We’re in the stretch run of the regular season, and the Boston Red Sox are in playoff position. That’s the good news. That bad news is that Roman Anthony is out for another month (at least), and the American League playoffs promise to be a gauntlet.
If the Red Sox aren’t firing on all cylinders when the postseason starts, they won’t advance. It’s that simple.
We know what to expect from Boston’s superstars like Garrett Crochet and Alex Bregman — and if they don’t deliver, well, there’s no discussion here — but Crochet and Bregman are far from the only guys who will need to be absolutely locked in from here on out.
Here are three guys who can shift the scales in the right direction for Boston this postseason if they excel. On the other hand, the Red Sox are probably doomed if they don’t.
Brayan Bello
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Crochet and Lucas Giolito — barring injury — are going to be excellent in the playoffs; it just feels inevitable.
Bello has had an awesome season overall as Boston’s No. 3, but he’ll need to peak at the right time for this team to advance past a team like the New York Yankees or Detroit Tigers in a series. Boston’s rotation isn’t deep enough beyond Bello for the Red Sox to survive him being bad.
Ceddanne Rafaela
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When Rafaela is hot, he’s really hot, and when he’s cold, he’s Arctic. This guy is incredibly talented and has already shown that he has the clutch gene with a glorious walk-off this season.
Boston needs Rafaela to be a dangerous bat in the playoffs. Opposing pitchers will be at their best, which means that the Red Sox lineup needs to be strong from top to bottom. No one more than Rafaela can ensure that the bottom of Boston’s order is competent.
Greg Weissert/Brennan Bernardino
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Boston needs at least one of these two to be reliable in the playoffs. We know what to expect from Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock. Steven Matz and Justin Slaten should be solid, too. But over the course of a series, the Red Sox bullpen will be tested, and that means all of it.
One of Weissert or Bernardino will be placed in a crucial spot where they have to deliver.