I thought I’d give all you diehards out there a little treat after an off day to get you amped for the upcoming series against the Yankees. That’s right, it’s a player-by-player breakdown of the infielders on a 47-win team! Boy, are you lucky.

The plan, going into 2015, was to have an offense-first 1st baseman (Mike Napoli), a four-time Gold Glove winner and career .300 hitter at 2nd base (Dustin Pedroia), a free-swinging, pretty-good-defensively 3rd baseman (Pablo Sandoval), and an unproven but clearly talented commodity at shortstop (Xander Bogaerts) playing on the dirt. Of course, this hasn’t gone entirely according to the script. Pedroia’s been held back by nagging injuries (he’s currently on the DL), Sandoval’s continued his offensive regression and started a defensive one, Napoli’s having the worst offensive season of his career by a country mile, and Xander – well, Xander’s been great, actually. But, obviously, it hasn’t been enough. Oh, and there’s also an All-Star by the name of Brock Holt who’s been hanging around.

Mike Napoli

On April 5: Despite amassing 500 plate appearances, Nap was never fully healthy in 2014, battling a slew of injuries that kept him from performing at a high level. Combine that with the fact that the dude hadn’t dreamt in EIGHT YEARS due to his sleep apnea, and it’s no surprise that he had his lowest OPS since 2010 (.789) and a career low slugging percentage (.419). Thanks to a few surgeries, Napoli finally looks to be healthy entering the season. He’s dreaming with regularity, has ten straight fingers, and is lifting weights without feeling like he wants to die afterwards. He slugged 6 homers this spring, and I expect him to continue to rake once the season starts. – Righty

On August 3: I think it’s safe to say that dreams haven’t helped Napoli’s performance. I’d hazard a guess that he’s had nothing but nightmares since his apnea was cured. Yeah, last year’s slugging percentage was a career low at .419, but he’s sitting at a robust .386 in 2015. Decent, if not excellent months in May and July are framed by putrid offensive stretches in April and June. When he leads off an inning, he’s 6 for 64 on the season. Napoli’s struck out 30 times to end an inning and gone down immediately to fiddle with his shoes or his shin guard or whatever it is. There’s no nice way to talk around it. He’s been a complete black hole in the lineup.

And yet, even though he’s spent the entirety of 2015 dancing under and over the Mendoza line, he’s still played in 95 games as John Farrell has let him attempt to work himself out of the slump. It hasn’t worked. On the defensive side, Napoli leads the American League in both Total Zone Runs at 1B (good) and errors (bad). The Sox weren’t able to move him at the deadline for anything. His contract, which he certainly didn’t live up to ($32 million over two years) expires at the end of the year, and it would be a surprise to see him return.

Dustin Pedroia

On April 5: Pedey might quietly be one of the keys to the Red Sox 2015 campaign (the rotation obviously being the other). Similar to Napoli, Pedroia was bothered by a nagging injury last year (wrist) that had given him problems in the past, and required off-season surgery to fix. 2014 saw Dustin post career lows in almost every major offensive category. The wrist sapped his power and really hampered his ability to turn on inside pitches and keep them fair (the ones he did turn on, he hooked foul). If he can return to form and hold down the 2-hole, this Sox lineup will be downright scary. He’s been talking shit to Shaughnessy (and anyone else who will listen) about how great he’s going to be this year. Good sign. And of course, Pedey will play Gold Glove defense, sacrifice his body, and make you say “wow” almost nightly. – Righty

On August 3: If Pedroia was to be one of the keys to the Red Sox’ season, it’s no surprise that he’s been hurt, because this team stinks. When he’s been available, he’s been performing well on defense and hitting about as well as he did in 2013. He’s stopped running almost entirely, but he’s 31 now and has been caught as many times as he’s been successful from 2014-2015. His home/away splits are glaring: he’s hitting .361/.421/.519 at Fenway and .229/.288/.353 on the road. And as he goes, so goes the team. In wins: .369/.423/.500. In losses: .232/.296/.376. But anyway you splice it or split it, it’s just been a depressing year. Make me feel better Dustin.

Thanks. That helped.

Pablo Sandoval

On April 5: Everyone knows the story here. His OPS has fallen for three straight years, but he still brings the noise in the playoffs, having won a WS ring in two of those three years of decline. Sox are hoping for a return to form offensively (seems like we’ve found a common theme amongst these infielders) for the big man who’s a surprisingly good defender at the hot corner. Cherington is hoping the next 2-3 years of production justify the money guaranteed to a hefty man seemingly already in decline. The Kung Fu Panda is sure to be a fan favorite, so be prepared to bear (get it?) with lots of kids wearing panda hats. I’m sure John Henry has some promotion in mind featuring the Fenway green paint and bamboo. Or something, I don’t know, I’m not Jackie Moon, you come up with something better. – Righty

On August 3: Well, Sandoval’s OPS has continued to fall in 2015. It’s at a measly .683, which is lower than Mike Napoli’s (.692), who’s batting .207. TWO OH SEVEN. In terms of WAR, he’s the worst regular hitter on the team, and he’s only performing marginally better than Rick Porcello and Joe Kelly. So that should give you some idea of what we’re dealing with here.

The free swinging thing isn’t just infuriating to watch, it’s been a statistically bad approach. If he makes contact on that first pitch he sees, great, he’s hitting .347 and slugging .612. But if he doesn’t, in 184 plate appearances after he’s down 0-1, he’s slashing a terrible .219/.239/.264. Whereas if he takes a ball, he’s hitting .286/.375/.455 in 128 plate appearances. Sure, Sandoval has been good when he makes contact on the first pitch. But the advantage gained isn’t worth the disadvantage he’s at when he’s down 0-1. Situations after the count is at 1-1 aren’t much better (.223/.254/.286 in 112 plate appearances). Unfortunately, leopards (pandas?) don’t usually change their spots on stuff like this. And the Red Sox are tied up in a bad contract for this Panda’s services ($72.4 million over the next four years).

Xander Bogaerts

On April 5: After being a vital piece of the Sox 2013 playoff and World Series run, it was a rough 2014 campaign for the X-man. He showed flashes of brilliance, especially towards the end of the season (encouraging), but overall he posted meager offensive numbers while playing subpar defense. Not a winning combination, especially given the importance of his position to the team’s overall defense. HOWEVER. Given the strength of the starting 9, Xander should slot in around #7 in the order, taking a lot of pressure off his shoulders. Something would have to go terribly wrong for Bogaerts to not post significantly better offensive numbers. More cause for optimism: he’s still just 22, and reports out of the Fort cite Xander’s improved first step, range, and overall defensive instincts. This should make the Red Sox groundball-happy pitching staff smile. – Righty

On August 3: 11th-best batting average in baseball at .319. He’s tied for the AL lead in singles, with 95. 7th in MLB with 123 hits. And all this while Farrell wasted him in the 6, 7, and 8 spots in the lineup for 53 games. Since moving to the 3-spot, he’s hitting .347/.359/.419. He still doesn’t walk, and he doesn’t hit home runs, but this is one guy whose approach I wouldn’t want to mess with right now. And, of course, he’s gotten a well-deserved reputation for hitting with runners in scoring position, slashing .391/.391/.529 with men on 2nd or 3rd (with 6 doubles and 3 triples).

Defensively, he’s come a long way from a year ago, when he was 2nd in the AL with 20 errors. He’s 3rd in range factor per game (putouts + assists / games played) among AL shortstops, and 3rd in fielding percentage as well. He looks miles more confident, and he’s been an absolute rock up the middle with Pedroia missing significant time.

Brock Holt

On April 5: Everyone’s favorite Matt Damon lookalike. The consummate professional (utility) player. A sparkplug. A dynamo. Did you know he finished 8th in Rookie of the Year voting last year?? Probably not, but you do now! It’s natural to expect a regression from the Brock Star, as he showed signs of slowing down even before his injury in September. Inconsistent playing time and competing for at-bats with not only the Sox’ starters, but also their stacked bench, will make it difficult for him to duplicate last year’s early-season success. But a trade of Craig/Nava/Victorino could help him get more consistent reps. I don’t see the Sox moving their most versatile bench player. – Righty

On August 3: If you claim to have thought that Brock Holt was going to be an All-Star in 2015, I’m sorry, but you’re a liar. Even if you thought he’d have enough production, he had to compete with too many other bats on this team. But Allen Craig was (okay, predictably) terrible, Daniel Nava was (less predictably, but equally) terrible, and Shane Victorino got hurt twice, only playing 33 games for Boston before being traded to the Angels before the deadline. So Brock got his share of outfield run in the early going, and allowed Farrell to give literally anyone a day off in the infield. And Pedroia’s only played 6 games since June 24, so Holt’s slotted in at second base since then.

Games by position: 33 at 2B, 16 in RF, 14 at 3B (when Sandoval hit the DL), 8 in LF, 7 at 1B, 7 at SS, 2 in CF. The guy is incredible. He’s hitting .284, has walked 33 times, and has 23 extra base hits on the year. Brock’s problem is a habit of fading as the season progresses. He’s only hit 2 doubles (and no triples or HRs) since the end of June, and his career OPS averages in July (.672), August (.546), and September (.628) aren’t impressive. He needs to break out of that pattern this year to change the story.

Josh Rutledge

On April 5: In Anaheim.

On August 3: Rutledge is the return the Sox got for Shane Victorino and cash. I don’t know anything about him other than his pretty good fantasy baseball year in 73 games in 2012 (.775 OPS). He followed that up with a much lower quality performance in 88 games in 2013 (.630) and a slight return to form in 105 games in 2014 (.728). He was traded to the Angels in the offseason and spent 2015 slashing .274/.323/.403 in AAA. He’s played 3 games at third base for the Sox so far, and I’m sure the best is yet to come with him, but I’m not sure how good that is. Probably pretty middling.

Travis Shaw

On April 5: In Pawtucket.

On August 3: Shaw has also spent most of his year in AAA, where he hasn’t been very good (.249/.318/.356). He wasn’t very memorable in his spring call-ups to Boston either, failing to record a hit in 10 plate appearances over 6 games. But on July 7th, he went 3 for 4, and on August 1st, he went 4-4 with 2 home runs. So maybe Shaw still has something to show. He can play both first and third base, and the Sox are weak at both corner spots, so the opportunity is there.

It’s the All-Star Break, and the All-Star festivities are over. So I guess it’s time to catch up with the players on this team and see how they’re doing. Since there’s nothing else to do. First up, catchers.

This was supposed to be a rock solid year, with Christian Vázquez sitting behind the dish and, I don’t know, probably batting about as well as the unit’s done this year anyway. I like to think he would’ve at least hit .235 or somewhere around what Blake Swihart’s put up. But it was not to be. Instead, we’ve had Swihart for 40 games, Sandy León for 33, and Ryan Hanigan for 26. It’s been interesting.

I’m going to really dig in to the stats here, so put your nerd hats on and get ready to crunch some numbers. The Sox’ catchers, as a unit, have been terrible offensively. To be fair, only 7 teams have gotten an offensive WAR above 0.0 from their catchers in 2015, but the Red Sox are all the way down at 25th with -16.4. And while that number might not be pretty, the on-field product is even uglier. In terms of power, it’s pretty simple:

• 2 home runs
• 0 triples
• 11 doubles

These backstops have an isolated power (ISO) of .057, and all you have to know about that is that it’s the worst mark in MLB. But it’s not like they hit for average either. They’ve grounded into the most double plays in the majors, with 13. When they hit a fly ball, it’s been an infield pop-up 20% of the time, the highest percentage in the majors. And they’re not getting unlucky – they’re 13th in MLB in BABIP. On the bright side, they’re not the Mariners’ catchers (batting .150).

And these guys do have a few things to hang their hats on. They have the most sacrifice bunts (7), as a unit, in MLB. They’re second, behind the Marlins, in UBR (Fangraphs’ Ultimate Baserunning, which is more about situational common sense and execution than speed). They make contact on 84.7% of the pitches they see, 4th highest in MLB. And while they’re 26th in baseball in “positive events” relating to win probability, they also have the 3rd-lowest amount of “negative events.” Basically, they try not to get in the way. I’ll be honest, I don’t hate that strategy. On the other hand, it clearly hasn’t been a particularly successful way of doing things.

In the field, the Sox catchers have been very good, and while that doesn’t quite make up for the lackluster hitting, it’s nice that they’re not a total loss. Fangraphs rates the Boston catchers as the best in the league in defense, along with the Cubs. Yes, this is likely due mostly to Sandy León’s proclivity for throwing out runners. But each of the Sox’ catchers has been at least above average defensively.

In order of games played:

Blake Swihart

On April 5th: After Vázquez’s unfortunate injury (another guy I was really high on), people wondered whether Boston would accelerate Blake’s timetable and perhaps have him break camp with the big club. Again, possibly hoping to avoid another JBJ situation, the Red Sox quickly put an end to that talk by acquiring León. But given the fact that Hanigan and León are both light hitters, don’t be surprised if Swihart gets a call-up sooner rather than later. His defensive game still needs to come around, but the kid can hit. Learning under a good defender like Hanigan could help make the transition a little smoother. – Righty

On July 15th: After batting above .300 in Pawtucket, he’s been a little disappointing at the plate (.241/.279/.323). For now, though, that can be chalked up to the transition to the majors. Oh, and also the fact that he has an absolutely abysmal walk-to-strikeout ratio, with 7 walks and 36 strikeouts on the year. The only regular player with a comparable strikeout rate is Mike Napoli, and as badly as he’s been hitting (.193, in case you need a reminder), he still gets on base more than Swihart. Anyway, the kid’s a better offensive option than León, but it’s not by as much as you might think. And while both León and Swihart have caught 9 runners stealing, León’s only given up 7 stolen bases (one of the best ratios in MLB), while Swihart’s given up 23. Basically, I still believe in this guy, but he definitely needs more seasoning.

Also, I was going to pick on Swihart for his high numbers of passed balls and wild pitches, but then I remembered that Steven Wright has done some pitching. Lo and behold, Swihart’s been the catcher for 10 of Wright’s 11 appearances. I’ll give him a pass.

He was put on the 15-day DL on July 3rd and sent to Pawtucket for a rehab assignment on July 11th, so we’ll see whether he gets called up or stays down in AAA.

Sandy León

On April 5th: Traded a washing machine for this guy once Vázquez was out long-term. He has some upside, but he didn’t fit in with the Nationals, slotting behind Wilson Ramos and José Lobatón. He can’t really hit, but he does it from both sides of the plate. His career numbers in the minors are pretty good defensively. If you type his name into YouTube, the first result is a video that just says “Ground out.” – Lefty

On July 15th: León’s pretty much an automatic out with an OBP of .247, but like I said above, he’s been as good as he possibly could have been advertised in the field. If he were qualified in terms of games played, I’m pretty sure he’d be second in MLB in caught stealing percentage. He’s also been the catcher of choice for the Sox’ best starter, Clay Buchholz. And he’s done well in that capacity. But with Clay on the disabled list, it comes down to how tough it is to keep putting León in the lineup offensively.

Ryan Hanigan

On April 5th: Look, this isn’t ideal. We brought him in to be the backup, and here we are. This is a guy who’s batted .208 over the past two years. It’s not good. He’s 34, so we’re probably not looking at a career resurrection here. But the optimist in me thinks there’s a chance we get .240 or better and some solid defense out of him if he catches half the season. Over two years from 2012 to 2013 with CIncinnati, Hanigan threw out 47 of 99 runners. That’s really fucking good. On the other hand, last year he threw out 8 of 38 (that’s really fucking bad). Worst of all, Middlebrooks is raking in San Diego right now. He’d better crap the bed once he has to play in Petco. – Lefty

On July 15th: Hanigan’s the best offensive option available, mostly because he walks at a great rate – he’s had 15 walks and 15 strikeouts on the year. And while he’s only batting .231, he’s got a pretty incredible .376 OBP, behind only All-Star Brock Holt on the Red Sox. He’s been pretty standard in terms of overall offensive production, and that’s really all you’re looking for if you don’t have a really great catcher. He does need to step up the defense (worse than both Swihart and León), but overall, he’s the guy you want in the lineup day-to-day if you can accept middling play both offensively and defensively.