Red Sox will have strong infield platoons splitting playing time in 2020
By Sean Penney
The Boston Red Sox can maximize production from their lineup by platooning certain infielders depending on if they face a lefty or right-handed pitcher.
We still don’t know who will be managing the Boston Red Sox this season but whoever gets the job will have plenty of flexibility to tinker with the lineup based on the opposing pitcher they face.
The Red Sox made a surprise move to bring back first baseman Mitch Moreland. It was assumed that their tight budget would prevent him from being retained in free agency but when Moreland flew under the radar, Boston’s brass jumped at the chance to sign him to an affordable 1-year, $2.5 million deal with a $3 million club option for 2021 ($500,000 buyout).
Injuries have hindered Moreland over the last few years, limiting him to 91 games last season. His salary essentially being sliced in half reflects that teams no longer view him as an everyday player.
His career splits suggest he’s best suited for a platoon role anyway. Moreland is a career .255 hitter with a .798 OPS against right-handed pitching but dips to .238 with a .671 OPS against lefties. The gap was more pronounced last season when Moreland hit a pitiful .204/.283/.315 against southpaws.
The Red Sox tried to hide Moreland from being exposed against lefties by having him split time at first base with lefty-masher Steve Pearce in the second half of the 2018 season. Unfortunately, last year was a lost season for Pearce, leaving Moreland in need of a new platoon partner.
That will again be the case entering 2020. Prior to Moreland being brought back into the fold, Michael Chavis was the presumed favorite to open the season at first base. Despite being a right-handed hitter, Chavis isn’t an ideal platoon partner for Moreland. It’s a relatively small sample from his rookie campaign but Chavis struggled to the tune of a .226/.261/.427 line in 106 at-bats against lefties.
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That could lead to infield prospect Bobby Dalbec getting his first shot in the big leagues. The Moreland signing could leave the Red Sox in a roster crunch that squeezes out Dalbec but they should find room for him to be the right-handed half of a first base platoon. Dalbec hit .250 with a .910 OPS against left-handed pitching in the minors last season. His underwhelming .236/.337/.447 line against right-handers shows he’s not quite ready for an everyday spot at this level but he could thrive in a platoon role.
That would leave Chavis getting the bulk of his playing time at second base, a position he learned on the fly last season. He performed significantly better against right-handed pitching, hitting .266 with a .774 OPS, so his bat should be in the lineup against them alongside Moreland.
Chavis needs to prove he can hit lefties before he can be cemented into an everyday role. That’s where newcomer Jose Peraza comes in. He’s been at his best throughout his career against lefties with a .297/.333/.406 line. Peraza’s production fell across the board during a dismal 2019 season but he remained useful against southpaws, hitting .287 with a .744 OPS against them.
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Utilizing Moreland/Dalbec at first base and Chavis/Peraza at second would provide a formidable set of platoons on the right side of the infield. Their overall numbers may not have popped off the page last year but if we focus on their production from the strong side of their splits then these platoons provide solid production in the bottom half of the order.