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Red Sox: Five players that will carry Boston back to the Postseason

By Brendan Mizgala

BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 5: Bobby Dalbec #29 and Kyle Schwarber #18 of the Boston Red Sox walk off the field during the fourth inning of a game against the Cleveland Indians on September 5, 2021 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 5: Bobby Dalbec #29 and Kyle Schwarber #18 of the Boston Red Sox walk off the field during the fourth inning of a game against the Cleveland Indians on September 5, 2021 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /
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Red Sox OF Kyle Schwarber
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – AUGUST 15: Kyle Schwarber #18 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after scoring a run against the Baltimore Orioles during the sixth inning at Fenway Park on August 15, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

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.

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