At this level within the season, the Boston Pink Sox have primarily two completely different lineups: one in opposition to right-handed pitchers and one in opposition to left-handed pitchers. Now, that’s not fully distinctive. Loads of groups in Main League Baseball have platoon gamers and guys who can go up or down a lineup relying on their splits. What makes the Pink Sox’ state of affairs distinctive, nonetheless, is their two lefty killers: Rob Refsnyder and Romy Gonzalez.
These two being within the lineup in opposition to lefties is non-negotiable. I don’t have something significantly groundbreaking so as to add to the dialog about these two, however only for context: Refsnyder holds a .905 OPS in opposition to lefties this season whereas Gonzalez maintains a gargantuan 1.081. However how precisely does the lineup type round these two? Let’s break it down.
Beginning off: Carlos Narvaez, Alex Bregman, and Trevor Story are glued to their positions of C, 3B, and SS. That leaves us the best aspect of the infield and the outfield to kind out. Romy is ready to play each first and second, and whereas it looks as if a while within the subsequent month(?) Kristian Campbell will rise from the ashes and be the Pink Sox’ first baseman, proper now that job remains to be Abe Toro’s, with Romy taking part in second on most days.
Whereas Refsnyder is a serviceable defender, he’s possible best-suited to DH with what number of plus outfielders Boston has at their disposal. Talking of plus outfielders, Ceddanne Rafaela needs to be your centerfielder each single day. The $130 million greenback Roman Anthony is likely one of the highest hitters in baseball now, so there’s your second outfielder. Now we arrive at the place some robust conversations are available.
The ultimate outfielder on this equation is commonly days one Jarren Duran. And whereas he has seemingly turned a nook together with his bat within the final forty-five days or so, one look below the hood at his splits paints a spooky image in opposition to LHP. In 161 at-bats, Duran is batting simply .211 with a .595 OPS in opposition to lefties. Couple this with him clearly being the worst defender of the outfield quartet, and it’s honest to need to see what Wilyer Abreu can supply on this place. So, let’s see.
Wilyer Abreu, in an admittedly small pattern dimension of 53 at-bats, has a .664 OPS in opposition to lefties. Whereas this is solely ~70 factors increased than Duran’s, it’s nonetheless notable. That’s as a result of Wilyer Abreu is a high ten defensive outfielder within the sport of baseball. His 9 outs above common and 15 defensive runs saved put him firmly within the dialog for one other gold glove. Alternatively, Duran’s glove has fallen off a cliff this yr, with -3 OAA and solely 6 DRS. If Abreu is coming near Duran’s numbers with the bat, not to mention eclipsing them, he needs to be the one standing within the outfield. A trio of Anthony (who has already gathered 4 OAA), Rafaela, and Abreu provides you the very best defensive outfield in baseball. And admittedly, it’s not even shut.
I’m not naive to the truth that sitting Duran down in opposition to lefties is a troublesome dialog. He was among the finest gamers in baseball final yr. However final yr is just not this yr. And this yr, the Pink Sox are in an actual place to make a playoff push. With solely forty or so video games left, the offense and protection needs to be optimized each single day. And that is the best way to try this.
