The Boston Red Sox are getting an energy boost from first baseman Mitch Moreland, and he’s been the positive constant in an otherwise tough year.
The Red Sox are thriving right and they have a mountain of momentum after sweeping Oakland at Fenway Park today. As they ready themselves to head Chicago they’ll need to keep this momentum flowing if they want to keep making moves. One of the key reasons Boston is seeing a swing in the favors is thanks to the play of Mitch Moreland.
More from Red Sox News
- Red Sox Nation deserves far more from Fenway Sports Group
- Bizarre trade deadline comes back to haunt Red Sox after Nathan Eovaldi departure
- Red Sox’ Moneyball-style offseason continues with Corey Kluber contract
- Rich Hill’s Red Sox departure puts him within striking distance of unique MLB record
- Red Sox offseason takes another nasty hit with Nathan Eovaldi departure
As the calendar changes from April to May, there haven’t been many members of the Red Sox that have played as big a part in their minor successes than Moreland. It feels like more often than not he is coming through when the team needs him to the most. Whether it be getting a rally started or getting a key RBI, he’s been clutch.
“Mitchy Two-Bags” as he’s now known as due to his love of getting those extra-base hits has been knocking pitchers around since Opening Day. He’s currently in a contract year and it may sound dramatic but Mitch is absolutely playing for his career. Whether he returns to the Red Sox or takes his skills elsewhere he’s absolutely auditioning for his next deal.
Moreland is in his tenth season in the MLB and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon. Though his batting average is a bit light for his standards it’s still early in the year. After today’s game with Oakland he’s now hitting .217 and has a team-leading 9 HR. He’s also sitting on 19 RBI after his 2-run shot to the Green Monster this afternoon. He’s currently posting a career high in SLG % and has the second highest OPS of his career at .539/.829 respectively.
He’s contributing in more ways than just at the plate as he is a defensive rock at first base for the Red Sox. Day in and day out Mitch can be seen making plays in the field that give the Red Sox chances to win games. And that shouldn’t be surprising as he’s been one of the most consistent first basemen during his tenure in the MLB. Again, with free agency coming this winter he is giving everything he has to secure himself a contract for the future.
I recently took a look at some of the bigger names on the Red Sox roster that will be free agents after this season and I didn’t ignore Mitch. He by far in my eyes is one of the more important free agents Boston should work towards locking down before someone else scoops him up. Not only is he still playing at a strong level but he can also be a great mentor to a young guy like Michael Chavis who may be the heir apparent at first base.
If he can keep even a fraction of the pace that he has right now he will be catching plenty of attention from teams that could benefit from adding a veteran to their roster. Per Fangraphs, he’s currently projected to hit 16 homers this season and after today he’s already at 9. He’s also striking out just 20% of the time which is his lowest in the MLB since 2012. We all know you can’t stay hot all season but it’s hard to see a slump for Moreland coming anytime soon.
Chavis definitely has a roster spot for 2020 locked up in my eyes based on his spring training and stint in the majors this year. If he keeps it up he can become the everyday first baseman of the future. But the Red Sox would handcuff themselves if they let someone like Moreland get away. If they can come to terms with him on a deal that suits both sides then I can see Mitch playing out the rest of his career at Fenway Park.
Boston dug themselves into a major hole to start this season and are now on a path to get out of it. In order to do so, the Red Sox will need every player to give everything they have each and every day. Having Mitchy Two-Bags already carrying his weight when it comes to the workload they’ll have a higher chance at success. Mitch Moreland is a big reason why Boston is starting to turn the tides and right the ship and he’ll be a big reason why they make it back to the postseason in October.