Red Sox Opening Day 2017: 25-man roster breakdown
While a few key pieces remain sidelined by injury, here are the 25 players expected to begin the season with the Boston Red Sox.
Enjoy the weekend, on Monday we go to work. With Opening Day nearly upon us, the Boston Red Sox have made their final roster cuts to trim their player pool from camp down to the 25 men that they will begin the regular season with.
These aren’t necessarily the same 25 players that they will end the season with. A number of valuable cogs in the Red Sox machine are still recovering from various injuries, particularly on a pitching staff that seemed to encounter a new setback each week throughout spring training.
Those players will eventually make their triumphant returns, while in the meantime others will need to step up. Injuries create opportunities, leading to a few surprises on the Opening Day roster.
A long road awaits between now and October, so roster changes can be expected along the way. Prospects will get called up, trades may even get made. Predicting what this Red Sox team will look like by the time they are (hopefully) preparing for a postseason run is a discussion for another day. For now, the focus is on the 25 players that will be in Boston when the season kicks off at Fenway Park in two days.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, there are the players that the Red Sox expect to open the season with.
Starting Rotation
RHP Rick Porcello, LHP Chris Sale, RHP Steven Wright, LHP Eduardo Rodriguez
Why only four starters? The obvious missing piece is David Price, whose return date remains a mystery as he recovers from elbow soreness that nearly caused a panic in Red Sox Nation. Surgery seems to have been ruled out, so the talented lefty should be back on the mound sometime next month ready to bounce back from what was considered a down season by his lofty standards.
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Until Price returns, the fifth spot in the rotation will be filled by Drew Pomeranz. While he’s also going to open the season on the disabled list, this is likely no more than a crafty way of manipulating a new rule that allows teams to put players on the DL for as little as ten days. Boston won’t need a fifth starter until April 9, just in time for Pomeranz to be activated.
Rick Porcello is the reigning Cy Young winner and Chris Sale is the best left-handed starter in the American League, giving the Red Sox arguably the best 1-2 punch in the majors.
Steven Wright tosses the always unpredictable knuckleball, but showed last year that when he can harness it he’s capable of pitching at an All-Star level. The front office remains high on the inconsistent Eduardo Rodriguez, believing that the 23-year old has top of the rotation upside.
This is a very solid rotation that could turn into a great one if everyone pitches to their potential and Price returns to form.
Bullpen
RHP Craig Kimbrel, RHP Joe Kelly, RHP Matt Barnes, RHP Heath Hembree, RHP Ben Taylor, LHP Robbie Ross Jr., LHP Fernando Abad, LHP Robby Scott
With setup man Tyler Thornburg still working his way back from a right shoulder impingement, Joe Kelly will be counted on to fill his eighth inning role. This is the first time since joining the Red Sox that Kelly opens the season knowing his role is set in stone as a reliever. There’s some risk in handing the setup job to a pitcher with limited experience in that type of role, but Kelly was brilliant once he was transitioned to the bullpen last season. He posted a 1.02 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 17 2/3 inning of relief, followed by 3 2/3 shutout innings in the postseason.
Price’s injury means that none of the team’s other options for the rotation need to be relegated to long relief, at least not yet. That leaves room in the bullpen for both Fernando Abad and Robby Scott, who competed in camp for a spot as the second lefty in the bullpen behind roster-lock Robbie Ross.
The surprise of the group is Ben Taylor, a 24-year old who has never pitched above Double-A. The former 7th round pick doesn’t have the experience or pedigree of some of the other pitching prospects that were in camp, yet still managed to earn a spot with a solid spring. He posted a 3.46 ERA and struck out 19 batters over 13 innings. More impressive is that he held opposing hitters to a .212 average, third best on the team among pitchers who tossed double-digit innings this spring.
Taylor will almost certainly be sent down when Pomeranz is activated for his first start, while one of the lefties will probably be out of the mix when Price’s return bumps a starter to the bullpen. The Red Sox are also expecting to get Carson Smith back in June. The team is starting the season with eight arms in the bullpen, but only about half of them should feel secure in their role and performance will dictate who gets to stay when reinforcements arrive.
Catchers
Boston has a pair of very good defensive catchers, but can either of them hit?
Leon’s out-of-nowhere breakout season caught all of us by surprise last season. It remains to be seen if he can recapture the magic again, especially after he fell into a slump to end last season. He started out slowly in camp, then rebounded to finish with a solid .286 average and .792 OPS. If he can deliver similar results while providing good defense behind the plate, the Red Sox will gladly take it.
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While Vazquez has limited upside with the bat, he’s so good defensively it may not matter. As long as he hits enough to avoid being a liability at the bottom of the order, his skills behind the plate warrant giving him playing time.
The catcher with the highest upside in the organization is Blake Swihart, who has been optioned to Pawtucket to begin the season. We know Swihart can hit at this level. His defense is another question entirely. He needs more seasoning in Triple-A to polish up his defensive skills, which were poor enough last year to convince the Red Sox to try him in the outfield. Swihart is also the only catcher of the trio with minor league options, making him the obvious choice to be left out.
If Leon shows that last year’s success was a mirage or Vazquez can’t contribute to the offense then Swihart will get another shot.
Infielders
1B Mitch Moreland, 1B/DH Hanley Ramirez, 2B Dustin Pedroia, SS Xander Bogaerts, 3B Pablo Sandoval, INF Brock Holt, INF Steve Selsky
The middle infield is as good as it gets, with the veteran savvy of Dustin Pedroia and the emerging stardom of Xander Bogaerts.
Hanley Ramirez may be listed as a first baseman, but he’ll be the designated hitter for most of the season. Shoulder soreness prevented him from taking the field this spring and it’s unclear when or if he’ll be able to man first base again. Gold Glove winner Mitch Moreland will be the primary first baseman, although he may sit against some lefties once Ramirez is cleared to play the field. Moreland’s availability for Opening Day is in doubt while he battles the flu, but he’ll still be on the roster.
Pablo Sandoval gets the chance to redeem himself in Year 3 of what has thus far been a disastrous signing. Showing up to camp in shape was a good start and he was among the team’s most productive hitters this spring. The Panda hit .339 with a 1.027 OPS, while leading the team with five home runs and 20 RBI. Does this mean he’s back to being the All-Star caliber player from his San Francisco days? Let’s not go there yet. At least there’s reason for optimism now when there wasn’t a shred of it at this time a year ago.
It seemed there was a solid chance that Marco Hernandez had earned a roster spot with a scorching spring in which he hit .377/.433/.672 in 61 at-bats. Instead, the Red Sox optioned him to Pawtucket and recalled Steve Selsky to fill the last bench spot. His right-handed bat gives the bench more balance when paired with the lefty Brock Holt. Selsky can also play first base, which could prove useful given the uncertainty surrounding Ramirez.
Outfielders
Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley, Andrew Benintendi, Chris Young
After finishing second in the AL MVP race last season, what does Mookie Betts do for an encore? The 24-year old still hasn’t reached his peak and may be on his way to becoming the best overall player in baseball.
Boston may have the best defensive outfield in the majors, anchored by Jackie Bradley in center field. His bat is as streaky as they come, but he showed a little more consistency during last year’s breakout season and the power is trending in the right direction.
The front-runner for the Rookie of the Year award is Andrew Benintendi. He was impressive in his brief time with the Red Sox in the second half of last season and should slot into the No. 2 spot in the lineup. He bulked up a bit over the winter, suggesting he’ll hit for more power this season. Benintendi smashed three homers this spring, a promising sign that he’s ready to add that element to his game.
What’s Chris Young’s role this season? He was supposed to be the DH against left-handed pitching, but those plans are on hold until Ramirez’ shoulder allows him to cover first base. John Farrell will be tasked with finding ways to get Young at-bats against lefties, which won’t be easy if it means sitting one of the stud starting outfielders.
There isn’t much depth at the position, especially since we want to avoid putting Young in the lineup against right-handed pitchers. At least Holt can play any of the three outfield spots if needed. Beyond that, there isn’t another outfielder on the 40-man roster.
Next: AL East Previews, Predictions
This outfield is as strong as any in baseball, but if injury strikes then the Red Sox may be in trouble.