Boston Red Sox 2017 Player Previews: Mitch Moreland

Mitch Moreland is new to the Boston Red Sox on a short contract, but that does not mean his contributions will not be important to the success of the team.

Mitch Moreland is one of three newcomers to the Boston Red Sox big league roster. Moreland spent seven years with the Texas Rangers, culminating in a Gold Glove season in 2016. He signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Red Sox in December.

Moreland comes to Boston penciled in as the starting first baseman, effectively turning Hanley Ramirez into a near-full time designated hitter.

Moreland had a poor year at the plate in his final year in Texas. He only hit .233, a big drop from his .278 in 2015. He struck out at a 23.5% rate, which lines up with his career average of 21.3%. Moreland still delivered 22 home runs and has hit at least twenty in his last three full season dating back to 2013.

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Despite his power, Moreland only finished with 87 wRC+. That total is not great for a supposed slugger in the hitters’ haven that is Globe Life Park in Arlington. While not the best pure hitter, Moreland does slot in as a solid power threat near the back end of the Red Sox batting order.

He is a streaky hitter, though. Moreland can have months like July 2016, when he hit .339 with seven homers and a 1.143 OPS. He can also have months like May 2016, when he hit .185 with only three home runs.

Somewhat surprisingly, Moreland’s defense was the best part of his 2016 season. He only committed two errors over 139 games in the field and racked up seven Defensive Runs Saved. His experience at first base makes him a better defensive option than Ramirez, though they have the ability to swap places if Moreland is hitting well but needs a day off from the field.

Moreland and Ramirez were actually surprisingly similar defensively. Moreland allowed 22 throwing errors by his infielders (all of which cannot obviously considered his fault), while Ramirez allowed 23. Moreland had more range than Ramirez, which is unsurprising considering Hanley was new to first base.

Moreland’s Range Runs (RngR, which measures how many more balls a player gets to than the average) was 5.0, while Ramirez’s was -3.8. While Hanley may not be as athletic while fielding as Moreland, he is still handling throws similarly well, so not much will be lost when the two switch positions.

Much like Travis Shaw

Essentially, Moreland is the new Travis Shaw (who was traded to Milwaukee on the same day Moreland signed with Boston). Shaw hit .242 with sixteen homers and similar strikeout issues to Moreland. Shaw likely would have moved back to first base with the return of Pablo Sandoval, so Moreland’s defensive abilities outweigh the similarities in their hitting skills and gave him some extra value.

Expecting Moreland to be worth much more than his contract would be a bad idea. He will be streaky, but he will hit some balls out of the park. His 2015 season show that he has the ability to get on base more consistently, but an average above .250 would be an added bonus if he plays Gold Glove level defense once again.

Slick fielding infielders always benefit from a good defensive first baseman, so Moreland should be able to help out his teammates while the team waits for top prospect Sam Travis to advance to the majors. Moreland will need to hit to avoid being stuck in a platoon though.

Next: Boston Red Sox: David Price and Hanley Ramirez Suffer Injuries

His track record shows that power is part of his game, so he must continue to knock balls out of the park.

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