Red Sox: Potential team Most Valuable Players for 2017
The Boston Red Sox have an abundance of talent. Who will surface as the team MVP for position players and pitchers?
The Boston Red Sox will have a team most valuable position player and a most valuable pitcher and a variety of other awards. The awards are usually dispensed at the annual Boston Chapter of the Baseball Writers’ of America Banquet – say that fast five times. The dinner is generally held in January and if one wishes to get up close and personal with your current favorite this is the place to go. Tickets are usually available and should cost you considerable less than a ticket at Fenway Park.
Then there is the speculative enjoyment of venturing into the area of a wild guess or a prediction actually based on some type of reasonable foundation. This is hot stove enjoyment similar to hypothetical trades that can keep us all collectively engaged in determining just who has the most mind-boggling view of all things baseball.
So I venture into the unknown and take a look at who I feel stands a reasonable chance to be an MVP position player and MVP pitcher for the Red Sox. The good news for Red Sox fans is the depth and quality of the team certainly offers many possibilities.
The clear favorite
Mookie Betts finished second in the American League MVP race and the best way from my provincial point of view is “He got screwed.” Betts does it all and is a legitimate five-tool player that is just dynamic and a clear game changer with a bat, glove and especially on the base paths.
Betts is a disciplined hitter as noted by his 80 strikeouts in 732 plate appearances. Toss in 31 home runs, 113 RBI, 26 steals (in 30 attempts) and a slash of .318/.363/.534 and the hitting and speed are well described. And the glove, Grasshopper? A Gold Glove and the prestigious Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award.
What can stop Betts?
Betts is a player who is a sponge for baseball information. An apt student of all things baseball with a desire for self-improvement. The upside for Betts may be higher – far higher – than the 2016 season. The only possible concern would be injury since it seems pitchers can’t stop him from hitting and catchers can’t stop him from stealing.
Betts is the clear favorite for team MVP and possibly even league MVP if writers can somehow understand and equate a player’s performance to team performance.
With David Ortiz in retirement mode and turning out some of the most enjoyable television commercials – jock commercials – in recent year it leaves two “older” players as possibilities to become team MVP.
Veteran presence
If Hanley Ramirez wins it will be based solely on his bat and not his glove. Ramirez was no sieve at first base, but visions of former Red Sox farm hand Anthony Rizzo certainly did not surface. The term to best describe HanRam is adequate with the glove, but with the bat, it is another story.
More from Red Sox News
- Red Sox Nation deserves far more from Fenway Sports Group
- Bizarre trade deadline comes back to haunt Red Sox after Nathan Eovaldi departure
- Red Sox’ Moneyball-style offseason continues with Corey Kluber contract
- Rich Hill’s Red Sox departure puts him within striking distance of unique MLB record
- Red Sox offseason takes another nasty hit with Nathan Eovaldi departure
Ramirez had not hit like that in years and it was needed and will be needed even more in 2017 with the departure of Ortiz. The power was there with 30 home runs and a career-best 111 RBI all tied in a nice .286 bow. To win the team MVP Ramirez will have to top those numbers and probably by a good margin.
Dustin Pedroia is a former league MVP who was both healthy and productive in 2016. The hitting was more of a Laser Show that had been missing. The glove work returned and so did the number of games played. At 33-years old Pedroia remains a dynamo who has to be pried out of the lineup.
What may give Pedroia a few extra points on the team MVP chart is leadership. With Ortiz gone that is now the domain of Pedroia as the Red Sox senior citizen.
Two more “Killer B’s.”
Jackie Bradley has a distinct advantage of being a player who can win games with his bat and in the field. JBJ possesses a cannon of an arm and the skills to track down the most evasive of fly balls and line drives. Bradley in pursuit of a pitching error is a comfort as the ball is hauled in. The arm is a terrorizing weapon. First to third is as risky as riding a Harley in a thunderstorm.
Bradley’s issues continue to be with the bat. Frigid or blazing hot is the season for Bradley and historically both are either a painful exhibition in batting futility or watching baseballs get abused with some furious hits. If Bradley puts it all together with the blazing hot for the season he could win the team MVP.
Xander Bogaerts went from being a batting title contender to fighting a battle to hit .300. XB lost that battle, but captured his second straight Silver Slugger Award. What could push Bogaerts into serious contention is power. Bogaerts went from seven home runs in 2015 to 21 in 2016 and just maybe the projections for his power will come true?
Bogaerts plays a key position at short and that certainly garners extra attention, but his glove work is in the average or slightly above average range. For Bogaerts to make a serious run at Betts that home run total may have to take another significant leap.
A star returns
Ortiz has retired – or has he? Never say never may not be a James Bond movie or a Justin Bieber song, but Ortiz? Yes – a very long shot. Longer that me winning Powerball and I don’t even play Powerball – so that is the ultimate long shot.
Ted Williams retired at least three times in his career and returned each time. The most notable was in 1955 when the 36-year-old Williams decided he’d had enough. By late May, Williams had returned to Boston to slash a very TSW like .356/.496/.703 with 28 home runs and 83 RBI. That was accomplished in just 98 games and 416 plate appearances.
The 1955 Red Sox were stuck before Williams came back. The team record was 17-24 before Teddy Ballgame entered the lineup on May 28th to give the young Red Sox a boost. The Red Sox made a nice run and finished off the season 84-70.
Just maybe Ortiz will get an itch? Maybe a few catastrophic spring training injuries will happen? The call may go out or it may come in and the Red Sox could get a dose of a Papi baseball curtain call – again. If Ortiz hits like he did in his sayonara season you could have a surprise MVP. OK – back to reality.
Pitching MVP – the favorites
The Red Sox have the reigning Cy Young holder in Rick Porcello. Porcello went deep into games, won games after a loss and provided start to finish consistency. Porcello led the league in wins and was a true “Ace.” A similar run in 2017 would mean a team honor, but a regression back to 2015 (don’t think about that) or a return to Detroit days would spell the end.
More from Red Sox News
- Red Sox Nation deserves far more from Fenway Sports Group
- Bizarre trade deadline comes back to haunt Red Sox after Nathan Eovaldi departure
- Red Sox’ Moneyball-style offseason continues with Corey Kluber contract
- Rich Hill’s Red Sox departure puts him within striking distance of unique MLB record
- Red Sox offseason takes another nasty hit with Nathan Eovaldi departure
David Price is a former Cy Young Award winner and is certainly looking for the entire season to be like the second half of 2016. Price led the American League in innings pitched and starts so the durability factor is certainly present. Price would be a clear favorite except for one item of note – Chris Sale.
Sale is a yearly favorite for the Cy Young Award with five straight seasons being in the top six of the finalist in the American League. Assuming Sale continues on that trajectory he just may be the favorite on capturing team honors for pitching. Sale posts upper echelon numbers in metrics and traditional so the statistical justification is there.
Sale – at least for me – is the favorite, but not by a wide margin. What gets attention is Sale’s BB/9 and K/9 figures that are yearly among the best of all starters. Sale also enjoys Fenway Park (1-1, 3.63) in limited six-game sample. Not bad.
Pitching MVP – second tier
Steven Wright is a nifty knuckleball pitcher who has other pitches that go beyond the either deadly or hittable K-ball. Wright often reaches into the 89 MPH range with his fastball, mixes in a curve and has a nice change-up. No one trick pony like Tim Wakefield.
Wright was on a path in 2016 to have a season that may have been second to Porcello on the staff, but injury intervened. The first time All-Star’s recovery is a key to team success in 2017 and Wright will be watched closely.
If Eduardo Rodriguez had an entire season in 2016 like he produced in the second half he may have challenged Porcello and Price for best in show. Will Rodriguez get better action (control) on his slider? If so, coupled with his fastball and excellent changeup the Red Sox may have a star in the making.
Rodriguez development is also important in case Price exercises his contract opt-out clause. At this point, Rodriguez is just a bundle of tantalizing promise, but 2017 could be a breakout year.
Next: Joe Kelly developed a new pitch
A reliever needs domination to be considered for team and league awards. Can Craig Kimbrel get 50 saves? Can Kimbrel start to be a consistent shutdown closer instead of the occasional walk machine? Even with Kimbrel’s flaws, he remains one of the best in the league.
Sources: Fangraphs