Red Sox: First half evaluation of players who are either hot or cold
As we approach the midway point of the season, let’s reflect on which Red Sox players have been red hot heading into the break and which have been ice cold.
The Boston Red Sox have had players they can count on and others who have let them down. The All-Star Break is fast approaching, and it is time to see who is performing well and who is trending down for our Red Sox.
One of the strongest groups of players for the Red Sox has been our incredible outfield, consisting of Jackie Bradley Jr., Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi.
Bradley has played particularly well in the month of June. He’s batting .329, slugging .565 and has always been an incredible presence on the defensive end. His defense has never been in question, but his contribution on the offensive side of the ball has really helped the Red Sox pick up some much needed momentum.
Like I said above, our outfield has been one of the biggest strengths. In particular, Benintendi has more than held up his end of the bargain. He has performed both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. He is batting .308 and slugging at .551. While his offensive contributions have been very beneficial, his defensive contributions have been very important, like the throw he made to tag out George Springer to preserve the victory against the Houston Astros.
One of the consistent parts of the Red Sox in the first half of the season has been Chris Sale. The Red Sox practically gave up our entire farm system to get him. We traded away our two best prospects in Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech. It was a big risk to take, but so far that risk has more than paid off.
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Sale has been far and away our best starting pitcher, going 10-3 with a 2.77 ERA. Oh, and besides the fact he has won 10 games, he is also striking out more players than anyone in baseball, with 155 strikeouts in 113.2 innings pitched. Sale has always been known to be more of a first half pitcher, let’s hope that he can turn that trend around.
One of the biggest weaknesses of our team last year was our lack of relief pitching. When this year started, Craig Kimbrel was looking for a big comeback after a lackluster 2016, and he as more than come through when the Red Sox have needed him most. Kimbrel has converted 21 of his 22 save opportunities while posting a 1.07 ERA.
While he has always been a pitcher who has been known for his heat, he has really brought his performance to new heights. Kimbrel has 33.4 innings pitched and 61 total strikeouts.” Kimbrel has been the steadying force for our bullpen. I have a lot of faith in him keeping up his performance up for the second half of the season.
One of the biggest disappointments over the first half of the season has been without a doubt, Rick Porcello. Coming off of a Cy Young season, the expectations for Porcello were as high as they have ever been. Yet, instead of being a positive for the Sox, he has been a major disappointment. Porcello in the first half of the season is 4-9 with a 5.00 ERA. He also has a -0.2 WAR.
Even though he may have a winning record, it is not a very positive sign when your set up man has a very high ERA. Matt Barnes was not supposed to be in this role, but with the injuries to Tyler Thornburg and Carson Smith, he was pushed into a role I do not think he was prepared for. He may be 5-2 but when you have an ERA of 4.07 that is quite the problem for a man who is supposed to shut everything down before they put the closer in. Hopefully he can turn it around, and be the setup man the Sox need before our reinforcements come in.
Pablo Sandoval had high expectations coming into the season, but once again, underachieving is the main word to describe his performance. He had made it a goal to lose weight, which he did. He made it a goal to gain his starting position, which he partially did by default since we traded Travis Shaw for Tyler Thornburg this past offseason. We put all our eggs into the basket, and once again, that basket has been completely smashed.
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Sandoval is only batting .212 and only slugging .352. While his offense has regressed, so has his defense as well with both his Rtot and Rdrs, which stand for Total Zone Total Fielding Runs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved Above Average.
To put it sweetly, Sandoval has been more than a disappointment. He is making the front office regret signing him for $90 million three years ago.
While he had a bounce back year last year, Hanley Ramirez has regressed back into the position he was in two seasons ago. Last year, he really proved a lot of people wrong that he could not play first base, but this year, even though he is not even playing in the field much, his offense has regressed.
As a designated hitter, he was supposed to provide some much needed pop, especially since David Ortiz retired. But he has done the complete opposite. He is only batting .241 and his slugging is incredibly low for a designated hitter, which is .406.
Next: Top 5 David Ortiz moments
I think it is safe to say that if it were not for the massive contracts that both Ramirez and Sandoval received, they would both on their way out of Boston and away from Yawkey Way.