MLB Notebook: Red Sox horrendous defense, Chase Meidroth makes most of MLB debut, Shane Drohan piling up the strikeouts

Through the first 16 games of the new season, there is one major factor impacting the Red Sox: their sloppy defensive play.

The Red Sox committed 19 errors before Saturday afternoon’s 3-2 loss to the White Sox, leading the Major Leagues and making nine more errors than the next team, the Athletics. The Sox’ defensive woes have allowed 14 unearned runs, the most in the league; only one other team had given up double digits (10).

Friday night, the Sox committed five errors, the most by any single team in baseball this season.

“We gotta clean that up,” Cora told reporters after the game. “We didn’t have a good defensive week at home. This was a bad night defensively, bad night overall. We didn’t hit. We didn’t play defense. Turn the page; be ready for tomorrow. We’ve just got to be better.”

Ironically, Alex Bregman has the most errors of all the Sox’ players, with three. It’s likely an anomaly for the 2024 Gold Glove winner, but all spring, fans heard that Rafael Devers needed to move off the hot corner because Bregman was a better defender, which is true.

Rookie Kristian Campbell has made two errors, both at second base. Boston will need to be patient with the young infielder as he acclimates to the big leagues. The Red Sox rotated 11 different second basemen last season; Campbell should provide longer-term stability at the position.

The two stars of the Red Sox Netflix documentary, Jarren Duran and Triston Casas, have committed two errors apiece.

Casas’ miscues allowed the White Sox to have a key inning against Sean Newcomb on Friday night. The White Sox capitalized on his defensive miscue in the fourth inning with one man on and one out. 

Omar Narváez hit a grounder toward Casas that could have been an inning-ending double play ball. Instead, he bobbled the ball, failing to record an out, and it extended the inning. Chicago added four runs following Casas’ blunder, collecting three straight hits after a Newcomb strikeout. The top of the order went double, single, and single, stretching the lead to 6-0.

“Just a lot of plays that have to be made that weren’t,” Casas said postgame. “… It’s been an issue for the first couple games. As an offense, we’re going to do better moving forward.” 

Casas took the blame for the Sox' dreadful loss to the White Sox.

“It’s just a play that’s gotta be made," Casas said. “It’s an unrealistic thing to do to point out one play in the game and say, ‘That’s why we lost.’ But that’s a pretty clear one with that specific one. It pretty much changed the course of the game for the worst. I’ve replayed it in my head so many times already."

Casas' slow start at the plate magnifies his errors. He’s played in 14 games and is 9-for-51 (.176) with a homer, three doubles, three RBI, three walks, and a .530 OPS. 

Earlier in the week, 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Tony Massarotti posted on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) that the Sox should consider a position change for their top prospect, Roman Anthony.

“If I’m the Red Sox, I start playing Roman Anthony at first base in Worcester,” he posted.

According to the source, the Red Sox have not considered a position change for Anthony, and he will remain an outfielder.

Throwing Anthony at first base reminds me of a scene in Moneyball, where Billy Beane tries to convince Scott Hatteberg to play first and asks Ron Washington to support his argument, who stated that learning the position is "incredibly hard." Then again, Boston moved Kyle Schwarber to first after they acquired him before the trade deadline in 2021; he played 10 games there and committed one error.

Once Casas starts to hit, his defensive issues should subside; he looks like a player trying to do too much while he’s struggling. If he continues to have issues both offensively and defensively, it’s not out of bounds to consider ways to improve the position.

The issue at hand is that Boston has no depth behind Casas at first base. Romy Gonzalez played first on Saturday, and he got on base three times, walking twice and adding an RBI single to left field in the fifth inning.

Nick Sogard has been used at first base, but he’s better at second, third base, and shortstop. Nathan Hickey, Vaughn Grissom, and Abraham Toro are all other options for playing the position down in Worcester.

Duran’s errors came on the first homestand when he overran and dropped two fly balls; he made only six errors and was a finalist for an American League Gold Glove in center field last season.

Four of the Red Sox' errors have come on catcher’s interference calls, which inflates the totals, but, nonetheless, Cora needs to fix his team’s defensive issues, and fast.

Boston has fired infield coaches Carlos Febles and Andy Fox in the last couple of seasons. The dismissals of the coaches haven’t changed the culture. When should we begin to blame the players?

WELCOME TO THE SHOW

It’s safe to say the White Sox did pretty well for themselves with the package of players they acquired in the trade for ace left-hander Garrett Crochet back in December.

Chicago landed four players in the swap: top catching prospect Kyle Teel, outfield prospect Braden Montgomery, infield prospect Chase Meidroth, and right-handed pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez.

Of the four players acquired by the White Sox, Meidroth was the first to make his Major League debut, and ironically enough, it came against the team that traded him just five months ago.

“I don’t think it’s still sunk in yet,” the infielder said to reporters prior to his first game on Friday night.

The White Sox promoted Meidroth, the No. 8 prospect in their system, per MLB Pipeline, after he played nine games for the Charlotte Knights, slashing .267/.450/.600.

In front of 13,432 fans, including a group of family members who flew out to the Windy City from Southern California, were on hand to see Meidroth instantly make an impact for the ChiSox at Rate Field. He went 1-for-1 with three walks and two runs scored, as Chicago beat down the Red Sox, 11-1, and snapped an eight-game losing streak in the process.

“I had a lot of fun,” Meidroth said afterward. “It was good that we won.”

Meidroth became the first player with a hit and three walks in his Major League debut since the Expos’ Larry Walker on August 16, 1989, per OptaStats.

“I’m not exactly looking at how much I walk. I’m just trying to win as many pitches as I can in a game. I think it’s great,” Meidroth said. “My approach at the plate is that I’m trying to give the bat to the next guy with me on first base anyway I can. I’m going to have a quality at-bat, and that’s my goal every time I go up there.”

He also became the second player in White Sox history to record three walks in his MLB debut. The other player, Ray Morehart, achieved this feat on August 8, 1924, against Washington, according to the team's game notes.

“I think my approach at the plate is I’m trying to give the bat to the next guy with me on first base any way I can,” Meidroth said. “I’m going to have a quality at-bat, and that’s my goal every time I go up there.”

Meidroth walked in his first plate appearance in the second inning and later scored on Jacob Amaya’s two-run double. He singled into right field in the fourth for his first MLB hit off Newcomb, and then later scored on Miguel Vargas’ two-run double.

Prior to his call-up, Meidroth recorded a career .285/.425/.414 slash line with 23 home runs, 133 RBIs, 195 runs, and 207 walks in 264 games during parts of four minor-league seasons. He led all minor leaguers with 105 walks in 2024 for Triple-A Worcester and ranked third with a .437 on-base percentage, which ranked 35 points higher than the next-closest International League hitter.

In his second game, the White Sox penciled Meidroth in at shortstop, where he made four plays, including turning a double play, and had two assists. He went 1-for-3, collecting a base hit that he laced into center field off Red Sox starter and former WooSox teammate Richard Fitts.

After the White Sox acquired Meidroth, general manager Chris Getz said he targeted the young infielder because of his “well-rounded offensive approach.”

“His on-base ability, his contact skills, and the versatility allow him to get some at-bats. We’ll see how the rest of his offseason goes and see him in spring training. He’s got a chance to break (spring camp) with the team.”

Meidroth has one of the best hit tools in the minors, never chasing and consistently making contact with pitches in the zone. This bodes well for him to hit for a high average and offers the potential to get on base if he makes it to the majors.

The White Sox ultimately reassigned the 23-year-old to minor-league camp after he had a chance to make the Opening Day roster.

“He put together some really quality at-bats (during spring training),” Getz said before Meidroth's debut. “He wasn’t getting hits, but his plate discipline was very good. Towards the end of camp, I could tell that he was pressing a little bit. And I didn’t want to bring him up to Chicago coming off of a spring training without getting the results that he wanted — that, all of a sudden (he’s thinking), ‘I didn’t get results in spring training; now I need to show them right now.’

“It was just an unnecessary thing to do for a young player that we believe in. He’s got a tremendous process. When we sat down with him at the end of camp, Will had a great conversation with him. There were some things he needed to work on, and he goes down there and he does it. Just speaks to his ability and understanding of an offensive approach that’s going to serve him well.”

Meidroth said that the White Sox wanted him to work on a few things in Triple-A before they’d promote him to their 26-man roster. He watched film and went over his swings and offensive approach with the WooSox in an effort to get better every every day.

Meidroth’s big league debut is in the books, and he can focus on trying to stick with the White Sox. Chicago and their fans have a player who will take professional at-bats, get on base, and play multiple positions. The young and rebuilding White Sox is the perfect landing spot for Meidroth as he embarks on his Major League career.

SHANE DROHAN IS HEALTHY AND PILING UP STRIKEOUTS

Shane Drohan dominated opposing Double-A lineups before he was promoted to Triple-A Worcester in May 2023. The left-handed starter went 5-0 while recording a 1.32 ERA with 36 strikeouts and a 0.82 WHIP over six starts.

The Red Sox originally selected him in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft. The left-hander from Florida State has flew through the system, showing off his swing-and-miss stuff.

Once he made his way to the WooSox, he was quickly humbled by Triple-A hitters. In 21 games and 19 starts, he posted a 6.47 ERA, giving up 68 runs (64 earned) off 103 hits, 93 strikeouts, and 63 walks.

What was not known at the time was that Drohan had been dealing with an injury. He was battling mentally with playing “hurt” and actually knowing he was injured.

Shoulder pain plagued the left-hander dating back to his time with the Greenville Drive in 2022. While pitching through pain, he finished the season with a 3.89 ERA in 129.2 innings, pitching at two levels of the Sox’ system and recording 157 strikeouts.

“I was kind of raised on there’s a difference between hurt and injured,” Drohan said. “And I was looking at it as like I was just hurt and I could pitch through it.”

Following his year with the WooSox, the Red Sox left Drohan unprotected in the Rule 5 draft, and the White Sox nabbed him. Drohan knew that he had a lot to prove to his new organization if he were going to make the Opening Day roster. He also knew he was still hurt, and the White Sox quickly found that out.

“When I went out to Arizona for spring training, knowing I was on the big league side and there’s a lot more that they look at, I was like, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to get through these physicals,‘” Drohan said.

Chicago suggested that Drohan have surgery and clean up his shoulder while he was younger. He took their advice knowing that the short-term roadblock was better for his long-term professional career.

“Going into that decision last year, it was learning from not really saying anything about it for a couple of years,” Drohan recalled. “It was like, it’ll pay off for me if I just kind of shut it down now and give the body time to bounce back.”

The White assigned Drohan to the minors to do his rehab, and he made 10 appearances out of the bullpen, posting an 8.68 ERA, giving up 10 runs (nine earned) off nine hits while striking out 15 batters and walking eight over 9 1/3 frames.

Ultimately, Chicago was unable to keep Drohan on the 40-man roster, placed him on waivers, he went unclaimed, and was offered back to the Red Sox.

Fast-forward to April, and Drohan is healthy; his velocity is back up to the mid-to-upper 90s, and he added a slider to his pitching arsenal. He was impressive in the spring; he traveled with the Sox to Monterrey, Mexico, and now with the WooSox, he has seen the strikeouts pile up (16) in 9 2/3 innings.

Consistency will be the key for Drohan, and if he continues to strike opposing hitters out, he will pitch himself into the conversation for a big league promotion.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

 - Angels right fielder Mike Trout had a ball ripped out of his glove by a fan sitting in the front row during a game this weekend against the Astros. In the second inning on Saturday, Trout reached over the padding to catch a foul ball, but a fan grabbed it.

Security removed the young fan from the section where he was later reunited with his father, who claimed the ball was “coming for his son’s face.”

The play brought back memories of the viral World Series moment involving Austin Capobianco, a Yankees fan, who ripped the ball out of Mookie Betts’ glove, albeit the stakes for that game were much higher than this one in early April. Capabianco was banned from all 30 major league parks.

In this instance, the Astros fan relocated and kept the ball. After the game, Trout wanted to meet the fan and his father, who were extremely apologetic for what transpired during the game.

“I got kids myself. The way he reacted, he obviously didn’t do it on purpose,” Trout said. “Well, I don’t know if he didn’t do it on purpose. But just the way he reacted, and his kid, and they got moved. They probably spent hard (earned) money on those tickets.”

Trout made a nice move by burying the hatchet with the young fan. By the way, the Angels won that game 4-1.

 - It’s the Masters this week, and I’ll be honest, I hate crossing sports when creating any sort of content, but the WooSox social media team had some of their players do a putt-putt competition at Polar Park this week.

Anthony, who claims to be an excellent golfer, faced challenges while attempting to make a quick hole-in-one. Fortunately, the Red Sox are interested in his ability to hit a baseball rather than a golf ball. 

As a side note, that vintage putter is reminiscent of what Walter Hagen used during his era and is likely to appreciate significantly in value after Anthony's recent attempts with it this week.

 - Fitts was placed on the 15-day IL with a pec strain and the Red Sox recalled Michael Fulmer from Triple-A Worcester.