Now that the Red Sox' season is mercifully over, let's take one last look back at the season with grades for position players, pitchers, manager and front office.
Excluded are some players who had brief stays with the club, and players who were traded or didn't spend time with the club in the final month. In a loose sense, position players needed to have either 25 or more games played or 50 or more at-bats to be evaluated, while pitchers needed to either hit 10 appearances or 20 innings pitched.
POSITION PLAYERS
Bobby Dalbec: D. A hugely disappointing season, as the Red Sox had hopes that Dalbec would improve on what he had shown in the second half of his first full season. Instead, he was too passive at the plate, consistently falling behind and in pitchers' counts, resulting in predictable outcomes. At times, the struggles carried over to his play at first, too
Franchy Cordero: D. At times, Cordero showed glimpses. His raw power is off the charts, but like Dalbec, he has great difficulty getting to it. He did show a little better control of the strike zone but was ultimately too streaky. And if you thought Dalbec could look overmatched at first base.....
Triston Casas: C. Even in a small sample size in September, Casas' .197 batting average was somewhat alarming. But Casas has a plan for his at-bats and his willingness -- even eagerness -- to work counts and grind out at-bats is encouraging. If his batting average is troubling, his .358 OBP is quite positive. Then there's his power (enormous) and glove work (strong). Is the first base curse over?
Trevor Story: B-. His season couldn't have begun under worse conditions: a late signing, a return home for the birth of his first child and then illness -- in within a few weeks. His ability to drive the ball was a positive, and his transition to second base was remarkable. He struck out far too often in the first half, though seemed to solve that with some adjustments while sidelined with a hand/finger issue. Negatives: batting average (.238) and durability.
Christian Arroyo: B. Arroyo established himself, once and for all, as a highly valuable role player, capable of playing all over the infield. (His outfield experiment was less successful, but he gets points for his willingness to try). He's a better-than-average offensive performer, though, as always, his durability is a drawback.
Xander Bogaerts: A-. Sure, the dropoff in homers was a bit alarming, and so was his August slump as the team dropped out of playoff contention. But the former was probably the result of a shoulder injury. He made significant strides to improve his range and overall defense and it's worth noting that he finished with the highest WAR in the game. As always, he posted (151 games), was accountable and contended for the batting title until the final week. What's not to like?
Rafael Devers: B+. It looked like Devers was on his way to a monster season in the first half before a hamstring pull derailed his offensive game in the second half. Somehow, you were left with the feeling that 27 homers and 88 RBI -- both of which led the team -- were evidence of an underwhelming season. Like Bogaerts, he showed improvement defensively, where he was far more consistent and much less prone to fielding slumps.
Reese McGuire: B. McGuire was something of a revelation with the bat, showing an uncanny ability to use the whole field, and in particular, to shoot base hit after base hit into left. Not much power to speak of (three homers all year), he also did a nice job controlling the running game. One way or another, he earned himself a spot in the catching picture for next year.
Connor Wong: C-. In mid-season, it seemed he had become a bust. But a huge August (nine homers) at Triple A got him back into the picture and while he didn't hit much during a September audition (.585 OPS), there were glimpses. As important, he didn't look out of place behind the plate.
Alex Verdugo: B-. Points for playing hurt with a toe injury in the early going, and for appearing in more games than any position player. Points, too, for 39 doubles. But the 11 homers stick out, and considering where he hit in the lineup, so, too, are the 74 RBI. He was fine in left field and a liability in right. It was noteworthy that Alex Cora called him out some on the final day of the season. Three years in here, is this all there is?
Kiké Hernandez: D+. OK, we get the poor output in the first half being the result of hip/core injuries. And he gets kudos for playing through pain for as long as he did. But what about when he came back and was healthy? The offensive performance wasn't any better. He continued to provide plus defense in center and didn't look out of place at all playing some short in the final weeks.
Tommy Pham C-. Pham was the definition of average when he came over at the deadline. He might have provided some energy and could grind through some at-bats. But he didn't get on base much (.298 OBP) and didn't hit the ball out of the park (six homers in 53 games). His defense was spotty, and while he racked up some assists playing in left, that was more the result of figuring out how to get the ball back to the infield quickly.
Jarren Duran F. With one ignominious exception, Duran played hard. But it's hard to point to any element of his game that was even passable. He looked lost at times in the outfield, failed to get on base with any consistency, and when he did, was mysteriously unwilling to take advantage of his most notable skill -- his speed. Looks for all the world like someone who could use a fresh start and a change of scenery.
Rob Refsnyder: A-. One of the most pleasant surprises on the roster, Refsnyder emerged as a highly useful fourth outfielder and terrific platoon candidate vs. lefthanded pitchnig, against whom he hit .359 with a 1.005 WHIP. In a season in which not much went right for Chaim Bloom, signing Refsnyder to a minor league deal was a stroke of genius.
J.D. Martinez: C-. Sure, the team-high 43 doubles were nice. But after years of being one of the game's best run producers, he had just 62 RBI, a shocking dropoff from 99 the season before. At the heart of the matter: a brutal .212 average with runners in scoring position. Then there was the loss of home run power and the inability to drive the ball the other way (just four homers to the right of center field).
INC: Yolmer Sanchez, Jeter Downs, Abraham Almonte, Jaylin Davis, Yu Chang.
PITCHERS
Nick Pivetta: C-. Positives: Took the ball every fifth day, led the team -- by a longshot -- in both innings and games started. Negatives: Finished with an undistinguished 4.56 ERA and 27 homers allowed. But the worst aspect of his season were his struggles against teams in the AL East, against whom he had an ERA of 6.61.
Rich Hill: C. Hill kept the team in most of his starts, and it was fascinating to watch him navigate major league lineups with his Senior League fastball. Hill changes speeds, eye levels and arm angles with regularity. He made some changes to his delivery and repertoire down the stretch, suggesting he'll be back for his 19th season.
Michael Wacha: B+. For much of the season, Wacha was unquestionably the team's best starter, but he seemed to run out of gas in September (5.57 ERA). There's little question that he nicely resurrected his career and his signing was Bloom's best of last offseason. Two IL stays raise questions about his ability to make it through a season.
Nathan Eovaldi: C+. And speaking of durability....That's been the issue that has followed Eovaldi for much of his career, and two IL stints limited him to just 20 starts. When healthy, he's a decent middle-of-the-rotation, but it's hard to count on him for more than that.
Kutter Crawford: D+. As happens with young pitchers, Crawford was all over the map -- sometimes effective, sometimes not. Most alarming was how hard the contract often was. He could be a depth piece -- spot starter, long relief -- but it's hard to imagine him being any more of a factor than that going forward.
Josh Winckowski: D. The 1.592 WHIP and just 44 strikeouts in 70.1 innings tell the story -- Winckowski gives up too much contact and is unable to generate much swing-and-miss.
Brayan Bello: B-. The 4.71 ERA doesn't begin to tell the story. Bello improved dramatically from his July debut, and while his last start was a rough one, his starts in September were highly encouraging. The quality of the stuff suggests this is the best Red Sox pitching prospect in more than a decade.
Garrett Whitlock: B. Between being shuttled back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen and a hip injury that sidelined him then required season-ending surgery, this had the feeling of a lost season for Whitlock. In actuality, he pitched pretty well regardless of his role and there's a feeling that he's yet to reach his potential.
Tanner Houck: B. In some ways, his season was remarkably similar to that of Whitlock. When he became the de facto closer, the bullpen seemed to stabilize. For now at least, he seems better suited for a relief role.
John Schreiber: A. Consider him this year's version of Whitlock -- claimed from another organization, he emerged as a highly valuable bullpen piece. Appeared to hit something of a wall in August, he rebounded nicely in the final month. Could he get a crack at closing next spring?
Ryan Brasier: D+. Shockingly inconsistent, Brasier had three months in which his ERA was below 2.57.....and three months in which it was above 7.84. The Sox never knew what they were going to get from Brasier, which is problematic for a high-leverage reliever. A candidate for a non-tender.
Matt Strahm: B-. Part of a trio of lefties in the bullpen to start the season, he was the only run remaining over the final two months. He was actually slighty tougher on righthanded hitters than lefthanded hitters. The 3.4 walks per 9 innings were a concern.
Tyler Danish: D+. He was a nice story coming out of spring training, and got off to a nice start. But a forearm injury sidelined him for much of the middle of the season and he never seemed to regain any momentum.
Matt Barnes: C. Right from spring training, he was off, with his velocity mysteriously off and some mechanical adjustments needed. He then had some shoulder weakness and missed a good chunk of the season before returning in August, after which he looked like his old self.
Zack Kelly: B. September evaluations are notoriously tough, but in the final weeks, Kelly showed some electric stuff with the ability to pitch up in the zone and get swing-and-miss. An intriguing piece going forward.
Eduard Bazardo: B. For most of the last year or so, he seemed to fall off the organization's radar, and was removed from the 40-man roster. But he rebounded nicely and was impressive at times during a September call-up.
INC: Chris Sale, Connor Seabold, Darwinzon Hernandez, Franklin German.
MANAGEMENT
Alex Cora: C-. For the second time in his last three seasons in the Red Sox dugout, the team began the season poorly, and some of that has to fall on the manager. Cora also has to bear some of the responsibility for the team's occasionally sloppy play. Injuries decimated his rotation mid-season, but Cora kept the team nominally competitive until September, and for the most part, they continued to play hard.
Cham Bloom: D. The trade for Jackie Bradley Jr. proved disastrous, and Bloom was too slow to respond to gaping holes at first base and in the bullpen. A few offseason moves (Wacha, Hill) were positive signings, but his trade deadline approach was oddly schizophrenic. To state the obvious: not his finest hour.
_______________________
Heartiest of congratulations to Joe Castiglione, who, in his 40th year as the radio voice of the Red Sox, was named one of the 10 finalists for the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by the Hall of Fame.
The ballot is full of other worthy play-by-play announcers -- including Gary Cohen, Pat Hughes, Duane Kuiper, and Tom Hamilton -- but Castiglione would be a most deserving winner. Results will be revealed at the winter meetings in December.
_______________________
I've chastised Red Sox ownership repeatedly for failing to be publicly accountable when the team performs poorly. If you're keeping track, the last time principal owner John Henry had any sort of media availability -- not counting last summer's impromptu interview with a reporter from the newspaper he owns -- was February of 2020, the day after the Sox traded Mookie Betts.
Plenty has happened -- good and bad -- in the intervening years, but Henry has not saw hit to comment on any of it, or take questions. That makes his claim -- as expressed in his bio in the team's media guide -- that owning the Red Sox is a matter of "public trust'' laughable. If Henry actually thought that, he'd make himself available to the media, and by extension, the team's fan base.
Whether the Red Sox retain Xander Bogaerts and extend Rafael Devers will largely be driven by Henry's say-so. And yet, when those topics were discussed at Thursday's season-ending press conference, Henry was nowhere to be found.