Rebuilt outfield gives Red Sox lots of options, questions

To say that the Red Sox outfielders underperformed last season would be a kind understatement. A more apt description would be abysmal.

In 2014, 16 Red Sox outfielders combined to hit just .249 with a .313 on-base percent

age and .356 slugging percentage. They hit just 26 home runs – combined. Eighteen major league players hit more home runs individually than Sox outfielders did collectively, including teammate David Ortiz, who hit 35. Their 33 combined stolen bases were fewer than eight players swiped individually.

Defensively, Sox outfielders were better, if marginally. Their .985 fielding percentage was seventh-best in the majors. But their defensive efficiency ratio (DER, which measures the overall effectiveness of a team’s fielding defense) was .687, better than just 10 other teams, while their fielding percentages were below league averages at each position.

Their Opening Day outfield consisted of Daniel Nava in right field, Grady Sizemore in center and Mike Carp in left. Nava struggled early and was sent to Triple-A Pawtucket on April 22 dragging a .149/.240/.269 slash line with him. After he was recalled for the second time, on June 2, he hit much better, going .308/.379/.395. Sizemore -- who might have been the most optimistic acquisition by the Sox in recent memory, after being out of baseball for more than two years because of injuries -- was designated for assignment on June 17. He hit .216/.288/.324 in 52 games. Carp, after missing 33 games with a fracture in his right foot, was DFA’ed on Aug. 1. In 42 games he hit .198/.320/.279.

But it was Jackie Bradley, Jr., who caused the most consternation for the team. One of the Sox most highly regarded and highly hyped prospects in quite some time, Bradley, the Sox first-round (40th overall) pick in 2011, hit just .198/.265/.266 in 127 games. He had more plate appearances, 423, than any other outfielder and more than all but five teammates. Why he was allowed to record that many plate appearances with no progress was never fully understood. There were reports from many inside the clubhouse that Bradley was averse to coaching or advice. Just as curiously, Bradley, who will be 25 in April, stayed with the major league team all season, until he was finally sent back to Pawtucket on Aug. 18. Despite hitting just .212/.246/.273 for the PawSox, he was recalled on Sept. 5. While that move also appears to be a head-scratcher, perhaps the answer is fairly simple: The timing allowed the Sox to preserve one of Bradley’s options.

But, now, perhaps all those issues are behind them. Rebuilding their outfield was a major point of focus in the offseason. The Red Sox currently have seven outfielders – Bradley, Bryce Brentz, Rusney Castillo, Allen Craig, Nava, Hanley Ramirez, and Shane Victorino – listed on their roster, and that number doesn’t even include Mookie Betts or Brock Holt, who are listed with the infielders.

But, actually, the rebuilding project began last season.

Betts started the season in Double A, was promoted to Triple A on June 3, and made his major league debut in Yankee Stadium on June 29, going 1-for-3 with a walk, playing right field. Betts, who turned 22 in October, was a fifth-round pick in 2011. He had never played any position other than second base or shortstop professionally before last season. In 52 games with the Red Sox, he hit .291/.368/.444, playing second base, center field and right field. He is expected to be the Red Sox starting right fielder on Opening Day and is the leading candidate to be the leadoff hitter – if he traded for an ace before then.

The Sox acquired Rusney Castillo in August, signing him to a seven-year, $72.5 million deal. He appeared in 11 minor league games before making his big league debut on Sept. 17. In 10 games for the Sox last season, he hit .333 with a .928 OPS, hitting safely in nine of those 10 games. Castillo, who turned 27 in September, had not played in about 18 months before joining the Sox. To make up for the lost time he played eight games in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .278/.333/.361, before a bruised thumb curtailed his stint there. He supplemented that with 10 games in the Puerto Rican League, hitting .405/.415/.541 in 37 at-bats. He played one game in right field and seven in center, serving as the designated hitter for two. Castillo is expected to be the Sox Opening Day center fielder.

In November the Sox signed free agent Hanley Ramirez to a four-year, $88 million contract. Since the Red Sox originally signed Ramirez in 2000 as a 16-year-old free agent out of the Dominican Republic, he has played shortstop, second base and third base as a professional, only shortstop and third base in the major leagues. He did, however, play outfield during Instructional League and in winter ball. Now, as a 31-year-old veteran of 10 seasons, the Sox expect him to be their Opening Day left fielder.

“There’s no doubt, from our conversations, that he’ll work to be a good left fielder,” said general manager Ben Cherington. “It won’t be perfect right away, but he’s a great athlete and he’ll make it work.”

Ramirez began working on his outfield skills in the offseason.

"I've been working on balls [hit] over my head and [moving] side to side and hitting the cut-off man,'' Ramirez said. “I think if I put in all the work in that I need to put to get better, it's not going to be that hard.

But now the Sox have to figure out what to do with the rest of their outfielders. Bradley should open the season in the minor leagues, along with Brentz, a 2010 first-round (36th overall) pick who made his big league debut last season but has yet to live up to that potential. And Holt, a left-handed hitter on a predominantly right-handed roster, could resume his super-utility role. The switch-hitting Nava is out of options, but has shown his versatility and could be valuable off the bench. If shortstop Xander Bogaerts is struggling at the plate, would the Sox send him to Pawtucket and play Ramirez at short for the very short term? That could allow Bogaerts to get going and help clear up the logjam in the outfield.

But that still leaves the major questions of what to do with Victorino and Craig.

Limited by injuries last season Victorino, 34, appeared in just 30 games, batting .268/.303/.382 with two stolen bases. But, he was the spark plug on the Sox 2013 World Series team, when he hit .294/.351/.451 with 21 stolen bases in 122 games, and has been for much of his 11-season career.

But what can the Sox expect from him? The full answer to that won’t be known until Victorino can get back into daily baseball activity.

“All things are pointing to him being baseball ready once camp opens up,” manager John Farrell said. “He’s been very active in letting me know how good he feels, which a great thing is. And the one thing that we’ll have to be very candid with one another is how is he rebounding from the daily activity. And we’ll have to listen to his body and how he responds to that. But a healthy Shane Victorino is nothing but a strong positive for us.”

Perhaps something of a modified utility role, playing center and right several times a week, would benefit Victorino?

“Again, that’s going to be dependent upon what his capabilities are from a physical standpoint," Farrell said. “We’re a better team if he's on the field every day as was the case in 2013. That’s not to take anything away from anyone else on our roster. But he’s doing everything that he can right now to be a player in that capacity.”

And what of Craig, who was acquired at the trade deadline (with right-hander Joe Kelly) from the Cardinals. In four seasons with St. Louis, Craig, who can also play first base, hit .291/.343/.460. But an ankle injury at the end of the 2013 season was still bothering him last season, and he hit just .128/.234/.191 in 29 games for the Sox.

Can he regain his prior form? And how do the Sox get him the at-bats to find out?

“Allen can play first in addition to the two corner spots in the outfield,” Cherington said. “I think we’re focused on a short term with Allen right now. And by that I mean let’s get him into spring training, get him every at-bat he needs and give him a chance to get back into an offensive routine, get back into doing the things that he’s capable of doing. It’s one of those things that we’ll be able to figure out…We know if he’s doing what he’s capable of doing, he’s playing every day.”

It could be a challenging situation to find playing time for all of them. Perhaps one or more of them will be packaged in a trade. Perhaps some will take themselves out of the running because of health or performance.

“The Sox have plenty of numbers with their outfielders,” said one major league scout. “But bounce-back years in Victorino, Craig, and Bradley have to be part of the equation when determining their potential, along with Castillo's first full year in the major leagues.

“Betts is the one guy I have no questions about.”

“They have a lot of bodies and possibilities, which give them some flexibility,” said another major league scout. “They will need all of spring training to figure it out. They have some big question marks: Ramirez and assuming that he can play left field; an unknown quantity in Castillo; Betts is still unproven; the

health of Craig and Victorino.

“It’s likely Bradley goes to Triple A, where he belonged last year. Nava is a good extra and versatile, but he’s out of options. Holt also is capable anywhere, and showed his value and versatility last year. They have flexibility being able to send Betts, Castillo and Bradley to minors on option.”

Cherington prefers the wait-and-see approach – for now.

“We’ll see where we are at the end of spring training,” he said. “I’d rather have more options than not enough. We think we have some good options. It’ll be a good thing for us, too, if all of those guys are healthy and performing. That’ll be a good position to be in and allow us to maybe have some tough decisions but some good decisions.”

Maureen Mullen can be reached at mmullen@itemlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MaureenAMullen.