Article: Former Red Sox Top Prospect Bobby Dalbec Designated For Assignment

[Bryce Whitlow]

On Sunday morning, the Red Sox announced they’d designated first baseman Bobby Dalbec for assignment. This is a corresponding move to make room for the recently promoted Richard Fitts on the 40-man roster.

The Red Sox selected Bobby Dalbec in the 4th round of the 2016 MLB draft. He instantly drew attention for his impressive minor league play, batting .386 for the Lowell Spinners in 2016. From there, he’d continue to show an impressive ability to hit for power in the minor leagues. Dalbec was widely considered a top prospect in the Red Sox organization for multiple years. From 2019-2021, he’d peak at #3 on MLB.com’s top 30 Red Sox prospects. 

In the shortened 2020 season, Bobby Dalbec would get his first crack at the big leagues. He’d play in 23 games, hitting .263 with eight homers and an eye-opening .959 OPS. In 2021, Dalbec would have his best season, crushing 25 long balls with a .792 OPS in 133 games. Dalbec’s breakout season prompted the Red Sox to give him the keys to begin the 2022 season as the team’s primary first baseman. Dalbec struggled, batting just .147 during the first month of the season. This led to the Red Sox looking for options elsewhere, initially giving Franchy Cordero time and acquiring Eric Hosmer in August to fill the void. In September, Dalbec was hitting .211 on the season and was subsequently demoted to Triple-A to make room for an up-and-coming Triston Casas. 

In 2023, Dalbec appeared in just 21 games for the Red Sox. When he did play, the on-field results weren’t ideal. He hit .204 with a single home run in 49 at-bats. The emergence of Triston Casas left Dalbec without a lane for consistent MLB playing time. In Triple-A, he shined, slugging 33 home runs in just 114 games for the Woo Sox. Despite his impressive minor-league performance, the results never consistently translated to the majors. 

Somewhat surprisingly, Bobby Dalbec made the Opening Day roster in 2024. He appeared in six games before being demoted to Triple-A. Dalbec would be shuttled back and forth several times from Worcester to Boston, and he'd once again struggle at the MLB level. He managed only one hit in his first 32 at-bats and fanned 18 times. Dalbec’s last appearance for the Red Sox came on June 21st. He went 0-3 with two punch outs. In 37 games this season, he hit .133 with one home run and 8 RBI. 

The news of Dalbec being designated for assignment felt like a reasonable decision from the Red Sox front office. He’s shown flashes of translating his skill set to the MLB, but Triston Casas is the obvious choice for regular reps at first base for the Red Sox. Dalbec does possess some versatility, making appearances at third base and the outfield this season. Unfortunately, for Dalbec, these aren’t necessarily positions of need for the Red Sox. Bobby Dalbec may be a classic quad-A player who crushes minor-league pitching but can’t do the same in MLB, but that remains to be seen. I’m certain that by the time next season rolls around, Dalbec will get a new opportunity to show what he’s capable of with a new organization. Honestly, I’d love to see him thrive somewhere, but it’s clear Boston isn’t where it's meant to be.

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[vegasbob]

Dalbec joins a list of flameouts that have run through the Red Sox system over the past 10-15 years.  All teams have guys who just can't cross the line into MLB  but Bobby D. hung on longer than most.

[Bryce Whitlow]

1 hour ago, vegasbob said:

Dalbec joins a list of flameouts that have run through the Red Sox system over the past 10-15 years.  All teams have guys who just can't cross the line into MLB  but Bobby D. hung on longer than most.

Do you remember Lars Anderson? 

[Bellhorn04]

To me Dalbec is one of those guys who demonstrates how tough MLB pitching is.  Here's a guy who's been able to consistently mash in AAA (albeit with high K rates), and who did have some early success against MLB pitchers.  But they figured him out, apparently.

He seems like a good guy, have never heard any words of complaint or frustration or anything.  I hope the rest of his baseball life is a good one, whatever or wherever it is.

[moonslav59]

It took 545 PAs for MLB pitchers to figure out how to get him out. That's a pretty long time.

Bobby Dee could never adjust to their adjustment and hit .599 after those first two seasons of .891 batting.