Article: Boston Red Sox 2025 Position Analysis: Right Field

[Nick John]

Wilyer Abreu had an excellent rookie campaign and the team has plenty of outfield depth. But will Abreu remain a platoon player, and if he does, can Rob Refsnyder continue the lefty-mashing brilliance he showed in 2024?

In 2024, right field was a pleasant surprise for the Red Sox, as Wilyer Abreu proved himself to be a more than capable starting outfielder. Entering the season, it was assumed that Abreu would take over the starting right field position following the trade of Alex Verdugo to the New York Yankees. Not necessarily assumed was that Abreu would prove to be more valuable than Verdugo, finishing sixth in Rookie of the Year voting and winning a Gold Glove. His steady play helped solidify the outfield, manning one of the hardest right fields in baseball with relative ease. Abreu is penciled in as the starting right fielder for 2025, and the team looks for him to provide outstanding defense once again while taking a step forward with his bat.

Red Sox Right Fielders at a Glance
Starter: Wilyer Abreu
Backup: Rob Refsnyder
Depth: Blake Sabol, Nate Eaton (NRI), Trayce Thompson (NRI)
Prospects: Roman Anthony, Jhostynxon Garcia, Miguel Bleis
Red Sox RF 2024 fWAR ranking: Six out of 30

The Good
Right away, it’s Wilyer Abreu. Since coming over from the Astros at the deadline in 2022, Abreu has been impressive. He climbed through the minor leagues and made his debut in 2023. Following a good showing in September, the Red Sox felt confident entering 2024 with him as the starting right fielder and he did not disappoint. In his rookie season, Abreu put up 3.1 fWAR while slashing .253/.322/.459 with 15 home runs in 132 games. Abreu has shown he can be a bright part of the future, especially if he continues to improve as he has every year since joining the organization.

Joining him is Mr. Reliable, Rob Refsnyder, who has fulfilled his role with the team every season since joining Boston. Brought in because of his ability to hit left-handed pitching and play all three outfield positions, Refsnyder has slashed .278/.367/.427 with 18 home runs in 239 games in Boston. The ability to hit lefties is crucial, given Abreu's shortcomings (and Boston's lack of trust) in that area, but Refsnyder is also a leader in the clubhouse, providing a veteran voice for an otherwise young roster.

The Red Sox also have an abundance of depth, both on and off the 40-man roster. Blake Sabol was brought in over the offseason, and although he's a catcher, he has experience in the outfield and could play there if needed. Nate Eaton and Trayce Thompson are both interesting depth options who have been playing well in spring training. Both are on minor league deals and will be in Worcester to open the season. Should an injury occur, they would be able to fill in.

The future is even more exciting. Between Roman Anthony, Jhostynxon Garcia, and Miguel Bleis there is a lot of talent waiting to make its way up to Boston. Of course, Anthony is the crown jewel as the consensus top prospect in baseball after playing in Portland and Worcester. Across 119 games he managed to slash .291/.396/.498 with 18 home runs. At 20 years old, Anthony is showing in his first major league spring training that he is ready for Boston, running a 134 wRC+ during his first 10 games.

Miguel Bleis also has interesting potential. Bleis could be one of the biggest boom-or-bust prospects in the system. When he’s healthy and playing well, Bleis looks like he could be one of the top prospects in the system, thanks to plus speed, plus range, and plus raw power while also boasting an above-average arm.

The Bad
Abreu has yet to prove that he can hit left-handed pitching well enough to be a full-time starter. Last season, a strict platoon limited him to 61 at bats against lefties. It may have been for the best, as he batted just .180, but he'll never learn if he doesn't get the chance. Even early in spring training, the team has planned to keep him limited against left-handed pitchers, at least to begin the season.

Health is the next issue. Last season, Abreu missed nearly all of June due to an ankle sprain, while Refsnyder had two stints on the injured list last season. While the team has depth to deal with injuries, whether they can handle a long-term absence is unknown. Thompson and Eaton don’t exactly have a strong track records, as the former has only managed a career .212 batting average and has struck out in nearly a third of his career at bats. Eaton has only amassed 159 at bats with .201 batting average. They're enough to last a couple weeks, but anything longer may lead the Sox to look to promote Roman Anthony to the majors instead. Miguel Bleis has also missed time in 2021, 2022, the majority of 2023, and some time in 2024. On top of that, he struggled during his first time in High-A Greenville, striking out out 54 times in 52 games.

The Bottom Line
As with left field, so long as the Red Sox stay healthy, they’ll be fine. After missing time due to a mysterious gastrointestinal virus, it seems like Abreu will get into game action soon, improving his chances of being ready. The outfield is in good shape right now, as right field is being patrolled by one of the best defensive outfielders for the upcoming season all while having what could be a generational player waiting at Triple A.

 

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[moonslav59]

Good article. I will add that Refsnyder has been mashing lefties for 3 years, not just 2024.

.941 in 126 PAs in 2024

.828 in 145 PAs in '23

1.005 in 73 PAs in '22 (.889 from '22 to '23 was 20th best in MLB w 218+ PAs)

Refsnyder's .910 OPS vs LHPs from '22-'24 is 13th best in MLB, among players with 360+ PAs.

I'm not sure Abreu deserves a chance to try and top that, GG D and all. He has to show he can hit lefties in games where teh starter is removed and facing a lefty, or when Ref is out injured or DH'ing.

Refsnyder HAS TO START vs LHPs! I'd prefer DH, but Devers has that spot. I'd prefer LF, in Fenway, over RF, but I guess they don't want to move Rafeal to RF vs LHPs. So be it.

To me, Abreu will be platooned. Ref will start vs all LHPs, when healthy. He should not be 128th in MLB in PAs vs LHPs since 2022. Granted, he was largely unknown in '22, and he has had some injury issues, but he needs to be in the line-up vs lefties. Our team has sucked vs lefties for way too long.