McAdam: Grading out the 2019 Red Sox roster

It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it. And apparently, I'm that someone.

Warning: it won't be pretty.

CATCHERS

Christian Vazquez: A breakout offensive year -- career highs in virtually every offensive category -- and a terrific job in shutting down the running game was somewhat tempered by some sloppiness behind the plate. And let's face it: some of the pitching failures have to fall on him. Grade: B

Sandy Leon: A slight -- and I mean slight - improvement at the plate over last year's nightmare. But, really, a .548 OPS is embarrassing. Funny thing is, Leon was a better receiver/pitch blocker than Vazquez. Grade D-

Incomplete: Blake Swihart; Juan Centeno

INFIELDERS



Mitch Moreland: Once more, injuries seemed to interrupt his season just when it was going well. He was especially valuable in the first six weeks when no one else was hitting in the clutch and more than solid at first. Would it surprise you to learn that his .835 OPS represented a career-high? Grade: B+

Michael Chavis: Doesn't it feel as though he last played in, oh, May? Shoulder and oblique issues wiped out almost the final two months, which cost Chavis the chance to leave a bigger imprint in his rookie season. He was notoriously streaky, some of which is to be expected. But the flashes of power were promising: Grade: B-

Brock Holt: For the second straight year, Holt bailed the Red Sox out at second when Dustin Pedroia failed to return to good health. He was adequate at second, but his splits (.832 OPS vs. RHP; .557 OPS vs. LHP) and .402 slugging percentage were reminders that Holt is most valuable in a bench role. Grade: B-

Xander Bogaerts: At 26, with six full seasons in the big leagues, Bogaerts keeps getting better and 2019 was unquestionably his best to date. The -21 defensive runs saved seems inaccurate, even if, on his best day, Bogaerts is merely league-average at short. But oh, that bat. Grade: A

Rafael Devers: Who saw this coming on May 1, when the errors were piling up and he had yet to homer? And yet, it's no exaggeration to say that Devers was among the handful of best players in the league over the final five months of the season. Like Bogaerts, there's almost definitely more to come. Grade: A

Eduardo Nunez: Good teammate, strong clubhouse presence, but his production was almost non-existent. Healthy, but strangely, unproductive: Grade: D-

Sam Travis: There was a (brief) period in August when he looked to be a useful bat against lefty pitching. But that didn't last. In parts of three seasons in the big leagues, Travis's OPS has fluctuated between a low of .652-.667. Grade: D+

Marco Hernandez: Finally healthy after missing two full years with three surgeries to his shoulder, Hernandez started well, but faded badly, slashing just .169/.183/.203 in the final month. It could be that he just tired after missing so much time, but he missed a golden chance to claim second base for himself in 2020. Grade: C-

Incomplete: Steve Pearce; Chris Owings; Dustin Pedroia; Tzu-Wei Lin

OUTFIELDERS

Andrew Benintendi: It's not a stretch to suggest that Benintendi was the most disappointing position player on the roster. His strikeout totals spiked and his home runs dipped for a second straight year. His OPS+ of 100 says it all: average. GRADE: C-

Jackie Bradley Jr.: After Bradley supposedly had his eureka moment with his swing late last summer and into the postseason, this year was supposed to be different. Alas, it was more of the same: occasional pop, long stretches of at-bats in which he looked over-matched, and of course, stellar, eye-popping defense: Grade: C+

Mookie Betts:  A strange season. On the one hand, it's hard to complain about a .913 OPS and 135 runs. On the other hand, Betts spoiled everyone with his 2018 season. And too often in the first half, he looked lost: Grade: A-

J.D Martinez: Like Betts, Martinez went backward in nearly every offensive category, from RBI to homers and saw his OPS slip by almost 100 points. And while has super-human against lefties (.404/.494/.887), he was pretty average against RHP (.793). Grade: B+

Incomplete: Gorkys Hernandez

STARTING PITCHERS

Chris Sale: His season can be a Rorschach test. You can be impressed by the 1.086 WHIP or the 13.3 strikeouts per nine innings. And there were occasional gems like the Colorado start (17 strikeouts, two runs allowed) But it's hard to ignore the 24 homers or the 4.41 ERA, more than a run higher than any other season in his career.  Grade: C-

David Price: Another tough-to-evaluate season. Really good in the first half, then a slow, steady decline halted only by injuries. And his insistence on re-starting the Eck feud was pointless and counterproductive. Grade: D+

Rick Porcello: He took the ball each time and never made excuses. There were occasional flashes of brilliance, but mostly, he got rocked. That 5.52 ERA and homer-per-game are tough to overlook. Grade: D

Eduardo Rodriguez: Finally, Rodriguez made good on his considerable potential and eventually figured out how to pitch deep into games. Grade: A-

Nathan Eovaldi: Ugh. He missed half the season, which isn't his fault. But when he did pitch, he compiled a 5.99 ERA and was ineffective in both relief and as a starter. Grade: F

RELIEVERS

Brandon Workman: What a story -- from being left off the World Series roster to emerging as the Red Sox' closer. How would things have gone differently if he had begun the year in that role. Too many walks, yes, but opposing hitters "slugged" .166 against him. Grade: A

Matt Barnes: Initially, he was going to be the key go-to guy in the broken bullpen-by-committee, but proved too much for him. Rebounded in the second half, though the walks (5.3 per 9 IP) are still alarming. Grade: B-

Marcus Walden: Would it surprise you to learn that he led all Red Sox relievers in innings? Proved himself worthy of a spot in next year's bullpen, even if it probably won't be a high-leverage role. Grade: B-

Ryan Brasier: In a sense, he typified the struggles of the bullpen. All last winter, the Red Sox were going to find the "next Ryan Brasier,'' when, in reality, not even Ryan Brasier proved to be Ryan Brasier. Grade: D+

Colten Brewer: Obtained in a minor deal with the Padres, he was the one new addition to the pen and, it turns out, not a hugely significant one. Grade: D+

Hector Velazquez: Velazquez was a huge contributor in 2018; this year, he was a major disappointment, failing as both a spot starter and a long man out of the bullpen. Grade: D

Brian Johnson: See above. Grade: D-

Andrew Cashner: Obtained to serve as the No. 5 starter, he was a huge flop. He was far better out of the bullpen (3.96). By then, of course, it was essentially over for the Sox. Grade: D

Josh Taylor: Maybe he doesn't quite qualify as a revelation, but certainly, he was a most pleasant surprise. He had the second-best ERA+ on the team among qualified relievers. Grade: B+

Heath Hembree: His season was twice interrupted by elbow/forearm issues, and the second time came just as he was getting into a good groove. Grade: C+

Darwinzon Hernandez: He possesses electric stuff as his 16.9 strikeouts per nine innings attests. But pardon me if I don't get overly excited about a reliever with a 1.747 WHIP. There's work to be done, still. Grade: C+

Incomplete: Josh Smith; Mike Shawaryn; Travis Lakins; Ryan Weber; Tyler Thornburg; Jhoulys Chacin; Bobby Poyner; Trevor Kelley; Ryan Weber; Steven Wright; Erasmo Ramirez.

MANAGEMENT

Alex Cora: The magic touch, evident in his rookie year in the dugout, wasn't nearly as evident. He erred in his handling of the starters in spring training, his plan for the bullpen and taking Betts out of the leadoff spot. On the plus side, he finally got the most of Rodriguez, showed faith in Devers after early struggles and, importantly, the team continued to play hard for him, long after they were out of the race: Grade: C

Dave Dombrowski: He had plenty of good moves in previous seasons, but this year, his refusal to improve the bullpen last winter -- to say nothing of the re-signing of Eovaldi and the disastrous deal for Cashner -- ultimately led to his demise. Grade: D