Red Sox: Comparing this year’s Opening Day roster to 2018’s
A comparison of the 2018 World Champion Boston Red Sox Opening Day roster to the roster they will start the 2019 season with.
In 2018, the Boston Red Sox rolled to a 108-54 record and won the World Series. After a season like that, keeping the roster intact is typically difficult but ideal.
With that being said, let’s compare the 2019 Opening Day roster to the roster the Red Sox began 2018 with.
Catchers:
2018: Sandy Leon, Christian Vazquez, Blake Swihart
2019: Christian Vazquez, Blake Swihart
In 2018, the Red Sox kept three catchers in the majors all year. Christian Vazquez got hurt early in the year and missed a big chunk of time, which left Sandy Leon to do the majority of the catching during that time. However, when Vazquez got back, he did the majority of catching.
At the end of the season, Leon played 89 games, Vazquez played 80, and Swihart played 82. Obviously, that number is far higher than 162, which is because of Swihart playing other positions while Leon and Vazquez were often late entrants to games.
While Leon and Vazquez were both excellent defensively, the offense was really a struggle. Vazquez had just a .540 OPS, while Leon was at .511. Swihart never really got consistent playing time and finished at .613. This put Boston last in catcher OPS by a wide margin at .533, with the next closest being Baltimore at .587.
In 2019, the Red Sox will carry just two. While Vazquez currently projects to be the starter, Swihart should see more consistent playing time this year. He may be inferior defensively, but he certainly has more upside with the bat, and that will be his ticket to the starting job. If he hits, he will progressively get more playing time. Vazquez will be starting and batting 8th on Opening Day, but we will have a better idea of how the playing time will be split once the season has had a few weeks.
First base:
2018: Mitch Moreland, Hanley Ramirez
2019: Mitch Moreland, Sam Travis
With Steve Pearce beginning the year on the IL, Sam Travis gets a roster spot on Opening Day. However, Mitch Moreland will get the majority of playing time until Pearce returns. Once Pearce does return, Cora has said he will hit third against lefties.
With the Red Sox facing a lefty today in Marco Gonzales, Moreland gets the start. It was a tale of two halves for Moreland, as he posted a .853 OPS in the first half and just .600 in the second. It is unlikely he is the player we saw in the first half, but expecting somewhere in between those two halves for the season is realistic.
Travis was a second-round pick in 2014. Over 121 major league plate appearances, he has a .663 OPS. He will try and show something during this chance he is getting, as he will likely be competing to either be a part of a first base platoon or just be the starting first baseman next season, with Pearce and Moreland both becoming free agents.
Second base:
2018: Eduardo Nunez, Brock Holt
2019: Eduardo Nunez, Brock Holt
Because of Dustin Pedroia‘s lingering injury, there has not been much of a change here. Nunez will be the starter until Pedroia returns, with Holt in his super-utility role. Last year, Nunez was not entirely healthy himself, and his numbers showed it. He had a .677 OPS in what was his worst season since 2014. He also was not as aggressive on the basepaths as he used to be, stealing just 7 bases.
On the other hand, Holt was a very useful bench bat, finishing with a career-best .774 OPS. Beyond these two and Pedroia, the top depth is Tzu-Wei Lin. Lin will begin the year in Pawtucket but will likely be in the majors at some point.
Shortstop:
2018: Xander Bogaerts
2019: Xander Bogaerts
There is not much to say here. Xander Bogaerts is the shortstop and will be for the whole season unless he gets hurt. Bogaerts brings a big bat to the Red Sox lineup and will likely hit 5th for the majority of the year. The depth after him is Tzu-Wei Lin and Mike Miller. With Bogaerts a free agent after this season, those two, and C.J. Chatham are worth keeping an eye on as possible starters in 2020.
Third base:
2018: Rafael Devers
2019: Rafael Devers
Coming into 2018, expectations were high for Rafael Devers after a strong rookie season. He failed to meet these expectations, as his BABIP dropped 61 points, and his numbers showed it. In addition to the massive BABIP drop, health became an issue for the young third baseman. Now, in a new year, the expectations are high again. Alex Cora has said he wants Devers to third hit and he is doing just that on Opening Day. If he breaks out, he could be one of the best bats in the lineup.
Left field:
2018: Andrew Benintendi, J.D Martinez
2019: Andrew Benintendi, J.D Martinez
This is another pretty simple one. Andrew Benintendi will look to follow up his breakout year where he posted a .830 OPS with another big year. The 4th OF will be J.D Martinez who will likely play left at Fenway and right on the road. If Jackie Bradley Jr. was to get hurt or have the night off, either Benintendi or Betts would play center with Martinez taking one of the corner OF spots. Benintendi will hit leadoff this season with Mookie Betts moving to the two-hole. Minor league OF depth includes Gorkys Hernandez and Bryce Brentz. Brock Holt can also play all three outfield spots if needed.
Center field:
2018: Jackie Bradley Jr.
2019: Jackie Bradley Jr.
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In 2018, Bradley Jr. was pretty much the opposite of Mitch Moreland, as he started super slow and then was great in the second half. His first half OPS was .642 and in the second half, it was .827.
In 2019, he came to camp with a new swing and it resulted in a 1.042 OPS during the spring. Look for him to try and build off the strong spring and strong second half.
Bradley will get the majority of playing time in center field with Betts and Benintendi getting starts there every now and then.
Right field:
2018: Mookie Betts
2019: Mookie Betts
The AL MVP will obviously be the full-time starter in right field. In addition to having one of the best bats in the league, Betts is also probably a top-3 defender in all of baseball. He will hit second this year and the Red Sox are likely expecting him to have another superstar year.
Starting rotation:
2018: Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, Brian Johnson, Hector Velazquez
2019: Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Eduardo Rodriguez, Rick Porcello David Price
In 2018, the Red Sox opened up the year with Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez in their rotation due to injuries to Eduardo Rodriguez and Drew Pomeranz. When Rodriguez came back he was solid but Pomeranz struggled badly, leaving a hole in that fifth spot. Eventually, the Red Sox filled the hole with postseason hero Nathan Eovaldi.
Now in 2019, Eovaldi will look to build on the second half from last year in his first full season with Boston. Rodriguez will look to take the next step. Overall, this is a very solid rotation that will be the key to their success.
Next. Red Sox roundtable: 2019 Predictions. dark
Bullpen:
2018: Craig Kimbrel, Matt Barnes, Carson Smith, Bobby Poyner, Heath Hembree, Marcus Walden, Hector Velazquez
2019: Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Heath Hembree, Colten Brewer, Brandon Workman, Tyler Thornburg, Hector Velazquez
The one major difference here obviously, is the loss of Craig Kimbrel. Barnes, Brasier, and Hembree will handle most of the high leverage spots while Thornburg and Workman have the chance to try and prove they still belong on the roster. Brewer will look to prove he can handle a high leverage spot and has more upside than most of the other guys in the bullpen. This part of the team is by far the biggest question mark.