Grading the 2022 Boston Red Sox with a mid-season report card

Grading the Boston Red Sox as we approach midseason

We’ve reached the end of June and the Boston Red Sox are approaching the midpoint of their season with 76 games in the bank.

Boston enters the day with a 43-33 record, sitting in second place in the AL East and holding the top Wild Card spot.

The Red Sox sputtered out of the gate with a miserable start in April, losing 19 of their first 29 games to bury themselves at the bottom of their division. Boston finally started to turn things around in May and then dominated the month of June to climb back into the thick of the playoff hunt. Boston has won eight of their last 10 games and seven of their last eight series.

The overall production from certain players might seem underwhelming as they are still recovering from slow starts, but as a whole, the Red Sox have returned to the elite class in the American League.

The pitching staff has exceeded expectations, ranking fourth in the league in ERA, FIP and WAR, per FanGraphs.

Boston’s bats are back to being an offensive force. The Red Sox are second in the AL in runs scored. They lead the league in batting average and on-base percentage, while cracking the top-five in slugging.

Their double-digit deficit behind the division-leading New York Yankees and slim margin for error prevent the Red Sox from getting an A Grade for the first half. Despite their awful April, this team has recovered sufficiently enough to warrant a solid B+ though.

Now let’s dive into position groups to evaluate how the Red Sox have performed in certain areas.

Red Sox infielders

It doesn’t get much better than the combination on the left side of Boston’s infield, at least when it comes to their production at the plate.

Rafael Devers leads the league in hits and he’s second with a .328 batting average. He leads the team with 17 home runs and his .592 SLG ranks fifth in the league. FanGraphs has Devers leading the league with 4.1 WAR.

Xander Bogaerts is right behind his teammate in the batting title race with a .326 average while ranking fourth in the league with a .397 OBP. His power has mysteriously vanished lately. Bogaerts hasn’t homered since June 3 and he’s sitting on only six for the season with 31 RBI. He’s still piling up extra-base hits though with 21 doubles. Bogaerts is sixth in the league with 3.5 fWAR.

Defense is always the sore spot with this pair of superstar infielders but they actually haven’t been that bad this year. Bogaerts is slightly above average with 1 defensive run saved. Devers is a bit below average with -3 DRS but that’s an improvement considering he’s typically near the bottom of the list.

The smooth transition to second base from Trevor Story has benefited the Red Sox infield defense. The former shortstop is playing at a Gold Glove-caliber level.

Story got off to a horrible start at the plate, which was to be expected since he missed almost all of training camp and was focused on learning a new position. His batting average still hasn’t recovered – his current .224 AVG would be a career-low. However, he’s displayed the power that proves he wasn’t simply a product of Coors Field. Story has 12 home runs and his team-leading 52 RBI are the fourth-most in the league. He also leads the team with 10 steals and his 9.4 BB% helps offset his batting average woes.

The weak spot of the infield has been at first base, which has been primarily filled by the struggling Bobby Dalbec, who is hitting a meager .205 this season. His power was supposed to offset an underwhelming batting average but Dalbec’s .330 SLG would put him near the bottom of the league if he had enough plate appearances to qualify.

Franchy Cordero has started seeing time at first base. While he’s not exactly lighting it up, his .252 average and .744 OPS are drastic improvements over Dalbec.

The star-studded infield deserves a strong grade that is slightly dampened by replacement level production at first base. Promising prospect Triston Casas will eventually take over that position so it’s not a long term concern, but it does drag down the infield grade slightly for the first half of the season.

Grade: A-

Red Sox outfielders

Alex Verdugo’s .266/.312/.395 slash line isn’t impressing anyone but he was on fire in June, slashing .337/.400/.505. Is this one hot month or a sign foreshadowing a strong second half? We know Verdugo is capable of hitting better than his overall season numbers suggest so this appears to be a player who is finally hitting his stride following a slow start.

Enrique Hernandez was hitting .209 with a .555 OPS before landing on the injured list. He still provides strong defense at multiple positions but he might be relegated to a utility role or platoon player when he returns. We all remember how hot Kike’s bat was last October so he’s certainly capable of stealing his job back, but the Red Sox seem to have better options in the outfield, at least against right-handed pitching.

Jackie Bradley Jr. remains an elite defensive outfielder but his offensive production is as maddeningly inconsistent as ever. JBJ might be the first ever home/road platoon player. He’s hitting .297/.330/.447 at Fenway but a pitiful .127/.193/.155 on the road.

Jarren Duran and Rob Refsnyder have provided a boost during Kike’s absence but they have combined for fewer at-bats than Hernandez tallied before his injury.

This is a very strong defensive unit, which salvages their grade. The limited production at the plate has been disappointing though. The Red Sox outfield should improve in the second half as Duran claims more playing time.

Grade: C+

Red Sox DH and catcher

J.D. Martinez is seventh in the league with a .313 average. He hasn’t been hitting homers (8) at the rate we are accustomed to seeing from him but he’s still slugging a respectable .498 and he has 24 doubles. Martinez is spraying the ball all over the field and using the opposite field more than ever. He might not be knocking it out of the park as frequently but the process has led to plenty of hits and All-Star caliber production.

Christian Vazquez is having a solid season, hitting .291 with a .764 OPS. He only has four home runs but that still puts him on pace for his most since 2019. Vazquez has a knack for coming through with clutch hits and he’s tied with Bogaerts for fifth on the team with 31 RBI.

His defense behind the plate remains steady and Vazquez is a trustworthy battery mate for this pitching staff.

Kevin Plawecki was a pleasant surprise with the production he provided at the plate during limited opportunities over the last two seasons but he has fallen flat this year. Plawecki is hitting .157 with a .497 OPS. He’s a mediocre defensive catcher who isn’t providing any offense. We’ll always be grateful that Plawecki gave us the home run cart but the backup catcher position is a spot the Red Sox need to upgrade.

Grade: B+ 

Red Sox starting pitchers

Nathan Eovaldi’s 3.16 ERA would be the best of his career but his 4.55 FIP shows he hasn’t been nearly as efficient as he was when he finished fourth on the Cy Young ballot this season. Nate still strikes out over a batter per inning and does an excellent job of limiting walks but he’s been uncharacteristically bitten by the long ball. His 16 home runs are already more than he allowed last year and the most he’s allowed since 2016. Eovaldi is currently on the shelf with a hip issue but the Red Sox hope to get him back sometime around the break.

Nick Pivetta has stepped up to lead the rotation, going 8-5 with a 3.23 ERA. He was roughed up a few times early this season but over his last 11 starts, Pivetta owns a 1.95 ERA while holding opposing batters to a .184 average.

Many rolled their eyes when the Red Sox went bargain shopping for Michael Wacha but the veteran has been a tremendous pickup, going 6-1 with a 2.69 ERA. He’s doing it with a bit of smoke and mirrors considering his career-low 6.4 K/9 but he does a decent job of avoiding hard contact.

Rich Hill continues to defy Father Time. The 42-year-old isn’t going to blow anyone away with his upper-80s fastball but the crafty veteran is getting by on guile and gumption. Hill is prone to the occasional rough start when he can’t locate the breaking ball and can’t put hitters away with his not-so-fastball, but he’s been mostly good this season. Hill has allowed two runs or fewer in four of his last five starts. His 4.09 ERA is just fine for a back of the rotation starter.

Garrett Whitlock started the season in the bullpen before moving to the rotation, where he’s been fairly ordinary with a 4.15 ERA and 8.8 K/9 over nine starts. He’s currently on the injured list but could return soon, possibly with a move back to the bullpen where he can reclaim his role as a lights-out reliever.

Injuries have tested Boston’s rotation depth. Josh Winckowski did an admirable job filling in for four starts (3.60 ERA) while Kutter Crawford and Connor Seabold have had mixed results. We can’t expect much from a spot starter aside from eating some innings.

Even when accounting for an early rotation shakeup and a few Triple-A call-ups, the Red Sox rotation ranks fourth in the AL with a 3.55 ERA and they are tied for the second-fewest losses with 18. This staff will only improve when they get healthier, including the impending return of Chris Sale, but it’s hard not to be impressed but what they’ve accomplished so far.

Grade: A-

Red Sox bullpen

The overall production has been mediocre, with Red Sox relievers ranking eighth in the league with a 3.74 ERA and seventh with a 9.14 K/9.

Boston hasn’t named an official closer all season and the lack of a clear hierarchy has been a problem late in games. Red Sox relievers have been tagged with 15 losses while only saving 17 games in 33 save opportunities. The Red Sox have six extra-innings losses this season and seven walk-off losses.

The much-maligned bullpen has been a source of frustration but there are positive signs that this group will improve. Tanner Houck is emerging as the team’s closer, converting all six of his opportunities. He owns a 2.93 ERA and 10.0 K/9 since joining the bullpen.

John Schrieber has been a revelation, coming out of nowhere as a non-roster invitee in spring training to establish himself as the bullpen’s top setup arm. He owns a miniscule 0.73 ERA and 0.69 WHIP in 24 2/3 innings.

Matt Strahm has hit a rough patch lately but he’s been mostly solid this year with a 3.80 ERA and 9.9 K/9. The lefty has been used in high-leverage spots and since he’s been almost equally effective against lefties and right-handed hitters, the Red Sox don’t need to shy away from using him based on the opposing batters.

Austin Davis and Jake Diekman have dominated lefties, combining to allow only two earned runs over 24 innings when facing left-handed hitters. Both southpaws own a sub-1.00 WHIP in the split.

This bullpen still has its weaknesses. Hansel Robles was a potential closer candidate in April but has been a disaster since then. Cora still has far too much faith in Ryan Brasier and Hirokazu Sawamura. Let’s not even talk about whatever happened to Matt Barnes.

Every team could always use more bullpen depth and the Red Sox will undoubtedly explore options on the trade market to improve. However, if Whitlock ends up back in the bullpen when he’s activated from the injured list, he could form a very solid core with Houck, Schrieber, Strahm, Davis and Diekman. Lefty Josh Taylor is also nearing a return and has the potential to be the team’s best left-handed reliever if he returns to form.

All those late losses and blown saves would lead you to believe this bullpen has been a dumpster fire but that hasn’t actually been the case. It certainly needs improvement but there is the foundation for a solid core of relievers once they are all healthy.

Grade: C