Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Four Red Sox players once dismissed by fans are now driving a historic 11-game winning streak.
- The team's resurgence began in June when a series of under-the-radar acquisitions suddenly started delivering elite production.
- Boston's playoff push hinges on these four turning their season around just in time to claim a Wild Card spot.
The Boston Red Sox beat Tampa Bay Rays again on Friday afternoon. It was the 11th straight victory for Boston, now 48-48 on the season and tied with Minnesota (49-49) for the final Wild Card spot in the American League.
It is a simple statement of fact to say that Boston is the hottest team in baseball. It's hard to believe that a month ago, the Red Sox were basically dead in the water. Boston was 25-33 at the start of June, fighting tooth-and-nail just to avoid last place in the division. The vibes were horrendous. Alex Cora, one of the finest managers in MLB, was the first manager fired this season. Interim skipper Chad Tracy appeared in over his head. And then... a switch flipped.
These resurgent Red Sox deserve a lot of credit for this incredible turnaround.
INF Anthony Seigler
The Caleb Durbin trade this past offseason came out of nowhere. On the surface, it felt like a home run for the Red Sox, but weariness is a smart approach to any deal with the Brewers. Naturally, Kyle Harrison has blossomed into a legitimate front-line ace for Milwaukee, while Durbin came out of the gate slow. The script had flipped in the Brewers' favor.
But not so fast. Not only has Durbin turned it around at the plate (more on him shortly), but 27-year-old infielder Anthony Seigler — an unheralded shortstop prospect viewed mostly as a throw-in on Boston's end of trade — has blossomed into a valuable weapon. Since his call-up in early June, Seigler is hitting .268 with a .771 OPS and 112 wRC+.
He's making consistent, high-quality contact, he's not striking out, and he's holding down the fort at shortstop in lieu of the injured Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer. In fact, Seigler is dramatically outperforming those two while handling his defensive responsbilities at second base with aplomb.
INF Andruw Monasterio
Andruw Monasterio was a big source of optimism for Red Sox fans coming into the season. He put up a career-best .755 OPS in Milwaukee last season. To essentially replace David Hamilton and Kyle Harrison, whom many Red Sox fans considered a bust, with two starting-caliber infield bats (and a potential All-Star, in Durbin's case) felt like a massive victory.
As fate would have it, Monasterio came out of the gate incredibly slow in Boston, while Milwaukee's new acquisitions all flourished in typical Brewers Magic fashion. The tides are beginning to turn in the Red Sox' favor a bit, however. Monasterio put up a .655 OPS with one home run through May. Since the calendar flipped to June, he has a .748 OPS with four home runs — more in line with the breakthrough performance we saw in Milwaukee a year ago.
Monasterio has his warts, but his defensive shortcomings are buoyed by the simple fact that he can line up all over the diamond. He's a valuable depth piece for a Red Sox team facing no shortage of injury setbacks. Moreover, Monasterio is getting hot at the right time, with a knack for reading pitches and keeping his swings in the zone.
3B Caleb Durbin
Caleb Durbin finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting last season, essentially playing the platonic ideal of Brewers baseball. Solid defense, aggressive base-running and a super refined hit tool. Durbin's 9.9 percent strikeout rate finished in MLB's 99th percentile. He wasn't a huge power threat. He didn't really walk much. But Durbin consistently put the ball in play and helped Milwaukee win games on the margins.
Boston pivoted to Durbin after Alex Bregman left in free agency. The expectation — or hope — was that the 26-year-old would take a sophomore leap and emerge as the All-Star third baseman the Red Sox hoped Bregman would be for the next five years. Well, through the end of May, Durbin was straight-up one of the worst qualified hitters in baseball, with a paltry .530 OPS. He hit one home run through his first 52 games in a Red Sox uniform.
Since June, however, Durbin has transformed into that burgeoning second-year star for the Red Sox. He has eight home runs with a .921 OPS over his last 37 games. Durbin is still reliant on contact over power, but he's starting to hit the ball with a bit more loft and drive — without sacrificing that unique ability to spray hits all over the field and avoid strikeouts. He has massively improved his defense at the hot corner.
Suddenly, Durbin is one of the most valuable infielders in the American League. He deserves so much credit for weathering the storm, absorbing mountains of criticsm, and finding the mental fortitude to break through and put Boston back on the map of contenders.
DH Masataka Yoshida
The Durbin-Monasterio-Seigler trade has become unexpectedly essential to Boston's success, but those aren't the only Red Sox on a tear right now. Masataka Yoshida, a source of much frustration in Boston over the years, keeps coming back from the brink with timely hitting. He's up to a .748 OPS and 108 wRC+ on the season, with an .810 OPS since the calendar flipped to June.
Yoshida is a unique, often deeply frustrating player. He's basically a singles-hitting DH. He offers zero value in the field, he's snail mail on the bases and he still has not eclipsed the 15 home runs he hit as a rookie four years ago. And yet, Yoshida's contact skills are elite. There's no way around it. He puts the ball in play, with a sterling 11.5 percent strikeout rate.
Signed through 2028 for far too much money, Yoshida will probably never become a fan favorite. But, for all the quibbles Red Sox fans have with the 33-year-old, Yoshida continues to come through in big spots and produce too consistently for Boston to shelve him. Sometimes luck is a skill. Put the barrel on the ball and good things will happen.
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