Boston Red Sox: 5 players who will spark excitement in 2021

No. 4: Bobby Dalbec

A disappointing 2020 MLB season did trigger a glimmer of hope about the team’s future.

Not only did top prospect Bobby Dalbec join the big club during the shortened season, he added power and showed signs that he will be a big time power hitter in the league.

With 8 homers and 16 RBI in just 80 AB, Dalbec exhibited some raw power that has Red Sox fans excited about the future of the 6-foot-4 first baseman who could also play third base.

A full season of Bobby Dalbec should have Boston Red Sox fans excited

Unless the team trades him for more proven talent (i.e., Kris Bryant), the impression he left in 2020 is only the start for the young slugger as MLB.com highlights as Dalbec was listed as one of the 9 rookie hitters who made big impressions in 2020.

Here is what MLB.com writer Matt Kelly had to say about the Red Sox infielder:

"“Dalbec is far from a finished product (as his 42 percent strikeout rate and .199 xBA showed), but one thing he can clearly do is square up the ball. Barrels are Statcast’s metric to measure elite power, recording balls with ideal exit velocities and ideal launch angles (hard-hit and in the air) that are most likely to go for extra bases. Dalbec clubbed one of those barrels on nine of the 41 total balls he put in play this year, a rate that would have challenged Miguel Sanó at the top of the leaderboard across a larger sample.”"

It is the elite power that should have Red Sox fans excited.  With J.D. Martinez holding down the DH position, Dalbec should be in position to compete for the starting first baseman.

Of course, the true measure of his success will come when pitching around the league starts to figure him out, but if he makes the adjustments and follows the patch of Rafael Devers, the Boston Red Sox will be set at the position for a long time.