Red Sox: Three players to watch on Opening Day against Baltimore
The Red Sox open the 2020 season at Fenway Park tonight
Here we are, friends! We finally made it. After what has been or at least felt like the longest offseason in the history of the game, it’s Opening Day weekend. While some teams got their start last night, tonight is the night that we all care about. The Red Sox will be opening the 2020 campaign at the historic Fenway Park against the Orioles.
At points, it felt like we were never going to get to this moment, and now we’re just a short time away from the first pitch. Of course, this is a new-look Red Sox team compared to the one we saw last season and a drastically different squad that we saw in 2018. This is our team though and even with the recent losses of Mookie Betts, David Price, Rick Porcello, and Brock Holt, we’ll soldier on towards October.
It won’t be easy, don’t get me wrong, this very well could be the most miserable 60 games any of us have ever endured in a single season. For me, I have the Red Sox finishing at a pretty close to even 32-28, which with the expanded playoff format, just might do the trick.
Nonetheless, I think there are a few players that we should keep our eyes on this weekend and especially tonight as they open the season. With that all said, let’s get to the ones we need to watch!
Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi
This may be the biggest change for Boston coming into the 2020 season. In years past it was pretty certain that either David Price or Chris Sale would be on the bump for Opening Day. But as I mentioned above, Price is in Hollywood with the Dodgers now and Sale is recuperating from Tommy John. That pretty much meant everyone in the rotation was getting a massive promotion for this season.
As it was, Eduardo Rodriguez was the heavy favorite for the slot until he tested positive for COVID-19, dashing his hopes of Opening Day. The next man in line was Nathan Eovaldi, and the fireballing righty is more than ready for the opportunity.
On the recent episode of NESN’s “TC and Jerry Podcast,” Nate talked about this being his first time ever pitching on Opening Day. An honor for any and every pitcher that gets the nod from the skipper.
Another fun tidbit that he shared with Tom Caron was that he had learned how to throw a slider during the hiatus but on accident. He and catching prospect Connor Wong were working out in Texas and Eovaldi wanted to work on his cutter. Well, while he was working on his grip and release he realized that he was throwing more of a slider. After plenty of practice, he now has the pitch locked in and is confident in it.
Eovaldi is the one I’m the most interested in seeing perform tonight. He’s coming off of a horrible 2019 that was riddled with injury and inconsistency. The righty is now fully healthy and looked unhittable in both spring training and summer camp. With only 10-12 starts to focus on in 2020, I feel like he can be a serious weapon for Ron Roenicke and the Red Sox. It all starts at Fenway Park tonight against the Orioles.
Red Sox 2B Jose Peraza
Jose Peraza came to the Red Sox via free agency this past winter and has done everything needed to earn a starting job. Not that that is necessarily a hard thing to do at second base these days in Boston. With Dustin Pedroia all but out of the picture at this point and a very young Michael Chavis splitting time between first and second, Peraza was a great signing.
Since Pedroia’s injury a few years ago the Red Sox have had a carousel of infielders cover second base. Chavis got plenty of time at the position last year but was never the long-term plan. Enter, Peraza. Jose is an incredibly talented infielder and can also flash speed on the basepaths when necessary. He’s only signed with Boston through this year but that can easily be remedied, especially with Betts not returning.
Why bring Mookie up you ask? Well, Chaim Bloom no-longer has to worry about writing a $300M+ check to re-sign the former MVP, allowing him to spend elsewhere. Boston is only on the hook for $3M this year for the second baseman and that can easily be extended to keep him in town for a few more years.
Essentially the goal is to bridge the gap between Pedroia and top prospect Jeter Downs, and Jose is the perfect player for that.
He absolutely crushed the ball during summer camp and has proven that he can be an asset to the organization. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him offered a deal in the area of 2-years/$7M, especially if he continues to perform well. Having a confident bat in the lineup with his speed and defensive prowess is something the Red Sox could definitely use.
Red Sox Bullpen
Ok, I’ll admit I’m cheating a bit with this choice, but with good reason. At times during the 2019 season, the Boston bullpen was one of the best in the league and at others they were atrocious. They finished towards the top of the league in blown saves by the time the season concluded. But they were heavily relied upon early in the year when the starters just didn’t have the gas to go deep into ballgames.
We did get some bright spots though in Marcus Walden, Brandon Workman, Matt Barnes, and Josh Taylor. As it stands right now for 2020, Taylor is a ways away to returning to action after testing positive for COVID, but it shouldn’t be a long wait. Walden will likely be used heavily on days when the opener is applied as he has the ability to go multiple innings without flinching.
The big two in the bullpen are going to be Barnes and Workman, Boston’s setup -man and closer, or so we thought. During the exhibition game against Toronto the other night Roenicke used Barnes and Workman but far earlier in the game than any of us would’ve expected.
He then gave the ball over to Ryan Brasier who collapsed before our eyes and blew the game. Luckily, it didn’t count, but with just 60 games, that kind of performance can’t happen.
In the perfect scenario, Taylor and Braiser are middle relievers and will get the game to the later innings where Barnes and Workman can do what they do best. How Ron Roenicke manages this bullpen will be what carries him to the promised land or buries the season quickly.
With the new rule that pitchers must face at least three batters before being relieved, he has to make his moves wisely. As we saw the other night, putting the wrong pitcher in at the wrong time and lead to a loss real fast.
The Red Sox and 2020
I won’t begin to tell you that I have any idea of how this season is going to turn out, I don’t think anyone truly does. There are players that I’m more confident in than others, but that doesn’t mean squat in the big picture. It’s been said to death but the phrase that this is going to be a sprint and not a marathon is the absolute best way to describe 2020. Having less than half a season to work with severely limits the number of mistakes a team can make.
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I’m confident in Ron Roenicke as the manager of the Red Sox as he has the reputation and resume of a manager that can win. He also served under Alex Cora during the last two seasons so he’s a familiar face to the team. Having someone brand new in the captain’s chair would’ve all but sunk this season right from the start. I also have confidence in Chaim Bloom and his ability to evaluate talent. He has a month to figure out the trade waters as well as his farm system, it could be one hell of a debut season for him.
Boston’s offense will be one of the best in the league just as it has been the last few seasons, there’s little doubt there. The pitching is once again the team’s Achilles’ heel but shows signs of promise when the stars line up just right. Like I mentioned in my first slide, I see this side finishing right around 32-28, a hair above .500 but it may get the job done.
Is October baseball out of the picture for the Red Sox? Definitely not. Will it be easy like it was in 2018? Oh hell no. But it’s possible.
dark. Next. Red Sox Opening Day lineup notes
There’s a lot to be excited about with this Red Sox team and there’s plenty to worry about. We may run into a situation where they all band together and steamroll this season blowing out all expectations. And on the flip side, it could be a year where the chemistry just isn’t there and we painfully watch the team fail each night. To me though, Nathan Eovaldi, Jose Peraza, and the bullpen can all be major weapons and components to the Red Sox seeing success in 2020.