Red Sox: Three up, three down based on April results
The Boston Red Sox have had some stellar performances propel them to the league’s best record. Let’s look at who’s rising and who’s falling after one month.
After just over one month of baseball, the Boston Red Sox sit at an MLB-best 22-8. They’ve had great pitching at times, and some inspiring performances from some of their offensive pieces.
Of course, other players have stood out for less positive reasons. Certain members of the team have, for better or worse, made larger impressions than others.
Let’s take a look at who’s up and who’s down for the Red Sox as May gets going.
Up: J.D. Martinez
Whenever the Sox make a big splash in free agency, the player’s ability to handle the pressure of playing in Boston is, unfailingly, the biggest unknown. So many exceptional talents have arrived in Boston to raucous fanfare, only to experience some of the lowest points of their careers.
J.D. Martinez is the latest such free agent, but so far he’s more than lived up to the hype. Two hitless games to begin his Red Sox career set the warning bells ringing among the more reactionary members of the fanbase, but since those games, Martinez has been among the best players in the league.
Currently, the slugger is batting .343 and owns six home runs and 24 RBI. His average places him at third-best in baseball, and his stellar .984 OPS puts him at a solid 15th overall. He’s collected the ninth most RBI through 30 games and has shown no signs of slowing down. While it’s still very early, he’s so far been a more productive acquisition for Boston than Giancarlo Stanton has been for the New York Yankees.
Up: Mookie Betts
One of the few players in the league to outplay Martinez thus far has been his teammate, Mookie Betts. Last season, hampered by injury, Betts hit 24 home runs and still finished sixth in the American League MVP race. As of May 2 of this year, Betts is on pace to shatter his 2017 totals.
After collecting the fourth three-home-run game of his young career, becoming the first Red Sox player in history to record that many, Betts now leads Major League Baseball with 11 home runs. His .365 batting average places him squarely in second, just 1/100th of a point behind Manny Machado, and his 1.274 OPS leads the pack by a good margin.
Betts credits his success to a refind, more aggressive approach. He’s swinging more on first pitches, and he’s swinging harder with two strikes. However, though he’s been more aggressive, he’s deployed that aggression more selectively. Last season, per Fangraphs, Betts swung at 22.4% of pitches outside of the strike zone, and 53.8% of pitches inside the strike zone. This year, so far, he’s swung at 19.5% of pitches outside of the zone, and 59.7% of pitches in the zone. So, while he’s swinging more, he’s also making sure his swings are at more of the pitches he can hit.
Betts has also thrived as Boston’s leadoff hitter this season, so much so that manager Alex Cora has decided to leave him in that spot permanently. He might slump at some point and injuries are always unpredictable, but for now, Betts seems an early favorite for AL MVP.
Up: Hector Velazquez
This spot could reasonably have gone to Joe Kelly, Hanley Ramirez, or Xander Bogaerts. Instead, let’s take a moment to appreciate a dark horse, one who has done nothing but dominate all season. Hector Velazquez, signed for a pittance out of the Mexican League after 2016, has looked like a marquee reliever and solid starter through the first month of the season. The 29-year-old has appeared in seven games so far, including two starts, and currently owns a 4-0 record. Across 22 innings, Velazquez has compiled a stellar 2.05 ERA and solid 6.14 K/9.
Improved control has been key for Velazquez in the early going. His BB/9 sits at 1.64, down from 2.55 in limited action with Boston a year ago. However, his strong play in 2018 shouldn’t be as much of a surprise as it’s felt like. Hector made 19 starts for Triple-A Pawtucket in 2017 and went 8-4 with a 2.21 ERA. He also made eight appearances, including three starts, for Boston a year ago, and went 3-1 with a very solid 2.92 ERA.
The truth is that Velazquez has been pitching like he belongs in the majors for over a year now. He’s historically had far greater success as a reliever than as a starter in the big leagues, but he could pitch himself into the rotation at some point this year.
Down: Heath Hembree
While Heath Hembree has never been an elite reliever, he’s historically been an important piece out of Boston’s bullpen. He can often go multiple innings and do so on successive nights and served as a quality setup man last season. In 2017, Hembree totaled 14 holds and 70 strikeouts in 62 innings and took a good deal of pressure off closer Craig Kimbrel.
This season, so far, he’s been harder to trust. He put up a 4.50 ERA in April and isn’t off to a great start in May. Though five of the six runs he allowed last month came in just two games, he’s allowed an earned run in each of his last three appearances, spanning 4.1 innings. On the plus side, he’s fanned 16 batters in 15.1 total innings.
His numbers will likely improve as the year goes on and he’ll surely be a key reliever yet again, but Hembree’s performance has so far left much to be desired.
Down: Eduardo Nunez
Eduardo Nunez came over to Boston last season in an unheralded trade with the San Francisco Giants and proceeded to inject electricity and life into the Red Sox. His nose for the clutch hit quickly made him a fan favorite. When Dustin Pedroia began the year on the disabled list and Nunez took over at second, some wondered if Pedroia would get his job back once healthy.
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Wonder no longer. Nunez has been just short of a natural disaster at second. It’s an adventure, and not the good kind, whenever the ball comes his way, so much so that even the staunchest of Pedroia detractors now yearn for his speedy return. He’s been worth a -0.4 WAR in the field thus far, and his bat hasn’t done much to make up for that.
While Nunez has come up in the clutch a couple times, His offensive production has been lacking overall. He’s currently hitting just .243 and is getting on base at a paltry .278 clip, well below his career OBP of .318. Nunez might improve as the weather warms up, but it’s safe to assume Pedroia’s job is in no imminent danger.
Down: Christian Vazquez
The defensive stalwart at catcher finally rounded out his game in 2017, and it looked as though Boston had finally found the heir to Jason Varitek. Always known for his glove and stellar throwing arm, Christian Vazquez returned in 2017 from Tommy John surgery and hit .290 with a .734 OPS. He had firmly established himself as the team’s primary backstop. Then, the calendar turned.
The 2018 season has not held many positives for the young catcher. He’s currently batting just .185. He’s tallied four RBI and 15 hits in 85 at-bats. Compounding the situation has been his normally-reliable glove, now suddenly leaky. Vazquez has been charged with three errors already, after committing just eight across the 2017 season.
Next: The Red Sox and Yankees early results: How do they match-up?
Of all the Red Sox currently under-performing, the team most needs Vazquez to regain his form. Without him, catcher is a black hole for the team, both on offense and defense. The ability is there; he just needs to tap back into it.