4 good things happening for the Red Sox this season
This season hasn’t been all bad for the Boston Red Sox so far
The Boston Red Sox have been off to a less than pleasant start. The bats have continued to stay cold. They have more losses than wins. The Sox are only half a game ahead of the Baltimore Orioles. Things are definitely not going Boston’s way right now.
It feels like all that is talked about is how bad they are and it is all doom and gloom. So I decided that instead of focusing on the bad, we should take a look at four good things that are happening for the Red Sox this year!
First on my list of things to look at is Xander Bogaerts. For a man that is trying to get an extension on his contract, he is doing just about everything correctly. So far he is leading the team with a .348 batting average. In his last seven games he is hitting .400.
If Bogaerts keeps this up it is going to be very hard to argue that he does not deserve the money he is asking for.
Not only is he being stellar at the plate, he fields a premium position at shortstop. Bogaerts already has one web gem this year when he leaped up to get the out against the Rays. He is the leader of this team and is showing everyone why he deserves this extension is a bright spot in this abysmal start.
Verdu-Go Red Sox
Alex Verdugo has been another highlight for these Red Sox. He has had a lot of weight and pressure put on him from his first game with the Red Sox due to the fact he was traded to Boston in the deal that sent Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Coming in and having to replace a name that big has been something for him to get through.
If you were to put the names aside and just look at the stats, Verdugo has actually been the better player. In the first year of the trade Betts hit .292 while Verdugo hit .308. In 2021, Mookie hit .264 and Verdugo hit a .289, and so far this season Mookie is hitting a .190 and Verdugo is hitting .258. It has hard to not sit here and think the Red Sox won that trade.
Verdugo is currently in a slump. In his last 15 games, he is hitting a .229 and in his last seven, he is hitting .174. He still owns a solid batting average and .741 OPS for the season and he’s tied for the team lead with three home runs. There is no doubt in my mind that he will get out of this slump.
The Red Sox pitching staff is actually good
The Red Sox pitching has actually been pretty good. Yes, there are the sore spots, but when you look at the numbers the pitching has been the strong suit for the Red Sox. They currently have eight pitchers with an ERA under 3.50 and 12 pitchers with an ERA below 5.00. An ERA between 4-and 5 is considered to be good.
This has been a major blessing for this team. I can not imagine where this team would be if the pitching was just as bad as the hitting. Garrett Whitlock has been the best gift for this team. Whether it is out of the bullpen or in the rotation, he has been a steady arm for the Red Sox to count on!
I believe that the biggest blessing, and by no surprise to me, is how well Michael Wacha has been pitching. He should be leading the team with three wins, but he only has one. He has an ERA of 1.88 and if it was not for Wander Franco he would have an ERA below 1.00. This pitching is giving the Red Sox the chance the need to win, let’s hope the bats start supporting that!
Wonders in Worcester could provided reinforcements for the Red Sox
While the bats in Boston have been quiet, the wonders in Worcester have been banging the ball all around. We know about the name Triston Casas. This year in AAA, Casas has been a slugging machine. His batting average is a bit low sitting at a .262, but he already has four home runs. I swear when he launches a home run it goes at least 500 feet.
The other guys down in Worcester that I hope eventually get a shot in the Majors this year are Ryan Fitzgerald and Franchy Cordero.
Cordero was brought to Boston in the trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City. He struggled his first year in Boston and has not seen the Majors since. Right now he has produced in Worcester. He has a batting average just north of .300, has three homers, leads the WooSox in RBIs, is third in runs, and is first in hits. He is producing, which is something the Red Sox are in much need of. I would love to see him get his second shot in Boston!
Fitzgerald is another guy that I would want to see in Boston. I doubt that we see him this year but he is electric. He had one heck of a Spring Training and that success has followed him to Worcester. He deserves a shot up in Boston and I can not wait for that to happen.
Chaim Bloom has done a fantastic job leading this organization and has given Red Sox Nation many reasons to be excited about what is going on now and for many seasons to come!
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