5 reasons why it's not all doom and gloom for the 2024 Red Sox
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Boston Red Sox are looking to write an entirely new chapter this season as they try to rebound from a disappointing 2023 campaign, which included a last-place finish in the American League East.
Here are five things to watch as Boston continues its spring training at JetBlue Park:
A Story untold
Red Sox fans have valid reason to be down on shortstop Trevor Story for not living up to the six-year, $140-million contract he signed in March 2022. But those doubters could be pleasantly surprised if a now a fully healthy Story can help the Red Sox improve, both in the clubhouse and on the field. The two-time All-Star with the Colorado Rockies has already made his presence felt this spring with some of Boston’s younger players.
“We all know what he can do with the bat, but I think his defense is really going to propel us to great heights,” said budding star first baseman Triston Casas, who finished third in last year’s A.L. Rookie of the Year voting.
“He’s in a really good place right now, mentally and physically. He got thrown into the fire at the end of last season, and he didn’t like his results. But with the conditions he was facing, nobody was guilting him in any way. We know that wasn’t him. We’re excited to get a healthy Trevor Story for 2024.”
Nobody has been more disappointed with the injuries than Story himself, who’s missed nearly 200 games since joining the Red Sox. He hit only .227 when he did play. Last season, he had modified Tommy John surgery and made his season-debut in August.
“It’s all about winning, that’s it,” Story said before Thursday’s game. He finished with an RBI double and a walk. “I haven’t been on the field as much as I would like; but it’s good for me to have a healthy spring, a healthy offseason.
“You have to prove yourself every day in this game. I’ve had success over my career and I feel good about that. I’m ready to put more of that in a Red Sox uniform.”
Manager Alex Cora has been pleased with Story’s performance in spring training and he believes the veteran infielder can be a huge spark for a rebuilding Red Sox organization.
“He did an amazing job in the offseason gathering the group together; Zoom calls, conference calls, text messaging and working out together,” Cora said.
“He wants to make the playoffs, he wants to play in October. But for that to happen, all the little things have to be started off with small things. He’s been doing an outstanding job for us.”
A rotation in flux
The Red Sox entered the offseason with major question marks surrounding their starting rotation and fans wondered if help (i.e. Jordan Montgomery) was coming to town. As of Friday, no help had arrived.
However, word from new pitching coach Andrew Bailey has been promising thus far. Boston’s “locked in” starters appear to be free-agent signee Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello and Nick Pivetta. Pitchers vying for the final two spots include Kutter Crawford, Garrett Whitlock and Josh Winckowski.
“Absolutely, I love the guys we have,” Bailey said. “There’s a lot talent in the room, some healthy competition for the last few spots. Helping them perform as the best versions of themselves is our goal. There’s a lot upside and I’m excited about the group we have.
“I don’t think we need any additions. The talent we have in this room is phenomenal. Cleaning up some low-hanging fruit with each individual is our goal.”
Whitlock pitched three innings in Thursday’s win and looked impressive, allowing three hits and one earned run while striking out six Tigers batters. All three of Detroit’s hits were soft bloopers to the outfield.
“I executed all my pitches well; slider more so in the third inning than the other two,” said Whitlock, who finished last season 5-5 with a 5.15 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. “It’s weak contact so it means I’m making quality pitches. I’m not a strikeout guy. I guess it means the changeup was working good.
“I don’t care what my role is. I just want to pitch, I want to have fun, I want to compete. I’m going to let (the coaches) make that decision.”
Cora said the full starting rotation might not be named until deeper into the spring.
“At the end of the day, somebody’s gonna be in that spot, somebody’s gonna go to the bullpen. In the pitching department, I know there was a lot of question marks coming into spring training. There’s not as many because we’re healthy.”
Another one bit the dust
Story is not the only Red Sox player who battled injuries in recent years. Add former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tyler O’Neill to that unfortunate list. He played only 73 games last season with the Cardinals, batting .231 with nine home runs and 21 RBI.
But much like Story, O’Neill is expecting to provide a huge boost to the roster. In Thursday’s game, he played left field and hit lead-off, recording a first-inning single and scoring a run as Boston took a 2-0 lead.
“I fit well on this ball club,” said O’Neill, who was traded to Boston in December. “Looking forward to being healthy. I worked really hard this offseason, making sure my body is in position to play 160 games. I’ve been limited with injuries the last couple of years and haven’t been able to get into a rhythm and keep the flow.
“Starting and stopping and ramping back up is a very tough thing to do in this profession. Unfortunately, it’s been my path the last couple of years. I think we made the right changes this time.”
O’Neill, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner with the Cardinals, will give Boston’s outfield a boost with his athleticism and ability to play all three positions.
“I’ve been getting most of my work in left field, specifically at home,” he said. “They want me to get used to the field and the unique dimensions of Fenway/JetBlue. It’s kind of the same idea. It bounces a little differently here than it does at Fenway because the wall is not the exact same.”
Embracing the haters
If you can’t beat them, join them. Tired of losing and the organization’s failure to yet sign any big-ticket free agents, some Red Sox players have publicly expressed their frustrations through the media, including Rafael Devers and Story.
Despite the potential blowback of Devers’ comments lobbying the front office for roster help, the results have gotten a different reaction from Boston’s skipper.
“I’m tired of losing. Nobody likes losing,” Cora said. “We don’t play this game just to play it. We like to win, we like to make the playoffs. At the end of the day, it’s about winning the World Series, too.
“I’ve been telling (our players), ‘You have to talk about it. Nobody’s gonna talk about us winning the World Series.’ If you don’t say it, nobody’s gonna believe it anyways. I’m glad they’ve been talking about it and saying it.”
Cora appeared to leave the door open for potential roster improvements before the regular season begins on March 28 at Seattle.
“We’re working hard on trying to improve the 26-man roster, the 40-man roster,” he said. “Let’s see what the future holds.”
What instrument did you play?
Cora finally revealed his previous musical talents on Thursday. Can you guess the instrument?
“The flute,” Cora said before the game against Detroit (a 5-2 Boston win), getting a laugh from reporters in the home dugout. “In 10th grade, because I had to. It was the one they gave me.”
All joking aside, Cora and the Red Sox are expecting improvements this season. And if fully healthy, with maybe one or two free-agent additions, this team could be a surprise player in the A.L. East. Some national publications have even dubbed the Red Sox as a potential “break-out” candidate among MLB’s lower-tier clubs.
“We have to focus on what we have in here. What we have is what we have,” veteran closer Kenley Jansen said of adding a free-agent pitcher like Jordan Montgomery.
“We have to go out there and step up and show them we can be great. I don’t want to go through the outside distractions about this and that. That’s not our problem. Our problem is to control what we can control. People count us out already. We just need to be the underdog.”
Story echoed those comments, adding: “We know what we have here and we’re confident in what we can do.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: It's not all doom and gloom for the 2024 Red Sox; here's why
