BOSTON — This was supposed to be Mike Napoli’s season of redemption.
What happened?
After an uninspiring 2014 season in which he was limited to 119 games because of various injuries, including a continuous bout with sleep apnea that nearly forced him into retirement, Napoli arrived at spring training looking and, according to the first baseman, feeling like a new man. His expectations and his confidence were sky-high, especially after he torched the Grapefruit League for six homers, 11 RBIs, a .400 average and a 1.342 OPS. Napoli figured to be a key cog in the Red Sox’s stacked lineup.
Now, with the Red Sox sitting 10 games under .500 (31-41) in late June, Napoli is a perfect symbol of Boston’s season-long struggles. He showed flashes of breaking out last month with a monster week, but the 33-year-old otherwise has been a disappointment. And the Sox are left scratching their heads.
“We’re all a little surprised,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said before Wednesday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. “And that’s not to say that Mike’s not working at it, because he is.
“But coming off the spring you mentioned, he looked free, he was getting some balls that were on the inside part of the plate where he was getting ahead out to the pull side, he was driving balls into right-center field, which is where his true power is when we see him going well. … This is surprising.”
Perhaps the most shocking aspect of Napoli’s woes is that he’s apparently healthy. The veteran was nicked up the last two seasons, which forced his production to suffer every now and then, but he’s not dealing with any significant physical ailments this season, according to Farrell. Instead, Napoli’s issues simply are performance-based. His timing isn’t there, he hasn’t adjusted well to Major League Baseball’s evolving strike zone and pitchers are exploiting his shortcomings more frequently than in years past.
“It’s not uncommon when players are scuffling a little bit, they’ll start to let some thoughts creep in and that might disrupt just the freedom to either execute a pitch from a pitcher’s standpoint or a swing from a position player,” Farrell said of whether Napoli is pressing amid his slump. “To say that he’s got a lot of things going through his mind, I’m not here to say that. But at the same time, we know him to be a more consistent hitter than he’s showing.”
Napoli, who was held out of the starting lineup Wednesday, is hitting just .199 with a .295 on-base percentage and a .381 slugging percentage. He has 10 home runs, but five came in one week — he hit four during a three-game stretch against the Los Angeles Angels.
Farrell said Wednesday the Red Sox plan to stick with Napoli, a proven performer who’s fallen on hard times. After all, Napoli faced a similar situation with the Texas Rangers three years ago before turning things around. But there’s no denying how problematic the situation has become for Boston.
The Red Sox entered Wednesday ranked dead-last in average (.192) from the first base position. Their .656 OPS from the position ranked 28th and their -0.2 WAR ranked 25th. Boston has plenty of problems, many of which reside on the offensive side, but Napoli’s lack of production has been a killer. And it’s even following him into the field, where he hasn’t quite been the same player defensively.
“There’s been games where the confidence goes to both sides,” Farrell said. “I think Mike has handled the position. Has he been cleaner defensively in the past? Probably. But still, he gives us plenty of range and the ability to make all of the plays at first.”
So, what are the Red Sox’s options with regard to first base if Napoli never improves?
They could simply move on, perhaps before the trade deadline, with Napoli slated to be a free agent after this season anyway. If so, they could recall Allen Craig, use Brock Holt primarily as a first baseman, see if they have anything in Travis Shaw, hope for the best when Daniel Nava (also struggling) returns from the disabled list or consider a position change for someone like Hanley Ramirez or Pablo Sandoval.
But none of those scenarios is a slam dunk, which would explain the Red Sox’s faith in Napoli, even if it’s becoming harder and harder each day to maintain that confidence.
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
