To say Red Sox 2014 season has been horrible is a gross understatement. Bad decisions and good ones that didn't work out are both to blame for the hideous hangover season that transformed the Sox from a run-producing machine to a lethargic opportunity-wasting bunch of hopeless hackers. That being said, one of the leaden clouds over this year's team (but certainly not the only one!) has been removed in the DFA-ing of AJ Pierzynski. Replacing the free-swinging, abrasively opinionated veteran backstop is young defensive whiz Christian Vazquez, who was promoted from Pawtucket in time for Wednesday night's walk-off win. Vazquez has impressed so far not only with the glove, as was to be expected, but with the bat as well. Granted, the sample size is minuscule and the competition is either not much better than (White Sox) or worse than (Astros) the Red Sox, but having a guy who can control the opponents' running game is an upgrade even if the offensive spark does not last.
The jettisoning of Pierzynski is a sign that the front office is committed to using 2014 as a proving ground for promising prospects since they are an extreme longshot for contention this year. If they can unload Peavy, who has actually pitched fairly well of late, if lacking in run support to improve his record, they will clear a rotation spot for Rubby De La Rosa or one of the other talented arms biding their time in AAA.
As far as the youngsters currently on the team are concerned, Jackie Bradley, Jr, in particular, is finally starting to put it together at the plate. His Gold-Glove caliber defense in center field has allowed him some time to work on getting his bat up to speed and the results are starting to show. Mookie Betts has seen his hot streak cool down significantly since getting called up to the bigs, but he looks like he's making the necessary adjustments and his speed is something that has been sorely lacking in the Sox lineup since Ells departed for The Dark Side. Xander Bogaerts is slowly, but surely coming out of his deep slump. Brock Holt is still abusing baseballs with not a hair out of place and has played every position but pitcher and catcher.
On the pitching side of things, Brandon Workman has hit a bump in the road since returning from his controversial suspension. He is winless since then and has seen his ERA balloon to 4.13. Rubby De La Rosa struggled a bit in Pawtucket upon being demoted in a roster crunch last month and came up last Wednesday with a so-so outing (5 IP, 3 R). Though not a rookie by any stretch, Clay Buchholz has appreciably improved since coming off the DL. He helped the Sox take an easy 11-0 win over the Astros by pitching a complete-game shutout.
Since Pierzynski was DFA'ed, the Red Sox are 4-1 with two walk-off wins. Granted, the stretch was against the White Sox and the Astros, not the A's and Tigers, but with the depths the Sox had sunk to so far in '14 (ahem, being swept by the Cubs), I'll take that 4-1 stretch no matter who the opponent. The improvements the rookies (among others) have made will, in all likelihood, not get them anywhere close to undoing the damage done to the season so far. However, if they can pick up where they left off once the All-Star Break ends, at least they will be a more fun team to watch.
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