Evaluating the 2019 season of Boston Red Sox infielder Mitch Moreland and assigning a grade based on how his production lived up to expectations.
Mitch Moreland has been a cult favorite amongst Red Sox Nation during his time in Boston. This year would be no different for the powerful first baseman as he put up another strong season. Moreland finished the year with a .252/.328/.507/.825 stat line with each of the metrics exceeding what he did in 2018. The biggest knock on Mitch from 2019 was that he only played in 91 games which is his lowest mark since 2014.
The injury bug visited Mitch a few times during this past season and it seems that his tenure in the league has finally caught up with him. His final season with the Red Sox also marks his tenth in the league which is a hell of an accomplishment. With that much time under his belt at the highest level of the game, he may be feeling some wear and tear.
Other than missing time due to injuries, Moreland was an asset in an otherwise bleak season for Boston. Even when the campaign was long over Mitchy Two-Bags was still smacking extra-base hits and flashing the leather in the field. There was even a game late in the season that saw Mitch smack a pair of two-run dingers, sadly the Red Sox would waste his efforts.
Despite missing so many games in 2019 he was still able to set career highs in both SLG (.507) and OPS (.835). So it wasn’t all a downer for Mitch as he did boost his numbers ahead of free agency which should help his case when the suitors come calling.
Boston is rich with young talent and Moreland has offered a great veteran presence in the clubhouse. If he does take his talents elsewhere this winter he’ll surely be missed by not only the organization but by the fans as well.
Grade
As much as I wanted to rate his season better I just couldn’t do so with the amount of time he missed due to injury. Even though he did have some career marks as well as an increase in his numbers from last year, it’s hard to rate his year any higher. Seeing that he missed nearly half the year I had to dock him some points.
We all know this season was a nightmare but there were plenty of high spots and a handful included Mitch. He was a major asset not only this season but in his three years with the Boston and he’s more than earned the love he gets from Red Sox Nation.
Coming off of a World Series title it felt like this could be a powerhouse year for Mitch and it just didn’t pan out. Yeah, he had a good season but with how hot he started his 2019 campaign it would’ve been awesome to see what he could’ve done with a full year.
Future Outlook
As I mentioned above, Mitchy-Two Bags is hitting the open market in a few weeks and his future is up in the air. There’s always the chance that the Red Sox bring him back to continue to be the veteran in the clubhouse but at a discounted rate. He earned $6.5M this past season and with him missing so much time I’m not sure he’ll be able to command that much.
Add in his age and I think Mitch will be looking at something short-term from a team in need of a first baseman. I could see something along the lines of a two-year/$8M contract that will likely see Moreland through his playing days. If he can get fully healthy he can be a weapon for any team’s lineup.
Mitch Moreland was in only with the Red Sox for three seasons but he made an impact during his tenure. There’s a lot in the air as far as his future is concerned but he will be a major addition to any lineup in the league. I’d love to see him in a Boston uniform for the rest of his career but sadly I don’t get to write the checks. No matter where he goes this winter, I’d like to thank Mitch for everything he did while with the Red Sox.