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Playing nine innings with the Red Sox: figuring out first base, and how to get their best lineup on the field
"Their 25-26 record isn’t exactly the confirmation we’d want here, but the Red Sox have the talent to be an excellent team, one that at the very least should earn a wild-card berth."
Playing nine innings while watching a third of the season pass without the Red Sox figuring out how to get their best lineup on the field . . .
1. Their 25-26 record isn’t exactly the confirmation we’d want here, but the Red Sox have the talent to be an excellent team, one that at the very least should earn a wild-card berth. There are many reasons why they haven’t been more than a mediocre underachiever. Some are understandable (excluding Patrick Sandoval, a half-dozen starting pitchers began the season on the injured list, have had a stay there, or are stuck there now). Some are exasperating (they’re batting .237 — 21st in the majors — with runners in scoring position, and their 40 errors lead the American League). And some are the result of the odd circumstance of having an uncommon overlap of talent at some positions and a shortage at others. This last issue needs to be remedied soon.
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2. So how do Craig Breslow, Alex Cora, and the Red Sox brain trust solve what they haven’t been able to solve all season? Well, perhaps they’re obliging the old Billy Beane rule — the first third of the season is for figuring out what you have and need, the second third is for acquiring and implementing necessary pieces, and the final third is when you theoretically should roll — without the proper urgency. But it’s tricky, because getting the best players all on the field at the same time provokes a few dilemmas. Ideally, Rafael Devers would sigh and say, “Fine, I’ll try first base,” and that would open up the designated hitter role for top prospect Roman Anthony, who really ought to be here already. Unfortunately, there’s a better chance of the Red Sox reacquiring Pablo Sandoval than there is of Devers doing that, or so it seems.
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3. The boldest approach would be for Breslow to trade one of the starting outfielders — Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, or Wilyer Abreu — for a starting pitcher. That would open a spot for Anthony, but it’s an unlikely route given that this is a seller’s market for pitching. Beyond that, there isn’t a perfect solution to getting their best possible lineup on the field. One tweak I would like to see the Sox make is to move Trevor Story to second base — he’s lost range at shortstop and has played second before — and bring up Marcelo Mayer as the shortstop, rather than having him try to master second base at the major league level. Why make things harder on rookies?
4. Speaking of which, it’s admirable that Kristian Campbell is willing to try to learn first base as a big leaguer. But as Ron Washington deadpans in “Moneyball” when Beane is trying to convince Scott Hatteberg to give the position a shot, “It’s incredibly hard.” Considering how Campbell is struggling (he has a .259 OPS over the last 14 games), it doesn’t seem wise to put more on his plate by having him learn a new position. But his willingness to do it and the Red Sox’ desperation to get some production from the position while opening a spot for Mayer probably means he’d better get used to that first baseman’s mitt . . . as hard it may be.
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5. Should Campbell prove to be a quick learner in his First Base 101 class, common sense suggests the infield soon will be Campbell at first, Mayer at second, Story at short, and Alex Bregman (thank goodness they signed him) at third. But how do they get Anthony — whom I suspect will be more productive than any other Sox outfielder from his call-up to the end of the season — into the lineup? I think it has to be at the expense of Rafaela as an everyday player.
6. Moving Duran to center would be a huge downgrade defensively, of course. But Rafaela just doesn’t hit enough, and he probably never will given how rare it is to learn plate discipline in the big leagues. He had a stretch from May 7-10 when he hit .500 with a 1.390 OPS. But he’s been back to his familiar struggles since that small sample size of hope, hitting .194 with a .500 OPS in the 10 games since. Call him a super-utility guy, call up Anthony, and let’s get on with this.
7. Devers should be playing first base, and I don’t think he’d be terrible there considering he had decent hands at third. (His errors tended to come on routine-play casualness and poor throws.) But I do get why he feels jerked around. There seems little doubt that management had long-standing hopes to bring in Bregman or even Nolan Arenado to play third, and weren’t entirely straight with Devers about their intentions.
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8. Did Breslow make a mistake by trading Quinn Priester to the Brewers in the first week of April? Nah. Pitching depth is crucial, but the Red Sox couldn’t have anticipated Tanner Houck’s collapse, the underperformance of Brayan Bello, and the string of injuries. Besides, Priester (4.66 ERA) has been replacement-level for the Brewers, and the Sox liked their return in the deal. No regrets.
9. It feels like the Sox are being cautious with new ace Garrett Crochet, which makes sense since he was removed after 5⅓ innings and 85 pitches in Wednesday’s loss to the Mets. Yet through 11 starts, Crochet leads the AL in innings (68⅓) and batters faced (272). Seems like they are striking the perfect balance of putting an ace’s workload on him, yet saving some pitches when they can.
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