The infield heading into 2021 has some worthwhile questions.
On the left side of the infield, we have some well established incumbents.
Let's talk about the infield!
On the left side of the infield, we have some well established incumbents.
- Xander Bogaerts is one of the best players in baseball. He has received MVP votes each of the last three years, a span during which he has hit .300/.372/.535 and played defense within a few runs of average.
- Rafael Devers has established himself as a middle of the order bat, if something of a slow starter. But questions linger about his future at 3B, where he can look uneven. 14 errors in 57 games in 2020 is a lot, even if dWAR thinks he's within range of average. Likely a move to 1B or DH will be in the cards at some point — but when?
- Bobby Dalbec's debut was one of the few highlights in a dismal 2020 season. He showed that his carrying tool, power, is absolutely legitimate, while also showing that concerns about his strikeout rate were warranted. The ceiling is very high, and the floor is very low. While I think he should be given the chance to start, we will likely want to bring in an experienced bench player who could step up if Dalbec falls apart contact-wise. We need to see what we have with him, with Triston Casas coming up behind him. (Another wrinkle is that Dalbec is likely a better defender at 3B than Devers.)
- At second base, in contrast, it's not clear who the incumbent even is.
- Michael Chavis showed very little in 2020, posting a 69 OPS+ and bad defense at several positions. I imagine he's had his last MLB at bats.
- Christian Arroyo is something of a post-prospect, but (finally healthy) he showed a lot of potential in limited time (54 PA) in 2020. His overall line took a hit with a 2/17 slump the last week of the season, but that followed a red-hot 7/26 4 XBH stretch. The defense at 2B looked playable, and he got into games at SS and 3B, too. His strikeouts weren't excessive, he looked playable defensively, and he hit for a little pop.
Utilityman Tzu-Wei Lin's calling card is his glovework in the IF and the OF, but he took another step back offensively in very limited playing time in 2020. After posting a very respectable 95 OPS+ in 2017-18, garnering himself the nickname "Two-Way" — I gave it to him, and I'm proud even if it was obvious — his OPS+ has tumbled since to 49 and now -3, which I don't think I even realized was possible. I was just checking on his option status and I saw that he was apparently released. So... yeah.(Red(s)hawksFan clarifies below that TWL is now a mLFA.)- Yairo Muñoz only played OF with Boston in 2020, but he has played 2B with the Cardinals, I'm not sure how well. Like Arroyo, Muñoz raked in limited playing time late in 2020. Muñoz would be amazing in that IF/OF role that Lin had been occupying.
Let's talk about the infield!
Last edited: