The Red Sox aren't the best team in Major League Baseball. They're also not the worst.
In fact, Boston has proven scrappy through one month of the 2023 season. So, while it's difficult to project what the rest of the year holds for them, it's hard to knock the Red Sox too much for their performance thus far, especially in the face of tempered expectations after a disappointing 2022.
ESPN's David Schoenfield on Monday handed out April grades for all 30 MLB teams. He gave the Red Sox a "C," a relatively uninspiring mark, sure, but again, not quite as bad as it could've been given some of the injuries and inconsistent pitching Boston has dealt with since Opening Day.
Here's what Schoenfield wrote for ESPN.com about the Red Sox:
The Red Sox are who we thought they were: kind of mediocre, kind of not very interesting. They're scoring some runs but giving them all back, especially in the rotation, which was projected to be a weakness and has been even worse than expected with Chris Sale (6.75 ERA) and Corey Kluber (6.75) a long way away from their Cy Young-contending days (2018 for both, if you're curious). Jarren Duran's recent spurt at the plate is intriguing, although Triston Casas continues to scuffle in the batting average department. James Paxton is ready to return from his rehab assignment, but he has been hit hard, so it doesn't appear as if he's going to give the rotation the jolt it needs.
The Red Sox took two of three from the Cleveland Guardians over the weekend, improving their record to 15-14. They'll now welcome the Toronto Blue Jays to Fenway Park for another tough intradivisional test. Because the American League East is so stacked this year (again), Boston entered Monday sitting eight games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays, who deservedly earned an "A+" from Schoenfield.
Other teams receiving a "C" from the MLB scribe: the Houston Astros, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies.
