Chavis Interruptus

Okay, for the sake of my sanity this season...could y'all just shut up about the Red Sox?

Yes, I get it. They had a horrible start, and are just now coming back and crawling up the standings. I get it. But you have to remember...lots of teams do that. Last year, the Oakland A's did that, and you guys didn't go half as batshit insane as you did for this frigging Red Sox team.

The Red Sox...just simply aren't as good as they were last year. It's a fact. Last year they were oozing with talent, and were practically unbeatable for the entire year. This year, they don't have Craig Kimbrel in the ninth, they don't have Joe Kelly or most of their relievers, and a lot of their key pieces, like Nate Eovaldi, David Price and Brock Holt, are injured.

And the people who aren't injured...if you compare them to what they were doing last season, are only just doing alright. Like, yes, Mookie Betts already has a 1.9 WAR, but he's only batting .290, vs. his over-.300 numbers from last season. JD Martinez' home run numbers are lower. Chris Sale's ERA is higher. JBJ's average is even worse than it was last year, regardless of his outfield abilities. And despite Rafael Devers improving greatly over his 2018 numbers, he's lost his abilities to hit for power or distance.

This team has lost its ability to really shock teams. They win games, and they'll have great showings from pitching, but...they have no wow factor. Even Michael Chavis, a second baseman brought up to shake things around, has settled on very alright numbers.

People are predicting the Sox to ascend to the top of the AL East and stay there. Which...with this team, I'm not sure about. A lot of the core is still there, but in different places, and focusing on different things. This is a far more spread out team than the 2018 one, and one that may not be as successful given a playoff run.

Coming Tomorrow- Given all the competition, the most unlikely Mets hero that ever could have happened to this season.