2017 Red Sox Spring Training Storylines — The Infield

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Yesterday, I went through all of the 2017 spring training storylines for the Red Sox rotation. Today, we take a look at all of the spring training storylines for the Red Sox infield.

Pablo Sandoval — This is the biggest one. That’s not a pun, either. I’m not gonna make any more fat jokes about Pablo Sandoval, because he clearly put in the necessary work over the offseason to drop the weight and keep it off. I’ve given this guy a LOT of shit since he’s been in Boston, but I feel like all of it was merited. I hated his work ethic, I hated his attitude, and I hated his on-field performance. You can challenge me on all three of those points, and I’ll have a counter to each of them.

But, so far this year, he’s done everything right. A year ago, Sandoval showed up to spring training and said that “I don’t got nothing to prove” after putting together what was statistically his worst season ever as a major leaguer (-0.9 WAR), and that came after signing a $95 million contract. Then, that photo of his fat gut made the Twitter rounds (you’re welcome), followed by his belt exploding in Toronto, and needing season-ending shoulder surgery after seven plate appearances. Today, as shown above, he told reporters that he has “everything” to prove. It’s a start.

He showed up early, he showed up in shape, and he’s saying all the right things. Question: How much does that actually matter? To me, it carries a little bit of weight, but not a lot. To this point, Sandoval is only doing what he’s supposed to be doing. You’re supposed to show up on time, you’re supposed to be in shape, and you’re supposed to say the right things. That’s quite literally his job. You know what else is his job? Performing on the fucking field. And until I see that, I’m not ready to give him anything more than a golf clap for where he’s at right now.

I truly believe that Sandoval can rebound from the catastrophe that has been the first two years of his five-year pact with the Red Sox. John Lackey’s turnaround in Boston has made it so that I will never be able to rule anybody out from making a comeback in this city. But it’s going to take more than a so-so, somewhat acceptable season for Sandoval to achieve that. He doesn’t have to exceed levels that he’s never performed at before in his career, but he’ll have to once again perform at the levels that earned him a $95 million contract in the first place, something that he openly admitted to becoming complacent after receiving. Can Pablo Sandoval rebound in 2017 and win over the fans that have pretty much never liked him to begin with?

Xander Bogaerts — It’s crazy to think about, but Xander Bogaerts is only one of three players in the Red Sox organization still remaining from the 2013 World Series team (Dustin Pedroia, Brandon Workman). Oh, and he’s only entering his age-24 season in 2017. Bogaerts is coming off of his first All Star selection in 2016, although he was certainly worthy of an All Star selection in 2015, too. Fans and media were waiting to see when Bogaerts was finally going to display some power in the form of home runs, and he answered that question in 2016. He hit 21 of them, nearly doubling his previous career high (12). However, Bogaerts faded pretty heavily in the second half, hitting .253 with a .729 OPS in the second half, compared to .329 with an .863 OPS in the first half. Will the power numbers for Bogaerts continue to grow, and will he be able to put it all together over the course of a full season?

Dustin Pedroia — Dustin Pedroia has played 11 major league seasons, and he’s coming off a season that was tied for the fourth best (5.6 WAR) of his career, and his best season since the Red Sox won the World Series in 2013. If you look at Pedroia’s five best statistical seasons by WAR — 2011 (7.9), 2008 (6.9), 2013 (6.3), 2009 (5.6), 2016 (5.6) — all five of them were years that the Red Sox made the postseason, except for 2011, which they should’ve. That September was a fucking joke. Anyway, the point is that when Pedroia goes, the Red Sox go, and he’s a player who has dealt with his fair share of major injuries over the years. From now until the day he retires, Pedroia’s storyline will always be whether or not he can stay healthy. Because when he’s healthy, he always performs. And when he performs to the best of his capabilities, the Red Sox win far more games than they lose.

Mitch Moreland — Mitch Moreland is in somewhat of a weird spot in 2017. No, he’s not here to “replace” David Ortiz. Nobody can replace David Ortiz. If anything, Hanley Ramirez is attempting to do that. Moreland is simply coming in to play a Gold Glove caliber defense at first base, and add a lefty bat in John Farrell’s lineup that the team lost when Ortiz retired. He’s no slouch power-wise, either. He can pop you 20+ home runs and drive in 70-ish runs, and you’ll take that, especially for $5.5 million. Will Moreland prove to be a steal for the Red Sox in 2017?

Hanley Ramirez — The designated hitter isn’t an “infielder”, but Hanley Ramirez also doesn’t identify himself as a full-time DH. At least, not yet. He’ll still see some time at first base against left-handed pitching, and whenever Moreland needs a day off here and there. But it’s not about whether he’ll be DH-ing or playing first base — it’s about whether or not he’ll be on the lineup card at all. Much like Pedroia, Hanley is a major health concern, and he has been for basically his entire career. Last season, Hanley avoided the disabled list for the first time since 2012. As a result, he drove in a career-high 111 runs, and reached the 30-homer plateau for just the second time in his career. That’s exactly what the Red Sox brought him here to do, and he did it. But can he do it again? He played in 147 games last year, which was his highest total since 2012. DH-ing frequently should help in that department, but you never know. The wrist injury he suffered in 2015 was on the base paths. Can Hanley stay healthy enough to come close to his production from a year ago?

We’ll do the outfield tomorrow, and then the bullpen and catchers next week. Maybe we’ll even fuck around and get crazy and do one for the bench, too. I don’t know yet. I don’t know if we’ll have enough time.