First Half Red Sox Takeaways

What a time it is to be a Red Sox fan! An impressive 10-game winning streak to enter the All-Star break has the Red Sox positioned to make noise in the second half. During that stretch, a Garrett Crochet complete game shutout, a Ceddanne Rafaela walk-off home run to send Fenway into a frenzy, and a ton of runs from the offense propelled the team to do something they haven’t done since 2018. The vibes are immaculate. With the first half of the season in the rear view mirror, here are the big takeaways from the first half of the season for the Red Sox.

Garrett Crochet is as Advertised

Everyone had questions or doubts about whether Garrett Crochet could perform like an ace. Was last year a fluke? Can he stay healthy after a big workload? Well, the Red Sox ponied up the price to acquire Crochet’s services and to put the bow on the best gift of the winter, they gave Crochet the big ticket extension. What a great decision that extension has turned out to be, because I can only imagine what that extension number would be based on the way Crochet is pitching.

The Red Sox needed an ace and oh boy did they get one. Crochet has been an absolute mutant on the mound and has legitimately given the Red Sox a chance to win every time he has taken the ball. Crochet is giving Tarik Skubal a run for his money when it comes to the AL CY conversation.

Crochet has pitched the most innings (129.1) and has the most strikeouts (160) in baseball. Furthermore, he has the second best ERA in the AL (2.23), which is also tied with Skubal. Only Hunter Brown is ahead of him. Crochet ranks second in fWAR among pitchers (4.3) and is in the 99th percentile for pitching run value. He’s pitching like an ace, just as he was advertised prior to the season.

The Kids Can Carry This Team

It’s a tough place for an organization to be when you are trying to win, but also trying to break rookies into the league. The Red Sox have a lot of youth that are trying to find their way and learning to win at the MLB level. It’s not easy and expectations are very real. Guys like Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer weren't supposed to be the saviors, but after the Rafael Devers trade, it’s their team now. But ya know what? The kids can handle it.

Patience is a virtue and with young players you have to be patient. It’s hard to think that way as a fan when you want to win and the organization hasn’t won in a while. Ceddanne Rafaela is the perfect example. He’s Jackie Bradley Jr. 2.0 with the glove (99th percentile in OAA), but now we are seeing the breakout with the bat. This kid is special and he’s earned the right to be on this team and not be the guy that is traded.

In July, Rafaela is hitting .395 with a 1.279 OPS. He is one home run shy of tying his home run total from last year. His approach at the plate has made a huge difference.

Another one of the kids, Roman Anthony, is showing everyone why he’s the top prospect in baseball. Anthony was getting unlucky early on based on his batted ball data. Since Anthony has debuted, he has made hard contact and displayed elite plate discipline. Now the results are here and it’s impressive. During his 9-game hitting streak, Anthony is hitting .389 with a 1.044 OPS. The game shouldn’t look this easy for a 21 year-old.

Let’s not forget what Marcelo Mayer is doing. Sure, he was called up because Alex Bregman got hurt, but this kid is a game changer. He delivers competitive at bats and has a sweet swing that is as pretty as Ken Griffey Jr’s was. In addition, he can play almost anywhere in the field and provide above average defense. He’s a super valuable piece on this Sox team.

This team is so young, but the core is not shying away from the moment. In fact, they are stepping up when the moments matter most. They are showing that they can be big time contributors. Buy into it.

Craig Breslow Hit a Home Run With Narvaez

Breslow takes a lot of heat and it’s deserved based on some serious missteps. The Rafael Devers trade will always have some blowback, but we will see the true results of that deal over time. But, Breslow deserves credit for the moves he has made that have truly shaped this roster into what it is today. One move that has been a game changer has been the acquisition of Carlos Narvaez.

Narvaez has aura. There is something special about the hat being backwards and the gear he wears. Also, Narvaez was brought in as depth and instead has blossomed into the starting catcher and the true ace behind the dish. He’s having a stellar rookie season and could very much capture the award.

Narvaez is providing elite defense, which is an upgrade over Wong. He ranks in the 97th percentile for blocks above average, 100th percentile in caught stealing above average, and is an elite framer. Narvaez is 4th among catchers in fWAR (2.8) and also second among all rookies. It’s been a special year and the future is bright with Narvaez behind the plate.

This Team Can Make A Run

Being a Red Sox fan has been a rollercoaster ride over the last couple of years. The Sox have found ways to crush our morale with the amount of 1-run losses and finding brand new ways to lose games. They’ve also given us hope and glimmers of what the future will hold.

Call it a dark cloud or whatever you would like to call it, but when the Devers trade happened, it’s like this team just rallied together and went to work. Nobody saw this team actually being better without their star DH but that’s exactly what has happened. And Craig Breslow deserves credit.

The kids emerged and everything just began to click. The team is getting contributions from up and down the roster. Trevor Story is back to being an above average bat to pair with his good defense. Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito have emerged as capable numbers two’s and three’s in the rotation. Is it sustainable? Time will tell but there’s no doubt about the potential this young team has.

All eyes are on what’s ahead for the Red Sox in what will be a very tough schedule right out of the gate. It should be a fun ride as this is when baseball begins to get serious.