Oct. 28—The 2021 season is in the books, and what a season it was. The Red Sox vastly exceeded expectations to go from a last-place in 2020 to an appearance in the American League Championship Series. But how did each individual player do? This week we’re handing out our grades for 2021, starting today with the position players. We’ll have the pitchers grades on Friday. All names listed in alphabetical order by position.
Catchers
Kevin Plawecki, C+: Plawecki had some excellent stretches at the plate and did a great job catching Nathan Eovaldi, but overall his offensive contributions were fairly limited and his defense was often a problem, particularly with runners on base.
Christian Vazquez, B-: This year was a big step back for Vazquez offensively, as he saw his power numbers evaporate and finished with his worst numbers across the board since 2018. It was also one of his better defensive seasons (1.3 Defensive Wins Above Replacement) and he came through in the playoffs, hitting a walk-off home run in the 13th inning of Boston’s Game 3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Infielders
Christian Arroyo, C: Arroyo was pretty good whenever he was in the lineup, the problem was that wasn’t very often. Arroyo missed extended time on four separate occasions, but he still had a .769 OPS and was one of Boston’s best defensive infielders.
Xander Bogaerts, A-: Bogaerts is the heart and soul of the club and does just about everything well. This year he hit .295 with 23 home runs, 79 RBI, 34 doubles and an .863 OPS and tied for the team lead with a 4.9 Wins Above Replacement mark.
Bobby Dalbec, C: What do we make of Dalbec? He was arguably the worst full-time position player in baseball before the trade deadline and transformed into one of the best over the last two months. He finished with 25 home runs but fell ice cold again for the playoffs, so the talent is clearly there but obviously there’s still work to be done.
Rafael Devers, A-: Devers is a superstar and this was arguably his best year yet. The 24-year-old hit a career-high 38 home runs with 113 RBI, and he had the most important performance of the season by going 4 for 5 with two home runs in the playoff-clinching regular season finale. The knock on Devers, as always, remains his defense, and at some point the Red Sox may consider a position change if his glove doesn’t improve.
Marwin Gonzalez, F: Boston’s worst free agent signing of the offseason, Gonzalez posted a putrid -0.4 WAR and was released by the Red Sox on Aug. 16. He was later signed by the Astros and incredibly is now on the team’s World Series roster.
Jose Iglesias, A: Iglesias was only with the Red Sox for about a month, but what a month it was. He helped the Red Sox survive their early-September COVID-19 outbreak, delivered the standout defense he’s known for and even batted .356 with a .915 OPS.
Kyle Schwarber, A-: Schwarber was everything the Red Sox hoped for. He brought outstanding plate discipline, a patient approach and his trademark power, and even his first base defense was passable considering he’d never played the position.
Travis Shaw, B: Shaw didn’t play much after re-joining the Red Sox in August, but he made the most of his opportunities. His walk-off grand slam against the Rangers was one of the highlights of the season and he consistently put in good at bats off the bench.
Outfielders
Franchy Cordero, F: Cordero didn’t work out in Boston. What more can you say?
Jarren Duran, D+: Duran has a bright future with the Red Sox, but this year he wasn’t quite ready for prime time. His -0.7 WAR was tied for worst on the team and his .215 average and .578 OPS both ranked near the bottom as well. He did have a few electric moments though and projects as a big part of the club’s long-term plans.
Kiké Hernández, A+: Nobody on the team outperformed expectations like Hernández did. In his first season as an everyday player he tied for the team lead in WAR (4.9) while hitting 20 home runs and 35 doubles, and he unexpectedly emerged as not only the team’s best centerfielder, but arguably a Gold Glove favorite. He capped the season off with an outstanding playoff run, batting .408 with a 1.260 OPS and five home runs.
J.D. Martinez, B+: Martinez had a couple of stretches where he looked lost at the plate, but overall he bounced back from a lost 2020 to reestablish himself as one of the game’s best pure hitters. Martinez had 28 home runs, 99 RBI, an .867 OPS and a team-high 42 doubles.
Hunter Renfroe, A-: Talk about getting bang for your buck. Signed for just $3 million, Renfroe hit 31 home runs with 96 RBI and posted a .816 OPS while also leading the majors with 16 outfield assists.
Danny Santana, D: In theory, Santana’s job was to provide defensive versatility, speed on the base paths and a decent bat off the bench. In practice he rarely did any of that, as injuries and ineffectiveness limited him to just 38 games.
Alex Verdugo, B+: Verdugo has a few things to address this offseason, notably his performance against lefties, his baserunning and his defense in center field. Those things aside, Verdugo had a great season and came up big a number of times down the stretch. His .321 average against righties and his eye-popping post-August splits (.341 in August, .314 in September/October) are particularly encouraging.