Dalbec has basically played one full MLB season now. We can look at it in three acts.
Act 1 - Welcome to the majors - Dalbec arrives on the scene in Boston in a weird 2020 season, and he plays in 23 games, accumulating 92 plate appearances. In those 92 PA, he hits 8 homers (one homer every 11.5 PA) and puts up this slash line: .263/.359/.600/.959, 149 ops+.
Everyone knew he had prodigious power, but would it translate to the majors? His initial time with the Sox indicated that his power would play. But how would he do when the league adjusted?
Act 2 - The league adjusts - Dalbec starts the 2021 campaign and it's clear they've got him figured out. He struggles with Ks (110 K in 292 PA) and doesn't walk (just 13 walks in those 292 PA). So it's all or nothing with him, and basically....it's nothing. Hitting just 10 homers over those 292 PA (one homer ever 29.2 PA). Like with many young players, his struggles at the plate impact his fielding, and he makes errors all over the place. It's to the point where the Red Sox are looking for a 1b replacement in the trade market. There's nothing in-house though, as all the other options are even worse than him. But the trade deadline passes and Dalbec is still with the club, albeit with a little pressure coming along because Kyle Schwarber has arrived, and though he is still not active yet, and has never played 1b, the club has made a point of saying that they will prep him to play first. Dalbec needs to adjust or be sent packing.
Act 3 - Dalbec gets his **** together - Since the trade deadline, Dalbec has played 41 games accumulating 140 PA. He's mashed, plain and simple, hitting 13 homers, 9 doubles, and even 2 triples. He's put up a slash line of .320/.407/.746/1.153 over that stretch. He's homering once every 10.8 PA). He's still striking out, but less often (one K every 3.9 PA, compared to one K every 2.6 PA in Act 2). Moreover, he's walking more - one walk every 9.3 PA as opposed to one walk every 22.5 PA in Act 2. The cherry on top is that his blossoming confidence is impacting his fielding in a positive way and he's been excellent at first.
The Act 2 Dalbec is not a playable guy at the major league level. They had to play him because there were no good alternatives, sadly. The Act 3 Dalbec is an MVP, and nobody really expects THAT Dalbec to be what we see moving forward. But I think all three acts present a total picture of a solid major league contributor:
148 g, 524 PA, 31 hr, 92 rbi, .250/.317/.517/.834, 117 ops+
And that at a league minimum salary. That kind of production at that kind of price is worth a TON in this sport.