McAdam: The 2020 Red Sox final report card

Let's address the obvious point first: no, the entire class didn't flunk. It only seemed that way at times.

Then again, not everybody passed, as befits a team that finished with the worst winning percentage for a Red Sox team since 1932.

Without further ado:

POSITION PLAYERS

Christian Vazquez: B
Started hot at the plate, then finished the same way. But in between, there wasn't a lot of offensive production. Even his caught-stealing percentage (30 percent) was the lowest of his career.

Kevin Plawecki: A-
"Revelation'' is too strong a word, perhaps, so let's say that Plawecki was a very pleasant surprise. He finally made good on his offensive potential. Defensively, he was only adequate, but he established himself as an above-average catcher, a hole the Sox have been looking to fill for several seasons.

Bobby Dalbec: B+
Sure the 42.4% strikeout rate is alarming. But figure that will come down at least somewhat as he makes adjustments. The raw power is a thing of beauty, and though he had some clumsy moments at first, he's athletic enough to get better there, too. Did I mention the raw power?

Michael Chavis: D+
Two seasons in, who is he? An everyday player with plus power but is strikeout prone? A super-utility option? A platoon candidate? He gets points for a willingness to play everywhere and works to get better defensively, but it's hard not to see this year as a significant step backward.



Jose Peraza: D
His signing, while not expensive, was a pretty major misfire for Chaim Bloom. Peraza was seen an undervalued piece who would blossom. Instead, he proved to be perfectly average in every way. He went from being the everyday second baseman to exiled to the alternate training site for the final few weeks.

Xander Bogaerts: B
Bogaerts tied for the team lead in homers and was second in RBI, but still, he regressed at least somewhat in most offensive categories (OBP, SLG, OPS+). As an offense-first shortstop, that's troubling. As much as any player on the roster, Bogaerts seemed distracted by the unusual circumstances.

Rafael Devers: C+
For the second straight year, Devers was a slow starter -- at the plate and in the field. He then cleaned things up, got hot at the plate and looked ready to have the kind of season he had in 2019. But then, in the final weeks, he hit just .123 and fell into another fielding funk with four errors in the final eight games. No player, it seemed, missed Alex Cora more.

Andrew Benintendi: F
It's almost easy to forget that Benintendi was part of this team, since he didn't play past Aug. 11. But in the first two and a half weeks of the season, before a rib injury sidelined him the rest of the way, Benintendi had four (4) hits. Four. And one was a bunt. Four.

Jackie Bradley Jr.: A-
Did Bradley finally figure things out offensively? That remains to be seen. Either way, he posted career highs in every rate stat and played his usual stellar defense. If this was The End in Boston, he went out on a high note.

Alex Verdugo: A
In just about every measurable way, Verdugo was the team's best overall everyday player. And I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that he'll be better -- and more popular -- when fans are allowed to return.

J.D. Martinez: F
It's impossible to overstate how disappointing his season was, although his -0.9 WAR gives you a pretty good indication. Worse, Martinez wouldn't stop mentioning that he didn't have access to in-game video, as though he were the only player impacted.

Jonathan Arauz: C-
It's important to grade on a curve here. Arauz was asked to compete in the big leagues at the age of 21, with 28 games experience above Single A. As the year went on, he occasionally looked overmatched at the plate, but he was athletic in the field and overall, showed a maturity you wouldn't expect from someone with so little pro experience.

Tzu-Wei Lin: D
Versatile, yes, but by now, it's evident that he's not a capable offensive player at the big league level. Out of options, so it wouldn't surprise anyone if he didn't come back.

Christian Arroyo: C+
He faltered down the stretch -- perhaps in part because of back spasms -- but proved himself able to handle second base and showed some promising pop.

INCOMPLETE/DIDN'T FINISH SEASON WITH CLUB: Yairo Munoz, Cesar Puello, Jonathan Lucroy, Deivi Grullon, Mitch Moreland, Kevin Pillar.

PITCHERS

Nathan Eovaldi: B
Take away one poor outing in Yankee Stadium and Eovaldi finishes with a sub-3.00 ERA. He displayed better control and, as always, his usual competitiveness.

Martin Perez: C+
The veteran lefty took the ball every time -- something no one else can say -- and his 4.50 ERA is somewhat skewed by his first and last starts. 

Chris Mazza: C
Not a bad find off the scrap heap. He pitched pretty well in some starts in the final weeks, and at the very least, showed that he might be a keeper as a swing man.

Tanner Houck: A
The rare highly-anticipated September call-up who actually surpassed -- by a long shot -- expectations. His three starts were unquestionably the highlight of the final month.

Zack Godley: D-
His 1.953 WHIP about says it all. Godley seemed like a good candidate on whom to take a flier, but it didn't come close to working out.

Ryan Weber: C-
By now, it should be patently obvious to one-and-all: Weber isn't a starter, but when he commands his soft stuff, can be a valuable middle relief option out of the bullpen.

Colten Brewer: D
The Red Sox tried using him as an opener, then seemed to be evaluating him as a conventional starter. But after two seasons, he's yet to distinguish himself in any one role.

Phillips Valdez: C+
At times, Valdez flashed an above-average changeup. He was brutal with inherited runners (allowing half to score) and seemed to wear down in September from overuse. But like Mazza, he showed signs of being a keeper.

Matt Barnes: C-
Five full years into his major league career, the elite stuff (plus curveball and fastball) still doesn't match the results and he seems more suited for the eighth inning rather than the ninth.

Ryan Brasier: B-
After a rocky first few weeks, Brasier seemed to recapture something of his 2018 form. His velocity spiked up, and other than his poor final outing of the season, he was lights out in September.

Austin Brice: C-
Put him in the Mazza/Valdez class of inexpensive finds. He could be death to righthanded hitters with his three-quarter delivery. A middle relief option going forward, perhaps.

Jeffrey Springs: D
Not as bad as the awful numbers suggest (7.08 ERA) perhaps, though he was woefully inconsistent. Seemed to figure some things out in September before faltering again at the finish line.

Dylan Covey: D-
Never seemed to get comfortable in any role, and struggled mightily for the most part. Covey has spent years trying to make good on the potential that once made him a first-round pick -- and has yet to come close.

Mike Kickham: D
For a few outings, Kickham was a nice story, delivering a couple of decent outings after waiting six years to get another shot at the big leagues. But he fell of sharply in the final weeks.

Marcus Walden: F
A huge disappointment after it seemed like he had established himself as a solid high-leverage weapon in 2019. A reminder of how much relievers' performance can vary wildly from one season to the next.

Kyle Hart: F
Hart showed a lot of guile, but without quality stuff, he has zero margin for error when it comes to command. Sadly, his 3.091 WHIP was indicative of his struggles.

INCOMPLETE/DIDN'T FINISH YEAR WITH CLUB: Josh Osich, Robert Stock, Matt Hall, Darwinzon Hernandez, Josh Taylor, Andrew Triggs, Robinson Leyer, Domingo Tapia, Nick Pivetta, Heath Hembree, Brandon Workman.

MANAGEMENT

Ron Roenicke: C
Talk about a raw deal. Roenicke got handed a Triple A pitching staff in the middle of a pandemic. Good luck. He managed to project calm, got players to remain invested and play hard, and for that, he should be saluted.

Chaim Bloom: B-
He found some useful pieces around the edges, got a good return in a mega-trade he was forced to make, and obtained some quality prospects at the deadline. His real test starts now.