Red Sox: Three players to watch against the Yankees this weekend
Red Sox and Yankees meet for their final series of 2020
It’s been a long and disappointing season for Red Sox Nation. Granted, things could’ve been much worse for everyone. Just imagine this year being the full 162 games, yikes. Boston is coming off of a series split with the AL East leading Tampa Bay Rays and a series win over the playoff-bound Miami Marlins. Next up is enemy number one, the New York Yankees. In their final clash of the season, the Bronx Bombers are making their way to Fenway Park for a three-game stint.
When the schedules were announced ahead of the shortened season many were up in arms about the heavily titled Boston/New York split, myself included. It just didn’t make sense to me that 70% of the games were to be played in New York. I know there were never going to be fans in the stands during this season but having the final at-bats still mattered. Well, would’ve mattered if the Red Sox were anything close to competitive this year.
So, let’s look ahead to tonight and this weekend as we get our final looks at the Yankees in 2020. A week or two ago I would’ve been more confident going into this weekend for Boston to play a bit of a spoiler, but the Yanks have gotten healthy and dangerously hot. With that said, there are some players for the Red Sox that are looking pretty damn good right now and we should give them their props. There are also a few who are trending in the right direction and could have a great series.
Now that the table is set, let’s look at the three players I think we need to keep an eye on this weekend against the Yankees.
Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez
With all of the bats that are seemingly automatic right now for the Red Sox, my selecting Christian Vazquez may seem out of nowhere. Hear me out though, Vazqy has been getting sneaky hot. Last week against the Phillies he went 4-4 with four singles and hit a monster bomb against the Rays recently as well. He went through a spell where he just couldn’t get it done at the plate and much of that felt like he was trying to do too much. We’ve all seen it where a guy shows some power and then only wants to hit moonshots which causes him to hit damn near nothing.
Vazqy has things seemingly figured out though as he’s back to finding ways to get himself on base and knock-in runs while also flashing some power here and there. His season stats (.265/.327/.397/.725) aren’t too far off of the career year he posted in 2019 (.276/.320/.477/.798). His five homers and 15 RBI also have him near the top of the stat sheets as far as Red Sox hitters are concerned.
Vazquez’s defense is also right where it usually is, which is at the top of the charts. He owns a .997 fielding percentage behind the dish, which is one of the highest of his career. Boston’s backstop has once again lived up to his reputation of being one of the best at keeping the base paths empty as he’s caught 9 of 28 attempted stolen bases. That gives him a caught stealing percentage of 32% which is well above the league average of 25%.
With his defense being at it’s absolute best and his bat getting white-hot, I think Vazquez can give the Yankees some serious headaches this weekend. He’s made it clear that he wants to retire with the Red Sox and finishing the year as strong as possible could go a long way in getting him the contract that makes that a reality.
Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo
This should come as no surprise to anyone that keeps up with the things that I’ve written, especially in 2020. I’ll admit that I was skeptical of Alex Verdugo when he arrived in the spring but he has become one of my favorite current Red Sox players to watch. There’s just something about the way he plays and attacks the game, it’s awesome to watch.
Verdugo has posted back-to-back 3-4 days at the dish and flashed some serious leather saving an extra-base hit yesterday afternoon in Miami. I know this season needs to be taken with a grain of salt but Dugie has shown me more than enough to believe that he can be a force on this team for the foreseeable future. He’s earned my belief to the extent that I wrote yesterday that I think that he’s the secret ingredient and the spark to bring this team back to the postseason next year.
After yesterday’s effort against the Marlins, he now leads the Red Sox in both Runs (33) and AVG (.326). That says a lot considering the bats that are in this lineup and he didn’t waste any time at all putting his name into the conversation. Against the Yankees this year, he’s hitting .250/.250/.583/.833 with two homers and four RBI.
Interestingly enough, that’s his lowest batting average against any opponent in 2020, which makes me think he’s going to want to make a statement this weekend. What better way to begin the end of your season than by stomping your biggest rival and once again showing you belong in this lineup? Verdugo has more than outplayed his expectations with the Red Sox and will be a joy to watch for a full 162 in 2021.
Red Sox starter Tanner Houck
This one has my attention more than the other two and possibly more than anyone else that’ll be featured in this series. Tanner Houck has long been touted as one of the highest pitching prospects in the farm system and finally made his Red Sox debut earlier this week. For the longest time, I’ve heard from BSI’s Hunter Knoll about how good Houck is and can be if given the chance, and the righty lived up to that high praise.
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The other aspect of Houck’s success is that he donates $100 to his Pitch for Adoption charity for every strikeout he records. Tanner’s family adopted his little sister while he was in high school and ever since he’s been pro-adoption and gives everything he can to support the cause. How can you root against a guy that has such a good heart? In his debut against the Marlins, he tossed a stellar 5.0IP/2H/3BB/7K outing and impressed everyone watching.
The right-hander will now get the biggest test of his professional career as he makes not only his Fenway Park debut this weekend but also gets his first taste of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. For me, the most impressive thing I saw from Houck the other night was his slider. Barstool Sports’ Jared Carrabis said it best on yesterday’s “Section-10 Podcast,” when he said that Houck looked like a righthanded Chris Sale. He had an insane level of sweep on the pitch that kept Miami’s offense guessing all night.
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With the rotation in serious flux, as both Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez carry massive question marks about their health, another strong outing from Houck could earn him a starting rotation job in 2021. At the very least, he could become a regular starter while we await the return of the duo of southpaws and then move to the bullpen. Either way, it was a blast to see him pitch the other night and I’m really excited to see what he can do against this always dangerous Yankees lineup.