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He might not have been the flashiest signing or acquisition the Red Sox made the past offseason, but he’s a perfect fit for this lineup. Going into his eighth major league season, we know exactly who Mitch Moreland is as a player. He’s not the type of player that will hit for average or drive in 100 runs, but he provides solid pop and a great glove at first. He’s not a bad hitter, he has 45 home runs over the past two seasons and a 101 OPS+, but he will employ a defense first mentality this season.
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Moreland led American League first basemen in Ultimate Zone Rating and finished second in Defensive Runs Saved, en route to his first career Gold Glove Award last season. With the potency the Red Sox have in their lineup, he won’t be expected to provide the typical bat we see out of first baseman. But that doesn’t mean he can’t contribute.
The virtue of having a free DH spot is that John Farrell can platoon Hanley Ramirez and Moreland at first without losing Hanley’s bat against right-handed hitters. Over his career, Moreland has a .240/.258 left-handed/right-handed split, but the difference runs deeper than average. He owns a career OPS+ of 80 against lefties compared to 105 versus righties, and homers every 35 at-bats on average with a southpaw on the mound as opposed to once every 20 with a right-hander. In this lineup, he won’t be expected to produce against lefties, and can instead focus on excelling in the situation that he’s most prone to success.
His one-year, $5.5 million contract won’t carry much in terms of expectation, but Moreland is a solid platoon hitter that impresses with his glove. I wouldn’t be surprised if he quietly hits 15-20 home runs at the bottom of the order while playing above average defense at first.