He's never mentioned as a closer candidate and maybe that's fine, since he still walks about a batter every other inning. After a terrible start to April that had him firing balls in frustration, Taylor may have been the second-best reliever on the team behind Garrett Whitlock. Four times he protected a one- or two-run lead. He appeared in six games and only allowed a run in one of them. It should come as only a mild surprise that the Red Sox didn't record a single save in the playoffs. Hansel Robles looked like the answer before becoming a mop-up man. Ryan Brasier was unhittable until he wasn't. Veteran Adam Ottavino bounced between stalwart and unreliable. 4 spot, but as things stand now, he's probably your third man again.Īll-Star closer Matt Barnes pitched himself right off the roster. On paper, Pivetta would fit best in the No. We'll re-ask the question: so what is he? The addition of Sale and the return of All-Star Nathan Eovaldi give the Red Sox a solid 1-2 punch atop the rotation. He went 1-0 with a team-leading 2.63 ERA in 13.2 innings, delivering four innings of gutsy shutout relief before Christian Vazquez's walkoff won Game 3 of the ALDS vs. Like Verdugo, however, he rallied in the playoffs and did as much as anyone on the staff to help reach the ALCS. He delivered some highs, like nearly no-hitting the Rays and winning a 1-0 matchup against Mets ace Jacob deGrom, but by the end of the year, he was basically a four-inning pitcher. He carried a 6-0 record and 3.86 ERA into June before floundering, finishing 9-8 with a 4.53 ERA and 175 strikeouts in 155 innings. If there's a Verdugo of the pitching staff, Pivetta's your man. Verdugo must establish himself as a long-term piece of the future or risk meeting a similar fate.
That's where former teammate Hunter Renfroe morphed from overachiever to trade bait. He'll probably earn a little over $3 million in arbitration before bumping up to $6 or $7 million in 2023. There's no reason that's not in there, but Verdugo is reaching a make-or-break moment. 300 with maybe 20 homers, playing solid defense in left field, and setting the table for the sluggers lower in the order. So what is he? Think about Andrew Benintendi's ceiling - hitting. the Astros in the ALCS when everyone else was swinging for the moon. 310 and consistently delivering quality at-bats that produced a team-high five walks vs. He also showed up in the playoffs, hitting. He doesn't turn 26 until May and 2021 marked his first season unmarred by injury. Out of 50 players who saw time in the outfield and appeared in at least 140 games, Verdugo ranked 38th in homers, 35th in RBIs, and 26th in OPS. However, after a hot start that had him on the periphery of the All-Star conversation, Verdugo turned in a pedestrian season. Verdugo plays with passion, which isn't always a given in Boston. Some of us have been unabashed Verdugo fans since day one, loving his energy, all-fields approach, enthusiasm, hustle, demeanor.
ALL STARS IN FORGOTTEN FIELDS FREE
Some pretty pivotal contributors are either under contract or floating in free agent limbo who could make serious impacts on the 2022 season, so let's give these forgotten four their due. What we haven't done is dive a little deeper. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, and perhaps a big-name free agent or two. And we've sunk our teeth into everything from the odds that Chris Sale bounces back strong two years removed from Tommy John surgery, to the possibility of a contract extension for Rafael Devers, to the futures of J.D. We have instead been left to speculate not so much on the lockout - somebody poke me with a stick when it's over - but the roster. This isn't a normal year, so none of that is happening. Normally the first Red Sox would be showing up in Fort Myers this week for the unofficial start of spring training, moseying into JetBlue Park to drop off their stuff, get reacquainted, and prepare for pitchers and catchers next week.
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