Boston Down Under

 Just after the midpoint of the season the Red Sox find themselves 2 games under 500. While it's been a disappointing season it hasn't been terrible and it's not a lost season. To me without a doubt one of the brightest spots this season has been rookie catcher, Carlos  Narváez.  Narváez has been hitting .268 with a .780 OPS, but the real gem lies in his defense,  Narváez has posted a caught stealing above average of 6, ranking in the 100th percentile.  Narváez blocks above average rank in the 98th percentile with 10, and his framing is in the 91st percentile. If it weren't for Mariner's catcher, Cal Raleigh, having an absolutely absurd start to the season with a 1.031 OPS and 32 bombs,  Narváez would almost certainly be in the conversation for AL starting catcher in the All-Star game.     I think Ceddanne Rafaela has also been among the brightest spots this season. With 12 outs above average, putting him in the 99th percentile, Rafaela has been d...

  The Rafael Devers trade makes no sense . By HB The Rafael Devers trade makes no sense. Full stop. With Marcelo Mayer up and Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro performing significantly above average there was no reason to have Devers play the field. Any issues surrounding Devers playing either first or third, on a practical level have been resolved. This was a power trip of a move from the ownership and the GM. After the 2018 World Series, we were sort of given the expectation that we would not be able to pay all three of our stars, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers, which is not something that should be coming from a team of the Red Sox stature. Nevertheless, Rafael Devers was all the fanbase was left with from the 2018 World Series and now he is gone. For what? AN injured pitcher with a 6 ERA and another pitcher with a 4 ERA who was just assigned to AAA.  What makes even less sense about this trade is the timing. Coming off of a sweep of the first place New York Y...

  Romy González is a Key Piece of the Boston Red Sox. By HB January of 2024 the Red Sox claimed Romy González off of waivers after he was Designated for Assignment by the Chicago White Sox, who would go on to lose a record setting 121 games. Signing the 27-year-old González who had slashed .222/.239/.361 across 239 plate appearances in his three seasons with the White Sox, would go onto be one of the most underrated moves the Red Sox would make in the 2024 and 2025 seasons. And no, it is not just because my cat is named after him. González’s 2024 season with the Red Sox saw a rise in his exit velocity, launch angle, batting average and slugging. González posted a .723 OPS, a .138-point increase from his .585 in 2023 with the White Sox. Although González’s ops+ sat at 100, making him an exactly average hitter, his 90th percentile speed led him to 11 stolen bases on 14 attempts and his defensive versatility allowed him to play seven positions across the field, for a team which had s...