The Boston Red Sox are heading into this week’s All-Star break as the hottest team in baseball, winners of 10 straight games after completing their third consecutive series sweep over the weekend.
It’s a good time to take stock of the season to date, which is what WEEI’s Jones & Keefe did Monday when they presented their Red Sox midseason awards, not all of which were positive.
Here’s what they came up with. Listen to the full segment above.
Most Valuable Player: Garrett Crochet
Has to be. In his first season in Boston, Crochet has been one of the best pitchers in baseball, leading the American League in ERA (2.23), strikeouts (160), ERA+ (185) and innings pitched (129.1). His 10 wins are one off the league lead, so both the triple crown and the Cy Young could be in play if he keeps this up in the second half.
Least Valuable Player: Walker Buehler
Unfortunately, things have not gone as well for another offseason pitching addition. Buehler has struggled mightily, posting a 6.12 ERA through 16 starts. His spot in the rotation could be very much in jeopardy if the Red Sox add a starter before the July 31 trade deadline.
Cy Young: Garrett Crochet
See above.
Rookie of the Year: Carlos Narvaez
The Red Sox have several candidates here. Kristian Campbell got off to a great start before slowing down and getting demoted. Roman Anthony has been great since getting called up. Marcelo Mayer has flashed a bit. But Narvaez has performed consistently all season while running with the starting catcher job, providing stellar defense and some pop offensively.
Rolaids Relief Man of the Year: Aroldis Chapman
Another offseason addition who has been excellent. Chapman, at age 37, has been lights out, posting a 1.18 ERA and 0.76 WHIP while racking up 58 strikeouts in 38 innings and locking down 17 saves.
Gold Glove: Ceddanne Rafaela
An easy choice. Rafaela has been arguably the best defensive center fielder in baseball, and is well on his way to his first actual Gold Glove.
Silver Slugger: Alex Bregman
A surprisingly tough choice, as no one has really run away from the pack offensively. Especially since the Rafael Devers trade, it’s really been more of an offense-by-committee, with depth throughout the lineup. When healthy, though, Bregman has been pretty dominant. His .298 average and .927 OPS are second only to Romy Gonzalez, who specializes against lefties, while his .380 on-base percentage leads the team. Bregman has 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in 53 games.
Biggest Surprise (Good): Ceddanne Rafaela
Rafaela isn’t just doing it in the field; he’s also been on fire at the plate for the last month and a half. Over his last 40 games, Rafaela is hitting .331 with 12 home runs, 29 RBIs and a 1.024 OPS. His walk-off home run Friday night may have been the highlight of the year so far.
Biggest Surprise (Bad): Jarren Duran
Last year, Duran finished eighth in AL MVP voting and ranked fourth in the league in WAR. This year, he is currently eighth on his own team in WAR. His numbers are down across the board, including his OPS dropping nearly 100 points year-over-year to .749. Duran did finish the first half on a high note, though, slashing .304/.385/.652 for a 1.037 OPS over his last 13 games. Duran’s name continues to pop up in trade rumors thanks to Boston’s outfield logjam.
Manager of the Year: Ramon Vazquez
Obviously, the guys had a little fun with this one by not picking Alex Cora. But, Vazquez does have a 1.000 winning percentage as fill-in manager, going 1-0 while Cora missed a game due to his daughter’s college graduation.