With the first half in the books and the second half just ahead, Gordon Edes hands out his midseason report card for the Boston Red Sox.
MANAGEMENT
GM Ben Cherington
With two last-place finishes in three years already on his resume and one blown-up roster sitting in last place at midseason in 2015, Cherington would appear destined to fall on his own sword sooner than later -- except for the unqualified support of the man who matters most, John W. Henry. The reconstructed pitching staff hasn't come close to projections, Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval resemble Carl Crawford redux, and it's never a good thing when more than $100 million of talent is playing in the minor leagues (Rusney Castillo, Allen Craig, Joe Kelly). On the plus side, the kids have been terrific (Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Eduardo Rodriguez, Blake Swihart), and Alejandro De Aza and Ryan Hanigan were smart pickups. Hard to see Cherington salvaging this mess at the trading deadline.
Manager John Farrell
It can't help but be a reflection on the manager when a star player is in the can on Instagram midgame, multiple players lose track of outs, sloppiness abounds on the field and on the base paths, and he has to take blame for pitching to Nelson Cruz with a base open in the ninth inning. The team has played better of late, but sustainability has been elusive.
STARTING PITCHERS
A 5.73 ERA in his first seven starts, a 1.99 ERA in the next 10, and now another trip to the disabled list for Buchholz, with a highly uncertain return date. The Sox can't count on him being a factor in the second half.
The pitcher who was supposed to stabilize the Red Sox's rotation for the next five years has been a profound disappointment by any measure. The contract extension has made him an easy target, and he has sagged under the weight of expectations. He'll be better in the second half, but the bar has already been set very low.
Joe Kelly
Kelly, we are told time and again, has the best pure stuff on the staff. He was the return for John Lackey, who is still pitching great. Kelly is in the minor leagues. At the moment, a disaster.
The Sox appear to have gambled and lost that Masterson could recapture his All-Star form of 2013. Health has deprived him of velocity and arm strength, and it seems unlikely he'll get out of the bullpen.
The left-hander has been unable to go as many as six innings in eight of his 18 starts, and half of those went four innings or fewer. His FIP of 3.94 is consistent with his past two years in Arizona, but at best, he's a back-end of the rotation innings-eater who hasn't eaten up enough innings.
Eduardo Rodriguez
The 22-year-old left-hander, who came from the Orioles for reliever Andrew Miller, may be the coup of the Cherington era. He has the stuff, makeup and desire to be a star.
In the four starts he made when not on the Pawtucket shuttle, the 30-year-old knuckleballer has inspired confidence that he can be depended upon as a depth starter. Can he be more than that? We won't know until he gets an extended trial.
RELIEF PITCHERS
The ratio of strikeouts to walks is 6.17, well below the double-digit numbers he posted in his first two seasons with the Sox, but he is allowing just 6.3 hits per nine, has given up just two home runs, and has held opposing hitters to a .189 average. At 40, he's still a marvel.
The Red Sox's setup man has been Farrell's most reliable late-inning option and is having his best season since he arrived in 2009.
He has displaced Craig Breslow as Farrell's left-handed option in high-leverage situations and has done well, holding opposing hitters to a .111 average (3-for-27) in those settings. He has walked too many hitters (14 in 27 innings) and opponents have a 1.136 OPS against him with runners in scoring position. Serviceable.
Craig Breslow
The left-hander, so vital in 2013, hasn't come close to reclaiming that form. Often used now in mop-up situations.
Healthy again but not to the point that Farrell feels comfortable using him on back-to-back days, Ogando has been an effective power arm coming out of the pen, though after a dozen consecutive scoreless appearances, he came into the break allowing three home runs in his final two appearances. The long ball (eight in 40.1 innings) has been an issue.
The Sox had converted the former No. 1 draft pick from starter to reliever in hopes that he could deliver another power arm to the pen, which he may yet do. But 34 hits and eight walks in 22⅓ innings isn't going to cut it.
Robbie Ross
The Sox had hoped for more from the former Rangers lefty, who has settled into a long-man role after serving some time in the minors.
CATCHERS
Ryan Hanigan
He missed two months with a fractured hand, but having the veteran catcher back gives the club some needed stability.
Blake Swihart
He was rushed to the big leagues because of Hanigan's injury, so that has to be factored into his grade. He had a rough baptism offensively, but was doing much better until he injured his ankle. He remains a work in progress behind the plate, but that was to be expected.
Leon hasn't hit, but he earns a passing grade just for his work with Buchholz. His strong arm has also neutralized opponents' running games.
INFIELDERS
He has worked harder than at any time in his career because he no longer has apnea, but has nothing to show for it. "If I don't hit, we won't win," he said. His endless slump has him on a short leash.
Healthy for the first time in three years, Pedroia has posted an OPS+ of 127, better than his 2008 MVP season. A hamstring injury kept him out the last 2½ weeks before the break, and while the Red Sox did well in his absence, he remains the tone-setter with his intensity and energy.
Xander Bogaerts
At 22, Bogaerts is evolving into the player the Sox predicted he would become as he shot up through the system. Immeasurably more comfortable in the field and at the plate, the only component that has yet to reveal itself is power (three home runs in 316 at-bats), but that will come.
Pablo Sandoval
The .307 on-base percentage and .691 OPS are the worst of his career. His defense, especially to his backhand, has fallen far short of what was advertised. Then there's the Instagram "like." Five years and $95 million? Good luck with that.
He may not be an All-Star by conventional standards, but the man of seven positions is a great asset to any team. He needs to show his first-half (.309), second-half (.224) splits are not reflective of what he'll do the rest of this season.
OUTFIELDERS
Hanley Ramirez
The home run power has been everything the Sox could have asked for. Ramirez hit 10 home runs in the season's first month, and then, after going 21 games without a home run -- mostly while playing with a bum shoulder -- he has tacked on another nine. But his wretched outfield defense essentially made a hash of those home runs, and the six doubles he has hit after whacking 35 last season defies explanation. Lately, his defense has tilted toward adequate, but the baggage he carries from Florida and L.A. hasn't exactly melted away. Someday, though, he'll find a helmet that fits.
Mookie Betts
At 22, he leads the Red Sox with a 4.2 WAR at the break, which ties him for eighth place in the majors with perennial All-Star Buster Posey. His defensive WAR is 1.5, which ranks seventh among all players, regardless of position. He has 38 extra-base hits and 13 stolen bases. He is level-headed, his low-key disposition well suited, as in the case of Bogaerts, to handle this demanding environment.
Alejandro De Aza
De Aza, designated for assignment by the Orioles, gave the Sox a needed injection of energy and talent, playing like his hair was on fire. Boston's right-field position had been a black hole until his arrival.
His inability to stay healthy has been a major contributor to the team's fall from grace after 2013. He played a far greater role in the team's title run than many people are willing to remember now, and his absence has hurt. He's platooning with De Aza for now, but for how long that can last, no one knows.
Rusney Castillo
The Sox expected him to make a fairly direct transition to the big leagues once he got past through initial introductions, but it hasn't happened. Part of that is due to injuries, part of that is irregular playing time, and part of that is a failure to produce when given the chance. He's back in the minors, and may stay there as long as Victorino is healthy.
DH
The batting average is 52 percentage points below his career average. The on-base percentage, 51 below. The slugging percentage, 107 below. The OPS, 160 below. Left-handed pitchers have been lethal (11-for-86, .128). The past month has gone better for Ortiz (nine home runs, .943 OPS), but his slow start (.219 with six home runs and a .670 OPS through 59 games) mirrored the team's.