Halfwayish to Something

With the baseball world taking its traditional midseason break it’s time to revisit the local nine and how things rolled in the first half;

MVP - Alex Verdugo - I think you could go a number of different directions here.  Depending on how you want to look at it I think you could make a case for Verdugo, James Paxton, Brayan Bello and even Jarren Duran.  But in the end I’m going with Dugie.  A bit of a…something in Cleveland when he was benched for failing to hustle on a ground ball but he rebounded from that to play very well.  It’s really the response you would have wanted if you were Alex Cora or just a Red Sox fan.

Cy Young/Rookie of the Year - Brayan Bello - Listen, James Paxton has been masterful but hoo boy has Bello been special.  I don’t think I’m being an unreasonable homer when I say the present and the future are very bright with this talented youngster.

Mariano Rivera - Chris Martin - Kenley Jansen gets the glory of the saves and the All Star Game, Josh Winckowski gets the “where did he come from” buzz but it’s Martin who has been the rock.  A 1.57 ERA in 30 appearances and only three free passes.  Chaim Bloom can be rightly criticized for a number of things but it is to his credit that he aggressively addressed the 2022 club’s biggest flaw with Martin and Jansen.

Best Surprise - Jarren Duran - Did you see this coming? Yeah neither did I.  He has suddenly turned into a legitimate piece of the puzzle going forward.

Biggest Disappointment - Corey Kluber - There were a few options here but for me it’s Kluber.  I think heading into the season it would have been more than reasonable to expect him to replicate the work of Michael Wacha last year but holy hell has he been horrendous.  His control has abandoned him and he’s giving up home runs at an epic rate.  This is not a combination for success.

Most Underrated Story - Masataka Yoshida is actually good - The Sox regular cleanup hitter is not exactly an afterthought but it seems to be a bit of an under the radar thing.  The Sox were roundly criticized in more than a few corners for spending like they did on Yoshida.  78 games into his Major League career that is looking like a steal of a deal.  At current rates a 5 year, $15/per year deal for a 3+ WAR outfielder is highway robbery.

Games of the Year (so far);

April 1 - Bal 8 - Bos 9 - After a disappointing Opening Day loss the Sox were in a 7-1 hole after 2 1/2 innings.  They rallied but as with the Opener it looked like it would come short when Masa Yoshida’s fly ball settled into Ryan McKenna’s glove.  McKenna closed that glove a bit too early keeping the game alive and Adam Duvall slammed one into the Monster seats.  Those first two games kind of set the tone for a team that has battled all year.

April 23 - Bos 12 - Milw 8 - The Sox trailed the Crew 4-3 headed to the top of the 8th.  Justin Turner and Yoshida went back to back for a 5-4 lead and the rest of the inning featured more hits than a Taylor Swift album capped by Yoshida’s grand slam.

April 29 - Cle 7 - Bos 8 - Blowing a 6-1 lead late was frustrating and going behind in the top of the 10th was irritating.  Christian Arroyo singled home Manfred Man Enmanuel Valdez and after a sac bunt and a passed ball Verdugo singled to end it.

May 1 - Tor 5 - Bos 6 - The AL East in general and the Blue Jays in particular were a bugaboo in 22 (ooh that rhymes).  The clubs went back and forth with an E6 proving costly for the Sox in the Toronto 8th.  Dugie led off the bottom of the ninth against Jordan Romano and…kaboom.

June 9 Bos 3 - NYY 2 - Fear no one.  The Sox haven’t been pushed around by good teams as they were in 2022 and few games sum that up like this one.  Undefeated Gerrit Cole in the Bronx? No problem.  Cole was good but Garrett Whitlock was better.  Kenley Jansen secured the save (thanks to Volpe’s rocket going juuuuust foul) and the Sox had another big win.

July 2 - Boston 5 - Tor 4 - One of the frustrating aspects of this Sox team is that it often feels like we know the result before the game.  Bello, Paxton or Houck pitching? Hey this should be fun.  Someone else pitching?  Uh oh.  Whitlock got the call in this one but only pitched one inning.  The Sox needed the back of the bullpen to pick things up.  Brennan Bernardino, Kaleb Ort, Nick Pivetta, Chris Martin and finally Joe Jacques worked the final eight innings.  Meanwhile the Sox scored twice in the seventh thanks in part to some daring base running from Justin Turner that evoked Jonny Gomes scoring from second on Opening Day in the Bronx.  The game was tied at 4 going to the ninth, Romano vs. Verdugo again.  Rinse, lather, re-kaboom.

Big Second Half Questions

1. How will Chaim Bloom approach the trade deadling?

2. Does Trevor Story have anything to offer?

3. Can Duran, Connor Wong and Triston Casas solidify themselves as everyday players moving forward?