Red Sox midseason report card: How does each player grade after first half?

The Red Sox aren’t supposed to be here. Not after their disappointing offseason and all the injuries they’ve sustained.Yet here they are, in the playoff hunt.Against all odds the Red Sox have emerged as one of the surprise teams of the first half, exceeding preseason expectations largely thanks to the contributions of several young standouts who have taken advantage of their opportunities. The club has gotten production from all over the roster, and unlike the past couple of seasons the 2024 Red Sox don’t have any obvious fatal flaws, like last year’s defense or the 2022 team’s bullpen.So who is most responsible for that success, and who still needs to show improvement? Here’s how each Red Sox player grades through the first half of the season.Starting pitchersBrayan Bello — D: This has been a hugely disappointing season for Bello, who signed a six-year contract extension during spring training but who has since struggled to throw strikes. The Sox will need more from him in the second half.Kutter Crawford — B+: Crawford has taken huge strides and is well on his way towards establishing himself as a reliable big league workhorse.Cooper Criswell — B: Though currently in Triple-A, Criswell has proven himself a solid fifth starter and has helped keep the Sox rotation afloat through a crushing run of injuries.Tanner Houck — A: Outstanding, just outstanding. Houck has made the leap and could find himself in the AL Cy Young conversation by season’s end.Nick Pivetta — C+: Pivetta missed some time due to injury and when healthy has been hit or miss. When he’s on Pivetta has been excellent, but there have also been more duds than the Red Sox would have preferred.Garrett Whitlock — Incomplete: Whitlock had gotten off to an outstanding start before injuries once again cut his season short. Whitlock is unfortunately no stranger to long recoveries, but he should hopefully be back on the mound next year.RelieversChase Anderson — B: Anderson isn’t expected to pitch in high leverage spots, but there’s value in eating innings during garbage time, and he’s done that job well.Brennan Bernardino — A: Can you believe the Sox left Bernardino off the Opening Day roster? Ever since he got back he’s done nothing but make that call look sillier by the day.Cam Booser — A: Coming into the season nobody knew who Cam Booser was, but after a strong spring training and a dominant start in Triple-A he earned a storybook call-up after more than a decade of grinding and pitched well in the majors once he got there. Booser is back in Worcester for now, but what a journey he’s had.Isaiah Campbell — F: Between his shoulder injury and a couple of horrible outings, this season hasn’t gone the way anyone envisioned for Campbell.Kenley Jansen — A-: Jansen’s season got off to a rocky start but overall the veteran closer has been dominant. That four-out save against the Yankees where he called Cora from the bullpen to put himself into the game? That was big dog stuff.Zack Kelly — A: Much like Bernardino, Kelly started the season in Triple-A but has been lights out since coming back to the majors.Chris Martin — B: Martin deserves a lot of credit for opening up about his mental health struggles, and hopefully taking the time he needed to address them will pay dividends in the second half.Justin Slaten — A-: This guy sure hasn’t looked like someone who had only ever pitched five games above Double-A coming into the year. Slaten’s been a Rule 5 home run and one of the offseason’s most important acquisitions.Greg Weissert — A-: One of the three arms acquired in this past winter’s Alex Verdugo trade, Weissert leads the team in games pitched by a wide margin and has consistently gotten the job done.Josh Winckowski — B: Winckowski was the bullpen’s odd man out for a sizable stretch, but whenever he’s been in the majors he’s pitched well. This past Tuesday he saved the bullpen after Bello’s 2.1-inning debacle and could pitch more valuable innings in the coming weeks.CatchersReese McGuire — C: McGuire got off to a strong start but hasn’t given the Red Sox much over the past two months.Connor Wong — A: Wong has been one of the best catchers in baseball so far and if he had enough at bats to qualify he’d be among the leaders for the American League batting title.InfieldersTriston Casas — B-: Casas got off to a great start before a torn cartilage in his rib cage put him on the shelf for two months and counting. If he comes back and plays like he did the first few weeks, however, expect a much higher grade for the next report card.Bobby Dalbec — D: Dalbec has gotten a lot of chances thanks to the team’s injuries and his ability to play multiple positions, but he just hasn’t been able to take advantage.Rafael Devers — A-: Devers has always been a difference-maker, but this year he’s demonstrated an improved plate approach while also playing much better defense. The result has been the most consistent and complete version of Devers we’ve seen yet.Romy Gonzalez — C+: Gonzalez has struggled to stay on the field, but when healthy he’s provided value on defense and has quietly ranked among the best baserunners on the team.Vaughn Grissom — D: It’s been one setback after another for the young infielder, who’s been struggling to play catch-up physically since the moment he joined the organization.David Hamilton — A-: A grade this high would have seemed inconceivable in late April, but over the past two months the rookie shortstop has truly made an impact. Hamilton has always been a great base-stealer, but lately he’s made just as big a mark at the plate and on defense.Dominic Smith — C-: Smith has adequately filled in for Casas and his defense at first base has been underrated outside of some high profile miscues, but otherwise he hasn’t particularly distinguished himself.Trevor Story — Incomplete: Much like Whitlock, this is going to go down as another lost season for Story, who looked primed for a huge bounce-back year before fracturing his shoulder only eight games in.Enmanuel Valdez — C: Ideally Valdez would have spent all season in Triple-A, but even if his MLB numbers aren’t great, he has shown a knack for coming up big in clutch spots. That’s not nothing.OutfieldersWilyer Abreu — B+: The Red Sox handed Abreu the keys to right field and so far the rookie has run with them. Abreu has established himself as a top-of-the-lineup hitter who looks set to become a mainstay for years to come.Jarren Duran — A+: What an amazing story Duran has become. He’s been one of the best all-around players in baseball and it’ll be a travesty if he isn’t named an All-Star.Tyler O’Neill — B+: Talk about a hot and cold first half. O’Neill went full thermonuclear out of the gate before a nagging knee issue ground his production to a half in May. Lately he’s been heating up again and his full-season totals stack up well against some of the league’s best.Ceddanne Rafaela — B+: At the rate he’s going Rafaela may have a strong chance of winning a Gold Glove as a rookie. Beyond that he provided stability at shortstop after Story’s injury and lately has shown improvement at the plate as well.Rob Refsnyder — A-: A reliable veteran on what’s otherwise a young and unproven team, Refsnyder provided a needed veteran presence while also excelling in his role as a lefty-killer off the bench.Masataka Yoshida — C-: A thumb injury sidelined Yoshida for much of the first half, but even when healthy the Japanese standout hasn’t produced and has found himself marginalized to full-time DH duty with so many superior defensive outfielders on the roster.

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