Boston Red Sox: 3 bold predictions for the 2021 season

Red Sox outfielder Franchy Cordero records a 30/30 season

Franchy Cordero’s combination of speed and power could see him become the first 30 home run/30 stolen base player for the Red Sox since Mookie Betts in 2018.

Cordero has a similar hitting profile to Dalbec. His bat has a lot of pop, but he’s liable to strike out often. In 2018 when he played in 40 MLB games (his most in a single season to date) he ranked 9th for highest Hard Hit % and 10th for highest strikeout %.

Cordero possess another element to his game the Dalbec does not: speed. In the same 2018 season, Cordero ranked 21st in sprint speed in the majors (min. 150 PA). In Triple-A the year prior, Cordero stole 15 bases in 93 games and back in 2015 in A-ball he stole 22 in 126 games.

The main blocker to Cordero accomplishing this feat will be playing time. Fangraphs Depth Chart projections has Cordero playing just 89 games, while hammering 15 homers and swiping 9 bags. That puts him on a 162 game pace of 27 HR and 16 SB. While still short of a 30/30 season, the path is there for Cordero.

If he can remain healthy, and play his way into becoming the everyday starter, Cordero possesses the tools to become a special player. While 30/30 in his first season with Boston may be a long shot, he certainly has the potential to produce.