Lynn weighs in on state of the Red Sox
In some ways, Fred Lynn is a typical Red Sox fan.
Win or lose, rain or shine, tarp on or tarp off, he’s back at Fenway Park each season. He makes an effort to be at every Winter Weekend, and often goes viral on X (formerly Twitter) because he’s posting about the Red Sox.
Of course, he’s also anything but a typical fan. At Fenway, he’s usually sitting in the Legends’ Suite, where he watches as the video-board plays a highlight reel of his Red Sox career. When the tribute ends, the camera pans to him, and he waves to fellow fans in the stands. If he’s at Winter Weekend, he’s signing autographs, not asking for them.
Lynn played 17 seasons in the Majors, the first seven in Boston. In 1975, he became the first player in Major League Baseball history to win the MVP award and Rookie of the Year Award in the same season. That year, he won his first of four career Gold Gloves — all in a Red Sox uniform — and began a streak of nine consecutive All-Star seasons. Not only is he one of the organization’s former players, he’s in the Red Sox Hall of Fame.
It’s now been 43 years since Lynn last played for the Red Sox, and time hasn’t dulled his passion for his old club. His X page is full of current and throwback photos with his teammates. He pokes fun of himself and weighs in on various baseball topics. Two years ago, when slugger Joey Gallo complained about the shift after leading the Majors with 213 strikeouts the previous season, Lynn had the perfect response: “I believe they shifted on Ted Williams and didn’t he hit 406?”
And when Lynn was at Fenway last September, his X post about how cheap Red Sox/Yankees tickets were — as low as a dollar plus taxes and fees, practically 1970s pricing — drove home how dire the straits truly were. (The Red Sox fired Chaim Bloom two days later.)
In sum, Lynn still cares a lot. And as one of their own, he’s uniquely qualified to observe and comment on the state of the Sox.
“The fans want to win,” he told the Herald at Winter Weekend. “And that’s OK. Players should feel the same way! Winning is contagious, everybody loves it when you win. Losing sucks, and finishing last really sucks.”
The Red Sox have finished at the bottom of the heap three times in their last four seasons, and from Lynn’s perspective, it’s not hard to see why.
“There’s some things that the Sox need to do, just basic stuff,” he said. “You gotta catch the ball. They’ve had trouble making routine plays. You can’t do that. This is a ballpark where you can’t make mistakes and give the other team extra outs, because it will always haunt you. You can’t give the other team opportunities, and that’s what they did. It just killed ‘em.”
While many fans would likely point to pitching as the top priority, Lynn disagrees.
“Priority number one, as far as I’m concerned as a defender, is make this club a better defensive team,” the decorated center fielder said. “Last year, they went into the season, and to me, they didn’t have a center fielder or a shortstop. That’s not gonna really work in the middle of defense.”
When Trevor Story needed elbow surgery somewhat unexpectedly
last January, the Red Sox decided to make utilityman Kiké Hernández, whom they’d extended to be the everyday centerfielder, their shortstop, instead. The experiment was an unequivocal disaster; when the Red Sox traded Hernández to his longtime team, the Dodgers, in July, he was leading shortstops with 14 errors, and his minus-13 Outs Above Average ranked second-worst among the position.
“I know they build teams a little differently now, thinking of analytics and things, but the guts of the game? Still the same,” Lynn said. “Your catcher, shortstop and second baseman, your center fielder, these guys got to play defense. If they hit great, great. But their first priority is, play defense, be a defender. They’re the anchor; that’s where most of the balls go.”
The ripple effect of a weak defense is significant, he explained.
“Until they address that, and I think they will, it’s hard,” he said. “It’s hard to cherry-pick a free agent when you don’t have a core. As a free agent, I want to go where they’re gonna win, and I’m going to go where I fit in, and I’m going to go where they already have pretty good guys. If a free agent doesn’t see that, he ain’t coming, especially pitchers.”
With Chris Sale traded and James Paxton on the verge of signing with the Dodgers, the Red Sox starting rotation is currently righties only. Lynn thinks they’ll have a difficult time reeling in a solid southpaw right now.
“It’s not an easy place to pitch, especially if you’re a lefty,” he said. “Lefties have got to be able to get the ball inside here, otherwise they get creamed, so you have to make it worthwhile for them to take the gamble.”
However, he’s optimistic that the overall pitching
situation will improve under the organization’s new chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow.
“Very smart guy,” said Lynn. “And he’s an explayer, which is good. And he’s a pitcher who pitched at Fenway, so, if anybody knows, it’s gonna be this guy, what it takes.”
Some things, though, the Red Sox must develop
naturally, such as team chemistry.
“People say you can’t win games in the clubhouse? Yes you can,” Lynn said emphatically. “That’s a big deal, especially on the road. You know, that’s when guys really get together. It’s a big deal. I think it is, my generation thinks that. You can’t put a number on
that.”
True Red Sox team chemistry and a deeply passionate fan base is a lethal combination for their opponents. It sets Boston apart from other sports towns, Lynn opined. But it’s also why the recipe for success here is so complex and intricate.
“Intangibles are a big deal, moreso here than
other places. I missed Boston when I left because of the intensity of it; it is so great when you go on that field,” he said. “Fans expect excellence, and so did I, so it was perfect. It was a great marriage, because I expected it, too.”
Lynn, 43 years later, still expects excellence. Just like a Red Sox fan.