Season in Review: 2019

Well, that was quite the hangover.  After winning the World Series in 2018 and bringing back pretty much the same team in 2019, expectations were high that the team would compete again.  But they were a debacle from the start, not being ready for the start of the season and thus starting extremely slowly.  They were never really in contention and settled for third place at 84-78.  Not great.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS

Xander Bogaerts

Bogaerts built on his strong 2018 season by putting together an even stronger 2019 season that saw him emerge as one of the best players in the game, and certainly one of the best shortstops in the league.  He was named to the All Star team and won the Silver Slugger.  He hit .309/.384/.455 with 33 home runs and 117 RBIs en route to leading the team in RBIs.  He signed an extension prior to 2019, meaning he could be the player the team is built around if Betts should leave.

Rafael Devers

After a disappointing first full season in 2018, Devers was neck-and-neck with Bogaerts as to who was the better player.  This is the player the organization and fans thought Devers would become.  Devers led the team in hits (201), doubles (54, also led the league), and average (.311).  He hit .311/.361/.555 with 32 home runs and 115 RBIs.  How he was not an All Star is shocking.  

Mookie Betts

If this was a down season, sign Mookie up right now.  They should do that anyway.  After turning in an MVP season in 2018, Betts's numbers dipped a little, but were still strong.  He hit .295/.391/.524 with 29 home runs and 80 RBIs.  His stolen bases dipped to 16.  Betts was an All Star and a Gold Glove winner.  He led the Majors in runs with 135.

Eduardo Rodriguez

It was a bad year for the Red Sox pitching staff as all of the highly-paid starters struggled.  E-Rod though broke through in a big way as the only starter who really carried his weight.  He finished the season 19-6, coming up just short of a 20-win season.  His ERA was 3.81 and he led the team in strikeouts with 213 in 203.1 innings.  Rodriguez is still just 26 and looks to be entering his prime.

J.D. Martinez

Like Betts, Martinez's numbers dipped from what they were in 2018, but he was still one of the best sluggers in the game in 2019.  Martinez hit .304/.383/.557 with a team-leading 36 home runs and drove in 105.  He was also an All Star.  Martinez did not opt out of his contract after the season, meaning he will still be knocking the ball around Fenway Park in 2020.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Christian Vazquez

Vazquez had one of the more shocking seasons on the team in 2019.  After never hitting more than five home runs in a season, Vazquez hit 23 in 2019.  It was not just the home runs either, he hit .276/.320/.477 with 72 RBIs and 26 doubles.  Vazquez became a very good hitter for a catcher in 2019.  It remains to be seen whether this is the Vazquez the team will get in 2020 or if he will revert to his prior form.

Brock Holt

In what looks to be Holt's last season with the Red Sox, Holt quietly put together a good year while also continuing to show off the versatility that has always been his calling card.  He had some big moments during the season including a high-profile walkoff hit against the Royals.  Holt hit .297/.369/.402 with three home runs and 31 RBIs.  If this is the end of Holt's career in Boston, it has been a fun ride.

Brandon Workman

The bullpen was mostly a mess in 2019.  The team declined to re-sign Craig Kimbrel, which was the right move, but did not make a move in the offseason to counteract the loss of Kimbrel and Joe Kelly.  Workman eventually moved into the closer's role, but took a long time to get there.  He quietly had a dominant season out of the bullpen, going 10-1 with a 1.88 ERA and striking out 104 in 71.2 innings.  He saved 16 games and has first dibs at the closer role in 2020.

FAVORITE ACQUISITION

Colten Brewer

There really was not much to go on for this category in 2019.  Boston's big moves were to re-sign free agents Nathan Eovaldi and Steve Pearce and lock up Chris Sale and Xander Bogaerts.  Brewer was the only new acquisition in the offseason to get much playing time.  He was expected to be a low-risk, high-reward arm out of the bullpen.  The results were decidedly average though as he was 1-2 with a 4.12 ERA and 52 strikeouts versus 34 walks in 54 innings.  

FAVORITE MID-SEASON ACQUISITION

Andrew Cashner

Like the above category, there is not much to choose from here.  Cashner was acquired in a trade with the Orioles in July.  He was expected to solidify the rotation as he was having a decent season for a bad team in Baltimore.  In Boston though, he was just awful.  He struggled in his starts and was eventually demoted to the bullpen.  Cashner was 2-5 with a 6.20 ERA in 25 games (six starts).  He struck out 42 and walked 29 in 53.2 innings.

FAVORITE ROOKIES

Michael Chavis

Chavis has had a rough track to the Majors.  He was a first-round draft pick, then seemingly stalled in the minors for some time.  He finally started making waves and was then suspended for 80 games for PED usage.  He got his chance in the Majors when Dustin Pedroia was unable to make it back.  Chavis played a number of positions including second, third and first base and made an immediate impact with his power.  He would come back to Earth, but ended up with a .254/.322/.444 line with 18 home runs and 58 RBIs.  Not bad for his first Major League experience.

Darwinzon Hernandez

Hernandez was brought to the Majors a little early in order to help out with the bullpen.  He made an immediate impact and quickly became one of the most reliable arms in the bullpen.  He made it into 29 games, throwing 30.1 innings with a record of 0-1 with a 4.45 ERA.  He struck out 57 and walked 26, giving the team another high-strikeout arm.  

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS

Chris Sale

Chris Sale did not look healthy at the end of 2018, and that concern seemed to carry forward early in 2019.  He had a lot of trouble getting on track and rarely resembled the pitcher that contended for the Cy Young Award in 2017 and 2018.  Sale was 6-11 with an unsightly 4.40 ERA.  He did manage to strike out 218 and walk just 37 in 147.1 innings.  It was a rough year for Sale, but hopefully some down time will get him back on track in 2020.

Nathan Eovaldi

Eovaldi was one of the big heroes of the 2018 post-season, stepping in whenever necessary and delivering clutch performances.  He then signed a big contract to return to Boston.  But it was clear right away that Eovaldi was not right in 2019.  He pitched just 23 games, including 12 starts, and was 2-1 with a 5.99 ERA.  He struck out 70 and walked 35 in 67.2 innings.  

Andrew Benintendi

In a year in which a lot of players were having big offensive seasons, Benintendi was noteworthy because of how much his numbers declined.  Quite simply, he has not been the same hitter since the first half of the 2018 season.  He hit just .266/.343/.431 with just 13 home runs and 68 RBIs.  He stole ten bases.  Benintendi is going to be just 25 in 2020 so chances are good that he can rebound.