Red Sox Resolution #3: Make Fewer Mistakes
This one is going to be an all-encompassing resolution as this organization was messing up from top to bottom in 2020. I’ll start with the front office and work my way down. Chaim, I get why you’re here and we all know what you’re good at. However, not every bargain player is a diamond in the rough, some of them, maybe even a lot of them, are just not good at this. There’s a reason why some guys are so cheap and haven’t played in an entire Presidential term, maybe we just leave them alone.
Next on my rounds here is going to be our manager. I won’t lambaste Ron Roenicke too much since he’s no longer with the club but I just have to say I can’t recall the last time I’ve question a manager that much in a single season. I felt baffled by at least one game related decision for the entire 60 game season in 2020. I don’t know how he did it but good job I guess. Roenicke was in a tough spot and more than likely knew he was a band-aid until Cora could return, I wish him well in his next chapter.
Speaking of Alex Cora, you’re not getting off the hook that easy. This is going to be more related to 2019 but will still have an effect on 2021 as AC wasn’t around in 2020. Stop trying to be cute and outsmart everyone. Let the guys know what position they’ll be at, where they’ll be hitting in the lineup, and when you’ll use them in the bullpen.
Obviously, there will be times where things need to be shuffled, but that shouldn’t be every damn game. No more shenanigans from 2019 this year please, get back to what you did in 2018 and we’ll be cool.
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Now for the players, oh boy, this isn’t pretty. Errors happen, you can’t escape them and sometimes the scorekeeper gives you one despite you not earning it. Well in 2020 the Red Sox finished third in errors, no not in a good way, as in they had the third most errors this year. The Yankees and Pirates tied for first oddly enough with 47, and Boston was right behind them with 45. Guys, we gotta tighten that up, it’s embarrassing.
Of those 45 errors, Rafael Devers had 14. My guy accounted for almost 1/3 of the entire team’s errors, yikes. Granted his number was down from previous years but we also had fewer games. I don’t even want to think about that number had we seen a full 162 and it’s far too early for me to break out the calculator. Just know that it’d be terrible. Next on the errors list is Xander Bogaerts with 5, just let that sink in. Raffy, we all love ya, but dude you gotta get this thing figured out.
We have a new year started and a new year approaching. I know these resolutions are pretty obvious but once you actually see the numbers it makes you want to put your head through a wall. We’re not far removed from dominating the league and winning a World Series. Yeah, some of the pieces may be different, but there’s no reason why the Red Sox should be this bad. Work on these resolutions, tighten up the basics, and Boston can climb the ranks once again.