Boston Red Sox at the quarter pole

The first quarter of the season is complete for the Boston Red Sox with some disappointments and some real positives. Now for a look at both.

The quarter pole has been reached for the Boston Red Sox and the team is starting to develop an identity and what you see may be what get for the 2016 season. The general consensus was it could not get any worse after going back-to-back in the basement of the American League East. A new baseball ops mahatma, a pricey addition for the ace department and a reload of the bullpen all were met with enthusiasm.

The Red Sox fans may jump on and off the bandwagon pitch to pitch and the new season is no exception. The spring training performance of the team certainly did not instill any confidence, but that is ST and not the regular grind. The optimism was there with the attendant “If only” attached to various players.

The eternal hope is to minimize disappointment and to maximize positive accomplishments. As with any team there is a tinge of both and with Boston fans the negative is usually magnified to the nth degree – a genetic flaw passed down generation to generation. So in Debbie Downer mode I will – quite naturally – start with my own personal disappointments.

Next: Disappointments

Disappointments

Early Season Blunders. This is the John Farrell area – the manager that was fired numerous times in the first 15 or so games. Some head scratching moves within the game that even the novice fan found “interesting.” For the more knowledgeable fans, it was searching Amazon for tar and feathers.

Injuries. Predicting injuries is similar to attempting to time the stock market – it just doesn’t work. The bizarre started in spring training when the anointed number two starter – Eduardo Rodriguez – sprained his knee. Day to day is now month to month. Is Dr. Oz on the Sox medical staff with some exotic herbal treatment?

Carson Smith was supposed to be a prized bullpen addition and so far the results are 2.2 innings and another potential visit to the disabled list. Yes – I have a bad (very bad) feeling about this.

Joe Kelly was the ace of Fort Myers, but as the season started it was another call to the medics. Last season a stint on the DL turned his season around. A repeat is needed.

Is Pablo Sandoval going on a rehab for 2016 really a loss? Sandoval came into camp as the stand-in for Jabba the Hutt and quickly lost playing time and his position.

The man of mystery. My wife – the Lovely Cynthia – claims I am the most frustrating person she knows. Too bad she doesn’t follow baseball as Clay Buchholz would drop me to second place.

The ace got lost. David Price was the savior of the rotation and the latest pitching gazillionaire in baseball. The positive was his K totals, the team did win and his FIP was actually more reflective of a true ace, but the negatives were well publicized and visions of Matt Clement danced in my head. Apparently that first half dozen starts was an illusion.

Call-ups. Farm living is the life for me and that is exactly where Henry Owens, Sean O’Sullivan, Pat Light, Noe Ramirez and what seems like half the PawSox roster will remain. You dip into that gene pool and the season is officially shot.

Rusney Castillo and Blake Swihart. Both are in Pawtucket. Castillo is a solid defender, but you don’t pay 72.5 Million for good field and no hit. Swihart simply was not up to defensive snuff and without the versatility of multiple positions it was back to Pawtucket.

Next: On the bright side

On The Bright Side

The obvious surprise is the ancient mariner of designated hitters. The great Luke Appling was known as “Old aches and pains” and that is where Davis Ortiz is as he manages to go the distance with Father Time.

Hanley Ramirez is one happy camper at first base. Don’t expect a Gold Glove, but steady defense is fine and the hits keep on coming. No one month and out as in 2015.

The best shortstop in baseball? Could very well be Xander Bogaerts and he is now a hitting machine. XB is hitting like a right-handed Rod Carew.

Travis Shaw was a question mark that was partially erased in spring training. Now? The board is wiped clean and I’m starting to think All-Star team.

Dustin Pedroia is back a notch below MVP form.

Craig Kimbrel is touted as being the best closer in baseball for the last five seasons. That may be amended after 2016 to the last six seasons.

The catching duo of Christian Vazquez and Ryan Hanigan won’t hit much, but when they do it seems to count. Then there is the top of the line defense. A bundle of man-love from the pitching staff for the both of them.

Steven Wright and Rick Porcello have been anchors and not dead weights in the rotation.

Jackie Bradley will have to go into the mother of all slumps to get back to the oft-mentioned .240.

Supporting cast. The Red Sox bullpen has had some decent performances from Matt Barnes, Tommy Layne, Robbie Ross and Heath Hembree along with the usual mainstays of Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara. Is this a great bullpen? No. Is it a very good one? Yes. Then comes the other spare parts as Chris Young discovered his bat in cold storage and warmed it up. Josh Rutledge seems to do the right things when called upon. I also think that Marco Hernandez will be a solid contributor.

Style points. Comparisons are already being made to the 2013 team that somehow had the right chemistry – a subject I barely passed. What I have noticed is this is a fun team to watch and that had gone the way of the Dodo Bird the last two seasons.

Smart baseball. The Red Sox make mistakes – especially on the bases – but force a bundle more. This is an opportunistic group that takes the extra base, backs up plays, have above average defense and constantly the mention of “doing the little things” surface in conversation.

Next: Outlook