First Half Player – Defense
I had mentioned one player that stood out and that is Deven Marrero. Marrero is now 26-years-old and a former first round pick who I thought would not survive spring training. Marrero simply can’t hit or can he?
In the International League in 2016 and for 2017 if you looked at the very bottom of the individual hitting statistics you would find Marrero. How bad was it? Maybe a new category called the Marrero Line to describe the hitting deficiency that even exceeds the Mendoza Line. Now we have suddenly seen a new and improved Marrero, who is hitting .225 and .340 for the last 18 games. Marrero is doing all the “little things” offensively.
If Marrero went hitless in July he would still be a plus. Third base has become a hazardous landfill for the Red Sox. The EPA could have intervened before Marrero arrived and stabilized a porous defense. How good is it? Marrero has the top UZR/150 among AL third basemen.
Next: Mid-Season state of the Red Sox
Marrero is smooth, smart, quick and has a great arm – and that has been the defensive glue for Boston.