The 2020 Red Sox Stunk, But Not Everything About Them Did

(Photo credits: Billie Weiss, Boston Red Sox)

Last year I wrote an extensive recap of the 2019 Red Sox season. I called it “one of the most bizarre seasons of Red Sox baseball” I could recall. Now here we are a year later and I cannot help but laugh at myself for thinking last year was bizarre. Actually, there’s a lot of lines in that article that make me laugh out loud, mostly regarding my hopeful nature for the next season. While I admire my blind optimism, and of course no could’ve predicted the weirdness and uncertainty that’s surrounded baseball this year, in terms of just the Red Sox, I could not have been more wrong.

The Red Sox STUNK this year. Just straight-up terrible. There’s no beating around the bush. Sure, there were some good points which I’ll get into about, but all in all, it was a pretty brutal team to follow. This was the first Red Sox season in awhile I did not sit down and watch every game I could. Admittedly, I did find it hard to get into baseball in general after an almost four-month hiatus between the first spring training and spring training 2.0. Add onto the fact a 60-game season made every game worth as much as an entire series in a regular 162-game season and the Red Sox falling behind to last place in the division quickly, I just wasn’t into it like I usually am.

It is worth mentioning of course the Red Sox didn’t exactly enter the 2020 season with much for Sox fans to hope for. Between October 2nd when I published my 2019 season recap to the start of the second “spring” training in July, A LOT changed in the Sox organization as well as the league. Let’s reminisce on this whirlwind of an offseason:

• October 25, 2019: Chaim Bloom is hired as the new head of baseball operations following the firing of Dave Dombrowski the month prior.

• January 7, 2020: The Athletic publishes an article detailing accusations of the 2018 World Series championship team of using video to pick up and decode an opposing catcher’s signs to the pitcher during the regular season. MLB launches an investigation into the matter.

• January 14: Manager Alex Cora is fired by the Red Sox following the implications of his involvement in the Astros sign-stealing scandal, investigated by MLB. His firing had nothing to do with the 2018 Red Sox investigation. MLB gives Cora the same punishment as former Astros manager AJ Hinch - he cannot return to baseball until the end of the 2020 season.

• February 11: The blockbuster trade centered around Mookie Betts and David Price is finalized, sending the two to the Los Angeles Dodgers in return for Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs, and Connor Wong.

• Ron Roenicke is named interim manager for the time being.

• March 12: MLB cancels all spring training games, and training camps are soon shut down as well. At this point, the regular season is pushed back two weeks.

• March 16: MLB announces the season will be pushed back until AT LEAST the middle of May, though the sentiment seemed to be an early July start would be more likely.

• March 23: Chris Sale is officially shut down for the entirety of the 2020 season. He undergoes Tommy John surgery on March 30th. He is said to be out for 12-15 months, with the expectation of also missing the start of the 2021 season. Ideally, his return is set for somewhere between May and June 2021.

• April 22: MLB finally concludes their investigation into the 2018 Red Sox and issues what many called a “slap on the wrist” for punishment; the league placed the blame entirely on video replay operator J.T. Watkins, clearing the rest of the organization for any sort of cheating or wrong-doing, including Alex Cora. Watkins was suspended from his job for the 2020 season, and the Red Sox lose their second-round draft pick for the 2020 MLB draft, a draft shortened due to the pandemic.

• Following the end of MLB’s investigation, Ron Roenicke’s “interim” tag is removed and he is officially manager.

• July 6: After prolonged disputes between MLB and the MLBPA, the two finally come to an agreement on a 60-game season announced on July 6th, including an expanded playoff format and rule changes such as a universal DH, three-batter minimum, runner on second to start extra innings, and seven-inning doubleheaders.

• July 7: Red Sox presumptive number one starter Eduardo Rodriguez tests positive for COVID. Originally he was set to just miss training camp and perhaps the start of the regular season, however, due to heart complications from the disease, he is out for the entire season.

So, to summarize: the new head of baseball operations first big blockbuster move includes the loss of the Sox’s best player and a key piece to the starting rotation, their ace undergoes Tommy John surgery and is set to miss the entire 2020 season and then some, their beloved manager is fired and replaced with their bench coach, their new number one starter is also out for the season, and oh, a global pandemic happens. All in all, yikes. Still, I don’t think anyone anticipated this poor of a showing from the former World Series champions just two years ago. More likely than not, this Red Sox team left you feeling down and less than optimistic about next season. While it might not feel like there was any good to come of this season, and the team record certainly does not argue otherwise, there were more high spots than we realize, particularly amongst the up and coming of the organization, as I looked at here.

Alex Verdugo: An obvious choice, the storyline of this season has without a doubt been the emergence of Alex Verdugo. While most Red Sox fans will probably be bitter about the Mookie Betts trade for the unforeseeable future no matter Verdugo’s performance in years to come, if there’s one thing to look back fondly on this year it’s Verdugo’s contributions at the plate and in the outfield.

I did not know what to expect with Verdugo. In his rookie season with the Dodgers, he was pretty impressive. Dodgers fans certainly seemed sad to see him go. Of course, a good rookie season is not indicative of much. Sometimes it can set the standards too high for the future, and players can drop off due to the pressure. Add onto the fact Verdugo was stepping into a role in the wake of Mookie Betts’ departure, I was really holding my breath on the kid coming into the season.

Alex Verdugo exceeded my expectations this season and has become the leadoff hitter the Red Sox needed. At just 24-years old, he’s shown shades of a future Gold Glover already, accumulating quite a highlight reel of stunning defensive plays from right field. The Sox knew they were getting a good hitter out of Verdugo, but he truly went above and beyond that. Manager Ron Roenicke named him the team’s MVP last week, and rightfully so. He led the league in outfield assists with seven and ranked second in qualified outfielders in doubles according to FanGraphs Def metric. He finished the season slashing a .308/.367/.478 line with a 1.7 WAR, per FanGraphs. He’s among one of three on the roster who finished the season with a WAR above 1.0, in addition to Jackie Bradley Jr. and Martín Pérez.

While this season might not leave much to smile about, Alex Verdugo is without a doubt an exception. Aside from going above and beyond on the field, his enthusiasm for the game and organization as well have quickly made him a fan favorite. I look forward to seeing him grow as a key piece to the organization for years to come.

Tanner Houck: 24-year old Tanner Houck made his MLB debut September 15th in Miami against the Marlins and in turn gave the Red Sox their best start from a pitcher making their MLB debut since Eduardo Rodriguez’s debut back in May 2015. Houck pitched 5 innings, allowing just 2 hits, 0 runs, 3 walks, and 7 strikeouts. What made his debut even more special is the charitable investment Houck made into the game. With every strikeout, Houck donated $100 to his Pitch for Adoption campaign, a campaign inspired by his adopted younger sister Reanna, helping to raise money and educate on the benefits of adoption. It was a special night through and through.

Following his debut, Houck’s made two more starts in the last two weeks, allowing just 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 6 walks, and 14 strikeouts in those two games, pitching 6 innings in both. Houck is not a guy who is projected to be a major league starter; this season of course with such a limited rotation in terms of legitimate starters plenty of bullpen guys made starts, after his debut Houck never made an appearance out of the bullpen, only as a starter. While there’s a lot of questions to be asked regarding what the rotation will look like come next season, and if the front office does their job I do not believe Houck will play a major role in the rotation, or at least not immediately, anything can happen. Three very solid major league starts is nothing to scoff at. Regardless of what kind of role he’s to play next year, the Sox definitely have some promise in Houck.

Bobby Dalbec: Bobby Dalbec is another young guy fans have to be excited about. It feels like we’ve been waiting on Dalbec’s callup for years now, and following the Moreland trade made at the deadline, the prospective first baseman finally got his chance. While I wish we got to see more from Dalbec this season, in his 23 games played and 80 at-bats, I’m so excited to see what he can do in a full season at the plate.

Small sample size yes, but Dalbec slashed a .263/.359/.600 line according to Baseball Reference. Most notably, he hit 8 home runs in those 23 games, setting the club record for the longest home run streak by a rookie. He definitely has some adjustments to make at the plate, but that’s expected from a rookie. In his 80 at-bats, Dalbec struck out 39 times. Is that a lot? Yeah, absolutely. Can that be fixed? Yes! Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve already seen Dalbec start to make some of those adjustments at the plate. Discipline at the plate against major league pitchers is not something any guy is going to learn in a matter of a month. He needs that full season to find his footing. Also, keep in mind, Dalbec is a guy who the team is looking for to hit bombs and that’s exactly what he did in such a small amount of time. He’s doing what’s asked of him already, add in those necessary adjustments? The Sox have exactly what they need. I cannot WAIT to get a full season of Dalbec.

Nick Pivetta: Like Dalbec, Pivetta’s sample size is small, at least as a member of the Red Sox. Pivetta came to Boston alongside minor-leaguer Connor Seabold as a part of the trade deadline exchange from the Phillies for Hembree and Workman. He struggled a lot for the last two years and in 2019 was moved down to a bullpen arm. Perhaps all the 27-year old needed was a change of scenery because any struggles he had seemed to have disappeared since coming to Boston.

In his two starts with the Sox, he’s pitched 5 innings both games earning the win both times. He’s allowed just 8 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 home run, 5 walks, and issued 13 strikeouts against 42 batters faced. Again, super small sample size and his 1.80 ERA should be taken with a grain of salt, but if anything, it’s a new pitcher we have to look forward to for the future.

Martín Pérez: Look, I know the numbers might not agree with calling Pérez’s 2020 season a “high point,” but keep in mind: this guy was brought in to be a number five starter. He ended 2019 with a 5.12 ERA and left a lot of Twins fans’ disappointed. Maybe it was just me, but my bar for Pérez as our number two starter was pretty low and I’m satisfied with what he gave us.

First off, he stayed healthy and made all his starts. I’m not saying it’s ever a pitcher’s fault for missing a game due to injury, but in this case, when you already have a makeshift rotation, to begin with, and you’re one of only two legitimate quality starters, losing out on Pérez or Eovaldi for even one start is incredibly detrimental. Of course, Eovaldi ended up missing a few weeks this season due to a pulled calf muscle, and suddenly it was down to just Pérez to make those quality starts expected of him. Some days he struggled hard, including his last game of the season and the final home game against the Orioles, in a 13-1 loss. However, just the start before he pitched six shutout innings allowing just 3 hits, a walk, and striking out 7 batters against the Yankees in what ended up being a no-decision for him. Again, numbers and records do not tell the whole story.

Second and most importantly, what made Pérez really stand apart as a high point of the season for me was his attitude and energy. This dude LOVES being in Boston. Before and after every start, he was on social media interacting with fans, expressing his gratitude for them and the city of Boston. He’s said multiple times now he hopes to return next year as he feels “at home” here. Even in an abysmal hot mess of a season, he remained positive and enthusiastic for every one of his starts. It was refreshing, to say the least.

Pérez does have a team option for 2021 for $6.3 million. I hope the Sox pick it up and he gets that fifth spot in the rotation and can enjoy a full season in Boston with a better rotation. Still, Bloom gonna Bloom, so I would not be shocked to see him make some sort of trade or let him walk if some random dude we’ve never heard of but with a similar profile to Pérez for even cheaper emerges as an option.

Nathan Eovaldi: Last but certainly not least, if Alex Verdugo is the team’s MVP, I’d say Eovaldi is runner up. He was not perfect by any means and okay yes, I’ll admit it: my Cy Young prediction for him may have been a BIT biased but he stepped up when we needed him to. After a crazy inconsistent 2019 riddled by injury, Eovaldi looked a lot more like his 2018 self. By the time his season, this year was put on a pause for a few weeks due to a calf muscle strain, the Red Sox were all but officially out of playoff contention anyway. He then came back from injury and finished the season off strong, which at that point is all you can ask for.

In 9 starts and 48.1 innings pitched, Eovaldi finished the season with a 3.72 ERA and a 4-2 record. He allowed 51 hits, 20 earned runs, 8 home runs, 7 walks, and issued 52 strikeouts. He looked a lot more comfortable on the mound this year than he did last year and pulled through as the number one starter. If there’s one thing Eovaldi brought to the table, it was a chance to win, something this team didn’t see much of this year.

Barring a few teams, Nathan Eovaldi will most likely never be the number one starter in any rotation again. As your number three guy though behind Sale and Rodriguez? Pretty solid! Again, Bloom gonna Bloom so who knows what the rotation will look like, but it’s time people ease up on Eovaldi because God only KNOWS what the Sox season record would’ve looked like without him.

Looking Ahead

I get it, it's hard to have hope after witnessing an implosion of that degree from your favorite baseball team that won 108 games and a World Series just two seasons ago. So much so, you begin rooting for them to tank and they can't even pull that off to your liking. It sucks, and the uncertainty regarding what's to come this offseason doesn't help. Despite the uncertainty, it's time to let Chaim Bloom do what he was brought in to do. Me personally, I'm looking at this offseason as a clean slate for him. I'll always remember him for his first major move being the Mookie trade, but even at this season's trade deadline we've already seen the way he works and I like it, I like it a lot! If the Sox can build a rotation around a hopefully healthy Sale and Rodriguez, I think things can turn around in that department quick. As far as performance at the plate, the Sox have the talent to compete, and a lot of the guys who will be key players for us are just getting started. There's definitely some holes to fill, particularly now in center field (presuming JBJ is not returning) and the carousel at second base still continues, but all in all, not only do we have the talent to compete, we have expendable pieces that can get us exactly what we need. Oh, you really want to win? Bring back Alex Cora.

Thank you all for following along with me this season, I appreciate the support more than you know! Hopefully next season will be more fun :)