Boston Red Sox: Why 2015 was the bridge year

3 of 4

Sep 27, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder

(50) and second baseman

(third from left) celebrate a victory against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

There’s nothing quite so awkwardly anti-climactic for a Boston Red Sox fan than yet another last place finish. No doubt, like me, you drove your spouse/friends/colleagues/pets to distraction with all the juicy gossip and inflated expectations before April 2015. After this they could pinpoint with almost precise certainty, indeed showing an ability to adjust the clocks to it, your descent into frustration fueled rage at how none of said expectations actually panned out. Indeed on the contrary.

But now, like a train derailing, it’s over and done. The World has moved on to the next big thing, like football season, Donald Trump’s hair and maybe, just maybe, the 2015 MLB Postseason. Fear not, loyal Bosox Injection reader. The offseason moves and shakes are just around the corner and in the meantime, I’ve got some things for you to ponder; 2015 really was what it should have been.

OK, so Boston did end up in the cellar again and they spent quite a bit of time and effort to do so, but there’s plenty to be hopeful for going forward and particularly if you’re willing to sit back, take off the nostalgia glasses, and compare to where we were last year. 2014 was the bridge year that never was. Coming off the back of an unexpected, nigh fantastical, World Series win in 2013, the Red Sox did something even more unexpected and fantastical, they flopped.

The year finished with a dire record of 71-91, only two wins better than 2012 under soon-to-be-sacked Bobby “Lame Duck” Valentine. The reversal of Boston’s fortunes caught management so off-guard that the year was written off as a blip on the radar, a necessary evil to returning to the norm of contention, a bridge year.

We know now that the only thing 2014 was a bridge to was another radar blip and more necessary evil, but there’s reasons to be positive. I want to show you why I feel 2015 was the real bridge year towards a return for the Red Sox to the postseason and of course to your topic of discussion with spouse/friends/colleagues/pets etc., etc. To do so, let’s examine the things that went implicitly wrong in 2014 and the transition to 2015 and see how things were done differently and the changes yet to come.

Next: Too many gaps

Nov 25, 2014; Boston, Ma, USA; Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington (left) talks to the media with third baseman

Pablo Sandoval

in the background during the introductory press conference at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Too many gaps in the lineup

Obviously every team that struggles to contend is ultimately only doing so because of missing pieces from the puzzle. For the 2014 Red Sox, there wasn’t even a puzzle.

Precious few additions were to be made in the 2013 offseason that made the Sox any better. Arguably the opposite. Jacoby Ellsbury skipped his merry way down dollar road to the Yankees. And Jarrod Saltalamacchia discovered first hand how few remember an incredible season if followed by a disappointing post-season, as he went his separate ways to the Miami Marlins.

As the season became increasingly lost, management at Fenway made moves to shed the talent remaining in exchange for prospects to aid a rebuild. Such an option was not exercised so much in 2015 if for no other reason than to save face on what was to be a year of cashing in 2014’s chips. The gap in the outfield was to be filled by shortstop turned leftfielder Hanley Ramirez, a well-known slugger fresh on the free agent market who would play competently in the position but add most with his bat. Alas, he only but added to Boston’s woes.

Even so, the players lost simply were not adequately replaced. Pitchers Jon Lester and John Lackey went off never to return and their places in the rotation were left as empty as the hearts of the fans. Additions such as Joe Kelly and Rick Porcello did nothing to turn the tide for 2015. Both are certainly competent pitchers, though not top of the rotation by any means, when playing well. Neither played well.

Positions such as third base, fertile ground for a player with a bit of pop, saw the Red Sox languishing with an American League worst .571 OPS. Such a hole could only, former general manager Ben Cherington surmised, be filled by the sizable frame of one Pablo Sandoval. Sandoval’s overall production had been decreasing year on year and 2015 was to not be an exception, only worse than could be imagined.

Still despite all this, by the end of the season the competition for positions was enlightening. With the coming of age of the young Sox (more on this later) and the revival of the heroes from 2013 who remained, the team turned their fortunes around and ended the season with, if nothing else, much hope to be had for next year.

Travis Shaw was a revelation at first base, swatting away the cobwebs left from Mike Napoli’s struggling year at the position. Once injuries no longer stood in his way, Dustin Pedroia went on the tear in a way that brought us all back to his dominance in 2013. Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts established themselves as potential “face of the franchise” players who turned middling power and leaky defense into offensive sovereignty and golden glove caliber fielding. Speaking of which, there was Jackie Bradley, he impressed in 2014 with his glove but not so much with his bat. 2015 saw him break through both the Mendoza line and the Green Monster airspace in spectacular fashion.

Any gaps to be found, whether by injury or by slumping, can be papered over by Brock Holt and his 2 WAR from any position on the park. It certainly seems that, unlike 2014 both at start and conclusion, the Red Sox have the puzzle and now seek only a few finishing pieces.

Next: Not enough power

Aug 19, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Travis Shaw (47) is congratulated by designated hitter

David Ortiz

(34) after hitting a home run against the Cleveland Indians in the second inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Not enough power

Yikes. From the dizzy heights of 2013 to the ground ball lows of 2014, the Red Sox’s offensive drop off corresponded directly to their league positional drop off.

Three positions on the field were in the bottom two in the American League for OPS, those being catcher, third base and center field. When a third of your lineup is so bad that if they fell off a cliff they wouldn’t hit the ground, it’s a recipe for disaster. The offensive black holes looked like they were there to stay in 2015 as well – for after a promising April, Boston managed only 82 runs in the month of May, the worst in baseball.

Fast forward to September and in that month the Red Sox were MLB’s leader in runs scored and had removed the deficit so successfully that they sat only behind the Toronto Blue Jays on the year. With power came runs and with runs came wins and with wins came fans and so it goes that Boston ended up, yes last, but at an improved 78-84 record that had time allowed it could have taken them further.

New Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski has his work cut out for him this offseason, but, no doubt is thankful for the groundwork laid in 2015 that leaves not as much to be accomplished from an offensive aspect. The mammoth task facing the former management to ensure Boston were able to score more runs than the opponent at the end of 2014 was so great that it led to panic buying expensive free agents on ill-advised contracts. The results were underwhelming and the focus on the batting led to a degradation on the pitching and in the end the bottom was to fall out.

II am convinced that Boston can look to 2016 with much more confidence in the run support from across the park and that the holes, no longer so gaping, can and should be filled with talent that compliments the already established base.

Next: Youngsters not yet come of age

Sep 21, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) celebrates his grand slam against the Tampa Bay Rays with center fielder Mookie Betts (50), second baseman Dustin Pedroia (15) and right fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (R) during the eighth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

The youngsters not yet come of age

This year, perhaps one of the biggest highlights has been watching the Red Sox prospects blossom into top Major League talent. In 2014, watching the Red Sox prospects was basically the exact opposite.

Will Middlebrooks received a call from Mendoza looking for his line back, as he fell to an unsightly .185/.254/.262 line hitting, perhaps by total chance, a mere 2 home runs. Xander Bogaerts, you guys wouldn’t believe this, but Xander Bogaerts ended up with .240/.303/.371 and was defensively inept. Xander Bogaerts! And of course how could we forget about poor Jackie Bradley Jr., who while working on a promising career in fly swatting also managed to accrue a .207/.277/.278 slash line with one wild homer in 406 painful at bats.

Middlebrooks would move on to San Diego and bring his momentum ending bat with him, but Xander and Jackie were back for 2015 and aren’t we thankful?

You see, 2014 wasn’t their time. Arguably the start of 2015 was difficult for Boston’s up-and-comers also, as they struggled to settle in amid the slumping veterans. But settle in they did, as Mookie Betts, Travis Shaw, Blake Swihart, Eduardo Rodriguez and Rusney Castillo joined them in transforming a team and its fans consigned to another year of sporting pain and misery, to a tangible excitement for a genuinely entertaining side that has all the look of contention waiting to happen.

With Bogaerts and Betts in particular, the Red Sox have two of the most desirable young talent in the game that have anchored the side offensively and defensively. Bogaerts was the team’s leading hitter and the second best hitter in the American League with a statistically beasting .320/.355/.421. Not only that but, his glove flashed gold and he gave all the impression of an All Star shortstop. Betts ended up below Bogaerts on the hitting, but still managed an impressive .291/.341/.479 line, 18 dingers and a monster +6.0 WAR, enough to make him the 6th best player in the league at the tender age of 23.

OK stop, wipe away the drool and remember we have control of both for many years to come (Betts is under team control to 2020, Bogaerts to 2019) and they can only get better. Now you may resume drooling.

The reality is that with so many gaps in the Boston lineup, through injuries or under-performances, the young players needed to step up and fill them and they accomplished just that more than anyone could have anticipated. What 2016 holds is yet to be seen, but the Red Sox actually has a stable, young and hungry foundation to build off of and isn’t that exactly the kind of bridge that is needed to reach contention again?

More from BoSox Injection

Home / Red Sox News

Boston Red Sox: Why 2015 was the bridge year 2014 was supposed to be

More from BoSox Injection

Schedule