John Farrell frequently stresses the importance of accountability. The Boston Red Sox manager practices what he preaches.
Farrell shouldered his share of the blame for the Red Sox’s disappointing 2014 season before Wednesday’s game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The skipper’s underlying message was that Boston’s highs and lows can’t be pinned on any one individual.
“I’m certainly part of this,” Farrell said, according to The Boston Globe. “There’s no way that all of us collectively can’t share in the good and the bad along the way. I’ve always viewed myself with higher standards, and higher expectations than others. I don’t feel good about this year, and maybe that allows me to keep things in perspective on the opinions of others. I will always look to do better.”
The Red Sox entered Thursday 17 games below .500 (61-78), firmly entrenched in last place in the American League East. Boston needs to go 9-14 over its final 23 games to surpass its win total from 2012, which was viewed as one of the organization’s darkest seasons in recent memory.
“Didn’t expect it,” Farrell said of his club’s struggles one year removed from a World Series title. “We felt like this was going to be a team that would contend. We knew there were some questions to be had, but we didn’t see some of the overall performances as they turned out.”
The Red Sox’s biggest issue, according to Farrell, has been offensive inconsistency. Several players have failed to reach their potential this season, and the result has been the AL’s lowest-scoring offense — a stark contrast from 2013, when the Red Sox led the majors in runs scored.
Amazingly, the Red Sox rank 14th in Major League Baseball in on-base percentage (.316), which is somewhat respectable, as well as a direct indication that Boston’s offensive problems have been rooted in the team’s inability to produce timely hits. The 2013 Red Sox seemingly had an “it” factor. The 2014 squad does not.
“I still have a hard time reconciling our on-base percentage and our runs scored. There’s a gap there that’s unnatural and very uncommon,” Farrell told The Globe. “That to me, it’s very puzzling. If you want to say our lineup could have been managed more readily, so be it. I hold steadfast that we created endless opportunities and that’s the basis for creating a high-scoring offense.”
The recent acquisitions of Yoenis Cespedes, Allen Craig and Rusney Castillo should help the Red Sox become a better offensive team in 2015. The emergence of Mookie Betts should help, too. If there’s one thing Farrell regrets this season from an offensive standpoint, however, it’s that he didn’t make the necessary adjustments after continuous failures.
“Looking back, I probably would have employed the small game a little bit more in certain spots in the order,” Farrell said. “You want players to grow as they establish themselves. We had a station-to-station team. Based on our stolen base rate early in the season, the running game wasn’t as dynamic, and yet we didn’t have the depth to impact the baseball as much.”
Farrell’s first season with the Red Sox yielded a championship, yet no one appeared to be resting on their laurels when the team broke camp for its World Series defense. This season certainly has been a reminder, though, that success must be earned and can’t be expected.
“I know these are passing times,” Farrell told The Globe. “I’m very realistic and don’t take anything for granted. I love my job. Without a doubt. It will be times like this that will make the next deep run in October that much more rewarding.”
Farrell doesn’t condone finger-pointing, unless the finger is pointed in one’s own direction and fault is collectively accepted.
