The Red Sox sit in first place in the AL East at the MLB All-Star break but there is room for great improvement across the board. Here is a first half report card for the Sox.
Dustin Pedroia B+
The “Laser Show” leads the Red Sox in batting average with a .303 mark. Despite having played in 71 of 89 games so far, Pedroia is sixth among AL second basemen with 41 RBIs.
Mitch Moreland A
Moreland has been the surprise bat for the Sox this season as he has 12 homers with 41 RBIs. He’s also been reliable at first.
Xander Bogaerts B –
Bogaerts was expected to take things to the next level this season but halfway through the season his power numbers have been ugly. He hit 21 dingers last year, but has just six so far in 2017.
Pablo Sandoval F
Sandoval must have a hell of an ear infection considering he hasn’t played since June 19. “Panda” will go down as one of the worst free agent signings in franchise history when all is said and done (and all will be said and done soon).
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Andrew Benintendi C+
Benintendi is a victim of expectations here. He was the consensus favorite to be the rookie of the year but has been just good. He’s been getting on base with regularity lately though, so he could very well make a push to finish in second place behind the Yankees’ Aaron Judge for ROY.
Mookie Betts B –
Betts is another one who hasn’t entirely lived up to sky high expectations. He’s having a fine season, leading the team in homers (16) and RBIs (53), but aren’t the MVP-like numbers most expected heading into 2017. He ranks just 16th among MLB outfielders in RBIs this season.
Jackie Bradley Jr. B+
The most inconsistent bat the Red Sox have had in years, JBJ has been a tad more consistent this season. His defense remains superb.
Hanley Ramirez C
If you’re a stat geek, you hate Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez has one of the worst WAR (wins above replacement) marks of any player in baseball. He was at 0.0 up until this past weekend when he skyrocketed himself to 0.1.
Craig Kimbrel A+
The Dombrowski bashers quickly get slapped back down when you bring up that the Kimbrel trade in November of 2015 was Dombrowski’s first major move as Red Sox boss. Kimbrel has 23 saves so far this season, good for fourth in MLB. His 68 strikeouts more than double the total of Minnesota’s star closer Brandon Kintzler (24).
Chris Sale A+
Sale is having the most dominant season for a Red Sox starter since Pedro Martinez was at the height of his powers 17 years ago. Sale will be the starter for the American League in Tuesday night’s MLB All-Star Game.
Drew Pomeranz A –
Given the low expectations heading into the season, Pomeranz has been tremendous so far in 2017. The lefty is 9-4 with a 3.60 ERA and he hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in a game in his last five outings.
Rick Porcello C –
Porcello has had some tough luck, highlighted by his complete-game gem in a 1-0 loss to the Rays last Saturday. That said, in no way should the reigning Cy Young Award winner be 4-11 with a 4.75 ERA.
David Price C+
Price is the kid who gets straight A’s but that’s just because of all the free time he has to study in detention. Price’s spats with the media, specifically Dennis Eckersley, have heaped some unwanted distractions on this team. Price loves him some drama. It doesn’t seem his teammates do.
Eduardo Rodriguez B
Rodriguez hasn’t pitched since June 1 but he saw action in 11 games so he’s fair game. He has a 4-2 record with a 3.54 ERA so far this year. Good, not great.
Quick hits
Christian Vazquez B+
Sandy Leon B
Chris Young C+
Deven Marrero B –
Josh Rutledge C
Tzu-Wei Lin INC
Marco Hernandez C+
Sam Travis C+
Joe Kelly B
Fernando Abad B –
Matt Barnes C
Heath Hembree C
Robby Scott C –
Ben Taylor D
Steven Wright INC
