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Which Sox Players are Going to Win Awards?

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The biggest trophy of them all was already captured by the 2018 Red Sox. However, there is still some hardware yet to be determined for members of our World Series team. From the major awards like MVP and Cy Young, to the position based awards like the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger, Boston has candidates. They have guys that should be locks to win awards, and they also have dark horses that could end up taking home some of these awards too. For a team that won 108 games, they were bound to have some of the best players in the league. We take a look at who should win each award that has a Sox player in contention.

Gold Glove Award

The Red Sox have players nominated for Gold Gloves at five different positions. Mitch Moreland was solid at first, but I don’t believe he’s going to beat out either Justin Smoak or Matt Olson, who were both superior. Second base is a close race between all three horses, and I actually believe our guy gets it. Ian Kinsler was tied for the American League lead amongst second baseman for defensive runs saved (DRS). He’s also the only one of himself, Jed Lowrie and Rougned Odor to have won an award, which is most likely going to help swing things in his favour.

I believe Andrew Benintendi has a good shot to win in left field, but knocking off Alex Gordon is no easy task. Gordon again was one of the best defenders in baseball, and should pick up another Gold Glove. As much as it feels like Jackie Bradley Jr. may deserve this, or even Mike Trout, it’s going to Adam Engel. He was so impressive with both the eye test and by the metrics, and should win the award. Finally, is Mookie Betts in right field. Mookie Betts is going to win the Gold Glove in right field, take it to the bank, it’s Mookie Betts.

Silver Slugger Award

Finalists have yet to be named for any of the positions, but the Red Sox have some very strong candidates. Let’s start with those who are mortal locks to take home this trophy. J.D. Martinez was one of the best hitters in the entire sport, and trailed only Khris Davis‘ in home runs. Martinez and Davis will go head to head for this award, but J.D. was the better all around hitter by far. That should be enough to take the award home for him.

Mookie Betts has a pretty good chance at taking home an even bigger prize. The Silver Slugger should join the Gold Glove in comfortably being his. Unfortunately for Xander Bogaerts, Francisco Lindor is alive and well in the American League as a shortstop. If it weren’t for Lindor, Xander would likely be snagging another Silver Slugger. He should finish right behind Lindor, as Bogaerts put out arguably the best season of his career.

Cy Young Award

The Red Sox do have a solid candidate for this award as well, Chris Sale. However, even the most biased Red Sox fan could tell you that Sale isn’t going to win this award. Nor does he probably deserve to. Not to diminish his season, as it was one of the best of his already dominant career. He went 12-4 with a 2.11 ERA, but shoulder fatigue caused him to miss time down the strecth. The lack of innings will obviously hurt Sale, who is still in search of his first Cy Young. With the seasons that Blake Snell and Justin Verlander posted, it’s going to be tough for this to be Sale’s year of finally overcoming this specific milestone.

MVP

Last, but certainly not least, is the Most Valuable Player. The Red Sox have both a candidate, and a favorite for this award. J.D. Martinez is absolutely a candidate, and has a good chance to finish in the top five. However, as a designated hitter, he’s highly unlikely to win. His offensive numbers were outstanding, but not enough to put him above the likes of Trout, Jose Ramirez or his own teammate. Mookie Betts was oh so close to capturing this award a couple years ago, when Mike Trout snatched it from his hands. This year however, this year is different. Betts was better than Trout in almost every category. Plus, he propelled his team to the best record in the entire league. This award is Mookie’s to lose, and there is no chance that he loses.

Call-ups for the Red Sox in 2019

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The minor league season is over for the Red Sox, so the focus turns to next year for the prospects. There were risers and fallers in the system, but some of them could be on the major league team next year. The most likely call-ups are Michael Chavis, Travis Lakins, Durbin Feltman, and Bobby Dalbec.

Michael Chavis

Coming into the year, Chavis was the best prospect in the organization. An 80 game suspension for PEDs set him back, but Chavis raked when he came back. The 23-year old spent the bulk of the year in Double-A Portland and hit .303 with six home runs in 33 games there. The third baseman was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket and hit .273 in just eight games there. When Bobby Dalbec and Chavis were on the same team, Chavis moved to first base. Steve Pearce is a free agent and Mitch Moreland is under contract for next year, so the Red Sox will have to make some decisions with that. Also, moving Rafael Devers, who struggled at third, to first base, has been talked about. This would open the door for Chavis to be the opening day third baseman next year.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, right, poses with shortstop Michael Chavis from Sprayberry Senior High School in Marietta, Ga., at the 2014 MLB baseball draft Thursday, June 5, 2014, in Secaucus, N.J. Chavis was selected by the Boston Red Sox with the 26th pick in the first round. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Lakins and Feltman

Travis Lakins got off to a rough start in his Red Sox career, but do not let his 4.42 career ERA fool you. His career was revived when he moved to the bullpen. Lakins was moved to bullpen full time when he was promoted from Portland to Pawtucket and did not disappoint. The righty posted a 1.65 ERA in ten appearances with Pawtucket, picking up two saves.

Durbin Feltman was drafted just a few months ago and has been very impressive already. It only took him four games in which he did not give up a run to be promoted to Greenville. Feltman posted a 2.57 ERA in seven games with Greenville then was promoted to Salem. He was good again in Salem, posting a 2.19 ERA in eleven games. All in all, Feltman had a 1.93 ERA in 22 games this season. The bullpen is obviously the biggest need for the Red Sox, so Feltman and Lakins could be the biggest pieces in the farm system.

 

Bobby Dalbec

Despite having a decent average, Dalbec makes up for that with walks and home runs. His on-base percentage is .361 which is up about 100 points from his .257 average. Dalbec showed his power this year, hitting 32 home runs in just 129 games with Portland and Salem. Dalbec fits today’s game because nobody really cares about hits and it’s all about getting on base and hitting the long ball. As I mentioned, the Red Sox have a hot corner conundrum. If Devers and Chavis are on the roster, Dalbec may have a tough time getting playing time. He has played third base his entire career so the Red Sox would have to change something to get him playing time.

Photo by Peter Aiken

Bottom Line

Right now, the Red Sox have one of the worst farm systems in the league. However, I still believe that they have great potential and are on the rise. Dombrowski has drafted well since he was hired, and some of the 2018 picks are off to a hot start. They have also gotten unlucky because there top three prospects (Chavis, Groome, Casas) were all suspended or injured at some point this season.

Five Red Sox Named To All-Star Roster

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Boston Will Have Five of its Players Heading to D.C.

On Sunday night, the MLB revealed the AL and NL rosters for the All-Star Game. The Red Sox tied with the Indians and Astros for most players on the AL roster. The game takes place on Tuesday, July 17th, at the home ballpark of the Washington Nationals.

The All Stars

This year’s crew is headlined by Mookie Betts and JD Martinez, who will both be starting in the game. Betts, making his third appearance in the Midsummer Classic, was an obvious lock for a starting spot. He currently is leading the entire MLB in batting average (.342). He’s also third in the AL in WAR (5.4). Martinez was another clear-cut choice as he prepares to make his second appearance. He leads both leagues in both homers (27) and RBIs (74).

The remaining Red Sox who made the team are Mitch Moreland, Chris Sale, and Craig Kimbrel. Moreland will be making his first appearance in the All-Star game this year. He’s having a great year for the Sox and made the team as a reserve at first base. Sale and Kimbrel will both represent the American League pitching staff. Sale will make his seventh appearance, having thus far pitched his way to the fourth-best ERA (2.36) and second-highest amount of strikeouts (176) in the AL. Kimbrel, also playing in the game for the seventh time, is second in the majors with 27 saves.

AL All-Star Final Vote-Vote for Benintendi!

This year, there is one remaining roster spot for fans to vote in one last player. For the AL, the candidates are Andrelton Simmons, Giancarlo Stanton, Jean Segura, Eddie Rosario, and Boston’s own Andrew Benintendi. Make sure you vote Benny into the All-Star Game here! Voting ends July 11th at 4:00 p.m. ET. Help the Sox get a sixth All Star!

The Sox are cruising through a great season, and the All-Star selections are just gravy. Though all fans know it isn’t the ultimate goal, it is some great recognition for the chosen players. Congratulations to all of Boston’s players who will no doubt represent the team well in DC!

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