Andrew Benintendi and Ryan Brasier have worn out their Welcome
Photo Credit: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images |
When the Major League Baseball season opened a week ago the
Red Sox were one of the teams many had varying expectations on. They were not a
team who was going to win the division, or likely get a wildcard. However, with
the change to the MLB playoff structure where 16 teams from each league make
the playoffs. If the first week will tell you anything its that the Red Sox have
a long way to go towards being a playoff team and with only a 60-game schedule there
is not a lot of time for them to find themselves.
While the whole team has left a lot to be desired, lets
focus on two players who have over stayed their welcome in Boston. The first
one was a first-round draft pick and the Red Sox have invested a lot of time
and money into the player. Andrew Benintendi is the player being referenced. The
patience with Benintendi has worn thin with many fans of the Red Sox. To be quite
honest those fans outside of the organization have a hard time figuring out why
the Benintendi experience continues to happen.
2018 was a great year for every player on the team, and 2018
will never be taken away and honestly without a great play in the outfield the
Red Sox may very well not have won the World Series that year. Outside of that
entire season Benintendi has never lived up to his draft slot. He is an average
fielder by MLB standards and his struggles at the plate have been magnified by
the loss of Mookie and no protection.
The outfield is crowded, and no one wants to see Benintendi
succeed more than the Red Sox organization, but when is it going to be enough? Especially considering that the other
outfielders on the team in Pillar and Verdugo are both top fielders and great hitters
who have higher ceilings that Benintendi does on his best season. The entire
goal of the team is to have the best 9 guys out on the field and this year Benintendi
is not one of them especially considering he is playing at the expense of better
players in Verdugo and Pillar.
Last night Benintendi had a better night at the plate so hopefully that will get him going, as everyone has seen when he is on top of his game he is one of the better players on the team, but his lows are becoming more common and often time longer than his highs, at this point given the depth in the outfield many are running out of excuses for him continuing to get the bulk of the playing time. I like so many, want to see the Red Sox put the best lineup out on the field and if a player is not performing, he should be benched.
Photo Credit: Bob Levey/ Getty Images |
The other player in question is hard to justify even wasting
a roster spot on anymore. That player is relief pitcher Ryan Brasier. Brasier
has looked lost on the mound this season and it started last year. He was given
the closer role as many expected because of the way he pitched in October in
2018, but he soon lost the role and could never seem to find his footing out of
the bullpen last year.
This season has been more of the same and honestly, he looks
worse. During the Spring Training restart aptly named Summer Camp, Brasier
struggled and when he came into the game on Tuesday night, he took a close game
and made the gap insurmountable. He looks lost and at this point it may be time
for the Red Sox to cut their losses. The Red Sox bullpen as a whole isn’t great,
but Matt Barnes, Heath Hembree and Brandon Workman are the three who need to be
relied on in the late innings. No longer can you trust Brasier.