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The Boston Red Sox have the odds stacked against them for the 2022 season. The Blue Jays strengthened their team, and the Yankees and Rays are always ready to compete. Last year, Boston snuck into the postseason as a Wild Card team and made it all the way to the ALCS before losing to the Astros.
However, the Red Sox still have plenty of valuable assets on their roster. The lineup is deep with Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, and Trevor Story leading the charge. Their rotation has 2021 All-Star Nathan Eovaldi set to start Opening Day.
But the Red Sox will need some unsung heroes if they have realistic aspirations of competing in the American League East in 2022.
Today, we will be looking at two X-factors, one pitcher and one batter, who could drastically change Boston’s 2022 season.
Young Gun Tanner Houck
Houck will be 26 years old this summer and has just 21 games of big league experience under his belt. But the young right-hander broke onto the scene in 2021. Houck pitched in 18 games and started 13 of them but displayed promise, pitching to the tune of a 3.52 ERA and struck out 87 batters while walking just 21 hitters.
At 6’5, 230, he makes for an intimidating presence on the mound. He is known as a strength arm who can run his velocity up into the high 90’s. He features a solid two-seam fastball that has plenty of arm side run and even some sinking action.
It will be interesting to see how he performs in the rotation, because he was labeled as a reliever amongst a number of scouting reports. But Houck has looked solid in the rotation and figures to be a mainstay as long as he remains healthy.
He labored over his first couple of outings in Spring Training, but bounced back with a seven strikeout performance against the Twins to end his Spring.
With high upside potential in regards to strikeouts, Houck could develop into an All-Star caliber arm this season. But as long as he is consistent, he will be a valuable commodity for the Red Sox.
Bobby Barrels: The Year of Bobby Dalbec
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Bobby Dalbec was looked at as a potential star entering the 2020 season. The 6’4 left-handed hitting first baseman featured exceptional power which was destined to play well in Boston.
But Dalbec labored mightily in 2020, despite playing in just 23 games. The main culprit for his struggles stemmed from his swing-and-miss dilemma. The first baseman posted an ugly 42.4 percent strikeout rate over 92 plate appearances. But he also clubbed 8 home runs during that span.
Dalbec took strides forward in 2021. At 26 years old and more experience in the show, Dalbec cut down his strikeout rate to 34.4 percent and hit 25 home runs. He also posted a 48.1 hard hit percentage. Dalbec’s achilles heel has been his inability to draw walks and get on base. His 2021 6.2 walk percentage and .298 OBP simply will not get the job done.
But his promising power and declining strikeout rate were encouraging factors a season ago.
But it is Dalbec’s 2022 Spring Training performance that stands out. Although spring numbers can be deceiving, Dalbec posted an OBP of .385 while hitting .333. If he can get on base at a respectable rate while continuing to blast home runs, Bobby Dalbec might be a star in the making for the Red Sox.
Final Thoughts
The Red Sox will be competitive in 2022. It will be interesting to see if Bobby Dalbec and Tanner Houck can contribute to the cause and help Boston win the AL East.
