Gathering Crowds

At the unofficial halfway point of the season the Sox have exceeded everyone’s expectations and sit atop the American League with the Astros. They hold a 1.5 game lead over Tampa and 8 games over Toronto and New York.  To say this has been enjoyable would be a tremendous understatements.  Let’s revisit some stuff;

MVP - Xander Bogaerts - Rafael Devers has a slight edge in WAR and JD Martinez is just behind him but for me this is Bogaerts’ team and by extension, his award.  In a lot of ways this goes back to 2015 when Xander grew up and became the player he is.  With Dustin Pedroia missing a large portion of that season Bogaerts took the mantle of the guy who keeps the infield settled, talks the pitcher down when the time comes and is the guy you want the ball hit to in a key spot.  On a team that is rabidly covered and rooted for he is a quiet superstar.

Cy Young/Mariano Rivera - Matt Barnes - There is a pretty strong case for Nathan Eovaldi here but for me it’s Barnes.  A lot of what has happened this year could have been undone fairly quickly by some blown saves.  Having Barnes lock down the closer role has allowed for the bullpen to get settled and help a rotation that is doing a nice job but has its flaws.  I think back to 2012 when Alfredo Aceves seemed to blow a save every other opportunity.  Barnes has blown a couple but he’s gotten the job done about as well as the Sox could have hoped and that has allowed stability after a very unstable 2020.

Best Surprise - Garrett Whitlock - Rule 5 guys don’t pitch like this, they just don’t.  Watching him I can’t help but think that he has very real Bronson Arroyo starting ability in his future.  He can throw three pitches effectively and throws strikes while keeping the ball in the ballpark.  There are so many great surprises on the team with Christian Arroyo probably a close second.

Biggest Disappointment - Matt Andriese - There has not been much to be disappointed by this year but Andriese fits the bill. He was high on the bullpen depth chart early but starting with an ugly appearance on Opening Day he has just never put it together.  Fortunately the bullpen depth has delivered and covered for Andriese

Most Underrated Story - Outfield Defense - Going into the year there were more than a few concerns about the defense generally and the outfield in particular.  Kike Hernandez, Hunter Renfroe and Alex Verdugo have proven to be excellent out there.  Renfroe in particular has really impressed with surprising range for his size and a truly magnificent arm.  I love outfielders who can throw and the Sox seem to have three of them.  That’s a nice weapon for a pitching staff.  Along the same lines how about a little nod for hitting coach Tim Hyers and pitching coach Dave Bush?  Coaches are often the sacrificial lambs when things go poorly and while Alex Cora deserves the credit he has gotten let’s give a nod to Hyers and Bush for the overachievement.

Much Ado About Nothing - ??? - I think this probably says a lot about where this team was in the local zeitgeist.  Normally the Sox are so intensely discussed and watched that there are nonsense stories that get over-covered. The last 18 months coming to Opening Day this year both Sox-related and real world-related combined with fairly modest expectations to keep things relatively quiet.  Suddenly here they are in first place.  Where the hell did that come from?

Thing That Deserves Comment - I’ve only made it to a few games this year (coaching four youth teams eats up some time).  However, starting with Patriots Day (my first) and continuing to the end of June (my most recent) the crowds have been allowed to grow.  More importantly though is the experience.  As awesome as the 2003-2018 stretch was, probably the best in club history, there was an intensity that sometimes was a bit oft-putting. The atmosphere this year has been a bit more late-90s with crowds just generally seeming to enjoy the experience.  Maybe it’s just how I’M experiencing it but my sense in the ballpark is more joyous than intense. It’s not better or worse but it is different.  The only thing missing is the Dominican flags we got when Pedro pitched (maybe we can get a Texas flag when Eovaldi pitches).

3 Questions for the Second Half;

1. Can Eduardo Rodriguez turn it around?

2. What will Chris Sale be able to contribute?

3. How will Chaim Bloom balance the desire to win now with the desire to build a consistent winner?

Games of the First Half (chronological order);

April 6 - Rays 5 at Sox 6 (11) - After losing three in a row to start the year the Sox picked up their first win against Tampa but then were headed to another defeat.  Christian Vazquez’ homer tied it in the ninth and then after trading runs in the tenth JD Martinez’ double scored two to win it in the eleventh.

June 3 - Sox 5 at Astros 1 - On the face of it this wasn’t a dramatic game but it was an important one.  Faced with the start of a long stretch of challenging games the Sox had dropped their first three to Houston.  Martin Perez delivered a big time performance with 7.2 innings of shutout baseball and a three run homer by Arroyo was backed by a double by Bogaerts.

June 6 - Sox 6 at Yankees 5 (10)  The Sox threw down their marker against their longtime rivals by polishing off a sweep in front of some grumpy folks in the Bronx.  In a rare event Matt Barnes was tagged with the blown save but a two run single by Bogaerts picked him up and Phillips Valdez closed it out.

Hopefully the second half will continue to give us the good feelings we have gotten so far!