The Underachievers of the Red Sox So Far

By Evan Marinofsky | Apr 26, 2015

Yes I understand that we are 18 games into the season. I also understand that some people may have bad first months of the season. So what does that mean? It means I’m going to point out the guys who aren’t performing up to standards. For a team that’s in first place, there are surprisingly a lot of players who are in major slumps and raising red flags.

1.) The Entire Starting Pitching Staff

Apr 12, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; The Boston Red Sox have a conference at the mound after pitcher Clay Buchholz (11) gave up seven runs in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

I’m just going to knock this one out first: the starting pitching staff is putrid right now. Most expected this group to be a bunch of #3 and 4 starters but they can’t even perform up to that. Not one pitcher has an ERA under 4 and the one that’s closest, Joe Kelly, is the team’s number 5 starter. The teams new “100 million dollar man”, Rick Porcello, over 4 games has an ERA of 6.48.

This staff has one of the worst ERAs in the American League and is lucky to be on a team in first place. In the offseason, the talk was that this team was lacking a true ace.

An ace?

This team doesn’t even have a guy performing at a “number 4” pitchers numbers.

2.) Shane Victorino

Apr 22, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Shane Victorino (18) works out prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

One of the rumored reasons why John Farrell penciled in Shane Victorino as the starting right fielder was to have him produce and regain his value so when the team traded him, they’d get something valuable in return since he’s not in the teams future plans.

So how’s it worked?

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It hasn’t worked at all. With a .143 batting average, Victorino officially has the worst batting average on the team. Even though his OBP (on base percentage) isn’t that bad, he still can not hit a baseball.

Victorino recently landed on the DL because of his hamstring, which will likely lead to the calling up of Rusney Castillo, so a hole should be patched in the offense.

3.) Allen Craig

Apr 24, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Allen Craig (5) hits a pinch hit single during the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Boston Red Sox defeated Baltimore Orioles 7-5. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Ever since coming to Boston, Allen Craig has been a train wreck. With his very low average, (.154), Craig has been a hole every time in the lineup. And with his 1 RBI to go along with his 0 home runs, there’s not much positive with him.

Even after coming to Boston in the middle of last year, Craig still played terribly then too. In a way, it is sad to see a player sink so low after having such a great 2013.

With his contract allowing him to play in the minors, he’ll probably be sent down within the next month. If not, he’ll be packaged in some kind of trade.

Why even have him on the roster?

4.) Mike Napoli

Apr 22, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli (12) doubles during the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Napoli is in the lineup as a power hitting first basemen, so his average isn’t supposed to be that high, however his power numbers should be.

But unfortunately for Napoli, everything is down.

In 60 at-bats, he has 1 homer to go along with 4 RBIs. His slugging percentage is also very low for him at a dismal .283. I usually wouldn’t mention average with him but I will due to how low it is: .183. For an everyday 1st basemen, the average should not be that bad.

Napoli will probably ramp his power numbers up by mid May. If not, his struggles could seriously become a detriment to this team.

5.) Mookie Betts

Apr 22, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Mookie Betts (50) at bat against the Tampa Bay Rays during the third inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Before I rip into him let me just say this: he’s the centerfielder of the future and is not going anywhere. Mookie Betts’ problems are problems because of where he bats in the order.

Betts is a leadoff hitter so therefore two things should be pretty high: average and on base percentage. With him, they’re both below average.

His OBP currently stands at a .291 and his batting average is a sub-par .203. To get a sense for how bad his OBP is look at David Ortiz’s OBP: it’s higher. A leadoff man’s OBP should always be higher than a sluggers.

Betts will get things going but if he doesn’t, the Sox will need to find a more consistent hitter at the top of the lineup, due to the fact that consistency is everything when it comes to the leadoff guy.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, it’s just April. There are many guys around the MLB that historically start off slow and for the Red Sox it’s no different.

But, if they’d like to contend this year, some strugglers will have to regain form faster than others. For instance, the Sox need Betts’ and Napoli’s bats to come alive more than they need Craig’s and Victorino’s.

The big thing though, is the starting pitchers. It’s not just one or two struggling to find form, which is the cases with most teams: it’s all of them. If the starters continue to collapse, the Red Sox will be out of the playoff picture in July.

The underachievers of the Red Sox need to turn their seasons around fast or they could possibly help their team fall out of the playoff race early on in the season.

So, who has struggled the most and who needs to regain form the quickest?

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