Red Sox name most of their summer camp lineup
Welcome to Red Sox summer camp, friends! We’re finally here and it honestly never felt like we’d see baseball back in 2020. Today’s the day where teams reported to their homefields to begin training camp for the season. It’s still unclear just how Boston will set their rotation or lineup for the campaign, but at least we’re back to work.
The Red Sox named 47 players out of the possible 60 that can be in their player pool ahead of the season beginning. Most of those on the list are familiar faces from the previous year’s 40-man roster. One of the players that will be in camp is infield prospect, Bobby Dalbec, who ranks in the Top-5 of Boston’s farm system.
It’s no surprise to see his name on the list for camp as he’s been a big part of spring training the last couple of seasons. This past spring felt like it was going to be his time to finally make the Major League roster, but then COVID shut everything down. With another chance to earn a promotion, 2020 could be a career-changing year for the power-hitting infielder.
As camp goes on, Ron Roenicke will have to go from a pool of 60 players to a 30-man roster. After that, he’ll need to whittle things down to the standard 26 players that we’re familiar with. If there was ever a season where Dalbec had the best odds to make the roster, it’s 2020.
The Red Sox will need Bobby Dalbec for 2020
I can comfortably say that the Red Sox will need Dalbec for the upcoming campaign. That may sound dramatic to some of you but hear me out. They have Mitch Moreland over at first and the recently signed Jose Peraza covering second base. This means Michael Chavis will likely be splitting his duties between both positions when called upon. Granted the season will be drastically shorter, the injury bug doesn’t miss a chance to bite.
If either Moreland or Peraza goes down, Chavis will be bumped up to an everyday player meaning there will be a gap on the roster. Given Dalbec’s abilities to play first, third, and even pitch, his versatility is beyond desirable. Not only could he cover first base but if Rafael Devers needs some rest, he can easily slot in at the hot corner.
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Dalbec split his 2019 between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket to post a .239/.356/.460/.816 line with 27 homers and 73 RBI. His stats with the PawSox were actually better than they were with the Sea Dogs, though it was a smaller sample size. Either way, he can be a huge asset to Ron Roenicke in a season that will feel more like a sprint than a marathon.
None of us know just how this season is going to play out but I think we can all safely say that it’ll be one to remember. With fewer games, it feels as if we should see fewer rest days and injuries should also decline, but it could also lead to the opposite. There isn’t that time where a team can bounce back from a poor start. If the train goes off the tracks right out of the blocks, it’s not going to get back on course.
This is another ready why I feel it would be in the best interest of the Red Sox to maintain Bobby Dalbec on the roster for the 2020 season. He can not only give them infield support but if a game ever called for it, he could step on the mound. I’d highly vote against that decision, but his arm could mean saving the bullpen in a game that’s far from winnable. If Boston wants to have a shot at the postseason this year then they need to come out of the gates firing on all cylinders. Having someone like Dalbec on the roster could allow them to do exactly that.