{"id":668339,"date":"2026-04-07T12:53:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T12:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/668339\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T12:53:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T12:53:19","slug":"the-red-sox-have-been-slow-to-make-changes-and-its-driving-me-insane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/668339\/","title":{"rendered":"The Red Sox have been slow to make changes and it\u2019s driving me insane"},"content":{"rendered":"

I didn\u2019t want to have to be the one to tell you guys this, but the old adage that \u201cthe definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results\u201d isn\u2019t actually true. The Boston Red Sox are doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, though, and it is actually driving me to insanity\u2026<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been trying to decide which individual examples to share with you all, because we could talk about the big picture and how they haven\u2019t addressed the outfield logjam, or how they talk about getting better defensively but don\u2019t do anything to actually get better defensively, or the outright refusal to extend themselves to fill needs through free agency, but there\u2019s plenty to get into when it comes to the on-field product.<\/p>\n

What is with this horrendous approach?<\/p>\n

\"Boston,<\/a><\/p>\n

Boston, MA – April 4: Boston Red Sox second baseman Marcelo Mayer strikes out for the final out of the game. The Red Sox played the San Diego Padres at Fenway Park on April 4, 2026. (Photo by Barry Chin\/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) Boston Globe via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Jarren Duran (41.8%), Willson Contreras (40.8%), Roman Anthony (36.2%), and Trevor Story (34.1%) were among the league leaders in whiff percentage entering Monday\u2019s series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. If that annoys you, you probably won\u2019t be thrilled to learn that Duran (65%) and Anthony (52.6%) were also among the league leaders in out-of-zone whiff percentage \u2013 which means they\u2019re making horrific decisions.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll go out on a limb and say that if the ball isn\u2019t in the strike zone, you shouldn\u2019t be swinging.<\/p>\n

Ceddanne Rafaela (41%), Contreras (29%), Duran (29%), Anthony (28%), Story (25%), Marcelo Mayer (21%), and Carlos Narv\u00e1ez (19%) are all missing the ball on swings inside the zone at an above-average rate, to be fair \u2013 not that it will make you feel any better.<\/p>\n

Boston\u2019s biggest issue at the plate seems to come in the form of the approach.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s amazing how difficult it has been for the lineup to chase the opposing starting pitcher, as they have allowed 8-of-10 to go at least 5.0 innings in 2026. It\u2019s less amazing when you look at the stats against relievers, though, as the element of surprise always seems to throw a wrench in their plans \u2013 leading to an atrocious collective batting average (.181) against relief pitchers entering Monday.<\/p>\n

Do they actually practice?<\/p>\n

\"BOSTON,<\/a><\/p>\n

BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 18: Trevor Story #10 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after committing an error to allow a run to score during the seventh inning against the Athletics at Fenway Park on September 18, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n

0.63 in 2023. 0.71 in 2024. 0.72 in 2025. 1.10 in 2026.<\/p>\n

The Red Sox have consistently finished bottom-five in errors per game, and it\u2019s getting worse!<\/p>\n

Story, after leading the American League in 2025 (19), looks like he\u2019s well on his way to defending that crown in 2026 (3). Rafaela has undoubtedly regressed. Anthony has people wondering whether or not the injury that cut his rookie season short is still bothering him with some of the throws that he\u2019s made.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s indefensible how bad they have been defensively \u2013 pun intended.<\/p>\n

Wait, he\u2019s batting where?<\/p>\n

CF Jarren DuranDH Roman Anthony1B Willson ContrerasRF Wilyer AbreuLF Masataka Yoshida2B Trevor StorySS Marcelo Mayer3B Caleb DurbinC Carlos Narv\u00e1ezLF Roman Anthony1B Willson ContrerasRF Wilyer AbreuDH Masataka Yoshida2B Trevor StorySS Isiah Kiner-Falefa\/Andruw Monasterio3B Caleb DurbinC Carlos Narv\u00e1ez\/Connor WongCF Ceddanne Rafaela<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want to pretend like those are fix-all options, but why not give it a shot?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s probably going to take some roster movement for things to truly change, though, which goes back to what we were saying earlier. The definition of insanity isn\u2019t doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, it\u2019s \u201ca severely disordered state of the mind usually occurring as a specific disorder\u201d \u2013 which is how I feel watching this baseball team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I didn\u2019t want to have to be the one to tell you guys this, but the old adage…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":668340,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2389],"tags":[42,5,139,54,3211,4,1322],"class_list":{"0":"post-668339","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston-astros","8":"tag-astros","9":"tag-baseball","10":"tag-houston","11":"tag-houston-astros","12":"tag-houstonastros","13":"tag-mlb","14":"tag-red-sox-analysis"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116363527433716062","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668339"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668339\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/668340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}