The Boston Red Sox surprised a ton of folks with their 2021 season.
Many MLB fans didn’t expect the team to make the playoffs.
Not only did the Red Sox do that, but they took things a step further by cracking the ALCS.
Ultimately, Boston’s title hopes were squashed at the hands of the Houston Astros, but it was still a special year for the Red Sox.
They’re hoping to return as contenders in 2022.
On paper, it seems like they’re going to have a solid chance at doing so, but their chances would get even better if a few players were to have bounce-back seasons for the club.
Here are a few guys who might be able to do just that.
3. Chris Sale
Chris Sale made nine starts in the 2021 regular season after returning from Tommy John surgery, then he made three more appearances in the playoffs.
He did pitch to a 3.16 ERA in the regular season, but many of those starts came against weak opponents, and he struggled at certain points.
Then in the playoffs, he was probably a net negative, as he gave up 10 runs over 9.0 innings of work.
All things considered, there’s a lot of room for him to improve in 2022.
We all know what this guy is capable of — when he’s at his best, he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball.
🚨 Chris Sale immaculate inning 🚨 pic.twitter.com/nXPmtASVzg
— MLB (@MLB) August 27, 2021
The hope is that he’ll return to his elite form in the near future.
2. Matt Barnes
Matt Barnes was an All-Star in 2021, but that would be a misleading sentence in a vacuum.
The righty had an All-Star-caliber first half, but the same can’t be said about the second half of his season.
After looking like one of the best relievers in baseball for several months, he imploded down the stretch.
He pitched to a 10.13 ERA, 7.86 FIP, and 1.110 opponent OPS over his final 16 relief appearances.
His struggles got so bad that the Red Sox ended up leaving him off of their ALCS roster.
The Red Sox need Barnes to return to form in 2022.
Chaim Bloom, Boston’s Chief Baseball Officer, has faith that the 31-year-old will figure things out.
“Just knowing who he is and getting to know him a lot better over the course of the last two years and looking at the totality of his track record, including the entirety of this year, he’s still up there as one of the best and most reliable relievers in the game, so I’m not worried about him long term at all,” Bloom said during Boston’s 2021 playoff run. “Obviously, would we love for him to be dominating on a nightly basis like he did in the first half? Of course, but big picture, I still feel the same way about him as I did a couple months ago.”
Maybe it’s unrealistic to think that Barnes is going to be an All-Star-caliber arm in 2022, but it seems like a sure thing that he’ll show massive signs of improvement compared to the way he finished the 2021 season.
He has shown plenty of times throughout his career that he’s capable of being a reliable bullpen arm.
He’s a clear bounce-back candidate.
1. Jackie Bradley Jr.
Jackie Bradley Jr. is back with the Red Sox after spending the 2021 season with the Milwaukee Brewers.
The two clubs completed a blockbuster deal shortly before the lockout went into effect, sending Bradley to Boston and Hunter Renfroe to Milwaukee.
Jackie Bradley Jr. is headed back to the Boston Red Sox in the deal for Hunter Renfroe.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 2, 2021
Bradley had a miserable 2021 season with the Brewers, and he’s a prime bounce-back candidate because he has literally nowhere to go but up.
In the 2021 season, Bradley batted .163 with an OPS of .497 and OPS+ of 34.
He homered just six times in 134 games and finished the season with an offensive bWAR of -1.9.
In other words, he cost the Brewers about two wins with his lackluster offense.
Defensively, he added a lot of value, which has never been an issue for him.
He totaled 12 Defensive Runs Saved and posted a defensive bWAR of 1.3.
Bradley has always been an elite defender, but his struggles at the plate sometimes outweigh the impact he makes with his globe.
WHAT A PLAY JBJ!
Jackie Bradley Jr. saves the game.pic.twitter.com/bbuRiOJ5I7
— Sporting News MLB (@sn_mlb) May 9, 2019
Going forward, that will be (and always has been) the key for him — to be serviceable enough at the plate to a point where he’s a net positive after factoring in his defense.
We’ve seen some really solid offensive seasons from Bradley in the past, like his 2016 campaign (.835 OPS), for instance.
Time will tell if he can turn things around.
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