Four optimistic Boston Red Sox predictions for 2020 season
It seems like the Boston Red Sox are about to have a rough 2020, but hope is not entirely lost. Here are four optimistic Sox predictions for the new season.
The Boston Red Sox have had a tumultuous offseason to say the very least. They’re using their money like a small market team would. They had to fire their manager, and are currently under investigation for illegally stealing signs under said manager’s guidance in 2018. They also haven’t found a replacement manager, and to top it all off they are about to trade away their best player.
All signs point to a really rough 2020 season for the Red Sox, and plenty of fans and media outlets are writing them off. It’s certainly not hard to blame people who feel that way but the script is not set in stone. The team isn’t exactly devoid of talent, even once they inevitably send Mookie Betts to California.
It would be easier for me to just not bother writing the rest of this and accept the fact that the Red Sox will be hard to watch this year. However, that would be boring, right? Let’s not bury this team just yet. There are certainly a few things can play out in their favor on the field that can make up for a pretty terrible offseason for the front office and ownership.
If the Red Sox are going to be playing in October, they’ll need some bounce-backs and breakouts. Believe it or not though, they’ll also need some things that happened in 2019 to repeat themselves. Fortunately, none of it is too far-fetched.
Chris Sale returns to form
Chris Sale had the worst season of his career in 2019. A lack of preparation in spring training led to a rocky start for him and he never truly found his groove. To make matters worse, he wound up having his season cut short by an elbow injury.
There hasn’t been many updates on Sale recently, but we have been given no reason to believe that the elbow will be a problem for him. Sale did not need surgery and was cleared to throw, so we can operate under the assumption that he’ll be going into the season firing on all cylinders.
It’s fair to simply call last season a down year for Sale. He has earned the benefit of the doubt given his track record, but he will need to prove that he’s still got it in 2020. Sale’s return to being a dominant ace would be a huge boost to a rotation that struggled immensely in 2019.
The Red Sox will be counting on Sale to bounce back. Based on what we have seen from him at his peak, it’s not difficult to envision that happening. Even if the team ultimately struggles regardless, who doesn’t want to see Sale make batters look foolish again?
Offense stays dominant without Mookie Betts
The Red Sox are going to trade Mookie Betts very soon, and that will rightfully be seen as a big loss in the lineup. Mookie has been one of the best hitters in the league for a while now and his impact is obviously profound. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but even without him there are still some very threatening bats in the order.
It’s not crazy to say that they will be among the top teams in terms of runs scored in 2020, as they were in 2019. After all, J.D. Martinez hits .300 in his sleep at this point while Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts are both coming off of career years at the plate. Not to mention, Michael Chavis had a promising rookie campaign in which he displayed some serious power.
The lineup as a whole will likely see a dip in production without Betts, but it may not be as substantial as many have been lead to believe. There are plenty of dangerous hitters on the Red Sox and they will prove that they can score a ton of runs even without Betts on the team.
The Red Sox are definitely going to have their flaws in 2020, but rest assured the offense will not be one of them. In fact, much like last season, it is more likely that they will be a bright spot. If that is the case and the pitching finds a way to improve (it can’t get much worse), then it will be an interesting year.
Andrew Benintendi (finally) has a breakout year
In order for the Red Sox to be among the top offenses in baseball again, as previously mentioned, Andrew Benintendi will have to pick up some of the slack left from Betts’ impending departure. Benintendi has shown flashes that provided Red Sox fans with hope that he can become an elite player, but he has yet to hone his potential with consistency.
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An exciting rookie year in 2017 was followed up by a solid-if-unspectacular sophomore effort in 2018. Sadly, Benintendi’s play took a dive in 2019 as he put up career-lows in almost every batting category.
To this point in his career, it’s harsh but fair to say that he’s simply an above-average bat in the order who can play solid defense in left field but doesn’t necessarily scare you if your team is facing him.
If that’s all Benintendi is, then he’ll still be in the majors for a while. That being said, he still has a chance to prove that he is more than that. If he does then the young nucleus for the Red Sox gets that much better, which is extremely important for them in what feels like a time of rebuilding.
Benintendi should have motivation to improve following a tough season. Red Sox fans should once again have high expectations for him going into the season. The difference is, this time he will deliver.
Brandon Workman has another fantastic season
It’s truly unfortunate that Brandon Workman‘s 2019 season went unrecognized by pretty much everyone besides Red Sox fans. He put up incredibly good numbers and was one of the lone bright spots on the team. His performance last year has an outlier feel to it given the fact that he’s never even come close to it previously, but that doesn’t mean he will completely regress to the mean.
Workman having a repeat of his dominant 2019 is a key component to the bullpen having a good year overall. While it may be a tad unrealistic to expect him to be every bit as good as he was, crazier things have happened. Even if he is slightly worse, he will still likely be one of the more reliable arms out of the pen.
Next. Devers denies cheating in 2018. dark
If there is one thing Workman should look to improve on for 2020, it’s preventing walks. His 5.7 walks per nine innings in 2019 was the only underwhelming aspect of his pitching from last year. If he improves that he could have yet another impressive campaign even if he takes a slight dip in other metrics.