End of Season Red Sox Grades: Outfield

According to FanGraphs, the Red Sox outfield put up 13.1 WAR in 2024, making it the second-best outfield in baseball, behind only the Yankees. The well-rounded Boston outfield ranked third in offensive value and second in defensive value. Here is how I graded each of the outfielders on their 2024 campaign. 

Wilyer Abreu
Abreu put up a solid first MLB season and will certainly get Rookie of the Year votes. He played in 129 games and put up a .253 batting average, a 114 wRC+, and 3.1 fWAR. Like many young players, Alex Cora protected him against left-handed starters, making him essentially a platoon bat through his rookie season. Abreu suffered a freak injury back in June when he slipped on the dugout steps and twisted his ankle, keeping him sidelined for about two and a half weeks.

Abreu has some real swing-and-miss issues, which left him with a contact rate in the 14th percentile and a strikeout rate in the 20th percentile. The biggest upside of Abreu’s offensive game is power. His 50.4% hard-hit rate is borderline-elite. When he makes contact, it’s gonna be hard contact, and he cranked 15 homers and 33 doubles this season. Abreu was an excellent right fielder with incredible arm strength. Both Statcast (9 FRV) and Sports Info Solutions (18 DRS) rated him as the best right fielder in baseball this season, which is all the more impressive when you consider the quirky dimensions he had to deal with in Fenway Park. All in all, Abreu earned a B on the season.

Jarren Duran 
All-Star Game MVP, Hank Aaron Award Finalist, Red Sox Heart and Hustle Award winner, team-leader in hits, average, doubles, triples, and WAR. There is no denying that Duran had a historic 2024 season, becoming a superstar right before our eyes. He was set to play all 162 games, but finished with 160, thanks to a two-game suspension for using a homophobic slur. In his time on the field, Duran was an elite defender in both center (9 FRV, 17 DRS) and left (3 FRV, 6 DRS). He made several spectacular catches, robbed a few homers, and even saved a few games out there. Duran was also phenomenal at the plate this season. He slashed .285/.342/.492 for a wRC+ of 128 and finished the season with 191 hits and 79 extra-base hits. On top of that, he stole 34 bags (including two steals of home). Duran’s impact on the team this season was second to none. Duran had an A-grade season.  

Tyler O’Neill 
O’Neill struggled to stay on the field thanks to several injuries: a concussion from a collision with Rafael Devers, knee injuries, a stomach bug, a leg infection, and then a finger injury. However, when he was in the lineup, he provided a good amount of right-handed power, popping 31 homers. Despite striking out more than a third of the time, his 11.2% walk rate was excellent, and he finished the season with a 131 wRC+. O'Neill once graded out as an excellent defender, but that version of him now a few years and several injuries in the past. He graded out below average in both left and right. All things considered, O’Neill was a fine player and served his purpose, earning a B- on the season. 

Rob Refsnyder
This season, Refsnyder has been everything that the team needed him to be. He was good off the bench as a lefty-killer in pinch-hit situations, and he served as a veteran leader in the clubhouse. He set career highs in games played, hits, homers, and RBIs. Coming off a 2023 season in which he hit just one home run, Refsnyder hit an impressive 11 balls out this year. He was also very good in high-leverage situations, batting an impressive .389 according to FanGraphs. He was expected to contribute acceptable defense, and he did just that, grading out as a bit below average according to the defensive metrics. Refsnyder has more than done his job, earning a B for 2024. 

Masataka Yoshida 
Although he hasn’t played the field all season (outside of one inning late in the game in an early-season emergency), Yoshida is still technically an outfielder. This was not his best year by any stretch. Between injuries and just not playing every day, it seemed as though Yoshida just couldn't get his feet under him. His 115 wRC+ was above the MLB average for designated hitters of 108, but it came while skipping lefties for much of the season. Yoshida had a serviceable 15 home runs this season, 21 doubles, and a solid .280 batting average. His refusal to whiff allowed him to strike out just 12.4% of the time, but he also ran a below-average hard-hit rate, which is not ideal for a designated hitter. When he did make hard contact, it was often a weak ground ball to the left side. Aside from a major game-tying home run off of Clay Holmes in Yankee Stadium back in early July, nothing really stuck out for Yoshida this season. With his limited playing time and limited production on the field, it’s tough to say that Yoshida was much more than a serviceable platoon DH. Yoshida earns a C on the season. 

Recap: 

Abreu: B

Duran: A 

O’Neill: B- 

Refsnyder: B

Yoshida: C