No one should be more confident about the 2023 Red Sox than Chaim Bloom.
Boston’s chief baseball officer quite literally built the roster that will take the field March 30 at Fenway Park, so he’s understandably partial to it, despite what the outside world might think.
There are no shortage of detractors and critics entering the 2023 campaign, either. When pressed by The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy to explain why he felt the club would improve on its 2022 last-place finish, Bloom answered with three reasons.
“One, I think this club should fit together better than last year’s did,” Bloom told Shaughnessy. “With that team, there were ways in which the whole was less than the sum of the parts. Two, I think a lot of young players that got thrown in the deep end last year have come out of that experience better. Three, the focus from this group this spring really stands out. It’s a really good mix in the clubhouse. I think that’s worth something.”
That’s a little short on actual detail, so let’s try to dig in a little deeper on those three things and see if we can get a better idea of where Bloom is coming from.
1.The fit
This one is admittedly tough to figure out. The departure of Xander Bogaerts alone seemingly would run counter to that idea. Bogaerts played a premium defensive position, was an elite bat in the middle of the lineup, and by all accounts, was a legitimate leader in the clubhouse. But there are clear ways in which this team has been improved that makes Alex Cora’s job easier. For example, Bloom and the front office clearly put an emphasis on strike-throwers this winter. The Red Sox were bottom-10 in walks per nine innings last season. It should be easier to bridge the starters to relievers this season with guys who pound the strike zone. Offensively, the fit would be more evident if Trevor Story hadn’t needed offseason elbow surgery, a move that forced Kiké Hernández to shortstop. The Red Sox did get more athletic, however, and it will be interesting to see whether they’re able to take advantage of the new rules in that regard, too.
2. The kids
There’s so much volatility with this roster — a lot of ifs and maybes. But if the majority of this collection of talent plays to the top end of its potential, they’ll compete for a playoff spot. That obviously includes the up-and-coming young core. Can Triston Casas learn from a late-season skid last year and live up to the hype that comes with being the club’s top prospect? Can Brayan Bello not just stay healthy but continue to induce bad contact and miss bats as a legitimate middle-of-the-rotation starter? And is Garrett Whitlock able to put his injury behind him and make the adjustment from shutdown reliever to reliable starter? Much has been made about Boston’s aging veterans, but the performance of the youngsters will go a long way in determining the club’s success, too.
3. The vibes
It’s actually kind of interesting to hear someone like Bloom, who admits he is probably a nerd, point to something like clubhouse chemistry and good vibes as a reason for optimism. Reading between the lines, though, regarding the 2022 club, it’s pretty clear things weren’t especially peachy on Jersey Street. That does present a chicken/egg scenario: Was the mood bad last year because they weren’t winning, or were they losing because everyone was grumpy? From the outside, it’s hard to say. It’s unwise to overreact to spring training on-field results, but there is at least something to the idea of putting in the work behind the scenes and seeing results on the field. At the very least, this team will feel good about itself when the regular season opens. How much that’s actually worth is impossible to say.
