again a non-factor this season, James Paxton may return at some point, but who knows if he's anything useful at this point in his career. I'm an optimist, so take this with a grain of salt; if you showed someone the rotation against the Yankees back in March, they would think we're 10 games under. It wasn't good, but it could have been a lot worse.

Teacher comments: Needs improvement.

Catcher

I promise the rest of these won't be as long as the rotation was. Catcher is fairly straightforward. Christian Vazquez has been good. He's been just about as good as you can ask for at the plate, hitting .273 with limited power. Behind the plate, he leaves a little something to be desired with his framing, but his ability to throw runners out is still near the top of the league.

Behind him, Kevin Plawecki has done what's asked of him; being a clubhouse leader and giving Vazquez a rest. He's super frustrating to watch though, because he can't throw anybody out. Singles turn into doubles and it's hard to play defense that way. Connor Wong also exists.

Teacher comments: Shows consistent enthusiasm.

First Base

First base has been an absolute nightmare. Chaim Bloom has come out and said the plan was to go to Triston Casas, but injuries have set him back in the minors. I wouldn't be surprised to see him up in the near future. For now, it's been Bobby Dalbec and Franchy Cordero, neither of whom have been particularly good. They're almost the same player from opposite sides of the plate, striking out a ton and playing mediocre defense. As the leader of the Franchy fan club, I will point out that he had a period of time where he was hitting the ball well from the left side at a point where the team desperately needed another left-handed bat. I won't point out that he's struck out like a billion times in his last billion and one at-bats.

Going forward, I think we see Casas soon if we don't trade for a Josh Bell or C.J. Cron. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Bobby Dalbec traded, similar to Michael Chavis at the deadline last year.

Teacher comments: Needs to work on focus and concentration during class time.

Second Base

If I were to continue with the school metaphor, I would say Trevor Story is getting bullied. His bat has been incredibly underwhelming, striking out or popping out in just about every big situation. Red Sox fans (or at least the ones I talk to) aren't happy with his performance thus far. I defended him for the beginning of the season, citing his short spring training and illness early in the season. Now, it's hard to defend him because the productivity just hasn't been there. I like Story, and I really hope he figures it out at the plate, or else that deal will look really bad in a few years. It's early though, and I'm betting he turns it around sooner or later.

I do want to call attention to his glove. Prior to being hit on the hand with a pitch, he was one of, if not the best defensive second baseman in the league. It was a little rocky at first as he adjusted to the position, but he's truly gold glove good. He's made several plays that are Pedroia-esque.

Teacher Comments: It would be great to see some improvement in his weakest subjects in the future.

Third Base

I would die for Rafael Devers. There's not a lot to say about him that hasn't already been said. It doesn't matter what you throw him, he just rakes. He's cute as a button. He sits down on the bases when you try to pick him off because he's tired of pitchers' bullshit. There's nothing to hate about Devers. If the Red Sox don't keep him forever, I won't act like a rational 24 year-old should.

Teacher Comments: Is easily distracted by friends.

Shortstop

I would also die for Xander Bogaerts but I won't threaten to act irrationally if they don't keep him forever because he's likely gone after the season. He's also been great. There's not much to say about him. If he looked like Devers, I'd probably have more to say here, but he just goes about his business and doesn't get in trouble for riding horses, kinda lame in my opinion.

Teacher comments: A pleasure to have in class. I look forward to his future success.

Outfield

The outfield, like the rotation, has seen a lot of turnover throughout the year. Kiké Hernandez has been out for most of the year, thrusting Jarren Duran and Rob Refsnyder into the spotlight. Duran has shown significant improvement since his time in the bigs last year, although his strikeout rate has been steadily rising over the last few weeks. He also needs to learn to use his speed in the field. Watching Duran track fly balls is like listening to your dad's directions instead of following Waze - the routes are less than ideal. Refsnyder injected some life into the team, crushing left handed pitching when the offense needed a jolt. He probably isn't the long term solution, but he's great depth.

In left field, Alex Verdugo has been solid despite a slow start. He isn't hitting for a ton of power, but he's putting the ball in play consistently, playing good defense, and has come through for some huge clutch hits. I'd like to see him start walking more, his OBP is only .306, but that's nitpicking. Some guy at Fenway paid me $20 for my souvenir plastic Alex Verdugo chain too. Thank you, that guy.

Lastly, in right, Jackie Bradley Jr. has been a delight to watch in the field, and a nightmare to watch at the plate. Christian Arroyo had a trial run in right which was an absolute disaster. I've never seen a player look more scared than when he couldn't find the fly ball Joey Gallo hit. Just pure terror in his eyes.

I'll throw J.D. Martinez in the outfield crew as well because I don't want to add another section. JD's stats show him having a great season, hitting .302 with an .849 OPS. Only nine home runs is definitely a down year for him, and he was slumping pretty hard heading into the break. He's having a good year, but it doesn't feel like he's the super feared hitter he was in years past; maybe that's just me.

Teacher Comments: Has improved in some areas, but continues to slip behind in others

Bullpen

I saved this one for last. It makes me angry to look at. With this Red Sox bullpen, no lead is ever safe, and you kinda just expect a meltdown at any moment. There are a few trustworthy arms; Whitlock, Houck, and Matt Strahm to an extent. Ryan Brasier had a good month before a few implosions, Hirokazu Sawamura has pitched well as of late, but he's not a high leverage guy. Jake Diekman is a constant meltdown waiting to happen.

Reinforcements to the rotation should take some pressure off the bullpen, and extra support in the form of a trade is definitely in the works. I'd like to see Kutter Crawford move to the pen if he's bounced from the rotation. His fastball will play very well out of the pen in a multi-inning role. He's not Garrett Whitlock, but he could fit in a similar role. Down the stretch and in the playoffs when it's all hands on deck, those type players can be very useful in piecing together wins.

Teacher Comments: Watching the Red Sox bullpen gave me heart disease.

Lotta season left, let's start the second half strong. Go Sox.