Red Sox: Five players that will carry Boston back to the Postseason
Who will bring the Red Sox back to October?
We’re just eleven short games away from the 2021 regular season coming to an end. Prior to this year, I think most of us had some low expectations for the Red Sox and then this group went and got our hopes up.
For most of the first half of the campaign, this squad ran roughshod over the league and was cruising in the AL East. Then the All-Star Break came and it felt like somebody let the air out of the tires and things began to slip away.
Well Red Sox Nation, with two weeks left on the schedule our favorite team has themselves in the driver’s seat of the Wild Card race. And hear me out, this may be wild, a massive collapse could still deliver the division!
Alright, that’s enough from conspiracy corner, let me take off my tinfoil hat and get back to reality. This ballclub should be back in the postseason for the first time since 2018 and it’s up to them to punch their own ticket.
While the entire team has been contributing as of late as they’re in the midst of a five-game win streak, but it feels like a handful are poised to really take over as we finish the playoff push.
In recent games, we’ve seen the starting rotation, relievers, and position players all step up huge when the game was on the line. With that said, I feel that the following five players will do the most to make sure that the Red Sox return to the Postseason.
Red Sox 1B: Bobby Dalbec
I hope you’re ready for a Bobby Dalbec lovefest because that’s exactly what this section is going to be. I have no problem in admitting that I was wrong about Big Bob at the Trade Deadline. I thought he was a lame-duck rookie that just couldn’t figure out the Majors. Well, Seattle Washington’s favorite son has been the hottest hitter in the league not named Bryce Harper since August and he’s not slowing down.
Bobby made his debut with the Red Sox in the final month of the 2020 season and instantly lit up the box score. Fans the world over were excited to see what he could do in his first full season with the club but were mostly let down in the first half.
Flashes of brilliance would be blotted out by ugly whiffs and shaky defense. Fast-forward to the Trade Deadline, and much like Michael Jordan, it feels like Dalbec took some of the criticisms about his play personally.
Since August 1st, Bobby is crushing at a .316/.409/.737 clip with 12 homers and 36 RBI, absolutely wild stuff from the rookie. Before the season, he was in the Rookie of the Year conversation but his slow start changed that narrative.
If he had started the year the way he’s finishing it he would’ve had the award on his mantle back in July. It’s clear that the addition of Kyle Schwarber and all the talk that he couldn’t get the job done lit a fire under his backside and the Red Sox are reaping the benefits.
Red Sox INF/OF: Kyle Schwarber
Kyle Schwarber is giving me some serious “Steve Pearce in 2018,” vibes since coming to the Red Sox, and I absolutely love that. Pearce came to the club and made an instant impact by smashing the living hell out of the Yankees, one of his former teams, and was beyond clutch in the Postseason.
In fact, he may go down as one of the most unlikely players to win the World Series MVP, but it’s hard to deny what the veteran did in his short time that season.
Schwarber has been an instant impact player for the Red Sox and it feels like the culture around the clubhouse has changed for the better. Plenty complained that Chaim Bloom couldn’t get Anthony Rizzo, and I definitely wanted the former Boston draft pick as well, but to deny what Schwarbs can do is idiotic.
Look no further than what he does in the batter’s box and how many others in the lineup have matched his efforts.
In 128 plate appearances since joining the Red Sox, Schwarber has .276/.406/.457 line and his patience is unwavering. For the longest time, it felt like every time he stepped up to the plate he was taking a free pass to first base because he wasn’t swinging at slop.
His influence can be felt on a nightly basis as the strikeouts sure seem less and the boys seem to be hunting for their pitches a lot more.
The veteran has a mutual option in his contract after this year and it feels like a longshot that he and the Red Sox wouldn’t want to run this back in 2022. Considering how far this team has gone when they should have been mediocre, he can be the one factor to push them over the threshold to another World Series ring.
Red Sox SP: Chris Sale
Ladies and gentlemen, Christopher Allen Sale is a bad bad man and the rest of the league has to deal with this menace. Much like a box of chocolates you never know what you’re gonna get when a pitcher returns from Tommy John Surgery. Well, if we want to give a grade to The Boogeyman based on his early results then my guy has himself an A+.
Getting Sale back in 2021 was the moment that Red Sox Nation was anticipating the most. It was clear that the team wouldn’t rush his recovery and thankfully that gameplan was the right way to play things.
Taking their time is what has made Sale so effective so far in his return as he got plenty of reps in simulated outings, as well as, minor league starts. Now he’s back at full strength and he’s back to being the psycho that we all know and love.
It’s been a blast seeing Sale back on the mound and making hitters look downright stupid in the batter’s box. Last night Javy Baez actually struck out on a pitch that hit him. The ball hit him and he still swung at it!
Against the Mets, he tossed five innings of six-hit ball while also striking out eight and walking a pair. New York was able to pick up two earned off of the southpaw but at the end of the day, it didn’t matter.
Since returning to the team, Sale is 5-0 with a 2.57 ERA in 35 innings of work. I’ll count myself in the group that was worried that we may not see him perform at a level we once knew but his 13.3/2.3 K/BB ratio has put those fears to rest. Along with Nathan Eovaldi, he’s easily one of if not the most important pitchers the Red Sox have right now.
Red Sox SP: Nathan Eovaldi
What a season it’s been for Nathan Eovaldi up to this point. He’s lived up to every ounce of his nickname and on every fifth day, he’s Nasty as all hell. Eovaldi is in the midst of the best full season of his career and has finally hit the potential of the guy that Dave Dombrowski brought over back in 2018. In fact, the righty has gotten his name tossed into the Cy Young conversation, he may not get many votes, but he’s not making it easy that’s for sure.
When you hear that a guy has undergone two Tommy John Surgeries on top of several other minor procedures to keep his arm from falling off, you don’t really have much faith. Well, Nasty Nate has only gotten better as time has gone by, and with the Wild Card game looming, I believe that he is the favorite to get the ball that night.
BSI’s own Gabrielle Starr and Red Sox legend Pedro Martinez thing we may see a replay of the 2001 World Series with Sale and Eovaldi both hurling in that game. Even in that scenario, I want Nate to get the ball first as he’s more than earned it over these past two years and has the hot hand right now.
Evo has grown into the ace of this staff as the starting rotation has seen massive changes since he arrived three years ago. While 10-8 may not be the prettiest record in the Majors it’s also just a drop in the bucket of what he’s done in 2021. He currently leads the American League in starts (30), FIP (2.72), and HR/9 (0.7) while leading all of MLB in BB/9 (1.7).
Again, at 31 years of age and with two massive surgeries under his belt, he shouldn’t be doing what he’s doing. I love everything I’ve seen from him this year and knowing what he can do when the calendar flips to October, I want him to be at the forefront of this staff for the postseason.
Red Sox SS: Xander Bogaerts
Oh captain my captain! Xander Bogaerts may not have that “C” on his chest but he’s without a doubt the leader of this ballclub. No Red Sox player has had that title since Jason Varitek but if anyone deserves it, it’s the X Man. It may be silly to some but look no further than his declaration that the team will continue to wear the yellow City Connect unis until their current win streak ends.
As for on the field, it’s hard to deny how damn good he is at what he does. He’ll never get the national attention he deserves and I’ll never understand why not. Per Fangraphs, he’s the fourth-ranked shortstop in all of MLB with a 5.4 WAR, only behind Fernando Tatis Jr, Trea Turner, and Carlos Correa. That’s pretty damn good.
Through last night’s game against the Mets, he’s rocking a .304/.374/.520 slash with 34 doubles, 23 homers, and 79 RBI. With only nine games left on the regular-season schedule, he’s coming to the conclusion of one of his best seasons to date.
Xander has been playing at such a high level for so long that Red Sox legend Pedro Martinez believes he should already have his ticket to Cooperstown punched, that’s next level high praise. If Chaim Bloom is as smart as we’ve all been told he is, Bogey will be given a new long-term contract after this season.
He has the ability to opt-out after next season and with the young core of guys that Bloom is fostering, having that veteran rock will be key. Locking up not just Bogaerts but also Rafael Devers needs to be at the top of Bloom’s to-do list this winter. With the postseason right around the corner, a white-hot Xander in the lineup is a very good thing for the Red Sox and a very bad thing for everyone else.
dark. Next. Schwarber absolutely owns the Mets