The Boston Red Sox ended a sorrowful season with a record of 78-84, finishing in last place in the AL East division, their worst record since 2015.
The team was officially eliminated from the playoffs on Sept. 25, after being swept by the Yankees in a four game series. Their season ended Oct. 5, when the Sox swept the Tampa Bay Rays in their last three-game home series. That victory, however, was slim to none, as this season was said to be one of the team’s worst in the last 20 years.
Suffolk students like freshman Vinny Leonard weren’t shy when it came to expressing their disappointment over the Sox’s lackluster performance.
“We were worse than the Orioles this year, that says something,” Leonard said.
So what went wrong? Injuries, trades, individual offensive and defensive issues – you name it.
In terms of the Sox’s injuries, the most notable included pitchers Chris Sale, Garrett Whitlock, Kutter Crawford, second baseman Trevor Story, utility player Kiké Hernández and outfielder and first baseman Francy Cordero. “We kind of fell apart, I think it was due to the lack of pitchers and players staying healthy. It was a tough season, definitely not the way we wanted it to go,” said freshman Joe Ferullo.
Sale’s injury was especially heartbreaking, considering he made his 2022 debut for the Sox on July 12, and only five days later fractured his left pinky finger against the Yankees. Then on Aug. 7, Sale was in a bike accident, fracturing his right wrist.
Leonard agreed with many that the loss of Sale this season had a huge impact on the team’s losses and lack of defensive skill.
“Our pitching needs a lot of work, we need to try and move off Chris Sale’s contract, it’s not working out. We need to improve our bullpen,” he said.
With the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 2, some of the Sox’s major acquisitions included left-handed first baseman Eric Hosmer and right-handed outfielder Tommy Pham. At the time, Hosmer was hitting with an average of .272, with eight home runs and 40 RBIs, while Pham was hitting .238, with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs.
Most notably however, the Houston Astros acquired beloved Sox catcher Christian Vasquez, who had been with the team for 15 years. Vasquez posted an emotional farewell on his Instagram, saying “I hope to one day come back to you again, even if I have a different uniform on my back. Boston will always have a piece of my heart, and this is me leaving a piece of it with you.”
Leonard said the loss of players had a major impact on this season as well. These ex-players included outfielder Kyle Schwarber, who was not re-signed by the Sox this season and is now with the Philadelphia Phillies, and longtime outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., who is now with the Toronto Blue Jays. Bradley was released by the Sox this season before joining the Blue Jays after the trade deadline.
“Bradley has experience with winning, and this team just doesn’t have that,” said Leonard.
Leonard commented on how star players Xander Bogarts and Rafael Devers both had great seasons, but they alone were not enough to carry the team all the way.
“We needed a power hitter. That’s what we were missing with Schwarber,” he said.
Ferullo said trades, particularly the loss of Christian Vasquez, heavily impacted the team.
“Vasquez was a huge trade, he seemed like he loved Boston, the fanbase and the community. That definitely breaks up the chemistry of the team. The catcher is one of the most important positions on the field, him getting traded halfway through the year definitely affected the bond of the team,” Ferullo said.
Regarding offensive and defensive performances, Ferullo referred to it as underwhelming, saying how Bogarts and Devers were the only ones to really stand out this season, that there were no standout pitchers, or other breakthrough players.
The Boston Red Sox’s preseason starts back up again in late February for spring training at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, FL.
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