Red Sox Report Card: A's Aplenty, Though Roster Not Without Weak Spots
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The unrelenting, ever-driving pace that is the grinding 162-game MLB season takes its annual pause this week for the All-Star festivities, and the brief reprieve from daily baseball provides the natural opportunity to step back and assess the state of the Red Sox.
The bottom line is that the team is 49-38, 11 games over .500, two games out of first place and firmly in playoff position as a wild-card team. It is, to say the least, a marked improvement from the past two years. Last year, the Red Sox lost their final game before the All-Star break to fall to 42-47, which kept them 6.5 games out of first place. That deficit would climb to 14 games within a couple of weeks. In 2014, the defending champs were 43-52 at the break, a whopping 9.5 games out of first place.
Considering how bad things have been, the overall success of the team is a welcome sight, and it provides reason to believe that the months of July, August and September will at the very least be filled with baseball games that aren't meaningless. That's positive progress.
Interestingly though, the big-name, high-cost acquisitions from the offseason haven't been the driving force of the turnaround. A closer look up and down the roster shows exactly how the Red Sox are where they are at the All-Star break.
Starting Pitching: C-
On the whole, the Red Sox rotation has merely been "good enough." As a staff, the starters rank ninth in the AL in ERA, seventh in innings pitched and seventh in batting average against. The staff ranking third in wins is an indication of just how powerful the offense has been, and it's that offense that has largely carried the team.
But there have been some bright spots. Individually, knuckleballer Steven Wright most certainly earned an A grade for his first half (10-5, 2.68 ERA, 1.21 WHIP), and Rick Porcello (11-2, 3.66 ERA) is in the midst of perhaps his best professional season at age 27. That bodes well for his future and has created some optimism that his $82.5 million contract might not quite be the albatross it once appeared to be.
But beyond that, it's quite grisly. David Price has been better lately, but he's still 9-6 with a 4.34 ERA. He hasn't posted a full-season ERA higher than 3.49 since 2009, his first full season in the bigs, and he'll have to work hard to get his ERA to the mid-3's by the end of the year. His strikeout total (140, first in AL) and WHIP (1.190, 11th in AL) have been encouraging, but there's no doubt that this wasn't the pitcher the Red Sox were hoping to have signed in the winter.
Clay Buchholz allows nearly a full touchdown for every nine innings pitched. Eduardo Rodriguez and Joe Kelly have ERAs that are approaching double-digits. Sean O'Sullivan's 6.75 ERA has been masked by the absurd 9.75 runs of support the team averages behind him. And Henry Owens has seemingly shown his ceiling as a pitcher (and it doesn't look to be as a big league starter).
All told, the Red Sox starting staff has been "good enough" -- that is, good enough to stay in playoff contention. But even the most optimistic observer of this team would have a hard time believing that the staff will be good enough to win a playoff series come October.
Bullpen: C+
Likewise, the relief corps has not been tremendously better than the starting staff.
First, the positives. The Boston bullpen ranks fourth in the AL in strikeouts, fourth in batting average against and fifth in opponents' on-base percentage. Additionally, though Craig Kimbrel's had his roller-coaster rides in non-save situations, the Red Sox are tied for having the fewest blown saves (7) in the AL. Again, following in the footsteps of the starters, the relievers are "good enough."
But they collectively rank eighth in the AL in ERA. They've lost 13 games. Koji Uehara and his 4.81 ERA is a one-man adventure. Robbie Ross Jr.'s a great fourth outfielder behind the bullpen wall, but his 1.291 WHIP and 4.71 ERA leave something to be desired.
Junichi Tazawa's been good, Heath Hembree has been very useful, and Matt Barnes' recent stuff looks very promising. The addition of Brad Ziegler should help offset he season-long loss of Carson Smith and the more temporary absence of Kimbrel.
Catcher: B
Buoyed by the Ted Williams-esque run by Sandy Leon, the overall numbers from the Sox' catchers don't look too bad. As a unit, they rank third in the AL in batting average, and they've hit the third-most doubles (19) in the league for catchers.
However, the power ends there, as Christian Vazquez and Leon have each only hit one home run. Ryan Hanigan's hit zero. No catching staff in the AL has fewer homers.
Defensively, the crew has been just fine, with the Red Sox ranking fifth in the AL with a 34 percent caught stealing percentage. (The league average is 30 percent.)
At the same time, the fact that Vazquez is in Triple-A right now is at least a minor setback for the franchise, as it was Vazquez and not Leon that is supposed to be the backstop of the future. But, for as long as Leon is sporting a ridiculous .455 batting average, there won't be too many complaints coming out of the offices at Yawkey Way.
First Base: B-
Now, if you were grading solely on the scale of "What Most People Expected Out Of Hanley Ramirez vs. What Hanley Ramirez Has Actually Done," it'd be a no-doubter A-plus. Ramirez's attitude, approach and (most importantly) performance has been a pleasant surprise in his first season ever playing first base. A once-untenable situation of employing a man with no position has sorted itself out rather nicely for the Red Sox.
But as Hanley compares to the rest of the league, he's not exactly excelling. He does rank third among AL first basemen with a .288 average, but the power numbers are somewhat lacking. His .801 OPS ranks him fifth among qualified first basemen, but his eight home runs rank him 13th. His 48 RBIs rank seventh. Considering he's batting behind Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts and David Ortiz (three players with OBPs between .368 and .426), that RBI total should be higher. Yet Hanley's batting average is 29 points lower with men in scoring position than it is without.
At the same time, Ortiz has been having his ridiculous season with Ramirez providing the protection in the lineup, so he's certainly been good enough to provide at least some level of deterrence for opponents to pitch around Ortiz.
Defensively, he's been much better than expected, but he's still far from a Gold Glove candidate.
Second Base: B+
Somewhat overlooked in the emergence of Bogaerts/Betts/Bradley and the absurdity of Ortiz's production is the fact that Dustin Pedroia has been providing consistent excellence at second base. His .304 average and .806 OPS are right in line with his career numbers, and he's just two homers shy of reaching double-digits for the second straight year. He's got a good chance to reach his highest homer total since 2011, all while providing his regular Gold Glove-caliber defense.
And his numbers don't just compare well to his own history. He ranks third among AL second basemen in batting average and second in OBP, behind only Jose Altuve, who's having an MVP type season for Houston.
He also moonlighted as a temporary pitching coach when he reminded David Price how to pitch.
Third Base: C+
Travis Shaw may have the lowest batting average among his fellow infielders, but if there's one thing the man can do, it is smack doubles all over the park.
Shaw's 26 doubles are second-most on the team, behind only David Ortiz, who himself might just hit more doubles than anybody has in the past century. The 26 two-baggers have Shaw tied for fourth in all of MLB.
Offensively, Shaw's been roughly what's been expected of him: .270 hitter with some pop. He's hitting .269 with the aforementioned 26 doubles, nine home runs, and a couple of triples for good measure.
Defensively, he has committed the most errors on the team with 12, and his .965 fielding percentage is the lowest among regulars in the lineup.
As far as assessing Shaw as a player, he's been better individually than a C-plus. He's probably been more of a B, considering he's 26 years old and in his first full MLB season. But compared to the rest of the league, the Red Sox are slightly below average at the position. Shaw ranks eighth in average, ninth in OBP and ninth in homers among his peers at the position. Red Sox third basemen on the whole rank ninth in OPS, ninth in average and 13th in home runs, so the addition of Aaron Hill into the lineup could be something that becomes a bit more regular to help provide a boost.
Shortstop: A
Xander Bogaerts has played in 85 of the Red Sox' 87 games. His 117 hits are second-most in MLB. His .329 batting average ranks third in the AL. His .863 OPS is second among AL shortstops, and his 56 RBIs and .388 OBP rank him first among his peers. He also leads AL shortstops in runs scored. He's second in doubles.
The 23-year-old has shown a few more defensive lapses this year compared to last year, but not to a level where the Red Sox need to be concerned.
He earned his first All-Star appearance, and it looks like it will be the first of many.
Left Field: C-
In baseball's most high-powered offense, left field may be seen as the one and only weak spot in the lineup.
Brock Holt had his season interrupted by a concussion, and he's never really got going. He's hitting .258 and is getting on base at a .327 clip.
Chris Young's on the DL after straining his hamstring rounding first base, though he was having a pretty decent season with a .277 average, .846 OPS and six homers.
Bryce Brentz has played well in limited action, but he's probably not the player the Red Sox will be penciling into the lineup for a one-game playoff.
Collectively, Boston's left fielders rank ninth in the AL in slugging, worse than all but one playoff team (Detroit is 2 points behind from Boston's .402 at .400).
Center Field: A-
When you rank second in a number of offensive categories at your position, and when the only person ahead of you is named Mike Trout, you're probably having a dandy of a season. That is the case with Jackie Bradley Jr.
Bradley ranks second among AL center fielders in batting average (.296) and OPS (.926), and he's a major player in the Boston Doubles Party, as he's one of six Red Sox players with at least 20 doubles.
And defensively, despite two uncharacteristic errors, Bradley's been his usual solid self. His nine assists are most among MLB center fielders, and though his UZR/150 currently describes Bradley as a negative defensive player, the members of the Red Sox pitching staff might disagree.
Right Field: A
While the average, the power and the defense of Mookie Betts have all been noteworthy this year, the most ridiculous number related to the Red Sox right fielder is this one: 23. As in, he's only 23 years old. As in, he's an All-Star in just his second full MLB season. As in, he leads the league in total bases. As in, this 23-year-old has taken off rather exceptionally.
Betts leads AL right fielders in batting average (.304), stolen bases (15), hits (117) and doubles (23). He ranks second in RBIs (59), fourth in OPS (.869), fourth in home runs (18). As a leadoff man, he's driven in 59 runs, which is the most in all of baseball.
He's also made just one error in the field while making seven outfield assists and turning two double plays.
He doesn't walk much, but considering how powerfully he's been wielding his bat, that's not without reason. It's simply difficult to find a hole in Betts' game.
Designated Hitter: A+
At 40 years old, David Ortiz is having the most preposterous season of his Hall of Fame-worthy career.
He leads all DHs with a .332 average, which is 27 points higher than the next guy on the list.
He leads all DHs with a .426 OBP, which is 60 points higher than the next guy.
He leads all DHs with a 1.107 OPS, which is 198 points higher than the next guy.
And he leads Major League Baseball with 34 doubles, on pace to hit 63, which would be the third-most in a single season ever and the most doubles hit by anyone since the mid-1930s.
The only negative with Ortiz is that the physical acts associated with playing professional sports appear to be quite difficult for him, as his feet are starting to wave the white flag after carrying him around on spikes for the past two decades. But provided the Red Sox can manage his usage in the final three months, Ortiz is set to put the ultimate exclamation point on what has been a most remarkable career.
Manager: B
Judging John Farell solely in the vacuum of this baseball season, he has been just fine. Over the years, he's displayed some struggles with the finer points of managing, from when to utilize the sacrifice bunt to how to negotiate a game in a National League ballpark. While it may be difficult to fully forget those miscues, the job here is to evaluate this season. And this year, any missteps have been far less prominent than in years past.
Of course, the manager has not absolved himself from any criticism, but nothing that rises above the norm for any manager in any baseball-crazed market like Boston.
Team President: B+
In his first offseason at the helm of the Red Sox, Dave Dombrowski saw glaring needs in the rotation and at the closer spot. He did what was needed to fill them.
In just the past couple of weeks, he's assessed some weak spots on the roster, and he's likewise addressed them. He acquired Brad Ziegler and Aaron Hill at very low costs, and both MLB vets should prove helpful in the Red Sox' quest back to postseason baseball.
Of course, the real challenge still lies ahead. In a thin starting pitching market, prices are sure to be sky-high for the few available arms before the deadline. Yet considering how Dombrowski has navigated the trade market thus far without anyone knowing his targets until they were already acquired, it will be fascinating to see if he can pull off a similarly covert move that could inject the pitching staff with a much-needed reliable arm without sacrificing too much from the farm.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
