The Boston Red Sox will improve next season if they restore balance to their infield.
ESPN’s Jay Jaffe on Thursday named the right side of the Red Sox infield as the “biggest fix” the team must make in order to bounce back into postseason contention next year. Between Dustin Pedroia’s knee problems and the platooning of Mitch Moreland and Steve Pearce, the Red Sox had to rely on Brock Holt’s steady presence and Michael Chavis’ emergence to keep the right side of the infield intact in 2019.
“… but one spot that they particularly need to fix — or rather, two — and that looked quite threadbare all season long was the right side of their infield,” Jaffe wrote. “… The team’s combined production at second base is just 0.1 fWAR (with a 77 wRC+), while it is minus-0.3 WAR (with an 88 wRC+) at first.
“Rookie Michael Chavis… might figure into the solution; and so could Brock Holt, though he is hitting free agency alongside (Mitch) Moreland and (Steve) Pearce. The bottom line, however, is that the team needs some dependable bats to lengthen the lineup, particularly if designated hitter J.D. Martinez decides to opt out of his contract.”
Chavis played 49 games at first base and 45 at second base in his debut Major League Baseball season. He made four errors at each position, and the difference between his fielding percentages — .989 at first and .975 at second — isn’t big enough to insist he play one, instead of the other, on a full-time basis.
However Jaffe doesn’t just factor fielding into his diagnosis. He also believes the right side of Boston’s infield needs more pop at the plate. Regardless of whether the potential solutions come from internal or external sources, knowing first and second base are positions in need of addressing is the first step toward restoring the Red Sox to the ranks of the contenders.
