4 Red Sox on Thin Ice After Disastrous Series Against Orioles
The season is just thirteen games old, but the 2024 Red Sox are developing an identity, and it isn't a good one.
In a word? The Red Sox are sloppy. They boot routine grounders, misplay fly balls, use players out-of-position, and seem to do all the little things wrong. Sure, the offense isn't exactly world-beating, but that was always to be expected; the defense playing at this level was not.
Look no further than Thursday's 9-4 loss to Baltimore. Once again, the finger could be pointed at poor fundamental baseball. With a one-run eighth-inning lead, the Red Sox collapsed. A Pablo Reyes error started the festivities before a David Hamilton flubbed double-play kept the frame alive; one pitch later, Anthony Santander sliced a two-out, two-run homer into the seats beyond the Pesky Pole. The game eventually went to extra innings, where the Orioles exploded for six runs, condemning the Sox to yet another heartbreaking loss.
Out of six losses thus far, four have either been decided by one run or extra innings; a fifth was a 7-5 loss where the Sox gave up seven unanswered runs, committing multiple errors (and a catcher's interference) in the process. Losing all these nail-biters makes the defensive incompetence even more frustrating. Doing enough to win only to throw it away by making childish mistakes is an unpleasant way to lose ball games.
There are other reasons for Boston's struggles, though. The injury bug has already bitten the clubhouse, and the lineup has struggled to produce consistently. A highly-rated bullpen has had some rocky outings as well, often failing to hold up their end of the bargain after a quality start.
With that being said, there are a few players who've stood out on the struggle bus. A successful baseball season requires contributions from every single name on the 26-man roster, and there are a couple Red Sox who simply haven't done their part. Here are the four Red Sox who are already in danger of losing their big-league jobs:
1. David Hamilton (SS)
It doesn't feel particularly good to write negatively about Hamilton. He's only seen 12 plate appearances, and his offensive numbers are actually decent (albeit with a minuscule sample size), but his defensive struggles are simply too important to ignore.
When you have a pitching staff that thrives off inducing ground balls, having a sure-handed shortstop is imperative for success. Hamilton is... not that. Whether it's bobbling a routine grounder, failing to step on the bag, or coming up just short on a ball in the hole, Hamilton just doesn't field the position at a Major League level.
Statcast agrees with the eye test, giving Hamilton a -3 Defensive Runs Saved in just 107 career innings at shortstop. That puts him on pace for around -37 over a full season (around 1300 innings), a catastrophic mark that would easily give the Red Sox the worst defense in the league at the position. A defender of that caliber at one of the most important positions on the diamond is a recipe for disaster.
He's been solid with the bat in a limited capacity, but history suggests that trend won't continue. The 26-year old has a decent track record in the minors, but slugged just .182 upon joining the Red Sox last year. He struggles with velocity, strikes out a lot, and doesn't hit the ball very hard when he does make contact.
His defense would be an easier pill to swallow if he was tearing it up at the plate, but that's not the case. I'd expect GM Craig Breslow's patience with Hamilton to be somewhat short (barring a change in fortunes), and I wouldn't be surprised at all if he finishes 2024 in Worcester or with a different organization.