Here’s my awards, “The Davies”, for the first half of the 2023 Red Sox season:
MVP: Masataka Yoshida
It was tough to pick a MVP from this group, with so many average guys on the roster the clubhouse is like a frat party at Fitchburg State. Yoshida has a high average and OPS compared to his teammates. He doesn’t strike out much and has average speed and power.
CY Young: Chris Martin
If I was giving out grades for the first half, he might be the only one with an “A”. With a WHIP less than one and an ERA about one and a half, Jansen’s set-up man is better than Jansen.
Rookie of the Year: Masataka Yoshida
If he’s the MVP then he’s the ROY. Let’s use this time to discuss his nickname. The NESN announcers call him Masa. Isn’t that the stuff they use too make taco shells? Those shells break so easily shouldn’t “Masa” be Chris Sale’s nickname? We can do better.
The Bobby Dalbec Award (Flashes of brilliance followed by huge piles of suck): Tristan Casas
Talk about frustrating - this guy can’t hit then rakes for a few days, does some yoga, paints his nails, sucks for a while longer then looks like someone thawed out Ted Williams to be his hitting coach. Unfortunately, he’s sucked more than shined so far.
The Chris Sale Award (Most Time Injured): Chris Sale
The Neil Maskalenko Worst Beard Award: Alex Verdugo
Dugie’s been growing that beard for years and unfortunately it looks like glued-on clippings from Justin Turner’s last manscaping session.
The Matt Barnes Award (Most likely to implode after a great first half): Chris Martin
HIs stats throughout his career are way closer to average than dominant. He may regress back to his average, like most of us after we got married.
Thanks for reading this before I die!
David Scott is a husband, father, retired police chief and current cancer patient. He has loved the Red Sox since he was a child, even after the 1986 World Series. He loves all things Boston sports, and misses Marcus Smart. #EnoughoftheFluff
Comments