Red Sox Rankings: Top 5 Potential Outfield Combos After ASG

Jul 2, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox right fielder

(31) center fielder

(50) and left fielder

Jr. (25) celebrate the win at the end of a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The Boston Red Sox won 12-6. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Red Sox will have to make an important decision: what will the outfield combination be after the All-Star Game.

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There has been much talk over how Red Sox manager John Farrell should shuffle the defensive players to maximize not only their impact in the field but at the plate. Some players like first baseman Mike Napoli have been struggling, which their troubles have put defensive roles and batting lineups into question.

With that in mind, here are the top five potential outfield combinations that either make sense, logically, or are noticeably trending issues with the team and their manager:

** All statistics in this article come from MLB.com

Jul 11, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Hanley Ramirez (13) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

5) What Farrell Wanted (Sort Of)

Left Field:  Hanley Ramirez

Center Field: Mookie Betts

Right Field: Alejandro De Aza

Key Substitutions: 

• Shane Victorino in RF, pushing De Aza to LF, if needed
• Brock Holt in CF
• Daniel Nava to LF or RF

Reasoning:

• Betts was the man in question during spring training, as many people believed that Cuban sensation Rusney Castillo would win the job in center field, with Ramirez and Victorino flanking him. Now, Betts is the only player on the Red Sox to play 85 games this season in the outfield. He has won the starting job with his amazing defensive prowess, proven by his seemingly constant appearances on countless highlight reels. On offense, his triple slash line is .278/.330/.467 with 10 home runs and 43 RBIs, putting him only behind Ramirez (45) in run production. For the rest of this article, assume Betts will be the starting center fielder for the rest of the season in any combination.

•  Ramirez is getting older, with clear issues with staying healthy. Being in the outfield was supposed to save him from getting injured, keeping him fresh at the plate. Clearly Han-Ram has been an absolute beast at the plate, hitting 19 home runs in his return to the baseball team who originally signed him as an amateur free agent in 2000. Both Ramirez and Betts not only lead the outfielders but the entire team in RBIs and runs scored (48 and 47, respectively). However, left field has been difficult for Ramirez to learn, especially playing the Green Monster caroms in Fenway Park. He has three errors and a .967 fielding percentage, which puts him dead last in the ranking of all American League starting outfielders. His bats is too important to lose, but left field does not look like the best fit for him, regardless of how many times Farrell sends him out there. Stints at first base and the designated hitter role seem more likely, which means, considering David Ortiz is not retiring this season, Mike Napoli may be spending more time on the bench than he’d like after the All-Star Game.

• You can’t take out De Aza, either. Coming from the Baltimore Orioles on June 3rd, De Aza’s performance has made giving up a minor leaguer look like nothing at all. Between his bat, which is well documented, and his defensive range, like last night‘s diving catch against the New York Yankees to rob a base hit, De Aza is too valuable to not play every day. A switch to left field, with Hanley moving to right field could be interesting, but for some reason unlikely as Farrell continues to put Ramirez in left if at all.

• Farrell is pretty loyal to his veteran players, which explains why Victorino is around and still getting playing time like last night. He would love to use Victorino as much as he can to try to rekindle that spark he had in 2013; however, hitting .243 with a home run and three RBIs in 26 games from strictly the right side of the plate, giving up switch-hitting, is not going to cut it. Nava is another Farrell-favorite, especially since he bats lefty, but the lack of numbers when called upon (.159 batting average in 27 games) has kept him on the bench for a long time.

• Holt is the only Red Sox player to be selected an All-Star this season. With a bat, he’s a terror to opposing pitchers. With a glove, in any position other than catcher or pitcher, he’s a menace to opposing batters. Easily the best player to not be considered a starter on the team, Holt is the only current logical answer to step in for Betts if he is injured or for any other reason.

Jun 5, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Rusney Castillo (38) gets an infield single during the 6th inning of the game against the Oakland Athletics at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

4) Caribbean Flavor

Left Field:  Alejandro De Aza

Center Field: Mookie Betts

Right Field: Rusney Castillo

Key Substitutions: 

• Brock Holt in RF for Castillo’s play, or LF or CF for any injuries or days off

Reasoning:

Now that we’ve dispensed with the formalities of Farrell’s trends, let us get to what could and should be happening to the outfield.

The fact is that De Aza is arguably playing the best defense on the team, with the possible exception of Betts. If left field has been so tricky for countless Red Sox in the past, would it not make sense that the veteran outfielder take charge? Move Ramirez back into the infield or the DH spot; De Aza should take his rightful place on the team. In 19 games when starting in left field De Aza has a perfect fielding percentage with no errors. Why is this even a question?

As we already established Betts as the one to bet on in center, let’s move to right field to someone Red Sox Nation and Boston’s executives were counting on to come up big. Castillo, the Cuban phenom, was paid over $11 million this season, as well as the next four seasons, to play for the Red Sox. The problem is that he continues to play for the Sox from Triple-A Pawtucket. Castillo has over $14 million dollars guaranteed to come to him in 2020 if he decides to stick with the organization, and the man hasn’t played a full season in Boston yet. One would think that the pressure would be on for Castillo to be called up and produce. Well, he has, and it hasn’t been as much ‘phenom’ as it’s been ‘wonder’ at when he will meet expectations.

In the 26 games that he’s played with Boston this season, Castillo has hit a slash line of .230/.260/.284, showing flashes of power without consistency. He has one home run and six RBIs in 74 at-bats. A small sample size to be sure, but that’s what Betts was given too and he made the most of it. Castillo now dwells in Triple-A, hitting .290/.346/.411 with three home runs and 15 RBIs in 124 at-bats. Better numbers, but that’s the minors for you. If he unlocks his potential even more, maybe we see him again in right field after the All-Star Break. That is, unless someone else beats him to it. For the money being paid for his services, Red Sox execs certainly hope to see him soon.

Jun 26, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (25) singles during the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

3) An American Comeback

Left Field: Alejandro De Aza

Center Field: Mookie Betts

Right Field: Jackie Bradley Jr.

Key Substitutions: 

• Brock Holt in RF for Bradley’s play, or CF or LF for any injuries or days off

Reasoning:

With De Aza and Betts already confirmed as the better choices for left and center fields, right field will be the focus. In this case, it would be the tale of the Comeback Kid.

Bradley has spent three years of his life with Boston since 2013. In his first season, he played 37 games and hit .189. In his second season, he played 127 games, a much larger sample size, and hit .198. This season, he has played 14 games and hit .133.

Sounds terrible. So how can he be ranked ahead of Castillo?

Bradley is showing progress faster than his Cuban counterpart. Bradley’s hitting a slash line of .312/.388/.455, which is much better than Castillo in Triple-A Pawtucket. Granted that he has over a hundred more at-bats than Castillo, but these 231 at-bats show Bradley’s ability to adjust to what was burning him before at the plate. He hit a pitiful .212 for Pawtucket last season.

Stellar defense is also part of Bradley’s game. The Fenway faithful may forget that before Betts came along it was Bradley whom they cheered for mind-boggling catches in the outfield. Combine that with improvement with his bat and the native of Richmond, Virginia looks to be a better fit in right field.

Jul 11, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Brock Holt (26) fields a ground ball against the New York Yankees during the eighth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

1) An All-Star Combo

Left Field: Alejandro De Aza

Center Field: Mookie Betts

Right Field: Brock Holt

Key Substitutions: 

• Bradley Jr. to cover all three positions for injuries or days off.

Reasoning:

If Holt is the best player who doesn’t have a starting role and he also is the best substitute for the other outfielder, shouldn’t he just start in right field? Or left?

Not center, although he could do it if needed. Holt is fast but Betts covers even more ground. If Betts got hurt, Holt could move to center field and Farrell can put Bradley into right. If De Aza got hurt or needed a day off, Holt has played left field well before, so why not do it again? Bradley, again, would be the choice in right field.

With this combination, Peguero’s power would be wasted on the bench when he could be playing full-time for Pawtucket or be trait bait for another club. Castillo’s big contract and somewhat-decent offense keep that from happening for him, so he could be another substitution. However, with Bradley currently outplaying him, don’t expect Castillo to be called up in this situation.

It’s hard to see Holt, a 2015 All-Star, not playing every game even with fan-favorite second baseman and former A.L. MVP Dustin Pedroia coming back from injury. He’s just too good with the bat and the glove to be out of the lineup. Holt’s skills may be more effective in the infield than the outfield, but it’s not like the Red Sox are going to put third baseman Pablo Sandoval or Napoli into right field. Someone’s got to do it. Why not put your best player there until something else changes?

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