Red Sox rookie Bobby Dalbec has more than earned his spot for 2021
Red Sox rookie Bobby Dalbec has turned heads since his promotion
It’s felt like we’ve been waiting for the Red Sox to promote Bobby Dalbec to the main roster for years now. Granted, the first baseman is only 25 years old and was drafted just four years ago, there’s been big hype surrounding him since day one. The fourth-round draft pick finally got the call to join Boston at the end of August and has made good on their faith in him.
Now it hasn’t all been sunshine and rainbows since he made his debut in the Majors but we’ve definitely seen far more positives than negatives from Dalbec. He came in like a ball of fire but would soon realize that pitching at the MLB level is a bit different than he’s seen in Triple-A. His hot bat went cold almost instantly as he ran into double-digit strikeouts.
Red Sox hitting coach Tim Hyers worked with the young slugger to get back to the mechanics that got him to the big leagues. Ever since then Dalbec has been a hitting machine and more often than not, he’s made an impact with his bat. The current record for consecutive games with a home run is held by Ken Griffey Jr at eight games. Boston’s rookie first baseman found himself in a pretty serious conversation where he got himself to five straight games with a bomb.
The moon-bomb efforts would put him in some pretty high company as far as a rookie is concerned. Not only is he getting things figured out with the bat but he’s been flashing the leather over at first base on a nightly basis. I found it weird as I listened to a game the other day on WEEI and it was brought up multiple times that first is a new position. I find it weird because he’s always been labeled as someone who can play first and third and played the position in both Double-A and Triple-A.
I’m not sure if that falls on not knowing his playing history well enough or because he spends more time at third, but he’s no stranger to first base. It feels like there couldn’t be a better time to call Bobby up as the Red Sox have a massive vacancy at first base and will need someone to be there nightly. Mitch Moreland and Michael Chavis shared shifts at the position but with Moreland getting traded and Chavis now finding his home in the outfield, first is Dalbec’s to lose.
Bobby Dalbec is here to stay for the Red Sox
So, as we talked about above, there’s no real challenge at his position and he’s hitting the cover off of the ball, I think it’s safe to say that Dalbec is staying. Now, we still have to think about the offseason and how Chaim Bloom will attack free agency. He very well may go out on the market to find another veteran like Moreland to fill the gap while Bobby continues to develop. But at 25 years old, I don’t think there’s much more that needs to be done and he needs to be in the Majors.
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I could see some weird fate where the Red Sox bring in Anthony Rizzo and reunite him with the organization that drafted him. But his $16.5M price tag feels like it would be too high for a guy of his age and not something Chaim would want to do. Remember, this is his first true offseason where he can focus on improving the team without any known handcuffs. Bloom has to play this winter perfectly if he doesn’t want to be remembered solely as the guy that traded Mookie Betts.
Dalbec has been with the big club for a hair over two weeks and is posting a sick .277/.333/.681/1.014 line with 6 homers and 10 RBI. Sadly that means pretty much every homer he’s hitting is with the bases empty but he’s barely been with the Red Sox and is already creeping up on Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers who are tied with the team lead at 10 dingers. His power is something that Boston can greatly benefit from especially if the rest of the lineup is firing on all cylinders. He gives them the chance to bring this offense back to what it was before this horrid season began.
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Bobby Dalbec is a welcome addition to the Boston Red Sox and has the real potential to be their first baseman for the foreseeable future. With the lineup getting younger and younger and more prospects seemingly ready to be called up, he’s a glimpse at the team’s future. There are two weeks left in the season and if he continues to play at the level he already has, then I feel he’s a lock for the 2021 roster.