POSITION PLAYERS
Christian VAZQUEZ C+
He hasn’t quite rediscovered his power at the plate from 2019 and his offensive numbers are down across the board, but the catcher has been nearly indispensable behind the dish, and extremely valuable to a pitching staff that overachieved for most of the first half.
Bobby DALBEC D
The rookie has had some moments, but mostly hasn’t been able to put it together at the plate. His 37.3% strikeout rate is among the worst in baseball and the power that looked so promising last year hasn’t materialized, with 10 homers in 242 at-bats. But he’s getting better defensively and doing enough, barely, to stay as the everyday first baseman.
Christian ARROYO B+
He’s been extremely reliable defensively at second and has come up big in the clutch offensively. If only he could stay healthy: two stints on the injured list have limited him to 47 games.
Marwin GONZALEZ C
The veteran has provided almost nothing offensively, slashing .205/.286/.297 in 70 games, but has been valuable on defense with a dependable glove and versatility at almost every position. He limped into the All-Star break injured and it’s unclear what his role will be in the second half.
Xander BOGAERTS A
Bogaerts is having one of the best offensive seasons of his career, leading American League shortstops in most categories. He’s finally rightfully being recognized as one of, if not the best shortstop in baseball with another start in the All-Star Game.
Rafael DEVERS A
With Cora back in town, the third baseman is building off his breakout 2019 season. The 24-year-old finally got over his streak of slow starts to produce a complete first half, and even more importantly, has made big strides defensively as he was named an All-Star for the first time, earning a start alongside Bogaerts.
J.D. MARTINEZ A
Whatever happened in 2020, it’s well behind him and almost like it never happened. The designated hitter is back to being one of the most feared hitters in baseball, even if he cooled off some toward the end of the first half after a scorching hot start.
Kiké HERNANDEZ C+
It took him a few months, but the last two weeks of the first half is what the Red Sox envisioned with Hernandez. He struggled in the leadoff spot for a long stretch and needed to be benched and moved down in the order at different points, but looked much more comfortable over his last 14 games going into the break while settling in well in center field.
Hunter RENFROE B+
He looked lost at the plate in April, but turned it around so well that Cora said he was playing at an All-Star level in May and June, both offensively and defensively in right field. He batted .305 with a .906 OPS from May 1 to July 1 before cooling off before the break, and his 11 outfield assists lead the majors. He’s been a coup for the Red Sox.
Alex VERDUGO B+
After being perhaps the lone bright spot on a disastrous 2020 Red Sox team, Verdugo has been up and down in what’s amounting to be his first full Major League season. The left fielder has been described by Cora as the most complete hitter on the Red Sox, and at times he’s shown it. He hit .237 over his final 19 games of the first half, though he picked it up toward the end.