The Boston Red Sox were projected to run away with an American League division title en route to contending for a World Series championship in 2017. However, the Red Sox struggled out of the gates and while they have played better of late they still trailed the New York Yankees by three games for top spot in the AL East heading in to this week. There are a number of players that have underachieved for Boston early on and must turn it on in order for this club to live up to its potential. Here is a look at the five Red sox players that need to step up.
SP: Rick Porcello
The reigning Cy Young award winner has shown flashes of his potential but has struggled with consistency so far this season. Porcello is 3-6 with a 4.21 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP through his first 11 starts of the season. A year ago, Porcello went 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP en route to earning Cy Young honors. The veteran pitcher might not be a Cy Young candidate this season but the Red Sox definitely need more out of him moving forward if they are going to contend for a World Series title.
SP: Drew Pomeranz
The veteran lefty Pomeranz has also struggled early on this season. His ERA is up from 3.32 last year to 4.70 this year while his WHIP is up from 1.18 to 1.39. Like Porcello, Pomeranz has shown signs of his immense potential but consistency has been a major issue. The Red Sox rotation was expected to be one of the best in baseball this season but they will need more out of their top guys in order to make that happen.
SP: David Price
Do you notice a trend here? The top three players that Boston is relying on to turn things around all belong to a starting rotation that was so highly touted heading in to this season. Price finally made his debut against the Chicago White Sox on Monday and it will be very interesting to see what the Red Sox will get out of him.
The Red Sox didn’t work him too hard on Monday. He lasted just five innings while throwing 88 pitches. He only allowed two hits but also walked a pair of batters, and ended up giving up three earned runs. One of his two hits allowed was a three-run home run to Melky Cabrera. Other than that, though, Price looked fairly competent.
Price didn’t make it out of the fourth inning in either of his rehab appearances but this was a much more positive step. Boston will likely be very careful with him now that he is back in the rotation. Price has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for some time now but it’s hard to predict what he will bring to Boston this season.
OF: Jackie Bradley Jr.
The Red Sox rank 13th in the majors in runs scored this season but the consensus is that they can still be better. That will require more consistent efforts from top to bottom in their lineup. Bradley is one name that comes up when talking about the potential for more as the outfielder has really struggled out of the gate. Bradley has hit just .207 with five home runs and 13 RBI. Considering he hit .267 with 26 home runs just one year ago it’s clear that Bradley needs to be better.
3B: Pablo Sandoval
It will be very interesting to see if Sandoval can give Boston anything the rest of the way this season. Sandoval is out with an injured knee and he won’t join the Red Sox for their current series with the White Sox. Sandoval was hitting .213 with three home runs in 61 at-bats before he went down. The club is still optimistic that Sandoval can contribute this season. However, until he proves he can stay healthy in produce the jury will be out on whether Sandoval can really provide this Red Sox team with any sort of a spark this season.
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