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The Red Sox run prevention strategy just might pay off
TL;DR
The Boston Red Sox are showing significant improvement in their defensive performance, currently ranking high in Defensive Runs Saved. With key players potentially returning to health, their run prevention strategy may yield positive results this season.
Key points
- Red Sox ranking high in Defensive Runs Saved
- Key players returning could boost defense
- Roman Anthony showing significant defensive improvement
- Team previously struggled with errors in past seasons
Boston Red SoxDetroit Tigers
- The Red Sox leading the American League in errors during each of the last three seasons before 2026.
- The Red Sox starting off 2026 with the most errors in the AL again over the first couple of weeks (before really cleaning it up of late).
- The teamâs dreadful 9-17 record over the first 26 games overshadowing any finer details.
- Roman Anthony getting the yips for the first few series of the year and having a few bad throws go viral.
- Caleb Durbinâs ice cold bat out of the gate obscuring the fact that this dude can really play some defense. Understandably, the vibes werenât great. But now weâre a week into May, and with the dust settling, the metrics under the hood donât just look good, they look really, really good. So good in fact that if the Red Sox can get the top of this rotation healthy with , and in the coming weeks, their whole run prevention philosophy just might pay dividends. Letâs take a more detailed look at what these Defensive Runs Saved figures look like for the ten Red Sox players with the most defensive innings logged so far in 2026 (going into Wednesday nightâs game): Several things jump out here, so letâs take a quick trip around the diamond and understand how the Red Sox might be this good defensively. First up (and most complex), Roman Anthony â because against all odds, I think the yips or whatever was going on with his throws earlier in the year are actually working to his advantage now. (God I love baseball!) His problem isnât arm strength (), his issue was either mechanical or in his head, leading to a handful of throws . However, Romanâs good throws are actually really good. So youâre left with a situation where teams saw the few horrendous throws earlier in the year and wanted to pick on him. But what theyâve actually done in the process is give him more opportunities to throw guys outs, and heâs taken advantage of that, with two assists in one series against the Blue Jays last week. You want a guy thatâs impossible to scout against? I give you a left fielder who throws a 35 foot worm burner one week and then nails you from 200 feet away the next. At the same time, Anthony also makes tremendous reads on the ball off the bat and takes very efficient routes when tracking down fly balls. So even though heâs not the fastest guy in the world and doesnât make many flashy highlight plays with the leather, he gets to way more balls than youâd otherwise think at first glace. You know how heâs really good at reading a ball out of a pitcherâs hand and therefore knows how to work a bunch of walks at the plate? Well, thatâs his superpower all over the diamond. His initial reads are so good that in just 65 career starts in the outfield over both the 2025 and 2026 seasons (37 in right and 35 in left) heâs already racked up a +13 Defensive Runs Saved total. Is the metric overrating his defense some? Almost certainly yes! But when it comes to the question of whether heâs an above average defensive outfielder, it almost doesnât matter because anybody who lands this far on the positive side of the spectrum in so few games is good. Itâs just a matter of how good when all the details fill in over time. This is a big part of the reason . Anthonyâs career ceiling is so much higher as an above average defensive outfield as opposed to getting pinned to DH. Then we have . In his case, we can just go straight to the video for from last night. This is a prime example of how the Red Sox run prevention strategy can totally alter a game. They ended up pitching a shutout, but if this ball falls in, itâs at least 2-0 and probably 3-0 Detroit in just the second inning. Great DRS numbers are one thing, but when you see it in practice, working to propel the team to wins on the field, itâs something to get extremely excited about. Abreu is getting it done. Elsewhere, Caleb Durbinâs been fantastic defensively, and the more you see him work his glove magic, the more you realize itâs not a fluke. In fact, the biggest threat to losing his defense is his bat potentially being so terrible you just canât afford to keep him in the lineup every day. However, heâs started to hit a tad more lately, and if thatâs a sign of things to come, it again bodes well for the Red Sox defense long-term. On the other infield corner, you have , who has been as good as the Red Sox could have hoped for at the position. Even if heâs not going to be this good going forward, the former catcher again has enough innings at first base now to know youâre at least going to get some brand of plus defense here as well. Then from there, you have what I think might be the most exciting part of the calculus. and havenât even hit their defensive strides yet. We know how good Rafaela can be in center, and he hasnât shown that yet in 2026. Mayer meanwhile can play anywhere in the infield and make it look smooth as butter. While his 2026 numbers donât jump out in limited innings at second base yet, Iâm confident that heâll not only improve there, but that heâs also capable to taking the reigns from at shortstop at some point. If that happens, you then also potentially improve Trevor Storyâs defense with a move to second base, where he was excellent in 2022. In other words, so much of the momentum driving the Red Sox production in the Defensive Runs Saved department has been on the corners (Durbin, Contreras, Anthony and Abreu), but between Rafaela in center and a swap between Mayer and Story that feels like it needs to come at some point this season, the Red Sox can actually unlock a whole additional level of defense right up the middle of the diamond they havenât really displayed yet. Their defense isnât just good; it has the chance to be above average everywhere. And the deeper we get into the season, the more this is going to matter as game-saving defensive plays are often contagious. If whatâs going on under the hood is remotely real, itâs only a matter of time before the Red Sox start stealing a bunch of games with their gloves.
Q&A
What is the current ranking of the Boston Red Sox in Defensive Runs Saved?
The Boston Red Sox are near the top of the teams leaderboard in Defensive Runs Saved.
Who are the key players returning to the Red Sox that could impact their defense?
Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suarez, and Sonny Gray are key players whose return could enhance the Red Sox's defensive performance.
How has Roman Anthony's performance affected the Red Sox's defense?
Despite early struggles, Roman Anthony has improved significantly, contributing positively to the Red Sox's defensive metrics with a +13 Defensive Runs Saved total.
What challenges did the Red Sox face in their defense prior to 2026?
The Red Sox led the American League in errors for the past three seasons and started 2026 with the most errors in the AL before improving their performance.
