The Boston Red Sox are shooting upward in a way where I can't even be that mad at them. Which is an achievement.
I look at this team, and I see terrible runs in late May and late June, a worrying back half of the rotation, gaping holes at 1st and, til now, DH, and the feeling that people like Jarren Duran and Alex Bregman might still be traded even if they compete...and yet there hasn't been many teams hotter since the beginning of July. The Sox had a straight run of 10 games from July 4th to the 13th and they won all ten of them, including a dramatic walk-off by team MVP Ceddanne Rafaela. They're building up Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, they just activated Masataka Yoshida, and they're within inches of lapping the Yankees. Yes, there are flaws, but evidently they're not the kind that prevent upward momentum.
The Red Sox are a perfect testament to how to slowly build a youth core, because the pieces have been hiding in plain sight. Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela have been slowly becoming more prevalent in this lineup, to the point where they're not indispensable. Rafaela has 14 homers and 48 RBIs. Abreu leads the Sox in homers with 18. Alex Bregman has a .919 OPS, which, even with the missed time, is pretty amazing. He's back now, looks good and has third. I'm not sure how badly the Sox want to clear space, and they honestly might keep him around for the run. They'd be better for it, too; I actually like Bregman now, and it's not just that he got out of Houston.
The Sox currently not only have answers, but working answers, at multiple positions. Carlos Narvaez is a complete win at catcher. Story is a win again at short. Garrett Crochet is a very viable ace. Aroldis Chapman works in the ninth again. The pieces are falling into place so seamlessly that any outcome other than a run seems silly. And I'm not sure why this is cool when the Sox do it and alarmingly dull when the Cardinals or Astros try it. It's so wild that I'm actively rooting for the Red Sox to inch their way up. Maybe not past the Yankees per se, let's hope they can take the division back...but after that 10 game run I'm genuinely seeing the Red Sox as a threat going forward.
The second half for this Sox team is gonna be wild. Maybe the wheels come off, but if they don't there's gonna be some insane games coming from them.
Coming Tomorrow- A rookie outfielder for the Nationals. I feel as though I should be more specific..
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