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For those of you who have been around these parts for a while, you’ll recognize these superlatives as something we’ve been doing for a few years now. For those of you who are new, it’s really not all that complicated. There are going to be six categories on which every staff member will make a pick as will readers with a poll on the bottom of this page. The categories are: Team MVP, Best Pitcher, Defensive Wizard, Biggest Surprise, Biggest Disappointment, and Unsung Hero. We’ll have votes on two a day before wrapping things up with the results on Friday. All polls will close at midnight on Friday.
We’ve all had to get used to disappointment in 2020 and that’s an understatement. Baseball is meant to distract, but until this week, we haven’t had such an escape. Even an escape like baseball has plenty of disappointment built in. Only one team wins the World Series. Most plate appearances end in outs. Nobody posts a 0.00 ERA. Of course, just as in life outside of baseball, not all disappointments are the same. An 0-for-4 day isn’t the same as losing a playoff game on a walkoff home run.
Disappointments are made the more severe by misaligned expectations. Unfortunately, it is difficult to accurately form expectations for the 2020 Boston Red Sox. There have been some massive changes on the roster and that’s before considering the implications of a global pandemic and a shortened season. Such a campaign could lead to pleasantly surprising results from some and a big let down from others.
Today we’re asking you to pick who you think will be the biggest disappointment for the Red Sox this year. Obviously nobody is rooting for anyone to fall short of expectations, but it is inevitable that somebody will. Trying to gauge who will be the “biggest” is part of this exercise. If Ryan Brasier has an ERA north of 5.00, that’s a much different level of disappointment than if J.D. Martinez hits .200. Since disappointment looks different for each player on the roster, I’ve only listed a collection of players with relatively high expectations, but feel free to let me know who should be considered down in the comments.
Poll
Who will be 2020’s biggest disappointment?
This poll is closed
-
8%
Matt Barnes
(14 votes) -
11%
Andrew Benintendi
(19 votes) -
3%
Xander Bogaerts
(5 votes) -
6%
Jackie Bradley Jr.
(11 votes) -
12%
Michael Chavis
(20 votes) -
3%
Rafael Devers
(6 votes) -
14%
Nathan Eovaldi
(23 votes) -
1%
J.D. Martinez
(3 votes) -
6%
Eduardo Rodriguez
(11 votes) -
8%
Christian Vázquez
(14 votes) -
13%
Alex Verdugo
(22 votes) -
8%
Brandon Workman
(14 votes)