3 Red Sox who can turn the franchise's fortunes around in 2024
The Boston Red Sox are in the midst of a youth movement. Boston has called up many of its young players to fill vacancies left by free agents such as Justin Turner and Adam Duvall.
The Red Sox also traded a few players in exchange for young players with years of team control. It may just be the front office's self-imposed financial restriction, but Boston has a lot of faith in its up-and-coming talent.
Against all odds, the Red Sox have played well this spring and young players have had a big hand in their success. But what the current Boston team lacks in experience, it makes up for in athleticism. If the Red Sox's Grapefruit League play is any indication, they have no plans to let being one of the youngest teams in MLB affect their season.
There are a fair few young Red Sox poised for a breakout, and some have already started theirs. From new teams to contract extensions, Boston's roster is full of players itching to make a statement.
3 Red Sox who can turn the franchise's fortunes around in 2024
Vaughn Grissom
Vaughn Grissom has yet to play a game in a Red Sox uniform as he's been injured for most of spring training, but his acquisition represented a huge change for the Sox — they offloaded an oft-injured Chris Sale for a younger, less expensive player that they can keep around for longer.
The second baseman spent the majority of his 2023 season with the Braves' Triple-A affiliate, so he has relatively little big-league experience, but Grissom raked in the Braves' system last year. He posted a .330/.419/.501 slash line (good for a .920 OPS). He shows a similar prowess for hitting the ball to all fields as Turner, and his first career home run came over the Green Monster, so he's previously exhibited offensive success at Fenway Park.
Grissom is a key example of the types of players the Red Sox have targeted in recent years. Boston loves athletic players with quality bats who can be shaped into a quality defender across the field. Braves analyst Nick Green believes Grissom's best position is at second base and that a full year of play there will do wonders for his defensive abilities, and it seems like the Red Sox agree that he's just what they need: a player who can be coached into a quality all-around player.
Brayan Bello
The extension for Brayan Bello proves that the Red Sox youth movement is in full swing. Bello is the first of Boston's next round of homegrown players to earn a contract extension and he was a great place for the organization to start.
Boston has a highly-rated farm system but the players the organization has drafted in recent years fail to address the team's biggest need -- starting pitching. The Sox locked Bello down long-term, displaying their trust in the 24-year-old. It doesn't seem like he has any plans to waste it.
Bello is the de facto ace of Boston's rotation and was one of the best young pitchers in the league last season. He spent some time with Pedro Martínez this winter working on improving his slider which was frequently rocked in 2023, but that's set to change.
Bello will be Boston's first Dominican Opening Day starting pitcher since Martínez. Manager Alex Cora has also praised the physical strides that Bello has made and said he's in a better position to take the mound consistently now than he was at this time last year.
Boston's young ace has put in the work and earned the contract extension he hoped for. He's well set up for a breakout season and Red Sox fans would be thrilled to see a homegrown pitcher pop off.
Ceddanne Rafaela
Ceddanne Rafaela has taken huge steps on both sides of the ball this spring. Some reporters believed the rookie would need another stint in Triple-A to hone his eye and shorten his strike zone, but Rafaela has squashed many of the doubts about his offensive prowess. He slashed .270/.319/.508 with three home runs, 10 RBI and five stolen bases this spring.
But Rafaela's defensive talent is the true selling point here. As a prospect, Rafaela was praised for his speed, athleticism and defensive ability, and he's already showing it off in the outfield. He's made multiple diving catches and robberies to save hits and runs. The rookie is a natural shortstop and his defensive skills translate well to the middle infield, too.
CEDDANNE TAKES FLIGHT 😱 pic.twitter.com/SX51lEMp1n
— Red Sox (@RedSox) March 26, 2024
Rafaela's abilities alone represent an uptick in Boston's defense. Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida beside each other in the outfield were a poor combination and the Red Sox had some of the worst defense in the league last year. Amongst an error-prone defensive alignment and other weaker arms in the outfield, Rafaela will change the course of Boston's defense for the better.
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