Boston Red Sox: 3 unsung heroes through the first half of the season

Boston Red Sox Unsung Hero No. 2: Hunter Renfroe

Hunter Renfroe was a relatively unglamorous free agent signing by Chaim Bloom midway through the winter, but he has been quite invaluable to the Boston Red Sox so far this season. He has helped mold an outfield that looked like a potential weakness coming into the season into one of the deepest positions on the roster for Boston.

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The Red Sox signed Renfroe as a power hitting outfielder who was a passable corner outfield. But what they have gotten in return has been completely different. Just one season after hitting .156 for the Tampa Bay Rays, Renfroe has done a complete 180, and is hitting .263 for the Red Sox so far.

And while he initially didn’t do much to deliver on his power billing, Renfroe has been swinging an awfully hot bat lately. He has 13 home runs on the season, with four of them coming in the last eight games, including a multi-homer game against the Kansas City Royals in which he single-handedly carried Boston to a win.

Renfroe’s bat has certainly exceeded expectations, but so has his defense. Playing primarily in Fenway Park’s spacious right field, Renfroe has been able to make the position his own. He won’t track down seemingly impossible fly balls like Mookie Betts did, but he is able to make the routine plays, and has an absolute cannon of an arm.

Renfroe nailing runners who make the unwise decision of testing his arm has become somewhat a regular commodity this season. He leads the league in outfield assists with 11 pretty comfortably, as the next closest group of players only have eight.

He’s certainly not the most conventional player, but Renfroe’s impact on the Sox has been hard to miss this season. Many assume the Sox lineup is carried by their 2-5 hitters, but Renfroe has really showed up as of late and let the league know that he’s no easy out either. Renfroe has stepped up to become a leader of the Sox outfield, and has been absolutely vital to their success so far this season.