Before the fans truly lose it, four Red Sox players who are struggling need to turn things around.
The Boston Red Sox don’t exactly have an All-Star team appearance. Though injuries have kept Boston’s best lineup off the field every day, some Sox are having more difficulty than others.
Some Sox are struggling on both sides of the ball, some haven’t shown up in the field, and some aren’t playing well at the plate. Remarkably, the pitching staff of Boston has been excellent, surprising many fans and reporters who thought it would be its biggest weakness.
The Red Sox’s biggest vulnerability has been their defense, and their fielding might be even worse than it was a year ago. Boston’s error and unearned run totals are among the lowest in the league, and the Sox have already lost several games.
Should these four Red Sox
Numerous problems facing the team would go away if these four Red Sox found their groove.
Before the fans truly lose it, four Red Sox players who are struggling need to turn things around.
Jansen, Kenley
It’s a technicality that Jansen is on this list. Overall, he hasn’t played badly, but Sox fans are very stressed out right now because of his recent lack of leadership.
In his most recent appearances, the seasoned closer has had trouble maintaining control and has been walking batters more frequently than usual. Jansen has pitched 5.2 innings in April and given up seven walks. On April 16, after the Guardians collected three hits in the ninth inning to send the game to extra innings, he blew his first save.
Jansen has also significantly decreased in speed. The right-hander used to routinely hit speeds of over 100 mph, but his cutter, which is by far his most frequently used pitch, is now only hitting 91.9 mph on average.
After the Red Sox attempted to acquire Jansen for weeks during the offseason, his more aggressive performances have only served to exacerbate the situation. Fans can’t blame him when he said he was “frustrated” by how Boston’s offseason played out. However, at this point in his career, he might be better suited for a different role in the bullpen.
Hamilton, David
That was all that David Hamilton had to say in his debut game as Trevor Story’s shortstop substitute. The 26-year-old made a few brilliant defensive plays in addition to homering.
As Boston’s shortstop, Hamilton has committed five official errors in addition to a few more mistakes that resulted in hits. Several plays have been called back by the opposition because Hamilton has either missed the bag at second or hasn’t touched it clearly enough. He was called out even though he attempted to dig out an infield hit but missed the bag at first base.
Hamilton’s bat hasn’t performed well enough to make up for his inadequacies on defense. In 11 games, he is 6-for-33 at the plate. Romy González’s wrist should be healing nicely, as the Red Sox are in dire need of shortstop assistance.
Rafaela Ceddanne
During spring training, Ceddanne Rafaela demonstrated his defensive prowess early on and on both sides of the ball. He was given an eight-year contract extension based on his early performances.
Rafaela is demonstrating why she has always been thought of as a free-swinger. Now, the outfielder is at bat. In 20 games, 161/.206/.258. Though he has 10 hits, four of them have gone for extra bases, his strikeout total is rising quickly. The righty’s problems with place discipline are evident as he has struck out 19 times against just three walks.
Rafaela’s supporters have high hopes for him because the team trusted him enough to give him a contract extension. Rafaela’s defensive prowess, adaptability, and quickness would make him a true threat if he could resolve his at-bat problems. Rafaela’s progress at the plate has improved, according to Red Sox manager Alex Cora, so hopefully
The Sox have relied on Enmanuel Valdez on a few occasions when they needed him. The infielder has demonstrated some power at the plate, hitting a 442-foot home run against the Guardians on April 16.
However, Valdez’s defense needs a lot of support. He’s fielded a lot of mistakes, but only one of them has been called a mistake. In Trevor Story’s absence, Boston’s middle infield has been the source of many of the team’s fielding problems. He and Hamilton defending side by side is a dangerous combination.
Valdez’s bat was supposed to offset his subpar defense, but he hasn’t performed well enough at the plate to do so. With just a.154/.193/.288 batting average and 17 strikeouts, the lefty is struggling. In
